Planning a "little friends" party

In just over a month, my eldest turns a grand 3 years old. I thought this might be a good opportunity to have a "little friends" party for the first time. I've got the invitations ready, the party theme (Cars, of course), and the guest list. But I'm beginning to wonder if the whole thing is such a good idea.

Parents used to be able to be insensitive to the needs of the young guests (and their parents) in previous years. The party fare consisted of artificially coloured and preserved confectionery of various sorts, guaranteed to produce hyperactivity followed by hyper-crankiness. Games included whacking papier mache creations with large sticks, using sharp objects to pin fake tails on fake donkeys, dunking heads in large buckets of water to try and find apples, eating donuts hung from clotheslines, or careening around dangerously blindfolded. The list goes on. Every party I went to as a child resulted in enormous sugar headaches and sulky behaviour before bedtime. But they were also great fun.

We live in a less innocent, more aware time, now.

Looking at the guest list, there are several that have equal and opposing food sensitivities. I can't be irresponsible or unfeeling and say "they'll just have to miss out". That would have been my worst nightmare as a child; never being able to eat party food. It also frustrates parents who feel they can't take their children anywhere, or face the consequences. I have to find a balance between "fun" and "helpful". Chocolate is out. Artificial colours and preservatives are out. Dairy is out. Gluten seems OK at the moment, but peanuts and anything resembling them have been banished to the farthest corners of the universe. Which basically means that I can't be lazy and just pick up a bunch of packages from the supermarket lolly aisle. What on earth do I put in the loot bags??? I can't put those little party favours: they all contain small items that constitute a choking hazard.

Then there are the games. Pass the parcel is fine. A pinata is just asking for trouble (preschoolers with blindfolds and large sticks = very, very, very bad idea). I'll look up some preschool games lists and find other safe, non-violent activities. Hopefully one or two of them should be fun.
The main problem is that running around outside in June is a reeeeeeally bad idea in our particular climate. Yet another way to frustrate parents is to force sickness upon their children while they visit your house. So I'm volunteering the interior of my house for destruction.

I always have loved a challenge! :)

Relaxing in stress

For the past few weeks, our family (well, the adults in our family - the children have been unwilling passengers) have been swimming in a sea of work. It was Friday when we popped our heads up for a brief attempt at rest. We failed dismally.

Why do we struggle so much to relax?
There are a couple of reasons. Firstly, our home is our office. Hence, home is no longer a restful haven, and any rest to be gained must be done away from the house, lest we drown in a sea of phone calls.
Secondly, working in our small town means that we cannot simply go to the local park/cafe etc. Stepping out in town invariably results in us running into at least several people from our congregation, all of whom immediately assume we're bludging. So no walks down the road to the playground for us!
Thirdly, I have realised that I grew up with bad recreational habits. In the city, the main form of recreation is shopping. Shopping in a large mall is not a relaxing activity, particularly if you are carting around small children and a reluctant husband. On our stretched budget, it's also far too expensive. And that's completely forgetting the futility of the activity anyway...
The fourth, and biggest problem with our ability to relax is that we haven't had the time to plan what to do. Days off hit us like an ambush, and we waste most of it wondering where to go. Our most recent rest day devolved into a visit to a Christian bookshop and a drive to a furniture store to pick up a bookshelf. Hardly restful!

Mind you, I now have more space for my SCRADD-neglected reading matter...