Mom's Code Chronicle #5 Celebrations and Mishaps

Written by Eileen Wacker

My most profound memories stand out as moments of extreme joy or pain. Many of the most joyous ones happened during celebrations when I embraced my family’s love, received gifts, ate favorite foods, dressed in new clothes, and felt perfectly carefree without school or other obligations.

But that was when I was young and sat on the fence as to whether unicorns are actually real. As a mom, I started to consider celebrations a chore.  They are endless: birthdays (including the dogs), Christmas, Thanksgiving, July 4^th, Halloween, Easter, and Valentines Day are the headliners. Then there are graduation ceremonies starting with pre-school, piano recital parties and all those Monday holidays too numerous to list. So things can get a little out of control.

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It’s the end of April and I’m planning three kids’ birthday parties, an eighth grade graduation, and the family summer vacation. This is all in addition to the ‘normal routine’.

I put too much emphasis on creating perfect celebration events. As a mom of four, I feel like I own the traditions and should create memories to last a lifetime. But inevitably, a thousand issues push their way onto my perfect planning. I’ve had meltdowns at my kids’ carefully orchestrated and expensive birthday parties. One time an angry clown showed up and scared my son; to this day we avoid clowns.  Or when my daughter’s best friend ignored her during her party or yet another time when the dog took a big bite out of the Nemo birthday cake.

Then there are vacations, which are supposed to be times of perfect familial bliss. We’ve spent a lot of money and I’ve put a lot of time and energy into planning and creating the appropriate atmosphere of excitement. Then I yelled at my kids at the happiest place on earth, yes Disney. And at least one child has packed dreadfully wrong every time. One time my son took all his clothes out of the suitcase and packed only Halloween costumes for a beach vacation. We never all have the right bathing suits, and, sunscreen leaks in the suitcase are a common occurrence. When we ski during the holiday season, there is always someone who has no pants or forgot covered shoes.

I can mess up any holiday! I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner and the oven broke two hours into cooking the turkey. So we ate take-out Chinese food (and it was delicious). Now we eat a fine meal at an upscale hotel in Kauai every year. I know I’m in a good mood when all my kids resemble glasses of champagne. And then someone actually serves me one. I look at my husband and kids and feel festive and happy. Even when the kids eat the dessert first, order French fries off the menu, and the birds swoop in and eat food off our plates.

So now, in April, I take a deep breath and remember that it’s who’s sitting next to me that make it a celebration. It really doesn’t take a lot to have fun. I know what kind of cake my kids like by now. I can handle any birthday party with one Costco run. And iTunes cards double as a birthday gift or party favor.

The Moms Code author Eileen Wacker also writes the acclaimed childrens books The Fujimini Adventure Series.  Many proud parents just like you appreciate multi-cultural education for your children.  Find the book series by clicking here. 

I remind myself to celebrate smaller things; celebrate good moments. I pick up my son and he tells me he got a great grade in Spanish. “You got an A on your homework? Well that is worth celebrating!” I half yell in an inappropriately cheerful voice. He looks at me with raised eyebrows and asks if I’m okay. Then I pick up my little girl and she’s had a tough day. People on her group project are not getting along and someone called her small.

I put on my pretend birthday party hat. There is something worth celebrating every day. Life is not easy for anyone, adult or child. Kids have big schedules. They have to work through adversity at school, deal with insensitive teachers and coaches. Strive to establish their identity. I want to keep the atmosphere light and happy. My little girl loves an iced tea and a chocolate croissant from Starbucks. It’s all it takes to have her light up and feel completely happy. Someday, I’m going to kill for the moments when the price of a smile was an iced tea.

I want to celebrate the journey and all the accomplishments, big and small, along the way. After all this practicing of celebrating the small stuff, I’ll be a whiz at the big celebrations. My little girl says, “Mom, all you need is wrapping paper and cupcakes.” I ask her, “For the summer vacation or birthday party?” She smiles and says, “Both. I always forget my bathing suit anyways so I can wear wrapping paper. That would be funny.”

She’s right. It would be funny and we would have another entry for our family blooper reel of celebrations.

The 5 Best Cities to Party in on Saint Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day is an awesome holiday for so many reasons. It’s basically a day where you can dress all in green and drink beer for breakfast, judgement free. And who wouldn’t love that? Irish or not, it’s an easy holiday to get in the spirit for- but some places around the country really know how to get into the festivities. So what are the best cities to be in on St. Patrick’s Day?

1. Boston, Massachusetts

This one comes as no surprise! Boston was actually the first city to host an annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Created by the Irish Society of Boston in 1737, the amazing parade even started before Dublin, Ireland had one! If you ever get the chance to attend the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade, it surely won’t disappoint. It is complete with all the St. Patrick’s Day festivities you can think of, including floats, a marching band, bagpipers, over 850,000 attendees all dressed in green, and of course plenty of booze. 

2. New York City, New York

Like Boston, this was also not much of a surprise. Combine the city’s reputation for their spectacular holiday celebrations with the prominent Irish community and you’ll get one heck of a St. Patrick’s Day party. In addition to their jaw dropping parade, that has more than 2 million people in attendance, you can also head to countless restaurants, Irish pubs, and countless festivals and events for an awesome St. Patrick’s Day party. Take, for example, the Annual St. Patrick’s Day Open Day. This event is hosted at the Irish Arts Center where you and your family can indulge in Irish music, eat delicious authentic Irish cuisine, attend workshops, and watch dances. 

3. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

After Boston, Philadelphia gets to take credit for having one of the oldest St. Patrick’s Day parades. And since it’s creation, it has not gotten any less amazing! Over 500,000 people gather in the city streets to drink, eat Irish food, and celebrate among each other. 

4. Chicago, Illinois

You may not know it, but it is in fact Chicago that takes the reign for one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the United States. This probably comes from the fact that Chicago has not one but two parades to ring in the holiday. The first parade, on Columbus Drive, draws a crowd of around 350,000 people and the second, on the South Side, sees numbers around 250,000. But perhaps the best and most unique feature Chicago brings to it’s St. Patty’s Day celebration is the “Dyeing of the River.” Each year on March 17 for the past 43 years the city dyes the Chicago River bright green to acknowledge the exciting holiday. I’m definitely putting this city on my bucket list for St. Patrick’s Day!

5. Kansas City, Missouri

This city was a little more of a surprise, but after reading about it I can definitely see why each year over 200,000 people turn up for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Not only is the parade a spectacularly fun event but they give out prizes too. And the grand prize? An all expense paid trip to Ireland. Now that is truly a celebration of the Irish! Even once the parade has concluded, you can continue the party with dozens of Irish pubs to choose from.