The birthday UNparty: Emergency!

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So ......

We're planning on taking Mo out of town for his birthday celebration this upcoming weekend but I told him he could invite a few of the guys over Friday after school for some cake -- NOT A PARTY -- cake, go home.

Because there were so few (4) people coming I decided I'd splurge a bit on gift bags and that I would make kind of fun, funky Army cakes. CakeS -- plural.

Then his bio-grandparents called. They had been snowed in over Christmas so they want to come over Friday after school to see him on his birthday and give him his Xmas and birthday presents. I explained that Mo was having friends over and I had specified "no gifts" to the invitees so they could bring the gifts but they would have to stash them until the "guys" left. Okey-dokey.

I started the baking yesterday and worked on it again today. The cakes are a little complicated but I'm having fun with it. Hoorah! I finished basic baking this afternoon.

I thought.

While picking Mo up from school the idiot dog ate cake.

I whipped up a small batch of cake and put it in the oven.

Then Mo informed me that he had invited a couple of more kids to his "party".

Then the parents called for info. on the party, so we have a couple of extra kids coming.

I will have to make yet more cake.

And the cool little gift bags? Now there aren't enough of them.

And I have no activities planned because this isn't supposed to be a party. But with six kids -- three regulars and three unknown factors -- I'm thinking I need a plan.

Help!

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@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

So ......

We're planning on taking Mo out of town for his birthday celebration this upcoming weekend but I told him he could invite a few of the guys over Friday after school for some cake -- NOT A PARTY -- cake, go home.

Because there were so few (4) people coming I decided I'd splurge a bit on gift bags and that I would make kind of fun, funky Army cakes. CakeS -- plural.

Then his bio-grandparents called. They had been snowed in over Christmas so they want to come over Friday after school to see him on his birthday and give him his Xmas and birthday presents. I explained that Mo was having friends over and I had specified "no gifts" to the invitees so they could bring the gifts but they would have to stash them until the "guys" left. Okey-dokey.

I started the baking yesterday and worked on it again today. The cakes are a little complicated but I'm having fun with it. Hoorah! I finished basic baking this afternoon.

I thought.

While picking Mo up from school the idiot dog ate cake.

I whipped up a small batch of cake and put it in the oven.

Then Mo informed me that he had invited a couple of more kids to his "party".

Then the parents called for info. on the party, so we have a couple of extra kids coming.

I will have to make yet more cake. You could always run to the store and get additional cake at the bakery there.

And the cool little gift bags? Now there aren't enough of them. You need two more bags, right? What about some paper lunch bags and just plaster them with stickers? While you're at the store getting more cake, stop by the toy section in the store and pick out a few extras that will help you split up the loot between 6 bags.

And I have no activities planned because this isn't supposed to be a party. But with six kids -- three regulars and three unknown factors -- I'm thinking I need a plan. What does Mo want to do? Play board games, watch movies, play homemade music instruments? Make a big batch of popcorn and have some beverages ready.

Help!

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@boomerang,

Stand your ground. Let them eat cake. (I've waited years to find a use for that expression).

1 Reply

@roger,

mrs. hamburger used to hold her ground when I pulled stuff like that (invited extra kids). I had to tell them "my mother said you can come for cake, but not the party, and the cake's at the end". They were pretty much ok with that, since what they really wanted was some of mrs. hamburger's butterscotch cake.

I learned early that you don't mess with mothers about stuff like this.

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Honestly, when Mo told me he had invited a couple of extra kids I thought the parents would respond the way I would have -- Huh? Nah. But instead they called for details. Sooooo.... okay. What a few more?

I always have lots of ingredients around so making more cake wasn't too big a deal (although I still want to kick the darn dog for eating the cake). I had to borrow an egg from my back-fence neighbor but that's cool. This is Mayberry. I've actually had neighbors come by to borrow the proverbial cup of sugar.

It was just supposed to be for cake and an couple of hours of free form fun -- like his usual Friday playdates.

The gift bags are the biggest pisser. Since there were only supposed to be 4 kids coming I'd bought some neat stuff (G.I. Joes, jets, toy soldiers, American flag patches) to stuff the bags with. (I like Mo to learn about giving and I usually make him give more than he gets for his birthday.) I can't really calculate a way to split them up so I'm thinking "no giftbags" but then I end up with lots of extra stuff.

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@boomerang,

Come up with some games and use the goodies as prizes. Save the bags themselves for another time.

0 Replies

@boomerang,

This is obvious enough that I assume the answer is "no" -- can you get more gift-bag goodies?

If not, another thing you can do is to get a certain number of goodies for everyone (as in, go out tomorrow morning and get six [?] of whatever cheapo interesting things you can find) and then make the current goodies be grab-bag treats or prizes -- as in, break them up into roughly equal groupings (one G.I. Joe equals 4 toy soldiers) and then make six [?] "prize" bags. Then have a big box or something and they can grope around in there and choose one.

It's always a risk to give kids different things and even riskier if you go the prize route instead, in case one kid wins a bunch of different games.

Oh hey you can have a store! This takes some doing but you could do it. Make money. (Mo money.) Price goodies a certain way so that a kid can only afford to buy 1/6th (or whatever) of the loot. Then they decide what they want the most.

Put out a lot of food and other stuff they can buy too. Give them "shopping bags" to put the loot in. (Those become gift bags.) They can decorate the shopping bags for an activity.

?

A bit scattershot sorry, I'm rushed and need to turn off the computer -- more tomorrow!

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@sozobe,

I didn't have any bright ideas after I turned off the computer last night -- I can explain if any of the above is too confusing though. Coming right up, right?

Edit: Not until Friday, still time!

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Thank you all for responding to my emergency but I was absolutely smacked down by some kind of insta-virus or something last night. Fever. Chills. The whole nine yards. This is the most awake I've been all day.

I hope whatever is going on doesn't decide it needs sharing.

Anyway....

One of the kids who was going to come isn't going to be able to come after all. That just leaves me one goody bag short so I told Mo he forefitted his own. Hopefully that will help him understand that you just don't start adding people to the guest list.

As long as we don't all get sick I should manage to pull it off.

Thanks again, everyone. I'm going back to bed now.....

2 Replies

@boomerang,

Hope you feel better in the morning, Boomer.

0 Replies

@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

That just leaves me one goody bag short so I told Mo he forefitted his own. Hopefully that will help him understand that you just don't start adding people to the guest list.

Perfect solution.

Sorry you're so sick though! Feel better soon.

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The birthday UNparty: Emergency!

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