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expectingtofly · 3 years

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Incident at Playgroup

2.8k

fluff, established dean/cas, baby jack, human!cas, cas and dean terrorize other parents

dedicated to @thiscastielhasflown bc a few weeks ago we talked about tfw’s mcdonald’s orders and this fic happened. wishing you a good week with schoolwork assignments that only take half the time you expect them to, eventual restful sleep, and good grades <3

also posted on ao3

“Clown!” Jack yelled, pointing at the entrance to the McDonald’s indoor play area. A Ronald McDonald cardboard cutout guarded the door, holding a sign reading, You must be this tall to enter.

“Inside voice,” Dean said, though he wasn’t sure it mattered much when he could hardly hear himself speak. Recently, they’d joined a playgroup of parents and kids from Jack’s preschool, and this weekend, some of the moms had organized a playdate at the McDonald’s in town, one with a huge play area.

Meaning, they were now surrounded by screaming kids, diaper bags, and stressed out parents.

Dean winced as a kid shrieked from across the room. “We need to take a photo of you next to ol’ Ronald to show Sam.”

“Okay,” Jack agreed, jumping up and down in his chair.

Coming over with the tray of their food, Cas put out a hand to steady Jack’s chair. “That would be unnecessarily cruel."

Dean grabbed his Big Mac. “Yeah, well, he deserves it.” Before they’d come here today, Sam had repeatedly told them, quote, “please don't fuck this up again." Always was a polite bastard. “He’s gotta have more faith in us. What are we, amateurs?”

“Unfortunately, I believe that’s the point,” Cas said, sitting down and giving Jack his Happy Meal. “We don’t have the best track record with these sort of things.”

These ‘sort of things’ being playgroups.

So, they’d tried a couple that hadn’t worked out. “Not like it’s our fault,” he said. “Take a seat, kid.” Jack ignored him, jumping in his seat as he waved to another toddler sitting nearby.

Cas beamed, holding onto the back of the chair. “He’s making friends, that’s a good sign.”

“Kid could make friends with a blank wall,” Dean said, but Cas was right—making friends was the whole point they were here. While Jack could make friends with just about anyone and anything—every crayon had a name and backstory, Cas’ trenchcoat was taken on make-believe-adventures, and the Impala could apparently talk, if Jack’s one-sided conversations during long car rides was anything to go off of—it was true that Jack was lacking in the friends-that-aren’t-hunters-or-over-a-decade-older category. There weren’t exactly many toddlers running around the bunker.

Hence, why they were spending their Saturday afternoon at the Hell on Earth known as McDonald's PlayPlace.

Jack held out the bag of apple slices that came in his Happy Meal. “Open.”

Dean stared him down and Jack added, “Peas.”

Close enough. Taking the bag, Dean told Cas, “Don’t look now, but Amanda is handing out brochures for Pampered Chef again.” According to Sam, that was another reason this playdate had to be a success—making friends with the right parents meant getting invited to more playdates and whatever other random events the parents came up with. It was like a weird society Dean had never known existed until Jack started preschool and started interacting with other kids his own age.

“I saw you using the food processor the other day,” Cas said, glancing over his shoulder to look despite Dean’s warning. Dean rolled his eyes. “I think it’s ingenious.”

“I’m not going to another two hour cooking demonstration.“

“Sam said we need to make a good impression.”

“He can go buy overpriced kitchen tools then.” It was a little too convenient that Sam had gotten out of taking Jack to this playdate—Dean had a suspicion that the multiple Ronald McDonalds stationed around had something to do with that.

He tried to hand Jack the apples, but Jack pointed at the play area. “Wanna play!”

“You have to finish your food,” Dean told him. Crossing his arms, Jack glared at him and stomped his foot on the chair.

“Just eat two more nuggets,” Cas told him. He picked up his filet-o-fish sandwich and glanced at Dean. “What?”

“You’re spoiling him.”

Jack stuffed his face with two chicken nuggets, which prompted Cas to give Dean a look. “Well, you’re teaching him bad table manners.”

Just to be obnoxious, Dean shoved half of his burger into his mouth in one bite. Jack laughed at him and Cas rolled his eyes.

“Done!” Jack announced, and Cas pushed his chair back so he could escape.

“These play places are gross,” Dean said, swallowing. “He’s gonna catch a disease.”

“Good thing he can’t get sick,” Cas said, watching Jack clamber up some stairs to reach a slide.

“Yeah, well I can,” Dean retorted. Jack went down the slide with a squeal. Landing at the bottom, he waved at them and Dean waved back.

