My Daughter’s Blastastic Birthday Celebration

I have a confession to make: I just hosted my FIRST in-home birthday party… EVER. I never had a birthday party in my childhood (or adulthood), and Elisha and Elyssa have either decided they wanted a big present instead of a party, or we just celebrated it elsewhere fun.

Last year, on Eliana’s first birthday, we went out to eat at one of our favorite local vegan restaurants, where we sang happy birthday as she tried her very first cupcake. Later that day, my husband and I got married in the Temple, so the day of her birth is now another anniversary day for us, as well.

This year, I decided to get over my hosting fears and put up an “out-of-this-world” event for my Little Pigeon’s first birthday party (on the day of her second birthday). The perfect theme: Miles From Tomorrowland.

• We love everything Disney, so as extremely selective as we are with TV programming, Disney Junior is one we are on board with.
• Eliana really enjoys Miles From Tomorrowland, and she learns a lot about tech and planets in both English and Spanish.
• Elisha and Elyssa also love the show, and appreciate the refreshing values the show promotes, and the family dynamics. For example, everyone displays great manners, good sportsmanship, team work, the children are respectful to their parents, the siblings (a boy and a girl) get along with each other, and many other great lessons, both expressed and implied.

I was in the Dominican Republic when we first started the preparations for the birthday party. I had already been in a ‘space and universe’ mood, since I had just shared the 12 Laws of the Universe with my Stepping Into BALANCE students, and published them on an earlier post this month.

My husband went to the Disney Junior website and found a lot of useful birthday party printables that he could create with the help of our local Office Depot while I was away. We used cup wraps for the planetary popcorn, and treat toppers to give an intergalactic touch to the delicious vegan cupcakes we ordered).

You know what they say: it takes teamwork to make the dream work!

When the girls and I got back from our Caribbean vacation (only 3 days before the party!), we went shopping for interstellar party favors and space-themed decorations. We embarked on a futuristic DIY craft fest, which I  actually enjoyed  more than I thought I would. I’m not your Pinterest-Perfect mom, I’m more of a nerdy mom, but I think the Miles Space Missions theme offers a great balance between the two, because it’s very purposeful and educational.

If you are thinking of throwing a Miles From Tomorrowland themed party, here are some  simple and inexpensive birthday party ideas to consider:

• Bake Stellar Constellation Cookies ~ Elisha was in charge of these, which made for a homeschool home ec and a galactic treat everyone at the birthday party enjoyed.
• Make decorative “Moon Rocks” by spraying rocks with metallic paint. The Texas sun was especially potent, so this craft took me only a few minutes.
• Cover the flooring with blue colored bubble wrap. You can use green, too! The kids astrolutely loved all the popping and could not get enough of it!
• Use silver hanging paper lanterns to turn the room into your very own galaxy. Elyssa painted white lanterns we already had to look like planets.
• Create a Space Photo Station to give your party guests silly fun options to pose with a variety of props based on character from Miles From Tomorrowland.
• Paint battery operated tap lights to create planet table decor that the kids can get excited about. The children spent most of their time in the birthday “space center” because it had all the fun amenities. They were never bored!
• Use tin foil! We have a huge chandelier in our dining room (which was the space we transformed for the party), so even with my black video backdrop and black table cloths, it really stood out. I had the idea to cover it with aluminum foil and it turned out to be the talk of the party. I also transformed a little chair for photos, that became very popular really quickly.

Of course, the main highlight of the party is something you don’t have to wait until your child’s birthday to do; in fact, I encourage you to do it ASAP… before Monday, 8/31, to be exact… Here’s the 411:

When you visit DisneyJunior.com/SpaceMissions with your children, you can complete 9 fun and enriching mission activities, inspired by Miles From Tomorrowland. Once you are done with your favorite missions, you will click the ‘Get Started’ button (or here) and follow the three (3) easy steps to submit your photo. Each photo entry is a chance to win a VIP family trip to the Kennedy Space Center to see a rocket launch and meet an astronaut, receive a virtual reality viewer, 3D printer, and Miles From Tomorrowland toys! SERIOUSLY, who wouldn’t want that?

During Little Pige’s party, we wore Space Helmets and the Miles From Tomorrowland Cosmic Explorer’s Badge, as well as completing the QuestCom mission. You can find very simple missions like these for toddlers like Eliana’s friends, as well as more complex for the entire family. Elisha and Elyssa want to complete all 9! (They’re overachievers, I know!).

The party was a success, and I didn’t die in the process… although, I gotta tell you…

I actually hurt my back carrying my little cosmic explorer right before the party. Taylor Bare had to rush me to the chiropractor and I spent the entire party walking like I was on Mars (Mars needs moms, remember?) LOL… I’m still in pain and postponing the house cleaning until further notice – self-care first!-, but with all the fun in the space center, there wasn’t any major messes in our living space. No coloring on the walls, no frosting on the furniture, no major spills. I’m telling you, this theme was perfect for my 2 year old social butterfly and her little friends!

I guess the major lessons I learned from organizing my first ever real in-home birthday party were:

1. Work as a team with your family. Don’t do it alone! You’ll avoid becoming overwhelmed, and will also have an enjoyable time with your family, filled with meaningful conversations, lessons, and laughs.
2. Choose a theme that can work across many ages. I liked that the toddlers had  great time, but we had 26 guests and they all found the party fun and creative. Miles From Tomorrowland is a versatile theme featuring activities and instructional information that the entire family can enjoy and learn from.
3. Focus on the WHY . Of course it wasn’t a perfect party, there are a few things I would do differently (plus I was hurting the entire time!); however, I kept focusing on what was going right. The WHY, the reason, the purpose to have a birthday party is NOT perfection, it is celebration; and that we had lots of! It was fun for the kids, their accompanying adults, and for the birthday girl… and that’s what matters!

What tips can you give me for my next party? (Whoa, I guess I’m going to continue doing this…LOL I just amazed myself for a second.)  I want to know what you think about my daughter’s blastastic birthday celebration.

And don’t forget to enter to win by completing a #MilesSpaceMission (You can watch this video for more details). Oh… and there’s another way to win fun prizes that I must share with you!

The premiere of Miles from Tomorrowland Space Mission: Mars is happening on Saturday, September 19^th at 9 am/ 8c on Disney Channel, so you are officially invited, along with your little cosmic explorer to join Miles and celebrate during the Disney Junior  #MilesFromTomorrowland Twitter Party at 8:30 EST for a chance to win fun prizes before we tune in to Miles’ latest adventures with his family. Let’s rocket!

PS- An astronomical THANK YOU goes to: Rebecca, Carolina, Jeremiah, Blaise, Emily, Melanie, Samantha, Emma, Sophia, Owen, Esme, Emrick, Sophia, Ava, Bruce, Omar, and Aaliyah for joining in the intergalactic fun, playing with Eliana, and for the thoughtful gifts!

[ela]