Hosting a Gathering When Your Twins are Small

Holidays and birthdays are terrific occasions to get together with family and friends.  However, when you have young twins, your day-to-day life can be hectic enough; the thought of hosting a get-together can be daunting.

Consider the possibility of making your life easier by hosting the shindig at your home.  Think about it: your twins' cribs are already at your home, as well as all your baby supplies, milk, and even a changing table.  Having your loved ones come to your home means that you don't have to pack and travel to get to another destination!  

Most importantly, your twins will be happier and healthier if they consistently use a routine nap and nighttime sleep schedule––even on holidays and special occasions.  It is inevitable that from time to time, life will get in the way of a perfect schedule for your twins, but if you can entertain at your home on a holiday, it will be easier to respect your twins' normal routine.

An easy way to host a gathering is to plan for side dishes and desserts that can be made a couple days ahead of time.  Then, on the day of the event, all you need to do is focus on a main dish, and reheat the rest as needed.  This plan not only frees up your event day, but also spreads out the cleanup of prep dishes over a few days' time.  Better yet, delegate the sides, beverages, and extras to your guests to bring as pot-luck items.  

It is not 'cheating' to get a little help from the grocery store, either.  Take the hummus dip pictured above––did I actually toss chickpeas, garlic, and lemon juice into my food processor?  My secret recipe: open up a package or two of the store-bought variety––it tastes great, and the hostess is happy and relaxed, not overworked and exhausted from adding a food processor to the pile of dirty dishes!

Family get-togethers are about loved ones gathering––keep this as your focus, and you'll be a calm hostess, ready to enjoy her own party!