Just this week (since Monday), we’ve had three dinner parties (two of them legit birthday parties). Also this week I’ve been working on getting ready for our family vacation, planning a trip to sunny California later this year and a 40th birthday bash we’re hosting for our Texas friends next month.
I love party planning (many of my friends say I should go into the event planning business but the hours stink!). I have instituted many tricks over the years and have learned that there are a few keys to success for every party:
· I either hire a caterer or plan a menu that can be made ahead of time. When I can’t do either I choose something that can cook while my guests arrive (tonight, for instance, we did chicken on the bone cooked on the grill (no flipping required –set it and forget it), a simple side, a quick salad and a great loaf of multi-grain bread).
· For larger parties I have two ‘recently-graduated-from-college’ girls that I hire to help. I ask them to come early (I found that I was always rushing to get myself ready because I was finishing up all the last-minute food/ drink items). They stay until the meal is over so they can clean the dishes and help with the bulk of the clean-up (usually about 3-4 hours).
· For kid parties I always have a craft for the little ones --- for J & L’s 1st birthday parties, I bought white iced cupcakes at a local bakery along with lots of goodies to decorate them with.
I used to kill myself making lots of appetizers before the party started and then have to be up late cleaning all of the dishes (giving credit where credit is due, hubby is a huge help at clean up time). I decided that having that kind of parties really wasn’t much fun at all!
Lessons I learned today:
· Buying a luggage carrier for your car roof is harder than it would seem.
· Running an errand with all of the kids can turn into a fun trip when there are lots of construction crews working.
· Three parties in one week makes for one tired momma!
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