Preparation for hosting a party at your home

When it's time to host a party at your house, you will find that it always seems like no matter how much you clean, or how much you organize; there is always more which you could do.  The key to effectively preparing your home to host a party is the cleaning and de-cluttering some very vital areas.  You should understand that as long as those areas are clean and clutter-free, your guests will feel comfortable and welcome in your home.  

Before I get to that though let me say that planning a party in your home can be lots of fun. Just keep in mind that even the most seasoned hostess can be intimidated by trying to prepare their home for guests.  So, for that reason, here are some tips from professional cleaners and organizers on how you can best prepare your home to host your party:

1 – Do a quick sweep, take a look around your home and decide what you need to do.  Take along a pen and paper and make notes for each room of your home.  You will want a closet for your guests to hang their coats in and a place to store personal belongings like a women’s purses.  While you are doing your home walk-through decide where these two locations will be and write them down.  

2 – The first place you will want to start tidying up and cleaning is the entry area of your home, and then work from there cleaning the living room, bathroom, and kitchen areas.  In addition, if there are other areas in your home where your guests will be, perhaps a game room or similar, that area will need a good cleaning and de-cluttering as well.  

3 -  While everyone has some clutter which they treasure; understand that clutter can give an even spotless home the appearance of being messy and unclean.  You want your guests to be able to move freely in your home and not be knocking things off of tables or shelves.  When you are cleaning for a party be brutal and get rid of as much clutter as you can bear – even if you just simply box it and place it in the garage for the night.  

4 –  If you have a spouse and family, now is the time to enlist them to help you with cleaning and de-cluttering your home.  You can easily assign a room to each person and have them be responsible for cleaning and removing anything in the room that does not absolutely need to be there for the party.  

5 -  If you have children with messy rooms, but are having an all-adult party, it is fine to simply close your children’s bedroom doors and not make a big deal about them cleaning their rooms for the party.  This can help relieve some of your pre-party stress.  In essence, stick to cleaning rooms which you absolutely must clean because guests will be in them.  

6 -  If your party is informal, consider using casual serving dishes and casual eatery as well.  You may even want to purchase some good quality paper plates for the event if it will be a pot-luck or BBQ type event, rather than a sit-down meal.  

7 -  It is important for you to know that where there are people with food and drinks, there will be spills and stains.  The easiest way to deal with these issues is to be completely prepared to deal with them before they ever happen.  Have a small box with cleaning supplies that you can use to clean up any messes that might occur during the party.  

8 – Once your home is clean and clutter-free, go around your home and add back some small, personal touches you feel will make your home feel more inviting for your guests.  Flowers, photographs of your family, candles, or anything you feel will add that welcoming touch.  To deal with any musty odors your home may have, you can burn candles, or simmer some cinnamon and cloves on the stove. If only there was a candle that smelled like fresh-baked bread, or even better fresh-baked cookies! 

9 – Once your home has been prepared and you have a back-up plan to deal with any unforeseen stains or spills, and what you need to deal with any unpleasant odors, if any, then it's time for you as the hostess to sit back and enjoy the smiles on the faces of the party guest at the party that you planned.  

 

A Guide to Children's Parties

Party Planner’s Guide to Children’s Parties

Planning a birthday party for children is always fun; children have such an amazing sense of fun and imagination that they are both fun and easy to plan a party for.  If you are the one in charge of planning a birthday party for your child, take the opportunity to have some fun with party ideas, and plan the best fun-filled party experience you can.  You can bet that your child, and all of their friends, will love you for making the extra effort.

The number one consideration for any child’s birthday party is to understand that the goal of the entire day, and the event itself, is to make your child feel like they are king or queen for the day.  On that day it's all about them feeling special and nothing more.  The most successful child’s party is one where the child is happy, their friends and family are happy, and no one ends up crying.

The second consideration for a child’s birthday party is what the child wants to have as a theme.  If you sit down with your child and ask them you might be pleasantly surprised at the simple wishes they give you.  A lot of children want only very basic things such as a particular color or special food choice.  Take your queues from your child and try to develop a party around their wishes which fits into your ability and budget.

If the party you are planning includes little guest that are very young, you will need more adults present to help you.  You cannot be everyplace at once, and by having other people at the party things will go much smoother and with much less stress.  If the parents ask if they can stay for the party you want to invite them to do just that.  You will need the extra help and you might even make some new friends in the process!

If you will be inviting the children your child goes to school with, you need to either invite the entire class or plan on distributing your invitations outside of school.  This rule is meant to keep from hurting children’s feelings and is generally in effect at most schools.

Before the party discuss manners with your child and explain to them about duplicate or unwanted gifts. Tell them to just say thank you if they receive more than one particular gift. If the gift is accompanied by a recipe it can be returned for something your child likes. Instruct them on the need at other times when it is appropriate to use good manners. Also, insist, gently, that guests use their best manners as well while they are in your home.  This will make the day a lot better for everyone.

Planning crafts or games for a young child’s party is essential.  There is nothing worse than ten young kids with nothing to do.  By keeping their active imaginations and party time excitement channeled/occupied everyone will have a much better time.  However, it is always good to plan extra activities just in case something doesn’t as planned.  This way, you can switch to doing something else without too much hassle or complaint.

It is also important to remember that a child’s birthday party doesn’t have to last all afternoon.  A simple party that lasts a couple of hours or so is plenty long enough so that by the time the little guests are likely to be getting cranky and restless, you can send them on their way home.