Playing Host

We've always enjoyed having friends over at our humble abode. 

Hubb and I would take great pride in discussing and planning the theme, the menu items, the drinks, the programme etc... Afterwhich, will be the shopping, cooking (nowadays we seldom cook big scale ever since Raychelle comes along) or ordering of food... The big day will arrive & hubb will help to pick up the food (he doesn't mind travelling far to get nice stuff) while I will do the cleaning (when no guest comes, our house can be in quite a mess!).  We really hope to make our guests' stay (be it long or short) as homely and fun as possible!  The joy of seeing our guests enjoy themselves at our place truly makes our day! 

There's 2 "themes" we like to adopt for our gatherings - Air-Con Indoor or Outdoor Alfresco Dining (at our huge lift lobby directly outside our unit)!  Air-Con Indoor is cozy when the group is small & all can squeeze into our tiny home; Outdoor Alfresco Dining is fun when the group is big and yet all can gather round our combined huge collaspable tables and laugh at one anothers' jokes!  Both themes had been a success till recently I realised that Outdoor Alfresco Dining may not be so suitable for gatherings with small kids...

You know that you have been a great host when guests forget the time and indulge in chatting over drinks and they will even send SMSes to thank you for the lovely night, or for that particular food, or for the great company & even ask about the date of a next gathering! =D

Sadly, I've come to realise that Outdoor Alfresco Dining which had been a hit for several groups of our friends, doesn't fit for groups with families & small kiddos, cos:
- Small kids can't stay still outdoor, they will prefer to go indoor to play with Raychelle's toys;
- Parents will have to follow the kids indoor & miss out on the catching-up outside;
- The group of friends split into 2 groups - indoor watching kids & outdoor small talks;
- Host will start to feel bad =(

You know you are a bad host when:
- Guests feel sleepy;
- Couple guests start to ask each other what time they are leaving;
- No one wants to play the game(s) you suggest;
- You wonder what's wrong with your party!

Anyway there's a good learning point from this recent gathering - It's not the house size that matters, our friends don't mind squeezing into our tiny abode as long we can tend to our kids & talk to our friends!  Looking forward to making the next gathering a better one! =D