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Real Mom Talk: The Stress and Fun of Party Planning
May 27, 2014 7:52 pm | by

Over the weekend, we had B’s 2nd birthday party. The people, the food, the decorations, cake, everything was overwhelming. I meant to take pictures to share with all of you and that just did not happen! I love having parties for my kids. I love my house being spotless, good food just sitting around, and actual conversation with adults. The only downside is the stress that takes its toll on me the week before.

The first thing that comes to mind when I know I’m having people over is getting my house clean. That makes me think of the e-card on Facebook, “Cleaning your house with a toddler around is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos.” And oh how true is that?! It’s so true that I ALWAYS end up waiting till the last minute to clean the entire house. Yes, all 3 bedrooms, kitchen, 2 bathrooms, dining room, living room, and whatever else part of the house there is gets cleaned starting the day before. Am I crazy? One would assume so.

Then you’ve got the food prep. I always have a cheese tray, veggie tray, fruit salad, chips and dip, and then something else. Luckily, my sister in law and friend showed up a few hours early and prepped the food while I finished cleaning and hiding stuff. Last year, I made meatballs and forgot they were in the freezer and took them out literally 15 minutes before the party started. Let’s just say, I won’t be putting the hassle of meatballs on my plate again for a while…. I left some of the food up to my husband. Since B’s birthday is in the spring/summer, we decided to grill hot dogs and brats. This made it so I had a little more time before the party to do whatever needed done since he could grill during the party.

Decorations… I’d say I’m not the best decorator. I’m not crafty. And I can be cheap so I don’t go to Party City and buy everything I can. We get the helium tank from Walmart that you bring home and blow the balloons up yourself for every party. Usually, I get some special foil balloons on Amazon and then we get them filled at a dollar store before the party starts. This time, I had a plan for special balloons that just did not work out. B’s theme was Candy Land. So I wanted to fill the balloons up with helium and then wrap cellophane over them to look like lollipops. Well, turned out cellophane is really heavy on a balloon. And that plan failed. We ended up just having a bunch of balloons hanging around without cellophane.

This party, I just made vanilla cupcakes and iced half with vanilla icing and half with chocolate. To make them “pretty,” I set them on one of those metal cupcake stands. I set out a variety of different candies in bowls on the table so it was like a “make your own cupcake” bar. No one really made their own cupcake…. They just ate the candy. Fine by me! But I ended up with a lot of cupcakes left over.

Birthday parties are stressful, but they’re equally as fun or else I just wouldn’t do it anymore. I love having friends and family over, seeing how happy my birthday girl is, and just planning it! Planning it is super fun. It’s not until it’s time to actually get ready for the party that the stress hits. But then the time flies by, you forget to take pictures from enjoying all the time with your babies, and then it’s just a memory. Another party in the books! And another year until you get to plan again, unless you have other kids and then you get to do it all over again in a few months! J

Tell me, do you love having birthday parties for your kids or do you do something different?

 

About the Author

Amanda is a stay-at-home mom of three who keep her on her toes! Her family resides in Columbus, Ohio — the Buckeye state! She ventured into cloth diapering a little "late," but is a firm believer in "better late than never!" Amanda enjoys her morning coffee, spending time with her littles, buying too many cloth diapers, much-needed pedicures and the rare date night with her husband. Get to know Amanda on her personal blog, Fluff Bum Babies. Instagram: @FluffBumBabiesMama

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