It's a special time in your life, or the life of someone you love. And to honor it, you're considering hosting the gala event of the season. It's time to plan a spider man party.

And why not? This is a great theme. Interactive and creative possibilities abound. Here are a few steps to serve as a guide as you plan a time line for your event. It suggests both planned, focused tasks, as well as downtime and free play.

Find your own variations and solutions to best utilize your own resources. For example, if you have a stack of paper bowls leftover from your chili throw down, they may work just as well as paper plates for the mask craft. Or, decorate crispy cereal treats instead of cupcakes.

Reduce your own stress by planning ahead and doing whatever prep work you can manage ahead of time.Do not over plan your party! Time flies, you'll never stick to a tight schedule with kids, and it's just going to put pressure on everyone involved. Having crafts, movies, and snacks handy are key to running a smooth show, or to please almost any crowd.

Spider man doesn't wear a hat, he wears a mask! http://www.fun-with-pictures.com/spiderman-mask-coloring-page.html With paper plates, yarn, and a few art supplies, your party goers can design their own. It's a great welcome task that calms and focuses kids as more arrive, keeping those in attendance busy and satisfied.

Older kids can use safety scissors to cut the shape of their own mask, though you may want to have the eye-holes cut for everyone ahead of time.

Let your guests use crayons, markers, bingo stampers, colored pencils, scrap paper & glue sticks, or whatever you have available to decorate their masks. Use decorations that don't need a lot of time to dry of set, because you want to wear these suckers right away.

Tape or tie lengths of yarn to the sides of the masks (this can be done beforehand) and let kids try their masks on. Having a mirror handy is good at this point.

You're now ready to have a spider man parade or fashion show. Encourage your guests to strike spider man poses or give a short speech about the last time they rescued someone or saved the world. You can even have a good time directing older kids to make up a story together about something spider man could do.

This is another great way to involve party goers creatively. Have enough baked and cooled, undecorated cupcakes on hand for everyone, plus a few extra for do-overs and hostage situations. Talk to your local bakery to save time.

You'll need:

1. cupcakes
2. frosting (Spider man colors, chocolate, or use food coloring to make your own green for radioactive spiders and bite them back!)
3. string liquorish for legs
4. candy for eyes and other inspired decorations

Be sure to use old newspaper, or a table cloth you don't mind getting dirty, to catch the delicious mess.

Help smaller children out with frosting, let the kids make their own amazing cupcakes, and have fun!

Now that you have a bunch of sugared up web-slingers on your hands, an outdoor game of spider man themed Hide-and-Seek or Tag may be just the thing. Or, in bad weather, have a DVD with some spider man cartoons on hand. It will give you a bit of a breather to swoop in and clear out any messes.

By now, everyone is settled into the party. And it's true with kids and adults alike, the best way to have fun is to enjoy each other's company. Now, your guests are full of their own spider man ideas. Why not let them make their own fun?

An outdoor space is ideal. or you can opt for minimally directed indoor play. Offer drawing materials and more spider themed crafts. Older kids may be interested in comic books, or set them up to draw their own.

A healthy snack can help level out anyone experiencing the dreaded sugar crash. Popcorn, raw veggies and tortilla chips with dip, cheese and crackers, and peanut butter and jelly finger sandwiches are all good options.

Hopefully any minor grievances have been smoothed over, but if you have guests feeling a little down, or not getting along, offer a little private time, like a comfy chair and a snack. Or, ask them if they would like to help you with a party related task; like arranging crackers, picking up, or finding missing items. Kids who feel useful feel better about themselves and those around them. You can even just take a moment and take a few deep breathes together, share an anxiety and a pat on the back.