Space Case

Bub turns seven in one week. His birthday falls at the most inopportune time for a party -- always within Thanksgiving break. After Thanksgiving, having a party is hard because everyone is rushing around taking care of Christmas (including me), and it becomes very difficult to find a weekend where there's not a one-day sale or an office party going on. I don't know why we didn't think of it before, but this year we moved his birthday party up to today -- a week before his birthday -- and Bub had the best time ever.

Some day, many years from now, I aspire to be as creative as my most Martha-like friend Randi, but when there are essays to write and annotated bibliographies to be done, I will pay someone else to wrangle hoardes of boys and have projectiles thrown at her head, which is why we opted for the Space Party at the Rec Center.

We had a Pirate Party at the Rec Center a couple of years ago, and it was worth every cent. The kids dressed in fantastic costumes and went on an actual scavenger hunt for buried treasure. For the Space Party, though, a couple of stars hung on the wall and the kids picked up rocks in the gym. ("Moon rocks," supposedly, though I have my doubts.) The costumes this time -- or "moon suits," as they were called -- were made of trashbags and duct tape. While I've heard anything can be done with duct tape, this was a stretch. I think the kids looked a lot like hobos and less like astronauts, but that's just me.

Though I was disappointed in the limited decor, and though I question the costumes, what matters is there was plenty of space to run and play, along with games and crafts coordinated by someone else, and no set-up or clean-up for me. Bub had an afternoon with some fun boys and girls, there was cake to be had, friends gave him such thoughtful gifts, and at the end of it all, he feels so, so special. It was a happy birthday party, indeed.