Monday, April 10, 2017

You Say It's Your Birthday

Well lookie here, I've got a blog. Perhaps I should write something on it...

Sometime in early January, Sabrina was home sick - sick enough to be bounced from school, but not sick enough to dampen 1 ounce of her energy - and as we willed the hours to go faster, Sabrina brought up the subject of her birthday party.  In April.  3 months away.  OK then.

That Sabrina had some very specific opinions about what her birthday party should be (skipping right over the fact that a party in and of itself could possibly be anything other than a given right) comes to no surprise to anyone who knows here, and probably anyone who has even heard of her.  In fact, she has the next several birthday parties intricately worked out in her brain, most likely until and beyond the time she becomes a legal adult.  Hey, she can have all the parties she wants, but at some point, she's going to be footing her on bill, dadgumit.  But since we're talking about a 9th birthday party, I'll let this year slide. 

She started listing off things she wanted: a bounce house (like last year), arts & crafts, a pinata, cake & ice cream, with a side of more cake, if you please.  Oh, and the theme?  Unicorn emoji rainbow cupcake, of course.  That's easy enough, right?

Since we were bored, I started tiptoeing through the internet, just to see what options were out there.  What was that bounce house rental place we used?  Oh yes, there they are.  And the house is available on the date we want?  Well, let's just sew that baby up right now.  Done.  And Oriental Trading has free shipping today?  I suppose they should sell me all the rainbow / unicorn / emoji crafts they have.  Done.   And look, here's a rainbow striped pinata in the shape of a number AND some adorable emoji paper plates on sale?  DONE.

In an hour, we were down to the cake, which Sabrina dictated to be rainbow inside, obviously, so I said I could handle that my own self when the time came.  We even wrote out the evite (we didn't send it that early, of course - that would be gauche).  Seriously, the easiest party I've ever put together.

So everything came to fruition this past Saturday, and I do believe we had a happy girl in these parts.  A large majority of the invitees accepted and showed up for sugar-fueled shenanigans.  They bounced, they crafted, they crammed cake in their gullets.  Perfect.

Until the vomit.

Oh, that's a sign of a good party, you say?  Not on my carpet it isn't.

Turns out 1 party-goer had been out sick ALL FREAKING WEEK - PROBABLY WITH THE FLU.  I didn't think she looked quite herself when she arrived, and just didn't have that "I'm at a party WOOOOO!" spark going on.  She ended up sitting on the couch in my living room while the party raged (as much as a bunch of 9 year olds can rage) outside, and then the next thing I know is that she's standing up, bending over, and throwing up right on the carpet.  Didn't even make a move for the bathroom until I scurried her in there.  She then told me she didn't have any fever that morning (!!!), so it was OK for her to come.  I think health class has a few holes in it.

I knew I'd have some cleaning up to do after the festivities, but I didn't think it would involve a total disinfecting.

A moment to rant, if you please.  Who sends their very recently / probably still ill child to a bounce house birthday party?  Do you enjoy spreading germs?  Is this some kind of reverse hive immunity thing?   Have you lost your ever-livin' mind?  Why???

It feels good to get that out (along with the germs I physically scrubbed out all afternoon).  I later found out that there were at least 2 other friends with strep in recent days, and a recent case of lice.  I apparently hosted some kind of latter day pestilence party, where parents would bring their kids over to visit another kid with chicken pox so they could get that business over with.  (Before you say anything, I know there's a vaccine, and my kids have had it, and I know just how old I am, thankyouverymuch.)  I will get over it (eventually), and I will not ask the parents to pony up to have my rugs sanitized, despite my deep desire to do so.  I will be polite until it kills me. 

But all that aside, little Miss Party Planner threw herself a mighty fine soiree, and I'm glad I could be the baker and bank-roller.  I imagine we'll have Number 10 all set by next month. 

Happy Birthday, Dimples.






2 comments:

  1. I just found my blog again recently too. I hope everyone is well better!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear god, BETTER SOON. multitasking is not my forte.

    ReplyDelete