Let's be honest... it's rare to be able to finish a complete sentence these days. The interruptions are endless, whether it's an urgent need for a tissue or an urgent need to tell you that they really want to play baseball right now and they need you to be the pitcher.
I hope that you're able to schedule playdates with other moms so that you can have those, "Oh, me too!!" moments. But, it's good to remember that playdates-with the many distractions and interruptions-can't replace quality, intentional time with friends. Schedule some time with your friends to finally have complete conversations and to talk about subjects that might be hard to have when little ears are listening. I bet you do an amazing job of making sure your kids have time to build friendships, but don't forget that you need that time too when you're not multitasking or sprinting to save your child from falling off of the playground equipment!
Ways to Keep It Simple
Schedule a time in the evening when the hubbies can watch the kids.
Don't overdo it on the event itself. Just set up a relaxing environment so that you all can sit back and chat.
If you enjoy setting up a tea table, or a Galentine's style event, then enjoy it! Enjoy using a different part of your brain and getting to use glass instead of plastic! If it's not your thing, then don't stress about it. Just getting to sit down and drink your tea or coffee while it's still hot is a wonderful treat!
A trick I tried this time was setting up my table and having two small hangouts, one on Thursday and one on Friday. It's definitely a feat taking over the regular table and putting out fragile dishes, so I got two times to sit down and relax after the extra effort of setting it all up. Also, I only had to bake one time, just in bigger batches.
Creating the Look
Fresh flowers makes any event feel special. Head to your local farmer's market with your kiddos in the morning and have fun making bouquets with them. If you can't make it to the Farmer's Market, try your local Von's (that's where I found these!). I like to create my own bouquets by getting one bunch of greenery and 2-3 bundles of varying flowers. I try to think of height when I pick out the flowers- choose one type that stands up tall, one that is full to fill in the middle section, and one larger flower to catch the eye that can sit down low.
Raid the $1-$5 section at Target! They have so many cute and easy to use party supplies! I found the roll of brown paper for the runner for $3 and the flowers on each plate were only $1 a piece.
If you don't like any of your vases, spray paint them gold! You can even use recycled bottles to create an elegant look for your table.
Look for unique paper plates and paper napkins like these ones at your local Marshall's, T-JMAXX, or HomeGoods.
Recipes
If you want to set up a simple tea and scones party for the mamas in your village, try out this simple recipe:
Chocolate & Cherry Scones
4 cups of Bisquick
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup of milk (substitute for your choice of dairy alternatives) (replace some milk with a flavored creamer for added sweetness)
1 tbs vanilla
1 cup of chocolate chips (and I added some dried cherries)
Blend all ingredients adding the chocolate chips last. Spoon drop (so easy!!) onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 mins. Serves 20.
