It’s a Birthday Kinda Month!

My little Max turned one in June, and I turned twenty-nine. There’s been lots of cake. My mom assured me that twenty-nine years ago was the best day of her life (I’m an only child, so there’s no competition), and that one year ago was the second best day of her life. Is it weird that I’m more touched by the second statement? I love that.

To celebrate my son’s birthday and the best day of my life, we had a kickin party. Almost thirty close family and friends came, including family from out of state (yeah, you’re all family). It was a lot of prep work - way more than I’d normally put into a cookout - but you only turn one once (and we had a photographer coming).

I thought I’d share how I pulled off the party with relatively little stress and just a couple of helpers. So, step one: Make a list.

A month before the party I started making my list, which looked a little like this:

Menu:

• Appetizers –
• corn chips √
• salsa √
• hummus √
• veggies – have hubby cut them up
• Sides –
• potato salad – deli – 1 large container
• macaroni salad – mom
• baked beans – defrost and warm up
• chips – purchase
• rolls – heat for 5 minutes
• Main Dish –
• hamburgers – purchase one more sleeve
• hotdogs √
• buns – purchase
• Dessert –
• cupcakes & mini cake – make ahead & freeze cake, frost later
• food coloring – blue, green, yellow√
• Drinks –
• water √
• limeade √
• ginger ale – purchase 1
• ice √

Accessories:

• Plates, cups, plasticware – double check amounts
• Serving plates & bowls
• Large white bowl – potato salad
• Small white bowl – salsa
• Yellow bowl – macaroni salad
• Blue half dish – hummuses
• White platter 1 – veggies
• White platter 2 -
• Green plate – burgers
• Green plate – dogs
• Green plates – cupcakes
• Blue plate on cake stand – mini cake
• Crockpot – baked beans
• Glass pitchers for drinks

Decor (optional)

• Table cloth
• Origami cranes

This was my working day-of list that I printed out, and as I purchased or made items I crossed them off, made notes, etc. I’m keeping the final version with all of my scribbles to put in the birthday album.

Yeah, outlining what goes in what serving dish might be a little intense. But it was sooo handy the day of. Seriously, unless you have a mind like a steel trap (in which case I imagine you do not have an almost-one-year-old) write out everything including the stuff you’re sure you’ll remember. Just in case.

Then there were the things not on the list – like making the birthday outfit…