I don’t know why I am calling this post mermaid mania, the only mermaid in this whole thing was on the invitation, but it sounded good. So pbbt, I can call it that if I want to.

The party was a complete success. Rapunzel was able to have one friend sleepover last night. They giggled and played Twister, opened presents, modeled for each other, watched a movie, and picked out what they wanted in their “goodie bags.”

I spent most of Friday preparing for today. There were many vegetables to cut up, bananas to slice, a fruit ring to freeze, chocolate to melt, juice to prepare, jello to cut up, and a cake to make.

All in all it wasn’t too expensive of a party. I’m sure SAJ will add it to the her party-planning website when it is up and running, but just for you here is a break down of what we did.

Rapunzel was allowed 12 kids, including SuperChic, BB, and herself. (We don’t count the adults because they don’t get “goodie bags.”) We buy enough goodie bag goodies for each child. If someone comes uninvited (aka siblings) they don’t get a goodie bag. I’m sorry, but I feel that if you weren’t invited I shouldn’t be expected to account for you. With the exception of someone RSVP-ing and asking of course.

Speaking of RSVP-ing. Not one person actually RSVP’d for the party. I included an email address and a phone number. Two of the kids lived across the street, so I just talked to their mom, the two girls who came just told Rapunzel that they could come. Which is acceptable to me. But the other five people, nope, nada, nothing, To me, this is very rude. It means that I have to be prepared for no one to show up, or people to call the night before and say they are coming. It makes things very difficult. So if you’re invited, please RSVP if asked, it really is a big stress relief.

Okay, I think I’m done ranting, but I reserve the right to rant some mare later if necessary.

Back to the party planning, because we know that is what you really want to hear about. I purchased better hot dogs for the adults, and cheapo’s for the kids. I don’t feel bad doing this, because the kids usually end up throwing it out anyways. To save on cost and waste, I cut the kids hot dogs in half. That way if the kid didn’t eat it, only half a hot dog was thrown out.

I served fresh veggies, olives, plain chips, and ranch dip. Chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate covered frozen bananas, (warning: the bananas turn to mush after a few hours, but they still taste really good), jello, and watermelon.

Keep in mind that this seems like a lot, but it is stuff we eat all week long. So having it cut up ahead of time is fine by me.

Rapunzel requested a tropical fruit ring in her punch. I used pineapple starfruit juice, crushed canned pineapple, and frozen whole strawberries. Pour into a jello mold and freeze. If you don’t have a jello mold a bundt pan would work too, or even just a shallow round bowl.

The punch was one can of pineapple starfruit juice, mixed according to directions, to one two liter of Sprite/Sierra Mist/7-up, pour into bowl mix a little, add fruit ring, frozen strawberries, and more crushed pineapple. I normally can’t stand punch, but this one wasn’t to bad. My grandma even liked it.

The cake was the same recipe that I used for SuperChic’s party. It is super simple and super tasty. So just for you here it is. I found it at allrecipes.com, but I changed it slightly, mostly I just mix it differently.

1 C. butter, softened
3 C. white sugar
7 eggs
2 Tablespoons Vanilla
3 C flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder AND baking soda
1 C sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 325 F (165 C). Grease 10″ bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. (I don’t use a mixer, it is easy enough to do by hand). Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after adding each egg. (This is important, if you add them all at once it doesn’t want to mix in.) Stir in vanilla.
3. Add baking soda and powder, mix in. Mix in flour until well blended. (I pour it all in at once and stir slowly.)
4. Mix in sour cream, stir for 1-2 minutes or until there are little or no lumps.
5. Bake for 45-60 minutes. ( I have never had the cake bake in 60 minutes. It always takes at least 85. You might want to cover the edges for the last few minutes if it is taking longer, or the can burn).
6. Cool for ten minutes, invert onto platter.

Now for the absolute best part. The ganache.

8 oz Nestle Choclatier Dark Chocolate
1 Cup heavy whipping cream

Break chocolate into pieces and place in a glass bowl.
Heat cream to boiling. I use a non-stick pot bigger than I need, because I always boil it over if I don’t.
Pour boiling cream over chocolate.
Let sit for a few minutes. Stir. Let sit for a few more minutes. Stir some more.
Do this until it is smooth.

Drizzle over cake.

I also used this ganache to dip the strawberries in.

On to the goodie bags, which weren’t bags at all.
7 pails with shovels, $1 each
2 Playdough 4 packs, $1 each
1 8 packs of high bounce balls, $1 each
30 pack of thin markers, $1
1 15-count pack sidewalk chalk, $1 each
1 12 pack pencils, $1
2 5 pack sugar free gum, $1 each
2 6 packs squirt guns, $1.25 each
Foam Craft , 1000 pieces, $5
Pinata candy ($7, but it was actually left over from another party.)
Construction paper, printer paper, and staples (cut each into strips of three. I used four pieces of paper per book. So there were eight pages and a cover. Fold in half, and staple near edge.)
Raffia, bought after Easter for about .15 a bag.

We put two pieces of chalk in the bottom of the bucket, candy, 1 ball, a pack of gum, 1 play dough, 1 pencil, 3 markers, 1 squirt gun, 1 foam background and 4 pieces, one construction book, top with raffia. I also used the letters to put their names on their buckets.

