A 'cheesy and saucy' pizza party for my little girl ~

One of the greatest things about being a mom is the excuse to play and have lots of fun and frolic along with your kids .Though I try to maintain this stance  throughout the year (of course) but most of the time , like many multitasking moms,I slink back to being a mum who screams in the car watching her kids tear chunks of hair out of each other's head . I think it's any mother's story on a given day that makes her behave like a bear with a sore head that says 'stay  well away' .  Believe it or not, I'm my own worst critic and I spend much of my time wracked with guilt , searching the answers to all those knotty parenting questions and I look forward to occasions where we can all throw caution to the wind and turn footloose and fancy free. The kids' birthdays happen to be one of the several 'soul searching' occasions when I feel so thankful and grateful for having them in my life and nothing makes me angry that day. It makes me realize all the more how precious my two are to me and this also gives me the opportunity to unleash that child in me and to let it resurface from the dormant folds of my being and allow myself and them  a great day and a great time with their friends and family alike , planning, decorating and organizing the fun activities without putting any checks on them and giving the much overemphasized discipline a break. I smother them with extra hours of TV that day ( not that they want it, thanks to all that excitement)  I mollycoddle them and shove large amounts of chocolates and sweets down their throats ( don't worry, the dentist is my childhood friend ) I don't feel guilty about feeding them chicken nuggets for breakfast ( it was accompanied with broccoli and peas, I tell myself ) and I even let them choose the junk menu for the evening ( birthdays come just once a year ..right ? right ! ) I even go to the extent of planning themed birthday parties for them ( I have a strange suspicion I do it more for myself under the pretence of doing it for them ! ) I totally , totally love the idea of themed parties and it is also easier to plan when it revolves around one :)
My daughter turned 11 ( years) earlier this month and as is customary, a birthday bash was much on the cards. Planning a birthday party for tweenies is never easy. They are a group of enterprising, independent , creative kids who don't want things laid out in front of them. They are go- getters in the making who are more interested in doing things themselves. The Barbies, Mermaids and the Cinderella parties are often looked down as been- there-done-that as they consider themselves too grown up for that stuff anyway . So this year we planned a pizza making party for the fun loving, adventure seeking gang who had an imaginary 'take us seriously' phrase written on their foreheads and a similar look all over their faces :D
The Decorations ~

We transformed our breakfast and living room into a modern Italian Pizzeria where the children got to be chefs and made their own pizzas. My mother and I had made a whole lot of DIY crafts for some dramatic decorations that left quite an impact on the kids taking the excitement quotient several notches higher and there were lots of activities and games planned for them while their pizzas were baking in the oven .
 Our theme revolved around an Italian Pizzeria and the decorations we put up were all keeping the red and white combination in mind. The main table had a red and white gingham decor with some bottles of seasonings and herbs arranged on it. We used customized red and white checked  wrapping sheets to use as labels wherever we wanted. I wrapped a few glass tumblers and beer mugs with it and used it as a container to hold soup sticks and chocolate crepe sticks to satisfy the kids' pangs of hunger while their pizzas were still baking .

The entrance leading up to the main door sported a free hand poster ( made by me ) welcoming the kids inside . We had put more balloons but the rains made most of them fizzle out even before the party started, so we were left with just three  :(





 As you stepped in, a spoon- fork chandelier ( made by my mom) stood majestically hanging from the center of the room just above the table to welcome you to the pizzeria :)

DIY chef's hats and aprons for the young chefs were up for grabs and were folded and arranged neatly on the chairs as we waited for the kids to show up.   We didn't want them spoiling their pretty dresses and making their moms groan once they got home ;)

The pinata and some more of the decorations !

