Soupo's Birthday: It Seemed Like a Good Idea to Someone

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Friday was Soupo’s birthday. He’s seven now. Big deal, he’s not big enough to stay home by himself or mow the lawn or anything useful. But for some reason it was decided we would celebrate this milestone with a party. A Kid Birthday Party. With actual kids. At my actual house. For three actual hours. Without an actual open bar. I was not consulted.

All in all it didn’t go so badly. There was five kids invited and there were games to play and cake and ice cream. Did I mention it lasted for three hours? And the favorite game was “Run Up and Down the Stairs Yelling About Some Monster That May or May Not Actually be Chasing You”. You really need a seven year old boy of your very own so you can throw said boy a birthday party with his friends. It’s fun.

As anyone who has ever thrown a party for seven year olds knows, you don’t just have the party. No, no, no. There’s “preparations”. “Preparations”, in this case, was me shoveling the snow off the driveway and the front walk. “But there wasn’t that much snow to shovel,” you say. “It was only what? 1/4 inch or so?” Yeah, I know. But someone didn’t want snow tracked into her house that she just cleaned. You have to clean your house for a bunch of seven year old boys. Who knew?

But they all arrived right on time, all five of them. And much excitement was experienced. One of the… guests went so far as to get a haircut and put on “smellies”. Apparently it wasn’t just a party, it was a Social Event. I mean, if it rated “smellies” it was pretty much Big Time. Then, like little gentlemen, they gathered around the table and drank coffee, ate scones and discussed topics currently in the news. Ha! I already mentioned “Run Up and Down the Stairs Yelling About Some Monster That May or May Not Actually be Chasing You”, so you know there was much running and shouting and a little punching and some burping. Was this a surprise? To me? No. Someone wasn’t quite prepared for seven year old boys though. Then she wanted an open bar. The juice pouches just weren’t cutting it.

But really, things went about as well as you could expect. These were just kids. And they were all pretty good kids too. Their big act of rebellion is to burp and then not say “excuse me” until after they laugh like little loons. This, oddly, happened a lot. I mean A LOT. It’s not like we had to watch them to make sure they don’t steal our good glasses. They were too short to reach the good glasses cupboard anyway.

Soupo pulled in some good swag. Right after Christmas, so his swag level was a little low anyway. (Ha.) He got this cool Lego-like set with Space Aliens and Men in Black (One of the MiB looks just like Al Gore. It’s creepy.) and a space ship and stuff. He might like that. Once I get tired of it. But that’s not going to happen for a while.

Just like we won’t be getting rid of that lingering cloud of “smellies” any time soon.
-Rue.

2

Rue, your error was having a child in the winter. We had our daughter in early September. The weather is still nice enough for an outdoor party. And a yardful of kids is a more or less usual situation.

But a winter child, as you see, requires a winter party. Indoors. I think that’s why Chuck E Cheese was invented. Not a suggestion or a criticism - I’m just sayin’…

I’m a January baby. I never had birthday parties. In our family, the birthday tradition was that you got $3 (this was in the 60s - that was a nice chunk of change) and you got to pick dinner for that evening. And you got cake. But you didn’t get a party. It didn’t affect me. Not in the least. Really. I don’t want some old party.

Glad your good glasses were safe.

3

Rue, I feel for ya. Both my kids had sleepover birthday parties this past weekend. A half dozen twelve year old girls friday nite and a half dozen ten year old boys saturday nite. My wife’s idea. I was so thrilled at her planning. They haven’t outgrown the burp game yet, so you have many more years to enjoy that one. Out of neccessity the bar was open for we brave parents. I think I’ll wait until next weekend to have that nervous breakdown I’ve been promising myself…

4

Birthday parties are a major deal in my family (and extended families). I have no children myself, but my two younger sisters have provided me with nieces and nephews to fuss over. Ages (last year) range from 3 to 18. Their birthdays fall in June (2 of them)(usually a pool party), September, October, and December (early Dec., so it doesn’t really reduce the swag factor). Not only are several of their friends invited, but every grandparent, aunt, uncle and cousin show up with plenty of swag (and cash!). There’s always lots of food, cake and ice cream…except for one nephew who doesn’t care for cake–he usually gets a giant decorated chocolate chip cookie.

