I have lost my mind...how much damage can be done??

[Cinderella94]

mayhem ....i sense a new allstate commercial

i'm a party of 8 year old boys......crash, smash, explosions...

LOL!

 

[quasar4legs]

It sounds like fun

My advice is to be firm about the number of guests
Make sure you have a start and FINISH time
Keep the boys busy
Keep them contained to specific areas

You are a good friend, hope it goes well.

I held a birthday party for my niece at about the same age and it was a great experience.

 

[mommasita]

I think you are AWESOME. But, you already know that

On a more serious note. I think it does sound like fun. I would make some recommendations to your friend. Paper/recyclable EVERYTHING, and giant Recycle bags to store all the dishes, cups, etc, after. This can all be cleaned up in a jiffy!

The basement is where we always had them. Section it off, great thinking. They can have fun, play with the logos.

I also agree with the majority. I have NEVER invited siblings. I was honestly never asked to. I have seen them being dropped off, and had a balloon ready for the younger child, and they seemed happy with it.

Go for it you doll, and I bet you love playing LEGOS by the end of the day.

Cheers to you both, Happy New Year. GIANT XOXOX

 

[fhtpdw20]

I solved my "stepping on legos for a month" problem by laying a bed sheet on the floor with the idea that was Lego Island. Any Legos found off the island were tossed and made quick clean up process as well.

 

[Topper]

You could just lock all of the kids in the basement and return later to let any survivors out.

 

[LuvOrlando]

It's so nice of you to agree to this. Although you are certainly going above & beyond by allowing the party to be at your house I would suggest offering to pick up all the drinks to be sure those boys don't get a drop of caffeine. Decaf Coke, decaf Pepsi, Sprite, white grape & white apple, there is nothing worse that a bunch of boys hoped up on soda.... well maybe a bunch of boys hopped up on soda stuck in a house for a winter birthday party Also, since this is your house I would pick up a age appropriate movie in case they need some cooling down time, maybe The Spiderwick Chronicles or something similar that would keep their interest just in case MOM gets frazzled. These suggestions are for your sake, not theirs

Lots of luck

 

[tarheel618]

It sounds like fun

My advice is to be firm about the number of guests
Make sure you have a start and FINISH time
Keep the boys busy
Keep them contained to specific areas

You are a good friend, hope it goes well.

I held a birthday party for my niece at about the same age and it was a great experience.

The above but also I would make it absolutely clear that if anything is broken during the party she is responsible for replacing/repair of the item.

 

[Christine]

I think it will be fine.

I remember when my son was that age and we would go to and have parties also and all of the boys seemed very well behaved. Never a problem.

Just an aside: Did you friend check LaserQuest in Woodbridge. We had a few parties there and the kids at that age just LOVE it (it's laser tag and you get a party room with your package deal). They have lots of openings so it's not hard to get a party set up. But I realize that this party at your house seems like a done deal. But you might tell your friend about the place for future reference.

 

[mjkacmom]

1 1/2 hours - having kids that age, they do feed off of each other, so if you have one hyper, out of control child, they will all be hyper, and out of control. Start off with the no-throwing rule, because those legos will be flying. Parents usually don't stay at this age, and say no to siblings! Dd7 went to a home party recently, and the house was TRASHED (the parents are not disciplinarians).

 

[jen0610]

Thanks so much for the heads up. I'm praying that it won't be THAT bad.



I understand that the kids can be hyper and a bit ummm active. I told my friend the only rule is no one in the family area which has my husbands huge plasma tv.



My friend has a small house and no room. Apparently she didn't try to book something elsewhere far enough out and I have a huge house that is partially empty and what is done is child friendly for the most part. I hope to contain the party to the basement which is very family friendly.

I would flat out tell my friend that the party WILL be in the basement - Period. If there are adults that stay and the noise level of the basement gets to loud, the adults and only the adults would be allowed to gather in the kitchen/dining area.

Also, you mentioned that you have a Wii down in the basement. While you may know and like your friends kid, I would not leave my gaming systems or games down there. If she was planning on letting the kids play video games during the party, she needs to bring over her famlies systems and games and hook them up. That way, if something should happen to it, it's theirs and not yours.

The thrid thing I would make very clear to her, is that the clean up, will be done by her family. And done the same day as the party. No, whew I am beat, I'll be over tomorrow to straighten up. State that while you don't mind helping - which I am assuming you would from many of your posts. - they will need to make sure the basement looks as it did prior to the party. That includes sweeping the floor and empting the garbage and taking it outside.

 

[mfp]

Wow, you're an awesome friend to let them use your house. I am a little scared though. I am hosting a lego bday party for my soon to be 7 yr old next month in my home and ppl's responses are scaring me. I was hoping to limit it to 8 kids tops, but my son has a guest list of 12, and that's not including MY 3 kids. Definitely do the party 2-4pm, when you don't have to serve a meal, b/c the mess will be even worse. Having them eat cake is going to be a big enough of a mess. I'm hoping to get away with some cake, marshmellow cake pops and some pretzels. I heard that they are so busy playing that they don't eat much, which is a + for me. I think that at that age, you never know what you will get in terms of behavior. Some kids are really well behaved, but just one child who acts out-of-control can really making it hard to manage the kids.

 

[DisGirlAllie]

I think it will be fine.

I remember when my son was that age and we would go to and have parties also and all of the boys seemed very well behaved. Never a problem.

Just an aside: Did you friend check LaserQuest in Woodbridge. We had a few parties there and the kids at that age just LOVE it (it's laser tag and you get a party room with your package deal). They have lots of openings so it's not hard to get a party set up. But I realize that this party at your house seems like a done deal. But you might tell your friend about the place for future reference.

Also, I don't know what part of NOVA the OP is in, there's also the Panther Family Fun Center: http://www.dulleslasertag.com/

They have locations in Sterling and Falls Church.

 

[elainesj]

wow - it's not THAT hard to host a group of 10 yr old boys....unless they're crazy kids? I would cut out the siblings and parents unless all the kids are family friends and it's "that" kind of party.

ever since my kids were 4, I've hosted a home party every year for about 30 kids (they both invite their classes). I get a handful of siblings and as they grew older, fewer and fewer parents.

I've never had my place trashed. Messy of course and lots of cleanup of course, but not trashed. If it's a Lego party, the focus will be on Lego so there will be lots to keep the kids occupied. Is she going to have a Lego Star Wars match on the Wii for them?

My only advice is to make sure there are activities and alternate activities as well if they get bored. simple, easy to eat food and lots of disposable everything makes cleanup easier. I usually do games and activities first and then food, followed by cake, followed by presents for the last hour.

A friend hosted a pool party for my kids birthday one year - we had about 10 kids and we really didn't make much of a mess. I brought all the supplies and set it out in his backyard and then I cleaned up after. It helped that the kids were confined to the backyard and pool.

Don't stress too much....unless your friend does not know how to handle groups of children. Then you might be in way too deep LOL!