Do you enjoy having your children's birthday parties in your home? This year, I hosted two... while pregnant. Every time I say, "Next year we are going somewhere and just showing up for your party." But for all of the trouble, the home birthday parties are really special.
My girls absolutely love having friends come to their house, and they spend months discussing the theme and planning the activities. (They get it honestly... I was the same way.)
My children have birthdays in December and May, which seem like the busiest months of the year! Somehow we manage to cram in a party, and thankfully we have family and friends who are able to come!
This weekend, my youngest turned three! She wanted an Ariel birthday party. We kept it SIMPLE with cake, ice cream sundaes, goldfish, fruit, baby pools, slip-n-slide, bubbles, and other water toys. It was a hit!
In December, we hosted a Frozen Spa Day!
Our services included:
1. Warm hug from Olaf: great photo opportunity with stuffed Olaf
2. Sven's soft hands treatment: set out different delicious smelling hand lotions
3. Hans' Relaxation Room: provide eye mask, cucumbers and magazines
4. Elsa's Frozen Foot Spa and Facials: we used plastic bins for the foot bath and a choice of St. Ive's gentle facial masks, which were quickly wiped off with cotton balls. One of my nieces assisted me with painting toenails.
5. Anna's Royal Hair Salon: I scored brushes for each guest with Elsa and Anna on them at the Dollar Store! They got to take these home as well. My other niece served as the royal hairdresser.
Spa snacks included fruit skewers, fancy trail mix, white cheese poofs, and warm dips. Cucumber water, orange water, and pink lemonade were served.
Princesses were announced as they came down the grand staircase to the Royal dining room. (Forgive me for getting carried away. It was just too easy!) We served cake, cookies, gumballs, peppermint sticks, gummies, and sixlets. All blue, of course.
Goodie bags were filled with nail polish and pedicure kits. Of course, Frozen was playing upstairs and downstairs. After opening presents, the girls ran (and jumped) off the sugar in the backyard, which was perhaps the most fun of all.
The verse below made me reflect on entertaining in my home. I strive to be blessed, not stressed and to offer hospitality without grumbling. Now, I wonder what we should do for the next birthday party...
1 Peter 4:9-11 (NIV)
"Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ."
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