Kids Birthdays Take The Cake!

Kids Birthdays Take the Cake Proving that getting Your Cake Is Not Always Eating It Too!

Kids love them, parents try to forget them, but wherever you stand, kids birthdays come around every year. To parents, birthdays bring a focus on some sad occurrences: the kids have grown out of their last year's clothes. Or, they now understand too much about the conversations that they should not pay attention to and they understand too little about those ideas you try so hard to explain to them.

But kids are usually happy thinking and planning for their next birthday-even on the same day that you are recuperating from this year's party. "How did I ever manage to get this party together," you sigh. And no doubt your planning experience was hardly scoring touchdowns every week. That's because kids do have their loves and passions but their favorites can change daily from High School Musical to the Troop, or from Michael Jackson to iCarly. Or, the favorite is a new toy and you gasp, "How will I find cups, hats, and a pinata to match that one, and "I hope I can sell 3 dozen "Little Mermaid" napkins on Ebay!"

Let the Birthday Games Begin
Getting the invitations and guest list straight is always a matter that requires a lot of patience. Do you have to rent a mansion to host the school and the sports friends and the neighborhood? Or can the kids be satisfied with 2 friends for an intimate party or sleepover? But then which 2 BF's, BFFL's or BFFWXYZLMNOP's do you invite?

For most kids there is not too much fun to be had at birthdays that's brand new or that can ever replace the old tried and true games. And the truth is, the old games are fun for the adults to watch, too.

If there is a photo to take and keep from any birthday party, it has to be of the kid's faces full of whipped cream or frosting. The goal of a face only dive into any ingredients is a favorite kids challenge. Watch kids dunk for bubble gum in a mountain of whipped cream for the biggest bubble blowing contest, or bob for apples as the ratio of water to saliva changes with every unsuccessful bite.

The kids don't really care if the event is bowling or swimming or making art projects, or watching alligator wrestling, so moms and dads need not wrestle with the costs, the weather predictions, and the transportation. Have the kids put down their iPods and Wii's and you'll see how excited a gang of kids get with musical chairs, tug of war, carry the raw egg on the spoon and decorate the ground with yolks that the dogs love, red light green light, and wrap the mummy.

What's more, all of these games have a run through in just a half-hour with lots of laughs and screams. Why so short you ask? Because kids can't wait for the real reason for birthdays—the cake and the goody bags. Even dieting parents can't resist a smidgen of cake in order to ask the question "is the cake good?" Each parent in turn tastes, smacks their lips, and announces, "Oh, the cake is sweet, it's moist, it's delicious," as if a birthday cake could possibly be something else!

Who or what takes the Cake?
The cake is the centerpiece of kids birthdays. Each guest arrives and looks at the cake. "It is beautiful, it's amazing, look at those colors, wow, what a great design" each person gushes their approvals and admiration. And each kid looks and says, "yummy, cake?when do we get to eat the cake?"

The birthday cake is not only the birthday centerpiece; it represents the age and the personality of the child. With such a responsibility, parents often have the choice of buying it off the shelf with perfect roses and icing that molds nicely to the sides of the cake, or making something personalized and a conversation piece of art.

The Birthday Cake Plan
If you plan to make an object kind of cake, allow yourself a week to do it! One birthday year, mom made a castle cake for the 5-year-old. It took 6 cakes (a few to waste by cutting it wrong and icing that stuck and pulled it apart). The castle slowly built itself higher with pointed ice cream cones and candy sticks. Building up always gets to be a challenge—the kids would clue a parent in about this one. As one turret gets frosted, the castle begins to sway and threatens to fall into its own moat. Finally with plenty of frosting plaster and candy props, the cake gets ready for its main event, and all agree—the cake is too beautiful to cut and eat!

So instead, the ordinary grocery store backup cakes are sliced and eaten, and the castle remains intact on the counter for 2 more amazing days. Finally, the princess, now two days past the birthday stage, requests that a knight spear into the castle and rescue a piece of the cake. This was a challenge much like the prince cutting through the vines to awaken Sleeping Beauty. And this challenge was one that ultimately rocked the castle. Down one side crumbled, one side caved, and with the weight of tons of frosting, a new candy mountain was formed when the crumbs cleared. "Hey, I know what to do," piped up the wise child. "Remember that Max and Ruby where Max made crumbs of all the brownies? Ruby just mixed them all up in the blender and made Bunny Scout Brownie Surprise!"

And so, the walls of the castle came tumbling down, but unlike Humpty Dumpty and all the kings horses, Mommy scooped up the remains, mushed them into ice cream for a yummy treat, heaved a sigh, and said to herself, only 362 days to the next birthday cake!"