By Stephanie Kepke Kaplan, Boys, Dogs And Chaos
Usually it takes me several hours over the course of a few days to write and edit a blog post. I go over it with a fine tooth comb, but not before I’ve spent way too long thinking of the perfect word or phrase. Well, not this blog post. You see, I’m in the eleventh hour of planning my son’s Bar Mitzvah and I don’t have several hours to write a blog post, in fact I don’t have several hours to do anything, including sleep. Right about the time I should be taking care of myself – eating right and getting enough rest – I am running around like a mad woman, living on fumes. I’m staying up well past midnight stuffing favor bags, filling out honors sheets for the service and figuring out the perfect candle lighting songs. I’m eating a protein bar on the way to a dress fitting, instead of sitting down to a healthy lunch.
Speaking of dress fittings, my recent lifestyle has necessitated extra visits to the seamstress, because every time I go, it seems like I’ve lost weight and she needs to take the dress in more. Being that I only bought it two weeks ago, I will probably be picking it up the day before I need it. That’s not the only thing that’s last minute – I just got in my honors sheet to the rabbi a moment before sundown, because I didn’t have all the Hebrew names I needed and after I typed it in, I lost all the changes. I changed some of my decorations last week, completely redoing the kids’ tables. Luckily, my party decorator was very understanding. Yesterday I added a second dancer to my entertainment package – an ongoing battle that I’ve had with my husband, who at first wanted no dancers, then compromised on one. He vehemently opposed having two dancers, despite the fact that my son and I thought we needed two. I don’t know exactly how I cajoled him into it, but just days before the party I did.
I wish everything else was falling into place as easily. My living room looks like a party supply company exploded in it, with cartons of t-shirts and dj giveaways sharing space with half made hospitality bags, boxes of biscotti and a basket of toiletries for the bathroom. I still have so much to do that I don’t think I will sleep for the next three days. The title of this blog couldn’t be any more appropriate – in my first post, I explained that the phrase “On a Wing and a Prayer” means “In poor condition, but just managing to get the job done.” I think I knew that everything would be last minute, because unfortunately that is my personality (and my weakness) – I will never be the person to have everything done in advance, so I can relax. I realize that – what I didn’t realize were how many last minute things there really are – from the honors sheet to the candle lighting songs to the floor plan.
There are so many things that need to be done in the last week that I hope – poor condition or not – I do manage to get the job done. I suppose even if I don’t get every single thing perfect (my perfectionist tendencies are a large part of the reason that I end up finishing things at the last minute) – there’s nothing I can do to stop this party from arriving in a few short days. I need to just take a deep breath, finish what I can and just enjoy. I’ll let you all know how it all turns in my next post, so stay tuned.
About Stephanie Kepke Kaplan
Stephanie Kepke Kaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. Before kids she was an arts reporter, covering the Boston music and cultural scene (even though she is a born and bred Long Islander, she lived in Boston for nine years and her first son was born there). Now, she blogs at Boys, Dogs and Chaos (about life with – you guessed it – three boys and two dogs) and Mitzvah Mom. She is also working on a novel about a PTA mom. She has also written for Long Island Parent magazine.
Catch up on Stephanie’s previous posts:
Post 1
Post 2
Post 3
Post 4
Post 5