“The Winchesters are here!” someone called too cheerily and Dean rolled his eyes, turning to see Ashley walking over. Lady thought she ran the group, always recruiting parents to bring snacks and toys to playdates. A little too high and mighty when Dean knew for a fact that the cupcakes she'd brought last week were store-bought.

Settling down into the seat next to them, she asked, “I wasn’t expecting you two today. Where’s Sam?”

Dean resisted rolling his eyes. Of course Sam was everyone’s favorite. Wasn’t his fault Sam was better at feigning interest in grocery lists and laundry piles. Parenting was hard enough without getting subjected to the unique torture of playgroup small talk.

“Him and Eileen went on a weekend trip,“ Cas answered easily and Dean nodded. They’d long given up trying to explain to others why Jack had a rotating list of parental figures accompanying him to playgroup, figuring if the other parents thought they were in a weird cult situation, at least that was better than them knowing the truth—like the fact that Sam and Eileen were away hunting a rugaru in Missouri. Though they were going to run out of excuses soon for why playgroup couldn’t be hosted at their place—an underground bunker with enough weapons to hold off an army.

“Well,” Ashley said, “I’m glad you guys were able to make it.” Yeah, that was a fake smile.

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Dean said, plastering on his own fake smile. “I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.” Cas kicked him under the table.

“We’ve loved having Jack in the group,” Ashley said, and that might not be a fake sentiment. Jack could charm anyone. “Such a sweetheart. Lily adores him.” She smiled at where Jack and her daughter Lily were crawling through a tunnel at the top of the play area.

“Jack, no!” Dean called, seeing Jack stick his fingers in his mouth. “I’m so getting sick,” he muttered under his breath.

He was trying to come up with an excuse to get away as Ashley pulled out her phone to show them a new post on her mommy blog—boring, same old content. Give him a blog and he’d actually have something interesting to say—when he heard familiar crying from across the play area.

Without a second thought, he was pushing back his chair and rushing over, squeezing past playing kids and their parents to find Jack sitting on the floor bawling his eyes out and a bigger kid standing over him.

“What the hell happened here?” he demanded. He went to pick up Jack, but Cas was already swooping in and grabbing him.

“He pushed me!” Jack managed through his sobs, and Dean turned on the older kid.

“What the hell’s your problem?” The kid’s baleful expression faltered. He took a step back and Dean advanced on him. “You get off on making kids half your size cry?”

“Don’t speak to my son that way!” someone exclaimed, pushing through the crowd of kids and parents to glare at them. “What’s going on?”

“Your son is a menace,” Cas told the woman—Denise. Playgroup gossip said her son had gotten held back from kindergarten due to his inability to ‘play nice with others.’ Jack’s crying had subdued to sniffles, but Cas still held onto him like he might break apart. “He was bullying our son.”

“I’m sure it was an accident.” She put her hand on the kid’s shoulder. “You didn’t mean to hurt him, right, Tommy?”

Tommy only glared at them, and Dean glared right back. “He needs to apologize to Jack,” Cas said.

“Tommy, apologize.”

After several long, drawn out seconds, Tommy muttered, looking down at his feet, “Sorry.”

“I don’t think that was a real apology,” Cas said.

“It’s not my fault Jack’s a crybaby,” Tommy shot back.

“You little—” Dean started

“Take that back,” Cas snapped, and if he wasn’t human, Dean would’ve expected his eyes to start glowing fiery blue. Denise’s eyes grew wide, her grip on Tommy’s shoulder tightening.

“Is there a problem here?” someone asked, and Dean turned to see a McDonald’s employee hurrying over.

“Yeah, this kid shoved our son,” Dean said. “And he’s being a little shit about it.”

The employee’s expression turned shocked and Dean heard a few gasps from the parents that had crowded around to see the commotion. “I’m gonna have to ask you to leave,” the employee stammered. “This is a kid’s play area, we won’t tolerate fighting here.”

“We were already going,” Cas said haughtily. He glared at Denise. “And if 'Tommy' ever lays a hand on Jack again, he will be sorry.” Jack’s expression was eerily similar to Cas’ as they shot twin glares at Tommy, and Dean thought he caught a spark in Jack’s eyes.

“Let’s go,” he said, taking Cas’ elbow and guiding him through the crowd of spectators before Jack tried to incinerate the kid. He wasn’t sure if that was one of Jack’s powers or not, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out in a crowded McDonald’s. Even if the snot-nosed kid deserved it.

