are pigs flying?

I'm not sure...but it seems like they might be
or I might have gone crazy...

whatever happened...
the girl child was blissfully happy...
her love language is quality time
and when that quality time is spent doing something she has dreamed of...
well...she's then on cloud nine!

so we listened...
listened and shuddered a bit...
when she said she wanted to go to the mall for her birthday...

really...the mall...you're turning 11...
not 16 or even 13...
but 11...

after talking with a friend
(also a mother of one of girl child's best friends)
about how crazy someone would be to let a group of 11 year old girls celebrate a birthday at the mall...
she suggested maybe not having the party there...
and not letting them roam the mall...
but giving them a scavenger hunt to do at the mall...
thanks Kathy...brilliant idea!

so I asked all the parents of the girls she wanted to invite if they would be comfortable with me taking their girls to the mall...
assuring them that they would be 100% chaperoned by me the entire time
they were all fine with it...
so them I decided to take the plunge and do it...
...and NO...I haven't taken up drinking...

we also continued to let girl child believe that she was too young to have a party at the mall...
so she thought that the party was just going to be girls hanging out and do sleepover type stuff...
I had also asked all the parents to not let their daughters know the plan so it would be a surprise...

after all the girls arrived and the presents had been opened...
I had one more present...

it was the mall scavenger hunt list in a card...

I had made a list
I googled "mall scavenger hunt"
got a lot a different lists...
compiled some of what I liked
printed it off and met a friend at the mall
we went over the list to see what would work...
what wouldn't work
and what I could add to the list
I was able to add lots of Christmas themed stuff to the list because of her birthday being in December...
this would also be a fun activity to do with kids that you're trying to entertain over the long Christmas break...

some stuff they just had to find and check off the list
A video surveillance camera
5 business cards
A store catalog
A discarded receipt
A coupon
An unhappy baby or toddler
A pay phone (make sure your mall has one!)

other things they needed to DO (and I wrote some in code that they had to figure out)
Walk around the playground 3 times (no running)
Say Merry Christmas to 10 different groups of people
Keep your hands soft, get a some free lotion for your hands
Take a 3D peek (Old Navy had a 3D thing set up and handing out 3D glasses)
Get a small piece of wrapping paper for free
Eat for free at the Farm...

some things they needed pictures of them doing
A team member posing with a mannequin – both posing the same
Your team all wearing sunglasses
Your team saluting people as they exit Old Navy
A picture of the entire team in front of 5 different Christmas trees
Entire team modeling a feather boas or scarves
Entire team in hats
1 team member modeling a pair of 5 inch heels
1 team member kissing a mannequin on the cheek
Every team member needs a picture with an animal, and the animal must start with one of their initials.

some trivia questions or things they needed to count or keep track of
How many stalls are in the food court ladies restroom?
What does it cost to add bacon to your 6” sub at Subway?
How many couches are there in front of Macy’s?
How much does it cost to ‘live in a fairy-tale’?
How many candy vending machines are there?
How many restaurants are in the food court?
How much does it cost to wrap present 5 presents?
How many Christmas trees have a star on top?

and then the things that would cost them money...(their favorite part!)
Using ONLY $1.25 purchase a dozen of something from the food court (1 dozen for the entire team...not a dozen for each team member); sit and eat your purchase.
All team members need to make a wish in the fountain-you can’t toss more than $0.50worth of coins, total for the entire team
All team members must purchase a different scented hand sanitizer none of them costing more than $1.50
I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore...take a trip in a Hurricane
Cheese...squeeze in for a photo booth shoot.
Buy 1 package for your entire team a set of 5 lip gloss or chap sticks with animals on them, spend no more than $9

Buy a card of earrings with at least 6 sets of earrings costing no more than $10

if they found something for less they could put that $ towards something else on their list...

the lip gloss they got for $7 so they were able to spend extra on the earrings and the hand sanitizer they found on sale ($1) so I let them buy the little carrier things for the sanitizers for $0.50...making them $1.50 total...

They all got to keep their hand sanitizers and carrier things...

and then the lip gloss and earrings we came home and drew numbers, #1 chose her favorite lip gloss...then #2...and so on...then #5 had first choice on the earrings...they ended up with a card of earrings with 9 sets...and 5 girls...so the birthday girl (she got 3 gift cards for jewelry for the birthday) only took one pair

the girls had a blast...

we only had 5 girls...

that was the girl child's choice, but it turned out great because then I could drive them all 

and also having a small group I just had them all stay together, no teams also meant the birthday girl got to be with all her friends and didn't have to choose...no drama!

and then bonus...the 'picture'part of the hunt has all the girls for great thank you cards latter!

the only thing I would change is NO photo booth...

it was WAY to small, 

it cost $5...

for shots of chins and foreheads...

and this is the only thing that caused any girl 'issues'...

a few came out of the booth crying...sheesh...it's just a photo booth...

and then we came home for some birthday cake...

the cake is a bag with presents falling out...

fun times...Happy Birthday Girl!