Fall Reading List + Book Recommendations

In my head it feels like I 'just' posted my little reading blog...when in reality the last time I posted my book reviews was THE END OF JUNE. How does that happen?!

I've had slower reading weeks and busier reading weeks...times when I'm more motivated to keep plowing through and times when I would just rather fold laundry and watch Gilmore Girls. And I'm convinced both are acceptable in moderation. Overall I like to think I'm balancing recreational reading with my actual Bible reading and keeping the rest of my priorities in order. Though, I'll admit when I read Women of the Word a few weeks ago, we lived in a frat house for three days while I read and underlined like a crazy person. I didn't leave the couch. It's fine.

Here's what I accomplished reading during the second half of my summer and so far this fall!


1. Of Mess and Moxie, Jen Hatmaker

I cannot fully explain how much I loved this book. A PERFECT mix of humor and heavy (it's written as a collection of essay's), Jen just speaks my language. I desperately wish we could be real-life-friends (note how I just casually called her Jen)...but since we can't, reading this and listening to her podcast all summer has to be good enough. I read the whole thing in three days, but I've been going through it as a 'book club' via Facetime every Monday night with Jamie and Sarah. Which is just the best.

2. Hosea

After finishing Romans in August I tackled Hosea because I hadn't before. It was excellent. God is so merciful and persistent and patient. It's quickly become one of my favorite books of the Bible.

3. Present Over Perfect, Shauna Niequist

I'll be honest about this one...it wasn't my fave. I mean, there were PARTS that were good and resonated with me (the general idea of slowing down, saying no to stuff, being present in the wonderful life you're living, prioritizing what's MOST important). But it was too much fluff and not enough meat. Not to mention, it's essentially the same book as Nothing to Prove, minus the strong Biblical basis.

4.  The Magic of Motherhood, Ashlee Gadd

SUCH A GOOD READ. One of my favorites from this summer. It's a beautiful coffee-table book, tons of wonderful pictures + stories, similar to Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul but for the mom of 2017. I laughed out loud, I cried while sitting in Maverick's swimming pool, and I finished it in less than a week.

5. Humble Roots, Hannah Anderson

I'll need to read this again. Maybe I was in a reading-rut this summer when I took on this book...maybe I should have done it in a book-club for better comprehension/discussion. It's GOOD and I would 100% recommend, but it was a hard one for me to get through. And I'm not sure why...it's short, but it's INTENSE. Have a notebook ready.

6. Women of the Word, Jen Wilkin

I am forever a Jen Wilkin fan after this book. I will read it again over and over and I will throw it at anyone who hasn't read it yet IT'S THAT GOOD. Main take-away, 'The heart cannot love what the mind does no know.' Buy it from Amazon or borrow my copy...and be prepared to realize fresh tools and motivation for studying your Bible.

7. Grace Not Perfection, Emily Ley

This book is filled with PRACTICAL tools for organizing and scheduling and planning a busy life filled with good things but maybe 'too many' things. Written from the perspective that there's grace to cover every minute of our days spent momming, even when we fail. She tackles everything from laundry to meal planning to Sunday-pick-ups around the house to prepare for the week ahead. I would especially recommend this for the full-time-working mom.

8.  The Mingling of Souls, Matt and Lauren Chandler

I read this book and listened to the matching Village Church sermons that Matt Chandler did over the summer. It was great! Nothing really 'new' or earth-shattering for me, but I would still recommend. Listening to the podcast alongside the reading helped.

9. The Hidden Art of Homemaking, Edith Schaffer

Perhaps I should have had slightly lower-expectations of this book. It's so good! The chapters on interior decorating and painting and writing and gardening and cooking...LOVED. But it's an older book...so it's charming, but also not totally realistic for the toddler-life I live. I could be looking at it all wrong, I don't know. When I got to the chapter that suggested learning how to make your own candles and building your children's toys I was kind of like, 'oooookay this is too precious for me.'

10. Open Your Bible, She Reads Truth

This is so pathetic to admit, but last summer when I was in this Bible study I maybe finished half of the homework. I don't know why. It was a great study led by amazing women. I was just in a really different place a year ago. So after I finished Hosea I circled back around to this workbook to plow through the unfinished places so I could put it back on my shelf 'finished.' I'd recommend this study for sure! But it's probably best done with a group.

