Birthdays In Iowa City: Who You Gonna Call?

Another day, another Birthday Series post!  In honor of ICMB’s First Birthday this week, we are celebrating all things Birthday in Iowa City!  Yesterday we shared the top 5 places to host a birthday party in the Iowa City area.  We had a great response, and we are so excited to share our ideas with you!  On the other hand, we also heard from some of you moms who prefer to have lower-key parties in your home, or maybe even do a little family outing (on a smaller scale) for the special one in your group.  Today, we are sharing some ideas for that route:  who to call when it’s time for a birthday in your family or group of friends.  From entertainment, to yummy food and treats, to the perfect family fun days, we have you covered!  Here they are:

Molly’s Cupcakes  / Yotopia Frozen Yogurt 

What is a party without “cake and ice cream”, right?  And if you’re going to do it, do it right.  Hands down, these are two of the best places for dessert in the Iowa City area.  And good news for all of you North Liberty mamas, Molly’s and Yotopia have just opened a joint location in your neck of the woods!  Not only are these yummy treats perfect to serve at the party, these are also great locations to visit with the birthday boy/girl as a special family outing!  With adorable, kid-friendly décor (who wouldn’t want to eat a cupcake while sitting on a swing??), your kids will not forget this delicious experience!  In fact, we ourselves did NOT want to have a birthday party without Molly’s and Yotopia…so all of you who join us for our Birthday Bash on Sunday will be enjoying these two Iowa City favorites for dessert!

The Iowa Children’s Museum 

Once again, an Iowa City favorite for good reason.  Not only is the ICM a great venue for hosting the birthday party itself, it also doubles as a great gift!  Gifting your child with a membership to the Children’s Museum is truly a gift that keeps on giving, and taking them there for a family outing is a great way to celebrate the small joys in life.  If your family does not have a membership yet, be sure to take advantage of their special going on right now, where you can get 15 months for the price of 12!  We guarantee, if you tell the birthday kid “we’re going to the children’s museum!”, you are bound to be one popular parent!  Or aunt or uncle or grandma or grandpa!

Chad-The-Not-So-Bad

If you frequent the Iowa City Farmer’s Market, you may have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. “Chad The Not So Bad”.  If you haven’t, let us introduce you to him: With a background in theater, film and radio, Chad not only creates amazing balloon art, but he is also able to put on a performance that is guaranteed to keep your little ones engaged and entertained! Visit Chad’s website to learn more about having him visit your kids’ birthday parties, or maybe even a business function for adults!  Once you see what he can do, you will realize it’s not only entertaining for children!  Oh, and did we mention that Chad will be at our Easter Egg Hunt on April 13th?  Be sure to come on out and see for yourself what he can do!

Falbo’s Pizza 

We recently did a poll of our readers, asking them their favorite pizza places in the area.  An Iowa City staple, Falbo’s was an obvious pick on the list.  If you are planning an at-home party, why not make the meal as simple as possible and make it a pizza party?  If you do, Falbo’s is the place to call.  And again, if you’re looking for a fun little outing for the family to celebrate, their pizza and sandwiches are sure to please every member of the family.  If you are new to the area, put Falbo’s on your agenda today!  {PS…Falbo’s will also be served at our Birthday Bash this weekend!}

Bounce Party Supplies 

Few things are more exciting to kids (and parents) than the chance to bounce around on a ginormous bouncy castle with a slide on it.  Seriously, these bounce houses provide hours of entertainment, and give the grown ups a chance to sit and relax on the sidelines, as they monitor the jumps and  (happy) screaming coming from inside the castle.  And what could be better than having this bounce house in your own backyard?!  For the whole weekend!  If you are looking for bounce houses to rent, then Bounce Party Supplies should be your first call!  Located in Coralville, Bounce Party Supplies offers a wide variety of bounce houses, slides and castles, sure to make this year’s birthday party one they will never forget!  And to get you started on that super-fun birthday planning, we have an extra special giveaway for you today!

::Giveaway Alert::

Bounce Party Supplies is giving away a $50 gift certificate to one of our lucky readers today!  If you have a party coming up (or even if you don’t!), be sure to enter this giveaway and share it with your friends, too!  Even if there aren’t any birthdays on your horizon, what kid wouldn’t enjoy a random weekend with a bounce house on their lawn, right?  Here’s all the ways you can enter to win:

1. Comment on this post, telling us why you’d like to win!  Do you have a kids’ birthday coming up?  Or would you just like to have the bounce house for a weekend to play? Let us know!

2. “Like” Bounce Party Supplies on Facebook.  After you like their Facebook page, be sure to come back here and leave a comment telling us that you did!

3. Re-tweet the following:  “@ICMomsBlog is giving away a $50 gift certificate to Bounce Party Supplies! Click here for details: http://bit.ly/1loQTTE” {and be sure to come and leave another comment here after you tweet!}

*This giveaway will end TOMORROW at noon; watch our Facebook page for the winner!*

 

And one last reminder:  if all of this birthday talk has convinced you to come and help US celebrate our birthday this weekend at our Birthday Bash/Moms Night Out slumber party, please get your tickets soon!  Ticket sales end TONIGHT at midnight, and there will be no ticket sales at the door!  We hope to see you there and we can’t wait to celebrate with you!  {Click here to get your ticket!}

*This is a giveaway post. We have been given something, either monetary or in-kind, to write it. However, the opinions are solely our own.