One of my favorite writers (full disclosure, a former student, but I swear, she already knew it all before she took our class) has a blog with a great name: aarpmom.blogspot.com

Check it out. Mary Ellen is hilarious, but in a wonderfully mellow way I can only aspire to. Here’s a sample, from her own daughter’s 7th birthday party:

The last straw was when the girls divided into 2 camps. Half wanted to play with Leah’s Littlest Pet Shop and the other half wanted to dance. My husband and I thought the only way out was to suggest cake and ice cream. Desperate to unify them through sugar, we forgot to light the candles or sing Happy Birthday. With half the cake missing, we quickly added the seven candles and asked the girls to gather around to sing. Maria refused to come back inside and Dylan felt she needed to stay next to Maria. Leah ran into our bedroom crying which left Melanie, my husband and I singing Happy Birthday to an invisible birthday girl. Defeated, I blew out the candles! (My wish was not granted because the party continued.)