Why We've Switched to Park Parties {and a party planning checklist}

I used to plan every detail for my kids birthday. I would have themes and take home gifts. And while I don't regret a second of those birthday celebrations. I have to admit I'm, literally, still paying for it.  When my kids were really little I was a mostly stay at home mom and I would charge anything above our cost of living budget knowing one day I would be working again full time and paying it off.  So now that I am working 60+ hours a week I don't have time to scrub my baseboards and windows before guests come over.  Our hose is in the middle of several small DIY renovations.  I don't want the added stress and anxiety of planning a party in my own home, and as a more mature mom I understand that my kids don't really care about the over the top decor and organic handcrafted snack served at their parties, they just want to run around on the playground with their gaggle of friends. 

So for Vera's birthday this year, we made the switch to the nearby park.  So we packed up the car with some Costco pizza (because one slice of non organic cheese on bread isn't going to undo all the natural food we eat and grow the rest of the year). And we brought a tablecloth from home that we already owned.  I brought two drink dispensers, a bucket for ice, and my glass water bottles from my house - because I don’t think that the convenience excuse is really acceptable as far as disposable plastic goes.  I'm not okay with single use plastic, so I made sure to bring glass water bottles and recyclable and reusable cups.  I actually have a collection of ceramic plates and metal silverware and glasses that I have acquired from thrifting and mismatched stuff.  So, I bring those for parties and it’s honestly super easy because I just put everything in a plastic bag and then drop them in the dishwasher when I get home.  Not a lot of extra work and it doesn’t end up in a landfill and that’s really important to me when planning an event.  Oh and I did bring a pinata that my mom had gifted to her mom. We had a stick and we tied it up to a tree.  

Almost everything we had at home, it was just the pizza, cake and the balloons which came out to like $250 but if you can do it for cheaper please tell me how!  Because that’s the lowest I’ve ever thrown a party for and I feel like all of her friends had a great time.  I also brought some henna and that kind of allowed for some more entertainment.  I guess think about what skills you might have to offer guests and how you can make the party special for your child and still cost-effective for you.  Because ultimately the birthday is cool but I need to be able to have resources and financial security to help pay for everything for them, forever, so one day does not justify a huge investment like I had done in the past.  Like I said, I don’t regret the past big parties, but I learned from them and I do want to be smarter about it for the future.  From here on out we’ll probably do more of these park birthday parties.. They're free, you bring your own stuff, hang out with your friends, have a good time, go home and if everyone still wants to hang out fine, go back to the moderately clean house for an after party.  And that's how I feel about Parties in the Park, what about you?  How do you celebrate with your children?

// this beautiful cake from our friend Stephanie of @Stefispice.

@Stefispice.

My friend Emily brought her slack-line and the kids had a blast just walking on that for hours.

Basic Checklist:

• Pizza

• Reusable or biodegradable Plates

• Cups

• Metal utensils

• Bag for kitchenware

• Paper Bag for recycling (another for trash if your park doesn't have trash cans)

• Cake and/or Cupcakes

• Candles

• Lighter or Matches

• Bucket for ice

• Ice

• Glass reusable water bottles (upcycled)

• Drink Dispenser(s)

• Lemonade or another drink by the gallon for dispensers

• Sharpies for labeling drink cups

• napkins

Optional but suggested:

• Balloons

• Table Cloth

• Pinata, (and candy!)

• Bat or stick

• Rope to hang it

• Folding table if you didn't reserve a table

     

First Stop; 34 Hours in Ireland

This November we took our first trip without our tiny humans, it was part work trip for me and part birthday present to myself.  I saved up ALL my henna money from this year to help finance this trip and even though there were a few times I thought I was totally crazy and should focus on debt and savings, I'm so happy I chose to go with my Husband for some much needed alone time. We arrived in Dublin at 5 am, where we were greeted without our luggage.  We got our rental car and set off to our first destination on our trip; Waterford. 

I drove last time I was here, so this time I let Husband practice left side driving.  Not only is is a unique challenge to drive on the opposite side, the Irish are quite quick at maneuvering though round abouts and narrow winding roads, it can be very intimidating as well.

The first thing we noticed was all the fog near the coast.  We pulled over a couple times just to get some photos.  

 Like this rolling hill with fog and cattle.  so dreamy.

We got to our Castle Hotel and knew it wouldn't really be an option to check in early but wanted to see if our room would be ready after a couple hours so we could relax and get settled from all the jet lag and driving.  Our room wasn't ready, so we opted for a walk around the grounds, and found frosted fields and warm sunlight.  

We found fairy houses and saw some deer.  

This poor uprooted tree from the storms that hit Ireland after the Hurricanes in the U.S. moved up the Atlantic Ocean. 

We stopped in Waterford for a drink at The Grattan Pub after a walk around the castle grounds. 

 I love the Waterford Castle Hotel because of the ornate details like this wallpaper and engraved knife.

Husband was so reluctant to join me for tea time, but obviously I convinced him and we had a truly decadent time.  I love Irish scones and clotted cream.

 I don't know why he doesn't look more impressed with this desert, but I assure you we ate everything on the plate, and enjoyed it.

Somehow this butterfly was trapped in the hallway window, so I opened the latch to let her out.

 Husband picked up some Irish Whiskey for our enjoyment in the evening.

 Everywhere you turn in the hotel is more detail and another beautiful view.

Morning espresso + henna.  

 I wish I could have taken this couch home.

 // details in the bathroom.

This was the study in our suite, on the opposite wall is a painting of a women, damaged with age her mouth appears to be missing, it was the creepiest painting I've ever seen.  I couldn't sit in there with her, or bring myself to capture it in an image.  Sorry, but you'll have to go there to see it.

Less creepy graffiti on the drive back to Dublin when we stopped in Kilkenny. 

 We made an impromptu stop in Kilkenny and didn't know where to park, but a nearby church had parking so we stopped there and walked to the medieval mile.

 loved the dragon shadow on this wall.

 and this hidden graffiti behind a construction wall.

 the nearby birds were friendly, probably hoping for food.

 caught grammin.  J/K he was documenting for his blog contributions to Oppositelock.

I actually had so much planned for our trip and time in Dublin, but when I travel with my Husband it always a low key go with the flow experience so we didn't do anything on my list but found little gems on our own.

We made it back to the airport in time for our flight, and asked about our luggage, turns out they tried to deliver it to our castle hotel, but obviously we had already checked out, so to bag limbo it went.  Next up our time in London.