The close of birthday party season declared

As of June 30th, Peanut's nearly four month long birthday party season has ended. During the past four months nearly all of Peanut's friends celebrated the big ONE. Some months were slower than others; between April and May we were at a party virtually every weekend. One notable weekend in early May had a party each on Saturday and Sunday!

While some argue that babies don't need an elaborate first celebration, I think its as much for the parents as it is for the birthday baby. I was really excited to reach this milestone and wanted to throw a party to commemorate. I realize Peanut won't remember any of it, but we will and it was a special day for us, too.

The format was fairly similar for each celebration:
> around 2 hours, usually in the early afternoon
> first some time to socialize, babies play in the center of the room
> about 1/2 hr into the party, some people begin to check out the finger foods
> at about the half way point, baby is strapped into high chair, special birthday hat and bib are put on and parents come out with the small baby cake, we all sing and baby hesitantly digs in as we wait to see how much ends up in the hair, ears and covering baby's face :-)
> separate cake served for guests
> then its present opening time
> and soon after everyone trickles out the door with goody bag in hand

We went to themed parties (Elmo, lady bug, First Birthday animals), parties at the park under a pavillion and parties held at Gymboree. Some more elaborate than others, but for all, clearly a good deal of planning went into them.

Invitations and thank-you cards were usually coordinated to match the themes. Some cards were store-bought and handwritten, others self-designed and computer printed and a few even specially designed and professionally printed with the birthday baby's picture.

Goody bags lined up by the door contained surprises like rubber duckies, notepads, photo albums, picture frame magnets, books, rubber balls and other small gifts. Peanut gave a pinwheel and some sidewalk chalk to her guests. I wonder where the whole goody bag thing got its start? Someone in our group even suggested making an agreement next year to just skip them!

A bonus from the parties was that we got to know the dads better over several rounds of cake and ice cream though there usually only a handful of fathers at the events.

Its a small world stroll

One thing I really enjoy about living where we do is the access to the jogging trail. Peanut & I usually stroll at least twice a week - needless to say, early in the mornings (which is like 8.00 am for us) before the blistering sun rises too far above the treeline.

We're starting to see many of the same people out on our walks. Its a wonderful mix of cultures and languages that crosses our path.

There is the older Indian man who sits on the bench overlooking the duck pond in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He is there with his palms resting on his knees early to greet the sun and in the evenings to bid it farewell. He always takes a moment away from his peaceful gazing to wave to Peanut - or gently admonish her parents for having her out in such heat!

There are very slender and quick-paced the Chinese (Taiwanese?) grandparents who are trying to keep their active 2 year old granddaughter in the stoller all the way to the park. "Baby" and Ni-hao are all I understand of grandmother's quick comments. Grandfather speaks some English. The little girl always excitedly waves at Peanut and explains how she is going to play on the monkey bars.

A couple of Korean ladies are often out for a speed-walk wearing their outdoor hats with broad sun-blocking lids. A group of Spanish-speaking women also briskly walk by as they get in their morning exercise. Sometimes an older Indian couple ambles by - this pair is dressed more traditionally with the woman wearing a sari and both sporting chappul-sandals.

Two younger Finnish women are out with their strollers usually just 15 mins ahead or behind us. They walk fast with a sense of purpose and true to the stereotype, never say hello or even make eye contact if we pass.

Of course, we also come across many English-speaking neighbors with dogs, strollers, bikes and smiles as they jog by.

I'm glad for the diversity of our neighborhood and excited for Peanut to get to know people of different backgrounds and cultures as she grows up. The 'melting pot' idea is such a cliche, but certainly compared to Helsinki, there is a wider array of people just in our area who look as if they truly are comfortable here.

Treats from the Coppell Farmer's Market

We finally made it out on a Saturday morning to the Coppell Farmer's Market. It was a small affair with many of the vendors selling the same produce - green beans, onions, blueberries, okra, potatoes, among other farm goods. I also peeked in on the herb seller and bread stand. But, the shining star to us was the grass-fed farm goods from the clean, natural and happy Rehoboth Ranch.

The ground lamb was made into small meatballs that Peanut gobbled down like nothing else! It was truly tasty and delicious. Mr. Hutchins had sworn that the whole chicken from his farm would be the best chicken ever to cross our lips; it was good, but not earth shattering.

Last weekend, he was there again with a couple of his girls. All three wore long denim dresses and long pigtails down their back or twirled up in buns. According to their brochure, the girls are just a small sampling of their 12 (!) children!

The beautiful story of Rehoboth is found in Genesis 26. Rehoboth is a place where “…the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land…” We thank God for His gracious blessings during this past year.

At Rehoboth Ranch, our animals graze contentedly on pastures that are not sprayed with herbicides or pesticides. We do not give our beef, lamb, or chicken any steroids, antibiotics, feed additives, appetite enhancers, or other synthetic chemicals. We feed no animal or food by-products to any of our animals. Beef, lamb, and pork processing and packaging are accomplished at a small, slow paced, family owned and operated USDA inspected facility, and each animal is individually scrutinized by an Inspector before and during processing and before and during packaging. The pastured poultry is processed at the ranch in our well equipped, state inspection exempt and registered processing facility which is meticulously run by our family members.

Coppell Farmer's Market
Located in Old Town Coppell at Bethel and Coppell Roads

Every Saturday (8 a.m. to sellout)
April 22 through November 18

The politics of playland

This week one of the playgroups that Peanut & I went to dissolved suddenly over some misunderstandings. A friend with two children told me how her playgroup suffered an ugly split when more mother's began having their second child and the group just got too big and unwieldy. Deciding how to form two groups descended into bickering, finger-pointing and all sorts of accusations that had no place among mothers meeting to have fun with their babies.

The other playgroup Peanut & I attend came together rather informally, but we do have a short list of guidelines and an understanding of how the playdates are organized. One person took the role of keeping an address list and meeting calendar which she updates and distributes as needed. From there, everyone has simply volunteered to host playgroups and organize group outtings. We regularly send group emails soliciting advice to sharing information and good deals we've spotted. So far, we've been fortunate to maintain a friendly, cohesive group spirit.

I know we don't like think that a wholesome activity like baby playgroup should be overly regulated and planned for fear of mommy-politics, but the truth of human nature is that when you have a group of people, there will be differences of opinion, parenting styles and expectations. Here are some suggestions from playgroups around the country on how to help avoid some issues:
chelmsfordmothersclub
Babyzone
flaglermoms
The folks over at Quaker Oatmeal!