Last week was a crazy one at my house! Our twin daughters, Genny and Bridget turned three years old. For weeks, the first thing Genny has been asking me when she wakes up is “Is today my birthday party, mama?” “No, Genny, but soon,” I reply. “Tomorrow?” she responds. I decide to tell a white lie “Yes!”. I know that she has no idea what all these time references mean so this way I keep her happy and avoid any possible three year old meltdowns.

Three, I’ve learned from experience, is the first birthday where kids have a real interest in their party so the pressure was on! Now, anyone who knows us knows that we get a wee bit carried away when we throw a party. So this year I was proud to show great restraint by planning the event at an art studio where they take care of everything but the cake. What a relief, I thought. I can invite their whole class -17 kids- and not have to deal with the menu, mess and mayhem. But then I found that I was really missing the planning process so in a crazy moment of ignorance decided to add a “part two”. Let the fun continue back at our house! Suddenly I’ve got 30 people – 15 adults and 15 children (under 6 years old) descending on our house 30 minutes after the first party ended. Part of me thought “I’ve got to be crazy” and the other part knew it would be great fun.

If you’ve never been to one if these soirees, let me give you a little peak at what goes on. It’s a bit hard to describe but I would say “happy chaos” sums it up.

Our kids – all 15 of them – have literally grown up together, spending 12 hours a day in daycare/school. As a result, the parents have become quite close. We do mini versions of this just about every weekend so we have it down to a science. An argument over a toy breaks out, a child scrapes their knee, someone is stuck on top of the jungle gym, someone else is thirsty – we can always count on the parent in closest proximity to take care of business. It’s what I call “seamless collaboration”. And when it’s time for dinner, an assembly line forms to dish out and serve 15 plates of hot dogs, corn and watermelon.

After dinner, while a handful clean up, the more energetic (aka younger) parents kick off the crazy dance party. (Tip: every family must have a kid party playlist ready to go. My personal faves are Rock Lobster and Shout!). This is intended to burn down the last bit of energy left in these kids! Once that’s done, time for a movie. Lights down, PJ’s on, pillows and blankets on the floor – and on comes the Wizard of Oz. Old school, yes, but those munchkins are guaranteed to mesmerize any small child. And they’re done way before those creepy monkees come on. Now the parents can relax, tell some funny stories and have a night cap before clean up begins.

Yes, my house was trashed. Yes, we were beyond exhausted. Yes, we can’t find our video camera, sunglasses and door knob. But it was all worth it: to celebrate the girls big day with great friends and make memories to last forever. Rest assured, there will be many more to come so I’d better rest up!