Category Archives: Parties and Planning

Fall In Love With Stress-Free Parties Again

Have you ever heard of a stress-free party? That probably lives in the same imaginary world than unicorns or pink castles, you might think. In truth, what makes the party stressless is how you approach it. Parties, whether they are family parties, birthday parties, or even friends reunion around a cozy meal at home, demand a lot of time to prepare and a lot of attention to succeed. They do not happen by luck: You make them happen, and you drive them to success. Here’s how you can do it and save yourself a lot of troubles.

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Prep Is Key

They are still some impromptu and spontaneous parties, when your family decides to turn up for the day for example, but in reality, it is more common to set a date to prepare the party. You will need to dress a list of the guests and their dietary requirements as a starting point, as it would be a pity to prepare a lovely lasagna dish to serve to a vegetarian couple! So make sure that you know well in advance what people eat and if they have any allergy, so that you can plan to match their needs. Once you know, deciding on the menu is a lot easier. Whether you pick a buffet type of food, where everyone can pick what they want – this is the best solution for a large number of guests, or you choose to cook a comforting meal for small parties, remember to make it simple. You will also have to prepare the decoration for the party. Sometimes, a fresh bunch of flowers or a few balloons and a new tablecloth is all you need: It doesn’t have to be complicated! Finally, the drinks: Always get plenty of water ready as well as a few fruit juices out so that your guests can easily pour themselves a glass if they are thirsty, and maybe one or two bottles of wine if you are receiving adult guests.

Ready For The Big Day?
You should start the last preps early on the day, so you can still have plenty of time to pamper before the party. Pick the clothes you are going to wear in advance, as you don’t want to waste time trying on half your wardrobe before your guests arrive. You need to know what you want to be wear so that you can make sure that your outfit is clean and freshly ironed for the party. Additionally, if this is a special party or if you want to feel completely confident during the day, you can look for options to help your body to be at its best: From a full body scrub to managing your period, there is a lot you can do: For example, utovlan can be used to delay your period and ensure that you can wear anything you like.

After The Party
When the party is over, you should always make sure that you have prepared

thank you cards

for your guests, so that you can keep everyone engaged about the nice memories that you have created together. Additionally, if you have taken pictures during the party, you should make a priority to share the pictures, either individually with the guests present in the photo, or through a secured platform, such as by using your social media group. It’s important to maintain a close relationship with your guests, even after the party, as this is the secret of a successful gathering!

Drowning In Party Pressure? Organize Yourself To Ensure Your Kid Is A Guest Worth Inviting!

Funny Play Party Kids

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Every parent knows the struggle of those endless party invitations. Of course, it’s satisfying to know your little one has friends. That’s one worry crossed off the list. Even so, the amount of invitations can get overwhelming! As kid’s get older, they settle in one group of friends. When they’re young, it’s commonplace for the whole class to receive a party invitation. The trouble is, these send us into a whirl of panic! How are you meant to cope when you have three parties in one week? And, how often have you forgotten until the last minute? We all know the obligatory rush to the shops to buy the first doll you come across. Though you may never get on top of the problem, you can take steps towards that goal. Just apply a little organization to the problem. Here’s how to achieve it!

 

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GET ORGANIZED WITH DATES

 

First on the agenda is making sure you know when each party is! The last minute panic doesn’t do anyone any good. Knowing when you have a party coming up will allow you to stay calm and collected. This gets harder if you have more than one child to consider. Make sure you know which child the invitation was for, when and where! Invest in a diary, and make sure to write the dates the moment you get the invitation. Make sure, too, that your children know to pass the things over! Too often, letters sit at the bottom of their school bag until the last minute! Make sure to take note of time and place, as well as who’s party it is. Knowing who invited your child will ensure you can return the favor! Distinguish which of your kids was asked by using different colored pens for each. Taking these simple steps will ensure you’re never caught short again. Hopefully…

 

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BUY PRESENTS IN BULK

 

Save yourself the last minute rush for a gift by purchasing some basic gifts in bulk. It’s never easy to know what to buy, but for the most part, these presents are just tokens. If the party is for one your child’s closer friends, you’ll need to put a little more effort in. If it’s just a party for the whole class, a small gift will do the job! Buy a mix of gifts for boys and girls, and keep them somewhere safe. If you’re struggling for ideas, you could turn to a company like Cards2Cash and stock up on gift cards. These are fantastic because they don’t take up much storage space! They also remove the stress of having to find something. The child in question will be able to choose whatever they like! These parties can get expensive. Buying presents that aren’t wanted can feel like a waste. If you feel that way, don’t hesitate to buy gift cards instead!

