I am exhausted. Seriously, I am dead on my feet. School holidays are killing me, one week to go, he goes back next Tuesday. That said, I am going to miss him like crazy when he is back there, and so is little RJ who seems to have established a real relationship with him having had him around so much the last 13 days (7 days to go, 7 to go people, that's 7, yes 7). But who knew a child could talk that much!? Impressive really, the way he natters on almost non stop, how can he breathe? How is this possible?
He has been sending me emails, which honestly, crack me up. They are complete nonsense half the time, which is why they are funny. For example:
(Q) What do you call a crazy mum? (A) mamma!!!!
You are... CRAZY AS A COCANUT!!!! that is why YOU'RE the
best.
I'll give you huh!
(Q) tbhnbg nfngmhg cchncfcnhej gncnncencwmemjkmlm?
(A) a baby.
And so on, utterly insane he is. I swear he does not get it from me! Such a funny little boy, he really is joy to be around, I just wish that every so often he would take a breath! His school report for last term was pretty damn awesome too, he was so far off the chart for his reading skills he was in an entirely different level, and his maths was exceptional as well. So proud, the only areas lacking were his self confidence in terms of speaking and contributing to group discussions. It's funny how incredibly gregarious he is with family, but how reserved he is at school and how reluctant to have new experiences there he is. But, being the school it is, they play to his strengths and aid his weaknesses and encourage all the right things. Worth every penny, and there are many we give for it!
Also, I changed my mind AGAIN about where to have his rock star party, and went with the play centre. I just cannot be bothered with the pre and post cleaning and organising with RJ so unsettled lately, it just felt too much. So we'll Green Day up his invites, party bags, and outfit and he is happy with that, so much easier having activities, food, cleanup done for us. I know, I know, it's a cop-out, my excuse is a teething 7 month old... Hey, I got him tickets to the concert, thats good for something... right?!
Are we there yet?!
The pitfalls of magnetic letters
AKA Another reason I am a Bad Mother.
Hmm. Yesterday, F and I discussed swear words as I explained he could not play the Green Day DVD at his party because most people don't like swear words. He asked what words were swear words. I said, "the F word, shit, bloody..." (that is plenty to tell!) He said "and.. stupid!" Well okay, yes why not?
He then went off to play. Today I was making breakfast and I paused as I opened the fridge door.
"Umm, F, could you come here a sec?" In he trotted. "What's this about?" I asked gesturing my Vegemite knife at the fridge door.
"Oh, I decided to make you a swear word in case you felt like seeing one."
"Oh right. Well. Thanks?"
"You're welcome. And look, if you move theeeeese... tada! Another one!!"
"Oh so it is... Err.. clever you?"
And off he went. Please remind me to move it after showing J, but well before the party when my house is filled with Montessori parents...
Rockstar party problems!
Oh the headache. This rockstar party is challenging me!
So, the kid is popular, he just got home from his 9th, yes 9th, party this year. It is only June! Therefore, we are looking at an invite list that may require us hiring Rod Laver Arena to accommodate. Our house is wee. Very small. It just fit 8 kids his last party. Realistically, this year will be minimum 12-15 kids, and we just won't fit them, plus any parents who wish to stay, in our house. This in itself disappoints the small man, but what to do!? Parent politics come into this! So I look at a play centre, which is okay... but then the Green Day/rockstar theme is going to be severely diluted, possibly lost altogether. This would also disappoint. So we can half arsed do the rockstar thing at a play centre...
Argh. WHAT to do!? His father seems to think that its all quite acceptable to spend upwards of $700 on a 6th birthday, but to me thats insane. Last year it was a touch less, this includes present and party. (This year we were thinking Nintendo DS and games for the present). The real problem is where how and at what cost do we do this? Less kids does not seem possible. Other venues up the cost a whack and make the theming harder.
Oh please party fairies please wave a wand and solve all my problems here, I am SO not party oriented. Should ask todays lot who held theirs at swisho posh home and included a visit from a real fire engine to complete their fireman theme... Maybe I could ask Green Day to pop along and do a number or two? Sigh...
HELP please?!?!!?
From cool to not so cool...
...in the blink of an eye.
