[Sarvi]

Hope your FIL is on the road to recovery soon, justsewit

Funny how the grass is greener, Nicole, my kid would LOVE to drive a 4 wheeler — heck I would too.

Cybele I have an almost-5-yo too and am already feeling the pressure. She wants a ‘bear’ birthday party. I love kids. What we think they’ll want is always so different from what they actually want.

I’d love any suggestions, by the way. I think we’re finally getting a much overdue roof repair this year so I’m trying to keep it modest. Planning to have it a nice park that has lots of hiking, so I thought of providing the kids with walking sticks and strips of colored duct tape to decorate them. Gift bags will be honey bear bottles with a few honey sticks and some gummi bears inside, a packet of crayons, and a little coloring book I’ll make from photocopied pictures of all the different bears I can find in my kid’s picture books. Cake and tea/lemonade and sandwiches, and call it done.

[Sarvi]

Please nobody suggest making explorer vests for everybody because I can never tell if 3 kids will show up or 30!

[Tamara]

Thanks Sarvi! Unfortunately his prognosis is dire. The doctors don’t give him long. He started chemo and then landed in hospital with a blood infection but hopefully he was able to start again yesterday. That’s the big problem with inoperable bile duct cancer – it is rare and in most cases patients pass away within 6 months to 2 years of diagnosis. He was diagnosed in May!

We are just hoping the chemo doesn’t aggravate the cancer but buys him the time he wants to get to early January and make the first anniversary. He may not be in any fit shape to meet the baby but I don’t care. At least he will still be around.

I had Imogen all mad with me last night when I told her the wooden spoon wouldn’t help her produce the desired effect when she was making meringues. She realised I was actually talking sense when we got the beaters out and the mixture started looking like the picture! They turned out quite well but with her failed attempt at fudge and the meringues she used a whole kilo of sugar! I want to try and make a sugar free version if I can – to save on the over useage of the real stuff. Then I can eat them and not feel guilty. Besides I have my glucose test coming up and don’t want to jeopardise things.

[cybele727]

Oh Justsewit, I am sorry to hear about the prognosis of your FIL.

Sarvi, I think I am going to host a party for 5-8 little girls at this children’s bookstore. I try to support independents over big boxes where I can. They have story time, a craft, a make your own sundae type deal, or a cupcake, and the party favor is a book. So I think I can build the entire thing around a particular book. Although Ms. Sassy Pants probably wants some Elsa themed thing.

There is an adult coordinating the event. So I can just relax and take pictures. While I am usually pretty frugal, our daughter has literally never had more than a oh, here’s your cake and a few family gifts because of her HORRIBLE date of December 27. So if I spend a touch more this time, she deserves it. Her brother got a golden retriever for his birthday this year. I am not matching that dollar for dollar… but she shouldn’t always be the “also ran” kid. Her birthday is so close to Christmas that gifts from the family are still coming in and usually her brother is opening stuff on her birthday. It in no way feels special. So this year, my husband and I promised ourselves to treat her. Sometimes you have to make a kid feel special! And she never complains when he’s opening his gifts in June. She just says, “when’s my birthday?” It is hard for a little one to feel special near Christmas.

[Sarvi]

Aww, little thing — I feel her pain. My birthday is right by Persian New Year and I always got one gift to count for both. You don’t care as an adult, but as a kid, and what’s more the poor relation, you sure do. Glad to hear you’re making her feel really special!

[Lightning McStitch]

Best wishes for your FIL Tamara.

Sarvi, you beat me to it. You know the explorer vests is a good idea!

As for the dates of birthdays and other big events. I’m all for moving them somewhat. If you’re religious you may not want to fiddle with the date of Christmas (works fine for us atheists though – presents and decorated trees are awesome in early January, and cheaper in the sales too. Blasphemous I’m sure, but there you go), but why not have a Birthday celebration on some other day of the year? Bit like a name day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_day

[Tamara]

Thanks ladies!

Now Sarvi, forgive my total ignorance but when is Persian New year??

We were just discussing the other day when our distant cousin (yes my childhood friend) was here how the date of Christmas is not actually correct and that it coincides with a pagan festival! Which one I have no clue but that is the history as it has been passed down. The tree by the way was something Prince Albert brought into the mix. But I could go on and on and spill some untruths thinking they are right.

