Paneling = oy. Update tomorrow. But while we’re here…
Can you believe that Clara’s b-day bash was the largest party (weighing in at 25 attendees) that we’ve thrown since our backyard wedding almost four years ago? How lame of us. And I know, it’s been over a month – enough already about the party. But since a lot of our posts are actually just notes to self (how else would we remember what color we painted our old bedroom?) we figured we better record what we lizz-earned now (or forever hold our peace forget it all).
1. Keep the focus on a few carefully selected rooms (and don’t put stuff for guests to peruse in other rooms or they won’t stay where you want ’em). This seems obvious, right? We had such a hard time with it! At first we were going to keep all the fabric letter magnets on the fridge in the kitchen (for the kids) and have photos of Clara looping on John’s laptop in the office (just in case anyone wandered in there). Finally it dawned on us that if we wanted our guests to hang out in the living room, sunroom, side patio, backyard, and carport… we shouldn’t put stuff for kids or adults in any other space. Duh. Talk about sending mixed signals.
2. Simplify the menu whenever possible. At first we worried that serving only pizza, veggie sticks, chips & salsa, spice cookies, and cupcakes (along with lemonade, limeade, and a few soda choices) might be a little… um… boring. But everyone seemed to enjoy the fare (including a few vegetarians) and not having fifty bowls and platters to dispense and refill allowed us to pay attention to the friends and family surrounding us – and really enjoy our day with the bean.
3. But don’t underbuy those key items. At the end of the day we had eight remaining slices of pizza, a bowl of chips, about ten cookies, and around 15 cupcakes leftover (along with a few bottles of soda/lemonade). So we sent people home with stuff and enjoyed some delicious leftover pizza for the rest of the weekend. Sure beats worrying that things might run out and guests might go hungry.
4. Have things for little ones to play with to keep ’em busy (and from trashing the place). We had a lot of giant balloons, a big rubber ball, a bubble blowing bug that scooted around outside (they loved chasing it), sidewalk chalk for the patio, some wooden puzzles and toys in a big basket in the living room, and small bubble containers for each kid with their names written on them (which also served as their party favors).
5. Rearranging furniture isn’t as intense as it sounds. At first when we started tossing around the idea of moving the kitchen table into the sunroom to serve food in there it sounded kind of complicated. But the sunroom is a nice airy room right off of the new patio (as opposed to a dark paneled kitchen that we didn’t envision as “the perfect backdrop” for Clara’s big day). So the night before the party we decided to go for it. It took five minutes to drag the table in there and stash the chairs in the playroom since they looked weird in the table-less kitchen (we didn’t need additional chairs thanks to the big sectional in the living room, the daybed in the sunroom, and all the patio chairs we had out). It was SO worth it. And now all of our b-day pictures don’t have the dastardly paneling that’s currently torturing us in the background. Priceless.
6. Have a few keep-the-party-going “activities” (but keep it loose). We didn’t have a regimented schedule or anything, but the “flow” of the party went a little something like this:
- everyone arrived and we snapped some photos of guests posing in front of Clara’s fabric
- we served pizza and other snacks in the sunroom
- people started venturing outside to blow bubbles, bounce balls around, and eat/drink/chat
- since everyone was outside already we decided it was piñata time
- we brought Clara’s highchair outside to watch her demolish her smash cake
- cupcake time
- we all watched Clara’s video to cap off the par-tay
It was nice to have a few things planned like the homemade piñata and the video just to keep people from feeling “stagnant.”
7. Remember the point of the par-tay. We wanted to make sure we weren’t so busy running around that we forgot to honor Clara and revel in every is-she-really-one-already moment. So we asked our brother in law to snap photos (he’s a pro photographer, which is remarkably handy and we’re forever grateful). Beforehand I also recruited my mom to help make the food-to-cupcake switch when it was time for dessert so it wasn’t something John or I would have to do all by our lonesome. Little beforehand arrangements like this made it possible for us to soak up every last cake-in-our-hair moment that made the day so special in the first place.
So whoop, there it is. Party hosting learnings from over a month ago. One thing we took away from the whole shebang was that we love hosting things at our house (so we have no idea why it took us four years to do it again). Sure home-hosted gatherings can be more work than a park or a restaurant but it feels so good to have everyone gathered around having fun in your stomping ground. And a house never feels so much like home as when it’s full of people, balloons, and paper poms poms.
