Category: Emily is neurotic

Last year, I was the room mom for Kate’s and Sam’s classes, making me responsible for the Halloween and then Valentine’s Day parties. The party planning really threw me for a loop and I spent a ton of time, money, and anxiety on them.

This year I’m only the room mom for Sam’s first grade class – and if I over-stressed last year, I am under-stressing this year. Big time.

I mean, I only have one spreadsheet!

Seriously, this shindig is tomorrow, and I’ve barely gotten my head around it… maybe laying it out here would help.

We’re going to have four stations:

1. Snacks. Check that one off the list!

2. Halloween bingo. Print, cut, done. I told you I am phoning this in!

3. Slime. This one… stresses me out a little. It sounds like a good idea in theory – kids will enjoy making ooey, gooey, slime, right? But it definitely has the potential for mess and disaster. I’m debating assigning this station to my science teacher husband… he can talk about polymers and solids and liquids and all that nonsense, but I might be better served to put a couple crafty moms there instead. Lots of variables here.

4. Spider craft. This was the one Halloween craft I could find that didn’t involve glue, hand prints, or paint. So let’s hope for the best.

I used SignUpGenius again this year and it makes it so simple to get the other parents involved. Maybe that’s why I’m not stressing out so much…

Wish me luck!

I don’t know what is wrong with me. I’m serious. Is there a mental-health (or lack thereof) term for making everything in the world AS DIFFICULT AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE??? If there is, I have it.

As you may recall from my last freak-out around Halloween, I somehow managed to volunteer myself to be a room mom for both Kate’s and Sam’s classes. The only responsibilities are to plan the holiday parties. I say “only” like it’s no big deal. And it probably isn’t, for normal people. People who, unlike me, don’t complicate things just for fun.

For starters, both the parties are at the exact same time. So that’s helpful. Fortunately Andy’s school day ends right before the parties start, so he’s taking one and I’m taking the other. Which is great. But the planning? All me.

I’ve managed to keep Kate’s party pretty simple, actually. It’s all games, no crafts. Fourth graders can do things like toss marshmallows into Dixie cups and other highly-skilled activities that kindergartners can’t. Which, now that I think about it, means I have done this all EXACTLY BACKWARDS. It would have made more sense to have that party be the complicated one, and keep the kindergarten one simple.

But no.

Sam’s teacher suggested I plan four stations and have the kids rotate between them. They’ve got a table for putting icing and sprinkles on sugar cookies, one for making hand-print Valentines (because kindergartners and painted hands is a GREAT IDEA), one for making heart-shaped suncatchers out of construction/tissue/contact paper, and one for making necklaces out of hearts, straws, beads, and yarn. I have no idea how long any of this is going to take, and I don’t know how many parent helpers I’m going to have. I predict this will not end well. And I blame pinterest.

So, I’ve been busy stuffing goody bags, buying supplies, and cutting crap out of construction paper. I have spreadsheets and Word documents and spray adhesive and hole punches coming out the wazoo. All in preparation for what is likely to be a complete disaster.

Next time, someone remind me to feed the kids chocolate and let them play duck duck goose until the bus comes to pick them up.

Let me also say that my hat is off to preschool and elementary school teachers, because planning these things has nearly been the death of me. I call them “parties” and consider them “special occasions.” The teachers call it “Friday.” Appreciation for the prep work that they do each and every day is not lost on me. It’s a good thing they get paid so much. Oh, wait.

So, um, anyway… Happy Valentine’s Day. And don’t forget to never volunteer to be a room mom.