Interesting thread! I don't mind being told what to bring but in my group of friends, it's pretty much understood that we'll bring something when invited. I'm also one who means it when I say Don't bring anything, so when someone tells me not to bring anything, I don't. But when someone tells me what to bring, I prefer it to be a category, such as appetizer or dessert. Then I can decide what I want to make. Unless they are specifically requesting a particular dish I've made before and want me to make again, which is fine too. But recently I was invited to a party and asked, what can I bring? and they told me a specific thing. Now the reason I didn't like that is because it was something that didn't require cooking, and I'm known in my circles as someone who cooks and I usually get compliments on whatever I make. This was a party where there would be several of my regular circle of friends in addition to a lot of people I don't know (or know very well). I did bring what they wanted, thinking that they probably had a set menu in mind, and this was the exact thing they needed to fill the bill. Well it turned out that it was a huge party, lots and lots o' food, no matter what I brought it would have been fine so the specific thing they requested was not specifically needed and I would have been happier bringing something I'd figured out on my own. No biggie really but I wondered if they weren't used to people asking WHAT to bring, and didn't really get that the best answer would have been a category instead of being so specific. I do believe most everyone just brought whatever they wanted because there was a pretty big overabundance of desserts, which, IME, is what you get when people decide what to bring without at least some guidance. Anyway, this party is an annual event, we went again this year and when I RSVP'd I just said, I'll bring an appetizer & wine, and left it at that. Easiest all around. It's a fun party and the savory food gets eaten as if locusts have descended and desserts are overflowing.

Your Welcome Spring theme is great! Some ideas for this might include: Pastel colors for your tablewear, linens, etc. At each guest's place setting-you could put a small pot of hyacinths (sp?) and a pair of garden gloves, as a favor. Centerpieces could feature a runner of grass down the center of each table..either fake grass-or maybe Easter grass. Place a pot of daffodils/tulips in the center & silk butterflies all along the runner. For dessert-you might consider that 'dirt cake'-served in small plastic flowerpots-actually any dessert could be placed in these flower pots. Get BIG paper/silk butterflies & suspend one from the ceiling using fishing line, so that your 'flutterby' hangs over the center of each table. Hmm...why not have a 'Spring Bonnet' contest..invitations would suggest they come to the party in a hat crafted by them. The winner would get a gift certificate to a garden center. I have an absolutely lucious recipe for Lemon Chicken Salad-for a shower I hosted-I sliced a tomato in 6 sections (don't cut all the way thru-spread it out into a flower like position & added a scoop of the salad-placed on a bed of curly lettuce and served on pretty plates. Also on the plate was a spear of chunks of fresh fruit & 3 small slices of 3 different kinds of homemade breads & a 'butter ball'. If interested in the recipe-email me. Have fun! I wanna' come!

Well, the food should be fairly simple, Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, French fries etc. You can rent a drink dispenser, they call them "orange bowls", for, usually, a $25 deposit and then you can purchase the orange drink mix and a sleeve of cups for around $6. The cups have the McDonald's Logo on it. For decorations, to keep it simple, put up red and white streamers. Talk to the manager of your local McDonald's and they may let you purchase, or even give them to you, some of the "Happy Meal" bags/boxes and you can serve lunch in those. You may want to call a week or more in advance to order them, depending on how many you need. For activities. You can purchase Face Painting "crayons", that you just have to dip lightly in water, then you can paint there faces to look like Ronald or the Grimace, Hamburgler, The Fry Guys etc. They come off easily with soap and water and DO NOT STAIN. You could see if you could rent a Ronald McDonald costume, or other characters, and have someone dress up in them and make balloon animals and do the face painting. Make Ronald's face on the top of the cake and place this in the center of the table as the center piece. Games Make Ronald's face on a cardboard box and cut out the "mouth" and have a bean bag toss. Play pin the top bun on the Hamburger. Play Ronald McDonald Bingo: Make your own Bingo game - See if you can find stickers or draw the faces of the McDonald's Characters plus, hamburgers, French fries, twist ice cream cone, Chicken nuggets etc. onto bingo game boards. Make duplicate pieces to "draw" out of a hat and play bingo. Even if you do not use any of these ideas I hope it will at least get your creative juices flowing. Let us know how the party turns out and/or what you decide to do.

love, I'm not trying to be sexist, but throughout the years whenever my kids attended birthday parties with kids from school, I cannot remember one time that a father hosted or was present at the party. I'm not saying it doesn't happen & I know that my kids were raised by me 100% so of course, their dad's were never there... but usually it's the mom that is into parties and stuff. I don't know about anyone else, but that has been my experience. In fact, as I'm writing this I am thinking back to when I lived with my exBF... any parties for his kids where school kids were invited, he was always at work. He would celebrate with family but never came to the ones where it was a bunch of kids. Okay, I have to admit, now that I am thinking about it, last year DH was there for SD's party but it was at our home and his nephew was one of the kids but he was the only guy there. He ended up sticking at the BBQ all day and running around, not really AT the party. I just wouldn't think most guys would be that interested in a kid party. I could be wrong. Hope it goes well no matter what happens.