My husband really wanted us to go with pizzas for my son’s First Communion party, especially once we branched out from immediate family and invited some extra uncles and cousins, but I promised him I’d plan real food well and make it an unstressful day.
If you’re reading into that and assuming that I’m usually a basketcase for big events when I’m trying to do all real food, you might be right. It might be more of a stressed-in-the-head-and-short-tempered case than a real basket, but I’m not committing. I plead the fifth. ![]()
As it turned out, we fed 18 adults and a handful of children for a lunch, and we had enough food for at least 25. We arrived home from the First Communion right along with everyone else, so logistically, that’s always tricky because you can’t be in the kitchen preparing things for the hour or two before guests descend on your home.
I’m very proud to say that my husband’s assessment after the fact was, “You did it, babe. It was a really good party; you pulled it off.” The amazement in his voice was the part that said, “Whoa, I really didn’t think you could do it without seeming stressed…”
Woot!
He was also justifiably surprised that the entire week had included more, “I was really productive and felt good about my day,” sort of days than the, “Ahhhhhhhhhh I didn’t get anything done today and am SO behind on my LIIIIIIIIIIIST!” kind of days.
Not that I know anything about those.
It’s all about what my high school Math teacher used to preach, the 7Ps: “Prior Proper Planning Prevent [Pretty] Poor Performance.” (That’s been edited for a family-friendly blog.) ![]()
I started planning the menu over a week in advance, and I worked backward to prepare stuff all. week. long.
It paid off! Everyone had plenty to eat, truly enjoyed themselves, my attitude remained good (plus I knew the consequence would be pizza at all future parties if I failed), and we had leftovers that lasted us a good many days of lunches and parts of dinner.
Plus, we didn’t really spend that much on the party, so it’s perfect for the Eat Well, Spend Less theme of “Entertaining on a Budget” this week and my own Monday Mission of “Share the Real Food.”





























