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Monday, October 10, 2022

Not Just a Mom October: How We Host

 Hi there everybody! I hope you had a nice weekend. Our weekend was a good mix of busy and relaxing, it was perfect! 

Today the Not Just a Mom crew are linking up to share how we host. I am very excited about this theme as we are finally getting back into the swing of hosting parties again post-COVID (not that Covid is over, but you know what I mean). 

Our backyard set up before a "Fire Pit Friday" 😊

Prior to COVID we used to have friends over frequently for "Fire Pit Fridays" which were a very low-key, relaxed version of a get together. In fact, we used to entertain so frequently I even wrote a post about our
entertaining tips back in 2019. Sometimes we would provide food and drinks, and sometimes it was a potluck or BYO. I am happy that we are getting back into the swing of hosting again, it feels so good to see my favorite people as often as possible!

In two weeks we are hosting another party, but this time it's a kids' costume Halloween party. I am really excited! Here's how I usually plan/prep for a party:

- Figure out a date and a theme. Then send out invitations. For this party, we knew we wanted the theme to be Halloween, so that was easy! Devin and I finalized a date and time, then I found this invitation on Etsy. I edited it and emailed it out to all our friends. 

- Figure out the menu- For this party we are doing a Halloween pot luck, so I added that onto the bottom of the invitation when I edited it. In the email I sent to our friend I said "pull out your best Halloween Pinterest recipe and come hungry!" This takes a lot of the planning/prep work off of me so I can focus on the activities. I am delegating the drinks to Devin, but I'm sure he will grab juice boxes for the kids and grab some beer/wine and sparkling water for the adults. 

- Figure out the activities- This isn't necessary for an adult party, but since this one is a kids party, we want to prep a few fun things. We will be doing pumpkin/gourd tic tac toe (using mini pumpkins and gourds instead of x's and o's),  a Halloween bean bag toss, a pumpkin decorating station and a craft. I'm sure not all of the kids will want to go to every station, but they can pick which ones they want to go with. For the pumpkin decorating we will be using these

and the craft will be these:

Luminary Haunted Houses

What about after the party? I used to go crazy cleaning my house before a party. I have hosted enough times by now to know that I want it to be "clean enough" because the minute a bunch of guests arrive my house is going to get messy again anyway. I very distinctly remember mopping our old white kitchen floors before a party so it was nice and clean, and within 30 minutes of the party, you never would've known. Now I just make it "clean enough", and let it go. If it's only going to be "perfect" before the guests arrive, what's the point of going crazy over a perfectly clean house?

In the past I have asked our cleaning lady to come an extra time before a party, but now I ask her to come after the party. It's my little treat to myself for hosting a fun get together. 😊

Now I'd love to read how you host! If you wrote a post about hosting today, please link up with Adrienne, Dara, Jen, Joanne, Sarah, and I! Next month our theme is "The Internet Made Me Buy It" and oh Lord... I feel like that could just be summed up as "almost everything I own" 😂. 


Thanks for reading along today! Have a nice week!

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7 comments :

  1. I love the idea of a drop in fire pit fridays. I may steal that. Those pumpkin foam decorations are so cute

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  2. This sounds like so much fun, wish I could stop by!! Sarah (not Anonymous!)

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  3. OH yes, cleaning after the party is definitely needed and we also focus on making it good enough beforehand since it is going to get messy again. Your Halloween party sounds like so much fun!

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  4. This sounds like such a fun party for both kids and the parents. have a wonderful week!

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  5. "Clean enough" is the perfect way to say it. I always want my house to be tidy and clean especially when people are coming over. That being said, I want people to feel comfortable while there. I love "firepit Friday." My neighbors are pretty good about getting together casual for firepits and s'mores.

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  6. Oh this looks like so much fun. Love your outdoor area.

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