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Guest Blog: Birthday Party Celebrations with Gymboree

Posted on 14 May, 2015 by Sarah Hart

Planning a party for your little one and don't know where to start? 
My guest blogger and friend, Colette Beard owns Gymboree Play & Music 
in Sevenoaks and can take away all the hassle of arranging 
your child's birthday party...........

 Party Planning by Colette Beard, Gymboree Play & Music

Flicking through my calendar the other day I am suddenly struck by a number of thoughts. Firstly, I am totally in love with the calendar I have purchased this year with its wipe clean plastic over lay for those reoccurring weekly events and the brightly coloured stickers, taking me back to a girl in a purple raa-raa skirt in the 80’s which help me differentiate between the various activities plotted for an ever increasingly busy family of four. Secondly, I STILL haven’t noted down the fortnightly schedule of when the garden rubbish gets taken and will have to continue to rely on my dear sweet elderly neighbour who must be growing terribly weary of us poking our head out of the window to see if she’s put her bins out or not. Seriously we’ve lived in our house for nearly 5 years, it’s beyond a joke…. Thirdly, HOW ON EARTH ARE WE IN MAY ALREADY?! Every year I say the same thing, “This year is definitely going faster than last”. And with a busy household containing two small children, a husband, a business and two goldfish to look after its no wonder the weeks and months fly by. I’ve barely put the Christmas decorations away (in fact there is still a rogue bag sitting under the loft hatch waiting to be magically whisked upwards) and I’m already ordering my new flip flops for the warmer seasons.

Along with this realisation comes the daunting fact that dear son’s birthday is a mere 2 months away. After wiping away the tears and clearing up the pile of snotty tissues that have accumulated upon thinking of my darling baby as a 4 year old (gulp) my thoughts turn to celebrations. Martha Stewart reckons you should start planning a party at least 6 weeks in advance, meaning I’ve got just 2 weeks to pin down my 3 year old and get him to start making some decisions. Venue? Guest list? Music? Cake? Theme? Activities? Songs? Games? Party bags? Children’s parties are a minefield these days. No longer are they satisfied with a Victoria sponge and a game of pass the parcel (which I never won by the way). No chance. So why not let someone take some of that pressure off your hands? Someone like Gymboree. They offer bespoke, award-winning parties for children aged 0-5 years. As they themselves say “They love to party”, and that they do.  At their beautiful, colourful, private venue in Sevenoaks a whole world of fun is waiting to be had. Venue, check. Music, check. Activities, check. Songs, check. Games, check. They even do party bags! Suddenly the to-do list has shrunk beyond recognition and you can start to breathe again.

You can choose a theme and all the activities will be personally tailored to spark your little ones imagination. Or you can leave the theme in their very capable hands- another decision easily dealt with! The best bit is, you can rock up with your guests and cake, play, have a blast and then leave all the clearing up to the team! No finding scraps of wrapping paper under the sofa weeks down the line. No icing covered hands smearing themselves all over your Game of Thrones box set. SOLD! There’s also the question of how to commemorate these special times. With the years whizzing by in a flash, I want to be able to remember them. How do you capture such precious moments? Sarah Hart Photography has the answer with her fantastic fun-filled cake smash photo shoots. Most small children these days don’t get their first taste of cake, let alone sugar until their first birthday. Why not capture that moment on film? Give your little one a chance to go wild, get messy and have some fun and again let someone else do the cleaning up (I’m sensing a theme here) whilst creating some amazing memories to cherish for years to come. And it’s not just for first birthdays! All ages can join in the cakey fun! So, with a simple phone call to the team at Gymboree and a quick email sent to Sarah Hart, that’s this year’s birthday sorted. I can sit down, relax for a moment and start on season 2 (I was a bit late to the whole Game of Thrones party). But not for long, dear daughter turns two 6 weeks later!

 For more information on booking a party with Gymboree, 
email Colette at colette@gymboree-uk.com 
or telephone: 07827 910978. For their
website click here.


And if you are interested in booking a cake smash session with
Sarah Hart Photography, drop me an 
email at sarah@sarahhartphotography.com