I might have mentioned in a post earlier this week that it is currently the return visit of our lovely girl’s German exchange partner…or more specifically the return visit of thirteen 15 and 16 year olds.  The British girls, led by our daughter, decided that they didn’t want to revisit the awkward first few days of getting to know you that they had in Germany – they have all kept in touch in the intervening months and wanted to fall straight into “having fun”.  So this meant all being together on their first night….but not in a formal setting of a restaurant….”really we just want pizza and music in someone’s house, Mum!”.

Hmmm……no prizes for guessing who hosted 26 youngsters on Wednesday night.  It did prove to be a great ice breaker and they were extremely well behaved (I think there was more noise last week with just 8 girls!). The lack of mess after a delivery of 10 takeaway pizzas, crisps and drinks was unbelievable.  Whilst I had little to do on the evening, the beginning of this week was busy and Thursday morning saw me have an incredible crash and symptom flare.  I am just so hopeless at pacing myself and saying no…..we had 4 staying last night after visiting Thorpe Park and I think there might be 6 tonight…..I think that I should have read this post by Julie a little sooner!!  Great tips here whether you are chronically ill or fighting fit!

13 Top Tips for Throwing a Party When You Have a Chronic Illness

A couple of weeks ago, I turned 50 and I really wanted to celebrate with a party. I shared the following tips in a Facebook live broadcast on the day. But just in case you didn’t see that or you prefer to take things in, in writing, I thought I’d share them here too, with the added wisdom of a little hindsight and an extra tip!

1. Remember you’re choosing the consequences!

Sometimes we can choose to do too much, we just have to be willing and prepared to deal with the consequences (and what better excuse than turning 50!) I planned lots of rest before and after the party. Although my parents were coming to stay a couple of days after, they were warned that I might not have done all the clearing up by the time they arrived and that I would probably have to take it easy. I was willing to accept not feeling on top form for a while afterwards and when I felt rough for a few days I didn’t resist or resent it.

2. Only invite people you really want to spend time with.

I decided I would only invite people that I really enjoyed socialising with.

To read the remainder of Julie’s tips please visit ME/CFS Self Help Guru