What to do and what not to do with birthday party invitations.....

I've been hosting birthday parties for 12 years now, and 2-3 times a year during some of those years.

I have never had a mom and her child show up at one of our parties---unannounced, i.e, no RSVP.

At our recent party, we had one mom show up that had not responded to coming, drop her daughter off with a kiss and leave.  My friend had the good sense to run after her to get her phone #.  Would you ever leave your child somewhere without a way for someone to get ahold of you?  
I know, I wouldn't.

   I had to run upstairs and quickly make up a goody bag.

Let it be known I am not a fan of goody bags.  My girls will act like they are, but weeks after birthday parties, their goody bags are in some corner of their room, unpacked.  Almost always!
   So, I know the smart thing to do is make extra just in case, but Again, I have never had someone show up unannounced.

15 minutes later, the doorbell rings and another mom, who also didn't RSVP, drops her daughter off, says she'll be back at 4:00 and THEN asks if she can also leave the little cousin.  I was slightly flabbergasted, and simply said "yes"  What would you have said?  And the cousin was little, like 3 or 4,  and was just dropped with a group of strangers.

    So, I then had to take a goody bag from one of our sweet 3 year old friends (whose mom was there and told me to)
AGAIN-I dislike goody bags.
    Of course the point here isn't goody bags, it is the concept of showing up to a birthday party unannounced.

But, I have digressed, the real point of this is the invitation.

This was the invite (with my address blurred out, and RSVP info -email, home phone # and cell # to call/text)

PIECE OF ADVICE

Don't put your address on it.  I never have in the past.  Why did I this year, I don't know.
But, it bit me in the butt.

This is the right way to make an invitation:

***see---no address :)

So, my advice, don't put your address on the invitation, that way unexpected visitors cannot show up.
Of course if it is at a public place, like a skating rink, or gymnastics, or paint ball,  you would have to.
But it was a little strange for me to have people show up at my house unannounced.

Happy Party Planning!!!