parties + toddlers: a survival guide

first off, i am clearly no expert here. so feel free to continue to read way more mature blogs and credible sources for advice. however, i do have a lot of experience in this department! we drag our kids to a lot of parties and we are often the first ones to arrive and the last ones to leave (i blame josh. the man just does not know how to say goodbye) of course there are those times when no matter how hard we try to do everything right, plan every nap and wiggle time out, sometimes things just go their own way. that said, today i am sharing a few things that can really help get you get through the day and still have fun. that is the point after all!

i highly suggest researching the event location!! if it is at a museum ask yourself, do they allow strollers? if at a park find out if parking is free or cash-only. that kind of thing that seems like no big deal until you have two tiny humans in the back seat of your car and are like dude, what's the hold up.

for a recent wedding we attended with the boys, the ceremony was held at a church. since there isn't a whole lot you can do to entertain a little person in a house of deity, you kind of pray for the best, lol. especially in our case since josh and i are not religious and our kids do not attend church. that said, i knew there would be outdoor space so josh and i took turns taking the boys outside to run around. a pen and paper also helped bide the time. also, just telling myself that all i could do was my best helped me mentally prepare for whatever happened. but man. that was a tough one. people at the reception came up to us later and said how well-behaved the boys were and i was like really? so it's always worse in your head. remind yourself of that!

another tip: find something to read! then hunt down a pen and let your kid scribble all over. probably not the most responsible advice here but hey, it works.