I tend to get ahead of myself when it comes to birthdays, decorating, decluttering, crafting, .... ok, well I tend to get ahead of myself with almost everything. I love celebrating people, events, and holidays! If you asked my husband, he would tell you he has to reign me in so I don't volunteer to host every holiday, birthday, and family gathering at our house. And he knows that would include making decorations and themed beautifully iced cookies!
I honestly don't do these things because I feel I should for family members, or pressure to be a "good mom" by making cute things from pinterest. I am one of those strange people that actually ENJOYS these things! It usually doesn't stress me out, and it always gives me joy.
But. Here is what I've learned. The simpler I do things, the more time and energy I have to devote to people. The simpler I do things, the less drained I feel at the end of the day. The simpler I do things, the more time I have to visit with our family and friends, take pictures in a relaxed way (not yelling orders and getting frustrated with the kids), and even sit down and actually finish a drink instead of leaving it somewhere while I bounce from duty to duty making sure everything is in place and gets done.
Sweet and simple.
I'm sure all you practically minded people are wondering what exactly that looks like.
SWEET: Be very intentional with which events you choose to host. Choose the ones that hold value to you, if it's not that meaningful (a babyshower for a coworker you barely know) let someone else host, instead choose the ones you're excited about. I host family Halloween get together every year because my husband and I love costumes and Halloween!
Also be intentional about the decorations, food, time/date. Remember, it's okay to choose what works for you. If there's something you saw on pinterest you are just dying to do for your kid's birthday, go for it! But... be aware of the time you have to do it, and be very aware of your own capabilities. A great way to get stressed out is by trying to make something and watching it become a pinterest fail on your kitchen counter at 11pm the day before the party.
SIMPLE: Be intentional about the amount of decorations and food you want/need. Remind yourself, the less you do, the more time you have to enjoy yourself with family and friends, say it over and over as you scroll pinterest! As a general rule of thumb, I'd recommend making one type decoration and one food item. If you can afford to, buy the other things. Of you can't afford to feed 30 people store bought dinner, than you choose, either invite less people, make it a potluck, or make the time of the party not during a meal time. Don't forget, choose things that are doable for you!
Remember, it's perfectly fine to reuse things you've done before! If that appetizer was a smash at last year's birthday, make it again! Nobody will complain about good food! In my picture at the top of this post, you see a happy birthday banner. We have reused this dollar tree banner for several years! Would I like a nicer one? Yes. Have I thought many times about making a new beautiful one? Yes. But, it's very made the cut as a priority when I planning for a birthday. Also, yes, those are birthday cards attached with mini clothespins. I love displaying the cards, but with two toddlers running around it's hard to find a good place for them.
Lastly, remember when you are prioritizing, some of these things matter more to you than to anyone else. Well, let's be honest, some of them matter ONLY to you! That reused birthday banner, for example, nobody else cares if I make a fancy new one or we keep using the old one. My two-year-old only cares if we wear party hats for birthday (party hats that have also be reused for every birthday in the last year!). Knowing this can help you prioritize where you spend your time and energy before the day of the event and also at the event. Reminding yourself of it often can also help keep your stress low when things don't go as planned, and I'm guaranteeing you, there will aways be things that don't go as planned!
If you enjoy birthdays, holidays, and celebrations of all kinds like I do, hopefully these tips will help you to keep it sweet, simple, and stress free! Have fun!
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