Ultimate Sports Birthday Party for My Baby!

It's that time again! My how time goes. My baby turned 10. Of course my brain was in high gear in January for his party in May! How to outdo last year's birthday party? What a challenge! This year Theron wanted a sports birthday party! Soccer and Football he said. So really two themes in one. Okay - I got this! First thing first is the invitation. As always, this is going to make or break the party attendance and create the atmosphere for the entire event. The invitation sets the stage and what a stage I had to set! I took a couple photos of Theron with black paint below his eyes and then photoshopped the number 10 on the image. I also took one of him in his favorite soccer jersey facing away from the camera for the back of the invitation. Wait, back up. First, is the creation of the save-the-date image that we used on Facebook and Instagram so all his buds and our family and friends knew it was coming. Check it out!

Social media save-the-date

Okay - now on to the invitation. You know my little man needed a logo! I put a soccer ball on top and a football below. He picked out the colors. You can't go wrong with red, white and blue! God bless America!

As soon as I finished the invitation the next step is always getting ready for the school party which I plan out strategically! The invitations go out 2-3 weeks in advance and the last school day before the birthday party is the day I have the party at school and paint the school rock. Or in this case, this year, I wrapped that sucker! For those that have seen the other rocks I've painted; the fish, the military rock, Minecraft, etc., it takes HOURS like 10-12 and I thought about my time vs paying for a big sticker and went for the sticker! His party was weeks ago and I'm still hearing people say "did you do that rock?" Ha! It takes a lot to impress my kid these days. Don't get me wrong, he's thankful and always shows his appreciation, but the shock value is hard to get. His mom is a designer ya know? BUT when he saw this rock, It was worth it! Check out the video. TEAR! I might cry again! So planning the school party and having the rock up at the same time/day create even more hype with the kids and gets them talking about the event after school and ensuring they drive their parents crazy until they arrive at the party that weekend. I had a couple mom's call and say their boys were going to make them crazy and could they come early! Too much fun! Birthday party grassroots marketing at its finest! 

Now to plan the event! I borrowed my mom's big field and my husband borrowed a sports field painting machine from his buddy that works at the local school. We painted the field to look just like a real football/soccer field! How cool! We borrowed two soccer goals from a buddy and $20 at Sports Authority scored us a flag football set for 10. The first hour of the party was flag football and the boys and girls played! It was awesome! Of course, we had to have all the volunteers (my family and friends) in official attire! We found whistles and ref shirts online! Oriental Trading Co had black under eye, whatever you call them, for football, you could write on, so this Momma was sports birthday tournament ready! 

The next hours of the party were the biggy! Bubble Balls also called Soccer Bubble Balls! I rented them from a local company - they came out, blew them up and ran the show. Everyone LOVED them and we laughed until our cheeks were sore! We all played in them! It was a riot! Kids and adults! I'm not sure how the ref's kept score but the kids picked teams and named their teams when the party started and at the end we had cool gifts they could win. My husband says I'm a hoarder but those 75% items throughout the year pay off with great prizes for the kids birthday parties! 

Of course no sports birthday party is complete without an adult tailgating area. Responsibly, of course. 

I didn't go crazy big on decor this year since it was outside but I can tell you the hotdog buffet, candy buffet and nacho stand was a hit! Get the nacho trays and cheese sauce at your local Sam's or BJ's - they loved it! And don't forget the toppings! 

Marine Graduation T-Shirt

If you've ever had a sibling, you know the feeling. That moment when your brother or sister gets married, or has their first child, when they graduate from college, or high school. An overflowing feeling of pride and love that is beyond words. Heck. I feel this way about my brother and sister daily. I tell them all the time, no one can mistreat you but me. Ha! And we are all grown with families of our own now! Well except my brother. Know any good girls for a single, 29 year old, 6’2″, good looking guy? Please send over their mug shot and social security number so I can review them prior to introducing them to my little brother. Oops. Sorry – got off track!

