I’ve spent the better part of a week sewing various things. This also means that I made multiple trips to the fabric store over the last few months. Every time I go through the pattern books I get a little sad.

I see all the patterns for infants, and toddlers and they don’t fit my girls anymore. SuperChic is in a size 8-10 and Rapunzel is in a 12-14 (pattern sizing is different than regular clothing). Where last summer I had to buy two patterns if I wanted the girls to have matching outfits this summer I only had to buy one. They are just getting to big, plain and simple.

Last week I made pajamas for Annalie’s birthday, this week I made the same one’s for Rapunzel. I couldn’t believe how much bigger they were. It really does seem like the years have just flown by. I swear that when she went to bed last night she was an inch shorter.

The little girl whose head only came to my waist is now a young lady (figuratively speaking) almost as tall as I am. I keep telling her that she has to stop growing, but she just laughs at me. Doesn’t she realize that I’m serious? She can’t grow up on me, I won’t allow it.

So I’m formally announcing that this will be Rapunzel’s final birthday. She is not allowed to get any older, grow any taller, or get any more definition in her waist or bust, and she is definitely not allowed to have an interest in boys.

I remember being 11, so it really can’t have been that long ago, could it?

Even though so many things are different now, so many of them are the same. I hated it when my Mom would take me to get my haircut. She always had them feather my bangs, I hated having my bangs feathered. Rapunzel hates it when I “do” her hair. I had to wear pajamas to bed even if it was just an old t-shirt no matter how hot I was. Rapunzel has to at least sleep in a t-shirt bra. I had more responsibilities at home. I’m the most horrble Mom ever because she has to do chores and she doesn’t even get paid for doing them. The fact that I don’t get paid to make dinner or do laundry doesn’t matter. Though SuperChic has started giving me a penny or two after dinner, as payment.

All these things meant that there was lots of eye-rolling from me and sighing from my Mom. The title of Champion Eye-Roller has been passed to Rapunzel. Whether she’s been asked/told to clean her room, do her homework or take a shower, she rolls her eyes before she even thinks about doing it. After the eye-roll comes the sigh, then the sulk. Then maybe, just maybe, she’ll do whatever it was you wanted her to do. If she can remember what it was.

Speaking of showers, why is it such a battle to get her to take one? I mean, she’ll come home from school say she stinks and then go back outside and play. Why not go take a shower? I don’t care if she takes another one after she plays outside. Some days I just want to pick her up, carry her to the bathroom, stick her in the tub, and turn the shower on. The only thing that keeps me from doing this is the humiliation it would cause, because I might see “something.”

While in so many obvious ways you can see how much she’s changed and matured. There are some things that you don’t get to see. Some things that she saves just for me.

You don’t see how she cuddles with me when we watch tv. You don’t see the hug and kiss I get every night before bed. You don’t see the laughter in her eyes when I whisper a “secret” in her ear.

These are things that she saves just for me, and if I’m lucky these are the things that will never change.

A conversation with SuperChic:

Me: You need a bath, you stink.

SuperChic: No baths

Me: You can take a bath tomorrow morning before school.

S: No more baths.

Me: Would you like to take a shower?

S: No!.

Me: You want to go to school all stinky.

S: Yes. I never want to take a bath or shower again.

Me. Then I guess you’ll never get married, ’cause boys don’t like stinky girls.

S: Yes they do.

Me: No they don’t. They like girls who smell nice and clean.

S: Not the cool ones.

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A conversation with Rapunzel

Rapunzel: I don’t like driving by the grave.

Me: You mean the cemetery? Graves are what the casket goes in. The cemetery is what the graves are in.

R: Oh. Well I don’t like them. They stink.

Me: They what?

R: They stink.

Me: Why?

R: Because of all the dead people.

Me: They do not stink.

R: Yes they do. It has a dead body in it, it has to stink.

Me. Nope they use embalming fluid to make it so your body doesn’t rot so fast. Otherwise you couldn’t see people before they were buried. They’d be all stinky and their skin would be coming off and there’d be lots of bugs.

R: Well, when it does start to rot it’s going to smell and the smell will come out.

Me: Nope. They seal the casket, but you can just bury me in a pine box and let the worms eat me. I won’t need my body anymore.

R: Well, what about those room ones? They have to smell bad.

Me: You mean a mausoleum or tomb? They’re still in a casket. It shouldn’t smell.

R: You don’t know. You’ve never been in one.

Me: No, I haven’t, but your Grandpa’s Grandpa or Uncle is buried in a wall in a cemetery. I’ve been there and he wasn’t the only one. There was a whole wall with dead people in it and it didn’t smell at all.

R: Why was he buried in a wall?????

Me: I have no clue. Ask your Grandpa.

Today it’s official. She’s a Tweeny Bopper.

As of 5:31 am she is the big one-oh. Thankfully I talked her out of waking me up at 5:31 am. She really wanted to. She wanted to be with me the exact second she was born, as she put it. While that’s a nice sentiment, I can wait a few more hours, thank-you-very-much.

We surprised her at school with balloons, a rose, cake, and punch. She turned a lovely shade of red when I walked in the door and everyone started singing. It was probably one of the most embarrassing and fun things I have done to her. But hey, when you hit double digits it’s a big deal.

So big that she made a sign to pin to the back of he shirt to wear to school. So big that I had to paint 10’s on her fingernails, but I refused to do her toes, they still looked nice from Mother’s Day. So big that she has been talking about this day for weeks.

I think she was just as excited about today, her actual birthday, for which we had absolutely nothing planned, as she was her actual party.

After school we are taking her out to “dinner.” We’ll eat early to get in on the lunch prices. So there will be more photos to come tonight. With an added bonus. Check back tonight to see what it is!

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.