The Pizza station was ready with a lavish spread of toppings, grated mozzarella and Parmesan and all sorts of sauces to make it super easy for the chefs who were so excited that they could not wait for their turn. We had grouped them into four sets ( three in a group)  to keep things manageable . All of them having a go at the toppings all at once would have been disastrous  :)

  Eager hands and innovative minds at work ! They were excited and keen to try out different toppings and to make their pizza more saucy and more cheesy than the other groups. The shrieks and their squeals totally revealed their enthusiasm and they helped each other working in tandem to whip out the perfect pizza :) The only thing  they were forbidden to do was to handle sharp knives and the oven, other than that they were allowed maximum creativity and different variations ....whatever suited their young, evolving minds  :)

We got ready to cut the cake once the kids were done with the assembling of the toppings and I had dunked their work of art in the oven .
The birthday cake managed to extract  a lot of 'oohs' and 'aahs' and the kids were thrilled to see a pizza cake. Some of them even told me that they were having a sweet pizza for the very first time :D

 After some refreshments and the cake tasting and smearing act ( what is this cake smearing act by the way and why has it taken over all birthday parties in such a huge way? A new fad I guess but it makes me cringe painfully every time I see the lovely creamy icing smeared on faces, hanging from parts of hair and clothes , ruining my curtains and sofa ...eeks ! I wish they would just stop doing that and enjoy the cake the way it's meant to be enjoyed instead of unleashing themselves onto this very gory act. ! )
Okay, leaving the unpleasant act behind, we get down to business. Yes !! The pizzas come out of the oven two at a time and are displayed proudly by the pizza makers , each trying to claim their own creation matching with the ingredients that they had jotted down on the 'post it' slips ( in case of a misunderstanding ) Well, they all looked the same to me ! Apparently not :D

Now, even if I may say so, the pizzas were superbly made, they were wonderful and for first timers , I think the little chefs did a great job. Superb selection of toppings, just the right blend of herbs and just the right combination of sauce, mustard and cheese gave it a yummy, crispy texture. The kids were brimming with creativity and executed it perfectly :)

Finally the much awaited moment of tasting their own  pizzas arrived where the cheesy slices tickled their taste buds and the fact that it was made by the kids themselves enhanced the flavour and made it extra special for them. This was obvious by the way they were enjoying their stuff and taking bites from the others' pizzas as well :)

There were lots of prize winning games and fun filled activities that kept the kids busy and occupied for the rest of the evening. They were mostly conducted by the dad of the birthday girl. Luckily it was a weekend and the dad was seen honing his child management skills too unlike other years when he was oppressed with the confines of the work-home juxtaposition trying to balance both efficiently ( and failing miserably on both counts. How can you possibly succeed when you are bringing in a freshly baked cake from the bakery and attending to a phone call from your boss , struggling with the door trying to open it with one foot and trying your best to ignore the dirty looks from me suggesting " your daughter will never forgive you if you make a mess of that cake" all at the same time.....okay I'm just being mean . He always does a fabulous job especially when it's his little girl in question ). Happy to report that the games were big hits with the young crowd :) There was singing and dancing too and the game of 'forfeit' turned out to be the most popular game of the evening for reasons best known to the players :)

Finally it was time for the kiddie gang to go home and we had a few knick knacks for them in goody bags and also the aprons and chef hats  that they were to take with them. They were super thrilled to carry it home . In fact some went back wearing it :)

So, this was a super exciting and a fun filled party where the kids  got to indulge in some cooking and baking , something that most of them had never done before and of course, were thrilled to try their hands at something new. In the process, they learnt pizza making too. There is nothing more enthralling and satisfying than to see a bunch of  prancing kids on a mission, having fun , their visions greater than their little hands , having a blast. We could have easily ordered pizzas from a Pizza joint but that would have taken the spunk and spark away from the party . It was a make-bake-eat-drink party and this was the highlight of the evening. The decorations and the white -red check theme made it visually appealing too and what's more along with the guests, the family also enjoyed . We had our parents over, some of their friends dropped in to wish the birthday girl  and all tucked into the leftover pizza slices happily . Goes without saying much fun was had by the mommie of the birthday girl who was totally exhausted and could not even string a proper sentence together after sending the kids off but all's well that ends with a cheesy slice of pizza . What say ?? :D
Hope you too had fun going through the Pizza party and the few pictures I managed to put together .

PS ~ Special thanks to my mom for executing all my ideas to perfection , like always :)