Toddler Party Survival

Well, we went to our first toddler birthday party this weekend at a place called Jumpin' Beans. It had large inflatable jumping things all over. Emmy was intimidated at first, but quickly overcame this and proceeded to giggle nonstop for the next 2 hours. Several of her classmates were there, and she loved eating cupcakes and singing happy birthday with them. There was a little drama when we said it was time to leave, but otherwise, a fun time.

Keith and I had a chance to meet & mingle with some of the other daycare parents. I always have a tough time "chatting" with strangers. It's much easier to do this when you have a mutual interest, ie: kids. Still, I feel like I stink at small talk, and I can't remember people's names to save my life! Why can't I just snap my fingers and have an instant girlfriend?! Or, why can't Jen just move down here? Really, is it so much to ask that my best friend completely uproot her life and drag her family across the country so that I have someone to talk to on a regular basis?! It just takes so much energy to get to know someone new, to "let them in", to share your stories, to find time to connect. I know Jen has blogged about how difficult it is to make new friends as an adult too. Unfortunately, I don't have a job in which I work with people who are similar to me, or people I'd really want to hang out with socially. Keith and I are making a commitment to get to know our neighbors better by inviting them over once a month for dinner/potluck. There are several young couples on our street we'd like to get to know better, and simply need to make the effort to do it. I find it's always easier to chat with people at the dinner table than at a party or other social function. There's something about breaking bread together that tends to open people up a bit...