11. Take Hold of The Faith you Long For, Sharon Jaynes

This book was written by the gal who is coming to speak at the conference I always decorate for in November (the one at my home-church!). I really wanted to read the book that is the theme for her sessions for the day to get a better grasp on the direction for the decor. If you think decorating is just about pretty stuff, you have no idea how much MORE it is than that. It took a while (it's kind of long), but I finished it and would give it a three-star rating? Maybe it's because Nothing to Prove was so perfect, but it kind of reiterated all of that, just in a much LONGER wordy way.

12. New Morning Mercies, Paul David Tripp

This is the one I hit if I don't have time for in-depth study time during my day. It's EXCELLENT. I'd highly recommend...to the point where I'm pretty sure it's what most of our family members will be getting in their Christmas stockings.


Guys my Amazon cart is so insane. 2017 is the year I developed a book problem and I'm not mad about it. Here's what's on my list and what I'm currently working on:

1 & 2 Samuel, She Reads Truth (going through this now with my favorite girls)
Grace Based Parenting, Tim Kimmel
Ephesians
The Perfectly Imperfect Home: How to Decorate and Live Well, Deborah Needleman
In His Image, Jen Wilkin
Slow Down, Nicole Nordeman
The Nesting Place, Myquillin Smith
Mom Enough, Desiring God
Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles that can Radically Change your Family, Paul David Tripp
Loving the Little Years, Rachel Jankovic
Treasuring Christ when your Hands are Full, Gloria Furman
The Meaning of Marriage, Tim Keller
This Momentary Marriage, John Piper
Alive in Him, Gloria Furman
Seamless study, Lifeway
Galatians
Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers
Capital Gaines, Chip Carter Gaines (I'll be reading this one out loud to Josh on our Galena trip)
Instructing a Child's Heart, Ted Tripp
Sacred Parenting, Gary Thomas
Sacred Marriage, Gary Thomas
What did you Expect?, Paul David Tripp
Missional Motherhood, Gloria Furman
None Like Him, Jen Wilkin
Glory in the Ordinary, Courtney Ressig
Show them Jesus, Jack Klumpenhower
Sisters First, Jenna Bush Hager
Born is the King, SRT 2015 Advent Study (starting this one November 1st!)

Let me know if you ever want to borrow anything from my growing library!

MmB

What our 'small' house taught me...

As Josh and I have house-hunted over the years, it's been soooo tempting to look at new/different houses and think, 'oh if we had THIS house, all our problems would be solved!' when that just isn't true. Certain neighbors might not be a pain in the butt Certain things might be easier...but at the end of the day, these are five statements I keep coming back to. So I'm preaching to myself here! It's sometimes a weekly daily battle to guard my thought-life from becoming discontent with this wonderful blessing of a house we have. To be honest, we'd love a white farmhouse on an acreage with a wrap-around porch and a metal outbuilding. But we don't have that. We have a 1950's ranch on 13th St. right smack in the middle of Ames. And darnit if I won't be as joyful and happy and content HERE RIGHT NOW as I might be in our dream farmhouse someday.

For the record...a three bedroom, two bathroom house is BY NO MEANS 'small'...but as most of you know our 'duplex' + frequent guests + business has us feeling like we're bursting at the seams some days. Calling our house 'small' might be a little dramatic, but you get the idea.


If you have a hard time organizing a small space, you'll have an even harder time organizing a large space.

Smaller spaces are actually an excellent place to practice and master organizational skills. If you have too much space to start out with, you probably won't be motivated to stay organized when you have unlimited space to fill (SCARY). Small houses mean you don't have room for unnecessary 'things' and force you to make optimum use of the limited space you have. I'm constantly re-thinking and reinventing the way I store clothes, decor, outdoor toys, and baby gear until it's the absolute best it can be in our current house-situation.

A few years ago I was a house guest at a literal mansion in Ames. No joke, friends of ours were house-sitting and invited us over to hang out a couple times. One night the bathroom was out of toilet paper, so I looked in a cupboard to find a replacement and I could. not. find toilet paper in any of the TWENTY bathroom cupboards. Aside from that I noticed the cupboards were kind of a disaster. Stuff just thrown together any which-way...which seemed really odd for how put together the house seemed overall. Big spaces are a lot harder to organize! Be thankful for your small space!

If you can't keep a small house clean, you won't be able to keep a BIG house clean.

