5 BENEFITS OF HAVING YOUR CHILD’S BIRTHDAY PARTY AT A VENUE

Celebrating our kids birthday’s has always been a big deal for us. In fact, it’s one of the milestones I had always dreamed of back when we were first trying to get pregnant over five years ago now. For me, it represents the fleeting time that we have with them while they are little. They won’t always want to choose between a pony party or a puppy party, they won’t always want to dress like a princess on their special day or wear that crown. I know this won’t last forever, so this is our way of celebrating these first few years in their lives.

Up until just recently, almost all of our parties have been held at home. For our daughter’s 4th birthday party though, we decided to try something different and this year we celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese’s. We didn’t know what to expect right at first. We had seen birthday parties there before but never paid much attention to all that went on. I will say now that it is two entire hours of fun for the kids. I am a HUGE fan and have discovered that having a birthday party away from home definitely has it’s perks!

1. No Clean Up – I think this was mine and my husband’s favorite thing about having a birthday party away from home. After every party we’ve had at home, we have found ourselves so exhausted from all the planning and hosting that the last thing we want to do is clean-up right after. But you can’t exactly leave the food and leftover cake sitting out either. Having a party a venue like Chuck E. Cheese’s is easy because there is NO CLEAN-UP. You take your things and head home to relax. If you’re lucky, the kids have probably wiped themselves out from the party which means it’s probably quiet time for mom and dad when you get home. All three of our kids fell asleep on the ride home. 
2. Host – I love seeing family and friends, but let’s just be real. Being a hostess is a lot of work, especially when you have 15 kids running around your home. When hosting at home I also felt the need to be constantly looking at my clock. I wanted to be sure that everything was timed just right, from the food, to the cake and presents. It was important to me that the party kept moving along so that the guests didn’t ever feel like they were waiting around for something. The beautiful thing about having it at Chuck E. Cheese’s is that you have a host that will do all of that for you. Our hostess was so amazing. She was super sweet and was so attentive. She brought out the cake at just the right time, cut it for us, served, put away leftovers, brought out the ice-cream and the pinata at just the right times. It was perfect. I can’t tell you the huge stress reliever it was for me not to have to play hostess. 
3. Set Ending Time – Have you ever felt like some parties are just never-ending? Or that some can linger on into the evening when you wish you could sit down and stop playing hostess? At Chuck E. Cheese’s you have a two-hour time slot that you reserve so that you know exactly when the party is starting and ending. 
4. Parent’s Can Have Fun Too – This goes along with #2. Because I didn’t have to play hostess I was able to actually have fun with my kids. We played games, took photos in the photo booth and I even had a chance to sit down and eat – uninterrupted. I don’t even get to do this on most regular days! 
5. Easy Planning  & Options – It was a breeze setting everything up. I didn’t have to worry about decorating the house or worry that it wasn’t spotless before guests arrived. I booked our party online by selecting the date and the package, made a deposit and we were set. All we had to do was show up 15 min prior to our scheduled party. There are so many party options to choose from too. We chose the MegaStar Package which came with unlimited games and rides for all the kids for the entire 2 hours. It was amazing! There is also a bonus for booking and hosting at least 12 kids during the party – which we did. They all got free cotton candy! This promotion ends 9/30/17. All the kids also received a cute Chuck E. Cheese’s souvenir cup, a dippin dots ice-cream dish and goody bags to take home. The pinata was a fun addition too, it was full of tokens and tickets! 

Growing up I didn’t have big parties, most of my birthdays were spent with immediate family with a dinner and a cake. I know that my kids can be celebrated without all the fuss and I know they’d love it just as much. But sometimes it’s just more fun to throw parties, and it’s so special for me as a mother to see just how excited they get.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Chuck E Cheese’s. The opinions and text are all mine.