My knight in shining armor

Today I took the kids to a birthday party at a park. I love being at the park with the kids, but I hate getting from the parking lot to the park (or the beach, or the lake, etc.) with the kids and their gear. I doubly-hate getting back to the car, as the gear is no longer compactly packed and the kids are no longer clean or compliant.

The location for today's birthay was a lovely spot. It had a covered picnic shelter, a concrete path where the kids would be having scooter races, a water park, slides, swings, climbing toys & grass. Who could ask for more, right? I would like to ask that the park not be a 1/4 mile from the parking lot. By the time I got the kids, their 3 scooters, their 3 helmets, a birthday present, and my own bag down to the picnic, I was one grumpy lady. Instead of the big hug the hostess deserved in greeting, all she got was a growl from me as I complained about the Big Guy's lack of ability to steer on the way to the spot. A quarter mile is a long way to push a tricycle when the front wheel is sideways and dragging along the path.

I was starting to get my cool back (despite the 95 degree heat) when Sweetness informs me that she had to go to the bathroom. And does anyone want to guess where the bathroom was? Yes, most of the way back to the parking lot. So I grab the Big Guy (thank goodness Spunky Girl can fend for herself for a few minutes) and headed up to find the bathrooms. I was waiting for Sweetness to finish, when I saw a familiar body come across the grass toward me. I couldn't even see his face yet when I knew it was my hubby.

Oh the joy of unexpected help. I though hubby was off working today, but he ended up with some free time and he came to help me with the kids. It was like he rode up as a knight in shining armor -- that's how happy I was about his arrival. The next few hours were so much easier. When the Big Guy needed a diaper change and I realized I forgot the supplies in the car, I didn't have to haul him with me when I walked back to get the supplies. When it was time to leave the party, he pushed the Big Guy *uphill* back to the car while I carried our gear and Spunky Girl's scooter. While I was walking back, I tried to picture myself pushing the Big Guy, carrying the gear, & carrying Spunky Girl's scooter. It wouldn't have been pretty.

Now we're back home, hiding in the house from the 95 degree heat. We have air conditioning, thanks to the kindness of my in-laws. I'm thanking God for them today!

And the Award goes to...

I am exhausted, but what a great day. This afternoon we held Spunky Girl's 5th birthday party at a nearby park. Blessedly, the rain waited till after the party to come down and we had nice weather. I don't know how I would have made it through today without all the support I had. I just have to give out awards...

First, to my husband who gave up his usual post-firehouse-shift sleeping time to help me today, I give the Oscar award.

Second, to Halcyon who helped me get everything I needed to the park and helped me set up for the party(and cleaned up my kitchen before we left), I give the Grammy award.

Third, to Amber and Keri who turned out to be the best-darn-face-painters-and-friends a girl could have. For your time, energy and surprising amount of talent, I give to you the "Star of the Party" award. Seriously, they were GOOD. Check out some photos of their work:







And finally, to my sister Tory, who watched the Big Guy for me all throughout the party. What would I have done without you? You are the best. I give you the chocolate award; you deserve it!



2 kids down, only one birthday party left to throw this year. Yippee!

P.S. A little "shout out" to Glen. Hey! Glad you read my blog. It was great to see you pop up in the comment section. Hope to actually see you someday soon.

What's a little anxiety worth?

Spunky Girl is having a birthday in a few weeks, so it is time to plan her party. Natch...I start by going to the yearly budget to see what funds I set aside for her party. $100. Sounds quite reasonable.

Then I work on the guest list. I really need to invite all her preschool class if I'm going to invite any. Spunky girl plays with the boys in her class more than she plays with the girls and I think it would look WEIRD if I just invited the boys to her party to keep the guest list reasonable. So we start with 19 kids and work up from there...add 6 kids from her bible class at church...add 2 cousins...add 3 friends that we really like...plus her brother and sister...30. Really? Yeah. 30 kids. Too many. Way too many for the home party that I had in mind. It might be possible in the summer, but I'm not locking 30 kids in my house for 2 hours.

So a new venue is needed. We did McDonalds last year (delightfully cheap and easy). There just aren't that many options out there if you are trying to keep the cost down. I decided on a local park. At $80 to rent the picnic shelter, it makes coming in under budget difficult. I could chance it...not rent the shelter and just hope and pray that it is free the day of her party. That will make me anxious. For the next few weeks, I'll be worrying about what I'll do if someone else rents the shelter or just gets there before me to camp in it.

So, the $80 goes into the birthday party budget. A quick budget breakdown:

Evite invitations -- FREE
park shelter and playground -- $80
cupcakes and ice cream, drinks -- BUY w/WEEKLY GROCERY BUDGET
face painting -- $15 FROM DISCOUNT SCHOOL SUPPLY
party bags -- $20 A NECESSARY EVIL
cups, plates, banners, etc -- PREBOUGHT ON SALE

Total: $115 -- $15 over budget. Seems like I'm always 15% over on everything. I still think it is worth it to rent the picnic shelter, though. While it is nice to dream about not paying the $80 and having more cush dollars to spend on the party, it is better to have a solid plan in place.

I do like that my $80 goes to support our local parks, which I use often with my family. I should pay to support that. Of course, using that logic, NPR should get a check too. =)