On Super Bowl Sunday I Hosted a Nursery Rhyme Tea!

A"Sip 'N See" is a sweet Southern Tradition:  a casual Post Baby Party!  I was honored this past weekend to act as hostess at one for my godson, his wife, and their new baby girl, "Belle".  She's a little beauty!

  

Traditionally thrown by a doting Grandma, Godmama, Auntie (or Mom and Dad) after baby's birth, a Sip 'N See is an easy way to get friends and family - couples or ladies only - together for an open-house-style party to meet and greet the new baby.

Guests drop by, have a sip of tea or champagne (or both), see the baby, and honor the new mother (and father, if it's a co-ed event).

Unlike a more formal shower, it's not about games and presents - it's an informal event devoted to celebrating and welcoming the new baby (but of course a few little gifts always show up.)  

Our theme?  Easy!  A Nursery Rhyme English Tea.  My daughter and I put out some vintage picture books,  broke out our china dishes, and polished our inherited silver plate - thinking of my mom and remembering my grandma with every little buff of our cloths!

Since it was also Super Bowl Sunday, we didn't just serve frou-frou desserts.  We had grilled sausages and beer along with delicacies the ladies would enjoy.  The guys ended up gathering around the television, while the ladies took turns holding little Belle and visiting in my sitting room.

Go here to read about the Peter Pan themed Sip 'N See my sister and I did for my daughter and grandson.

Here are some quick tips for a successful Sip 'N See:

1.  Get a guest list from the parents of their local close friends and family.  Send out invitations or an Evite, making it clear that the party is open-house-style and that gifts are not expected. 

2.  An adult-only guest list tends to work best - you don't want the new baby exposed to lots of germs from eager little hands.  But of course it's ultimately up to what the parents want.

3.  Try to serve foods and drinks Mommy (and Daddy) enjoy.  Plan foods guests can easily serve themselves as they come and go.

4.  This is an informal get together, and you can make it as simple or elegant as the parents would like.  You can host anything from a buffet BBQ to an English Tea with finger foods (we served coffee and tea, mini-scones, some appetizers, and of course bubbly pink champagne!)  

5.  You don't have to have a theme, but it can make it easier in planning the food.  Decorations can be minimal - flowers, and colorful plates and napkins are enough.  You don't need to worry about games or party favors.  The main attraction is the BABY!

6.  Have the new parents bring pictures of themselves as babies, and a photo of the little guest of honor to adorn the table.

7.  Have a guest book that people can sign, with well wishes for the parents and baby.

Life is an Adventure

source

Sometimes leaving is a part of growing up - change definitely is...

All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, "Oh, why can't you remain like this for ever!" This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.

Peter Pan wanted none of that. He just wanted to have fun - and stories.

"Do you know," Peter asked "why swallows build in the eaves of houses? It is to listen to the stories."

Marjorie Torrey illustration. From the Random House book, Peter Pan, (1957)
edited by Josette Frank from Peter Pan and Wendy by J.M. Barrie. [source]

Like Peter Pan, my toddler grandson, Peter, loves stories. I thoroughly enjoy reading them to him everyday (I am "Wendy" after all) - and like Mrs. Darling, I'd love things to remain like this forever.

Beginnings...
J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan and Wendy has long been a favorite around our house (and on my blog, here). That is why, about 6 weeks after my grandson was born, I couldn't help but choose a Peter Pan theme for a "Sip and See" party I hosted for him at my sister's house when we traveled "back home" for Thanksgiving.

 

Baby Peter's maternal great-aunties and great-grandmas, cousins, and a handful of close family friends, came to sip tea and meet the newest family member.

New Adventures...

That was over a year and a half ago.  We had no idea then that Peter's Daddy would be joining the Navy Reserves.

After a three month separation from "Dada" during Bootcamp, my daughter and grandson were recently happily reunited with him during a quick trip to the PIR (graduation) in Illinois (I blogged about it over Father's Day weekend.)

Today we're starting a road trip across the mid-west with Peter and his Mama in order to deliver them safely to my son-in-law in Great Lakes, IL, where he is anxiously awaiting their return as he starts his nine-month training.

It's been a joy having them temporarily live with us, and I know everyday I will miss them dearly! Especially when I think of the stories we've shared and the memories we've created.

Visits...
We're all growing up, and life's adventures will continue, but we don't want any forgetting!

