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" Our recipe for a killer night? Shoo your husband and kids out of the house and invite over the girlfriends who help you hold it together. The key is to exert minimal effort and have maximum fun, so we got tips from a girlfriend-party master. Chick-lit novelist Emily Giffin \u2014 author of such best sellers as Heart of the Matter and Something Borrowed \u2014 shares how she calms down (hint: you might need some salt and a lime) and kicks back with her closest pals.  1. Don&amp;#039;t freak out. Know who&amp;#039;s coming over? Your friends. Know who&amp;#039;s not coming? The crazy class mom who freaked out when you neglected to bring vegan cupcakes for your kid&amp;#039;s birthday. But if party night rolls around and you&amp;#039;re still nervous, have a drink to take the edge off. &amp;quot;I always down a glass of wine \u2014 or even a shot of tequila \u2014 before my guests arrive,&amp;quot; Giffin says.  2. Keep it simple. Dismiss any thought of a theme; it&amp;#039;s too much work. Save book club for another time and just enjoy the good company. Your friends will thank you for not having to do assigned reading in order to hang out together.   3. Kill the clutter. But don&amp;#039;t bother lugging out the vacuum. &amp;quot;I toss loose papers and my kids&amp;#039; toys in the oven to get them out of the way,&amp;quot; says Giffin. &amp;quot;Just make sure you clear them out after the party so you don&amp;#039;t end up roasting the Legos!&amp;quot;   4. Have a soundtrack. Nothing dampens a party like the sound of a churning dishwasher. Music: so much better. &amp;quot;I make a mix beforehand,&amp;quot; says Giffin. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;ll even burn my friends copies to take home.&amp;quot; Her top three tunes: &amp;quot;Bad Romance&amp;quot; by Lady Gaga, &amp;quot;Scenario&amp;quot; by A Tribe Called Quest, and &amp;quot;When You Were Mine&amp;quot; by Prince.  5. Fill &amp;#039;em up. You&amp;#039;ve got Gaga and a starter cocktail. Next step: food! It&amp;#039;s fine to heat up pigs in a blanket, but if you want to make things easy, stick to cold stuff. Chips and guacamole, pasta salad (turn to page 179 for inspiration), and fruit skewers \u2014 buy the fruit pre-cut \u2014 are all quick and delish.  6. Simplify the pour. Why play bartender when you can make a jug of sangria and call it a day? Try Trader Joe&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;three-buck Chuck&amp;quot; (three dollars a bottle!), or use boxed wine and hide the evidence. Check out a brilliant sangria recipe at redbookmag.com/sangria. 7. Chat, don&amp;#039;t rant. Your kids aren&amp;#039;t there, so don&amp;#039;t let them take over the conversation. At a minimum, avoid obsessing about SATs or potty training (ditto real-estate stress or weight issues). Nobody wants to talk test scores or mortgage rates while getting their cocktail on. That&amp;#039;s it! Now look around. Your girlfriends are laughing, somebody&amp;#039;s spilling about her husband&amp;#039;s muffin-top fetish, and your husband and kids aren&amp;#039;t due back from the movies for two whole amazing hours. That&amp;#039;s what we call success. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/life/friends-family/how-to/a12053/girls-night-party/>