Turning TEN under a wonterTENt!

My daughter Lyra and most of her friends love sleepovers and ask for them pretty much every weekend.

As her 10th birthday approached, a special milestone with double digits, I warily considered the idea of a slumber party but was daunted by it all. My daughter and her friends are good at entertaining themselves and keeping themselves busy with games and crafts and chit-chatting, so I knew they’d take care of themselves on that front.

But the sleeping arrangements concerned me. How would I accommodate bedding for multiple girls? And would they ever go to sleep??

Then I learned about WonderTent Parties from a fellow mom at my daughter’s school. WonderTent Parties provides everything necessary for a comfortable and extra special sleepover. This includes individual sleeping tents, a real mattress (no air mattresses here!), bedding, pillows, a breakfast tray, and a special amenities pack for each guest. Lyra got her own Wonder Bear to keep, (which she has named “Wonder.”) WonderTent Parties also brought a movie night package that included a projector, a popcorn machine, the popcorn itself and popcorn boxes! My daughter chose the theme of the WonderTents–Cool Nights (because her favorite color is blue and her favorite place is the beach.)

In between playing board games, jumping on our trampoline, making white chocolate candy bowls, and eating snacks and pizza, my daughter and her guests hung out in the tents. As bedtime approached, we made popcorn and served cake. The girls watched the movie from inside their tents, with the snacks on their trays. I asked each girl to bring a book, which proved useful late at night, as some girls fell promptly asleep while others needed more wind down time. But they all fell asleep before midnight, which really surprised – and pleased me.

My daughter was so excited about her party that while we were having dinner before seeing Hamilton, about two weeks before her party, she blurted out, “Mommy, do you know what I’m almost as excited about as seeing Hamilton? My WonderTent party.”

Expectations were not only met for a special 10th birthday, they were exceeded.

-Joanna Brody