Does the thought of having a group of squealing, giggling precious slumber party divas cooped up in your house all night long scare the living daylights out of you?  Don’t worry; you can still host a Rockin’ Slumber Party – Road Trip Style.

I have listed a few Road Trip ideas to consider before your next Slumber Party:

• Take the girls to late night disco bowling

• Take the girls on a scavenger hunt hitting the houses of all the little boys in class that your daughters are soooo in love with.

• Take the Girls Roller Skating

• After the girls do their glam makeovers, pile in the car and head to the local ice cream shop.

• If the girls promise to keep the volume at a minimum, drive to the nearest Starbucks for hot chocolate (caffeine loaded mochas are the last thing you will want to give these party divas) and a game of truth or dare.  Watch how embarrassed the girls will get when they are dared to stand on one foot and sing “I’m a little Tea Pot” in front of a crowd of coffee drinkers.  Again…..volume at a minimum is a must so as not to upset other customers.

• Drive to dinner at a Magic Time Machine or similar character restaurant

• Take the girls to a late night Nail Shop for a basic Manicure or Pedicure

• After dark, head to the local park and spread out a blanket and tell ghost stories by candle light. Really want to spook ‘em? Do this in a cemetery.  This is only recommended for older girls. The last thing you want is a group of party girls crying in the middle of the night with nightmares.

• Live near the beach? Take the girls to the beach for a castle making contest by moonlight.

• Don’t have a pool but have a friend that does? Ask if you can use their private pool and take the girls for a swim fest after dark.

• Wish it was warm enough for a swim in the pool but instead of sunshine and warm temperatures you have chilly weather and snow? Fantastic, take the girls to the local park for a moonlight snowball fight or for a little snow-woman making. They will be so ready for their Hot Girls Cocoa after this adventure!

Paper Invitations vs. Electronic Invitations.

Which is right for you???????? 

Paper Invitations Pros:

• Fun & Flirty Embellishments to Set the Tone for the Slumber Party
• Creates excitement to give and to receive a special invitation
• Graphics and Font Styles can be very Customized
• Considered a bit more elegant
• If hand delivering you can ensure that the invitations are being received

Paper Invitation Cons:

• Can be Pricy
• Can look a bit home-made if you do not have a good template or graphic designer in the family
• Time Consuming
• Can be Awkward to hand out only to be seen by a girl that was not invited

Electronic Invitations Pros:

• Can be created in a matter of minutes
• Free at websites such as www.evites.com
• Can be considered hip and cutting edge to send an e-vitation
• Think of all of the Trees you are saving
• Allows mothers to see a list of other girls invited so that the mothers can coordinate drop offs and pick ups together if they choose.

Electronic Invitation Cons:

• Considered very informal
• Limited Template Design Options
• E-vitation may accidentally end up in someone’s SPAM Filter before they have even seen it

No matter the invitation style, the invitees are sure to excited about celebrating at the Birthday Slumber Party.

Check out our Club Z Slumber Party Kits for more Slumber Party ideas.

Ok, the time has come….Your daughter has been invited to her first slumber party. You called and chatted with the Birthday girl’s mom just to get a better feel of the activities planned. You have purchased the gift for the Birthday girl and even a new pair of pajamas for your little diva. You have helped your daughter pack for her first night away from home. You have done all of this with a fake smile doing your best Award winning performance of cheerfulness so your daughter doesn’t realize how emotionally moved you are by this girly-girl right of passage. Hang in there, Mom!  She’s going to be fine and have a wonderful time! Though I can’t keep your little diva from growing up way too fast, I can give you some helpful hints and questions to ask before the big Sleepover:

• Does the party agenda include a road trip? If so, to where and when are they to return from the fun? This does not mean that you can just happen to show up at the particular fun spot at a certain time. Don’t be embarrassing, Mom!
• Does the party host have any family pets that your daughter might be allergic to? If so, make a judement call and either have your girl double up on allergy medicine or politely ask the host that she not let the pet and your daughter interact too much.
• Does the party host have a private swimming pool? Will the girls be swimming?  Is your daughter a good swimmer or will she need to wear a life jacket?
• What time should you pick your daughter up the next morning? You don’t want to be too anxious picking up your princess but you don’t want her to wear out her welcome either!
• Does your daughter have any food allergies that you need to let the party host know of?
• Most important: Ask your husband or significant other if he/she has any plans on the night of the party. You might as well make the most of the night to yourself and have your own slumber party.

58% of moms say their children write thank-you notes. (http://pressroom.hallmark.com). Are you and your daughter part of the 58% or part of the 42%?

