It's my party and I'll cry if I want to (part 2)...

It's done!  It's all done and dusted and I have emerged from the other side intact and still sane.  What a crazy week it has been!  For those who don't know, my Polynesian Princess and Little Warrior are one day apart.  Yup.  I know.

Anyhoo!  This year I acquiesed and allowed Polynesian Princess a teeny tiny little party in the park.  I figured if it's a park, it's not really a lot of work.   Joke's on me apparently...

The menu.  I went for old favourites honey joys:

And when I say old favourites, I mean "my favourites".

I tried a healthy route and made watermelon jelly shots.  Disaster.  I didn't consider how bland watermelon jelly could be, so in a desperate bid to make them a little more palatable I smothered the top with custard and put silver and pink cachous on the top.  Blech.

Needless to say, they weren't a hit.  Never mind, I just brushed it off and kept going.  There was plenty of that'll do's going on that day.

The centrepiece was the Dolly Varden cake that was requested (really??  it has to be THAT cake?).  I was pleasantly (PLEASANTLY) surprised at how reasonably simple this cake was.  Even for me it was super dooper easy.  After a little handywork with dolly's legs (see below), she actually fit in the cake.  I didn't go the fancy route and use a proper dolly varden doll (ie they're sold sans legs).  I figured I'd just saw her legs off and we were in business!

After icing her and smothering her dress in marshmallows, I was pleasantly surprised and Polynesian Princess was very happy with the result (well, WHEW!).

The games went off without a hitch, the little ones got to run around in the park like wild things and everyone had a ball.  And most importantly?  Momma didn't have a nervous breakdown.  In fact, it was the opposite.  I had a fantastic time.

I learnt a lesson through this whole process.  If people offer to help: LET THEM.  I finally, possibly for the first time, accepted help from people who offered and I must say, it helped me to be a lot more relaxed.  So thank-you to those friends.  You know who you are.

Here's a shot of "the spread".  Needless to say, 80% of it didn't get eaten.

And the pay-off?  Well - a happy little birthday girl, a tired little warrior, a group of contented little party-goers and a glass of "you've done a bloody good job Mummy" that night.

So here's cheers to all the parents out there who have been there, done that and bought the shirt.  May kids parties live on forever! xxx

It's my party & I'll cry if I want to (part 1)...

Image: Rawich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So!  Polynesian Princess turns five this week and this year we’re allowing her a party.  A small one.  Historically we don’t DO parties.  We have family over for a morning or afternoon tea.  Once we had a couple of her little friends join our family get-together but it was nothing like a real party.  Nothing like me baking a cake she has requested.  Or inviting friends she has requested.  Or playing games she has requested.

Running the idea past The Architect, his only concern was for my welfare.  “If you don’t think it’ll be too stressful….” he ventures…  Because he knows.  He knows what I’m like.  He knows that despite me saying “it’ll be FINE… just a simple gathering in a park” that I will end up with a stress headache, making and baking creations that I could have just bought, and possibly ending up as a stain on the carpet in the corner of our bedroom.

But never mind!  I want to do this for my little girl and I want to make it work.  I mean, how hard can it be?  A cake, some fairy bread and pass the parcel.  Right?  WRONG.  Oh so very wrong.  That would be right for any other normal, reasonable homosapien.  But not me dear reader…not me.  Because once I set my mind on an idea, even if it’s a ‘simple’ idea – I always, ALWAYS want to make it different, or memorable, yet easy.  And herein is my downfall.  Because invariably it’s never that easy when I’m trying to do these kind of things and simultaneously maintain my sanity.

In my head I’m already planning these ‘simple’ things and night after night, lists are growing in my head.  Need to check what battery size the bubble machine takes, and maybe the radio too.  Maybe bring a trestle table and extra chairs and blah blah blah-de-blah.   Seriously.  You’d think I was planning an event for CHOGM, not a five year old’s birthday party.  In a park.  With a handful of girls from school.

I can hear all the veterans reading this and laughing at my naivete.  I appreciate there are people out there who could probably ice a Dolly Varden whilst simultaneously boiling up some cheerios and cutting up the fairy bread.   AND have a spare hand to point to where everything needs to go while you delegate with aplomb.  I know, I know!  This is but a tiny blip on the radar of party planning but I don’t do these things often and for this very reason (I'm whining now).   When it comes to planning, I do have a tendency to over-think and over-complicate things.  There.  I said it.

We are T minus four days until my first foray into the world of hosting a kids’ party.  She has chosen her cake (a dolly varden), and she has chosen honey joys as her treat to take to school on her birthday for her classmates.  Adding to the chaos is the fact that Little Warrior celebrates a birthday tomorrow (yep - he's tomorrow and she is the day after, and NO we didn't have sex once a year).  So there will be a bit of baking happening in my little kitchen over the next few days, not to mention all the prep for the party.  But I'm happy and I know they'll both be happy with whatever I produce.

So stay tuned peeps - I will be as busy as the proverbial blue-ass fly for a while, but I will update once the fat lady sings.  That is, once the party is over, but you got that right?

Yours in butter icing,

D Diva
xx