Thursday 13 – Things I Have To Do Before The B-day Party

June 14, 2007

Thirteen Things about Lorelei James
Tomorrow daughter #3 is having a birthday/slumber party to celebrate her 11th birthday. We don’t go “all out” for birthday parties, there won’t be pony rides and clowns and treat bags with iPods. Just your normal party with pizza, cake, junkfood, movies and screaming girls.The thing that sucks about summer birthdays – and I know this, since I have one – is it is hard to pick a day when all her little buddies are in town. We decided to have it early, on a weekend. Three people can’t come because of soccer tournaments, or family vacations, etc. I hate the look of disappointment on her face, and the tears when she hears so-and-so won’t be attending (at least they called, some parents don’t bother, and don’t get me started on how rude that is). I tried to console her that if she had less people, she could do more things. Guess what? She fell for it! So, we’ll be going to the ceramic painting place, to the pool, and if that’s not enough, we might go to the Maze (literally a “tourist trap” outside of Mt. Rushmore, a gigantic maze.)Here’s what’s on my list of things to do before I have little kiddos running through my house:

1. Finish planting the garden and flowers so I can get the tomato plants off the picnic table (where they’ll be eating) and in the ground, where hopefully, they’ll grow.

2. Clean. Ugh. Make sure the piles of crap are out of sight in daughter’s room where the girls will be congregating. Ditto for the bathroom she shares with 17 yr old daughter #1. They are both slobs. I avoid that bathroom whenever possible so I have no idea what crud might be growing in there.

3. Set-up the tent. Since this is a “camping” party, they are actually sleeping (read shrieking) outside. Boy, my neighbors are so gonna love me – not – especially if daughters #1 and #2 decide to sneak outside and scare the birthday party girls.

4. Talk daughter into buying either cupcakes or a cake, rather than me making them. I’ve practiced my pitch. “Hey, honey, since we already have to go to the store for chips, licorice, soda, popcorn and smores stuff, why don’t we check out the bakery. Ooh, look, these cupcakes have sprinkles! And pink frosting! And little umbrellas!” Pretty good, eh?

5. Decide if we’re going to have “treat” giveaway bags and what we’re going to put in them. Personally, I think the ceramic painting item should be enough of a parting gift for the party goers. BTW, who decided the birthday kid should give other kids gifts for coming to their party?

6. Fill up the hot tub. Turn it down so they don’t fry their little tootsies. Remind daughter they are not allowed to jump on tramp when they are soaking wet and in swimsuits. Common sense, right? Wrong. Three days ago, 17 yr old daughter #1 had 5 friends over to hot tub and…yep, they decided to jump on the tramp. Wet. At 11;30 at night. In the dark. I heard a pain-filled shriek and wondered if my house insurance covered teenage stupidity.

7. Reattach the top to the trampoline cage. The last sleepover, daughter convinced us she and her buddy should sleep on the trampoline, and they proceeded to turn it into a bouncy tent with every spare blanket and sheet in the house. Since it has a cage surrounding it, they decided they’d be safe from mountain lions. No, that wasn’t a scare tactic from her older sisters, we really do have a mountain lion problem here.

8. Rethink the tent idea when I realize they will be screaming all night long. Nah. Better outside than inside where they disturb my sleep. Right. As if I’m gonna get any sleep.

9. Trip to the video store for age appropriate videos. But word of warning: Pan’s Labrynith is rated R – what’s up with that?

10. Finish edits on mystery. Lord knows I won’t be able to concentrate with giggles, slamming doors, screams, multiple trips to the kitchen, and the phrase, “Mom, can we…?” …right, and that is different than my daily life how?

11. Clean. Okay, I already used that one, but it is a little daunting. How can my house get so messy is so little time?

12. Balance my checkbook and pay bills so I can decide on whether we’re having cheap pizza, or delivery.

13. Pray it doesn’t rain. Be thrilled my daughter is happy, healthy, and well-adjusted, and remind myself how lucky I am to have her to brighten my life.

Any other birthday party hints?

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14 Comments:


  1. Amelia said:

    OH yeah, Pan’s Labyrinth is NOT a kid’s movie. It’s quite disturbing, actually. I was shocked. I did love it, but I probably won’t see it again.

    I do very low key birthday parties also–I don’t see the need to invite the whole class or get a jumping castle or whatever. They just ignore it all and play light sabers anyway…


  2. N.J. Walters said:

    Good luck with the party. You are one brave lady. *g*

    And Pan’s Labrynth is so not a kids movie. It’s a fabulous movie, but very dark and disturbing.


  3. Tilly Greene said:

    I’m with you on the ceramic piece…oh, and the buying a cake/cup cakes…mummy needs a little something to go her way every once in a while.


  4. Lauren Dane said:

    LOL! Ugh, birthday parties! I buy cakes. I know that makes me a substandard mom and all that, but there’s enough to do in one day!

    Ah, and I’ll echo the Pan’s Labrynth comment – gorgeous movie but SO not for kids.


  5. Robin L. Rotham said:

    I’m with you — whoever invented party favors was on crack.

    Good luck with the party!


  6. Charlene Teglia said:

    Sounds complicated. On the bright side, no Chuckie Cheese. That has to be what the inner circle of hell is like.


  7. Crimson Wife said:

    Pan’s Labyrinth is an excellent movie but you’ll have to do some major editing if you want to show it to kids. There’s a lot of graphic violence in it. I can understand why the filmmaker did it that way, to show the horrors of war & fascism, but it’s too bad that there is not an “edited-for-television” PG-13 version available.

    As for #4, we do ice cream cakes from Coldstone Creamery. Sure, they’re expensive but sooo yummy and way easier than trying to bake & decorate one myself!


  8. Karen Olson said:

    We found cute little inexpensive glass necklaces at the Hallmark store and little faux Chinese food containers that my daughter decorated. We stuck the little necklaces inside, and that was the party favor. No crappy candy or crappy little toys you never know what to do with. And it didn’t break the bank.

    And we got the cupcakes from the Big Y. Cupcakes are big now…bigger than cake.


  10. Shelley Munro said:

    LOL – I knew there was a good reason not to have kids 😉


  11. Lorelei James said:

    See? I didn’t get back here to comment…it’s taken me all damn day and I still haven’t hit everything on the list. Sigh. No party favors. Just lots of candy. Sugar them up and send them home 🙂

    The cupcakes are darling – and yep – they have sprinkles.

    Thanks everyone for the comments.


  12. spyscribbler said:

    Holy crap! Safe from the mountain lions??????? I guess I’m not accustomed to life in part of the country where one can get eaten by mountain lions!

    Sounds like a fun trampoline tent, though! Happy TT!


  13. Joely said:

    What a neat idea to set up the tent! I hope your daughter has a lovely birthday!


  14. JS said:

    Clowns. Kids love scary, maniacal looking clowns that might be living under their beds.

    What? They don’t?

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