The staff behind the counter was watching along with everyone else in the store, the once noisy place now brought to tense stillness. Cas snatched up the rest of their food and Dean knew they were already on the verge of getting the cops called on them, but he couldn’t resist turning and jabbing his finger at the little brat. “And don’t you ever fucking touch Jack again!”

Cas shot Denise and Tommy another look, Jack copying it over his shoulder, and Dean let the door slam shut behind them.

“I can’t believe the audacity of that woman,” Cas raged, strapping Jack into his carseat. Dean grabbed the wipes and leaned over the front seat to wipe Jack’s hands before he touched everything and spread germs around. “And her kid is exactly the same!”

Jack craned his neck to look back at the McDonald’s as Cas finished strapping him in. “Play!”

Getting into the passenger seat, Cas slammed the door shut. “You will not be going back there, not when those children are around. Dean was right, these play places are vile.”

“You alright, kid?” Dean asked Jack, shutting the wipe container.

Jack kicked his feet against the seat. “Hungry.”

Cas pulled out the container of Jack’s half-eaten chicken nuggets and Dean protested, thinking of a fateful day with a bag of cheerios—he was still finding them in every nook and cranny of the car. “No eating in the backseat.”

“He’s just been through a traumatic experience,” Cas said, handing the container to Jack. “We can make an exception.”

“Fine,” Dean muttered, gripping the steering wheel as he pulled out of the parking lot. “I always knew Denise was shifty. You saw the way she was trying to spin the story, making it out like it wasn’t her kid’s fault? Fucking asshole.”

“Asshole!” Jack agreed cheerfully from the backseat.

“That’s not a nice word, Jack,” Cas said. Quieter, he added, “But it’s accurate.” He pulled out his phone. “I’m gonna send a message to the playgroup chat. Tommy’s behavior can’t be tolerated. Soon all the kids are going to become bullies.”

“He needs to be taught a lesson,” Dean agreed, glancing at Jack as he stopped at a red light, trying not to flinch at the crumbs on Jack’s lap that threatened to fall to the floor. “Needs to get knocked down by someone. Hear that, Jack? We’re gonna teach you how to fight back.”

Jack nodded. “I can fight!” He waved a chicken nugget around in mock punches and Dean gave up any hope of keeping the backseat clean.

“Maybe we can convince the other parents to kick Denise and her son out of the—Oh.” Dean looked over at him and Castiel winced. “We’ve been blocked from the group chat.”

“That makes three of them,” Dean muttered, pushing the accelerator as the light turned green. “We’re gonna end up on some blacklist soon.”

First playgroup, Jack had set a couch on fire. Since the "baby god testing out his powers” explanation wasn’t gonna fly, they went with the tried and true, “playing with matches” excuse. Didn’t stop the group from voting to kick them out.

Second playgroup, Cas had gotten in a fiery debate over the ethicality of beekeeping, and what was Dean supposed to do? Not back him up? He hadn't known you could get kicked out of the zoo for "disorderly conduct."

Alright, maybe Sam’s fears that they’d fuck up this playdate too weren’t completely off base.

“I think it’s time we give playgroups a rest,” he decided.

"But Jack needs to make friends."

"He's already got us, and Claire and Kaia and Alex and—"

"Charlie!" Jack added from the backseat.

"Charlie," Dean agreed. "He's got plenty of friends." Cas only stared him down with a particular smitey look in his eyes, and though Dean knew there wasn't a real threat behind the gaze, he sighed. "Fine. We’ll try again.”

"I already had one in mind," Cas said, brightening. "In case this one didn't work out."

“Done!” Jack yelled.

“Inside voice,” Dean said automatically. “Wait, you had a backup plan?"

“Yes,” Cas said, taking the empty container of chicken nuggets from Jack. “I thought it wise considering our track record. It’s a smaller group than this one was—Here, Jack, you want my ice cream?”

“Dude, seriously?” Dean protested as Cas handed an Oreo McFlurry back to Jack, who excitedly held out his hands. “That’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

“Not necessarily,” Cas said. “I don’t think we’re that destined to fail again—Oh, you mean the ice cream.” He glanced at Jack, who was dripping ice cream onto his lap with every spoonful. “Um. Traumatic experience?”

Dean wasn’t falling for that excuse a second time. He started to say so, but Cas wasn’t listening, picking up his phone as it beeped several times in quick succession.

“What?” Dean asked, seeing a slow frown cross Cas' face as he stared at the screen.

Cas held up his phone to show several texts in a row. “We’re in trouble.”

