I’m wiped out. But it’s a good thing. The party was a HUGE success and even with the few glitches we had, none of the kids knew any different and they all left on cloud nine. I’m sure they will be talking about it for a long time to come. We had perfect weather (although it was about 20 degrees outside), but the party lasted as long as daylight – from 11-2:30, and it was good that we had sunshine since there aren’t light fixtures in any of the houses we used.
The kids were all spellbound and full of suspense as the sorting hat talked to them. They all sat absolutely still listening to Kory’s voice crackle over the hidden walkie-talkie – they weren’t expecting that at all. The games got off to a slow start as some of the kids aren’t nearly as coordinated as Kaleb and even though I had Kaleb and Tobias do a dry run on all the games, things didn’t work out exactly like I had planned and some of the kids got a bit frustrated. They were all challenging games and no one really racked up many points, but at least they were all in the same boat. One kid, Markus, who hasn’t exactly been kind to Kaleb at school and one day even grabbed him by the throat and choked him, did NOT want to be there. He stood in the corner during the games and flipped Kory off when he took a picture of him pouting in the corner. Then he left and walked down the street to go home, but for some reason, came back. Other kids took his turn during the games. He did come eat lunch in the Great Hall and then after lunch his attitude changed when they all made their wizard hats and magic wands. All my science “tricks” worked out perfectly and Kaleb told the kids which spell to cast prior to the explosion or whatever I was doing. They thought that was great fun as all the things happened right on cue. They all got a turn at the mentos in the pop geyser and that was a huge hit. I think the below freezing weather affected the chemical reaction though as they didn’t go nearly as high as they did for Kaleb’s science party in the summer.
Hege (Odd’s daughter) was my assistant today, and she came dressed for the part – like a cat, which is one of the characters in one of the books that Kaleb recognized right away. I dressed up in black and actually came to peace with my hair by letting it just be its natural self, which makes me look very much like a witch so it added to the effect. Kory took some photos and another mom stuck around to help with crowd control. We also had an older brother here so all in all, we had just the right amount of adults. My partner, Vestina, from school, was going to come help with her boyfriend but she couldn’t find our house and had to go back home because they closed our bus stop yesterday due to the work in the streets and the bus went a different route. I felt so badly she got up and took the bus here then had to go back home. We were too busy by then to go get her so that was the biggest regret I have for the day, otherwise all else went well.
Morten, Kaleb’s “challenge” at school, didn’t come. I talked to his mom last night and told her he would be really sad if he missed it, but he wouldn’t change his mind. One other kid from Kaleb’s class didn’t come either due to some other obligation, so Kaleb got to have Tobias and his friend William, both from our neighborhood, step into those places so we had exactly 16 kids. They all loved the cup cakes I made, and the treasure hunt for their candy bags and then the final thing, shopping at Diagon Alley. An adult was in each store and they bought their final items to take home. It was impeccably timed (I wish I could take credit for that but it just happened that way) and all the parents were standing out in the driveway waiting for the kids when they came out of the store all pumped up with their arms full of things. Some of the kids came over and bowed to me and said, “Takk for meg” (thanks for me) which is the common way of thanking the host for a visit. Too sweet.
I wish I could have understood all that the kids were saying. Hege said they were all chittering back and forth all day saying, “Isn’t this fun?” and they were noticing every detail and how it corresponded to the movies. They really liked the “magic” that turned 2 cups of cornstarch and ½ cup water that's liquid but turns to solid when it’s picked up. (It’s a very cool experiment that entertains for hours.) And the grumpy kid even left with a smile on his face so I’m sure he’s glad he stuck around. They all loved that they could run from house to house and have so much room for the party, as most parties are restricted to just one room in the kid’s house, so I’m sure this is a party they will long remember. I can’t believe that God provided this place for us as we’ve been planning this party for over a year when Kaleb thought he’d be having his 9th birthday party here in Norway and we had it now, in the absolutely most PERFECT place for it. God is good!
Kaleb mostly got money from the kids, which the most common birthday gift given here in Norway. He got about 850 kroner, which is well over a hundred dollars, so he was thrilled. Tobias’ mom made him the most adorable Harry Potter card to go with the theme and we gave him all the Harry Potter DVDs, which he hasn’t watched yet. I was waiting until he was “older” to see the movies and now that he’s 10, I guess it’s time.
Tobias and Sabina provided afterhours entertainment for Kaleb while Kory and I started the long process of cleaning up. I had to promise to go in and wash the floors of all the houses we used, so that will be my next week’s afterschool activity. I always like cleaning up after a good party or having dinner guests over. It’s like a Zen thing for me as it gives me time to reflect on all the fun we had. And today, we had a lot of fun so I hope it takes me a long time to clean up!
