HONEYSMOKE

I survived Simone’s Tinkerbell birthday party. She hosted nine of the 15 children invited to the pottery painting party. Each child chose a small clay figurine to paint, and the room fell silent. Kids + fun activity + food = a happy birthday.  They painted for 45 minutes and then had some cheese pizza and juice. Simone asked 50 times when she could open her gifts. We serenaded her, cut the cake and let her open the gifts. The children crowded around Simone as she opened her gifts. I had not seen children do that at other birthday parties. One little boy liked one of Nadia’s gifts so much he tried to take it home. I cut the cake and handed it out. One little girl declined a piece of cake, because it didn’t have a flower on it. I promptly cut her a slice with a flower on it and gave the other piece to a parent.

The birthday girl had the largest chair, the biggest figurine and was treated like royalty. Most of Simone’s guests signed her birthday plate. One signed his name in tiny letters, while another signed in huge letters. One little girl signed her name backward. All was well. At one point, I found two little boys running around the store. I asserted myself as Head Mommy In Charge and order was immediately restored. But why were they running around? When I returned to the party room, I found their mothers putting the finishing touches on a dinosaur and dog. My goodness. While I survived, I will adhere to the Mommy Handbook, which clearly states birthday parties should be small affairs for young children.