My super cool, rockstar with his 6th birthday going the Greenday punk rock theme, knowing his drummers and his bands and generally being super cool says to me yesterday - "I know what I want my party to be the year after next year!" (note not next year, the year AFTER next year, I don't know why, he baffle sme too and he is my kid!) "Whats that?" his reply - "A Coles party!!!"
Umm. Hold on a sec...
"A what?!"
"A Coles party, you know, like the shop?"
Yes, you read correctly, Mr ImSoCool wants a party based on a supermarket. What the... ?! And what would that even involve!? He was at a loss to tell me. Thankfully, I have two years to work it out :P
ETA - new layout = comments @ post top... WHY?
Rock star party
T-2months and counting until F's 6th birthday extraordinaire. As discussed EARLIER, he wants to have a Greenday party. I like to be super organised and I often mail order stuff so I am thinking ahead now...
PLEASE if you have any great party planning sites that can sell me some kick arse rockstar party type stuff - preferably Australian sites - please link me to them ASAP! I found vinyl record decorations but F looked understandably baffled by them.
He wants posters/pics of the boys, especially BillieJoe around the place he has instructed, and I am thinking guitar cake... But I still need more decorations, favours, other thematic punkrock, Greenday decorations/goods/ideas. I am not the worlds greatest party thrower but if I am organised enough early enough I can usually source some cool stuff to get away with a cool enough party to keep him happy. So, HELP PLEASE! :D
Greenday - 21st Century Breakdown
Today is a day I have been waiting for for 5 long years!!! The new Greenday album, 21st Century Breakdown has been released. Was a big act to follow - American Idiot was awesome - and huge.
Reckon they have done it though. I am only on my second listening but there is heaps to explore on it, and I loooooove that they have done it similar to American Idiot and its story of St Jimmy, this one is about Gloria and Christian and similarly to the formula of AI it has "acts" as well (Heroes and Cons, Charlatans and Saints, Horseshoes and Handgrenades); and has loads of rock, and some fantastic slower stuff too.
Initial favourites for me (aside from Know Your Enemy which I have listened to death the past few weeks!) are 21st century breakdown, peacemaker, 21 guns, East Jesus Nowhere, American Eulogy and See the Light.
I can't wait for F to get home and listen, and there is a special on Channel V at 4pm we want to watch, lol. He is Greenday mad, yesterday on the way home from school he said he wanted a birthday party at home again. "We'll see" was my response whilst thinking no freakin WAY too much work, did that last year! Then he said "I want it to be a Greenday party mum!!" Well now ya talking son, you bet your arse we can do that, rofl. Coolest 6th birthday party EVER. Alissa suggested invites written on cd's, guitar cake, backstage passes on lanyards for all the kids... Cool no!?
I am so worried their concert will be 18+ only, they are rumoured to be touring Dec-Feb ish, and Finn is desperate to go, as am I! Mind you, I did tell him if it was for grown ups only, I would take him and we would sit outside and listen. Obviously, we are not wanting moshpit tix but back in the stands rocking out with my 6yo who would no doubt have his blue mohawk as he often does... cool. Actually the other day as well as wanting to grow a mohawk that he colors bluw with blue gel, I caught him coloring his fingernails in with black texta. I have a 5 year old emo kid. Seriously. teehee. He saw these things on the Greenday DVD (Bible with a bullet) and emulates it all, wnts to BE Billie Joe Armstrong! He plays games with toys where he sets up these toy soldiers as BJA, Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt and holds a concert. Cutest thing ever.
So rock on people, very happy house here today, loving new GD!
The internet is evil (and other credit card traps)
Since discovering our wee baby is healthy and growing strongly, I have been overcome with a desire to shop. I am not really a big shopper at the best of times, I am generally quite conservative and not overly impulsive. But I have spent an astronomical amount of money this week, the mind boggles. I blame tax returns in part, another credit card trap along with the internet that one should be forewarned about. You know the money is coming so you spend up, and then the temptation to just go a bit over... bit more maybe... is just too easy. Oh but the fun!!!!!
So, this week I have purchased and am having imported an entire nursery collection (quilt, bumper, sheet, dust ruffle, nappy stacker, window valance, cushions, wall hanging, mobile, lamp, pram blanket, hamper, rug, basket liners and baskets) from the US all in the most adorable Swan Lake ballerina theme. Nothing I found here in Australia was as nice, and with the aussie dollar pretty much equal to the US at the moment, and no GST to factor in, it cost me the same as the set I had my eye on here in Aus that was gender neutral (and in the end, nowhere near girly enough...)
