Our twins turn one this week so we had their birthday party this past Saturday. Even though we had the party at my parent's house (which means I didn't have to clean a house) and I planned a simple menu (hot dogs), and it was just for family (which means I didn't have to babysit other people's kids)...it was still way more work than I realized.
First, weeks ago I had to decide on a theme. I settled on "Cute as bugs" since A-they are too young to pick their own themes and B-it was gender neutral. Next I had to design the invitations. Easy enough so far. But then I ran into trouble getting the invitations to print the right size and 4 to a page. So I ended up taking so long that I finally emailed and called folks to let them know what was going so they could mark their calendars. A little more than a week to go, I got the invitations to print. Now I had to address them and take them to the post office. I ended up delegating this task to Rocky.
Once that was taken care of, I could focus on the actual party. And since I am a planner to the nth degree, I decided to create "the list". I create a Word document, complete with a table of contents, so that I can keep everything I need related to the event in one file. I insert tables with formulas to track guests, I create bullet points with multiple levels to organize lists, and I insert pictures, color samples, etc. in case I need them. Yes, I AM that person. And I love it. However, it drives my family crazy. They mock me by referring to "the list" as if it were a person; "does the list allow me to take a breath", "will the list let me go to the potty", "should I ask the list if it wants something for lunch". Haha people. Very funny. You mock the list, but IT is the reason things go as well as they do.
One of the hardest parts about throwing a party is planning the food. And when I say planning the food, I mean how much food to buy. I figure about 1/4 to 1/2 of the invitees don't RSVP. And when your invite list contains 50 people, that is a huge amount. So instead of purchasing just enough hot dogs, you end up making 20 extra and freezing 36 on top of that.
I'm also a do-it-yourselfer. And when it comes to decorating or putting together party favors, if I can save money by making it myself, then I do. My only problem is that I don't take in to account the cost of my time when I factor in the savings. And sometimes, it's just not worth it. Case in point, Rocky and I spent about 8 hours and $25 to make wings. In the end, my design was flawed. Thankfully I checked the local dollar store (again) and they got some in.
Setting up the morning of is also no joke. You can't put the food out too early or too late. Having multiple people in the kitchen prep area slows things down. And this time of year, you never know what the weather will do. So much for trying to fix my hair!
The party itself ends up being a whirlwind to you. Although your guests do tell you they enjoyed it. And the twins seemed to have fun seeing everyone and eating cake. And boy did they eat cake. I couldn't have asked for better cake smashers. They did a bang up job!
But all of that doesn't even compare to what is still to come. CLEAN UP! Now I know why folks go to McDonald's, or the Monkey Joe's...so someone else can do the clean up. Man oh man. Thank you Mom. God bless her, she did most of the work. I had motherly duties, Dad took back the tables and chairs, and Rocky did as much as he could. It's hard to clean up at someone else's house because you don't know where the leftover containers are, or what can be thrown away vs. what can be reused. Not to mention you dog-tired at this point.
But it was a wonderful event. I'm so thankful we have so many people to share birthdays with. And I'm grateful to everyone who could come and love on our babies. Thank you all very, very much!
And don't worry, we won't celebrate like this every year. A girl needs to take a break.
I'm just sayin'
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