Now, Lightning, so there are pros and cons to having a December 27th birthday. My baby is due on the 30th of December. I am currently debating with myself over the pros and cons of a New years eve birthday. My niece was born on Christmas Eve and I know this has always been a trial for her but I have my birthday two weeks before Christmas and even this was bad enough with everyone being hideously busy with the end of term and Christmas parties. No wonder I was easily forgotten! Personally I think I will aim for about 2nd Jan. Fingers crossed they will let me go this long and the gynae is available.

My children’s birthdays fall in the school holidays and while this is great that they don’t have to go to school that day, it is tricky where parties are concerned. This year we tried a party two weeks before Noah’s actual birthday and it worked pretty well. I know lots of families who have early celebrations or celbrate the “half birthday” with a party instead.

[jay_1965vw]

I have to comment on the birthday dates theme – Audrey was due on February 29th! Fortunately for her, she came 5 days early. My husband’s birthday is Feb 28th, and he was born in a leap year. Apparently the OB who did the caesarean was due to play golf on the 29th, otherwise, I could be married to an 11 year old 😀

[Mama_Knowles]

I am sorry to hear about you FIL Tamara. My prayers are with you and your family.

Poor Sarvi! That would be very tough as a child. My four oldest birthdays are in the winter and they never have a good party turn out still being after the holidays. (two in January and two in February) I just might still the explore vest idea to bribe children to the party. After my niece’s son party everyone wanted an explore that just might work.

[Sarvi]

I am actually kind of hoping for a low turnout from other classmates because I want to get these:

http://www.brazos-walking-sticks.com/kids-stick-five-pack-41-inches-free-shipping/

But I can only afford to get a few. I was hoping to splurge on the goodie bags since the rest of our costs are so low. I will have a whack at a little hiking outfit for my own little bear, though.

Persian New Year is the first day of Spring, so the actual moment of the new year changes slightly from year to year, but usually it’s in mid to late March. Kids get money (you go to the bank to get fresh bills). Are you familiar with the red packets given to children for Chinese New Year with money inside? Very similar practice. My kid is usually rolling in it by April. Spring is a great time to be Chinese-Iranian.

I’m an atheist too, but we get invited to a lot of different kinds of religious and cultural parties, thanks to living where we do, I think. Starting about now it’s full steam ahead on the party train all the way through Easter, stopping at Christmas, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah on years we have invitations, Thanksgiving, Halloween, winter birthdays, etc. There are lots of culturally French parties too, apparently and if food is involved I am generally in. Last year we added crepes for Candlemas and this year I’m going to try making galette des rois for … Epiphany?

Name day sounds great — do you know my kid’s name, though? Haha, don’t think there’s a day for that one 🙂

[Mama_Knowles]

Those are terrific Sarvi! My kids all have one but made by grandpa from small Shag Hickory tress. If you lived closer we could make enough for everyone easily. (we have well over 5 acres of forest behind the house)

[cybele727]

We’ve talked about moving it, but most people do a 6 month thing, which is our son’s day. The 3 month is my husband’s. We could do a month and have a late January. That’s a dry spell!

But I plan on doing something special!

Persian New Year sounds so exotic! 🙂

[with love Heidi]

I have a friend with a Christmas eve birthday and he celebrates a month early in November, but in Australia we don’t have Thanksgiving about then 🙂

[Sarvi]

I suppose you think Thanksgiving is exotic, then! All a matter of perspective.

In unrelated news, Ansel has released a cronut recipe, repeatedly described within the recipe itself as the At-Home Cronut Pastry, lest you forget for a moment that you’re not getting the real thing. It’s my first go at the butter block method for laminated dough. No lie, I’m pretty excited. There were 3 other people at the supply shop trying to buy ring cutters, but they were sold out. Going to be a lot of cronuts happening this week.

[cybele727]

For several years we have had Chinese exchange students. They get the biggest kick out of Thanksgiving. All these weird quintessential “American” foods. And of course, they think it is crazy (like fun crazy) to see houses decorated in twinkly lights at night. And why would you bring a tree inside the house to decorate???

And then there is Halloween.

It is rather fun to share these things with “too cool” grown up teens who find that inner kid again.