my birthday boy is 10

This was the very first year I felt a major heart-twinge at age-change in my kids. I now have two in double-figures. No more 9-year-olds, no more 3-year-olds, no one-year-olds. Both 10 and above. It felt really really strange but also exciting in that 'can't wait to see what they do with their lives' kind of way.

This is probably one of the last official parties I'll throw for my kids. Ella won't be interested this year, turning teen and all, and Riley just wants to play sport, which is - frankly - out of my league.

So - this party today, in a way, is probably an end-of-an-era thing. I know I'll miss it but things have become more simple as the years have gone by, anyway. When you're in book deadline, and I seem to be perennially in book deadline, you tend to do simple! In fact, only yesterday, I hadn't even decided on a cake - and yes, this is mighty strange for me. I found myself wandering the aisles of Woollies, desperate for some inspiration to call out to me - and lo and behold, it happened in the biscuit aisle.

Cookie cake! Riley loves Oreos, chocolate chip and Monte Carlos, so I gathered up some packs, nabbed me some tubs of Betty Crocker icing, and whipped up the easiest cake YET. You could do all manner of patterns with all types of cookies. Such fun.

Riley and his friends met at the local golf course for an 18 hole mini round, then came back here for lunch. I only decorated the table . . .

. . . and, again, I have been so busy, I was well out of ideas. So I stacked the goodie bags {those with the orange frisbees in the back} and blew up some odd-sized balloons to loll on the table with the food.

Lunch was extra extra extra simple. Cheese, tomato and cucumber stack, which take about 2 minutes to make . . .

Jars of pretzels and cheeseballs and chips - what boy doesn't love these?

Mini muffins from Woollies, iced with canned frosting. No shame.

Marie biscuits iced with canned frosting and dipped in sprinkles. That's right. They were delicious.

Boxed, instant mac 'n' cheese. Now, before you gasp in horror, let me explain. These kids spent five hours running and kicking balls today. A little bit of carb is everything they need - and I explain the trashy instant version by saying what we all know - kids only sniff at party food and barely eat a thing. If it were a party of taste-discerning adults, I would have done this from scratch, but this quick version was well-received and I'm sticking by it. Twelve years of party-throwing has taught me much! And on that note, they never eat the cake; you could make it from old sponges; they just lick off the icing and are done with it.

And I got this idea from our recent trip to Thailand - watermelon wedges on sticks. I hammered the sticks into the melon before cutting.

After lunch, it was to the park for basketball and soccer. I snapped photos of the kids playing, thinking "gee, wow, what a super cool party" {insert facetious voice here} but as they played, I realised, the whiz-bang games and prizes don't matter. THIS is what they love to do.

It was then back to the house for the mega hit of the afternoon - slushies. A $30 investment - my goodness, what a winner. Ella, the Ice Mistress, took control.

It was then time for cake.

I simply adore the raucous way young boys sing 'happy birthday'. It was hysterical. We even waved sparklers to make things extra special sparkly - and don't boys love pyrotechnics?

Happy birthday, my darling Riley. You may be ten now, but don't grow up too soon.

Love,

Mum
x