We Have A TEEN!!

Courtney's bithday! YIKES!! Anyone know a good, all girl, boarding school?

Okay, mini melt down over, let's get down to business. I would say that life circumstances caused my lack of planning, but if we are being honest, I never plan a birthday party more than 3 days in advance. It is a personality flaw. (Probably my only one, so enjoy it!)

Courtney's birthday fell on a Sunday, and by the time I realized it, I had already planned my own party for Saturday, which left her Friday. Which was April Fool's Day. We already used that theme last year - so I didn't want to do that again. On Tuesday I finally made up some invitations for her to give to her friends, so on Wednesday I told her she really had to decide what we were doing. We tossed ideas back and forth and she finally decided on a "Cake Boss" theme.

We decided everyone should decorate their own cakes. Not sure what the point of that was - we weren't doing any kind of contest, it just sounded like a good idea. This is the point where a mom who was on her game would say - CUPCAKES, let's decorate cupcakes. But I am not that mom, I was going to bake 15 cakes! Luckily my friend/awesome neighbor took pity on me and volunteered to make half the cakes. Then we realized we didn't have the right pans. So after she made a quick trip to Wal-mart for me we spent Thursday baking. Then she was nice enough to come over at 8 p.m. that night so we could frost all 15. (I should tell her that helping me find therapy would be less time comsuming!)

So Friday was the day of the big party. I planned it from 5-9 so I could have all the kids gone by 10 and be in bed. (Honestly, have I always been this dumb?) It would appear that fasionably late has changed since I was a teen so the first girl arrived at 5 and then they SLOWLY trickled in until 7:30 (I am no Miss Manners - or ever prompt, but really?!?) I have been to quite a few neighborhood parties in the last 6 months so I had a ready repoiter of "Ice Breaker" games. I got the girls started on that and they played those (and seemed to have a good time with it) until everyone arrived.

At 7:30 we started the cake decorating. (I was afraid Courtney was going to scrap that idea - which would have involved me in a straight jacket being hauled away from our house.) The hours of baking and frosting were rewarded with about 15 minutes of some really "interesting" decorating. Good thing there wasn't a contest. Maybe I should say the theme was Cake Wrecks instead of Cake Boss.

Then Courtney's friends decided she needed to have a cake smashed in her face (yes, I am looking for new friends for her).

Whatever, I am a go with the flow kind of person (yeah, couldn't even say that with a straight face, but I am trying to be more like that.) So I let it happen, after I made them move off the cement and on to the grass for easier clean up!

When the smashing was done, I locked all the doors in the house and said no one was allowed back in until they used the hose to clean off (I said I am working on my "go with the flow" attitude, it isn't perfect yet.) Half the messy girls went to a neighbor/friend at the party's house to shower, the other half showered here.

That brings us to almost 9:00, party over, right? Yeah, not so much! Another friend/neighbor had let us borrow her Kinect and dance game (BTW - I am a super HOT dancer - if I knew how to load a video I would...not). The kids decided this would be a good time to do this. Just like the arriving, the departing was a trickling sort of affair starting a little after nine. When most of the guests were gone by just a little after 11 - I asked Courtney if maybe her dear friends that were still here needed a ride home. They did! Suprise. So I drove them home - to outer BFE and got to bed at about 11:55 (for the love).

It is all good. I am sure I am the coolest mom ever and it will pay off someday.