How I Survived My 2 Year Old’s Birthday Party

08/09/2013

Firstly, let me start by saying that I am NOT a domestic goddess by any means.  I am always filled with envy and jealousy of those moms and dads, who seem to seamlessly throw amazing parties for their little ones, complete with everything from amazing homemade decorations, the themed snacks, meals and drinks.  I stumbled through my daughter’s first really big “party”, and this is how:

-I kept it very simple! (and short and sweet time wise!)  Because Aasha is just 2, I wanted everything from food to activities to be really simple, easy and appeal to a wide range of guests, from adults to babies.

-I planned ahead and prepped the night before as much as I could!  No one wants to be running around an hour or 2 before the party, blowing up balloons and filling bowls with food and arranging napkins, all with a baby on my hip and an over excited toddler running around undoing my work!  I got my husband on board, and he and I put everything that we could out and ready the night before after the kiddos had gone to bed.

-Because there was a wide age-range of kids invited, I wanted activities that would appeal to a wide span of energy and ability levels!  The best money we spent was renting an inflatable!  It kept ALL the kids entertained (we rented from a great company called Inflatable Fun, www.inflatablefun.ca. They offer an amazing selection of inflatables, with any theme you could imagine!)  It was really a great way for the older kids to jump off some steam, and when we had the little guys in there, they had a blast too!  I also setup a couple of little kiddie pools, a water table and a sandbox to keep the busy guys, well, busy!

-I enlisted help!  I got my in-laws on board to give us a hand with cleanup (and to keep an eye out for anything that may tempt a toddler to grab!), as well as help with getting food out!

-Did I mention wine?  I had a glass or 2 as well!

Ally is a preschool teacher by trade, and a mom to an active 2 year old and mellow (thank goodness!) 7 month old.