The kids were all spellbound and full of suspense as the sorting hat talked to them. They all sat absolutely still listening to Kory’s voice crackle over the hidden walkie-talkie – they weren’t expecting that at all. The games got off to a slow start as some of the kids aren’t nearly as coordinated as Kaleb and even though I had Kaleb and Tobias do a dry run on all the games, things didn’t work out exactly like I had planned and some of the kids got a bit frustrated. They were all challenging games and no one really racked up many points, but at least they were all in the same boat. One kid, Markus, who hasn’t exactly been kind to Kaleb at school and one day even grabbed him by the throat and choked him, did NOT want to be there. He stood in the corner during the games and flipped Kory off when he took a picture of him pouting in the corner. Then he left and walked down the street to go home, but for some reason, came back. Other kids took his turn during the games. He did come eat lunch in the Great Hall and then after lunch his attitude changed when they all made their wizard hats and magic wands. All my science “tricks” worked out perfectly and Kaleb told the kids which spell to cast prior to the explosion or whatever I was doing. They thought that was great fun as all the things happened right on cue. They all got a turn at the mentos in the pop geyser and that was a huge hit. I think the below freezing weather affected the chemical reaction though as they didn’t go nearly as high as they did for Kaleb’s science party in the summer.
Hege (Odd’s daughter) was my assistant today, and she came dressed for the part – like a cat, which is one of the characters in one of the books that Kaleb recognized right away. I dressed up in black and actually came to peace with my hair by letting it just be its natural self, which makes me look very much like a witch so it added to the effect. Kory took some photos and another mom stuck around to help with crowd control. We also had an older brother here so all in all, we had just the right amount of adults. My partner, Vestina, from school, was going to come help with her boyfriend but she couldn’t find our house and had to go back home because they closed our bus stop yesterday due to the work in the streets and the bus went a different route. I felt so badly she got up and took the bus here then had to go back home. We were too busy by then to go get her so that was the biggest regret I have for the day, otherwise all else went well.
Morten, Kaleb’s “challenge” at school, didn’t come. I talked to his mom last night and told her he would be really sad if he missed it, but he wouldn’t change his mind. One other kid from Kaleb’s class didn’t come either due to some other obligation, so Kaleb got to have Tobias and his friend William, both from our neighborhood, step into those places so we had exactly 16 kids. They all loved the cup cakes I made, and the treasure hunt for their candy bags and then the final thing, shopping at Diagon Alley. An adult was in each store and they bought their final items to take home. It was impeccably timed (I wish I could take credit for that but it just happened that way) and all the parents were standing out in the driveway waiting for the kids when they came out of the store all pumped up with their arms full of things. Some of the kids came over and bowed to me and said, “Takk for meg” (thanks for me) which is the common way of thanking the host for a visit. Too sweet.
I wish I could have understood all that the kids were saying. Hege said they were all chittering back and forth all day saying, “Isn’t this fun?” and they were noticing every detail and how it corresponded to the movies. They really liked the “magic” that turned 2 cups of cornstarch and ½ cup water that's liquid but turns to solid when it’s picked up. (It’s a very cool experiment that entertains for hours.) And the grumpy kid even left with a smile on his face so I’m sure he’s glad he stuck around. They all loved that they could run from house to house and have so much room for the party, as most parties are restricted to just one room in the kid’s house, so I’m sure this is a party they will long remember. I can’t believe that God provided this place for us as we’ve been planning this party for over a year when Kaleb thought he’d be having his 9th birthday party here in Norway and we had it now, in the absolutely most PERFECT place for it. God is good!
Kaleb mostly got money from the kids, which the most common birthday gift given here in Norway. He got about 850 kroner, which is well over a hundred dollars, so he was thrilled. Tobias’ mom made him the most adorable Harry Potter card to go with the theme and we gave him all the Harry Potter DVDs, which he hasn’t watched yet. I was waiting until he was “older” to see the movies and now that he’s 10, I guess it’s time.
Tobias and Sabina provided afterhours entertainment for Kaleb while Kory and I started the long process of cleaning up. I had to promise to go in and wash the floors of all the houses we used, so that will be my next week’s afterschool activity. I always like cleaning up after a good party or having dinner guests over. It’s like a Zen thing for me as it gives me time to reflect on all the fun we had. And today, we had a lot of fun so I hope it takes me a long time to clean up!
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