Birthday party extravaganza!

I found a website/blog today, whose name I am so jealous of: www.littlebirdiesecrets.com.  This is a perfect alternative title for my own blog, as my nickname (thanks to my mom) is "birdie."  Apparently, as a small child I would refuse to eat unless it was by way of picking food off my mom's plate, and then, I still ate very little. Hence, I "ate like a bird." I digress... I stumbled across this website because not only am I always interested in "doing crafts" of various types generally, but this week I am in the throws of preparing for my daughter's birthday party.  My little girl turns 4 on Saturday and we are throwing her a backyard garden party with a princess/fairy and just plain "fancy" theme -- she is obsessed with Sleeping Beauty at present but I am trying to make the decorations, etc. a little more general. Over the course of last weekend I made my family's secret sugar cookie dough, let it chill overnight and then rolled it out and cut the cookies in the shape of the number 4, as well as C-L-A-R-E.  Last night I frosted and froze the cookies as half the batch will go with Clare to school on Friday, and the other half will be for her party at home on Saturday.  We also started making a homemade pinata with a balloon and one layer of newspaper papier-mâché.  Another layer will be added tonight, followed by decorating it tomorrow night with crepe paper and ribbons.  Thursday night I will be making cupcakes for Clare to take to school on Friday, and on Friday morning I will make the "cake" portion of her birthday cake, to be frosted on Saturday morning before her party.  I purchased Sleeping Beauty character cake toppers, so the frosted decorations will be minimal, but I do want to put half a dozen roses on the edges, so between now and then I have to learn how to make them!Wish me luck!

 Birthday balloons to match her dress!

 Gown by Mary Sweeney!

 The cake, minus the roses!

 The pinata was made a little too well!

Room

I got sidetracked from digging up my Russian authored books from the basement due to a friend's post on Facebook, and I am now currently reading (via audiobook) Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue. The uniqueness of the story and the way it is narrated has me hooked but the subject matter is tough - I'm praying for a righteous ending. As a woman and mother myself, it is truly a nightmare. In this novel, 5-year-old Jack and his "Ma," are held captive in a single room, which itself becomes a character in the story as much as Jack and Ma, along with all of its contents: bed, rug, wardrobe, spoon, etc. Jack was born in "room" and thus he knows nothing of the outside world. Ma does an amazing job creating an interesting life for Jack in room, but after he turns five, Jack begins to ask a lot of questions and Ma must slowly explain to him their situation, that the people they watch on TV are real and live outside of room, a concept that is very difficult for Jack to understand. Anyone familiar with the true story of Josef Fritzl who held his daughter, Elisabeth, captive for 24-years in the cellar of his home in Austria and fathered seven children with her, will no doubt find Room an eerie reminder of that sickening true story.

Th physical books I am reading at home these days include: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann, Baby Minds: Brain-building Games Your Baby Will Love by Linda Acredolo, PhD, and The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales by Bruno Bettelheim.  With an almost 4-year-old and 6.5 month old at home, I am all about enrichment of the mind!