Planning for Party : Episode 4 – the breaking point

Thanks for tuning in, this “mini-series” will be the daily play-by-play, panicked countdown of a mom on a mission to pull off an original and memorable birthday for my soon-to-be three year old. I’ll take you through the last week of planning, because of course, that’s the fevered crunch time. And naturally when everything goes awry…

Monday: T-minus 5 days and counting

Tops on my list of things I’ll never do again: Make crayon rolls as party favors.

I hate my sewing machine.

I swear to you it is possessed and needs an exorcism from Bianca, my sewing idol. I don’t care what anyone says about bigger being better. Bigger amounts of thread coming out of the bobbin is NOT better than one strand of thread coming out of the bobbin. And tweezers are meant for eyebrows – not fishing thread from gears.

Out of sheer panic, I played hooky this morning to try and get the rest of the pockets – and hopefully the edges too — done for this stupid idea of a project.

Yes, I understand I have a looming problem. I should have bailed on this earlier but my curse is that once I am committed and have the vision, I cannot let it go. I am like a bulldog with locked jaws on a chewie. And I had a significant investment in now cut fabric that I was not going to waste.

So of course, as Murphy’s Law would have it, and I’m sure stress had NOTHING to do with it – I got insomnia at 3 a.m. this morning. I wasn’t awake enough to actually get out of bed to keep sewing, mind you. That would be the efficient thing to do. However when Princess Cupcake woke at 4:15, I did have to drag myself out of bed to go get her milk and rub her aching leg.

Hello 5:30 when Law & Order reruns finally lulled me back to sleep. (I usually get up at 6:30 a.m.)

Needless to say, I woke up late. I never even showered today. I slaved over that damn sewing machine with it spitting out hairballs every 30 seconds for half of the day. The other half I HAD to work. Oh yeah, work! I almost forgot about that in the heat of my focused anxiety.

I am still not done. I did get a brilliant idea on how to reduce the mound of the “to sew” pile.

I texted one of the mom’s to confirm and RSVP and she said her little girl couldn’t make it. YES! One less I have to sew! I was sad because she wasn’t coming (really, I was!), but I was happy not to have to make another crayon roll on deadline.

Here’s where things really take a turn for me.

After work, Princess Cupcake and I stopped at Target on the way home and she began to wander down the party aisle. This is dangerous for one main reason – what if she locks in on the Tinkerbell plates or the Disney Princess napkins and wants to change the theme which would literally send me over the edge. I was armed and ready with a response though. I planned to suggest that we get those for her “school” party or her party with Mommy and Daddy if it came to it.

What I wasn’t prepared for was THIS:

“Mommy, I want my party like that.”

Geezums, what did she see? Toy Story cups? Princess party favors? Here we go…

I was afraid to ask, “Like what honey?”

“Like that Mommy.”

 

She is pointing to the idyllic bigger than lifesize image that Target has on the wall of a group of happy children gathered around a perfectly decorated cake, balloons a go-go, and the smiling parents looking on. Presents abound and party favors are plenty.

Yeah, who wouldn’t want a picture-perfect party like that?

“Are you pointing at the picture on the wall?” Maybe I was mistaken…

“Yes. Up there.”

“Okay sweetie. I’m sure your party will be just like that but with your friends.”

Gulp.

“Yeah, all my friends be at my party.”

And so the pressure mounts.

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It’s now 11:13 p.m. and I have been working all evening – on WORK. I need to finish the FOUR pieces with pockets that I have left to keep on my internal schedule and not to implode with the rest of the projects for the week. And did I mention that my meetings keep adding up? My hooky options are rapidly running out like thread from my bobbin.

And to make matters worse, I am stewing over the note the school sent home today asking that we get our kids there by 9:00 a.m. Don’t they know how tired I am??? My panties are in a twist since I brought her at 9:30 this morning after we all overslept and it feels like they targeted ME with that little dig. But seriously, Princess Cupcake goes to DAY CARE, should I really feel compelled to exchange a few extra minutes snuggling in bed with her so she doesn’t miss out on a snack at school? I figure that’s my prerogative. I am paying for the full day, we’ll get there when we get there, it’s not like I’m effecting anyone’s salary. And if she’d rather spend time with mommy in the morning than the screaming insane asylum that I brought her to this morning, I can’t say that I blame her.

Sorry. Done venting. OBVIOUSLY my project has brought out the worst in me because normally we are there at 9 or close to it so this just hit a nerve like a bullseye because I am in a bad mood and sleep deprived already. And honestly, I don’t want to have to get up to get her to school by 9 tomorrow either. I want to sleep until noon – like that would happen.

This may be my breaking point. I am not sewing any more. I don’t like sewing anymore. I am going to bed. It is 1:30 a.m.