Are you missing a fledgling who has flown the coop?
If so, I’ll bet you’re not alone. So, why not invite your child’s school chums’ moms over for a casual dinner and and Care Package Party? This is a great way to gather the old group to commiserate and celebrate while putting together a package that will let your kids know that everyone back home is thinking of them as they move into this next stage in life.
When I held such a gathering I went with a collegiate theme, trying to emulate what I imagined our college kids may be doing. To keep it simple I ordered our local favorite, Pagliacci Pizza and salads and served drinks in these fun Stemmed red plastic cups {because moms deserve a stem}.
You may be tempted to buy these stemmed red cups with the fancy glass stem, but I don’t recommend it. I ordered some of them and most of the glass stems broke off right away, and I was left with just a plain old red solo cup and some bad glue.
I told each mom how many students we were sending packages to and asked everyone to bring a small gift for each package. l also encouraged everyone to wear their kids school logo gear.
To get ready for the party I picked up some medium flat rate priority mail boxes from the post office, USPS will also deliver them to you for free. I also bought some of these petal envelopes from Paper Source. I set them out on the dining table, with each students name on the outside of the envelope and on their box. After dinner we sat at the table and passed around the stationary so every mom could write a short, personal note to each kid.
Next, we filled the boxes, the group effort made the it easy to put together a premium pack of love.
Of course, what goes in the package is completely up to the imaginations of the collected guests. It was fun to see all of the different things people brought…
Antica Farmacista room diffusers, Truffle Salt Popcorn, KIND bars, Selfie Sticks, foam finger flyers, Nerf Basketball set & Burt’s Bees lip balm were some of the highlights.
I had made a little pouch of goodies earlier in the day, including inspiring messages that I printed out on my computer and then cut into ribbons.
I found these cute little egg plants at Home Depot, and slipped in the inspirational notes “Be a good egg” and “Bloom where you are planted”. These are so great, you crack open the top, water them, put them on a sunny sill and wait for the pansies and marigolds to bloom!
Mini~hand sanitizers, I tagged with “Keep it Clean” came from CVS Pharmacy.
Flashing Skull and Pumpkin rings with the message “do something scary everyday” were a seasonal sensation.
I bundled them up in cello bags with a little sizzle and labeled them with a personalized message to each friend.
This evening was a definitely a win~win. All the mom’s had fun getting caught up and sharing stories of how our kids were doing, and the kids scored with a fun box jam packed with goodies and sweet wishes from their {mom} friends back home.
What an adorable idea, Emily and it's a complete win-win. Perfect treats for your loved ones and an enjoyable an evening with your friends…so fun! Happy weekend!
What fabulous ideas!!! I wish I had thought to do that my three were in college (hard to believe they are all out now!) Have a wonderful weekend, Emily – where are you off to next? xoxo
What a wonderful idea! I have two kids off at college and lots of mom friends who are missing their kids at college too. In my case my kids are on the other side of the country so visits are rare. I know they would really appreciate getting a little taste of home from people who love them. I'm going to follow your lead and have a similar get together. Thanks!
DC — I know you're a few years off of from this milestone, but it's something to keep in mind.
Hello Sandy: I am getting ready to wander up to BC to hike and get healthy and soak in the Ainsworth Hot Springs at Mountain Trek, have you heard of it? I'll be reporting back!!
Celia, thank you for your comment, I hope you and your friends have fun. Would love to hear about it!!
What a great idea! I have to keep this in mind for my niece when she goes off to college next year.
What a clever idea and a great way to spend time with your friends. I wish I had thought of that when mine were young (36 & 33 yikes!!)
Wow, so many smart and clever things you did here. You are such a brilliant. Thanks for sharing this wonderful post.