One of my very own coworkers, JP – her brother joined the Marine’s and he’s been going through basics these last months. We are down to the wire with only a few days before JP and her family are reunited with her brother and they are SO PROUD! Not going to lie, we are overflowing with emotion-PROUD, ourselves. JP has been the ultimate big sister and an amazing support system for her brother Sam. From letters, special packages to a social media campaign with all our friends, family (including furry friends) and clients – you name it, she’s done it. Now the time has come for him to graduate. JP’s Dad is flying in from Maine and along with her sis Anne, they are going to watch it all go down. The entire office family have been a part of this epic journey and we can’t wait to hear how everything goes next week! I wanted to pull down a sweet quote from JP’s Facebook last night. I understand they have one final test before they graduate and it’s something crazy, like days with little food, unheard of conditions, etc., and they have to make it through. I turned my porch light on even though there is no one to see it out in the boonies where I live – I hope Sam felt it.

“Samuel Penney, it’s 9:35 PM. You’ve been at it for 19 hours and 35 minutes. At 10 PM my one hour Charlie Co. prayer shift starts, however I’ve thought about you all day. My porch light is still burning bright. If you start feeling weary, find my light because I’m with you each and every step of the way.” 

I will tell you one thing. No one is going to look better than the Penney family at graduation! Check out the shirts, signs, wrapped gifts and all that jazz! Another amazing co-worker designed all these goodies and I'm selling them on Etsy! Gifts for the platoon such as koozies, personalized stationary, personalized banners, signs for when they make that run, shirts, you name it, we probably made it! Check it out below and see the Etsy page to shop! GO MARINES! GO USA! http://fox-t.com/products/marine-family-day-graduation-shirts-personalized-on-high-quality-super-comfy-tees

Congratulations Sam and the entire Penney family!

#penneystrong

Call of Duty Black Ops Birthday Party

Ahhh so it's that time of year again. My little guy has named his birthday party theme and guess what? It's Call of Duty. I really don't even like watching him play the video game. Ugh. Too much of the blood, guts and glory for me. However, I guess I get it? He's a boy? Boys like that kind of stuff? Anyways, so as normal, T's birthday party is a huge production. Go big or go home, right? Call of Duty ultimate birthday party ever, here we come!

First thing I had to do was come up with the Call of Duty amazing invitation. Not to be confused with Black Ops II or Ghosts - gotta get it right here. As always, the goal is to have a big return. If my kid invites 50 people then at least 45 show up. It's a horrible competition I have with myself every year! It's ALL in the invitation and the tone. It sets the stage! It turned out pretty freaking cool!

So check it out! Gold linen card stock, printed full color, a silver metallic Call of Duty Survival Guide booklet attached inside - I also hand scrapped the edges so it would look worn! I had parents asking if they could come play and, why, of course, you sure can! Score! Now, a friend of mine wanted one for their kid but didn't want to spend the money on the paper so I made her some on regular card stock without the booklet! That's the one I'm going to list on Etsy, however I can make some more of these if someone wants them.

The big mac-daddy high roller version of the invitation! 

Here is the simpler version that was a lot less expensive to reproduce. Only I would make a survival guide booklet right? But hey, it was a party with a lot of cool details and you gotta let the mom's know where and what their babies are going to be doing so they feel good about letting them stay for the sleep over! 

The "still super hot but simpler" Call of Duty birthday invitation! 

Just look at this little booklet. It is so cute!

So my idea for the party was to have a local mobile laser tag company come out and keep these kids entertained. It was a freaking hit! The laser tag company had games similar to Call of Duty, the guns kept score of best accuracy, most hits, best in game, etc. Each group of boys divided into teams and went at it! We set up props all over our yard and throughout the woods. A huge table full of prizes sat in waiting! These boys were pumped and ready to play and don't get in their way. They were SERIOUS! The competition was fierce! The Call of Duty Survival Guide told them to wear their camo and arrive early for face painting! Too much fun! We also made cool ammo props and set up props to look like the Call of Duty board, Freight - just used a stencil I cut out, some spray paint and cardboard boxes! Love! 

If you live in the Charlotte area, call this guy, Dustin (as pictured below). He was a SAINT! Here's his website. 

All in all I’d say we had about 30-35 kids playing laser tag. We made "covers" with pieces of plywood and stacked boxes in front of them that said USA or AMMO on them and then covered them with some brush we cut down in the woods. These “covers” were all over the yard and throughout the woods. The kids LOVED it! I really loved the laser tag deal – the kids were completely entertained for over two hours. During that time we started grilling, and of course the General’s Barracks (aka adult only bar/lounge) was in full swing. If you’re having a party, don’t forget the music. We made a fun play list of the kids favorite songs, top hits and some 80s and 90s – everyone was dancing at some point or another. Outside speakers – best investment ever. The right atmosphere can make or break a party.

