As many bloggers are doing today, I am asking you to go to my site, leave a comment, and I'll donate to the Red Cross for relief efforts in Haiti.

For more information, and too see how else to help fellow Pittsburgher in Haiti, visit That's Church. Ginny's doing her best for some local women and the orphans for whom they care.

Party at the Children's Museum!

The Children's Museum has been one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh since I had Flora five years ago. (I did not grow up here, so I cannot attest to how it's changed over the years.)

Regardless of a kid's age, it's a fantastic place to go. I think the first time I went with one of my SILs, Flora was only nine months old. We became members of the museum in 2007 (after Kate was born), and we have a blast every time we go. From crawling babies to running 10- and 12-year-olds, there is so much to do and see at the Children's Museum. I don't think we have ever done the whole thing in one day — which simply guarantees that we will always be back!

This November, faced with the prospect of having to take a week off to clean my house in order to host a party, I decided it was time to outsource it. We are still at the stage that only family and close friends are invited to birthday shindigs (I am holding out for one more year before I invite friends), so we didn't have a big crowd: ten kids, including an 8-month-old, and eight adults. I looked into several options, and then crossed my fingers and contacted the Children's Museum... about three weeks before Flora's birthday.

We lucked out; they had an opening on a Sunday (I suspect the Steelers may have had something to do with that), and we booked it. We picked a theme (the Pirate Party — not Pittsburgh Pirates, "ahoy, me mateys" pirates), ordered cheese pizzas from the museum Cafe, and sent out invites.

The party was a smashing success. It was really fun for the kids, and pretty relaxing for the adults!

The Children's Museum provides the space, balloons, an activity to go with the theme (in this case, cardboard treasure chests to decorate with stickers, tape, and markers), and, most importantly, a Party Pal. This is a museum employee who coordinates the activities and keeps things moving. After the party, your guests are more than welcome to stay as long as they like at the museum.

We got to the museum a full half an hour before the party; I had expected to run into game-day traffic. They admitted us to the lobby; our Party Pal, M, came to meet us about 15 minutes before party time. She took us to our room and got us situated.

Once all the guests were there, M ran the show. She perfectly balanced directing the kids and being hands-off. She got them decorating their treasure chests and stepped back. After a time, she gave them a countdown. "Okay, guys, about 5 more minutes then we're heading up to the Water Play room!" She handled transitions like a pro (or a parent!).

When it was time to move to Water Play, she lined the kids up behind the Birthday Girl, gave them the three rules (no running, no wandering off,... and I forget the third), counted heads, and then everyone trooped off. We parents and grandparents wandered after them. After about a half-hour on the third floor, we came back to the basement (we had booked a public space, right outside the theater; private rooms are also available). The kids had pizza, a snack, and a juice box, then cake, then presents. M took care of it all. (Well, I helped put ice cream on the plates.) The adults were welcome to the pizza, too, or they could order from the Cafe, which was right upstairs. (Dan & I opted for veggie burgers.)

No muss, no fuss. Before the party was over, Dan and I were talking to M about her availability for Kate's birthday party in January.

It's booked.

Details about hosting a birthday party at the Children's Museum can be found here http://www.pittsburghkids.org/Templates/CMP_Level3_List.aspx?CID=536&SECID=2&MENUID=25.

Pictures of the event can be found at my blog, Red Pen Mama http://albamaria30.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/success-or-four-down/.Party at the Children's Museum!

The Children's Museum has been one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh since I had Flora five years ago. (I did not grow up here, so I cannot attest to how it's changed over the years.)

Regardless of a kid's age, it's a fantastic place to go. I think the first time I went with one of my SILs, Flora was only nine months old. We became members of the museum in 2007 (after Kate was born), and we have a blast every time we go. From crawling babies to running 10- and 12-year-olds, there is so much to do and see at the Children's Museum. I don't think we have ever done the whole thing in one day — which simply guarantees that we will always be back!

This November, faced with the prospect of having to take a week off to clean my house in order to host a party, I decided it was time to outsource it. We are still at the stage that only family and close friends are invited to birthday shindigs (I am holding out for one more year before I invite friends), so we didn't have a big crowd: ten kids, including an 8-month-old, and eight adults. I looked into several options, and then crossed my fingers and contacted the Children's Museum... about three weeks before Flora's birthday.

We lucked out; they had an opening on a Sunday (I suspect the Steelers may have had something to do with that), and we booked it. We picked a theme (the Pirate Party — not Pittsburgh Pirates, "ahoy, me mateys" pirates), ordered cheese pizzas from the museum Cafe, and sent out invites.

The party was a smashing success. It was really fun for the kids, and pretty relaxing for the adults!

The Children's Museum provides the space, balloons, an activity to go with the theme (in this case, cardboard treasure chests to decorate with stickers, tape, and markers), and, most importantly, a Party Pal. This is a museum employee who coordinates the activities and keeps things moving. After the party, your guests are more than welcome to stay as long as they like at the museum.

We got to the museum a full half an hour before the party; I had expected to run into game-day traffic. They admitted us to the lobby; our Party Pal, M, came to meet us about 15 minutes before party time. She took us to our room and got us situated.

Once all the guests were there, M ran the show. She perfectly balanced directing the kids and being hands-off. She got them decorating their treasure chests and stepped back. After a time, she gave them a countdown. "Okay, guys, about 5 more minutes then we're heading up to the Water Play room!" She handled transitions like a pro (or a parent!).

When it was time to move to Water Play, she lined the kids up behind the Birthday Girl, gave them the three rules (no running, no wandering off,... and I forget the third), counted heads, and then everyone trooped off. We parents and grandparents wandered after them. After about a half-hour on the third floor, we came back to the basement (we had booked a public space, right outside the theater; private rooms are also available). The kids had pizza, a snack, and a juice box, then cake, then presents. M took care of it all. (Well, I helped put ice cream on the plates.) The adults were welcome to the pizza, too, or they could order from the Cafe, which was right upstairs. (Dan & I opted for veggie burgers.)

No muss, no fuss. Before the party was over, Dan and I were talking to M about her availability for Kate's birthday party in January.

It's booked.

Details about hosting a birthday party at the Children's Museum can be found here http://www.pittsburghkids.org/Templates/CMP_Level3_List.aspx?CID=536&SECID=2&MENUID=25.

Pictures of the event can be found at my blog, Red Pen Mama http://albamaria30.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/success-or-four-down/.