Entertaining Ideas
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Poll
What's your least favorite part of entertaining?
I'm sitting here excited to pull out serving pieces and plates and vases for flowers. But before that there is the DREADED CLEANING. Then there is the cleaning up after. Blech. It's worse because there are some things I just can't do with a 2 yo and 3 month old in tow- like moving the big tables.
So what do you hate?
Re: Poll
For me, it's the last minute chicken-with-no-head stress I dislike. DH and I live apart for work/school and I often entertain without him, so I'm doing the meal plus cleaning plus decorating by myself. I can't stand answering the door as a freaked out mess - nothing says welcome like a stressed out hostess, right? - but it happens more than I'd like. Grr. I've gotten SO much better about it as time's gone by, but it's just experience to learn the timing.
Around here, it common for guests to clean up, so that's not a big deal for me, thankfully. And it's not like they offer and you have to do that "oh, it's not problem;" it's that you'll be having a conversation with someone in another room and you walk in and a couple ladies have already done it. Faaabulous
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Hi! Love all the creative stuff. Don't like the cleaning and it is hard with little ones...
I also am appalled at the lack of RSVP... it means I always make/buy too much food.
I like the brainstorming and planning and I like setting the table and the setting up the buffet.
I don't like the grocery shopping, especially the small runs DH has to run at the last minute because we needed more lemons than I thought or ran 1/2 cup short of flour. Similarly, I hate that I have to get DH to run all these errands and do all this last minute clean up. We've gotten it down to a choreographed day-of dance but I still hate making him do all that while I run around in the kitchen.
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I hate the before cleaning more than anything. I am obsessed with everything looking perfect- when realistically no one probably even notices all the little details that I obsess over! (Especially because I typically have outside parties, yet feel every corner of my home must appear perfect)
2nd to that I hate the next morning dish duty. Cleanup outside isnt an issue for me because I intentionally stay in bed until H is done (hehe)! He's a total neat freak too and hates his yard dirty so hes usually up about 6am after a party cleaning up. He doesnt do the dishes though- kitchen is my duty
But hey, I'd much rather do dishes than take down tents.
People do help with dishes and such after, but its the linens and putting away tables, and blah.
Totally agree on the preparty obsessive cleaning. I'm taking a break after cleaning the closet doors in all of the bedrooms. Really? Who's going to see that?
DH is the outside obsesser- 5 yards of mulch, 30 bags of river rock, and 20 bags of mulch are waiting to be spread. He even bought new fish for the pond.
I agree with TarHeels--the last minute "Oh, no, I still need to do X Y and Z and someone just pulled up!" feeling is not fun.
I hate cleaning up, too, but usually people will jump in. DH helps too.
I'm with lsgarver, I don't like asking DH to run small errands/do last minute things around the house. I always feel bad asking him to do those little last minute things, but he is always so nice and helps out with a smile.
I HATE cleaning up afterwards. Getting the house clean is not so bad because I love seeing it all neat and tidy, but I dread the pile of dishes left in the party wake more than just about anything else