On cue, Dean’s phone started ringing, the screen lighting up to display Sam’s name. Fuck.

“Sam would like to know why we’re all blocked from the group chat,” Cas said unhelpfully, and Dean rejected the call.

“Good luck explaining why.”

“Maybe the problem is us,” Cas said slowly. He met Dean’s eyes, then they both shook their heads.

“No, it’s those stupid parents,” Dean said.

“And their insufferable children,” Cas agreed.

“Insufferable!” Jack agreed from the backseat, ice cream smeared across his chin. Or that’s what Dean thought he was repeating, the word losing a few syllables along the way.

“Not you, Jack,” Cas said. “Every playgroup would be lucky to have you.”

“Just, they apparently don’t know it,” Dean pointed out. “Or we wouldn’t keep getting kicked out.”

His phone started ringing again, as if to remind him of the fact, and he looked pointedly at Cas. “You deal with him.”

“No, you,” Cas said.

“For fuck’s sake,” Dean muttered. Then he had an idea.

“Hey, Jack, tell Sam about what you saw today.” He turned on speakerphone and handed back his phone, not even caring that Jack’s hands were a sticky mess. Okay, maybe he cared a little, but that’s why the Impala now always held wipes in the glove box.

Jack grabbed his phone eagerly. “Sam!” he crowed. “Guess what I saw!”

Dean caught Sam’s voice over the phone. “What—Jack, hey, where’s Dean?”

“Clowns!” Jack said, waving his ice cream spoon around. “Clowns everywhere!”

“Very mature,” Cas told Dean.

Dean shrugged. “Buys us some time.”

“That’s nice, Jack, but put Dean on,” Sam said. Jack started to give the phone back, and Cas whispered,

“Tell him about the slide.”

“Sam, Sam! I went on a slide!” Dean gave him a thumbs up in the rearview mirror and Jack copied it.

“Dean! I know you can hear me!” Sam yelled as Jack continued on about his eventful day.

“We’re horrible influences,” Cas said, unsuccessfully fighting back a smile.

“Nah,” Dean said. “We’re the best.”

tag list

@becky-srs @xojo @marvelnaturalock @aelysianmuse @prayedtoyou @letsjustdieeveryone @good-things-do-happen-dean @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @theninthdutchessofhell @madronasky @famouspsychicpizzabandit @multifandomdisorder @arcticfox007 @improvedpeanut @castiel-is-a-cat @harmonyhelms @thetrueliesofafangirl @dean-you-assbutt-cas-loves-you @confusedisaster @welcome-to-crowleys-hellhole @celestialcastiel @wormstacheangel

let me know if you’d like to be added or removed from the tag list :)

#expectingtofly writes #destiel fic #baby jack #established dean/cas #fluff #i have had this in my drafts for so long and i finally finished it #ive been dying to write baby jack #or toddler jack i guess in this case #just so i could write overprotective dean and cas #jace if youre reading this hi <3 and i hope i did the mcdonalds fic justice :))

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aaronsniderus · 6 years

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Throwing a Graduation Party on a Budget

As the sun sets on yet another school year, this year’s set of seniors prepare for a big milestone: high school graduation. But while these students may have just finished up the last exams and essays of their high school careers, the adults in their lives are preparing for their own, sometimes equally as stressful, milestone: the high school graduation party.

While you may have heard of folks going all out with extravagant (read: expensive) bashes with catered food, paid entertainment and fully stocked bars, rest assured that a low-key (read: low-cost) get-together will be just as memorable, while not hitting your budget too hard. Remember, it’s about your grad getting to bask in their accomplishment with the people they love, not about how much you spend on streamers.

Here’s some ideas for how to throw a grad party for the ages without breaking the bank, including ideas for some fun, budget-friendly themes that your grad will love.

The Basics

No matter what kind of grad party you’re throwing, there are a few things you’re going to want to consider early on in your planning process.

The Who

Figuring out who is invited to your grad party is an obvious first step because it will help you figure out what type of party you’re going to throw. Is it going to be a small, family affair? A shorter-lived, evening party with a little more structure, like having planned activities and a set meal time, might be a better fit for a small guest list where everybody knows each other really well. Did your grad send out a Facebook invite to their entire graduating class? An all-day, open house-style shindig is probably a better bet, as people will be steaming in and out and grazing at their leisure.

It’s acceptable to invite most of your guests via social media. However, you can have a few invitations printed to send in the mail. CVS offers some nice-looking options for as little as 99 cents each (with a minimum order of 20 cards). For an even cheaper option, Microsoft Office has all kinds of free Word templates available online that allow you to create an invitation on your computer.

