I mentioned a few days ago (or weeks ago, I can’t remember and I won’t pretend like I do) that Caroline’s social schedule is increasingly busy. I mean, it is just one party after another here. In fact, we have been to so many parties in recent weeks that Caroline has started asking for party favors whenever we leave anyones’ home. And yes, we’re working on that, but it’s hard for a girl to leave any kind of social gathering without a bag full of plastic clown yo-yos, fake tattoos, and one of those wooden paddles with the ball attached.
The thing about the parties around here is, for the most part, they are a study in excess. I don’t mean to be a buzzkill, and I am all about a good party, but it’s just a matter of time before some of these parents start hiring Beyonce to sing Happy Birthday to the birthday boy or girl.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I would actually crash a child’s party to hear Beyonce sing (especially if she’d sing something like ‘Diaperlicious’ for the preschool set), but my point is that the whole party thing can start to feel like one more leg of the relay in the great race to be the BEST Mommy Ever.
This past Friday, Gulley had a birthday party for her youngest son Will, and in a stroke of pure, unmitigated genius, she went old school and had the party at McDonalds. Can I tell y’all that it was the best birthday party we have been to all year? I know Gulley won’t mind me telling y’all that the whole thing including Happy Meal lunches for ten kids, lunch for the Mamas, the cake WITH ice cream, AND the invitations cost $60.00.
$60.00. SIXTY DOLLARS.
I’ve been to parties where they paid more than that for just the cupcakes and the kids didn’t even get to wear birthday hats with Grimace on them. Seriously, did y’all know that Grimace still exists? He does, y’all. He does.
Caroline thoroughly enjoyed herself. She sat and ate her Happy Meal while occasionally stopping between bites of her cheeseburger to drink a little ketchup out of the paper container. At one point, I told Gulley to look at Caroline compared to her little friend Sadie sitting next to her.
Sadie was sitting, delicately eating her chicken nuggets, blonde hair up in a neat ponytail with her Grimace crown perfectly balanced on her head and she’d stop from time to time to wipe a small dab of mustard off her lips. Meanwhile, Caroline was hopping up and down in her seat with her little pigtails plastered to her head under the Grimace crown that sat askew on her head while she ate her cheeseburger, drank her ketchup and periodically opened her mouth full of food really wide to yell “CHEESEBURGER!!!” as her picture was being taken.
She is a delicate, delicate soul.
My point is (yes, I have a point!) the kids loved this party and not one of them complained that the cast of Cirque de Soleil didn’t show up to spell out the birthday boy’s name by contorting their bodies or that the centerpieces weren’t made entirely of gourmet lollipops and peonies.
In fact, I have a strong feeling that Caroline may be celebrating her 4th birthday with Ronald and Grimace because her birthday is in August and that $60.00?
Includes air conditioning.