OH man. There are some days I canNOT imagine having more than two bathrooms clean. Or wash and 'make' the sheets from more than three beds. Or vacuum more than 1,200 square feet daily. It's a darn good thing I've had seven years to practice and master cleaning the space we have, because I'm just barely getting good at it. Keeping a busy house clean is no joke, and doing it with a humble, grateful, hospitable attitude is also something that takes practice.

Find a system that works for you and master it. I don't operate on any kind of 'daily' cleaning schedule or chart, but I do laundry almost every day, vacuum, run the dishwasher, and 'pick-up' every day...I clean the bathrooms, dust, and attempt to switch the sheets once a week. If we're hosting a party or a shower or having overnight guests, I try to do more of a 'deep clean.' Staying on top of all these things consistently means our house is in a constant state of 'ready' to have people drop by (announced or unannounced!). 

If you wait to host/entertain until your house is 'finished/perfect,' you probably never will.

You're looking at someone who had mauve + baby blue carpet in her entire house for nearly five years. If I would have waited until we had tile floors and nice furniture to have people over, we wouldn't have any friends. It was hard because I HATED our floors and most of our furniture was hand-me-downs (or found on curbs)...but we have SO MANY WONDERFUL MEMORIES from those days. We even hosted Thanksgiving on gray-sub-floor in the midst of construction while Josh was finishing our floors and it was lovely. If you can throw a frozen pizza in the oven, you can have people over.

If you aren't content with your current house, you won't automatically be content with your next house.

This one is hard. For a looooong time, Josh and I looked at this house as a rental. He We didn't want to put money into anything cosmetic, permanent, or unnecessary because our plan was to move and use this home as a duplex rental property. And renters don't 'need' nice floors and pretty ceiling fans. Little by little we replaced some of the things that bothered us (and would add value to our home/bring more rental income) as they fit into our schedule/budget, but for the most part I just got good and content with exactly what we have. There is nothing I can do to change the fact that our washer and dryer are in our third bedroom...but I CAN fit a double bed in there to create a guest bedroom. The unused closet in our front hallway? It's now a fantastic little closet-office. The weird, unused, empty attic-space above the garage was turned into a pretty incredible Man Cave last winter! There isn't a detectable OUNCE of character/charm in this 1950's ranch so I pulled up carpet, found hardwood floors, and had Josh screw some corbels to the wall...and last week someone said, 'your house has so much character' and I just about passed out. It's forced character, but apparently it still counts.

Stop complaining and get creative. 

As Jen Hatmaker says, 'it's just paint.' As long as you're not knocking down walls or busting out cupboards, it's pretty easy to reinvent things with minimal cost/consequences. I painted our kitchen ceiling red once and typing that sentence now makes me physically ill, but I tried something and painted over it three years later! No worse for the wear. Use odd spaces for something you'd never thought of before (see: cloffice). Because it's less square footage, small spaces are usually cheaper to decorate...which means it's an excellent space to practice until you find what you love and feel like you've gotten it 'right.' It took me the better part of seven years to feel this way, but maybe don't dwell on that.

I painted our front door three times. It's fine.

It's good to plan and prepare and research...but also...sometimes...just stop talking about it and get to work. For me, this looked like tearing out our living room carpet + pad with my mother-in-law while I was eight months pregnant and Josh had no idea until he walked in the door later that night. Haha oops. I was tired of being mad at our carpet, I KNEW we had beautiful hardwood floors underneath, and Josh was too busy with work (it was July) to take on an 'unnecessary' house-project. So I found some help and did it myself.

There's a fine balance between obsessing about projects and details to the point where you're constantly unhappy and unsatisfied...and choosing to have a good attitude about what you have WHILE finding creative ways to improve the things you're not so in love with.


So. That's what I've learned. And today I can honestly say, I love everything about our small house.

MmB

"Quiet Time"...what even is that.

That is basically how I've felt about quiet time spent in the Bible for the better part of a decade. I'm not proud of it. But it's never been something that really 'stuck' for me...in college there is no semblance of a routine...and the weird 'routine' that exists is SO INSANE. Classes, work, homework, sleep for five hours...repeat at a million miles per hour. I'm really not trying to make excuses, it was just a bad season to try and spend 30 minutes reading when there were friends! and coffee! and also your future is on the line so, you should probably be applying for jobs!

