It's That Time Again!

I cannot believe it. It's that time again... time to plan another birthday party.

I just realized that my fatty will be 1 in a month. How on earth did the time fly by so quickly. I thought I had more time, but as it turns out I have a little over a month to plan his first birthday party... and the planning starts today.

I spent all day on the internet (on and off of course) looking for party venues, party supplies, and just party stuff in general. I called a number of places to see what they offered as far as activities, food, and fun. Some were pretty reasonable, but others were just plain ridiculous. In Costa Rica, it seems they try to compete with American prices when it comes to indoor party fun for kids. $500 for a party package??? Insane! $300 and they don't even include food????? No thanks!

I was thinking of just hiring a clown and doing a 'smallish' party at home. But then I figured by the time I bought the food, all the decorations, the cake, the pinata and all the candy to fill the pinata, goody bags, prizes... the party would end up costing me just as much if I had just rented a spot. And it will be that much more stressful if I do it myself... the clean up, the cooking, the entertaining, all those kids in my house.... heaven knows I don't know how to throw a 'smallish' party. And what if it rains... September is one of the rainiest months in Costa Rica.

So I searched the web, my best tool so far, and narrowed my choices down to 2 places. Two very promising places.

My first choice is the Children's Museum. What more fun could a child have? It's the Children's Museum, fun is it's middle name. I had always wanted to have a party there, but figured the price was too steep. But after spending over *ahem* $400 on Princess's first birthday, I figured I would do myself a favor and save myself the headache of planning a party by having someone else do all the work for the same price.

They offer a lot for just under $300 and if you want to add more, say food for the adults, a pinata, ice-cream and facepainting, it still comes out to less than $400. Not bad. Plus someone else plays hostess, playing games with the kids and doling out prizes. Also, they give all the guests a tour of the museum. Not a bad deal... but I was still looking for something better and cheaper.

The second option I have is a place called Dreams. Located in Heredia, it's a bit farther than I would like. Some of my guests don't have cars, so I'm not sure if they would want to trek all the way to Heredia for a birthday party. Anywho, location aside, the place looks fun. It has a moonbounce, something I think every party should have (and something that has eluded me for both of Princess's parties since both times I rented a moonbounce they canceled. Plus I never had a chance to rent them in Boston for Boobies parties since they were so expensive). Dreams even has a zipline (canopy) and rock climbing for kids. It's defintely kid friendly, with all it has to offer and they have 'babysitters' who watch the kids while they play so the parents can sit, relax, talk and enjoy themselves.

For $215, they don't offer a lot... just hotdogs for each child. But I can bring my own cake, pinata and food... at no extra charge. They even have a kitchen. So I figure if I throw in an extra $15o and cook my own food, buy a cake at Pricesmart (a Bj's/Cosco type wholesale club), buy the pinata and fill it with inexpensive candy, the total package would only cost me roughly around $360. Not bad, not bad at all.

While I am thinking a month is enough time to plan a party, it's not. Picking the venue is just half the battle. I have to BOOK said venue and pay for it (not before crossing my T's and dotting my i's first though). People are planning parties left and right (Costa Rica is full of kids, don't you know) and booking these places as I type. At Dreams, they only have one time slot available for the date I'm looking for and if I don't want to lose out on that spot, I have to book ASAP. As soon as I've reserved my party place though, I can just sit back, relax and put my mind at ease while the planning gets done for me. I just wish I could make up my mind about which place to HAVE the party.


Which place will be more fun, which will give me more bang for my buck? Which one will the kids like more. Which one will help me save (i.e. not regret how much money I spent).

I know there has to be a better deal out there, but how do I find it. I have searched the far corners of the net... and I don't know too many people who have parties at places like these so that I can ask their opinions. The ones that do have parties like these have them at far more expensives venues. Plus I don't know Costa Rica and all it has to offer, as far as party rentals go, so I am relying on my only source of information which, right now, is the world wide web.

I know how much I want to utilize the Children's Museum for a party, it's my dream. But is my dream going to cost me in the long run? I guess I'll sleep on it and compare both places a little more tomorrow. Then I'll make my decision this weekend. There is just one more hurdle I must cross... telling hubby. He hates how much I spend on birthday parties and he's going to need a A LOT of convincing.