Goldfish Swim school in Mundelein helped us host this birthday party by providing the location and activities
Here it is – that particular day of the year when I remind myself every detail of my son’s arrival – the trip to the hospital in a rush-hour traffic, the complications, the nurse who stayed with me until my child’s first cry. It may be a mysterious story for my child, but I remember every detail of that day. However, what my baby wants now is a birthday party!
How Do You Decide Where to Celebrate Your Child’s Birthday Party?
When I go to my child’s birthday party, I want to know what to expect. I don’t want to be surprised by bad service (or no service at all), extra charges or unexpectedly lousy food.
I follow the rule of five questions:
- Have I visited this place at least once?
- Do I know what activities kids will be doing at the party?
- Is this the place age-appropriate for every guest coming to the party?
- If parents decide to stick around, where will they sit (and do I need to feed them)?
- Does the location have a relationship with a local pizza restaurant?
Lucky me, this time around the choice this time was easy! My son is a total water baby. Every other day he asks – “Go Swimming?” He has been attending Goldfish Swim School in Mundelein since he was six months old and he doesn’t stop to entertain us with his love for underwater diving, happy jumps in the pool, and toddler interaction with his classmates!
Goldfish swim school handled most of the party planning for me: they decorated the area, got coordinating to surrounding decor plates and napkins, got cupcakes and arranged for the activities. They even had a great local pizza restaurant on the speed dial for me to place my pizza order!
Most of my son’s guests today were people related to him and my friends with kids because let’s face it: three ear olds are very self-involved – they wouldn’t know if there were surrounded by their closest friends or flying saucers if they are enjoying themselves. He was excited to swim, catch a ride on a boat and get messy with a cupcake!
Our party went like this:
- Swim test to make sure all guests can swim. Those who can’t swim well, get a vest
- Swimming: who can swim the fastest to the floaters
- Swimming: who can stay on the floaters the longest and defend it from the competition
- Swimming, swimming, swimming
- Changing
- Replenishing energy by devouring pizza and cupcakes
Fortunately, the pool is big enough to let the big kids play their crazy games, and younger kids play little kids’ games. My little guy took lots of rides on a big boat, and he even managed to take a short nap while enjoying his celebratory ride.
We are not as fortunate here in Midwest as the folks living in the warmer climates when it comes to swimming seasons with the public pools only open between The Memorial Day and the Labor, so swim birthday parties don’t happen here often. However, with the help of our friend at the Goldfish Swim School in Mundelein, a tropical birthday party was what everyone wished for in February precisely!
