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Bug’s Great Limo Ride Birthday Party
Every year we joke that we’ve set the bar so high for parties that we will never be able to top it. Whatever are we going to do next year, Paris? Hah! I don’t know about Paris next year but we are really going to have to be creative to top this year’s limo party.
Everybody arrived at 3pm and Victor the limo driver and his stretch showed up at 3:30. Eight girls and I piled in.
First stop boba, of course.
You know what’s awesome about tweens? They love group shots. No more cajoling everyone to squeeze in, they were more than happy to oblige with their squad poses.
Next stop the mall! We didn’t really shop (I didn’t really budget for that.). A few girls brought spending money but not everyone did so we stuck to fun interactive things. Thankfully this mall is full of them.
Like riding down the escalator as a crew, posing on the shoe shine chairs and of course throwing pennies into the fountain in the food court.
We did make a stop at Lush to smell all the pretty soaps.
And of course the candy shop that sells Pusheen merchandise.
And lastly macarons for everyone!
Then down the escalator to catch the limo for the next stop. Victor was so patient with us. (We tipped him well to make sure he knew how much we appreciated him.)
We cruised by the beach and stopped for a special Pusheen wedding as the sun set. These girls, man. I have to say I really like Bug’s group of friends. They are so smart and well-read and when one of them officiates the wedding with all the right words and a few well-timed jokes that crack everyone up, you have to just sigh…They really impressed me.
Then we headed back home for a green dinner! I should have taken a photo of the long table in the daytime but you get the idea. The ice shard milk-carton flowers came in handy. Who cooked this dinner you might wonder? Payam did! Actually I made green enchiladas the day before so Payam could pop them in the oven a half hour before we got there. Then Payam made green quesadillas (by hand in a pan!) and we had green chips and guacamole of course. Bug looooooves guacamole.
I have such a soft spot for long-table dinner parties. They are my favorite!
We sang happy birthday and served the birthday girl with a tree of lime cupcakes. You can tell she’s fading a little bit in this picture. Poor girl had a sore throat all day but she powered through. Did you know kids don’t like cupcakes anymore? I had no idea. I also served them green tea and mint chocolate chip mochi and they all reached for the mochi over the cupcakes.
Oh yeah, I was there too! In a new green dress that makes me look like a flight attendant. I love it. We found it on a whim last minute at one of those big box discount stores.
Happy Big Green Twelfth Birthday, Bug! Whatever are we going to do next year?
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A Kid-centric New Year’s Party!
It took me a while to get back here. That’s the difference between personal blogging and professional blogging. When I get paid to blog I have to do things way ahead of time. This is often weird for my family because by the time the real holiday rolls around we are already over it. Christmas cookies in August, Thanksgiving crafts at Halloween..that’s the drill. But when it comes to my poor stepchild blog, I blog about things WAY after they’ve long happened if at all. My poor old neglected blog.
In the spirit of not neglecting, I can’t move onto anything new without documenting our 2nd Annual New Year’s Bash. It was a blast! (of course it was, do I ever blog anything that wasn’t?)
This year, unlike last year, we had kids so we made it a Kid’s New Year’s Party and contrary to popular adult belief, it was totally fun for everyone. Who knew!
The secret? Lots of planned activities and (pause and wait for it) COFFEE.
Parents need coffee.
I’ve read so many Miss Manner’s type articles on how to throw a perfect shindig and they always says something like, “Greet your guests at the door with a smile and a refreshing drink.” Hah. I greeted my guests at the door, offered them some sparkling wine and they passed and asked if I had coffee. That’s a parent for you.
Of course I did have coffee brewing away in the kitchen because I am a parent and a morning person and I mainline the stuff.
The other secret was a packed schedule of fun. When I was planning everything Payam rolled his eyes. I definitely come across as a nut when I am in planning mode but you know what? I BRING THE FUN. It’s a dirty job but somebody has to do it!
A glow bracelet fashion show (A tried-and-true favorite of mine)? Flossing contest? Marshmallow-structure building contest and hot chocolate hour? How about a piñata for kids AND adults (think mini-bar bottles and the good chocolate). It was LIT. Just kidding. It was sorta lit as in a slow warm burn like a comforting fire in the fireplace while you are watching back-to-back episodes of Manhunt on Netflix.
The older teenagers that came to the party sat firmly on the couch and judged me for my silliness but my point is they weren’t in any hurry to go anywhere else. It obviously was the funnest place for them to be or else they would have bailed already, right? OR maybe they were just there as a favor to their parents. I’m not going to think about it too hard. I’m gonna say it was fun and they enjoyed themselves.
And of course food. Staying up until midnight takes forever, plan accordingly.
Some out-of-town guests showed up and I am adding them to my invite-again A-list because they were a hoot. That’s my friend from second grade up there on the left and her crazy shoes on the top. She channels Lady Gaga and teaches mathematics. I’m not even kidding.
The unicorn piñata was the kid piñata and we had a festive gold diamond one for the adults. They both failed fantastically by flying right off their cords without even breaking and landing with a thud on the ground. In the end we just shook the diamond one while the grown-ups scrambled like little kids for tiny bottles of Jack Daniels. They left a lot of chocolate out there in my yard because it was dark and cold. My dogs found it the next day but don’t worry, I didn’t let them ingest any.
I think from now on I’m going to stick to homemade piñatas. They are far superior. The unicorn piñata we were able to strap back together and get some good swinging in on but it was mostly just a box with a head on it. Kinda sad.
No one could resist the marshmallow structure building contest. It was really fun to see how every kids mind works differently. Some where piling it on pell-mell without any sense of order and most of the marshmallows going in their mouth while others were meticulous and created huge complicated exacting structures. I think we might know a few future architects.
And then Joon suggested her own game called “Chubby Bunny.” I had never even heard of it before but it was pretty funny and very entertaining. I’m not sure of all the rules but it involved stuffing marshmallows in your mouth and saying the words “chubby bunny.” I think the winner stuffed 22 marshmallows in his mouth. And if that is not a sure sign of a “LIT” party then I don’t know what is.
We toasted the new year, kissed each other and howled at the moon and everyone went home happy that 2017 was officially over with a bang.
Now to start planning our 3rd Annual New Year’s bash… Heee!