Now the bumper won't go on the cot, but I am wondering if it might not go around the inside edge of the change table, will have to experiment. Any ideas for the window valance thing that won't fit the window in the nursery but came in the pack? No doubt I can come up with some use for it.
I then attempted as reported earlier, to finalise my furniture laybuy, but there is a slight delay, so that should happen in the next 2 weeks. The furniture I posted once before is the Mali Euro cot and changer/robe. God, in 5 weeks I will be setting it all up. Imagine!!!!
I also discovered the EVIL website Janie & Jack - again American, again with far more beautiful clothes than anything I have seen here. Their prices are expensive (ish) but because our seasons are opposite, their end of season sales are perfect for us! So I saved a fair bit, made it a reasonable expedition. But it was SO hard not to get carried away. So many beautiful dresses... Remind myself I have a lifetime of dresses to buy. Must contain self.
I tried to laybuy some spare sheets and blankets, towels, grobag and muslin wraps but the website seems to be defunct so I need to start that again elsewhere. I did manage to score a bargain on a spare cot blanket I loved. RRP $50, it was on sale for $10. Super bargain!
Aside from that, I have also spent $400 on a trampoline for Finns birthday in 3 weeks, and sent off another order for some more party stuff. I still have a couple of little bits to get for the party but then its just the food. Almost organised but I feel tired at the very thought of it. Its only supposed to go for 2 hours, but how do you make people leave after that time?! I have made sure J knows he is going to be the one working hardest that day, its going to be exhausting!
And on top of ALL that, we have term 3 school fees to pay - over 1k - so I really HAVE to stop shopping. At least for a few weeks. Then I can start again. :D
P.S.
The bugs and fossil are from Hullabaloo Parties. Turns out they don't have the T-rex fossil in stock, so we are getting the stegosaurus and they are throwing in a t-rex in a tube (!) to compensate. Great service!
Dino Party - Part 1!
For the first year, Finn is set to have a proper birthday party this year. In the previous 4 years, we have just had a simple family BBQ with the aunties, uncles, grandparents etc. It was all Finn's favourite people and suited his up til now fairly shy demeanour.
This being his second year at preschool though, he has a few good mates, and has been to a few parties himself and so has requested he have one this year. I suggested a few themes, and he chose dinosaur, so dino it is!
Must say, am rather overwhelmed by it all. Its my first time throwing one and its a bit scary! I want it to be perfect... It won't be though! Bound to make some mistakes. Anyway, thus far are my ideas:
Dino cut out footprints leading up the driveway (assuming its not raining and soggifying them); a table of sand play in which I will bury a toy dino for each child to excavate. Pin the horn on the dino, pass the parcel, maybe some cardboard cut into dino shapes and craft things for each kid to decorate... That enough for six 5-year-olds? Finn is getting a trampoline for his birthday, so again, if good weather, is another activity they can do.
These are the invitations I have ordered:
They come with envelopes, magnets and seals. Also, matching cards that can be used as either tags for party bags, or thank you notes:
And matching napkins:
I also got the favor bags from the same collection, though they are not so obviously matching, I just thought they were so cute!
For the cake, we are going to hire a dinosaur cake tin, do a cadbury cake mix in it, and loads of colored buttercream icing. This is incredibly adventurous of us... wanted to order a bakery cake, but J wants to have a go himself... good luck to him I say!!!! For the top, have ordered these cute dino candles:
All the above are from Pink Frosting.
The other things I have already ordered from are a prize for each kid in pass the parcel, these gorgeous little "bug in a nut" things that wriggle when opened like real bugs: http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
And to go on the food table as a decoration, for Finn to keep afterwards, this cool tyrannosaurus fossil: 
Next week I will order the little toys to bury in sand, party hats, the worlds easiest party favours (comes with 2 dino toys, spinning top, activity sheet, and whistle per bag, just add lollies!!) and these really cool dinosaur masks for each kid.
Then its just food, sand to bury things in, balloons + helium, cardboard for craft, and pin the horn on the dino prize(s)... right?! I am exhausted already and there is still almost 7 weeks to go!