More decor and mess! 

He was upset he was missing his laser tag war! Oh my gosh. 

I skip all over the place but let’s go back to the beginning for a minute. I made cool signs when you pulled in the driveway with same creative as the invitation that said “NOW ENTERING A WAR ZONE” that directed parents were to go… we live in the boonies! I also had a security check point. What is that you might ask? Let’s just say I’m grateful to those family members that train how to use firearms and just happen to have some big guns and some military camo! These two studs stood about 500 yards down the driveway from the house and gave parents and kids a fit. It was so funny to hear about one parent who was waving their invitation out the window of her minivan half a mile before she actually came up to the guys. Ha! My check point security officers asked questions like “Can I see some I.D.?, Who gave you authorization to be here? Do you have clearance to go any further? We are going to need to see some proof.” Ha! They were straight faced, so serious! It was comical to say the least. All the parents thought it was a trip! Of course, the security officers gave up their gig and made buds with each car and let them pass but it was so much fun playing the part!

My neighbor is a retired army vet and let me borrow her gear for all my kids and their friends since they were “birthday staff” – of course, my kids though this was the best thing since YouTube. Bless it. 

Check point security officers and Call of Duty Birthday Party Staff! The birthday staff girls helped greet and helped people "enlist" and get their overnight stuff to the media room. They were angels! 

The birthday boy!

The few, the proud, the Moms. Yep. This is me. Complete with a whistle. I was on the money!

So back it way up to the party at school. I took the cupcakes with the wrappers I made and those custom cute darn little cupcake toppers! Plus I had a Call of Duty goodie bag for each kid. I designed a bag topper that folded over and just stapled over the bag! It looked great! I laid out a candy bar wrapper and even designed a grenade label for blow pops. Kids can’t have enough of the mechanical pencils at school so I threw one of those in there with a stationary pad. Bling-blinging! The best was when I walked in the cafeteria before my little guy got there. The grade above him was finishing up their lunch and all I could hear was little whispers throughout “Wow. That’s Call of Duty. Man that is cool. Oh wow.” So at this point I’m thinking SCORE! When T walked in, he was so excited and all his little friends were pumped about the cupcakes and treats. This momma’s heart was soaring. Before I left he said, “mommy, you are the best ever and I love you and thank you” but “don’t kiss me in front of everyone” and squeezed my hand – looked at me with those big brown eyes and I thought, dang it, I’m probably going to buy him a car and I swore I was going to make him earn it himself. He’s nine.

Sorry. I have A.D.D. I think - SO back to the party. Prizes. Now I am a sale shopping queen. I went to Target after Easter and at 70-90% off I cleared out their candy and all their basket stuffers. If it didn't say Easter on it or had a fuzzy bunny it was game for a prize. I used all the candy for pennies to make the candy bar for the party. Glassware from the dollar store – ummm yes please. Prizes were anything from: spider man claws, hulk slim, $10 iTunes cards, soccer balls, footballs, basketballs, basketball NBA hats, make up sets, Axe deodorant kits and wash (75% of after Christmas at Walmart), etc., baseball bats full of bubble gum and more. Thank you clearance section! I collect all year for the kids parties for pennies on the dollar.

All little girls must be taught the proper army crawl before they are sent off in the woods to kill zombies. Oh gosh. Our girls are crazy. If you have teen girls at home, keep an eye on them… like stuck to them. : )

The grill master dad and his many woman aka our great friends that always help us with these crazy parties! J

Did I mention T walked a little girl to her car? Oh my. 

This folks, this is called success… and thankful to my husband that listened to me scream his name for 24 hours (and not for that reason) to make this party happen. Hoping he doesn't leave me for someone boring and un-creative! Our little Z will be turning 16 soon. He might skip town! Ha! Watch out!

The party was great. Nine little boys spent the night and stayed up to the wee hours of the morning playing, you guessed it, Call of Duty! SCORE! 

Visit me at: http://fox-t.com/ or see it all here: http://www.pinterest.com/foxtdesigns/call-of-duty-birthday-party/ or email me at shannon@fox-t.com. Thanks!