Mixed up Backwards Birthday Party

When Carson announced he’d like to have a Mixed Up Birthday Party I asked him what that meant to him: Tags in the front! An inside-out, backwards outfit a must for all attendees. My friends can wear their pajamas. And I’ll put my shoes on my head! Why not! And everyone will walk backwards. Mix up the holidays, Up is now Down, Back is now Front, Hello means Goodbye and anything goes! 

The Invite:

When guests arrived they were instructed to walk around front:

Through the back gate, they turned around and made their entrance walking backwards:

I made lanyards with the kids’ names spelled backwards. Among my favs: Yeldah, Mail, Deer and Rekrap. Labels and Sharpies were provided for grownups to make their own, too.

After donning their new names the kids hammed it up for the camera. Using my Polaroid Instant Camera, we taped the shots up on black poster board and let the voting begin!

Most Colorful Award goes to Itram!

THE FOOD:
Using Christmas cookie cutters we made mini sandwiches  – PB&J, cucumber & cream cheese, turkey & cheese. The rest was kept pretty simple – Pirates Booty, salads, veggies & fruit.

THE CAKE:
We went the ice cream cone cupcake route again, which turned out very fitting for the theme. Jason stepped it up, squeezing fresh oranges and lemons into the cream cheese frosting.

I loved that many of the parents got into the theme. We added a Silliest Family Award:

I put together one of my traditional silly scavenger hunts where the kids picked up prizes along the way. I’m all about kids party favors that can be consumed, used up or serve a purpose. Download the clues, props and prize ideas here.

Wacky Decorations and Additional Touches:
– Hung balloons upside down from the ceiling
– Trash Can: A laundry basket with the sign: DIRTY LAUNDRY – Please place your trash in here to wash.
– Changed out the lights with colored light bulbs.
– Candy in a Jar: Asked guests to guess the number of pieces and awarded the prize to whoever guessed the furthest away.
– Writing on the wall: I lined the hallway with old holiday wrapping paper, white side out, and let the kids write on the walls.
– Christmas stockings and lights.

This party was a hoot to plan and throw. I couldn’t have done it without Jason – he made all the food, the cupcakes and was a huge help with the decor.

Happy Birthday Nosrac, my wonderful wacky boy! You’re now officially a handful. High five! Thank you for turning my world upside down and making me proud to be your mom every day. Here’s to another silly and fun-filled year!