One Down, Three to Go
Boy Two turned 12 a couple of weeks ago and due to early Saturday morning basketball games and bone-chilling cold, we just got around to having his annual birthday sleep over last night. He’d held out hope that he and 6 of his closest friends would be able to go to the outdoor skateboard park but it rained. Dern.
Instead we stayed at the house and I fed them insane amounts of pizza, chips, and carbonated beverages. If y’all remember, we turned the garage into a playroom a couple of years ago so I locked their caffeinated selves in the Man Cave. Other than the occasional sonic boom of a kid being thrown against a wall, they were actually pretty calm. The smell coming out of that room this morning though? Not so calm. Think locker room with a side order of methane and you have what I hope this room will smell like a week from now.
At 2 a.m. I decided to be an uncool mom and make them all go to bed. I let them stay up so late thinking they would sleep until at least lunch. Fail. They were up at 6:30 a.m. I laid in the bed in denial until they all started singing a medley of Pants on the Ground and Taylor Swift’s ‘You Belong to Me’. Something about a bunch of pre-pubescent boys with squeaky voices hitting that sour high (can’t you SEEEE-EEEE-EEEEE you belong with MEEEE-EEEE-EEEE) note was definitely more effective than any alarm clock I’ve ever had.
Breakfast was actually pretty great if I do say so myself. My MIL got us a belgian waffle maker for Christmas that I absolutely love so I cranked out 12 gigantic waffles, fried 3 lbs. of bacon, threw it in the trough and backed away quickly before I lost a limb in the frenzy. One of the boys grabbed a fist full but thought better of taking it all when the others started growling. Like really. They were growling.
Note to self: Buy more bacon.
So one more of the once per year extravaganzas has passed and the next for Boy One is coming up in a couple weeks. He turns 14. What kind of stuff do y’all do for birthdays as your kids grow beyond the party hat/pinata age?
Whatever we do, I’m hoping these guys have realized Pants on the Ground’s 15 minutes were up 20 minutes ago.
And they don’t serenade me with Taylor before noon.
(And that I find an awesome sale on pork products.)
A warning about thick cut (or any) bacon: make ten times (not an exaggeration) more than you think you’re going to need. This has been a public service announcement.
(I copy and pasted that straight from the Pioneer woman’s blog…ha….it’s so true!)
PS….I detest making bacon! ha…and its just not the same to me in the microwave
.-= Brooke Smith´s last blog ..Moving to NYC =-.
PSS….what’s the brand of that waffle maker??? Ive been wanting one for a long time but I dont want one of those that makes small Eggo-like waffles..ha I want big, fat waffles…ha
.-= Brooke Smith´s last blog ..Moving to NYC =-.
So funny!
I’m interested in the waffle maker too. Mine is about kaput.
I think my waffle maker came from JC Penney’s. It’s the Cook brand from there and makes GREAT waffles. Great big fat ones Brooke..:) And I just use the Bisquick mix for the batter. I sweetened some berries for mine and Luke’s waffle and it was wonderful!
Oh the good things to look forward to as my men children age! Right now we are still good with family parties. Entertaining the idea of having ” friends” for MC 1 this year. We shall see.
.-= rhonda´s last blog ..OH THE WEBS WE WEAVE… =-.
The recipe I use for waffles calls for the egg whites to be beaten separately and folded in at the end…definitely makes a difference! They are so light!
I have girls so can’t help too much in the teen boy party department…we faded out the big friends parties and did more along the lines of something special with just a friend or two.
Happy Birthday to your son!
.-= joyce´s last blog ..It was like totally awesome =-.
My son turned 14 in Dec., and he didn’t want a party (yeah, me!!). We have done all sorts of parties that DO NOT include many people spending the night. I am not the cool mom. Any party away from my house is a good one so I always look for parks. The best one I’ve done most recently was putt-putt. It was wonderful….just depends on what is near your hometown.
.-= Patty´s last blog ..job fair or cattle call? =-.
Joyce, the friend or two option was my choice but the boy wasn’t going for it. :) And putt putt Patty? That sounds SO fun except we don’t have one..:((
Sounds like they had a great time. I honestly can’t believe how popular “pants on the ground” has gotten. I saw the American Idol episode with it, and I cracked up laughing, but wow! :) It would’ve been funny to hear the boys sing, but not so early in the morning.
.-= Dana Schmoyer´s last blog ..Tim is going to Haiti =-.
I have visions of the commercial where the dog is saying, ‘bacon, bacon, bacon, B-A-C-O-N!!!!!”
My oldest boy is 9 so can’t help on the party issue.
.-= cheryl´s last blog ..Life According to Caleb…. =-.
I have twin girls turning 15 next week. One twin is low-key-anything-will-do kind of girl. The other girl is high maintenance. Oh, the stories i could tell about birthdays…Anyway, this year we’re having a small get together here at the house with just a few friends, kind of like a come and go sort of thing. But next year, “Sweet Sixteen” we’re already planning a masquerade party at the community center. Pray for me! :)
I have 3 girls so thinking about a party of all boys, that just about gives me hives!
My oldest turns 16 next month and she doesn’t really want a party, but I have a feeling what she does want will involve lots of cash……….
.-= O Mom´s last blog ..Superbowl =-.
Oh my gosh this post had me cracking up. Oh the things I have to look forward to when my kids are older. So funny.
.-= Tiffany´s last blog ..Captured By Grace =-.
CONGRATULATIONS on the survival!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What fun do I have to look forward to in the next few years?!
Our little guys haven’t made it out of the cake and ice cream phase yet, or I would be asking for hints as well! However, since Larry’s a youth minister, we get invited to a lot of birthday parties. One of the most hilarious was a ‘Sock Wrestling Tournament’.
If you are unfamiliar with sock wrestling (which I, of course, was…I mean, what are the rules about solar nails?)…the premise is that two boys are matched together, each with a tube sock tied around their left ankle. At the signal, they ‘wrestle’ to get the other guy’s sock off first.
At the party that we went to, they had made a temporary ring in the back yard, had tournament brackets set up in advance and had a trophy (which was an old bowl trophy that someone had found at the church’s annual garage sale).
Totally fun…Totally guys…No girls allowed! Plus, the hope is that (in theory) they will be more likely to sleep.
.-= Colleen Daigle´s last blog ..SuperBowl =-.
Colleen, that is inspired! Totally gonna show my son this,..:) btw – looking forward to seeing you in a few more weeks!
For Boy one “PAINTBALL PARTY”…That was Elijah’s 14th. HE will be 15 the 25th and I think it will be Paintball again…:) Good Luck to ya