I love to throw parties. Any chance I get to celebrate puts me over the moon. Every part of the process is fun and exciting to me. Even if I'm in the midst of total chaos, I find the fun in pulling it all together. I take pride in coming up with unique ideas. And the best part? My kids have become little party planners along with me! We think of concepts together and then bring them to life as a family.
Often, my husband looks at me like I'm crazy, and sometimes I'm convinced he thinks I've totally lost it. Bigger balloons, more color, let's step back into the eighties, a luau on the beach, or a safari. My husband has lived through every out-there idea I've come up with. The truth is I just love celebrating. I can't help myself! When I was a kid, my mom always made our birthdays special. We loved doing themed parties and coming up with creative ideas together. This is one of the reasons I enjoy carrying on the tradition so much. Celebrations don't have to be saved for special occasions; every day we can make something special happen.
I also understand the stresses that can go along with throwing a great party. Planning can be hard, finding the time to do everything you need to do can be challenging, and too much stress can turn good family fun into a tense situation fast. I love to cook, but I usually have only about fifteen minutes to throw something together. Keeping things on a budget can also be an issue; I find so much joy in my kids' being happy with their birthdays, but I don't want to spend a fortune putting them together. I want everything to be stunning but also totally affordable. And the planning process needs to fit into my schedule as a busy mom. At the end of the day, I want to put together something truly special but also for it to be accessible, easy to pull off, and most important, fun.
So after spending years coming up with fun ways to celebrate our family get-togethers, I decided I had to put it into a book. The book I wish I'd had. A book that would serve as an inspiration board for me, my family, friends, and other parents looking for fantastic party ideas for their little ones. In this party-planning book, you will find inspiration for more than twenty parties, including a movie night, a pirate party, a spa day, a baseball party, and many more. Each party includes crafts and recipes you and your children can make together that are both easy and affordable. You will also find a reference guide in the last chapter that highlights some of the places, both online and off-line, where I find my party essentials.
I don't know about you, but half the time I find myself staring at a recipe, trying to figure it out. Or struggling over a blog post that makes home decor look easy, but when I try it myself, it makes me feel like I must be crazy. Did everyone else go to the Martha Stewart Academy? And why didn't I get the invite to sign up? This book is meant to be a beautiful but simple guide that will inspire you to take matters into your own hands and create a magical world for your family to indulge in. Whether you've been crafting for years, are the best baker on the block, or it's your first time throwing a kids' party, this book is for you. It's meant for everyone, and it's designed to be fun for the whole family.
Now let's get ready to party!