Backing up even farther...high school was just a terrible time to attempt daily or even semi-regular quiet time reading the Bible. Up at 5:30am for dance practice and ending the day at 9pm with an event of some kind...followed by homework and immediately to bed because that 5:30 wake up call is in less than seven hours! I could have dropped out of a few things, but you need to be in All The Things so you can win awards and earn more scholarship money for college. Simplifying never seemed like an option. And I was actually one of the least-busy high schoolers I know.

None of those life stages or circumstances fostered a desire in me to make quiet time and studying the Bible a priority. And then I became a mom and I was like... "craaaaaaaap. I needed to be good at this, like, YESTERDAY."

Were there pockets of time here or there that I could have used my time more wisely?
Probably.
Should I have created some better habits surrounding my activities so that my time spent with God in his Word was a priority?
Yes.
Could I have simplified my schedule and activities and plans to create time for what mattered most?
Definitely.

But I didn't. And I would bet money on the fact that a lot of you had similar experiences, struggling with balancing life seasons and schedules with the desire to slow down and sit for a few minutes in front of the Bible. Even in the past two years since becoming a mom, I look at that first year and think, "I just never had enough time to do all the things. I WANTED to listen to sermons and read the Bible and be involved in Bible studies but I also really wanted to watch a million hours of Gilmore Girls and cry through the entire series of Parenthood while I was stuck breastfeeding for four+ hours a day."

Ohhhh the time I wasted! But. I'm done dwelling on the past. Because there is grace for all of that and what matters is what I do today. And if I try my best, that is good enough and I will have another chance tomorrow. It's not like my Bible is going anywhere. The study I went through this spring recharged me in ways I haven't felt since my days as a little camper at Hidden Acres and I am suddenly seeing Bible reading and studying in a totally new way. I'm somehow finding tons of TIME I never knew I had and I thought I'd share a few of my recently-discovered, best tricks for fitting quiet time into (most of) my days.

FYI...Maverick naps anywhere from 2-3 hours every day...he wakes around 8, and goes down around 8 give or take a half hour on each side of that schedule. And there are days where he wakes at 6am and nights where he doesn't fall asleep until 9:30pm. But he is IN his room for 12-15 hours each day and I've always tried to make the most of that time.

1. No TV.
There are days where this rule doesn't apply (ie: last week when I woke up with a pounding headache), but for the most part, unless it's PBS, the TV doesn't come on for me until after bedtime when Josh and I are ready to cuddle up to watch one of our shows. Now when I fold laundry, I listen to a Risen Motherhood podcast or a couple chapters of the Bible. Last summer I looooved waking up with coffee and the Today Show, which isn't bad (in moderation)! But I have since found a much better way to use that time.

2. Use TV.
On the flip side of that...I discovered that 30-60 minutes of PBS in the morning after breakfast on days when we don't need to be anywhere (the BEST days), means I can get through my study/chapter for the day and whip around the house finishing chores before we head to the orchard. And I feel great about using Sesame Street in the name of spending a half hour working on my Bible study. There are days it's on less and days it's on more, but I don't feel guilty about it and neither should you.

3. Multi-task.
In the car driving somewhere for more than 15 minutes? I listen to the sermon we missed this weekend, a podcast, or a chapter of the Bible when I used to consider that drive-time a waste and only flipped through radio stations. I had to go return something to the Mediacom office a few months ago (I've come to anticipate a looooong wait there) so I took a book with me to read to avoid Instagam scrolling.

4. Plan.
There is nothing worse than being all excited about finishing a Bible Study and then going, 'umm ok now what?' Before you know it two weeks has slipped by and not a minute of Bible studying has happened. I like to have a loose/flexible plan for what I'll tackle next to keep me motivated. After Romans I went through Hosea. Now I'm combing through a She Reads Truth study from last summer I didn't 100% finish. After that it will be either Ephesians, Galatians, followed by a Titus Precepts study in November. And I have my eyes set on a study called 'Seamless' in there somewhere too. If nothing else, I have my daily good old fallback, New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp.

5. Prioritize.
I cannot focus unless the house is semi-picked up, BLC is caught up, and most of my 'chores' are done. It's just how it is for me. So I try to stay REALLY on top of those things by managing my time well throughout my days...which means it's fairly easy for me to fit Bible studying into my day at some point. Either morning during Seasame or afternoon during nap time. If I miss out in the morning, I still have a second shot during the afternoon. If THAT doesn't happen, I still have a chance after bedtime while Josh is showering/working.