 

TAKE TIME TO HELP

 

Your organization will put you in a position to offer help in case the parents in question need it. Spending the day at a kids party may not be your idea of fun, but this move would pay off in the end. Before you know it, the time will come when you’ll have to throw just such a party. When that time comes, you’ll be able to call on those favors! This is also the perfect opportunity to spend some extra time with your little one. Most parties will be over the weekend, which is a prime bonding time for you and your child. Don’t miss out. Make the most of the chance to spend a little extra time with them! If your kid’s nervous, having you there will be a tremendous comfort to them!

 

BE SURE OF LOCATION

 

While you’re getting organized, it’s important you know where the party is. When you write the date of the party into your diary, take note of location as well. If the location is one you aren’t familiar, take time before the event to do a test run. This will save you getting lost on the day. You may not mind being stylishly late to events, but don’t inflict that on your child. Getting lost is a sure way to cause yourself panic! Avoid that eventuality with your test run. Most parties will be local, so it shouldn’t take you long to find the right location. It may take a little time out of your day, but you’ll be glad you made an effort when you arrive at the right time! Take note, on your test run, of how long the journey takes. That way you’ll know what time you need to leave to get there when you should! Remember, it’s better to arrive early and wait a little while in the car than to be late!

 

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HAVE SOME OUTFITS SET ASIDE

 

It’s also your responsibility to know what your child will wear to each party. Children are less concerned with fashion, but your little one won’t want to wear the same thing each time! If you have a lot of parties in a short space of time, there’s also the risk that the chosen outfit will get dirty! Save yourself having to do an emergency wash by ensuring you have a few party outfits set aside. You needn’t go crazy here. Remember that children aren’t as critical of each other’s outfits as adults can be. Three or four outfits is all you need. With boys, there’s less pressure again. Just a nice top and a smart pair of jeans will do. If you have a little girl, stock up on some beautiful dresses and alternate them every few parties!

 

Getting to grips with a lot of parties isn’t as hard as you think. All it takes is a little planning to make sure you don’t have to rush on the day. Of course, no amount of planning will help you if you don’t know about the party in the first place. Stress to your child the importance of handing those invitations over!

 

Impromtu Dinner Party Advice!

The idea of throwing a dinner party can be both exciting and daunting.  Especially if you don’t have a large house or a huge kitchen.  It’s part of our nature to crave social contact and the very best times we have with our friends usually involve food or wine.

 

You don’t need an excuse to have a get together and most of the best nights we share come from those impromptu moments. Children often feature so it’s important to balance wow factor with practicality, it might be worth taking a look at this article on kitchen electrical must haves for great tips on how to stock your kitchen.

 

Firstly, think about your table.  If you have children you’ll need a quick fix for those pen marks!  Throwing over a crisp white tablecloth (You can even use a clean bedsheet for this) brightens any dining room.  You can add a touch of glamour with a good quality table runners, some tealights or a large vase full of fairy lights.  Ambience is everything.

 

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The best dinner parties always start with nibbles.  Something simple like bruschetta.  It’s more a distraction to keep hungry guests happy whilst they mingle with each other, giving you extra time to tinker in the kitchen and keeping your kids busy as they hand them out.

 

A brilliant idea for kicking off the main proceedings is to chuck something on the table everyone can dig into.  This encourages interaction and engagement.  In ski chalets pots of fondue have been bringing people together for years.  Passing round bread and forking into a pot of hot bubbling cheese, laughing at one another when bread falls off or sploshes on the table.  Instead of a Fondue (although retro dining is a thing now a days) why not get things started with this melted camembert recipe,  an Italian meat board and lots of fresh, crusty bread.  

 

For years the French have adopted the ‘put it all in a pot and plonk it on the table’ attitude.  This is perfect for dinner parties at home.  Lots of early prep followed by removing something from the oven and wowing your guests with a brilliant centre piece.  A really good recipe is this Boeuf Bourguignon by Nigel Slater and again, it’s a really great family friendly dinner.  Impressing your guests and keeping your children happy. (photo credit Roland Tanglao)

 

Desert should always come with two options.  A good cheese board is a must for those guests who lack a sweet tooth.  Chocolate is rarely objected.  For a real fuss free dessert, that you can make ahead of time, go with a simple chocolate mousse.

