A Birthday Fit for a Princess...

My youngest daughter has a knack for saying whatever is on her mind. I always tell people that she was born without a filter (much like her father).

The summer prior to her Kindergarten year, the school had gotten sprayed for bugs, but was awaiting the cleaning crew. She told her soon-to-be principal, "Uhm, I'm going to this school next year, so you need to clean up these bugs," with all the attitude of any starlet diva.

This same daughter took to heart her father's words (when she was several years younger), "We can not get a dog until we get rid of the cat." A mad, wet cat sprinted from the bathroom after she had tried to flush it down the toilet. When asked why she did that, she replied, "I didn't want to hurt the cat. I just wanted it to go away so we could have a dog."

Recently we went to adopt a new cat. She looked up at the salesman with big, brown sincere eyes and said, "I promise not to flush this cat down the toilet." Surpisingly, they let us take it anyway.

She will be eight on her next birthday, which is on December 30th. She really gets the short end of the stick of this deal. People try to lump her birthday and Christmas gift together. And she has a hard time getting folks together for any kind of party, since her birthday is squashed between two such major holidays.

Our remedy to this was to have a party in July for her "Half Birthday." She has been so excited about this upcoming party that I'm not sure if she's slept any this whole week.

The theme is "Princesses." We will be doing Princess make overs, hair do's and manicures/pedicures. We also plan to watch "Princess Protection Program" by Disney (which is actually quite a good film).

When we were writing out the invitations, she was not short on her special "charm" of saying who she did not want to invite and why. I asked her to please not have the same discussion with the other girls at the party. I could just see her sitting with a horrified little circle of girls saying, "I did NOT invite Susie because she's loud and immature!"

As I was sealing up the invitations to mail, she said, "Wait! I need to put something else on the invitations!"

"Oh. I'm sorry! What did you want to put on there?"

"I wanted to write what they needed to bring," she implored.

"I can tell their moms," I offered.

She considered this for a moment. Finally she said, "Okay. Will you please tell them that
everyone should wear sweat pants and rags?"

I looked at her, my eyebrows knitted together. There was more to this story.

"WHY are you all wearing sweat pants and rags?" I asked.

"Oh, THEY are wearing the sweat pants and rags. I am wearing a princess gown," she said, as
though she were reporting the weather or how much apples are this week at the supermarket.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, counting to ten... and then again...

"Honey, we are NOT having your friends dress like peasants, while you dress like a princess," I said as sweetly as I could.

I was both mortified and internally laughing hysterically at the same time. How awesome would it be to not worry about what other people think? To be so confident that you talk to your principal as though she were a peer?

Hubby has that same ability. It has proven to be both a blessing and a curse.

But he and my daughter will NEVER be boring. And I will ALWAYS have a story to tell... even if I am dressed in sweat pants and rags while I tell it...