If you have children and live in the burbs of Boston, specifically in our neck of the woods – Weston, Wellesley, Wayland, Needham, Dover and the surrounding towns – then what to do and where to have your child’s birthday party is most likely a question that you have pondered at least once a year. Of course, you can always have a fun shindig at your home…. But through the years, I have learned that there is something fabulous to be said for having a kids birthday party at a location outside of your home. Basically, you show up and then leave (of course after paying them for the experience), without having to set up and clean up the party and with the assistance of a party organizer to deal with any issues or problems.  It’s extremely low maintenance, stress-free and fun for all – even the parents!

Here are a few of the burb locations where we’ve had parties for our children or been to parties for their friends:

• AMC Cinemas, Framingham, MA – The kids gather to see a fun movie, share popcorn and eat cake. How much fun is that?!
• Boston Sports Club, Waltham, MA - This is a great place to have a party, especially for the younger ones. The kids can play on an amazing structure (at least at the BSC in Waltham) and in the gym.  Party providers organize games and songs for the kids too.
• Build-A-Bear, Natick, MA (see second photo) – My kids have loved having parties here over the years. It’s especially great for the little ones, but my older daughters (nine and 12) still love attending parties here. You can’t bring in cake so what we typically do is venture down to the Food Court at the Natick Mall after the party and enjoy cake there.
• The Clayroom, Brookline, MA - The kids choose from a variety of pottery options (piggy banks, ice cream cones, jewelry holders, plates, vases and more) and then paint and decorate the items, which then go into the kiln and are picked up a few days later. You can bring in a cake and drinks or ask the Clayroom to provide pizza and cake. This party idea is geared for older children as the little ones will be done decorating in less than 10 minutes.
• Creative Movements and Arts Center, Needham, MA – Like the classes that Creative Movement offers, parties consist of fun activities and games for kids of all ages.
• Exxcel Gymnastics & Climbing, Newton, MA – The kids get to indulge in exciting games and obstacle courses, rock climbing, rides on the zip line as well as Trampoline and foam pit fun. There is even a free t-shirt for the birthday child.
• Fun and Games, Framingham, MA – Parties here are truly so much fun. The kids use tokens for the games and machines, and then the ‘piece de resistance’ is that they get to choose their prizes based on the number of tickets they have won. Fun and Games also has Laser Tag. This is a great place to go even if it’s not a child’s birthday.
• King’s Bowling, Dedham, MA (see top photo)  - We just had a birthday party here, and it was fabulous. Pizza, drinks and cake were provided as was a bowling trophy for the birthday child.  There is another location in Boston.
• Lazer Zone, Marlboro, MA – The web page says it all, “Party like an alien.  LazerZone throws out-of-this-world birthday celebrations.”  There’s LazerTag, 2xLazerTag, Thrill Zone, Karaoke and more. Most of the party packages include pizza, unlimited popcorn and drinks. This will be more enjoyed by the older kids and not the wee little ones.
• Planet Gymnastics, Natick, MA – Another locale for kids of all ages.  The supervised gym activities include obstacle courses, games, playing with a parachute and more. After the gym fun, it’s on to cake and balloon fun.
• Plaster Fun Time, Framingham, MA (see third photo) – We’ve had numerous birthday parties here. Bring in your own cake, while the kids choose their plaster piece to decorate and then choose which spray to use. This is for kids of all ages, and there are locations in Dedham, Newton and Waltham too.
• Sky Zone Sports, Boston, MA – The kids will be setting their sights high as they bounce up and down and across the all-trampoline, walled playing courts. There are even three-dimensional versions of sports favorites, such as dodgeball. If you want cake, you need to include that as part of a reserved birthday/group package complete with private room rental.
• Snip-Its, Framingham, MA – This is catered more for the girls. We haven’t had parties here but my girls have gone to parties at Snip-its.  The kids have a chance to explore fun hair styles, party outfits, make-up and more. Snip-its provides cupcakes, cakes, beverages, party favors and a gift for the birthday girl.
• Sweet Beads of Lexington, Lexington, MA – This locale also caters more toward girls, and it is for children ages 6 and up.  Kids make their own custom necklaces and then partake in pizza and cake fun if you choose this option.

Of course, this is just a mere sampling of party locales in the area – there are many, many more. That being said, is your favorite kids birthday party location listed above?  If so, which is it?  If not, please share your thoughts on where you like to have your kids birthday party fun.  I can’t wait to hear….