Many of the mother’s I work with tell me that they do indeed send Thank You cards. However, they tell me they often write the notes for their daughter and then have their daughters sign the cards.  If the party girl is old enough to read and write, my question to the Mother is, “Why”?  What kind of lesson does this teach?

My Advice?  Make the effort and take the time to teach your young diva the art of writing a Thank You Card. This simple skill could be so advantageous to her throughout her life. Just think, someday when she’s an adult with a daughter of her own sitting down to write out a Thank You note for some thing or another, she will sweetly think of you and your thoughtfulness to teach her the basics of Thank You card writing.

Thank you card basics:  Who? What? When? Why? How?

Who gave the gift? Address the card to that person.

What did the person give?  Was it a pair of slippers, journal or pajamas?  Thank the person for the specific gift.

When was the gift given?  In this case it will be for Birthday.

Why is the gift giver someone special to you?

How do you plan to use the gift?

Thank you Card Examples from the Club Z Board of Directors (ages 7 – 12):

Example 1:

Dear Ms. Molly Pants,

Thanks so much for the fuzzi house shoes you gave me for my birthDay. You are such a cool freind to be so nyce.  I can’t wait to wear the cozy, cuddly slippers every night.
You Rock,

Anne

Example 2:

Dear Casey,

Thank you for the puppy dog pj’s for my birthday. I’m so glad you came to my slumber party. I had so much fun staying up all night long with you.  I will wear my new jammy’s every night.

StA kEwl,

Phoebe

Example 3:

Dear Isabell,

Thanks for the polka dot duffel bag for my Birhtday.  You are my BFF and will be 4ever. I can’t wait to take my new bag on vacation with me.

XOXOXO,

Katelynne

One of my slumber party secrets is that I have always wanted to go to Hollywood to see the sights and pretend for just one day that I am a Hollywood Diva. I want the lights, the cameras and of course the action. If you have your own wanna-be superstar with an upcoming birthday, why not throw a Hollywood Star Slumber Party Theme?

Let’s start with the Invitations. You could have the invitation as a cut out Oscar award or an old fashion movie camera. A fun invitation will set the tone for the Hollywood Slumber Party. Be sure to request in the invite that the Party Girls come dressed in their Hollywood party best. Think Gorgeous! Think Fabulous!

With a fun night planned, the RSVP’s are sure to be positive and you need to prepare yourself of a houseful of Hollywood Divas. Think of your Slumber Party as the Premier to the next year of life. How exciting!

What would a Hollywood premier be without a red carpet? It just wouldn’t be right! With this in mind ,you will want to line your walkway or your entrance with red felt for a dramatic red carpet Hollywood effect. If you really want to go all out, have family and friends stand outside with cameras to take pictures as each girl walks up to your home. You could even have a big sister or an adult girl-friend with a microphone stopping the girls as they walk up to the house and asking for interviews. They could for instance, ask the girls: What they are most looking forward to at the slumber party? What they love most about the Birthday Girl? If they were allowed to bring a date, who would they have brought? For the full affect, have someone film the interviews. You can always turn the footage into great mementos to give the party girls on CD.

You will of course want to give your Birthday Girl a special gift. How about a Special Diva Directors Chair?  Go all out and have her name painted in a fun color or glitter. If you are smart, you will get a color scheme to match her bedroom so she can enjoy the gift not only at the Hollywood Slumber party but also for years to come.

You just can’t have a slumber party without an uber cool craft. Stick with the theme of Hollywood and decorate cardboard clapboards.  (You know, black and white stripes…someone shouting, “Scene 1; Take 3).

Another fun Hollywood craft that is always a hit is a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Tile. Simply cut out a square cardboard tile and a star.  Make sure the star is big enough for each girl to write in her name and decorate. Glue the star cut out to the square tile and let the girls finish it off decorating with glitter paint and stick-on rhinestones. When the girls are done punch holes into the corners of each square tile and loop ribbon up through the back side of one punched hole and push through the other punched hole. Tie together in a cute bow for a great wall hanging.  The girls are sure to love their new bedroom décor!

Every Slumber Party Girl will be looking forward to her Slumber Party Favor Hollywood Awards bag to include all things Hollywood girls love. Think fun sunglasses, scarves, make-up, nail polish, mani /pedi kits. Usually three items per bag are more than enough to make the party girls squeal.

All of the fun and squealing is sure to work up appetites. Think simple and fun with a Hollywood menu of Award Winner Mocktails and Pizza Masterpieces.

