Smart Momma

There are plenty of days when I fail at motherhood. There are always things I could do better. I get that. But other times - I ROCK!

A couple weeks ago James asked if I had wrapped ALL his presents. I don't know how many he thought he'd be getting. We do friend parties every other year and a family party on the other years. I think birthdays should be acknowledged and celebrated. The kids like the friend parties because it's so exciting to have a pile of presents to open. The trouble is that James' requests have tripled in price (ie. $50 Wii video games instead of GameCube game or used Nintendo 64 games for $20 or less). He is a logical boy, but he was TICKED after Dad had the talk about how we have a budgeted amount for gifts. I was looking for "extras" to wrap so the loot seemed bigger - like Bubble Gum tape & PopIts to throw in the backyard. James was CONVINCED that this was going to be the worst birthday EVER. (He is a little dramatic).

I didn't want James' birthday to get overlooked because of the baby, so we planned to celebrate early. He chose to go to Chuck E. Cheese for our family dinner. I HATE going there on weekends, so we scheduled his family party on Thursday, January 17th. I didn't give James a choice of theme because I needed to use what was readily available. I chose SpongeBob & a cupcake tower cake. I went to Michaels & Party City to gather cake toppers, candles, Crabby Patty candies, paper goods, goodie bags, & special treats. That day was like a marathon. I was so tired by the time we made it to Chuck E. Cheese. I just sat with my feet propped on the bench. The lady next to me asked if I was having twins. "No," I smiled.



The boys got nearly 50 tokens each which meant: big prizes. The cake was a hit & the presents passed James' approval (I chalked up the meal to our entertainment budget & the cake/candy supplies to the grocery budget, so I could buy an extra gift for James - I'm a sucker for presents too). Turns out that the party was a hit - and just in the nick of time. The next morning I found out that my water was broken and that I would be spending James' birthday giving birth to his little brother Jayson.



Yep, I totally went all out with the goodie bags (I only had to make THREE). It was one of the ways that made James feel like he got a stash for his party and wasn't jipped.



And here's James moments after I met him 9 years ago. He did have strawberry blond hair for a few weeks, but he hasn't gotten his bath yet either.




Notice the scale: 9 lbs. 10 oz. - way to BREAK me into motherhood son!!!