I'll pass along a few other helpful tips people have given me:

Quiet time doesn't have to be first thing in the morning! Just do it when/where it fits. Even if that's after bedtime while husband is showering.

Have study materials pre-printed and ready to go! I print mine in BULK so I'm never out of study sheets or paper or ink when I'm ready to sit down and focus. I also bought the She Reads Truth study Bible this spring and it's been one of the best things for my individual studying habits...there's a reading plan at the beginning of every chapter with little check boxes for marking when complete.

Don't let book-reading replace Bible-studying. This one is hard for me because when I start a new book I just want to BINGE. But as a rule, I force myself to spend time reading the ACTUAL BIBLE each day before I'm allowed to read other books (even good ones that are ABOUT the BIBLE).

Keep the books/Bible/study materials OUT until it's been accomplished for the day. I like to have everything picked up and put away, so this one helps me a LOT. When the Bible is on the table starting me right in the face, I almost always get some good studying in.

Tell other people what you're working on so you can check in with them off and on and talk about what you're studying/learning.

Take advantage of the women's Bible studies happening at church. I'm not doing the semester-long study at Cornerstone this fall because sometimes it's okay to say no to things. But I LOVE that this is always an option if I'm feeling lost about what to study or just need some structure.

Look for creative ways to study in groups. This summer I went through Romans with my sister and a sister-in-law (both work full-time, one is a mom...not the typical demographic of the 'group' I run with) and we had THE BEST time! And I feel like I learned A TON. Grab a partner or a small group and just casually work through a Lifeway/She Reads Truth/Well Watered Women study.

Adding it as a task to cross off my daily To Do list also seems helps me.

So that's what's been working for me for the past few months...what are some of your best tricks/tips for guaranteeing good time spent studying the Bible during busy seasons/schedules?

MmB

A TOP GUN BIRTHDAY PARTY

Exactly a month ago, we threw a Top Gun birthday party for Maverick Wesley James Boersma, and it was so much fun. I never knew decorating for boy birthday parties would be such a thrill, but it always is (at least for the past two years it has been!). Here are some of the ways I keep throwing birthday parties simple, easy, fun, and pictures of all my ideas thrown in.

This is something I saw on Pinterest last year before Mav's first birthday and felt like it was too easy/good to NOT do again...planning on keeping this picture number-thing going until he hits double digits.

While Mav was napping in the afternoon leading up to the party, I quick Googled some quotes from Top Gun and filled my chalkboards with them. Chalkboards are such easy decorating.

Not that anyone could hear it once everyone was inside and we were opening presents, but the soundtrack to the movie was playing in the background at the party...and it included my favorite high school pep band song, Danger Zone. #perfection

1. Minimal Pinteresting

I had in the back of my head that this birthday party would be a Top Gun party for...ohhh...about a year. Because I'm a psycho, but also because mulling it over for that long makes EVERYTHING so much easier for Future Mollie. For example, if I see camo foam airplanes for $2.99 at Hobby Lobby, I just buy them when I'm there in June and save them in the 'birthday pile' for a few months...I don't have to make a big deal out of going birthday party shopping in the weeks leading up to the party if I've slowly brainstormed and gathered stuff as I see it.

But more about Pinterest...I basically use Pinterest like Google these days when I'm working on something specific. No mindless scrolling. No obsessing over weddings that will never be mine. I searched Top Gun birthday parties, pinned a few things, made my own invitations with an image from Google Image Search and got to work.

2. Two Hours MAX

I don't know about you, but kid birthday parties are a WHIRLWIND. So much family. So many different things happening...all while trying to make sure my focus is making sure Maverick is having a good time. I find that two hours is all I can handle of this. I make sure there is an END TIME on the invites so the fam knows I won't be entertaining and feeding everyone all night long. There are times I love doing that, but immediately following Mav's birthday parties...I don't. I just want to spend time enjoying our birthday boy and his new toys and birthday treats.

Also during Maverick's afternoon nap the day of the party, I Google Image Searched 'Top Gun' and came up with gems like this...so I printed them off in black and white and propped them all over.

