Party Planner was never on my list of possible careers, and you can see why

Isaac is going to be 3 in a few weeks, and already I am dreading the birthday party. My real issue is the location: our house is so small, and I have to invite all 13 kids from his class, plus their parents. I know they won't all show up, but if even half do, that's a dozen people and us. February 24th in Los Angeles can be sunny and 70 degrees, but it can also be raining, which means I'm not inclined to hold the party at a park (Lance's suggestion). Most of Isaac's little buddies have their parties at local indoor play areas, and these parties are always fun enough. However, I've looked into it, and pricing ranges from about $300-$450. That is just way too much money, in my (cheap) opinion. I mean, he's 3! What am I going to have to shell out for his 16th, at that rate?

I'm leaning towards holding the party at our home, and hoping that it doesn't rain, so the kids can at least play in the backyard. If it doesn't rain, I could set up a few tables in the back with play-doh and markers or finger paints. We could do a pinata, have pizza (cheese-less, for my two) and cake, and call it a day.

But that still leaves me with a big IF--if it doesn't rain. If it's raining, then I'll have a dozen kids running rampant in my tiny house with nothing to entertain them. Last year, on his birthday, it was a beautiful sunny day and we just had a few friends over to our little beach club. If the weather holds up this year, I should have no problem. The year before, it rained, and we had a lot of family and friends crowded indoors--but no other kids (he was only one, not big on the social scene yet). This made for a wet, and slightly uncomfortable party, but at least there were no crying children to make the house seem that much smaller.

I am also feeling a little internal pressure to make a bigger deal out of the birthday. Shouldn't I be hiring a clown? Or renting out Chuck E. Cheese? Leasing one of those bouncers for the day? Should I just bite the bullet and pay for a party at Child's Play? I don't have any inclination or desire to do this, but I wonder if I'm being a selfish parent by not offering as much.

There is a another possibility. I could hold the party at our little beach club--but not until after March 15th because it is closed for renovations. The beach club is a great place for a party--lots of sand toys already there, plenty of room to run around while the parents could congregate on the deck and watch. If I post-pone the party until late March, there's be a better chance that the weather would cooperate. Still not fail-safe, but the beach club does have a small indoor area where the kids could run around if it rained and locker rooms to play hide and seek in, and the bigger bonus is that it's not my house. February is very busy for us--Lance is gone for two weeks of the month--so it would make my life easier to do it in March. However, post-poning the party seems a little bit like cheating to me.

Now I've thought of another solution: what if I skip the party, and just take him and one of his friends to Chuck E. Cheese? He's never been there, so it would be special. We could have a small family party with cake and presents on the actual day and then go to Chuck E. Cheese on the weekend. Is that laming out?

What do you, my loyal and faithful--and much more sensible than me!--readers think of this little conundrum? What did you do for your wee ones' 3rd birthday parties?

Opinions, please.