5

Oh, and the bar is always open for the adults at these parties–a necessity!

6

It has been decided that next year’s party will be a “Half Birthday” party in the spring. In the yard.

My response: Next year’s party? I thought we were done.

But noooooo we’re not done. Next week is the Family Party. Maybe we should have had one party on Friday and one party on Saturday… no that’s just crazy.

On the upside, that means more cake. So I shouldn’t complain.

7

I thought we did pretty good having the girl child in May. I was wrong. I planned her first birthday party for May 18 2002 and do you know what happened on May 17, 2002? WE GOT SNOW!

So my cook out became a cook in and there were too many people in my not quite all the way unpacked house.

The boy child is a fall birthday, October 1, but I figure with my luck we will have lots of snow then too :frowning:

My hubby is much older than 10 and sometimes he too will play the burp game with my daughter. And they told me girls are so dainty and sweet! Not my little girl - don’t let the nail polish fool you!

8

There are advantages and disadvantages to being a Grandparent.

Advantage: you don’t have to go to Birthday parties that involve the actual presence of other, non-family type, kids. And even if you do, you get to sneak out early, usually.

Disadvantage: you get invited to all manner of other stuff involving the kids that you’d just as soon avoid. Sunday, we got invited to the newest G’kid’s Baptism. Naturally She Who Must Be Obeyed thought this would be just the thing for spending our day. I wisely kept my thoughts to myself. So yesterday morning we dress up a little, not too much, and head on over to the kids’ church. When we get there some nice people who I think I should know, but don’t quite remember, give us a program. I check it out, a few songs, a quick splash of water, and we’re done. Cool.
But wait, these are Lutherans! As I found out at the end of the first song, when they get to the end, they start over at the beginning and sing the dang song again. All the way through. And they aren’t even the good old hymns like we grew up with and loved. No! They’re new style, touchy-feely, sanitized hymns. No Onward Christian Soldiers, no sir! They’re all about running down by the beautiful river and stuff. Soft fluffy songs. Not one of them memorable.
Well ,this went on for an hour. Then we had a sermon. It was short and the preacher guy was a good speaker, so that was OK. Then he did the Baptism thing. Bumbagrandkid thought he was being massacred, but he got over it.
But then the preacher invited anyone in the congregation who wanted to to come up and re-baptise their family members. And boy did they want to! Remember, these are Lutherans. That went on for a while. Then we sang some more songs. Twice.
Finally, just about the time I was beginning to wonder about the possibility of getting a butt transplant, they relented, and we got to go home.
The whole thing actually only lasted for two hours. But I think I’d prefer the seven year old’s party. At least I could run up and down the stairs with the rest of the kids.

Oh, afterwards we went to the kids’ house and ate, that was good. But no cake.

9

Just in case anyone is wondering or planning or anything, my birthday is coming up but there’s no need to send an army of scantily clad young studs to entertain me and stuff. Love offerings and tributes are really unnecessary. Extravagant gifts or parades or acrobats would just tend to embarass me. So please, control your adulation. I mean, it’s not like turning 50 is that big a deal…

Am I subtle or what?

:smiley:

10

You are the very model of discretion.

Or a modern Major General.
[sub]Insert opera singing smilie here.[/sub]

11

Well, I’m big on birthdays–mine at least. My sisters are getting to the point where they just go out to lunch with each other and Mom to celebrate, but I make everybody come over and celebrate my birthday with a full dinner, cake and presents! I go down to my Mom’s for my birthday just so I can insist on this family gathering. We order prime rib and ravioli from our friend the chef, one sister makes a salad, another makes garlic bread, and the third bakes a cake and makes to orange sherbert salad (my favorite). And my Mom cooks a vegetable–because what’s a party without broccoli?

When I was a kid, I didn’t have kid birthday parties. My birthday was always either right before or right as school started, so it wasn’t a good time for a party. But when I was in college, my friends threw me a surprize party for my 21st birthday. It was great, except in the excitement of filling glasses for my first “official” legal drink, my glass was accidently filled with sparkling cider instead of champagne. The mistake was soon, and repeatedly, rectified.

