game day stains.

To tell you the truth, we’re not quite as hyped up for the Super Bowl as we’ve been the past two years, for obviously reasons  :-( #GOHAWKS  but I still love the big game and the chance to throw a little at-home super bowl party for my family.  As mom I kind of think of myself as MC of all things fun and party related.  (This isn’t really true, of course.  My husband is the fun one in the family.)   But I do like the process of  putting together a fun time, and for me that usually means food.  I’m one of those people that enters Disneyland and immediately looks for the closest churro stand.  To me, good food equals half the fun.

Our super bowl menu is all about simple fun finger foods.  Things you can snack on over and over through the whole game.

(See what I’m making below:)

This year, along with chips, salsa and cheese, I’ll be doing wings with bbq and ranch, spinach dip with sliced baguette bread, bbq meatballs, veggies with ranch and hummus.

For dessert: a donut platter and peanut butter m&m’s.  I’ve also done brownies with ice cream and we pretty much always pop a bag of popcorn as well.

My favorite spinach dip recipe here.

Favorite BBQ meatballs here.

(both can be made ahead!)

These are all fun foods that my kids love and are super easy to throw together after church on Superbowl Sunday.

They’re also foods that make a big ole mess.  Melted cheese, barbecue sauce, chocolate, soda, chips. Times four kids with their little fingers… and a toddler that spills at least once during every meal.

See how I deal with that mess below:

I love having a clean house, but I also love letting my kids have fun in our house.  I don’t want them to feel like they’re growing up in a museum, but doing just about anything with kids makes a holy mess, so you can see my dilemma here.

I’ve got a couple tips, I’ve picked up over the years for dealing with a post party mess.

First, don’t wait to clean up.  Clean as you go, as you prep the party, and then a little bit as you’re partying (nothing too intense, but just put those dirty dishes right in the sink, wipe up spills as they happen.) Most importantly, clean it all up right when the party is over.  I know you’re tired, and the last thing you feel like doing is cleaning, but if you wait till later or the next day, those messes are set and so much more work to clean up.

Second, throw in a load of laundry right away.  Wash those stained clothes, napkins, dishtowels, and aprons right away before the stains set and before the laundry piles up and adds to your overwhelm.

And last, find yourself a laundry detergent that really works.  I’ve been using Persil Proclean off and on since last spring when I first tried it out and every time I come back to it I’m amazed how effectively it cleans up without shredding my clothes.  Persil’s 2in1 has become my favorite from the line because the stain removal is legit.  And I’m not the only one who’s noticed, Persil’s 2in1 is the top rated laundry detergent on the market right now.

Head on over to Persil’s Facebook page for stain removal tips and tricks, fun games, and more info about this amazing detergent and how it can help you tackle those #gamedaystains

created in partnership with Persil ProClean.