2012 is declared a success!

 
What a year, at the start of 2012 I had just come off maternity leave, one of my first goals was to get a new website and thank goodness I did. It only took a month after my lovely friend Jan Kiermasz (Morning Mums) at JK design did my website that I began to get lots of  enquiries and since May have been experiencing lots of bookings. I have also made lots of  contacts at Morning Mums that has resulted in contracts with Ness Gardens, the Enchanted Cake School and I am also providing a creche for Hayley Lundy's bootcamp in Heswall.

We have also been able to buy lots of new toys for our parties and creches and now have another table, 5 happy hopperz, new play tents and also have added lots of fun activities for our Enchanted Cake school parties such as cupcake and cookie decorating and fabric crafts.
2013 will be even better, we are employing a new apprentice who will be available for flexible childcare.
we are already planning new services and equipment and already have more bookings for next year than ever before.

So thank you to everyone that has either booked or helped Bluey & Baloo and we would like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year

Great websites for parents and kids

I am constantly surfing the web for ideas and inspiration, for parenting tips and what's on locally, so I thought I would list a few sites that I use and a few that are very helpful. If you have any recommendations please message me at michelle@blueyandbaloo.co.uk and I will include them here.

Monster Mummies for parenting tips and feel good posts.

Netmums for everything you can think of, I post news, promotions and events and use the nearly new pages.

Kidsguide Is great for local business and news and group listings, they also have a useful newsletter.

DLTK crafts Is a great resource for printable activities and decent colouring pages.

Business Plus baby is a great site if you are a business mum and have a young family, as a mum to 3, the youngest of which is 1, I find this site very helpful.

Mumsnet Is great for parenting tips and product reviews and has an excellent forum.

Lastly don't forget to like Bluey & Baloo's Facebook Page as I include tips, offers and local events.

Party Checklist

It's the big day of the party,  you have hired the hall, organised the food and entertainment, what happens on the day is not a foregone conclusion and we have produced a checklist that will help you approach the celebration with less panic and more organisation!
There is so much thought that goes into planning an event that it is always helpful to have a list of actions and items that are necessary if you want your party to run smoothly. We hope that you find the following list helpful.

1.A couple of days before the event ring your venue to check everything is ok and make sure that you have all relevant contact details of caretaker and emergency numbers.
2. Do you have enough plates, bowls, paper lunch bags and cutlery.
3. Have you worked out a menu rather than going to the supermarket and just filling the trolley.
4. Who will be in charge of decorating both internally and externally.
5. Your activities will dictate the layout of the room, how many tables do you need and how much space will you need for entertainment.
6. Have you brought napkins or bags for the cake to be taken home in.
8. Birthday candles.
9. Party bags,
10. Money in envelopes for caterers or entertainment.
11. Bin bags and other cleaning items.

Don't forget to enjoy the party if you can and don't pressure yourself to have the party of the century as children are often most impressed with the simple things and won't be expecting their own private fairground.
If I have missed anything out please do leave a comment and thank you for reading.

Celebration! A guide to planning the perfect party

It's one of the most stressful events of our lives up there with moving house and financial management but with our guide we hope to take the mystery out of planning a celebration and save you time and money.

Please find listed a few pointers on what to consider when planning a party.

• Venue - Recommendations are very important, always look around before you book and don't be scared to haggle. Make sure that you are confident that your booking is for the right date and that you have the contact details of the person that will open up the hall if it not staffed full time. Check for fire exits and first aid kits. 

• Food - Work out a price per head and if you are planning a wedding or a high standard celebration and are hiring caterers or using on site catering make sure you are offered a tasting session. Delegate a member of your family to help prepare or collect if you are self catering.  

•  Cake - Are you buying from a local baker, or from a supermarket or making one yourself, what is your budget and can they send samples, get recommendations.

•  Entertainment - Are you hiring a DJ or a children's entertainer or will you be doing some activities yourself, the old favourites such as pass the parcel and musical bumps are great for children 4 years plus and younger children love a few balloons and toys, be creative and do some research to see what other people have done, sites such as Pinterest are great for ideas. Make sure you book early as the most popular entertainers are booked well in advance.

• Venue decoration and themes - Would you like a jungle party or an over the rainbow celebration, there are lots of organisations that can transform a space, or you could attempt at doing the decoration yourselves, remember to use your printer, there are lots of free printable resources, Disney printables has a good site.

• Party bags - There are lots of shops that offer party supplies, from pound shops to department stores and there are lots of options, a popular favourite at our parties is a bottle of bubbles,lots of sweets and a balloon animal.  Prices start from £1 upwards depending on how exclusive you want your party to be, we offer personalised fabric back packs at the top end.

• Finishing touches - Are you going to hire a chocolate fountain or a caricaturist or will you  be having a candy buffet, there is lots on offer to make your party very special.

Good luck with your celebration and if you have any tips or idea's then please leave a comment.

Out with the old and in with the new!

How did I become a Children's entertainer, it was certainly not a career I had in mind when I started working for myself, who does! Here is a potted list of how I got to where I am, from Brownies to parties.
Michelle Peters CV
 2002 - 2006 Brownies 
2006 - 2010 Rainbows
2007 Bluey & Baloo starts trading with Saturday Art Club at the Oxton Green Community Shop and we also did recycling crafts at Wirral Play Day and entertainment for children's parties.
2008-2009 Smarties Art Club for preschoolers (Funded by Wirral MBC)
2010 Smarties Play out, free play out sessions. (Finalists at the Spirit of Merseyside Awards)
2010 Clair House Summer Festival
2010  Amy and Friends international retreat weekend.
2011 Wirral Change Women's BAME group, We provided a créche for the groups children.
2012 Minnie's - Self funding all of our previous projects through a not for profit play centre and créche and many more.
2014 Brown Owl at Brownies.