Do you guys have other party tips that you reference when you’re tossing together an at-home bash? Have you made any epic party mistakes that were only funny a few years later (but were mortifying at the time?). Feel free to share your what-I-learned hosting tips (we still have a lot to learn).
Psst- Check out more of the party play-by-play in this original Clara b-day post of yore.
(tim)me says
You know, you don’t have to have alot of stuff to have a good time. In my case you don’t even have to have alot of space.
I am hosting birthday parties 3 years now, with 25-27 guest, in my 861 sq feet apartment. We had a blast in everyone.
Angela says
I am having sunroom envy. It’s so pretty and airy.
Jackie says
ThE little paper signs…..you must be kidding….why is there a sign telling people about the two of you eating pizza??? Wow you really shared a pizza? So unusual for a date…..wait…. isn’t this your kids birthday??Another about taking the cone with their name on it….really? Shouldn’t you have handed those out personally as you thanked your guests for coming? I am sure there were more……sit here…not here….dont bang the door….if you break it you bought it…..shoes off…..lol….Signs remind me of crotchety old ladies trying to control everything. Sometimes your posts are just painful to read.
YoungHouseLove says
Check out the original b-day post when it comes to those signs. There are a number of them about the food – all leading up to having Clara (one about how she requested the veggie sticks herself, one about how we baked spice cookies a few nights before she was born, one about the cupcakes being the food that we shared at our wedding, of which Clara was invited but she had a scheduling conflict). We just had fun making it personal. As for the bubbles- we didn’t want to hand those out at the end since the kids had so much fun with them throughout the party. But we thanked everyone as they left after the video and sent thank you notes- not to worry!
xo,
s
Allie says
I think the signs are fun! I mean really, this is a party for a one year old, who wants a stuffy affair? It’s clear from your posts that you guys are a fun loving duo and were adding sweet personal touches to a family gathering, not trying to be weird control freaks. What I do think is kind of weird, are people who read web pages that they don’t enjoy. Last I checked there were no mandatory internet reads. Oh well, I guess some people will always thrive on negativity. I think Clara will appreciate all the details you thought of to celebrate her special day when she sees the pics.
Stefanie says
Ouch! Think ‘organized’, not ‘controlling’. It’s a one-year old’s party, so much of the focus is on “look how cute she is” and “what a wonderful job Sherry and John have done” – it becomes more personal for the parents than the child, at least until there is more child interaction with the activities…as in allowing them to blow bubbles now, rather than at home later.
Not at all painful. Precious!
Pamela says
How rude.
Kate says
Ahhhh, I’m in love with your tips. My baby girl is 6 months old, so I’ll be doing this soon.
Gavin S. says
So, I totally had a dream that y’all asked me to house-sit for you. I was crazy excited but when I showed up you never actually left the house. Burger was running all around like a crazy man and none of us (myself included) could figure out what I was doing there! Don’t know why my dream-self didn’t make herself useful by watering plants or something! Clearly I need to stop reading blogs before bed…
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- that sounds chaotic and strange. Like real life here at our house. Hilarious.
xo,
s
Rachel @ My Naturally Frugal Family says
We are lucky that our children have birthdays in May and September, which in North Carolina, makes perfect timing for outdoor birthdays. I did make a mistake about 2 years ago and invited my oldest son’s entire class (25 kids) to his birthday party…YIKES! Wouldn’t have been so bad but it rained and everyone was trapped, I mean sequestered to the family room. It was chaos and caused many headaches for me and my husband. When Clara gets older I would recommend NOT inviting her whole class over.
On a positive note though I completely enjoy having all of the parties at our house. We don’t need to have the parties at some fancy location, all kids really want to do is play and eat some cake (and even then it is usually just the icing they are after).
So in an effort to not see too showy (is that a word) have your parties at home!
You guys did an awesome job, from the pictures I’ve seen. Clara is a lucky little girl.
MJB says
The thing that impresses me most? The way you and John work together, whether it’s planning a party or remodeling the house.
My biggest challenge in party planning was getting my husband to realize he has to do more than mow the lawn and go to the liquor store. I remember getting soooooo angry when he started washing the car in the driveway an hour before a birthday party ….!! I told him, NO ONE WILL SEE THE DANG CAR! They WILL see toothpaste spatter on the bathroom mirror!!
Yeah, the neighbors will probably remember that year too.
I learned to make a list and ask for help in checking things off. It wasn’t that he was lazy, he just didn’t realize the dozens of little things that had to be done.
I totally agree with designating a photographer. As a parent, you need to be a participant.