The number of people you invite will obviously be a big determining factor in how much money you end up spending; a larger guest list will mean, at the very least, more money spent on food and drinks. It could also mean the difference between having the party in your backyard and having to rent out a space.

The Where

Having your grad party at your home, or the home of a nearby relative, is a great way to keep costs low. If you have a large guest list and need a big area, it might be a good idea to look into renting out a spot at the local park for the day, which can be cheaper than a private venue. Beware, though: Not only will you want to check the weather, but you’ll also want to look at your city’s rules for having events in public spaces. Depending on where you live, you might have to pay for a permit.

If you’re having the party at home, consider where the main hangout spot will be. If it’s in the backyard, do you have adequate shade if it gets too hot? Will you rent a tent for people to hang under? Do you have enough tables and seating, or will you need to rent that, too? If it rains or is unseasonably cold, do you have enough room inside to accommodate everyone?

Renting an indoor space helps avoid some of the what-ifs on the day of the party, but by being prepared and having a contingency plan, you can plan for the what-ifs yourself while potentially saving hundreds of dollars.

The When

Talk to your grad to find out when everyone else is throwing their parties. At the very least, you’ll want to make sure that your date doesn’t conflict with that of any of their closest friends.

If you’re having an open house, you’ll want to have a larger party window, like from noon to 5:00 p.m. This could also end up working to your advantage if you have a huge guest list, as you won’t have every single invitee in your living room at the same time.

The Eats (and Drinks)

Food is where your grad party can start to get pricey, so you’ll want to either budget a little bit more money for this category or prepare to be flexible and maybe even cook the food yourself.

The food you serve doesn’t necessarily have to be something fancy. If you’re having the party in your backyard, you can serve the simple and cheap staples of barbecue cuisine: hotdogs and hamburgers.

If you won’t have the time to tend to the grill during the event, grocery stores often have party trays that do the work for you. However, you can save a little money by making this food yourself, with minimum prep time required. If you want to serve sandwiches, set out buns and put together a tray with a variety of deli meats and cheeses.

Same goes for fruit or veggie trays. Buy the produce yourself and on the day of the party, cut it up into bite-size pieces and place it on a platter. Cheaper and fresher.

For dessert, don’t feel the need to get a fancy bakery cake if you’re having a big party; a sheet cake from your local grocery store will feed a lot of people at a low cost, and can be just as tasty. If you’re a big-box store member, their bakery section has reasonably priced sheet cakes. If your grad isn’t a big cake person, you might be able to save a little bit of money by opting for a cookie tray instead.

For beverages, buy two-liters of soda rather than cans, and put a marker by the cups so people can write their names on their cups and not lose track of their drinks. To save yourself the cost of water bottles (and the hassle of having to recycle a bunch of half-empty bottles scattered around your property), put out several pitchers of ice water. And make sure to have plenty of ice.

Now for the big question: Will you serve alcohol?

You don’t have to. Alcohol is expensive, and it might not be a good idea if you’re going to have a lot of underage guests. You can always have some beer and a few bottles of wine if you’re so inclined, but don’t feel like you’re a bad host for not having a fully stocked open bar at a high school grad party.

If you do serve alcohol, first make sure your grad understands what the expectations are. What are you going to do if they or one of their friends is helping themselves behind your back? You may think it’s not a big deal, but you could potentially face serious legal consequences by allowing minors to drink on your property.

To save money on booze, check out your local wholesale club. Sam’s Club allows nonmembers to purchase alcohol at the same low price as members at all locations. Depending on the state you live in, other similar chains might do the same.

Not sure how much food and drink you’ll need? Here’s a helpful guide.

The Mood

For cheap and easy decorations, discount stores are your friend. Depending on your theme, you might need to hit up a party supplies store for specific items, but you’ll probably be able to do most of your decoration shopping here, at an extremely low cost.

Colorful crepe paper streamers are a great way to liven up an area and are easy to put up and take down. Dollar Tree also sells a variety of fun centerpieces, including this graduation themed one.

In addition to decorations, you’re going to want to have something that all the party-goers can sign and write well-wishes on. For a cheap and DIY option, try this: Buy a big, inexpensive picture frame and have everyone sign the glass in colorful permanent marker or paint pen. Snap a group picture of your grad with all their guests. Have the picture printed in the size of the frame and your grad will have a memorable gift to take with them on their next step in life.

