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Week 35: To Eli and Samuel on Their 6 1/3 and 4 1/3 Birthdays

September 23, 2014 By Lauren

If you’re just joining me for the Keeping It Real Challenge, please click here to find out what it’s all about.

We took the kids to Build-a-Bear this week. We were four months late.

To Eli and Samuel on Their 5 1/3 and 4 1/3 Birthdays

See, the kids’ birthdays all fall very close together in April and May. When I plan birthday parties I’m somewhere in the middle of the mommy pack. I’m not over the top elaborate, but I like to do more than a cake and some balloons. I like themes and decorations and party favors that are actually useful and not those goody bags full of cheap plastic crap.

And although I don’t go all-out crazy, I still get stressed out. I have a love/hate relationship with birthday party planning. Truth be told, any time a bunch of people come to my house, I start to stress. So this year I just wasn’t feeling it. I really really didn’t want to plan several parties in a short time frame.

I found what I thought was the perfect solution by suggesting that the boys each invite a friend to Build-a-Bear instead. They did, but none of us could come up with a weekend that would work for everyone, so we put it off. And then the entire summer went by.

So this week, on a whim, I called Eric and asked him if he wanted to meet us there after work. I didn’t tell the boys what we were doing until just before we went. They were so excited. (Yes, I realize we didn’t bring their friends. Yes, I do feel like a little bit of a jerk for that. But this was last minute. Do or die. Just get it over with already, you horrible mother.)

Both of the boys knew exactly what they wanted to make before we got there, which was quite helpful in speeding up the process. Annelise on the other hand was like a kid in, well, Build-a-Bear. At first she chose Hello Kitty, but after a moment she put it back. Then she had this terrifying dog/horse/princess thing. It was completely hideous. Thankfully, she put that back too. Then she grabbed Superman and that was it. He was the one. She girled him up with a Minnie Mouse outfit and named him (her?) Mommy Bear.

Sorry for the crummy pictures. Mall lighting + Phone camera = Not so great pics

Batman Bear Mommy Bear Boston Bear

Next year, I think we’ll take all the money we would have spent at Build-a-Bear and go on a two-week tropical vacation. It would probably cost the same amount.

 

And now the part of the post where I share pictures of our real, everyday life.

We went to a Fall Festival this weekend and the boys finally got to carve the pumpkins we got last week.

Twins

Eli's Pumpkin

Twins

Samuel's Pumpkin

Annelise painted hers instead

Fun with Paint

Have a great week and remember to keep it real!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Keeping It Real Challenge Tagged With: birthday, birthday party, build-a-bear, fall, keeping it real, pumpkins

About Lauren

If you enjoy picture-perfect home decor, perfectly prepared recipes, and perfectly behaved children, you've come to the wrong place. Meet Lauren. She isn't perfect, but she's perfectly real.

Comments

  1. Kristen says

    September 23, 2014 at 12:47 pm

    I am dying! Build a Bear is so freaking expensive! And pumpkins already….won’t they rot? I love your story though….and you are not a bad mom. Procrastinator maybe….but definitely not a bad mom!

    • Lauren says

      September 23, 2014 at 1:15 pm

      To be honest, it was less than I thought it was going to be. Don’t get me wrong, it was still ridiculous, but not as ridiculous as I expected. And yeah, it’s a little early for pumpkins, but Samuel has been begging me to carve them ever since we got them.

  2. Tricia the Good Mama says

    September 23, 2014 at 2:27 pm

    I am the same way as you when it comes to birthday parties. I love the Batman bear your son made. I had to laugh about the prices of the build a bear. It’s crazy how expensive they are!

    • Lauren says

      September 23, 2014 at 6:03 pm

      Isn’t the Batman one cute? Samuel is all about superheroes all the time. And Eli (who made the Boston Red Sox bear and has a Boston Bruins one already) is the biggest sports fan around. I have never met a six year old who loves sports as much as him. Playing, watching, talking about, it’s crazy. And then of course, there’s Annelise who’s a blend of tomboy and princess. It’s funny how different each kid is.

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About Lauren

If you enjoy picture-perfect home decor, perfectly prepared recipes, and perfectly behaved children, you've come to the wrong place. Meet Lauren. She isn't perfect, but she's perfectly real. Read More…

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