Simple and Budget Friendly Pool Party

 I don't know about you all but I am d.y.i.n.g. for some sunshine and warm weather!  I've just had it with all this snow and freezing rain and dreariness.  It's horrible.  Who in the world chooses to live here permanently is what I wanna know?!?  

Anyways, in trying to pull myself out of my winter-blues-induced-almost-depression, I was looking through some old photos from our life in Florida and I realized I've never shared my daughter's 3rd birthday party here on the blog.

This was pre-blogging days so the pictures aren't quite what they would be now, but I still wanted to share it.  

It was simple and very budget friendly, but the kiddos still had a blast.

So let Lucy do some 'splainin' here first.  I was 8 months pregnant (very very pregnant), I was huge, my feet were swollen, and I tired easily.  I knew I would need something really simple, easy, and cheap (hello...baby on the way!).  My original plan was just to pay McDonald's $75 to have them host the party and let the kids play their little hearts out on the Play Land.  But as it turned out none of the McDonald's in that area participated in the birthday parties.  So...I had to come up with plan B.  This was August...in South Florida.  August is the hottest month of the year down there and the temperatures can be sweltering.  The only option for an outside party was for it to be something involving water.

So I decided on a very simple pool party with pizza and cupcakes.  We kept it really small with just close family and a few little cousins.  My husband's grandma's house had a pool and she kindly consented to let us do the party there.

Most of the decorations came from Walmart or the dollar store.  

Colorful pennant buntings were hung, beach balls were added for color and to play with while swimming, and....

See these balloon clusters the arrows are pointing at?  They were actually punching balloons.  At the end of the party the kids got to take them home as a favor.  Double duty = wallet friendly.

This table was setup with plates, napkins, and favors and more bunting was added around the front.  The huge sunglasses served as decorations at first, and then the kiddos got to take them home as another favor.

The centerpiece was a dollar store bucket filled with sand with colorful lollipops stuck down inside.  And yep, you guessed it, they were favors for the kiddos.

I found cute paper goods at an online store that went along with our pool theme.

Another small table was set up for gifts.  

(Can you see the wall thermometer in the background?  It's pointing at 90....degrees....in the shade.)

(We're a very conservative Christian family and we don't do mixed swimming so after the moms and kids had their turn swimming, the men joined us for the pizza, cupcakes, and present opening. Then they had their turn swimming after us ladies took the kiddos home for their much needed naps.)

 After the pizza was devoured I cleared off this table and brought out the desserts.

Very simple cupcakes that I made myself.  The sun toppers kept the theme going, and were actually little rings....that served as favors.  :D

I also made these  cute little flip flop "sandals" laid on a folded up washcloth that was supposed to resemble a beach towel.  They were just Nutter Butter cookies, frosting, and those sour gummy worms cut into pieces and split open.

And here's Birthday Girl immensely enjoying the pool!

{Sigh}...I've had fun reminiscing about the sunshine....and heat....and being tan, but now it makes me miss it even more.  I'm getting so excited for our upcoming move back to the Sunshine State! 

 (The smart ones don't stick around if they don't have to, lol!)

I hope you enjoyed another simple and budget friendly party.  You don't have to go overboard on decorations, and food, and every little detail for it to be special.  Fun and good memories can be made even on the simplest of budgets.  

                                                          

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