Toys That Rock

So. The birthday party at Chuck E Cheese was great. He had a really good time. And we didn’t have enough time to use all the tokens we had, so we ended up coming home with tokens AND tickets. I’m a loser and didn’t realize there were 100 tickets inside the mini-lunch box he got with the party. So he only cashed in the tickets he won from ski-ball and various other games. Ah well. When I lamented this to him, he said, “It’s okay, Mom.”

Anyway, he got this really cool StormTrooper helmet. It talks and then if you push another button, you can change your voice and sound like one, too. It was the first toy he wanted out of the box when we got home. So I spent about 230498 minutes getting it OUT of the box and about 5 minutes putting it together.

I swear…what is it with toys these days? You need a jackhammer, a pair of pliers, a screwdriver and a drill just to get them out of the box. Or so it seems. One of the things I HAVE noticed about his toys this year is… if they need batteries, the battery compartment isn’t screwed shut. Is it because it’s a toy for 7 and over? Or because toy makers have realized that children probably aren’t going to suck on the batteries after all?  At any rate, the last few things he’s gotten that require batteries, do not require me to find a .2 centimeter Phillips head screwdriver to open the compartment and insert the batteries. About time.

And yes, of course, I had to get in on the act as well. Hey, do you think they’ll let me wear this to work on Tueday? LOL I have to admit, this helmet is reall heavy and the headgear inside it is kind of…uncomfortable. I guess, though, when you have a small child-sized head, it’s not.

Two boys from his soccer team showed up for the party, along with my Skater niece and my friend, her fiance, and her best friend’s daughters. The place was packed, noisy, and super-sensory overload. Oh and the pizza was crappy. I think the only good thing about the place was the salad bar but I was too busy running after the kids to keep up. Plus the kiddo kept leaving his cup of tokens all over the place so I had ot keep an eye on that.

The birthday brownie came out excellent. Probably the best batch of brownies I’ve ever made. The kids and adults both enjoyed them and everyone commented that it was a great idea. I never liked cake as a kid, either. And who would have thought to go out on a limb and pick something other than cake for your birthday? Truly brilliant. It might be the start of a new tradition.

Oh, and yes, the kiddo woke me up at 7 am sharp. And I thought I was going to sleep in… HA! He was excited it was his birthday, though, and that’s fine. So I got up and made a pot of coffee and birthday pancakes from scratch.

The day ended in relative peace and quiet… except the neighbors across the street had a BBQ and decided to play their thumpy music way loud. I coudln’t complain really, until it was after 10 and then I started to get angry. Okay, sure, I get it’s a holiday weekend but COME ON. Have some consideration for the rest of the neigborhood.

And… I finished reading my friend’s WIP. It was SO good. I was thoroughly engrossed in the characters and the story from beginning to end. Afterward, I kept thinking about the story. Yes, it was THAT good. Her best work by far. I hope it makes it to publication because it deserves it. And I want an autographed copy. 😀

Today is Laundry Day and Clean The House Day because it’s a pig sty. Joy oh Joy. And, even though I’m happy to be alone… I sure miss my chatty kid!