How to throw a tropical beach party

*whimpers*

As I write this blog, I am gazing about like a blinking owl. My left leg hurts and Oliver is still in bed (at two O’clock in the afternoon). The kitchen still looks like a hurricane of food has blown through it and the back garden…the less I say about that the better. I think we can safely say that the party was a ROARING SUCCESS.

I woke up horrifically early yesterday morning with a jolt. The night before had been spent cooking batches of cupcakes and I had completely forgotten to wrap Olly’s presents and so, I started the day in a frenzied search for some sellotape (which by the way, should be featured in Harry Potter books as an example of an amazing disappearing substance. It doesn’t matter how much of it I buy, I can never bloody find ANY OF IT when I need to) which I couldn’t locate and so ended up wrapping his gifts which craft glue. A great start to the day, I’m sure you agree.

The morning was spent icing cupcakes and cornets filled with sweets and decorating the shed/playhouse.

*cracks whip*

The beach hut (Yes, I STILL know it's a shed)

It's like we're in Hawaii

As I had decided that the food was going to comprise of burgers, hotdogs and sausages in buns the food preparation was at a minimum. This left me time to decorate the front garden and to force Tom into blowing up an inflatable banana the size of a lilo.

They look as deflated as each other.

Time then warped and suddenly people were arriving. Family members dropped by to give cards and presents to the birthday boy in advance of the party, the entertainer arrived and then the guests started flooding in. I realised that I had no idea how many people were going to descend as I hadn’t received many RSVPs (Quick note here – please respond to invitations, it makes life so much easier for the person throwing the party) and was greatly relived that more than 3 children turned up.

The entertainer was just…brilliant. 11 is a difficult age. The disparity between the more knowing and mature girls, and the boys (who spent at least half an hour wrestling and throwing plums from the tree at each other) who are in the main, still children, means that there is awkward balance to strike. Michelle (for that was her name) managed this beautifully and the kids all got really involved in the karaoke and competitions.

God knows what song this was. It sounded like a bunch of noise to me *my mother*

So while the kids were doing the limbo, screeching Justin Bieber songs and throwing plums at each other generally having a good time, I got on with the food.

Deciding on providing hot food was just plain stupid. Why I thought that this would lessen the load on the day is now, with hindsight, completely beyond me. Am I actually mental?

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

The spread

The entertainer had to leave (BOO!) and there was still an hour to go before the party ended.

There was only one option left open to me…

Lock them in the shed...

This worked really well until they escaped and run amok with water pistols

They're out of control!

This was actually my favourite part of the whole day. To see these kids – some of whom have been coming to our parties since they were 5 – running and laughing and being children again was just…amazing and surprisingly touching.

And so, the time for it all to end was upon us.

Oliver blew out his candles…

Blowing out the candles

The children left, each and every one thanking me for a good time.

Po emerged from his hiding place…

You can come out now elderly cat

And I put my feet up, drank a glass or two of wine and fell into my bed in a messy mess.

This morning, Olly got a text from one of his friends that simply said:

“Your [sic] party was epic”