For music, hook up your phone to a Bluetooth speaker (if you don’t already have one, Amazon has some cheap options) and have some party tunes playing in the background. Apps like Spotify and Pandora have a ton of playlists for every mood and type of party. You could also personalize it and create your own playlist, utilizing some of your grad’s favorite songs.

Activities can be theme-specific or just a couple of general fun things for your guests to enjoy. If it’s an open house, having a couple of games will help entertain your guests. Have a game table with a few board games set out for people to use, or drag your cornhole set out of storage.

Theme Inspiration

To throw a truly kick-butt party, you’ve got to have a fun theme. Here are five ideas to get you started.

Ode to Your Alma Mater

Image: hwtm.com

Having your theme centered around your grad’s high school is a clever way to throw a budget-friendly grad party because the decorating for it is so simple. Just use their high school’s colors for inspiration.

Buy napkins in their school’s colors, shuffle them together and then fan them out in front of your food trays. It looks nice, and it’s cheap and low effort. Win-win.

Dollar Tree allows you to search party supplies by color, so you can cheaply stock up on plates, plastic utensils, cups, table covers and crepe paper for decorating.

Put out bowls of appropriately colored candy for a snack that doubles as decoration.

The Adventure Begins

Image: CatchMyParty.com

This theme is based around the grad’s future plans, so the decorations are going to vary depending on your grad. If you’re crafty, you can do hyper-specific decorations without having to pay a lot.

Are they heading to college? Utilize their university’s colors in your decorating.

Are they taking a gap year to travel? Display pictures of the places they’ll be visiting. If you want to have a little fun with it, take a picture of them and tape a cutout of their body onto the pictures.

Decorate based on their planned career. If they’re on the pre-law path, take construction paper and trace gavel shapes, then cut them out and tape them on the walls. Or tape construction paper fins and tails to balloons and hang them with blue streamers for your aspiring marine biologist. If they’ve already got a job lined up, use that for inspiration. If they’re going to be repairing bikes in a bike shop, make bicycle-shaped construction paper cutouts.

If they’ve already been working and are transitioning from a part-time to a full-time position, use this as the theme. For example, if they work at the library, decorate with the grad’s favorite books.

Bake cupcakes and decorate them according to the theme.

A History Of

Image: StyleMePretty.com

This will be one of the easier and cheaper themes to decorate for because you’ve likely been gathering materials for it their entire life. I’m talking, of course, about family photos. Make the party a shrine to your grad.

Create a visual timeline of their life by hanging up pictures in chronological order, from the days of smearing birthday cake all over their high chairs to their last first day of school. WholesalePartySupplies.com even has a garland specifically for this purpose; just pop in their yearbook photo from each grade.

Create a collage of all their earliest artwork – finger painting, stick family portraits and the like.

Since they are the theme, consider putting together a platter of your grad’s favorite foods. If there’s a specific snack they’ve enjoyed over the years, include it as a special plate on the food table. Snacks such as ants on a log (celery, peanut butter and raisins) and animal crackers are cheap to prepare and will likely bring back some memories.

For a fun activity, have a trivia game based around the grad. You can find pre-made card sets available online. “Who Knows the Graduate Best” is good for this, but you can easily make your own instead.

All Those Extracurriculars

Image: KarasPartyIdeas.com

For the grads whose high school experience was defined by their after-school activities, pay homage to the groups they’ll be saying goodbye to.

Use any keepsakes they have. This could mean hanging up all their play posters, putting out the binder where you keep all their clippings from the school newspaper, or even setting up a small table with their letter jacket laid out on display and a couple of action shots from their time on the tennis team.

Make the party activities specific to their extracurriculars. If they and their friends were in choir, set up a karaoke machine. If your grad’s fellow teammates will all be at the party, put out a game that’s specific to their sport, like a mini basketball hoop that can be hung on the door.

Have an academic superstar? Use any trophies or certificates they may have won as wall decorations, or make a collage of all their elementary school report cards. If they are a math whiz, set out a chalkboard with some unsolved equations, and challenge your guests to solve it. If you’d rather have a keepsake, have everyone sign the chalkboard and seal the writing by spraying aerosol hairspray on it.

You’re a Shining Star

Image:LemonadeAndLenses.com

This one is good for grads who have made significant achievements, such as being on the honor roll, being awarded an academic scholarship, earning a sports award or have become active participants in their community.

Display any awards or certificates they’ve received throughout the years. Maybe create a space on the wall for all their academic milestones, from their first A+ report card to the letter of acceptance into their dream school. Put up news clippings from the local paper that include pictures of their volunteer work.

