let's party like animals.
Nov. 27th, 2011 10:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gfrancieAs I am a masochist, I hosted a birthday for Senor Onion. (tomorrow is his proper birthday) Hosting most social occasions involves me having a complete anxiety attack prior to the event. I am convinced no one will come, that my house is awful, that something atrocious will happen and it will be like Mary Richards was in charge of everything.
It doesn't help that we have already attended two birthday parties this month. One in a home that looks like Pinterest threw up all over it. (in a good way. Everything was really rather pretty) Another in a home where there was a pile of lovely food to eat. So my natural sense of anxiety comes shining through. "Oh what the fuck can I bring to this?" Now level-headed rational people would say, "calm the fuck down. It will be fine." After all, these are four and five years one is entertaining. Not some crazy bastards from "Come Dine With Me" (have you ever seen that show? They pick some half-wits and some bitches to host terrible parties where they judge one another.)
You give them cake and goodies and they are satisfied. (this is why you never need to spend much money on a child's party.)
But still. I worry. I kept the party fairly short (just two hours) I put together two games -though we ended up only doing one and I provided nibbles and beverages for the grown-ups. (tea and strong coffee kept them happy) Once people began to arrive it was all right. I forget that half the entertainment for children is being in someone else's homes and finding someone else's toys to play with. For some reason the boys became crazy over a couple of push toy ducks my Mother had given the kids awhile back. They were sort of jousting with them. They ran around the house like mad people. They provided their own entertainment. They built a fort, drew with chalk on the chalkboard, ran in circles. Did I mention that two of the children came in costume? Just because. Yes. We had Batman and Spiderman at the party. Don't you hang out with Superheroes?
Eventually we settled them down to do pass the parcel which proved to be entertaining for the parents. For each layer of gift-wrapping there was either a grow your own dinosaur or chocolate gold coins. One child kept getting the effin' dinosaurs when he wanted chocolate. Oh it was something else. Another good thing about this party is that these are all kids from Senor Onion's preschool co-op. All the parents know the children well and their assorted quirks/personality traits so that when one gets worked up or has a melt-down, no one really bats an eyelash. There is sympathy for the child and the parent. In a sense, less judgment.
Afterward there was cake and sorbet. I had asked Senor Onion if he wanted to do any sort of theme for his birthday. One friend had had a Spiderman theme, and another did Cars. Senor Onion? He wanted a RED party. I should have posted pictures of Marx, Trotsky and Lenin. Oh well. Instead there were red streamers, a red tablecloth, cutlery, plates, napkins and... a cake. Strawberry cake with a cream cheese/whipped cream strawberry icing...with some food dye for added pizazz. Let's send those kids home HIGH. It worked well with the raspberry sorbet. Oh the joy of all that sugar.
The parents preferred my brownies. I swear this one Dad was going to die over them. So there you go. You want to win the love and adoration of men everywhere -bake these brownies. I did tell him I put heroin in them.
Then we watched Senor Onion, open presents and then the children went home with their own little bag of goodies. (stickers, play-dough, lollipops)
I should mention one present that Senor Onion received from a class-mate. This one girl (not the famous Lulu) seems to have developed a crush on Senor Onion. She drew something like thirty pictures just for him. Half of them had his name written several times followed by hearts in different colors. The little girl's Mother said that this has been going on for a couple of weeks. Talk about an open declaration of love. I really like this girl. She is pretty smart, independent and very sweet. She is a future leader and she isn't afraid to share her feelings.
I am not sure if Senor Onion realizes how much this girl loves him. He seems to like her all right. Tsk. Always the way of the world.
Now that business is over for another year. For next year I will do this insanity again. Maybe we will actually get to Pin the Tail on the Donkey next time.
It doesn't help that we have already attended two birthday parties this month. One in a home that looks like Pinterest threw up all over it. (in a good way. Everything was really rather pretty) Another in a home where there was a pile of lovely food to eat. So my natural sense of anxiety comes shining through. "Oh what the fuck can I bring to this?" Now level-headed rational people would say, "calm the fuck down. It will be fine." After all, these are four and five years one is entertaining. Not some crazy bastards from "Come Dine With Me" (have you ever seen that show? They pick some half-wits and some bitches to host terrible parties where they judge one another.)
You give them cake and goodies and they are satisfied. (this is why you never need to spend much money on a child's party.)
But still. I worry. I kept the party fairly short (just two hours) I put together two games -though we ended up only doing one and I provided nibbles and beverages for the grown-ups. (tea and strong coffee kept them happy) Once people began to arrive it was all right. I forget that half the entertainment for children is being in someone else's homes and finding someone else's toys to play with. For some reason the boys became crazy over a couple of push toy ducks my Mother had given the kids awhile back. They were sort of jousting with them. They ran around the house like mad people. They provided their own entertainment. They built a fort, drew with chalk on the chalkboard, ran in circles. Did I mention that two of the children came in costume? Just because. Yes. We had Batman and Spiderman at the party. Don't you hang out with Superheroes?
Eventually we settled them down to do pass the parcel which proved to be entertaining for the parents. For each layer of gift-wrapping there was either a grow your own dinosaur or chocolate gold coins. One child kept getting the effin' dinosaurs when he wanted chocolate. Oh it was something else. Another good thing about this party is that these are all kids from Senor Onion's preschool co-op. All the parents know the children well and their assorted quirks/personality traits so that when one gets worked up or has a melt-down, no one really bats an eyelash. There is sympathy for the child and the parent. In a sense, less judgment.
Afterward there was cake and sorbet. I had asked Senor Onion if he wanted to do any sort of theme for his birthday. One friend had had a Spiderman theme, and another did Cars. Senor Onion? He wanted a RED party. I should have posted pictures of Marx, Trotsky and Lenin. Oh well. Instead there were red streamers, a red tablecloth, cutlery, plates, napkins and... a cake. Strawberry cake with a cream cheese/whipped cream strawberry icing...with some food dye for added pizazz. Let's send those kids home HIGH. It worked well with the raspberry sorbet. Oh the joy of all that sugar.
The parents preferred my brownies. I swear this one Dad was going to die over them. So there you go. You want to win the love and adoration of men everywhere -bake these brownies. I did tell him I put heroin in them.
Then we watched Senor Onion, open presents and then the children went home with their own little bag of goodies. (stickers, play-dough, lollipops)
I should mention one present that Senor Onion received from a class-mate. This one girl (not the famous Lulu) seems to have developed a crush on Senor Onion. She drew something like thirty pictures just for him. Half of them had his name written several times followed by hearts in different colors. The little girl's Mother said that this has been going on for a couple of weeks. Talk about an open declaration of love. I really like this girl. She is pretty smart, independent and very sweet. She is a future leader and she isn't afraid to share her feelings.
I am not sure if Senor Onion realizes how much this girl loves him. He seems to like her all right. Tsk. Always the way of the world.
Now that business is over for another year. For next year I will do this insanity again. Maybe we will actually get to Pin the Tail on the Donkey next time.
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no subject
Date: 2011-11-28 07:05 am (UTC)"Because Batman is mortal."
(Mom still dines out on that story.)
no subject
Date: 2011-11-28 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-28 02:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-28 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-01 04:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-28 04:31 pm (UTC)i actually keep you in the back of my mind when i'm struggling to maintain some sense of sanity in the face of birthday celebrations.
perhaps a xmas present for senor onion.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-28 04:38 pm (UTC)Simplicity makes for an easier life. What was nice was that about six children showed up yesterday. The kids ranged in age from two to six and everyone played pretty well together.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-30 10:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-01 04:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-03 01:40 am (UTC)