Happy May, ya’ll! The year is almost half done, and I’ve got a first for you: this month there are no special chores! During the summer months I back off the cleaning to focus on family time. If you’re here because you’re feeling super inspired to clean you can check out the previous monthly checklists. (January, February, March, and April.)
Now on to this month’s PDF: planning parties! Our boys were born in April & May, so we’re birthday party central over here. We also love to throw bonfire parties in the fall. For two introverts, we do love to entertain! I’ve developed a system for planning and throwing parties. This is why you’re going to want to consistently keep your house functionally clean. You see, panic cleaning is not part of my party planning system. (Here’s the monthly & weekly cleaning checklists if you need a refresher.) My favorite party cleaning tip: don’t. Why? Because no one will notice a small amount of dirt on the floor, and they’ll only track in more. I tried vacuuming before a party one time and felt so frustrated watching people track in dirt and grass. That’s not in the spirit of family and friendship! Now I skip the cleaning and the food crumbs and dirt on the floor don’t bother me one bit.
For maximum sanity, start planning your party as early as possible. I save my invite list from year to year, so creating the guest list is a pretty easy process. Once you’ve narrowed down the “who,” you can work on the “where.” I like having parties at our house. I can put a kid down for bed or a nap if I need to; I know exactly where extra paper towels are, and I can clean up over a few hours after the party ends instead of having to have it cleaned up immediately. For some people, having a party in their house is the ultimate stressor - that’s fine! But book a venue big enough for your party as soon as you can, and start thinking about the room layout. I’ve included a grid for these purposes. At home, set up is easier: the dining room table is where it is. But if you’re renting a space you might have more flexibility and it can help to get thoughts out on paper. Besides, it’s easier to erase a piece of furniture on paper than it is to have your husband move that table (again) just to find it doesn’t work in the new spot (again).
My final piece of advice for party planning is this: accept the chaos. Before the party you’ll want one central staging area to pile decorations and supplies. It will look like chaos, but at least its chaos in one spot, not all over your house. During the party just relax. Food will spill. Mud will get on the carpet. Most importantly, memories will be made. After the party I suggest you reverse the process: gather all the decorations and supplies back into your pre-party staging area. This way 95% of your house can be functional and feel like home while you put things away over the next 24 hours.
If you throw a lot of parties, I highly suggest you invest in reusable party supplies. Buy beverage dispensers as well as reusable plates and inexpensive silverware and service pieces. Sure you’ll have to run a few loads in the dishwasher after the party, but you’ll save so much waste from ending up in a landfill. This also minimizes my party planning stress. I don’t have to look and see if I have enough paper plates or napkins, I know exactly how many I have and they’re always right there in the cabinet. If that’s not for you, that’s fine too! Spend a few minutes thinking about your top party planning stressor and let’s brainstorm and see what we can do to eliminate that stress. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to chat about it, and happy partying!
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