All in all I didn’t spend too much on the goodie bags. My thing is that the kids each get a bucket, or bag, and not actual prizes when they play the games. That way everyone is a winner, and there are no hard feelings.

For decorations I bought 3 4-pack coasters at $1 each, and lantern lights for $10 at Target. The lights are going to be hung in Rapunzel’s bedroom tomorrow. So that was actually a pre-decided re-purposed item. We also used the raffia on the table. Other than the raffia that got food on it, it can all be used again.

It was a great party. Everyone had a great time. My Mom and Grandma came down, Rapunzel got a set of oil pastels, and everyone went home happy. For not doing a big party this year, it sure seemed big.

Now to start planning SuperChic’s 6th, in November, my 30th in December, and BB’s 3rd in January.

There are more photos here, and as soon as I get my photos uploaded I will add more. All photos that are on Flickr now and on this post were all taken by SAJ. She even made a movie too.

Well as I’m sure you’ve all figured out from SAJ, today was SuperChic’s 5th birthday party. Though her birthday is actually Thursday. She’s my not-so-little-any-more turkey baby.

Today went amazingly well, aside from having all three neighborhood kids here all day long. I thought that they were only going to be here for a little while go home, across the street, and come back at three. Nope, of course not. It wouldn’t be Camp Chaos if everything went according to plan. But at least I didn’t have JJ today on top of everything else.

This morning started with a run to Stater’s to buy butter to make the frosting for the cake and buy ice cream. Of course I forgot the ice cream. Then it was to Starbuks, all the way across the parking lot, for an eggnog latte, pumpkin spice latte (which I finished at about 4:00pm), vanilla sf latte, mocha, peppermint cream based frapp, and hot chocolate. Poof another twenty bucks gone with the wind. But it was so worth it. I nursed that baby all day long. (And it was a good thing to, because around dinner time I realized that a cup of coffee and a piece of cake do not a meal make.)

The party was great. The kids had a great time. SuperChic truly felt like a princess. Between the fairy lighhts strewn about the room, the coach cake, pin the tiara on the princess, freeze frame, and crown making I don’t know that anything could have made a better party. The parents were commenting that the decorations were great and that the cake looked great, but to me I just saw a sloppy cake and toned down decorations.

When it comes to parties we always tend to overdo. Everything was toned down tonight, but no one else noticed. I guess what really matters is that SuperChic felt like a princess.

I will post about the cake later. All I’ll say is that SuperChic stopped me and said, “Mommy, you can stop putting that on now. It looks good, I think you should be done.”

Here are some of the photos that we took. I will attempt to post more tomorrow, including the second round of happy birthday and present opening we saved just for Daddy.

and all through the house no one was sleeping not even the mouse.

The mouse is rattling and chattering and being pounced upon with all of Snap’s might. While Tito and Bam’s sit around and say, “what a sight.”

The kids are in bed talking and planning for tomorrow. When they should be sleeping and dreaming of the morrow.

My head is spinning with thoughts of frosting, and sewing, and lots of little stuff. If I don’t stop soon I think it might fall off.

Plop.

Today was an interesting day. Rapunzel was home from school due to what we think was a case of food poisoning from the birthday party she was at Saturday. While I did confine her to her bedroom for most of the day, in the afternoon I let her out to spend some time with me in the living room.

I was getting tired of the conversations being yelled from the bedroom door and airmail coursing through the living room. Not that paper airplanes are bad, but after awhile you get tired of getting hit in the head. And exactly how do you aim with a paper airplane and HIT YOUR TARGET EVERY TIME? I’d ask Rapunzel, but I don’t think she knows how she does it either.

Here is what she sent me via airmail:

dear Mommy,

I will make you a deal if you take me on a shopping spreay I will feed the cats.

Love

[rapunzel]

ps and shoes and makeup but light im changing to girle girl

I’m keeping the letter and putting it in a photo album. She’s such a goof, but she’s my little goof.

I was also asked how long before you get your period once you start to get you know what down you know where. I told her I didn’t know but she probably had a few years. (Being that she’s only nine and she hopefully probably won’t start until she’s twelve) I hope that I’m right. I can’t handle this situation any sooner than that. She even asked her Auntie the same thing.

It was kinda sweet how she did it. She practically whispered it. If I hadn’t been paying attention completely I never would have heard her.

I remember starting my period, I was in the sixth grade, and I didn’t freak out or anything. I woke up, realized what had happened and told my Mom that I had started. She said ok and gave me a pad. I knew what was coming and wasn’t scared. I was just kinda concerned that other people would know by looking at me, especially the boys in my class. Because we all know that sixth grade boys are all idiots and can’t talk about anything girl related without teasing the girl to death.

Hopefully I’ve prepared her for this. I know she understands what it is and why we have it. Just like she knows we’re born with all the eggs we’ll ever have when we’re born. And how a baby is conceived and born (she was there for Superchic’s birth).

I feel that if she has a question she should ask it. I will always answer her to the best of my ability. I give her honest, straight forward answers, which, truthfully, gross her out, but I’m not going to sugar coat it for her. I’d rather her know the correct terms and not what other kids may call it. Even when she was three and asked what things were I told her the truth. She was kinda like the little boy in “Kindergarten Cop.” Luckily for us she mis-pronounced it so know one really knew what she was talking about. Though it took her Papa weeks to get her to say kitty with a “k” and not a “t.”

I guess this is proof that life moves on even when you don’t want it to.