Hi Visitor! You’re probably coming here from Pinterest, because this post still receives a surprising number of hits. I’m not an events blogger or a stylist or anything like that. Mostly I just write about the beautiful mess that is my life and my faith. There are posts on motherhood, and the our miscarriage, about the exhilarating slippery slope of faith and my wee family’s life living as expats for over eight years. I’d love for you to stick around if you find something that resonates. But either way, have an awesome sleepover!! x
Ladies, today is International Women’s Day. I thought about what I should write today. Maybe write about a woman who inspires me, the plight of women being trafficked or the need to ensure women receive equal pay as men.
All of those would be important, but instead I have for you an inspiration board for an sleepover with some of your best lady friends. Superficial, some? Well, I don’t think so. Because women face many problems in today’s world but so many of the answers can be found when we gather together to celebrate each other, enjoy each other, be true friends to each other.
When we really learn to love women, we’ll easily talk and share about our mentors and the women who inspire us. When we learn to love women, we’ll be appalled by trafficking and we’ll start taking a stand in our communities and towards our governments. When we learn to really love women, we’ll recognise the true value of our work and our contribution and be empowered to negotiate better terms.
So today let’s start with enjoying each other… and what could be more fun that recreating the sleepovers of our teenage years?! Send the men away for the night and let’s celebrate being beautiful, being intelligent and being valuable.
And then let’s wake up tomorrow morning, just another morning, and let’s look for ways that we can, in our everyday paths, ensure a better world for women.
Set the stage – we’re talking sleeping bags and pillows on the floor and piles of blankets to keep everyone cosy. And tell me you didn’t gasp the first time you saw that amazing fort in the film The Holiday? Dig out some old sheets (or buy them from the local charity shop) and recreate the scene in your living room.
Have everyone come in their nicest pyjamas. Fairy lights and cutout stars will complete the magical picture.
Entertainment – Every good sleepover needs some good beauty treatments. Put your hair in rollers, paint your toenails and give each other hand massages. We’re beautiful as we are, ladies! Keep the music playing – maybe a walkman rather than a record player is appropriate but play anything that makes you feel good.
And when you’re all done feeling gorgeous, put a movie on and lie back in the cushions with some popcorn – Grease is the classic sing-a-long film complete with its own pyjama party scene (maybe don’t try home piercings though…). Or pick something full of strong women: The Help, Erin Brockovich or Fried Green Tomatoes.
Food – popcorn is required food for any movie night. Bring multiple toppings so that you don’t fall out over the historic sweet vs savoury conflict. And in the morning when you cake up, doughnuts for breakfast feel like the ultimate indulgence. But if you must go healthy, fruit salad and home made muesli will make the morning seem brighter.
Sources (from top left): Pink Popcorn from Erin Cooks, Fort from a scene in The Holiday, Record player photo by Ellie Niemeyer, Robe by Plum Pretty Sugar, Women in rollers source unknown, via pinterest, Iced Doughnuts via Martha Stewart, B&W photo from a scene in Grease, and Garden film photo source unknown via Miss Design.