There’s almost nothing better than a birthday party….  To me, the only thing that beats celebrating a new year of life is eating yummy, delicious, melt-in-your-mouth birthday cake….  And so in this vein, here are a few of my thoughts on where to go for birthday cake fun in the burbs:

• Party Favors, Brookline, MA – this was my first introduction to birthday cake fun in the burbs (pictured right).  When I first moved to Weston, I learned about Party Favors, and once I sampled the icing, I was a convert.  I would venture to Coolidge Corner – a 20-25 minute drive from Weston – to pick up the cakes and not give it a second’s thought.  But now as life gets more and more busy with each passing minute, I tend to order cakes a bit more locally.
• Ben & Jerry’s, Natick, MA – ice cream cakes are always a great way to celebrate a birthday, and we all know the fabulous taste and quality of Ben & Jerry’s.  Choose from such favorites as “Groovy Tie-Dye,” “Sweet Cream and Cookies,” and “Chocolate Fudge Brownie” or design your own custom cake.
• The Cheescake Factory, Natick and Chestnut Hill, MA – my favorite cake is carrot cake, and The Cheesecake Factory has the best carrot cake ever (pictured right).  Once my Mom was visiting from Baltimore, and ordered a Cheesecake Factory Carrot Cake for my birthday.  I was ecstatic until I saw that the calorie count for one piece was more than 1,500 calories – I think that’s almost a full day of calories??!!  Ouch.  Now I try to eat this carrot cake a bit more sparingly.
• The Icing on the Cake, Newton, MA – the decorations and graphics on these cakes are over the top.  I have never seen such creative designs, which can be as custom as you’d like.  You may remember that we ordered a ginger bread house from Icing on the Cake over the holidays.  The kids decorated it with icing, candy and little cookies which came with the house, and they had so much fun.  This will definitely be a tradition for us from now on…..
• Quebrada Baking Company, Wellesley, MA – conveniently located off of Route 9 in Wellesley Hills, the cakes here are always delicious and worth the stop.  Cake options vary from Layer Cakes and Tortes to Boston Cream Pies and Fresh Strawberry Cakes.
• Susu Bakery, Wellesley, MA – There are several kinds of cakes from which to choose – Chocolate, Buttermilk, Carrot and Coconut – as well as many offerings for fillings and icings, including raspberry buttercream, lemon curd, cream cheese and mocha.  A few years ago, a friend’s daughter and her fiance designed their own engagement cake at Susu’s.  How special….

Then there are many supermarkets in the area that offer delicious cakes, which can often be less expensive.  Some of the supermarkets that I frequent in the area for yummy cakes are Omni Foods Supermarkets in Weston, Roche Brothers in Wellesley, Whole Foods in Wellesley and Shaw’s in Newton.  And there is always Costco in Waltham, which has adorable, large sheet cakes that are perfect for big parties.

But maybe the best birthday cakes of all are the ones that Elaine, Susan and Betsy of Pinnacle Residential Properties make for us on our birthdays.  In fact, the irony of this is that in googling*, “birthday cakes, wellesley ma,” guess what was in the #1 spot?  Believe it or not, it was Pinnacle Residential Properties…. The coconut and chocolate cakes – not to mention the accompanying flavors of ice cream – that our fearless leader (Elaine) and talented colleagues (Susan and Betsy) make are second to none.  We all feel very lucky to be part of the Pinnacle family, especially on our birthdays….

But these are just my thoughts, and I am curious to get yours.  Where do you go for birthday cake fun  in the burbs?  I can’t wait to hear….

* When I googled this last night, January 21, 2012, Pinnacle was in the top spot.  But in googling this tonight, January 22, 2012, it doesn’t appear in the first spot.  I guess that’s the Internet – queries can change on a dime….

Do you celebrate half-birthdays in your household?  We do in ours…but not for the adults, just for the kids.  When I was young, my parents did celebrate my half-birthday, but it was more of a lunch at McDonald’s type of thing.  That was about it.  So I’m not sure how the half-birthday celebrations have evolved into the fairly major celebrations that they have become.  No wait, actually I think I do know….I think it’s because of my Mom.  Mom, or Grammie as the kids call her, does not live locally, and so the half-birthday celebration became another way to indulge the kids. (And when I say this, I am not throwing stones because I freely admit that I too like to indulge my kids – after all, they’re only kids once.)

Anyway, now these have become celebrations in which the kids have cake, a special dinner, friends over occasionally, and get a few gifts.  Tonight we celebrated my son’s 5 1/2 birthday…..  We gave him presents – some hot wheels and a hot wheels track, his favorite kind of gum and Star Wars sticker decals – and then we culminated the celebration with an M&M ice cream cake.  This was fairly low key.  It’s a little different with my older two daughters.  They talk about their half-birthdays months before the actual day – what they might like for gifts, for a cake, for dinner, for special surprises - you would almost think it was their birthday….

The interesting thing is that I always thought your half-birthday was just six months after your birthday, but this is not always the case.  There is actually a half-birthday calculator so you know for sure.  Click here to calculate your half-birthday.  Surprisingly, my birthday is August 12, but my half-birthday was February 9 of this year and not February 12.  You learn something new every day.

So happy half-birthday to my son, Cort, and all of you others celebrating your half-birthdays this month….   Is this something you do in your household too?  I can’t wait to hear….