Hey! New Year, New You? Maybe not. But you can still add some things to your routine that will make you feel productive and exciting without really doing a whole lot.
Things like…
1. Start walking with the kids after school.
2. Sign up for a cooking class.
3. Plan daring monthly dates with your someone special.
4. But let’s focus on just one that I want to challenge you to. HOST A WEEKLY MOM MEETUP!
Do you think you can do it?? It’s fun and easy and makes you feel like a super-hostess while also allowing your kids to have regular play dates and you to have conversations with other adults. I realize that this is not something that every mom can do. Maybe you work out of the home full-time. Perhaps you homeschool or have kids who require more time and attention. Or, maybe you don’t like the idea of people in your home that often! But no matter what the excuse is, I can tell you that this is something that will change your life. Even in just a small way.
Inviting people into your home is so rewarding. You learn the art of conversation and become an expert at introducing people. You can plan different themes and make a meal that coordinates. Plus, if you have cute decor in your house, you might as well show it off.
I hosted a mom meetup in my home almost every Thursday for three years. Sometimes it was really easy. Sometimes it was really hard. But I’m glad that I did it because, as an introvert, I tend to not venture out too much. But I also get overwhelmed by the amount of time I spend with my kids! When I started hosting, I had two small boys – an 18-month-old and a 4-year-old. They were pretty easy kids though and they loved having other kids to play with. The problem was, we had just moved to the area and I didn’t know anyone. Fortunately, my husband met some men who had wives and they had small kids and it all just kind of worked out that they were just as under-stimulated as I was. So the weekly meetup was born.
We sat around and talked and let the kids destroy the playroom. They made a mess and we got to know each other. It was nice. But being the crazy Greek that I am, I couldn’t just let people sit in my home for two hours without offering them anything to eat or drink. So the planning began.
How To Host:
- Make sure you have coffee, tea, water, etc. Along with some creamers and sugar for the pickier guests. On special occasions, I offered mimosas. (I think I almost always offered wine but apparently people scoff at the idea of drinking Pinot at 10am.)
- I am a sucker for a good charcuterie. A charcuterie is a board or platter with a variety of meats and cheeses. And I think they are just wonderful. I liked to have a couple types of crackers too just for fun. The added crunch is nice.
- A selection of fruit is refreshing and also kid-friendly. Grapes, watermelon chunks, sliced apples, and berries are good among the spread.
- Speaking of kid-friendly, plastic bowls with goldfish are handy, string cheese is easy, and animal crackers are yummy.
- I don’t have a dining room, we converted that into the playroom. Our large dining room table is in the eat-in kitchen. So I add at least an extra leaf to it as to provide ample room for food and guests. I also pull out extra chairs so their is enough seating (even though we almost always end up on the floor with the kiddos and our mugs.)
- When I remembered (and I was actually dressed before 9:59am) I turned on some music. Nothing too loud or weird, just light listening. Kids songs are not recommended because they’re horrible and I don’t live in a mini-van.
Between the regulars (about 5 of us) we ended up with 10 kiddos, so this was not a quiet morning. We might start in the kitchen and then move to the playroom floor, then migrate to the living room couches. The typical span was from 10am to 12pm so this was never too daunting.
From there, ladies would start trickling in and coffee was poured. We would just start talking about what was going on in our lives and there was rarely a lull in conversation. Discussion about child birth and menstrual cups to our husbands careers and kids activities were all brought up more than once. Nothing was taboo. Maybe none of us became “best friends” or felt the connection of sisters, but when we were all together, it was easy to open up and not feel judged. We just let our true selves out. And in the end, that was worth it.
This is a fairly easy way to invite people into your home. I ended up making friends with a small group of women I might not have gotten to know otherwise.
So come on! Join me in this challenge! Host a weekly Mom Meetup!
