How to organise a party for someone who hates parties

Well, it was always going to be a hard challenge. Its my grannies 80th birthday and my aunt and I are going to organise a gathering of family and close friends. We reckon that there will probably be about 40 of us. I am tasked next weekend with getting her moby and ringing her friends to tell them of our plan.

Whilst this is achiveable, the catering is going to be a hard nut to crack. My granny is even more fastidious about her food than I am. She has for her whole life not liked eating out, as she hates knowing she could have cooked something better at home. Oh yeah, she is also a puritan in terms of knowing where her food was sourced(thats where I interit it from!).

My plan is simple, give her enough champers and she will quite happily go large at McDonalds.........

Nah, in all seriousness, she will love whatever we organise. She will have no choice.

Free stuff for the kids

Evas giggly blog entry about free stuff got me thinking about the places I take the kids. Garden centres are my ultra fav thing, and have been for a few months. I know of at least five garden centres I can take them to within 15 mins drive. They are perfect as they invariably have pets, lots of plants and herbs to show the boy. Some have climbing frames and playhouses to test. It got even better about two weeks ago when they started taking the Crimbo merchanside out. We had a field day then. Boy was entertained for about 20 mins (which is a long time for a 2.75 year old) choosing his fav Crimbo tree. MLP just likes the book section, I just get her to exmine the books.

Last week we beat our own record, I managed to stay in garden centre for a full hour before kids started getting really tetchy. I have a stragegy. I check the name of the most expensive playhouse / climbing frame / Christmas tree and when kids fractiousness is reaching fever pitch, I gather them up, usher them out of the centre. I ensure that as we go past the tills I tell the boy very loudly "WE WILL OFCOURSE BRING DADDY BACK TO BUY THE HEIDI PLAYHOUSE / JUNGLEGYM / MIDAS TREE". I then smile at the cashier, look at the two kids, roll my eyes.

I then make sure that I do not go back to that garden centre again for a few weeks. Each week we try a new garden centre. If my rotation works out right, by the time we go back the rabbits wont quiver when they see MLP!

The birthday party

We had a great time at Mia's party. I think it was a little too good as I realise we wont just get away with food and party games for the boys third birthday. We may actually have to splash some cash and get a real entertainer in. Unfortunately neither of us can morph balloons into Peppa Pig or Thomas the Tank Engine. Neither of us can whip a rabbit out of a hat (I would try the chincilla, but he has already suffered enough from the two kids).

Then we got thinking as MLP did not have a party last year, she will need an extra special one next year. Hmmm. Definately food for thought.

Some of the best bits of being a parent

its not just about the laughing till you want to cry, not just the cuddles and kisses you get from the kids, something more than clapping in delight at their achievements, better than snuggling up and reading a book, more delicious than eating a plate of icecream with your kid. Its something that happens three times a year. Post Haloween is one of them, Dec 5 and also post Crimbo are delightful times. I am talking ofcourse about the choc fest that follows each of these holidays (December 5th is Santa visit night in hungary, where good kids get chocolates and bad kids get twigs).

I can safetly say that I look foward to such events with full glee, knowing that when the little monsters are in bed, it will be the culinary equivalent of the salmon coming home to spawn.

Tonight I have consumed approximately 1000 calories, I know this only because each mini twix and mars bar helpfuly displayed its calorific content like a badge of honour.

I dont discriminate, be it Mars, Twix, maltesers, all very welcome. I would feel less guilty if I know I did not need to polish off the goody bags from Mia's party tomorrow. I now have empathy with the black bear, but, unfortunately I dont get to hibernate following my feasts.

Ye Olde Fashioned Vomit Bug

I finished cleaning at 9pm, ready to be absorbed by a new book, when I hear retching from downstairs. The boy is projectile vomiting in his semi sleep. At first its only the bedclothes which are covered. Boy is inconsolable. Then I get covered. The hallway is runby covered as I run to the toilet with him. When we emerge, a half hour and full stomach contents later, I notice my new Milanese boots are drenched in vomit. The poor boy is a one man vomit machine for the rest of the night. I take him to our bed, cue 3 changes of sheets later at 2am, I admit defeat. I reach for my glasses and notice that these ended up in the sick bucket. As I head downstairs with the boy I dont know whether I am disorientated from lack of sleep, or whether its just from the coating of sick on my galsses. Poor boy continues to throw up every half hour, or whenever he moves, whichever is sooner. He manages 45 mins sleep cuddled upto me (the best part of the night!). At 5am he is bored of me reading and singing (who would not be?), so I abandon all principles and we watch some junk tv. Boy much better. Milanese boots dont have a good prognosis, one is beautiful and unscathed, the other horribly scarred, its not shiny and looks old. Vomit is very scary stuff.

They have infiltrated the car...

I always thought that the car was the last bastion of child free living (save for the car seats). Alas, this has now been infiltrated by Child Friendly CD (CFC). the kiddies happily sing along to Postman Pat and Going to the zoo, for hours on end. In the midst of me animating with one hand, along to the CD, singing, i have to get us to our chosen direction. As I severely resent having to sing Postman Pat more than 7 times in sucession, occasionally i change the lyrics. So far in my mind Postman Pat has been a homicidal maniac, Jackie O and then sometime he is a lumberjack (and he is ok!).

Summary again

Its still a bit manic in the household due to lack of nursery. Some noteable highlights this week include the boy answering the phone and saying "my munny doing a wee wee"! The boy at a birthday party bash, face down to the table desperately trying to gnaw off some leftover chocolate sauce which had dried onto the table.

MLP however is a tad more civilised, she just shakes her head and says "nem" - no!

Not much happening, have now found a nursery which both can go to, so things might have a change of being near normal soon!