The Secret to Successfully Surviving! ( the tale of a two year olds Birthday)

Made in China, Chuck e Cheese, and birthday cake are the key to survival in this day and age.

     So my daughter turned two on the 30th and we just deemed it appropriate to have the traditional Chuck E Cheese party.  I love a place that has the motto “where a kid can be a kid” but does that apply to adults also? I mean I just can’t help myself when I get there, It brings back old memories and I get...the itch… you know the one! The itch to shoot some ski ball, and shove some 4 year old out of the way to get some tickets you see on the floor. The itch to spend 200 bucks on a spider ring and some laffy taffy! Don’t act like you don’t get a kick out of cheating the mini basketball game, you know the one, you can stand at the front and dunk the ball without even a full extension, you know you do it too! But I guess in this case the motto is applied best when your five year old daughter tells you how she “found” some tickets, and “found” some coins, and even somehow managed to “find” a spin top. So it seemed odd to me that she just happened to be the luckiest kid on earth until I started to follow her around. Low and behold I catch her in the act of collecting empty coin cups, so I was told; she failed to mention that sometimes these empty coin cups have stuff in them. She also failed to mention that these empty coin cups were on other people’s tables…

     The other part about Birthday’s (and Christmas), and basically any other time you get toys for your kids with the Made in China label. Is when we bought our youngest this Minnie Mouse kitchen that I know she loves. But, why do simple little plastic toys have to be such a burden? For one, you have to take out a loan to get the dead gum thing, then two; it takes a rocket scientist to piece it together. Most of the toys I have put together come with some pretty crappy directions. They usually just have some picture and some arrows, but why does nothing fit? Why are the arrows facing the wrong the direction? Why are there always random extra pieces and why do the ones you get seem like there are all wrong? You would think that if you’re spending a small fortune, and you risk mere bankruptcy just for the cookware play set it would come with some kind of descent directions. Luckily I employed my 7 year old to put some of the parts and pieces together and it ended up being a fun activity. I mean there is nothing like a 7 year old blonde stating the obvious, “Well Daddy,  maybe that piece doesn’t go there.” Then once you realize she was right you just laugh about it and say “maybe not, but it does now” (six screws and two bottles of super glue later).

     But at least at the end of the day I came to realize that The Secret to Successfully surviving a two year olds Birthday is to just remember one thing.  That to get through life sometimes you have to take it one big ole’ chunky piece of Minnie Mouse birthday cake at a time… with a brand new spider ring in hand of course.

"so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11