COLORADO SPRINGS — I usually spend a ridiculous amount of time planning parties. It's where my creative juices flow and I love it. I love to make my kids feel special and I love to celebrate.
This year I could not, for the life of me get motivated. Blame it on sleepless nights and having three very young kids. It's okay, I'm known to be a perfectionist and stress myself out too much over the little details. It's a goal of mine to refocus my priorities. I did just that and guess what, this party was still memorable and perfect... and stress-free.
Step one
Procrastinate until about two days before the party. This accomplishes two things:
- You don't have to face the fact that your kids grew overnight.
- The stress of planning and executing this chaos only lasts about 48 hours.
Step two
Pizza, Amazon and Costco are your best friends
- Pizza is so much easier than trying to be cute and cook themed dishes. I am speaking from experience. For Mav's first birthday I did a farm theme and pinterested tons of appetizers and dinner. I worked my butt off to create the cutest, most unique themed dishes. The pictures were adorable. Guess which one the boys liked better? Yep, from now on pizza delivery it is.
- Costco- The pre-cut, fruit and veggie trays are perfect (and cheaper than the grocery store). The desserts are baked fresh-- so if you don't say anything it really looks like you put some effort into this one. Plus, Costco and Sams always have some unique, kid-friendly snacks.
- Amazon Prime I know you already know how much I love you, but thank you for the timely decor and cute birthday shirts. I paid less than $20 for the dinosaur decorations that spread all over the house. The balloon arch looked a little intimidating but was so simple to put together.
I ordered the place settings and party favors from oriental trading. I utilize this company each year for birthday parties and have always been pleased with their customer service, prices and timely shipping.
My 9-year-old niece baked these adorable cakes (she's a pro 4-H'er).
Step three
Do it outdoors if you can.
A park would be perfect because that means no germs or mess in your house. It also means you don't have to thoroughly clean. However, my family lives about 2 hours away so we utilize the backyard for parties.
Step four
Bow down.
As they get older it's not worth the fight when it comes to a cute outfit or hairdo.
I love to gel the boys hair (by "boys" I mean Maverick because the other two are still bald). He HATES it. The matching outfits were a win/lose. At least I got them to wear their shirts. It also didn't matter what they looked like, because they got frosting-face messy and had the time of their lives.
Final Step
We rented a bouncy house and boom I'm the coolest mom ever!
If you are ever looking to add that cherry on top--Colorado Springs Bounce Houses was amazing to work with. They were so kind and quick with set-up and clean-up.
If you have questions about how I'm able to handle a busy work and home life, join my Facebook Group - Brie and Baby Three to get involved in the conversation.
You can also reach me on my Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram. Or email if you prefer - brie.groves@koaa.com.
