Category Archives: party

The Rice Cakes of the Vegetable World

I don’t understand veggie platters. They are present at every party, and hosting an event without one is heavily frowned upon. So you have one out that invariably doesn’t end up getting eaten because who goes to a party to eat raw celery sticks?

Don’t misunderstand me, I do like vegetables, and include them in most meals to some extent. But at a social outing if the veggie platter is competing with the cheeses and other deep fried goodness, well, the platter doesn’t stand a chance. Considering most of the parties I have been to ended with these trays just as stacked at the end of the night as they were when I arrived, I don’t think I am the only one who feels this way.

It must be a guilt thing. People feel guilty having all of the junk food around, so they rely on the veggie platter to absorb the guilt. If only it would also absorb the yumminess.

I don’t necessarily make a conscious effort to avoid the platter, but something else, more delectable, always catches my eye before I even notice the veggie platter was there. I think the problem is with the vegetable selection. The usual suspects are celery, broccoli, baby carrots (don’t even get me started on baby carrots!), and cherry tomatoes. Nothing exotic, intriguing, or even a mild curiosity. Celery sticks are the rice cakes of the vegetable world. Flavorless filler.

If there were more options I think I could get behind this. Deep friend, beer battered zucchini. That is *my* idea of a veggie platter.

Ducky’s birthday party left me with leftover celery. A lot of it. At first I contemplated making some stew (I generally like to put celery in my stew)…. but it is summer… who eats stew in the middle of summer? Better yet, who makes stew in the middle of summer?

Tomorrow I will be going into day three at the office of having celery throughout the day trying to finish it out. And then I will have a tub of ice cream for dinner. To cleanse the palette.

Almost Two

Ducky will be two in less than two months and I am beginning to think about what I should do for his birthday. I have managed to keep the kid alive for two years. That should be a celebration onto itself. I should get a new dress. No? That is not how this works? Well, then I will just get the dress anyway and call it a day.

Ok, back to his birthday planning. I want to do a theme. Can you guess which one? Ducks! I bet you didn’t see that coming. I know, I know, but really now, for how much longer do you think I can get away with this? I can’t imagine my teenage son will want ducky themed birthday parties. So I am enjoying it while it lasts (read: while he has no opinion and/or cannot articulate well enough so I can pretend I don’t understand what he is saying when he protests).

Believe it or not, this is actually quite a common theme. Otherwise I don’t think there would be as many duck  oriented birthday party paraphernalia items. Of course I am also open to suggestions. If anyone else with a vested interest in this party has anything to say about it, then I will consider other themes.

Before anyone gets too excited, there are a few things I will veto outright. No dinosaurs. We did a dinosaur-like theme for his first birthday. That was very nice. Should he request it again when he is better adapted to speech, then it may again be taken into consideration. In the interim, no dinosaurs. No lions. Currently the lion is his favorite animal and he is obsessed with these creatures. I blame everyone who bought him lion stuffed animals and toys at birth and for his first birthday because he happens to be a Leo. Very clever. I am still waiting for my bow and arrows. However, because I don’t see this lion fetish abating any time soon, I am saving this for his third birthday. He will be far more cognizant, and maybe even remember it down the line. No Curious George or Winnie the Pooh. Just because.

In the meantime I will be fantasizing about all the yummy duck looking desserts I get to bake and decorate.

Birthday Fun

Yesterday we had our first kid’s birthday party. Not the kind of party you have for a kid’s first birthday where you invite all of your friends and family and everyone celebrates that you have managed to keep the kid alive for a whole year. No, this was a kid’s birthday party where everyone invited has kids. A lot of kids. At one point we had almost two dozen kids in our house, with the majority averaging about 3 years old and under.
It was pure, unadulterated chaos, and it was absolutely wonderful! I loved that we could host this many people, and everyone could have a good time. Babies were being passed back and forth. Little boys and girls were running rampant through the back yard. The toy/play room looked like an atomic bomb hit, and I reveled in all the giggles, and laughs.
Even the prep was fun. I made this four tier cup cake cake with all the trim. We handed out goody bags and included a bunch of fun stuff (which was super fun shopping for). I got to spend hours in the toy aisles picking out the little toys, stuff that I even wanted to play with. Then I got to look through all the cool activities they had and pick my favorites and watch the kids play with them (even though we never got past the first game of pin the tail on the donkey).
Munchie was absolutely gorgeous in her little party dress, that we eventually got her to wear. Now if I could just get her to let me put pretty ribbons in her hair we will be all set! She was the perfect little hostess playing with all the kids, and running around greeting people. Even though she usually gets very shy around a lot of people, she was able to shed the shyness yesterday and have loads of fun.
I got to see friends and family we have not seen in a long time, and oh my God, did I mention all the cute babies! I wanted to keep them all. The next time we go to a kid’s party I am bringing a giant purse and stealing all the cute babies. I am kidding! Sort of.
Yesterday I realized how truly blessed we are to have such awesome friends and for Munchie to have so many little ones to play with. And the best part, having multiple kids means we get to do this twice a year! Until we have another, and then we can do this every few months. The Dugger mom was on to something there. Hubby, if you are reading this, I am joking. Sort of.
What is your favorite part about kids’ parties? Do you do themes?