The Birthday Party Gauntlet

A few weekends ago, Emily was invited to two back to back birthday parties. Originally, Todd planned to come with us, but since he got a new job where he works on the weekend, I had to endure the birthday parties solo.

Now I don’t mind taking Emily to parties, but I’m an introvert and a geek. It’s hard for me to make normal conversation with people sometimes. So the whole afternoon was really tiring – it made me think of the episode of Hercules where Xena has to go through the gauntlet. Of course, with less hitting and pain than she had to endure.

The first one was an outdoor pool party. It’s been unseasonably cool for August

in NC, so it was I wasn't sure if Emily would want to swim. She did and ended up having a great time splashing in the pool and tossing water balloons. Though she would stop playing every little bit because she want her towel and want me to hold her. My pants got a little wet.

I talked with the other parents. The mom of one of the birthday girls and I talked about Disney since they are going a few weeks after we are. The same birthday girl’s grandmother is someone I know from church so I talked to her a bit too. I also took a lot of pictures on my phone.

As the time when on, it got even more overcast and Emily got cold. We got her changed and then it was time for cake. They had a bunch of food to munch on plus hotdogs so we were able to have a good lunch. There was cookie cake too which Emily liked, but was more interested in getting more

fruit.

We left with just enough time go get across town to the 2nd party. At this point, I was starting to feel tired. I hadn't slept well the night before since Todd had been working all night and it was starting to catch up with me.

The 2nd party was a Dora themed party at the Little Gym. The kids got to run around and play on gym equipment while the Dora theme song played over and over. This was the most painful part of the day because I don’t like that song even once. But dozens of times got to be very grating on my ears. The guy running the party would stop the song o’ doom to do some activities with the kids. They played with a bouncy mat, got to run around after bubbles and had some fun with a parachute.

Emily’s best friend, William, was there so she spent most of her time running and playing with him. Once it was time for cake and presents, I was really tired. We stayed long enough to watch the birthday girl open her presents and to have some cake. Then we headed back home.

Even though it was tiring for me, I was glad we went to both parties because Emily had a great time. It was nice for her to see her friends since she didn't have a whole lot of playdates this summer. 

Why I'm Not a Brony

Emily with Twilight Sparkle 

I’m going to start out this post by saying I don’t think there is anything wrong with being a brony. I think if I was younger and/or didn't have a young child, I would be a brony. But there is a reason why I'm  not.

When I was a kid, I loved My Little Pony. Not so much the TV show but the actual toys. My favorite was a pink Pegasus pony that I played with all the time. When the new show came out, Emily was a toddler. She was really into shows like Dora that were not fun at all for me to watch. So we caught My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic when we could because it’s a much better show than Dora.

She didn't like it as much when it first came on, because I think she was a little young for it. But now that she’s nearly five years old, it’s one of her favorite shows. We go through periods where we watch a lot of ponies. She just got the new Equestria Girls movie a few days ago and we've already watched it several times.

Because I watch My Little Pony with Emily, I have no desire to watch it when she’s not around. I think this is the main reason I’m not a brony. While I don’t mind watch ponies, after watching the Too Many Pinkie Pies episode again and again, I’m a little turned off by it.

I can understand why other people are bronies though – it’s a very good show. There is just too much of a good thing sometimes, especially when you are the parent of a preschooler.