I suggest that, at a designated time, we all raise our glasses and toast FCM’s birthday (she can’t be 50, she dosen’t look a day over 35!). Think of it, all across the country, nay, the world, people all thinking good thoughts about FCM all at the same time. It gives me chills.

12

Obviously we should toast Snickers at four minutes til five Greenwich time. That way it’s:
1/23 4:56.
It’s a Perfect Plan.

13

Rue, I trust you’re talking PM and not AM. Because while I wake up at 4:50 AM eastern time, I’m usually asleep at 4:56 AM Greenwich time. Women of my advanced years need all the beauty sleep they can get!

:smiley:

14

I appreciate the delicate timing of Rue’s suggestion, but, living on the west coast as I do, I think it would have me drinking whilst still at work. Far be it from me to argue that drinking at work is not a good thing, but on that particular day I’ll be arguing a case in front of an ALJ, and there would be way too many people around–I’d have to share!

We could all tip our glasses to FCM as 1/23 4:56 (pm) came around in our own time zones–it lacks the power of the combined minds of the StraightDope (or the MMP group at any rate) being concentrated on her all at once, but, it extends the salutation over hours and hours. Wow, like all the cosmic good vibes just floating out over the universe. Like, reality will change with the positive energy that we’ll be sending out. Cool, man, cool.

Or we could all try to post on a birthday thread at the same time–a multi-simulpost!

15

So wait. I should eat toast and Snickers at what time?

I don’t want to miss out on an excuse to eat a candy bar.

[sub]What? Am I confused?[/sub]

16

Or you could just send cash. :D:D:D:D:D

17

Darn. If only I had known earlier. For I’m afraid I’ve spent all my money on habitation upgrades. Oh, well. I could send monopoly money if you’d like.

We never did the birthday party thing in my specific family group. We only got to choose what kind of cake we’d have.
My cake was cherry pie.

I’ve always been a bit odd.

18

I am wondering how you were all able to post here, since it kept me out the past few days. I shall continue to be splendidly paranoid.

Anyway, the Girl’s birthday was one week before Christmas, but we weren’t really prepared for it, so we just did gifts and let her choose dinner, which turned out to be at a restaurant. She also got to choose the kind of cake that she wanted and went with cheesecake from Servatii’s. The Girl definitely has potential to become the Woman. And only eight years old.

Now the Boy’s birthday is the end of next month and we’re considering letting them have a combined pool party if we can arrange and afford it. If not we might have to go with the baptism, which is sort of like a pool party. I was not aware that Lutherans were so alive with the holy spirit like that, I thought that they were a bit more taciturn. I’ve obviously got to stop taking religious notes from Garrison Keillor. So I wonder if the church of Satan has “baptism by fire”. That would tend to cut down on the recruits, I suppose.

19

Yay! Somebody read my post! Thanks Shibb!

The girlChild and her hubby have chosen to go to the new and inproved, reformed, Lutheran church of what’s happen’ now type Lutheran church. Actually, GirlChild chose, hubby just goes along with whatever she says.
Personally I was raised a Southern Baptist, and then a Methodist, and now I’m an Agnostic/Atheist. (I have no intention of explaining that.) However, there were certain things I enjoyed about my church-going experiences. The wonderful old gospel songs, the magnificant archetecture, the stained glass, and the pageantry. Their church has none of those things. :frowning:
Now, I like these people a lot. They’re very nice people. But their services are just so bland. Being Lutherans, they’re into suffering for their faith, it’s just a much more subtle suffering these days.

20

See, this is what I miss about church myself! A little bit of pomp and pagenantry, stained glass windows, ceilings so high that even small venues felt huge and gleefully singing songs without caring if everyone was singing in the same key (of course, I sang Catholic hymms, but the feelings the same). I think we should start a church for non-believers so we can come together and sing our hearts out while watching men and women in silly vestments do mysterious things in front of everyone. And afterards we can have potlucks. I miss potlucks.

Hey Bumbazine, I always read your posts. Sometimes several times. :wink: