Sarah is certainly no stranger to this blog having been my guest blogger where she shared on "Read aloud tips" previously.
Being such a fun loving mum, she definitely is on my list of to-reach-out" mums for the Birthday Blast series. :D Here, she shares in a very candid post, her Transformer Party, Singapore Kampong Style - the windy weather, robot faced pizzas and tasty Char Kuey
Teow way!
Reader Alert:
For those expecting to
see some perfect and pretty cool Transformer party ideas, please do expect a
bumpy ride ahead.
Be warned that this
may be a party, and a party style, totally bewildering and perhaps even
unacceptable to those of us more used to party themes as watertight as
submarines, air-conditioned comforts and polished-looking pretties.
Since both my boys
were celebrating their birthdays in the same month, this Mama thought it a
perfect plan to combine celebrations during the school holidays. While I had
the grand plan of transforming my home into a real Transformer zone, the
domestic mess proved too much of a hurdle to clear. (Pun intended.)
In any case, I figured that my boys and the neighbours’ boys really would prefer
the luxury of space the long corridor and common area outside afforded. So the
party got shifted outside my house, and it became such a chillax ( chill +
relax, in case you’re wondering) ‘kampung’ affair. A party style that heralds
back to 80s Singapore, right how I remembered having birthday parties as a kid.
We had as many adults as we had kids. My neighbour’s daughter even walked back
from her office to join us for lunch.
For some strange reason that day, the winds
were mighty and the forces of nature rearranged yet another aspect of my party
– the décor.
So much for the balloon chain in Optimus Prime colours because the winds either
blew them away or popped them.
And so much for setting up a ‘Refuel’ Station
for the Autobots to eat and drink. However, while my Autobots failed in the
looks department, it thankfully didn’t disappoint in the yum-and-fill factor!
In keeping with the Kampong Transformers theme, we had lovely last-minute local
additions to my original Italian pasta and pizza (my eldest boy, Lee’s
request). The auntie next door, who runs a Hae-Mee (Fried Hokkien prawn noodle)
stall in the rather famous Fengshan market, cooked up some tasty Char Kuey
Teow. She provided us Bah Hoo (pork floss) as toppings for the fried noodles
and it was extra yummy!
The boys got to make their own pizzas with ‘robot’ faces. I didn’t see any
semblance to robots but well, it’s their creative interpretation of what robots
are!
What is a
Transformers’ Party without some fun and games right?
The winds blew off much of my grand plans. But that was perhaps best for the
boys on hindsight. Because for that 3 hours out there, they amused themselves
silly with their own games which included chasing after my balloons, committing
5-stones-kamikaze, playing catch with remote control cars and transforming
another neighbour’s shoe rack into a garage.
When it was time to cut the cake, it was also
time to get all hands involved in the difficult task of lighting the candles.
See? I’m not
exaggerating when I say the winds were mighty that day!
In fact so mighty, we had to do a kampong huddle before we could keep those
candles alight!
My boys couldn’t wait
to blow out the candles and eat the cake.
I’m no baker. So this
is a simple cake we (my boys helped with the fondant-making and decorating)
made. So simple that I’m sure most of
your primary school-aged kids would be able to attempt one themselves! A box of
Betty Crockers’ blueberry muffin mix, print and laminate Transformer logos, paper Transformer robot dolls, store-bought icing, fondant, sprinkles and
candles. Easily found and pretty much affordable. (Actually my mom remarked
that it would be cheaper to just buy a proper cake. And with my ‘talent’, she
is probably right.)
But my boys seemed
very happy that day with the party I had planned for them. They seemed
extremely happy with the cake. So if the stars of the party had no complaints,
I’m not going to either. And I think my hubby’s pretty pleased that I didn’t
break the bank account with the birthday parties (I probably spent $40 in all).
There you have my
Transformers Party plan ala Singaporean Kampung style – simple, old-school but
super fun and pocket-friendly. I hope reading this has helped transformed some
of your ideas about birthday parties, and that it gives you some inspiration to
host your own kampong party someday soon.
Sarah is runs a domestic circus full-time. Her
loyal audience of 3 ( 2 boys and a man) keep her hands busy and heart
full. Whenever she finds herself free of the spatula, kids and laundry,
she can be found blogging about parenting and teaching through
intentional playfulness at The Playful Parents.
An drama and literacy educator, Sarah also enjoys swapping stories with
other parents. So swing on by and share your own party tales today!
This is the part of a Birthday Blast series where some blogger mums share their birthday party planning tips and ideas. Coming up next is Candice who will be sharing her fun-filled and colourful M & M party! :)
