Monday, November 07, 2011

Roller Skating Party Palooza

A few months ago, the girls got the roller skating bug when they borrowed the neighbor girls' roller skates.  Since then, it's been all roller skates, all the time.  With their birthdays coming up, I knew just what to get them.  

A lizard.

Just kidding!  Roller skates, of course!


Emma requested roller blades, while Addie requested pink roller skates.  

The plot thickened when they got the idea to have a roller skating birthday party.  It seemed like a great solution to their new infatuation with skating.  

So like any mom who grew up in Colorado, my mind went straight to Skate City.  Is Skate City still in business?  Why, yes it is!  Is it still a little dirty, creepy and are the doors still covered in orange carpet?  Yes, yes, and yes!  I guess some things never change.

Reluctantly, I scheduled their joint birthday party.  Reluctant because:

1.  I suspected it might get chaotic.
2.  The numbers!  They kept adding more people to the list.  Yikes!  Which leads me to...
3.  The cost!  Okay, it's pretty reasonable, especially when the trade off is not having the mess and chaos at your own home.
4.  Um, it's Skate City.  Carpeted doors.  
5.  I didn't feel like it was very creative.  I have a thing for creative parties.  This wouldn't exercise my need for creativity.


But, then I remembered the part about the no mess at my house and the part about not having to get my house perfectly clean and the part about how much the girls wanted a skating party and I was sold.  Oh yeah, and the part about how when I was younger I secretly wanted to compete in the Olympics with my rollerskating skillz.  I practiced my routines for hours in the street in front of my house.  And then I found out rollerskating is not an Olympic event.  I was crushed.

But back to the party...

I was right about one thing:  CHAOS.


But it was fun.  The girls would never describe it as chaotic, they'd only describe it as the most awesome party ever.  But I learned a few things:

1.  I'd probably meet all the kids/parents outside first, because our table wasn't ready when they told us to arrive and it was totally chaotic getting all the parents/kids on the same page about where to go.  And we were clueless, so that didn't help.  

2.  I wouldn't do a skating party again for kids under 8... and even that's pushing it.  My girls are crazy and adventurous and can skate, and I somehow forgot that that isn't the norm.  Kids were clinging to walls and falling constantly.  Oops.  I think they still had fun though.  I didn't get a single complaint from moms who willingly strapped on the skates, that's for sure!  

3.  I will brace myself for the chaos next time because WHOA I didn't know what hit me.

4.  A combined party for the girls (whose birthdays are 2 weeks apart) is not a great idea when they invite so many friends.  Our rule of inviting as many kids as you are old is a good one.  Why didn't we stick to it this time?!?  It was too many kids to keep track of at Skate City.  I'm so glad some parents stuck around.

5.  Did I mention the chaos?    



But, it really was fun.  The girls were all smiles.  


And I couldn't help myself, and I did find a way to get creative.  

First, I made them special shirts to wear to the party.  I appliqued a fun little thing for each of them.  Addie's is a 6 on wheels, and Emma's said "SK8" - and they loved them!  I didn't have time to stitch around the design though, because I literally did these an hour before the party.  Creative, yes.  Planner, no.


For party favors, we made these dipped, candy-coated pretzels with a little tag that read, "I'm wheelie glad you came to my party."



I have about 51 1/2 weeks to plan the next party (I do things last-minute, remember?), but I'm thinking it won't involve wheels, disco lights or carpeted doors.  


Happy birthday, sweet girls!

15 comments:

  1. so awesome!!! Maddie's school does a skate night every year at Skate City and CHAOS is always the word I pick to describe this outing. But the kids sure love it, don't they?!? And I'm with you on the secret childhood dream of being a pro skater. I went faithfully on Wednesday nights for several years in elementary school. I even saved up $200 to buy my own fancy speed skates (still have 'em). Oh the dreams of a young girl... :)

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  2. roller parties are the best! looks like a blast :P

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  3. #1 - how fun!
    #2 - I love that your kids have close birthdays like mine, I find it fun!
    #3 - Really, what is WITH the carpeted doors? I remember that too!
    #4 - Love the shirts!
    #5 - your girls are adorable and I hope they had a FANTASTIC birthday!!

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  4. Chaos! Yes! But my boys had fun. Oh, and Cam has finally stopped complaining that his wrist hurts so rest assured, there won't be any legal action taken against you afterall. Who thought of this idea anyway?!

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  5. Okay, my comment will be in list form:

    1. Happy Birthday to E and A!
    2. Those shirts are ADORABLE. Cute, cute, cute!
    3. Your Skate City looks exactly like our Skate City!
    4. I wanted to be an Olympic roller skater too. SERIOUSLY. Practiced my routine (jumps and all!) in my driveway for years. You're my long lost sista.

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  6. great post Angie! what a fun party...I'm sure it will be one they remember FOREVER!
    (20 years later)
    Emma: Hey Addie, remember that awesome roller skating party we had?!
    Addie: Ha! Yes! How could I forget?! Mom made us those awesome shirts.

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  7. Hi Angie! LOVE this cute party!!! (I'm stalking your blog again :) I had Paula Abdul's "Hush Hush" running through my head the whole time I read your post ;) Good job mom!

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  8. Great Post.Happy Birthday to E and A.I just want to say one thing that Your Skate City looks exactly like Our Skate City.Your girls are adorable and I hope they had a FANTASTIC birthday...
    roller skate

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  10. CAN I JUST SAY THAT I AM SO VERY HAPPY TO HAVE COME ACROSS YOUR BLOG!!!! I am literally going through the same exact thing!!!! I could for all intents and purposes, copy your entire blog, almost word for word and post it as my blog. I couldn't believe just how many things you went through that I am NOW going through. You did a great job (love the shirts) and thank you so much for posting the things you learned.... I am going to take them all into consideration as I continue to plan my daughter's 6th birthday party at a roller skating rink - CHAOS!!! I am glad ours is a brand new rink, therefore we wont have carpet on the doors! LMBO!!!!!

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  12. Can you e-mail the gift tag to lajohns@alumni.clemson.edu?

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  13. Glad I found this post. It’s really awesome. I've been thinking about this topic.
    You have provided the most simplest but informative and helpful ways about roller skates for kids
    .Thanks for sharing such a nice post.

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  14. Hi Angie, I absolutely love your skate party idea! I am having one for my soon-to-be 7 year old girl this Sunday. I love your favor tag and was wondering if I could borrow or maybe purchase it if you have it available? That would be awesome! Thanks again!

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