We chose a Valentines Day theme for my daughter's 5th birthday party.  For starters I made postcard sized invitations on the computer with flowery hearts for the boarder and hanging ribbon laced through the top.    I bought Valentine bulletin board decorations to hang on the walls and a bulletin board boarder with hearts on it for the inside frame of our front window (both from the teacher supply store in our area).  The decorations vary in sizes and are full of bright colors.  Using poster paints, I will decorate the front windows with hearts, cake slices, and presents hearts around the bathroom mirrors using poster paint - which washes off windows very easily! We'll also string construction paper hearts vertically to hang over the dining room table and around other windows.    We chose to have the party at 2pm so we would have plenty of time for crafts and fun and would not have to stop for a meal. But food still being important…we will have snack mix (with red and pink m&m's & dried cherries to add valentine color), cheese and crackers with a heart shaped cheese ball, veggies with dip in a heart shaped bowl, pink punch and of course, a heart shaped cake (you don't need a heart shaped pan – make your own heart shape using one square pan and one round (two of each and two mixes for double layer) then cut the round cakes in half and place the halves next to each other on two side of the square cakes.)  The girls will make Valentines Day place mats using black construction paper as the backing with bright construction paper hearts (cut out ahead of time), stickers, glitter pens, and fabric and ribbon pieces for decorations.  Then we'll cover both sides with contact paper.   Next, each of the girls will pose for a picture with the birthday girl in front of a decorated wall (we're using a digital camera, but a Polaroid camera would work great too). While my husband is printing up the pictures, we will have some fun with balloons.  We have a children's CD by Ella Jenkins with a song on it called, "balloon song" which requires the children's participation – we'll have them sitting down in a circle.  In the song, you put your thumbs to your mouth and pretend that you are blowing up a balloon and you sing "blow and blow and blow and CLAP where did my balloon go" - "It Popped" every kid I've been around during this song gets giggling even by the second "Pop" – just picture this with 12 – 4 to 5 year old girls. We might do that twice then I will bring out a bucket of non-helium filled pink balloons and pour them into the middle of the circle and we will play "Balloon Dance" where the girls will dance and bat the balloons around to a song called "Where Do They Make Balloons" from They Might Be Giants kids album titled "NO!" (this song is silly as can be and sounds like early Beatles "eggs come from chicken, barking comes from dogs, clowns come from the circus, log cabins come from logs, but where, where do they make balloons?") When the photo's are ready, they will all decorate a pre-made picture frame made out of construction paper with the message "I'm so glad you came to my party" written on it. We'll cover those with contact paper too and have the girls stick a magnetic strip to the back. I bought huge packs of 12 x18" construction paper (again at the teacher store) and if we have time left over after cake and presents and the girls want more crafts, they can make Valentines Day cards using the same supplies as their placemats and we'll make envelopes too (just unglue a pre-made one, trace it onto paper, cut it out and fold and glue it).    \*Sanity Savers:  1. I've got help lined up.  I'm having a friend, my sister, and my husband help with everything from cleaning the house before the party to helping the last guest get their coat on – and even beyond that if they're up for it! And at least one other friend who is staying for the party and I know I can count on her for an extra pair of hands.  As for the main tasks, we're all doing what we're best at (my husband is in charge of taking and printing photos, my friend is making the picture frames and helping with crafts, my sister is in charge of food, I'm in charge of decorating and ordering people around :-).  I always keep handy a list of jobs that need to be done so that I'm ready when someone asks, "What can I do to help?" and if that question doesn't get asked, then I'm prepared to ask them "Can you do me a favor?"  2. We're borrowing kid sized tables and chairs from our church for the kids craft time (and cake time). They're made for kids and they're made for crafts and the kids will be much more comfortable there than at my dining room table. I'll push my table off to the side and use it as a buffet instead. 3. I'm doing all that I can ahead of time – except for laundry, that can wait 'til after the party! 4. I have some things on my to-do list coded as extras, meaning that if I run out of time, I don't do those things – like sprinkling the sides of the walk with dried cranberries if there's snow. 5. Keep your eye on the prize - Once the first guest arrives, it's party time!