Joe's Birthday

Another Birthday
Last week was Joe's birthday, following hot on the heels of Lola's three weeks' earlier.

We're usually on holiday at this time so for the past three years Joe has celebrated his birthday abroad. However, as we're going away later this year, we celebrated it in Cambridge.

Thai Delights
Joe and the children spent the day looking round Cambridge while I was at work. I met up with them for lunch and we went to a lovely Thai restaurant called Ma Thai. It's in a very picturespque setting overlooking Parker's Piece and on a sunny day you can sit outside. However, although it was sunny for most of the day, it poured with rain during lunch, so we stayed inside.

I'm not a great fan of spicy food - my palate simply can't take it - but I do love the delicate flavours of Thai cooking and Joe and the children had never eaten Thai so it was a new experience for them. They loved it, especially the exquisite presentation. Every dish looked like a work of art, served with a real flower, and was almost too good to eat!

Think Pink
The restaurant itself is decorated in white and pink, which sounds quite garish but is actually very calming. Even the drinks that Joe and I had were pink! They were called Sabai, a mixture of hibiscus juice and wine and slipped down very easily.

The staff also wear pink and are very courteous and friendly in the way that people from Eaatern cultures often are.

Bubbles and Books
We all travelled home together on the train and then opened Joe's presents while we drank champagne and ate chocolate birthday cake.

Joe was especially thrilled with a book I'd bought him from Forbidden Planet by one of his favourite artists, Alex Ross. I wasn't sure it would arrive in time, so was very relieved when the postman delivered a large parcel in a brown box which Joe was under strict instructions not to peek at!

Laughter and Labyrinth
Afterwards we all watched Labyrinth which features Jim Henson's wonderful puppets and has David Bowie in the unlikely role of the Goblin King. Although a children's film, it was hugely entertaining and the music was fab. The children also found the jokes very funny, especially the farting 'Bog of Eternal Stench'!

It was a very enjoyable way to end a busy day and, most importantly, Joe had a great time and said that his birthday had been 'brilliant'.

Lola's Birthday - Part 2

Wake Up Call
When Lola was little she would always be up at the crack of dawn, while everyone else was still bleary-eyed, eager to open her birthday presents. Even though she's all grown up now, she was still up early on the morning of her birthday and very excited.

As always, Lola did extremely well and received loads of presents. She was delighted with everything, especially her new Fiorelli handbag - well a girl can never have too many!

Joe made her a special birthday card which has become something of a family tradition. This year it was based on Manga (Japanese comic book art), her current obsession. Joe spent 20 years as a commercial artist and always produces something fantastic. He keeps thinking the children will grow out of wanting one, but they love getting them and won't let him stop just yet! They've built up an impressive collection over the years.

Nic and Feebz
Lola's godmother, Nicci, and her daughter Phoebe arrived mid-morning which was wonderful as Lola hadn't seen them both in over a year. They arrived looking very glam and pretty in pink - but then again Phoebe is a model in her spare time, having been 'discovered' at Camden Lock market in London. Good looks run in the family.

Location, Location
We drove over to Stamford, a beautiful historic town north of Peterborough which is famous for being the location for the film Middlemarch, as well as the more recent Pride and Prejudice. However, we were more interested in the shops and food!

Nic and I ended up buying the same dress at a very trendy shop called Energy. The dresses were frivilous, brightly coloured and perfect for hot summer days. It didn't surprise us that we both chose the same thing. We both love dressing up and our daughters have definitely inherited the 'dressing up' gene!

Fabulous Food at Fratellis
We had lunch at a lovely little Italian restaurant called Fratelli's where they serve delicious pasta and pizza. It feels like a 'proper' Italian restaurant and has a friendly, family atmosphere.

After we'd stuffed our faces, it was time for more shopping and some sightseeing.

We finally went home feeling exhausted but happy. We chatted for another hour before Nic and Phoebs drove back to Milton Keynes, or 'MK' as we know it.

We all had a brilliant day and sharing Lola's birthday with Nic and Phoebe made it extra special. It was a great way for Lola to become a teenager.

Lola's Birthday - Part 1

Lola's Friends
Lola has a great group of friends and her birthday celebrations wouldn't have been complete without them. So, with some trepidation, I agreed that Lola could have a 'girlie' lunch in the garden on the Saturday before her birthday.

What do 13 Year Old Girls Like?
Getting the tone right was quite a challenge - how do you keep 13 year old girls entertained without appearing to try too hard? I'd only ever met Lola's friends a few times but knew them to be a sassy bunch of girls and was keen not to do anything that might be perceived as 'uncool' - the modern mother's dilemma.

Lola Says

Lola gave me plenty of advice.

Nothing too babyish, and definitely no pink.

Robbie Williams is naff, but U2 are cool.

They wanted to watch a dvd in the afternoon and chose their own title - Donnie Darko - a fairly adult choice at a 15 rating but all the parents were happy for them to watch it as they'd seen it before. Ironically, Lola was the only who hadn't!

Rainy Morning
It rained on the morning of Lola's lunch so she wasn't very happy, nor was she keen on the flowery napkins and red streamers I'd found in the John Lewis sale when I went shopping earlier. But the sun came out mid-morning and lasted until mid-afternoon, by which time they'd eaten lunch, so everything worked out fine in the end.

Lola conceded that the napkins were 'okay' after all and the streamers looked great dangled from the trees. An added touch of sophistication was bubbles in tiny plastic champagne bottles (left over from a previous party) and the girls had great fun blowing them all over the garden.

On My Own
For me, it was exhausting but exhilirating. The 'boys' of the house left me to it and went to the cinema to see Superman instead, so I was chief waitress and organiser. I didn't mind though - I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It was lovely seeing Lola and her friends having such a good time, chatting eagerly and and laughing loudly (girls can make a lot of noise!).

A 'Perfect' Day
All in all it was a great success. I was pleased because the girls ate huge amounts of food (I was worried they might all be on diets). They were also polite and well-mannered but made themselves at home.

The thing that pleased me most was the obvious affection they have for Lola and how comfortable she is with them - the sign of a good friendship.

Lola enjoyed being centre stage and received some very unusual and thoughtful presents. Luckily, she didn't think it too babyish to have a cake, so we all sang Happy Birthday while she blew out the candles.

When she told me afterwards that the day had been 'perfect', I knew it was all worthwhile.