We may not have a Pinch of Pixie Dust, but the modern magic of Facetime and Skype will take us to them over and over while they're gone - almost as good as a quick flight to Neverland!

"Second star to the right, and straight on until morning"...

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In the meantime, off we go...stay tuned for some road trip fun as we tootle on across the states to Chicago!

PARTIES WITH A BOOK THEME...

A month ago, I helped throw a baby shower for my niece, who is expecting a boy any day now! She and her husband already have two adorable beagles and decorated their nursery with puppies, so we went with the theme, "Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails".  I found an adorable card on Etsy, that I built the "boy theme" around: we decorated with natural tones and blues and...books!

I love this set of miniature Golden Books!

The unfinished wooden toys were purchased at a craft store.

We decked out the tables with small children's books, plants, stuffed animal puppies, and wooden toys.  On the invitation, we asked everyone to bring a picture book in lieu of a card.  I purchased a cute ex-libris puppy rubber stamp and as they arrived, each guest made a bookplate to adhere in their "book/card" to the baby.

This all got me thinking about the endless possibilities for book-themed baby showers and birthday parties!  You could go with general Nursery Rhymes or specific stories: Peter Rabbit, Curious George, Dr. Seuss, Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan... the choices are endless.

Martha Stewart has some really cute ideas for a book- themed baby shower with a Mother Goose Menu on her WEBSITE.
For tons of ideas from parents for parties based on children's books, click HERE.

Think of all the fun food inspiration you could get from picture books at a  Storytime Tea. You could match refreshment choices to favorite children's book titles, displaying the books next to the treats. Then read Miss Spider's Tea Party as an activity. Let me know if you have more ideas.

MENU IDEAS (WITH ACCOMPANYING BOOKS):
Cake!
The Duchess Bakes A Cake


Blueberry Muffins or Scones
Blueberries for Sal 



Madeline tea cakes
Madeline



Chocolate desserts or candy
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory



Strawberries and whipped cream
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear!


Chocolate chip cookies
If you Give a Mouse a Cookie


Crustless jam sandwiches
Bread and Jam for Frances


Melon balls (watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe) - served in a halved out watermelon
The Very Hungry Caterpillar



Baby carrots and dip...
The Carrot Seed

A BOOK REVIEW I CAN'T RESIST SHARING, BY AN EXPERT ON THE SUBJECT!

One of my favorite picture book author/illustrators, Carol Baicker-McKee has written a very informative review of an absolutely delightful new children's book, A POCKETFUL OF POSIES, A TREASURY OF NURSERY RHYMES and its creative author/artist, Salley Mavor.  (I can't wait to get my hands on this book!)  You can read Carol's review HERE at Route 19 Writers.

Carol said she loves giving nursery rhyme books as baby gifts, and I wholeheartedly agree!  One other title that I've recommended as a baby shower gift is: BABY DAYS: A QUILT OF RHYMES AND PICTURES, BY BELINDA DOWNES.   Any new mother would love either of these books and will enjoy it as much as her child in the years to come!

NEW BEGINNINGS

January always gets me thinking about New Beginnings - a chance for assessment and resolutions, a time to appreciate the past year in retrospect and to anticipate the upcoming year and the change we will strive for in our lives.

Perhaps because we have also just celebrated Nativity, the New Year brings to mind new birth and hope.

These two children's books reflect that appreciation and anticipation of new beginnings - in the birth of babies...

JANUARY'S CHILD by Andrea Alban Gosline, illustrated by Lisa Burnett Bossi. 

"You were born in your very own month of the year and the world was waiting to welcome you here with daydreams and wishes and circles of love and in turn you brought a gift from above...." 

Every day is someone's birthday, which January's Child celebrates with creative attributes for each month of the year. More positive than the traditional "Monday's Child" rhyme, and geared for families to share among youngest and oldest members, this is a beautifully illustrated treasury, perfect as a gift for birthdays or new babies.

ON THE NIGHT YOU WERE BORN by Nancy Tillman.

On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, "Life will never be the same..."

The sweet rhyming text of this book celebrates and praises the uniqueness of a newborn.  Creation - polar bears, giraffes, geese, the moon, the wind - is shown as jubilant in the poetry and rich illustrations of this beautiful book (also a wonderful baby shower or birthday gift)!