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[quote=Anonymous]Here's another knock on the "have a birthday at a park" thing.  Other kids from the neighborhood may be at the park, and realize they weren't invited.  Super awkward.  We've had that happen, where my kid was like "Why are all those kids over there having cake without me?" and you're trying to get your kid from joining in and just taking cake.  
I've been to parties at the park that are really fun, but I've never been willing to have one -- due in part to my paranoia that the weather will be bad, and in part due to my concerns about hurting other kids' feelings.

I usually do at-home parties, but I agree that the costs add up, and there's a lot of stress involved (I don't actually clean in advance, but I do need to put all the crap into a different room, etc...and then must do at least some clean-up afterwards).  I learned the hard way that they really get you on the merchandised party crap.  I remember buying Little Mermaid cake plates and then realizing they were like a dollar a plate or something ridiculous.  Buy one or two things that are merchandised if the child wants a theme, and then fill out everything else at the dollar store.  You can go a long way with using a color as part of your "theme" (light blue streamers + silver plates = very frozen).   I'm also a big fan of the re-usable decorations from Target.

And, on the great butter debate -- I am always shocked and appalled at how much butter must be used to make buttercream.  I personally hate buttercream, and only make it for children's birthday parties.  The person that said a stick of butter obviously never made home made butter cream -- that makes like one slice's worth of buttercream.  Costco has super cheap cakes, and the kids really like them.  I am an amateur baker, who loves to bake and usually makes cakes from scratch, but honestly, for little kids, the Costco cake is both cheaper and probably preferred.  You can buy a frozen decoration online and stick it on top --- ooh, some rock candy around an Elsa with blue colored sugar sprinkled in a swirl across the cake would look super cool.  [/quote]

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