Rai of Sunshine: I love my kid!

Next Friday is Araina's 8th birthday party! Holy cow...how on earth did I have an 8 year old? And how has she survived this long being as normal as she is? So this year, when we asked her what party theme she wanted she debated and finally decided on Tangled. Let me say, I was sooo thankful! There's actually paper plates and tablecloths for this. (That's about it beside the party stuff that I don't want to spend an arm and a leg on, but that's a whole different blog.)

Araina has picked her theme every year since she was 3 or 4-which are alot of fun, but a pain to shop for! There is never anything that really goes with what she wants. How do I solve that problem? Simple! I go into what I like to call "creative" mom mode. I've done it all from designing invitations on plastic plates to painting on windows, all the way to shopping at random supply stores to make cake design ideas work within my budget. (Not an easy task some years.) Not that I'm trying to sound like it's bad. It's actually something I've always wanted to do. (Create themed parties and make awesome cakes to go with them. Not the limited budget...but God blesses and we say thanks!)

Anyhoo, I kinda cheated with the invites this year and facebooked it (yup just made facebook into a verb!) and have been spending every bit of my free non-family time working on painting signs and Maximus the horse for games, finding decorations online, raiding my mom's unpacked craft stuff to use, and watching tons of cake decorating shows! I am now officially a Cake Boss follower. I have 12 episodes set up on my DVR for this Monday and Tuesday alone just so I can get ideas for how to set up the cake. (More to be explained on the plan and execution after the party.) Araina and I have taken Monday afternoons (for about an hour) to watch The Next Great Baker (done by Buddy from Cake Boss) to learn new techniques and get ideas too.

So, while I joke about my "spoiled rotten" kid, I would not change any of this for the world. Just seeing the look on her face when she wakes up to see how mommy took a plain posterboard and turned it into Maximus, or to see the paper lanterns arrive in the mail is worth all of the work and headache of planning a party. So, as Friday approaches (very quickly I might add!), I continue to find a way to make this one of her "best days ever!"