Sunday April 28th

Let me tell the story of Sunday, April 28th.

Here is what Cory did:

After I bought bagels a few weeks ago, he vowed that he would find a recipe and make bagels. So he did. And they were beyond good! They were delightful!

Then, the girls and I were off to a birthday party down in Loveland at the Build-A-Bear-Workshop. In a phrase that pretty much sums up the next two hours of my life: I HAD NO IDEA. I have walked past Build-A-Bear, but I have never spent any time in the store. Well, I think I have a fairly firm grip on it now, and I have zero desire to ever go back to the Build-A-Bear Workshop.

Scout and Ruby learning about the process from the staff member

The group of party-goers learning the ropes

The sweeties holding hands

Scout talks with the Build-a-Bear lady, and helps to stuff her puppy with the "fluff"

Scout selected a puppy to be stuffed. Before you stuff it, you place a heart-shaped heart into your stuffed animal. There is also a tag inside the stuffed animal with a UPC code so that your item is, in essence, microchipped like a dog. If the stuffed animal is found, it can be returned to the store and they can return it to the owner.

Ruby playing with the other kids at the birthday party

Ruby pushing the button to stuff her teddy bear

Between this photo and the end of the party, there is a story. About 75% of the store is accessories for the stuffed animals. If you have a hobby, a beloved Disney character or a favorite sports team, then that's what the whole trip is about. You gotta get STUFF for your stuffed friend. Well, this is a party, and each child has a budget of $20. Sounds generous, right? Well, $20 is enough to get you a stuffed animal that would barely pass as homeless. Seriously. The bathrobe, slippers, sleep mask set retails for $13.50. Which is not bad, except you have to account for the cost of the stuffed animal. Ruby's bear was $10, and Scout's puppy was $12. (There were endless other options that went all the way up to $24 for a My Little Pony stuffed animal.) Given their budget, that meant that Ruby had $10 left to spend on accessories and Scout had $8. Well, Ruby did fine with this notion and found a tutu skirt for her teddy. (She even had enough left over to get a hairbrush!) Scout found about 3 things that her puppy had to have, including a magic wand & tiara set that retails for $6. Scout's original concoction was about $18 worth of accessories. Sadly, the cheapest items in the joint started at $5--things like a plain tank-top or silky ballet slippers. With $8 left, there was no way that Scout could get two items. Nothing would add up to $8. This was, in a word, challenging for her. Originally, I tried explaining to her that this is a Birthday Party, and I don't make the rules. These are the rules: each kid gets $20 to spend. Meanwhile, the birthday girl had received a $40 gift card from her auntie and was perusing every skirt, shoes and dress and contemplating which of these many ensembles she would get. The rest of the party-goers moved on, and still Scout did not understand the limitations. I wound up losing my patience and since the mom of the birthday girl had given me a $5 coupon to use, I just finally gave in and let Scout pick out two things. In the end, her total was $25. It was exhausting, and I think my hunger didn't help. (Turns out, bagels made exclusively of all-purpose flour taste delicious but they don't fill you up for very long.) I was so peeved at the entire situation: It's supposed to be a fun birthday party, and we wind up leaving upset, tired, and hungry. In the car, Scout said, "I'm just bad at everything." I felt awful. She felt awful. I tried to reassure her by telling her that she was still learning and that even grown-ups like mommy have a very hard time sticking to a budget.  I guess that this is something that we'll have to work on. I don't think it's any exaggeration to say that I saw a lot of my own tendencies at work here--the few times that we've gone shopping and Scout has brought her own money, she's always spent more than she brought and promised to pay me back after we return home. In the past, I've indulged her, but I guess that I could be doing more to teach her about money. However, I can't help feeling annoyed at the whole concept: Why brings kids to a huge, magnificent store for a birthday party and tell them that they can only buy something simple? That wouldn't be fun for me, and it certainly wasn't fun for my kid. Jake confirmed this for me. I told him this story and he said, "I would have been just like Scout! My bear would have to have everything! I'd want to walk out of that place with the most tripped-up bear possible!" I feel like a crab saying this, but if we're ever invited to a party like this again, we'll politely decline.

There are the partygoers in all their glory--with their new stuffed animals. I can't say that this made up for those difficult few hours, but the kids did play (and continue to play) with their stuffed animals. Whew! I'm exhausted just looking at the photos.