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Sk8ting Queens: It’s ON!
Bug got it in her head that she wanted to have a skating party for her ninth birthday this year. It’s probably based on fond memories as a four-year-old skating at her cousin’s super-cool twelfth birthday party. Bug loves to dress like a tweenager (much to my chagrin) and she is totally into stripey knee socks and short shorts. In fact, she might be more into skater fashion than she is actually into skating itself.
Before I chunked out the money for a skating party, I thought we should check out the skating rink scene. You know, to make sure Bug doesn’t spend the whole time sitting on the floor while her friends skate the day away. That wouldn’t be very fun. And I didn’t even know what it would be like either since we’re not in the sticks anymore where they have the grooviest stuck-in-time roller rink.
We checked out a local rink. The thing is, this rink is a roller hockey rink primarily. From the outside it looks like a sports arena and it’s all decked out in hockey-themed gear. I’ve driven by it many times and it hasn’t even made a blip on my radar because it’s so obviously for BOYS who play hockey. I thought it was an ice rink for teams for the longest time.
However, it was close by. Proximity gets major points in my book. If I could park my car forever and walk everywhere, I’d be a happy mom. I checked out the rink online and, sure enough, they have a public skate session conveniently right after school. So off we headed.
We geared up and took to the surprisingly empty rink. We had the place all to ourselves!
And then we fell flat on our faces. Thankfully there was nobody watching but it was a bit painful.
Well, I didn’t fall. I used to rollerblade back in the day so I thought it was pretty fun but the girls did NOT. They could not keep upright on these newfangled inline skates at all. It was miserable. They kept hanging out in the pits on the side and sitting on the floor. I thought for sure this skating party idea was not going to happen and what did that mean? Should I plan a skate-wear fashion show party instead? As cool as that sounds it just felt like a fraud to me.
If Bug wants to dress like a skater girl, she should skate!!
So we went back a second day.
And a third.
By the third day they discovered “walkers” which are these really cool PVC pipe roller things that you can hold onto. Those things were the bomb. Before I knew it, they were cruising all over the rink and having the time of their lives. I’m truly surprised at how quickly the girls improved. By the end of the third day they were choreographing their own dance moves that even included (walker assisted) jumps and twirls.
And that means the Sk8ter Party is ON! Are they fierce or what? I’m thinking some crazy socks are in my future and maybe even a rink membership. It’s only $40 for a year!! So cheap!
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Maybe I do like Christmas after all.
Every year we buy an advent calendar from Trader Joe’s right around Thanksgiving. Not because we want to get a jump start on Christmas but because we’ve learned the hard way that Trader Joe’s sells out quickly on their advent calendars and it’s a big fat bummer not to have a little chocolates to eat for twenty-five days in December. This year Bug chose a calendar that has fun little Christmas activities illustrated on each door.
Guess what? I am a BIG FAT SUCKER when it comes to Christmas activity suggestions. I can not resist their power! Or the guilt trips on all the possible memories I might miss if I don’t follow their suggestion or something… How dare Trader Joe’s suggest that I decorate cookies or make snowflakes or decorate the tree on a certain day?!! Have you seen my schedule? I have no time for such foolery.
But apparently I find time for what I really want to do because we have been jam-packing these early days of December with all kinds of fun Christmas activities.
We made gingerbread houses, of course. (Also a kit from Trader Joe’s. What can I say? I drink the Kool-Aid.) These are actually pretty easy once you get over the fact that you have to break out the mixer to make the royal icing. I don’t do the baking kind. Since I’ve done these for three years in a row now I don’t even blink twice when the kids ask to make them. Fluffy egg whites? Coming right up! It’s totally worth it for all the fun the kids have squeezing globs of sticky sugar all over pre-made cookies and the hours and hours of uninterrupted fun with very minimal bickering. What to do with the houses afterwards is a little more challenging (eat them vs. keep them forever) but I chalk this activity up as a win because it’s all about the process.
We bought and decorated our very own tree without any help from dads, grandpas or boyfriends this year. I’m pretty proud of myself on that one. I am woman! I can totally lift a rain-drenched tree into my car (lined with waterproof picnic blanket of course) and then out and up the stairs all by myself! Piece o’ cake!
We made sugar cookies from a mix. What? You think I’m Martha Stewart and I can make them from scratch? Pshaw! I probably could but sugar cookie mix is hard enough with the dough constantly getting too soft and sticky to roll so I cut my corners when I can find them. I think I could write a whole poem on how much of a pain in the butt sugar cookie dough is. I have developed a mantra though. It goes like this: Chill for ten minutes.
I’m talking about the dough in the fridge and yourself somewhere else far far away from the dough, preferably in a comfy chair with a beverage of some sort. It’s a very zen-like process once you master the mantra.
I wish I had better photos of the whole messy process because we made A BIG FAT EPIC MESS but you know me. I hate taking photos without natural light and because it’s WINTER and the sun goes down at like three-o’clock or some such nonsense, I’ve got very little to show. The next day however…
Bug played hookie from school (it’s a long story I don’t really feel like going into right now) and we got theses beautiful shots:
How did we make that groovy, icing with-a-half-life you’re wondering? Two words: Neon Food Coloring. Correction, that’s three words. It’s magical stuff though. It’s actually completely non-toxic and a whole lot better for you than those natural, earthy-looking tie-dyed eggs I made ages ago from silk ties. Funny how that all works out. What you see glowing is not always bad for you. Although…I’m sure that’s up for debate. Anyway, we’re cool with the colors, obviously. These cookies are ART!
And today we made snowflakes! Well, Bug did. I’m actually supposed to be working today but you know I’ll be whipping out the micro-scissors later. I am a MASTER snowflake maker. Snip snip!
So who’s bah-humbugging now? Not me! I think Christmas is getting the best of me.
p.s. icing recipe here. It was a bit runny though so we added a ton more powdered sugar than it called for.