Use all manner of shiny, sparkly and star themed decorations. Sprinkle star-shaped confetti along your tablecloths or use spray adhesive and dip filled balloons in gold glitter.

There’s plenty of songs out there about shining stars, counting stars, starships and the like, so this party is perfect for a theme-specific playlist.

Have advice on throwing a stellar graduation party on a budget? Let us know in the comments!

The post Throwing a Graduation Party on a Budget appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/throwing-graduation-party-budget

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aaltjebarisca · 6 years

Text

Throwing a Graduation Party on a Budget

Here’s some ideas for how to throw a grad party for the ages without breaking the bank, including ideas for some fun, budget-friendly themes that your grad will love.

The Basics

No matter what kind of grad party you’re throwing, there are a few things you’re going to want to consider early on in your planning process.

The Who

The Where

The When

Talk to your grad to find out when everyone else is throwing their parties. At the very least, you’ll want to make sure that your date doesn’t conflict with that of any of their closest friends.

The Eats (and Drinks)

Food is where your grad party can start to get pricey, so you’ll want to either budget a little bit more money for this category or prepare to be flexible and maybe even cook the food yourself.

Same goes for fruit or veggie trays. Buy the produce yourself and on the day of the party, cut it up into bite-size pieces and place it on a platter. Cheaper and fresher.

Now for the big question: Will you serve alcohol?

Not sure how much food and drink you’ll need? Here’s a helpful guide.

The Mood

Colorful crepe paper streamers are a great way to liven up an area and are easy to put up and take down. Dollar Tree also sells a variety of fun centerpieces, including this graduation themed one.

Theme Inspiration

To throw a truly kick-butt party, you’ve got to have a fun theme. Here are five ideas to get you started.

Ode to Your Alma Mater

Image: hwtm.com

Buy napkins in their school’s colors, shuffle them together and then fan them out in front of your food trays. It looks nice, and it’s cheap and low effort. Win-win.

Dollar Tree allows you to search party supplies by color, so you can cheaply stock up on plates, plastic utensils, cups, table covers and crepe paper for decorating.

Put out bowls of appropriately colored candy for a snack that doubles as decoration.

The Adventure Begins

Image: CatchMyParty.com

Are they heading to college? Utilize their university’s colors in your decorating.

Bake cupcakes and decorate them according to the theme.

A History Of

Image: StyleMePretty.com

Create a collage of all their earliest artwork – finger painting, stick family portraits and the like.

All Those Extracurriculars

Image: KarasPartyIdeas.com

For the grads whose high school experience was defined by their after-school activities, pay homage to the groups they’ll be saying goodbye to.

You’re a Shining Star

Image:LemonadeAndLenses.com

Use all manner of shiny, sparkly and star themed decorations. Sprinkle star-shaped confetti along your tablecloths or use spray adhesive and dip filled balloons in gold glitter.

There’s plenty of songs out there about shining stars, counting stars, starships and the like, so this party is perfect for a theme-specific playlist.

Have advice on throwing a stellar graduation party on a budget? Let us know in the comments!

The post Throwing a Graduation Party on a Budget appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/throwing-graduation-party-budget

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mikebrackett · 6 years

Text

Throwing a Graduation Party on a Budget

Here’s some ideas for how to throw a grad party for the ages without breaking the bank, including ideas for some fun, budget-friendly themes that your grad will love.

The Basics

No matter what kind of grad party you’re throwing, there are a few things you’re going to want to consider early on in your planning process.

The Who

The Where

The When

Talk to your grad to find out when everyone else is throwing their parties. At the very least, you’ll want to make sure that your date doesn’t conflict with that of any of their closest friends.

The Eats (and Drinks)

Food is where your grad party can start to get pricey, so you’ll want to either budget a little bit more money for this category or prepare to be flexible and maybe even cook the food yourself.

Same goes for fruit or veggie trays. Buy the produce yourself and on the day of the party, cut it up into bite-size pieces and place it on a platter. Cheaper and fresher.

Now for the big question: Will you serve alcohol?

Not sure how much food and drink you’ll need? Here’s a helpful guide.

The Mood

Colorful crepe paper streamers are a great way to liven up an area and are easy to put up and take down. Dollar Tree also sells a variety of fun centerpieces, including this graduation themed one.

Theme Inspiration

To throw a truly kick-butt party, you’ve got to have a fun theme. Here are five ideas to get you started.

