If I had my way, my parties would probably not have decorations. I'd pour all my energy into the food and the gifts and the crafts and games instead. However, it seems that people like Pretty and Matching. Especially children. I get it. And because it's important to my kids, I let them go with it.
The keyword here being "them".
Children having parties get very excited, even weeks before the day itself. I have learned that it is wise to harness that energy into productive output. This sometimes means deliberately having some handmade stuff that we'd normally save time and money either buying or totally forgoing.
Like bunting. Kate made her own for her party. She liked this tutorial online and I cut the paper bunnies out and she glued on all the cottontails.
She also made her own invitations (although I printed out the information inserts),
and, some weeks later, her thank-you cards.
Then there were the edibles.
In addition to the bunny-inspired candy, which we found by er. . . accident while we were out shopping,
we made some carrot cones, which was another idea we saw online.
They're just conical favor bags filled with goldfish crackers and their necks stuffed with green crepe paper and twist-tied shut.
We also baked sugar cookies, and the kids frosted them. I did a sample or two for reference (plus- with a toothpick- all those fiddly whiskers), and Jenna and Kate frosted the rest. We did bunny heads
and carrots.
Not bad at all, these two Cookie Frosters, especially considering they're only 6 and 7-ish. But then, these girls have literally had years of piping bag experience, frosting cookies in our kitchen, they love baking so much.
So, friends, this is how to do parties and not go nuts. Delegate. Make the kids do all the busy stuff. Harness all that youthful zeal. It's never too early to start. By the time they're teenagers, they'll be running their own professional party service business and baking and icing cakes and planning games and everything. And publishing the party book you guys have been asking me for. Yep, I'm giving that assignment to my kids, and their own parties are their dry runs. And I get to hang out at the pool and read and do my own thing. Yesssss!
I LOVE how your girls do so much of the preparations themselves! And how you are such a patient mom to let them. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been a quiet reader of your blog and love your wit and style of writing :) These party posts make me so excited to delegate to my daughter --- unfortunately she's not even one yet! ;)
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