Ugh! Birthday Parties

It's no secret that I hate them. Hates them! Hates them!

In fact, this year was supposed to be a moratorium on birthday parties. Everyone said they would be ok with it when I declared it last year.

But Riley will soon be four and he was not pleased to hear there would be no party.

So there is a party.

We were planning just a small one just a few friends from preschool maybe.

But Riley also has friends at the sitter's.

And then there is the friend he made in the preschool class I teach.

And then there is the gang of kids he runs around with while waiting to pick up Aidan every day from school.

And then there are the kids he's been friends with since he was born.

And then there are those kids that live around the corner.

Do you see where I am going with this?

Right now, we have 47 people coming to the party that we never wanted. And not everyone has even responded.

How does this happen?

And have I told you about the Power Ranger cake I am planning to make?

I was able to snag a Power Ranger cake pan circa 1994 from ebay. It came with elaborate decorating instructions. That should be fun. I may even have to make two we have so many people coming.

Sheesh! There was a time when we worried that Riley would have no friends and now this.
I'm having to beat people off with a stick!

And what am I going to do with all the presents?

And don't even talk to me about the freakin' goodie bags.

At this point we're even considering hiring a caterer. I'm not kidding.

Holy crap! What have I done?

I just keep telling myself though that we deserve to spend what was once the scariest day of our lives celebrating with friends.

I guess after what we went through almost four years ago, we all deserve a party.

Crest White Strips Taste Gross

But they sure get my teeth white.
Beauty is pain, right?

Yuck.

Remember the Chocoflan?

Do you?
I tried making it about a year ago but I used a springform pan and the flan part leaked out all over. It was a mess and a disaster. It broke my heart actually.

I've been wanting to try it again ever since.

It finally got the courage to do it. I used an angel food cake pan this time.
I made it last night and then Aidan and I were going to a play so I stuck it in the fridge and this morning it is hard as a rock. Uh-oh!

I haven't released it from the pan and I know it needs to get to room temperature. I hope it works out ok. Yikes. I screwed up. I should have made it this morning.

It was cool though. See, first you put down the layer or caramel and then you put in a chocolate cake layer and then the flan. But while it cooks in the oven, the layers flip!
So it's a cooking AND a science experiment.

I just hope it softens up enough to be edible. And I hope it comes out of the pan.

I'm taking it to Easter brunch at my friend C's house.

Oh my.

*UPDATE*
It worked! It came out great and it was delish! Here is a picture:

Team Mom Review: Leslie Patricelli Books

I have to tell you we were absolutely delighted to receive our latest Team Mom sending. They were two books by an author that is new to us. Her name is Leslie Patricelli and her books are just wonderful. Riley and I really liked both books we received. The first one we looked at was "Baby Happy Baby Sad". I was drawn to the whimsical illustrations but Riley caught on to the simplicity of the words which consisted of two lines which are the title of the book accompanied by some hilarious illustrations of an adorable baby in different situations appropriate to the words. Riley caught on very quickly and grabbed the book from me. "Let me read it, Mama!"
He's never done that with a book before.
Now that is an emergent reading book!
He got such a kick out of "reading" to me that he quickly moved onto the other book we received entitled "Higher, Higher".
Once again, I was blown away by the bright colorful illustration in this book about a little girl who lets her imagination take her on a swing ride of her life.
Like the first book, the language of the book was quite simple and Riley was able to "read" this one to me as well.
He was extremely proud of himself and he now announces to most everyone he meets that he is a reader.
Our entire family has enjoyed these two books and we can't wait to check out the whole series. This author is a winner in our house. Even my hard to please husband enjoyed the illustrations and he thought the baby was really cute.
These books were really a hit with all of us but don't just take my word for it, check out all of Leslie Patricelli's titles here.
Thanks Team Mom for the amazing books, they will have a special place on our bookshelf for years to come.

Patience Really is a Virtue

I haven't learned it completely. I doubt I ever will. I have most often been a person of action...to my detriment. I shoot first. I do.
But now. I've learned to pause. To wait. To take deep breaths.
Today, I am going to sit in the sun at my eldest's baseball game and enjoy the weather. And that is all I need to do for now. And it is enough.

I'm above anything else.

Maybe I'll get a lemonade too.

No Title Needed

Cry Me a River, Kid

The other day, I asked Aidan to find his back pack for school. He looked for about five seconds and then told me it wasn't anywhere.
I asked him to look harder as it was important he found it.
And predictably, he lost his cool.

"MOM! Can't you understand the STRESS I'm going through?!!!"

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Now that is funny.


P.S. We eventually found the back pack.

Beautiful Day

It is gorgeous here. 75 degrees and sunny. I have the world's cutest puppy sitting here at my feet while my kids play in the yard.

Very, very nice.