Hosting a Fun Dinner for Mother's Day 2011
Make Mother's Day 2011 memorable by throwing your mom a fun dinner party. If you have a large family, invite the entire gang and co-host the party with your siblings and cousins to honor your mothers, aunts and grandmothers. In addition to food, plan on a few Mom-centric activities to make the party fun for all there.
Theme
For Mother's Day 2011, choose a theme for your dinner. Think of your mother's favorite cuisine, such as Italian, Mexican or Thai, and plan the meal around the theme. For example, if your mom loves Italian food, serve her favorite pasta dish for the main course, with fried artichokes and an Italian salad as the starters. If you mother loves classy dining and steakhouses, serve steak with a red wine sauce for the main dish, mashed or baked potatoes and an iceberg wedge salad on the side.
Decoration
Decorate the dinner to match the theme. For example, if you're going for a classy dining experience, cover the table with a white tablecloth and set a vase with a single rose in the center. Light candles and place on the table and use your finest china and silverware. Things can be more casual for an Italian themed dinner, such as a red and white checked tablecloth and basic white plates. For a picnic dinner, use brightly colored plates and cups and set a vase full of brightly colored flowers, such as gerber daisies in the middle of a picnic table.
Drinks and Dessert
Serve you mom her favorite beverage on Mother's Day. You can also get creative and develop a drink that fits with the theme of the party or a drink just for Mother's day 2011. For example, if your mother loves sparkling water or champagne, make a special fruity, bubbly drink just for her. Puree her favorite fruit, and then mix with seltzer or sparkling wine.
Dessert for Mother's Day should be sweet, just like your mother. Think of spring when choosing the dessert. A strawberry rhubarb pie is a good choice, if you mother likes fruity desserts. A chocolate or lemon pudding paired with fresh raspberries and cream is a good option as well.
Activities
Have a number of activities planned for before the meal and just after. Younger children can write a poem or story about their mother and read it to the assembled guests before you eat. A group of siblings can share special moments about their mother.
If there are a lot of young children in your family, plan a Mother's Day themed craft to keep them busy for dinner. For example, have the children make paper flowers to give to their mom after the meal. If you want, put one of the older children or teenagers in charge of the craft while you finish making the meal.
After dinner, play your mom's favorite board or card game. If it's nice outside, take the party outdoors for a game of volleyball or tag. You can also come up with a game specific to your mother or a more general Mother's Day game, such as Mother's Day bingo.
