Advent Activity: I'm a Super Dude

As befits my love of stretching out celebrations, we've been celebrating my birthday for days now, especially if you include parties last Thursday and Friday, cookie baking and ballet on Saturday, and then yesterday and today!  Yesterday, the kids decorated the house with lots of "Phineas and Ferb" decorations and even gave me a button to wear proclaiming me "Super Dude."  Yep, I'm a cool mom.  Then we had an elaborate tea with ham and cheese sandwiches, curried egg salad sandwiches, and several little cakes from the bakery.  Mmmm, chocolate truffle and also gingersnap with cream cheese frosting and a fruit tart!  We hung out making our new Lego holiday village, part of my birthday present.  Actually, the kids worked on the Legos while I perused my new books Harry Potter: From Page to Screen and Homesick Texan, the cookbook.

Today, I had a special birthday lunch at school with the kiddos, which was an extra treat for me because I hadn't been to school in a long while.  We all sat together at those long cafeteria tables--I brought a cheese sandwich and chips from the deli, Mama got chicken nuggets in the lunch line with Sis.  I had brought them both cookies to eat with their lunches.  School lunch sure has changed--they eat off styrofoam trays that get thrown away (oh, the waste!), but not by them--they raise their hands and the lunch ladies toss their trash and give them a coloring page or word search to complete while they wait for lunch to be over.  And then, if they are still hungry at the end of lunch, they can rush up when their class is called for a snack to eat then and there--chips or ice cream!!  I guess I can see not wanting your entire first grade getting up, but it seemed a bit much considering they could easily bus their own stuff, and the need for a coloring sheet to fill the time (maybe they should try talking to one another!  Or gasp, shorten lunch and add it to recess!!!!!) and the extra snack is ridiculous (though Sis's tray with 6 tater tots and 6 nuggets and a chocolate milk was hardly a meal; she opted out of fruit . . . and they let her!  That'll keep us from letting them have school lunch more than a couple of times a month as is our current custom).  Still, it was great fun for me and I hope for them; having Gommie to lunch was very special to me when I was in elementary school.

I fielded calls from England (Hi Lambeth!  Thanks for calling!), Austin (Hi Aunt Banana, sorry I missed you!), Houston (Gommie and Pop together), and, the biggest surprise of all from Dallas from my close friend from high school!  She's still practicing law and still has the thickest East Texas accent I ever hear.  I hadn't talked to her in three years (she says congrats on the baby, Aunt Banana!) so we had a good time catching up.  Also, thanks to everyone who emailed (Hi cousin S and Mrs. S!) and who helped me celebrate last week.

Later this afternoon,we had fondue with bread and apples for after-school snack.  So tasty!  And then they did Legos again, while I napped on the couch.  Finally, we ended my birthday extravaganza with pizza and ice cream and called it quits.  What a great way to celebrate!  I do just love having birthdays.

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UPDATE:  I totally forgot some of the most touching highlights:

• The first present I got was actually a "How Much I Love You & I Love You Because" book made by Sis and Bud.
• Sis had made me two great cards all on her own, with the sweetest sentiments--that I'm the best mom (remember, Mama is a "mama") and she loves me with all her heart.
• Neighbor Boy came back to wish me happy birthday when I told him the kids couldn't play because we were doing birthday things.
• Miss K's daughter brought fudge crinkles and Lindt candies as a birthday present.
• The kids in their class wished me happy birthday (some sorta sang), as did several of the teachers  . . . because I was wearing my "Super Dude" button at school!