A NIGHT AT THE OSCARS

I'm down here is Poway (San Diego) for my granddaughter's 10th birthday and to also see my new granddaughter (almost 2 months). I have to hand it to my daughter, she is very creative when it comes to birthday parties. This year the theme (there is always a theme) "The Oscars".

The garage walls we draped in black plastic sheeting with stars..the main purpose was to hide the washer and dryer and bikes. There was a large blow up Oscar looking statue on one side that everyone who came in took a picture with. The front walk was lined with a red carpet from the street to the front door with with VIP parking signs at the curb and other signs denoting that is was the happening place. As the kids arrived the boys were presented with Top Hats and sunglasses and the girls with long Pearls and sunglasses and ushered into the garage to have their picture taken with Oscar. We had hor'dourves of sushi, egg rolls, and shrimp cocktails and of course sparkling cider in champagne glasses. After cocktails, dinner was served, Orange chicken and rice and Chinese chicken salad and more "champagne" or soda. After the meal we took the kids (11) to see Speed Racer at the theater. The movie itself was pretty boring, though the graphics were great. After the movies my son-in-law brought the "goodie bags" for each child. They got a popcorn tub filled with a Oscar statue, a movie marker picture frame, popcorn, and some candy. The parents picked up their kids at the theater after the movie so we didn't have to transport them all back to the house. All in all it turned out great, the kids all seemed to have a good time. It is exhausting dealing with 11 4th graders...though they were all really well behaved. It was a little disconcerting to have to tell 4th graders to turn off their cell phones when we got into the theater, but I guess that is a sign of the times and my old age.

I had fun, my daughter said never again at the house, there was a lot of clean up but then nothing that a normal party wouldn't entail. Some of the parents "partied" at the house while we were at the movies so things were pretty much cleaned up by the time we got home.

They are thinking of a theme for next year already..