Some other ideas:
1. The less your guests know each other, the more they will need something to do. If you have dinner for mom and dad, you don’t need to pull out the party games. If you have a graduation open house, set up games in the yard. A friend put travel games on the table and spontaneous challenges broke out between strangers. Good ice breakers.
2. Prepare for all age groups who will be coming. Beyond age appropriate games for kids (and maybe supervision), think about the older people. Do you have a comfortable chair for Great Aunt Ella? Who will help her get a plate of food? Talk to relatives ahead of time so people make an effort to sit and talk with her a bit.
3. Teach your children to be good hosts. As soon as they’re talking, they should greet every guest and say good-bye and offer their thanks for coming. When the party isn’t in their honor, give them age-appropriate tasks, like taking coats.
4. Make the garbage can/recycling cans obvious. You’ll have less picking up to do after the party.
5. Make the food easy to get to and easy to eat. Don’t make people cut food with a fork and knife if they have to balance the food on their lap. If you’re eating on the patio, serve the food there (or as near there as possible.)
6. Have a plan B. What will you do if it rains?
7. When planning food, underbuy the perishables and overbuy the non-perishables that you can use for another party.
8. Have plenty of TP out (and visible) in the bathroom, or make sure someone restocks. My grandma will always remember the dirty towel incident of 1974 when she ran out of TP. You don’t want to know.
I hate to stop by putting that horrifying image in your head, but I must go to work….
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- love all the tips! This post is turning into an awesome resource for us thanks to everyone sharing their tricks!
xo,
s
Pamela says
Really good tips!
At our graduation open house last week, a very competitive game of Team Scrabble broke out, with my mother-in-law going around to each player and “helping”…it was so cute! We also had volleyball, badmiton, and a slip & slide. Fun!
Asha says
What a timely post!! I was just stressing about the details of our baby’s first birthday. Too bad our home is too small for everyone. We’re taking ours to our little boy’s favorite park. Figured it’s a good way to keep the kids (young and old) active and entertained. But great tips for home and park! And I’m totally going to attempt the pull pinata. So much nicer than a regular one. Cross your fingers! The last DIY thing I made was the jewelry board from one of your posts waaaayyy back when ;) I still use it though!
YoungHouseLove says
Fingers crossed for ya! Good luck with that pinata (and everything else)!
xo,
s
Pipsqueak says
Love your party favours – what a great alternative to goody bags full of lollies/candy!
After our son’s first birthday in January I’ve realised that 1st birthdays are as much a celebration of the little person as it is to celebrate mum & dad surviving/ learning how to be parents. What a big year it is! We hadn’t had that many guests over in at least a year and it was a great chance to get our party back ON!
Ryann says
How did you keep the guest list to 20? We just seem to have so many friends (and we are the first to have a child out of all of them) that we had like 50 at my son’s first birthday – and his second is creeping up in a few months. We also have a huge extended family so that added to it. I guess we just need to be more selective the second time around – that will equal less stress for me on the day of the party I think! I am also struggling with whether to invite his friends from his day school class (there are 6 of them) because I dont know how on earth to keep 7 two-year-olds stimulated for more then like half an hour! I will have to do some googling I suppose… :)
YoungHouseLove says
Our final count was around 25 after we invited all of our close friends and family members in the area (John and I are both not originally from Richmond, so some relatives who lived further away couldn’t make the trip). Anyone have any tips for Ryann when it comes to keeping the guest list down?
xo,
s
Pam the Goatherd says
Since the 2nd birthday isn’t as big a deal as the 1st you should be able to get away with not inviting everyone you know to the party.
Why not have two smaller parties, one for his day school classmates and one for family members. The dayschool class party could be scheduled for an hour. Play a couple fun little kid games, eat cake and ice cream and then send them all home.
Then do a family party where you have stuff that is more appropriate for a mixed age group. Serve pizza or do-it-yourself cold cut sandwiches, a veggie tray, and cake. Put out a cornhole game and some of those big soft play balls for people to occupy themselves with if they want and just hang out talking.
Your extended group of friends will probably not be hurt by not being invited to yet another kid party, especially if they don’t have children of their own.
Pam the Goatherd says
Your suggestions are spot-on! Since we live on 6 acres out in the country and many of our friends are city-folk my husband and I throw a huge stargazing party every August during the Perseid Meteor Shower. We start in late afternoon with lawn games and some target shooting on our backyard gun range. Then we eat a potluck supper (we provide dogs and burgers and cold drinks and our guests all bring their favorite food to share). After dark we have a fire in our firepit and toast marshmallows while watching the sky for meteors. The biggest lesson we have learned is to rent a port-a-potty so that we don’t have 50+ people (adults and kids of all ages) tromping through our house to use the bathroom.
