So the big news from last week: we actually did it--we hosted a Wednesday Spaghetti! And it was awesome, except for my own flipping kids who took advantage of the chaos to (are you ready?) get another concussion--this time on the other child. And to be fair--it wasn't a concussion--it missed one benchmark for a concussion but was a serious enough bonk on the head to earn concussion treatment, though thankfully only for a week.
So, head injuries aside--it was great. We invited our street +1, for a total of 20 houses, plus our backyard neighbors whose street has zero kids besides theirs. And of the 20 houses--14 had at least one member come! At peak, we had about 40 people here, 12 of whom were kids, which is about capacity for our house. We took the leap because: 1) it was the day after our traditional January 1 party, so the party stuff was out and cleaned; 2) we both had the day off; 3) we'd been talking about it for years; 4) the type-A side of us loved the idea of knocking out a resolution on Day 2 of the year; and 5) we went to three funerals that week and were in a bit more of a carpe diem mindset than usual.
About 15 of the 20 houses have the same blueprints, so it's fun to go see what other people have done (or what former owners have done), and gives something immediate to share. About 4 of the families agreed that by putting "It's not a party; it's dinner. It's a school night, it's a work night, this is just a chance to catch up and be together before going home to get ready for the next day," attendance was definitely increased. The novelty factor definitely played in to it too. Oldest guests were in their 70s; youngest were first graders (and four of them!). Next time, I would use spaghetti instead of angel hair (too sticky; shells or rotini would be even better). We ran out of meatballs (and we had a lot of meatballs!) early, but awesomely, our neighbors had some in the fridge, ran home to get them, and saved the day. We had a ton of bread (breadsticks, garlic bread, homemade bread...), three salads, and some dessert.
So, with that euphoria done...on to another week. My obsession blog, Dinner: A Love Story, is having a 7 Nights challenge, and while you have 14 days to do it, I'm not sure I'm up to it. But I might try. We'll see. For now...here's the plan.
Monday: Insert the Notre Dame fight song here! Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame! Cannot wait for this night. Still working out plans--not sure if any of my husband's ND buddies will join for festivities but we are Decked Out in blue and gold, the colors of Our Lady. Football food! Pigs in a blanket, buffalo chicken meatballs, brats...oh, and I'll find a vegetable somewhere.
Tuesday: My poor taco monster hasn't had a Taco Tuesday in weeks, but this isn't it either. Of course, don't feel TOO sorry for him; it is the night of the Lego Build so he'll have something gross from the food court to mollify him.
Wednesday: A crazy day--it's Walk to School Day (really, in 20 degree weather? Is this going to encourage them in any way?), and dentist appointments, and my Mothers & More meeting, so something easy is in store.
Thursday: Maybe we'll try for Taco Thursdays in the new year. It'll at least work this week.
Friday: I'm always tired on Friday, so this will be a freezer meal kind of night for us.
Go see I'm an Organizing Junkie! for more inspirational meal plans, and Go Irish!
2 comments:
Wow! I am in awe. I like the idea of Wednesday Spaghette, I think, though my inner introvert is dying inside just thinking about it. I'll have to mule that one over. Good for you though, I'm impressed.
Well, in that way, hosting is better than attending--there's always something to do so conversations can be quick!
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