 

Prosecco has become increasingly popular and has become very affordable.  But whilst choosing your alcoholic beverages please remember the drivers attending, soft drinks can often be forgotten about so put a little effort into buying a selection of non alcoholic super drinks.  Flavoured waters are great and you can even buy some pretty convincing alcohol free beers.

 

Whatever your reason for holding a dinner party, make yours one to remember!

 

Banish Bridezilla- These Are The Fun Elements of Wedding Planning!

Planning a wedding is stressful, there’s no doubt about it. Even the most relaxed and chilled out personalities can find themselves going Bridezilla at times. With so much to think about and so much to do, getting it right can be overwhelming for anyone (especially since this is one of the most important days of your life!) There are some parts of wedding planning that most of us struggle with- whether it’s working out finances, deciding on a table plan to suit feuding relatives or finding a dress that’s a perfect fit. But there are others that really are enjoyable, so enjoy these moments and relish the planning process.

 

Stationery

Your wedding stationery consists of things like invites, save the date cards, RSVPs, wedding programs and table settings amongst others. The good thing about it is you can play around with ideas much more easily than you can with other elements of the wedding planning before reaching a decision. For example, when you’re dress shopping you can try on a ton of dresses but this takes time; you might have a limited slot at the bridal boutique you’re at. When you’re deciding on a venue, you have to physically attend each place and look around, as well as work out details such as whether they will be available on your desired date. When it comes to wedding stationery, there are a few ways you could go about choosing it. You could scour ready made designs and pick something you like the look of. You could hire a designer on a site like Etsy and have something custom made. If you’re a dab hand at designing, crafts or Photoshop, you could even make your own.

 

Cake

The wedding cake is an element where you can bring in your personality. Whether it’s super traditional or something more modern and fun, there are few things more enjoyable in life than deciding on which beautiful wedding cake to go for! Most bakers and wedding cake shops will offer sampler sessions where you can go in and taste different types of cake they have available. And let’s face it, is there anything better than an afternoon of cake?! You will probably get the option between a couple of different flavored sponges, fruit cake, and different flavored buttercream. All you need to do is decide which you enjoy the most (and think your guests would too) and work out which flavor each tier should be.

 

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Favors

Wedding favors are a lovely way to thank your guests for attending your big day. After all, the average wedding guest spends a significant amount on travel, wedding clothes, hotels and possibly time off work. Your favors are something you can put together well in advance (providing they’re not perishable) you can have fun picking out the boxes or bags and the treats to go inside. If you have a smaller wedding, you could create personalized favors, or just switch them up for men, women, and children. There are loads of great ideas online so take your time with them and enjoy!

 

Playlist

Your wedding playlist is an excellent way to reminisce over old songs with your partner, and deciding on what to include can make a fun evening with a glass of wine. You can include songs with specific memories and meanings, your favourite songs plus those that you know will get everyone up dancing. On your RSVP’s you could even ask everyone to include the name of a song they would like to hear so you know everyone will get a bit of what they like! Don’t forget to choose the song for your first dance too, this is something that will remind you of your big day forever!

 

Decorations

It’s likely that your flowers will make up most of the decorations for your big day. And while you will probably enjoy picking them out, when they’re such a big decision (and so expensive!) it could well be an element where bridezilla makes an appearance. The wedding decorations on the other hand are something you can be more relaxed with. It could be bowls full of real goldfish, galvanised buckets filled with hand picked wildflowers, handmade decorations or something else. Either way, it’s an area where you can show your personality, have fun and ponder over when you’re planning your wedding. You could check out sites like Pinterest or bridal magazines for ideas, or choose based on your venue. For example, a glamorous wedding would look spectacular with grand candelabras, whereas a garden wedding would look gorgeous with bunting and mason jars containing tealight candles.

 

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Set The New Year Off With A Bang By Throwing A Party The Kids Can Enjoy

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All too often, children are left out of new year celebrations. Blame the late nights and raucous celebrations. But, what if you threw a family party that the kids can get involved in this new year? Including the kids in your plan doesn’t mean that the adults can’t have fun. In fact, it means your friends with children can attend without struggling to find child care! All it takes is a little planning. Here are some ways you can throw a party appropriate for all ages.