Ode to Your Alma Mater

Image: hwtm.com

Buy napkins in their school’s colors, shuffle them together and then fan them out in front of your food trays. It looks nice, and it’s cheap and low effort. Win-win.

Dollar Tree allows you to search party supplies by color, so you can cheaply stock up on plates, plastic utensils, cups, table covers and crepe paper for decorating.

Put out bowls of appropriately colored candy for a snack that doubles as decoration.

The Adventure Begins

Image: CatchMyParty.com

Are they heading to college? Utilize their university’s colors in your decorating.

Bake cupcakes and decorate them according to the theme.

A History Of

Image: StyleMePretty.com

Create a collage of all their earliest artwork – finger painting, stick family portraits and the like.

All Those Extracurriculars

Image: KarasPartyIdeas.com

For the grads whose high school experience was defined by their after-school activities, pay homage to the groups they’ll be saying goodbye to.

You’re a Shining Star

Image:LemonadeAndLenses.com

Use all manner of shiny, sparkly and star themed decorations. Sprinkle star-shaped confetti along your tablecloths or use spray adhesive and dip filled balloons in gold glitter.

There’s plenty of songs out there about shining stars, counting stars, starships and the like, so this party is perfect for a theme-specific playlist.

Have advice on throwing a stellar graduation party on a budget? Let us know in the comments!

The post Throwing a Graduation Party on a Budget appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/throwing-graduation-party-budget

0 notes

animationnightsny · 7 years

Link

When it seems like every animator and their brother are animating digitally on a computer, what role does the humble puppet serve? More than you might think! From children’s television and Muppet movies to science fiction fantasies and stories of grief, puppetry and stop motion animation continues to bring new ideas to the table. Physical objects are only becoming more tangible on film in an industry where it seems like every monster or talking animal is born out of points, lines, and vectors. Learn how today’s master animators are building puppets with the latest techniques: LEGOs, clay sculpting, 3D printing and more. See how they are using motion capture and live video to animate life into their creations. And join us for a discussion on where the future of puppetry might be headed!

Learn from the following panelists:

Jordan Geary is the director of creative development at Sesame Workshop. A show creator, on-air personality, producer, and voice actor, he has extensive experience in television animation, live-action, post production, motion graphics, and series development. Some of the positions that Jordan has previously held are president of the Children’s Media Association and head of production and development at Flickerlab.

Sam Koji Hale is an award-winning artist and puppet filmmaker (Dragon*Con 2010 Best Animated Film for "Yamasong"). With 12 years of animation and puppet film experience, Sam currently produces for the Handmade Puppet Dreams film series for IBEX Inc, created by Heather Henson, including their latest puppet short film "Narrative of Victor Karloch". Sam's other credits include art director for the Cartoon Network smash hit "Annoying Orange", Disney Jr's "Bite-Sized Adventures of Sam Sandwich" (lead VFX artist) and Disney's pilot "Team Smithereen" (Associate Producer).

Paul Andrejco is the founder of Puppet Heap, LLC, a puppet design, fabrication, and production company based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Previously, Paul worked for the Jim Henson Company from 1992 to 2001 and designed the characters for Bear in the Big Blue House that aired on Disney Channel. In 2004, Andrejco opened Puppet Heap at its current location in Hoboken. The company's studio has a workshop, woodshop, casting facilities, and a small production and photography studio. Puppet Heap has worked on several productions, including several series of short films based on original characters. From 2011, Heap produced a commercial line of puppets based on original characters, Puppet Heap Playthings, consider the best new toy of 2011 by the Washington Post. Since 2006, Puppet Heap has been under contract with The Walt Disney Company, to maintain and build the Muppet characters for its Muppets Studio division, including the character of Walter for The Muppets.

Alba E. Garcia-Rivas is an award winning animation director at the stop motion studio Fantasiation. She is a master sculptress and her art creatures are in private collections all over the world.

Matt Witham is a NYC animator, builder, and puppeteer. He currently works as an animator/designer at Paganomation, a production studio that specializes in stop motion animation and LEGO bricks. Previously he has worked for companies such as The Jim Henson Company, Nathan Love, and Flickerlab.

Moderator: Tristian Goik is an independent animator, motion graphics editor, and video editor. He grew up in New York City and graduated in 2009 from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied film and animation. Currently, he is the social media coordinator for ASIFA East, an American chapter of an international association of animators. Outside of animating, Tristian works in documentaries, internet video, and spent several years at Thomson Reuters working in graphics and video.

#animation industry #puppeting #motion capture #entertainment industry #free nyc events

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