HOW TO :: Plan the Perfect Party + Giveaway!

This week I am writing a bit of a personal post for a change. We have just had our son's birthday party, which was a huge success - even if I do say so myself! I love doing themed birthday parties for my boy, and of course, I love all the planning and preparing. I am not much of a baker however. My son's birthday is pretty much the only time of the year when I make that much effort in the kitchen! I know planning parties is not everyone's cup of tea, so today I wanted to share some tips with you to help the preparations go a bit smoother.

Start Early

I usually start the initial planning 3 to 4 months before the big day. This is because I have learnt over the years that if you want a specific venue or entertainment option, you need to book way ahead of time.
This also allows you enough time to do your research (see below) and get some of the prep done, so that you are not overwhelmed with tasks in the week leading up to the party (things like printing name cards or activity sheets, putting together the party bags, gathering all the bits and pieces for the decor, and so on).

Research Online

Our good friends Google and Pinterest are great places to start, even if you don't have a specific theme in mind. A bit of searching will inspire you with a vast array of options for themes - just try searching on "party ideas for boys" or "teen girl party ideas" etc. Once you have decided on a theme, you can then find ideas for related activities, decor and food, as well as where to buy all the goodies. This will save you heaps of time as well as money, as you can shop around online for the best options.

Draw up a timeline

Write a list of everything you need to do in terms of preparations, and then group them into time categories like 'On the day', '1 day before', '1 week before', '1 month before', etc. As you think of more things to do, add them to the relevant time categories - this will help you see how much you will be trying to do, and hopefully help you avoid rushing around in a last-minute panic. Do as much as you can as early as you can.

What I did

My son wanted a racing themed party at Kew Traffic School, so after we managed to get a booking (which was more difficult than I expected) I started researching on Pinterest for food and decor ideas. I then searched online for the supplies I wanted, and had plenty of time to either order online or go to the shops to get it all.
The invitations went out 2 months before the date (I would usually send them around 4 to 5 weeks before the date, but since we could only get a booking on the public holiday I wanted to give people extra time). In the months leading up to the party I slowly gathered all the decor, designed and printed the name tags and party bags, and bought all the non-perishable food and drinks. Two weeks before I filled all the party bags, two days before I bought the rest of the food, which meant the day before the party all I had to do was the baking. On the day I had minimal final food preparation to do, and everything went very smoothly as we were well prepared and got set up at the venue in just 5 minutes.

As Winnie the Pooh says "Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up". I think that says it all!

Giveaway

If you would like some extra help with planning your child's next birthday party, then how about winning a copy of "The Best-Ever Party Book"? I have one copy to give away, and all you have to do to enter is comment below (by 13 Nov '13) and tell me about your party planning blunders!

PRODUCT REVIEW :: Hook-over Hanger - PLUS GIVEAWAY!

I first came across these hangers when I was looking for a solution for one of my clients. Most of you know I strongly believe that every person has a unique organising personality, and one of the most important parts of my job is to help a family full of different personalities find solutions to suit them all. This particular client had a young daughter who thought very differently to the rest of the family, and every attempt the mother made at organising her daughter's cupboard ended the same way - a pile of clothes on the floor and a frustrated young girl, feeling it was easier to find things in a pile than in her cupboard the way her mum had organised it.

I worked with both of them until we found a mutually-agreeable solution, which was to arrange her clothes in outfits. While this was not the most sensible option for the mum, she was more than happy to embrace it knowing that her 7-year old could now manage her wardrobe in a way that made sense to her, which meant no more frustration and no more piles. I then had to find the tools to make this possible - and that's when I found these hook-over hangers.

What I like about these hangers is that they allow you to see and access both garments individually, while keeping them together in an outfit. If you wanted to access just the skirt for instance, you wouldn't have to reach up under the top or remove it, like you would with many other "outfit hangers" used in clothing stores. It also allows you to turn any regular hangers you have into outfit hangers.

I sent a few to my client to try them out, and they all loved them so much she bought a whole bunch for her other 3 kids too! I also bought some for my son's school uniforms, and they work a treat! It's so easy to see how many days worth of uniforms we have washed and ready to go, and my son can easily grab a pre-assembled combo for the day, or select long pants and a short sleeve shirt if he prefers.

And here's the fun bit! I have a pack of 3 hook-over hangers to give away... all you have to do is comment below with your tale of cupboard chaos and why you neeeeed some of these fabulous things :)
If you can't wait, or need way more than 3 to make an impact on your kids' wardrobes, you can buy them in packs of 10 from my website www.homeandlifeorganising.com.au/shop

Get your comments in by next Wednesday 2nd October 2013 - winner will be drawn randomly from all entries, and announced on Thursday 3rd. Good luck!

www.homeandlifeorganising.com.au