The biggest disaster we’ve had was the year it started raining just as we were cooking the food on the grill and the downpour got worse and worse until we had about 30 soaking wet adults in our 14’x20′ living room. We sent our kids (who were teens at the time) along with everyone elses kids out to play in one of our barns. And then the lights went out!!! We were bumping around in the dark trying to find flashlights so we could get out to the barn to calm down the screaming, terrified little kids! That happened five or six years ago and our friends who were there still talk about it. Ever since then we have made a point of diligently watching the weather forecast and cancelling the party if it looks like we’re going to get storms.
Stefanie says
Our daughter’s first is the same week as my husband’s 40th so I was thinking of doing a joint affair with family and friends – any tips?
PS – I love your sweater in the pic of you and Clara? Once I was able to look away from Clara’s cuteness, I was hooked on it! Care to share where you got it?
Thanks for the post (even if you can’t respond to my tip-request- I will probably use a lot of your ideas!
YoungHouseLove says
That sweater is from the Banana Republic Outlet (picked up around Easter). As for the combined party, maybe just the same tips (have enough food, have activities to keep kids and parents busy, etc). Anyone have other combined party tips?
xo,
s
Catherine *The Spring* says
I don’t have kids, but we just moved back home where we have lots of friends with kids, so I need all the help I can get when it comes to organising child-friendly get-togethers. These are great tips… But what I really want to know is where those amazing huge decorative poofs came from … did you make them yourself? If so, HOW? They look really great over the table!
– Catherine at The Spring {in Brisbane}
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! Those are Martha Stewart pom poms! Just go to marthastewart.com and search “paper pom pom” for the tutorial!
xo,
s
Britt@knewlywifed says
Awesome post! I’ll remember this as my little one turns one in November!
Marlayna says
Hi guys!
You guys are doing amazing things! My husband and I love visiting your site :) You guys definitely inspire us when we think of eventually having our own first house and starting our family. We especially love when you guys post about Clara and Burger on the blog/flicker. Clara is super sweet and we get really excited to have our own kidos someday when we watch her funny videos! What an animated kid! Please keep posting little movies of her adorableness and of burgers whenever you can! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Marlayna! It’s nice to hear that we’re not the only ones who are entertained by Clara and Burger’s antics. Haha. We definitely plan to keep sharing that stuff along with all the home improvement deets since they’re such a big part of our at-home adventures (and Burger has been stealing the show around here since day one- haha).
xo,
s
Suzanne says
We keep it simple too! Back yard party was how we celebrated our 3 yr old. Everyone was so content we just hauled the gifts and cake outside. Worked out well since I had our enclosed pattio set up for serving food/drinks in case that happened!
Bobbie Jaeger says
I try not to be a pack rat and have tons of clutter around our home. So, after hosting at our house over the years, I’ve now completed our collection of “party ware.” It’s easy- I picked the color red as it goes with most holidays and it’s bright. Of corse other colors can blend in well with it.
Kelly D says
Sorry if you already posted about this but I havent found it by searching…
Did you use a baby-friendly recipe for the smash cake, or a classic sugar filled one? I have read about such kinds as apple sauce based ones but I still like the idea of a classic yummy sugar one for my little guy. And if you did do the sugar one did it have any negative effect on Clara (tummy ache, hyper, restless,etc)?
YoungHouseLove says
We just did a regular vanilla cake one with real sugar and eggs (nothing artificial) and she loved it! Of course she didn’t actually eat much (most of it got all over her face and ours). No issues with a tummy ache or being hyper, but the girl loves fruit (so I think she can “hold her sugar”). Haha.
xo,
s
hilary says
I know it’s been a while but WHERE did you get the giant balloons!?!
YoungHouseLove says
Target! In the party aisle for cheap – maybe $3?!
xo,
s
Sam says
Our little girl is about to turn 1 and we live abroad away from family so we would like to do something special for her. I was wondering where you printed Clara’s name fabric?
YoungHouseLove says
We used a site called Spoonflower.com! And thanks for the kind words too. Congrats on making it through the first year of parenthood too!
-John
Sam says
By the way I love your blog. Reading it makes me smile. It is nice to see so much fun and love in a house.