Today, I decided to throw a gymnastics-themed party for my daughter and her friends. They’re all super into gymnastics, so I figured, why not bring the gym to our home? I started by clearing out our living room to make space. I pushed the sofas aside and rolled up the carpet. Then, I brought out some mats and a balance beam that we borrowed from a friend who coaches gymnastics. It felt like setting up a mini gym right in our house!
After setting up the play area, I moved on to the food. I wanted to keep things simple, easy to handle, and, of course, fun. First, I made some sausage balls. These are always a hit and super easy to make. I just mixed some sausage meat with cheese and baking mix, rolled them into balls, and baked them. While those were in the oven, I wrapped some meatballs in bacon. Bacon makes everything better, right?
- Sausage Balls: Mixed sausage, cheese, and baking mix, baked them.
- Bacon-Wrapped Meatballs: Wrapped meatballs in bacon, baked until crispy.
- Jalapeno Poppers: Halved jalapenos, filled with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon, and baked. I used these because I remembered some friends of my daughter are fond of it.
- Fruit Skewers: Cut up some colorful fruits like strawberries, grapes, kiwi, and pineapple, and put them on skewers.
- Chicken Wings: I know it is a cliche, but who can say no to Chicken Wings?
Next, I tackled the jalapeno poppers. I halved some jalapenos, took out the seeds, filled them with cream cheese, and wrapped each one with a slice of bacon. These went into the oven along with the meatballs. For something fresh and colorful, I made fruit skewers. I cut up a bunch of fruits like strawberries, grapes, kiwi, and pineapple and slid them onto skewers. They looked so vibrant and inviting!
Snacks and Decorations
I also baked some chicken wings with a simple marinade. They are just chicken wings but I’ve got to say, these were gone in minutes! For a sweet treat, I made cookies shaped like little gymnasts. I found a cookie cutter online a while back, and it was perfect for this occasion. The kids loved decorating them with icing and sprinkles. We also had some store-bought mini quiches and deviled eggs because I wanted a good mix of savory snacks. I stuffed some mushrooms and tomatoes with a herby breadcrumb mixture and baked them until they were golden brown. And just to add some greens, I wrapped asparagus and green beans with a bit of prosciutto and roasted them. They turned out pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.
The kids arrived in their comfy clothes, and some of the girls even wore their leotards, which was adorable. They all took off their shoes and any jewelry. Those with long hair tied it up in ponytails. We spent about an hour and a half playing in the makeshift gym. They took turns on the balance beam, did some tumbles on the mats, and just had a blast. I had a couple of friends, who are gymnastics coaches, come over to help supervise, which was a huge relief.
After all that activity, everyone was hungry. We moved to the party room, which I had decorated with balloons and streamers in bright colors. The food was a hit! The kids munched on everything, and there were hardly any leftovers. Seeing them enjoy the food and the activities made all the effort worthwhile. The party lasted about two hours in total, and it was a success. Everyone left with a smile, and my daughter said it was the best party ever. I’m just glad everything went smoothly and that the kids had a great time. It was a lot of work, but definitely worth it!