For the Mocktails simply pull out your champagne glasses and edge each rim with pink colored sugar. Pour in equal amounts of cranberry juice and ginger ale for a bubbly, colorful concoction.

As for the Pizza masterpieces, encourage the girls to channel their inner Wolfgang and create their own pizza. Simply put out individual pizza dough on paper plates along with an assortment of pizza toppings and let the girls go to work. Bake and eat, but don’t forget to take pictures of all the fun!

For desert, you just have to go with cupcakes. Birthday cake is so last year! Ice them yourself with fun Hollywood star decorations or simply bake and let the girls ice and decorate their own.

The girls will of course entertain themselves but if you really want to set the night apart and have the Slumber Party of the year, you will consider a few of our Slumber Party Game Ideas.

This one is one of my favorites and my party girls always ask to play it a second time.

Make two piles of the same type of clothing such as skirts, socks, jackets, earmuffs, hats, etc.  Divide the Slumber Party girls into two teams. Have the teams’ line up single file on the opposite side of the room than the pile of clothes. The first girl in line is to run to the pile of clothes and put on all of the extra clothes and then take them off again and run back to the team line for the second person in line to do the same making a relay. The team that dresses and undresses the fastest wins the game.

The girls really giggle and laugh when an extra large bra or teeny tiny bikini is included in the pile.

Be sure to have the latest Rock Star Teen Scene Music DVD playing to keep the tempo hoppin’.

After the Slumber Party Girls are finished playing the Dress up relay, have the girls rummage through the clothes and come up with different characters and create their very own Hollywood movie skit. You as the hostess can have the video camera and can film the award winning movie.

After the excitement, snacks, games and so much laughter, the girls are sure to be worn out.

It is now time to give your self a big High Five for throwing the most Awesome Hollywood Star Slumber party Ever!

You Go Girl!

Check out our Club Z Slumber Party Kits for more Slumber Party ideas.

Wanting to throw a Slumber Party for your Special Diva but think you would rather spend a day at the dentist than have to entertain a group of squealing, giggling, jumping slumber party girls?  Don’t worry Mom, you can do it!  Just remember, Organization is the key.

I’ve put together a checklist of action items to make sure that you will not only host the Party of the Year, you will actually enjoy it!

How many girls does your diva want to invite…..4 or 24? 

It really shouldn’t matter as long as your final RSVP is an even number?  The last thing you want is to have an odd girl out.

Are any of the Slumber Party Invitees allergic to Pets? 

If so, do you have an overnight sitter for your house Femme Fetal Feline or Hotty Hound Dog?  Who is it that has agreed to take care of the family pet(s) or are you going to board them?

Does your Slumber Party Invitation state the time for the girls to be picked up the next morning?

Trust me, after a wild night of fun, you are going to be as excited to see them go as you were excited to see them arrive.

Have you created a Slumber Party Girl Contact Sheet with Girls Name; Parent’s Name; Contact Phone Numbers? 

This list will come in handy if there is a girl that doesn’t want to stay the full night, if there is an accident or if the girl is not picked up at the requested time the next morning.  HELPFUL HINT:  Be sure to keep the sheets by the front door to fill out when the girls are dropped off for the party.

Have you identified central locations for the following?

• Where to leave sleepover gear and overnight accessories?
• Where to have Birthday gifts taken to be opened later?
• Where to take Slumber Party Make Over supplies and toiletries?
• A place to go for drinks and munchies?
• A place to complete the Slumber Party Craft?
• A place to turn the music up loud and show off the latest dance moves?
• A place to roll out the sleeping bags and sleep?

Have you created a list of Slumber Party or House Rules? 

Maybe your rule is “No running in the house” or that “Brothers’ room is off limits”.

If you are having a Slumber Party Craft, have you covered the designated craft table with newspaper, butcher block paper or an old sheet? 

This will be well worth your time if there happens to be an accident with glue, glitter or paint.

Do you have a few fun games up your sleeve in the event that things get slow during the party?

Think Truth or Dare, M.A.S.H., Light as a Feather Stiff as a Board or Scavenger Hunts.

Have you rounded up a few dance music CDs and put them close to the CD/DVD player in the designated dance area?

If you are not sure what would be great Slumber Party Music, ask your daughter or her friends for special requests before the big night.

Do you have at least three Slumber Party Movies on hand?

For the coolest and the most age appropriate Slumber Party Movies, don’t be afraid to ask your local video store manager for suggestions.

If you plan ahead and stay organized you are sure to throw the Greatest Slumber Party Ever!