Last year for DS 9th birthday we had a home party - baseball themed. We made up games (who can hit the farthest, throw the farthest, etc). It was one of the coldest days I can remember (right after thanksgiving) yet everyone was outside like it was the middle of summer. It ended up being an inexpensive party and everyone had a great time. I bought an ice cream cake and they had a baseball themed lunch - hot dogs, nachos, etc. And the goody bag was baseball themed items - bubble gum, cracker jacks, etc.

This year I called the local music store that we rent from and they have birthday parties there. For his age (10) they do a rock band party. After she got done telling me its $200 for 90 minutes and only 3 can play at a time (I figured since its "up to 10" kids they could all play at the same time) and we supply all the snacks, cake, etc.... I said, well guess what we're doing at home and saving me $200! So we'll break the kids up into teams (bands) - they'll pick their band name and challenge eachother. I'll do 10 am - 12:00 to avoid lunch. Just do snack items and a cake and call it a day!