Do you enjoy Kids Party Planning?

My girls have been to a couple of parties just recently and I have realised that we are only 3 months away from their fifth birthday and and as such I need to get on and book something. I have heard from many mothers about the competitive games that go on once your own children are at school and you have to try and compete in the Olympic sport of party planning.

To date I have managed to avoid getting involved with this big circus.  We do not have a vast amount of disposable income to spend on parties for our children and I am not really interested in being regarded as the Alpha mummy, the one whose kids are the leaders in all areas of school and extra curricular life.

The thought of planning a party for 50 kids with paid entertainment, bought in catering, personalised invitations, extensive goodie bags, professional cake, balloon modelling, face painting, individually designed and wrapped cupcakes to take away and anything else that is now considered trendy and the norm for a 'good' kids party scares the living daylights out of me.