3. Easy Food

Maverick and I went to Sam's Club the week before his party and picked up all of his favorite things. Here was the 'menu' for the party:

Veggie Straws
Fruit pouches
Cheese-Its
Fruit snacks
Twizzlers
Fruit Roll-Ups
Airplane Cookies
Water
Capri Sun

It literally couldn't have been easier. This is all kid-food, obviously...but Mav has quite a few cousins and had a bunch of buddies coming over later in the week for a little Mom+Mav's friends birthday party so it was all stuff I could just pull back out two days later. And what adult doesn't love Fruit Roll-Ups? It was a good mix of sweet and salty and the three dozen cookies we ordered were a HIT like always...gone in less than two hours. Mav ate three, so he obviously approved of my lack of slaving over his birthday goodies. The party was from 4-6, so I wasn't responsible for feeding anyone their actual 'supper'...it was just birthday party snack food!

4. Outsourcing 

I realize this isn't every one's mantra, but there are certain things that are better left to other people, depending on your capacity and skill set. For me this looks like ordering cookies and a smash cake from a Fort Dodge bakery for less than it would cost me in materials/time/effort to make them. It also looks like putting certain family members in charge of making sure grandmas have coffee and are mingling (ie: Jamie's job was to make sure G'ma Phyllis in the wheel chair had enough coffee and attention while everyone was outside admiring the sandbox when she wasn't able to). It means asking your dad to take out the trash whenever it's needed because dad's are just so good at taking out the trash. It's not lame to ask for help. It's lame to stress yourself out over doing too much stuff when you could have just asked for help.

This is me being so easy going that Josh is putting together a mini-bike and then riding it around the neighborhood a half-hour before grandparents start arriving (they will always come early, be prepared). He still needed to shower but he has so much stupid fun with that thing I don't even care.

5. Decorating Shouldn't be Stressful

I know I KNOW, I am a little over the top in this department, but it's the part I love doing. I served Veggie Straws at the party for heaven's sake...it's not like I go crazy over everything. ;) I skip the balloons and streamers and decorate our buffet and one table. I didn't even do any crafting! For this party I purchased the following decor:

Camo airplanes to send home as party favors from Hobby Lobby
'MAV' balloons from Hobby Lobby
Mini airplanes from the Dollar Tree
Large vintage airplane from Hobby Lobby

Everything else was borrowed from around the house, Josh's Man Cave, or pulled up from the basement after not being used/worn in 20+ years (Uncle Dan's Marine Camo clothes). I printed some card stock, colored, Instagrams with our computer to make the '2' on the chalkboard, set out all of Mav's Shutterfly books from the past two years, and that was IT! Seriously, it came together in less than an hour and I was a little bummed.

If I'm buying something for a party, I like to make sure it will have more than one use/purpose. This year I bought two glass serving bowls and one trifle dish...which I had ZERO of in my cupboards. It's always a problem when it comes time to serve at meals/events and I was tired of it. So I picked those up at Wal-Mart the week before the party for less than $10/each. I didn't include that in my shopping list because they're things we will use forever.

As a last-minute thing I hung my Vintage American flag outside on the garage and parked Josh's mini-bike in front of it for sort of a 'photo booth'...I'm not sure if anyone took pictures there but me and Josh, but it was cool to see when people walked up our driveway to the house. We didn't get to the smash cake DURING the party, but we did try it on Monday after nap and it went terribly which was so hilarious. And more low-key without everyone there WATCHING. But I got a bunch of great pictures of Mav crying at his cake in front of the flag and the mini-bike. ;)

The 'finale' gift was the sandbox we got for Maverick filled with some sand toys from us and Jamie. After the snacks and the gift-opening we all hauled outside to play in the hot tub, hang out on the deck, and play in the sand box. Josh spent the party giving rides on his new mini-bike. We packed a lot of activity into a small house and a small amount of time, but I loved it that way! Two hours went by SO FAST and I know our sweet-two-year old had a blast with all his cousins and grandparents at his house to play all at once.

The look on his face while they're singing to him. I die.

My plan was to casually mention to the family members who had stayed that we would be doing supper at Hickory Park with whoever wanted to join. This was a way for me to not literally kick people out of my house, but to 'end' the party with something that didn't involve me cooking a meal for 25 people. I like to creatively think through logistics like this well in advance.

I've tentatively planned that we will always do Mav's party the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, followed by a fun day-trip activity on Monday when everyone has work off. The past two years we've done the zoo and that's been really fun, but I have my sights set on the Science Center and Adventureland in the next couple of years when afternoon nap isn't such a MUST.

In case you missed what we did for Mav's birthday party last year, here's the rundown:

Invites
Decorating
Food
Games + Activities

MmB