to cater or not to cater

My granddaughter's 5th birthday is barely a month away and we are faced with two options regarding food preparation. Should we prepare the food or shall we have it catered? We have already identified the kind of food that would mostly likely be eaten by kids her own age. If we prepare the food ourselves, cook them home and prepare them in individual containers, we know that we could have more with a small budget. However, there is going to be a lot of work involved from the cooking to the placing of the food in styrofoams. We know the hassles of doing all these. If we have it catered, we'll be paying more for less food but the headache and hassle will be removed from our turf. We will be able to enjoy the party more and attend to other details of the kids' party which we have decided to hold in their school. Family members and friends will have their own celebration in the evening at some fancy restaurant I hope. My granddaughter's 4th birthday was big and we've spent quite a fortune for that occasion so this year we want to make it as simple as possible.

debut

When a girl turns 18, her world opens up to a rainbow of possibilities. Eighteen is the age of maturity, when a girl is formally introduced to the public. This occasion is otherwise known as a girl's "coming out", her first taste of what it's like to have her first dance with a man.

One writer with a very conservative view of what a debut ought to be said that a girl who , before 18, can say that "she'd been there and done that" does not deserve to celebrate a debut. A girl who already had a boyfriend before `18 should not demand to have a grand debut celebration for it defeats the real purpose of celebrating a girl's debut.

A debut is a girl's first formal introduction to the world of adults, particularly to eligible gentlemen. It means she is now allowed to entertain suitors and even have a boyfriend if the right one comes along.

But preparing for a grand debut is not like a walk in the park. Planning should start two months before the affair to allow for practices and preparation of the program, food, invitation, etc.

The debutante can use the help of friends and family to contact people who will have parts in the program. The success of the program depends on choosing the right host or MC for the party. The host or emcee will control the flow of events, how the whole party will start and end. It is important that coordination between the host and the debutante will be made long before the party in order to allow for changes to be fitted in.

18 roses, 18 candles (goes with 18 wishes), 18 balloons, 18 treasures, 18 cakes, 18 "lechons"...the list could be endless. The debutante should choose the events she would like to happen and say so.

If you have any questions as to the flow of the program, you may leave them here under comment and I promise to answer.