 

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THINK FOOD AND DRINK

 

Children like to eat different foods than adults. You could opt to have two tables to cater for everyone. Set one table up for the children with mini pizzas and sweets galore. Another table could host more adult catering. Or, you could have fun and mix the two together. Get creative. There’s no reason adults can’t enjoy ice cream and jelly. If you want to keep your party sophisticated, present the food in the most mature ways you can think. There’s no reason you can’t serve that jelly and ice-cream in cocktail glasses. The kids will love this, too, as it’ll make them feel mature.To make things easier for yourself, order snacks online for party fun. When considering drinks, ensure the alcohol is away from the kids. Either present it on a side little hands can’t reach, or keep it locked away. You could offer your guests drinks as they need them.

 

GAMES

 

No kids party is complete without a few party games. Have fun with this by getting adults involved too. Fancy playing pass the parcel? Set up one gift for the children to pass around, and a separate one for the adults. Musical statues is a fun one everyone can get involved with, too. You could include a few games the children can play among themselves when the adults are busy. That way, you can rest easy knowing they’re amusing themselves. Setting up a game station is a fantastic idea. Adorn the station with kid-friendly items such as balls and bubbles. Just make sure those balls don’t end up anywhere near the alcohol!

 

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DON’T STAY UP TOO LATE

 

The kids will love being involved in the celebrations, but they’ll still want to get to bed at a decent hour. You don’t want children falling asleep on the floor. Setting midnight as the end point for your party can be a good idea. New year parties start unwinding then anyway. Midnight is the main event, after all. State on the invite the times the party runs. Fellow parents will appreciate the fact that they can get away guilt free. Setting an earlier end time will mean that you still get to enjoy the new year with the people you love. If you think festivities will still be in full swing at that time, why not invest in some sleeping bags? That way, the children can go off to bed when they’re ready. Just remember to keep the noise down!

 

A Guide To Make Your Kid’s Halloween Party A Raving Success

Are you looking to throw your kids a cool halloween party this year? Look no further! Halloween parties are perfect for kids and can be so much fun. This guide will help you to make your kid’s party a raving success:

 

Come Up With Costumes In Advance

 

Come up with the costumes as far in advance as you can. The costumes are one of the main things that make the party, so really put some effort into your kid’s costumes. Make sure they get a say in what they want to be. You can either buy them ready made, or make them yourselves. Making your costumes allows you to get really creative and make something seriously spooky. Make sure you give plenty of notice for everybody else to sort out their costumes too.

 

Give Out Cool Invites

 

The invites are the first thing that set the tone for the party. Make sure they convey the style of the party, and you include all of the important information. There are lots of halloween invitation ideas out there. Again, buy ready made or make them yourself. You’ll save yourself lots of hassle and time if you find a good place to purchase them from.

 

Use Decor To Set The Theme And Tone

 

Your decor is going to set the theme and tone for the night. Make sure you take your time with it. Get as creative and detailed as you can. It’s going to make a huge difference! You could even hide spooky surprises in cupboards and behind doors. Just make sure it’s age appropriate for the kids who will be attending.

 

Kids Halloween Party

Kids Halloween Party

 

 

Create Spooky Snacks

 

Make sure your snacks are spooky too. You still want everything to look edible, but you can get creative. Make bloody hotdog ‘fingers’. You can even just decorate some cakes and cookies with spiders and other ghoulish things.

 

Make A Playlist

 

Make a halloween playlist. There are lots of spooky songs out there that you can include. However, feel free to put some regular songs on there too.

 

Come Up With Games

 

Kid’s parties are all about the games. There are lots of halloween games you can play. Why not have a best costume competition too? This will ensure everybody puts effort into what they are wearing. You can play regular games, such as pass the parcel or musical statues. However, there are halloween style games you can play too. Instead of pin the tail on the donkey, how about pin the wart on the witch? You can also bob for apples, and make up your own games. Bear in mind that kids of certain ages will also want to do their own thing. Don’t include too many games.
Make sure you have a clear outline for your party too. You should have a schedule, so that everybody knows when the fun starts and finishes. It isn’t fair on parents otherwise, and some kids might not turn up because of it. Use these tips and it’ll be one to remember!