Too Much Chocolate? Too Many Parentheses? Too Many Capital Letters?

I'm Live-Blogging my Latest Crisis.

Jane's ninth birthday party is on Sunday. Since we couldn't find a pool for a pool party (her first choice), she decided she would like a repeat of her seventh birthday party, which was a chocolate party. (It actually was a pool party, so the chocolate just served as fuel for lots of swimming. That party was also made memorable by the chocolate fountain, which was susceptible to gusts of wind and ended up blowing sheets of chocolate all over the place.) We are having this year's party at our house.

Okay, let me sit here and put my head between my knees for a second. I just read through my account of Jane's LAST chocolate party and, frankly, it scared the bejesus out of me. {Smacks self in head, repeatedly.} What was I thinking having ten 'tweens' over for a chocolate party IN MY HOUSE??? TWO HOURS! Two hours of kids HOPPED UP ON CHOCOLATE!!!

And the thing is, Jane went to a birthday party yesterday. It was, get this, a CHOCOLATE party. Only THAT mother has some sense because she had it at a chocolate SHOP. Everything was perfect--there was a chocolate fountain, the girls poured chocolate into molds and decorated it, and then decorated cupcakes. In order to avoid insulin shock, they ate pizza.

Also, did I mention that it is supposed to rain on Sunday?? So, any idea I had of them racing around outside and jumping on the trampoline is but a mere fantasy. (Plus, now we have to do something with the dogs during the party. Not just because they are large and can knock the littler kids over, but also because Austin is eating SOMETHING that gives him gas and WHOO-EE, the dog can clear a room faster than you can grab the air freshener.) (I know, I know, the glamour never ends around here.)

So, seriously? I need to get a grip here. Kids' birthday parties are WHAT I DO! Must immediately find ideas for what to do with the kids.

For TWO HOURS.

Because I don't want to repeat everything most of these same girls just did yesterday at a different chocolate party. (Except the chocolate fountain, Jane insists we have that.) (I don't believe we've used it since her seventh birthday.)

TWO HOURS OF INTERNET RESEARCH LATER...

I'm thinking that I'll buy brown T-shirts and we'll could decorate them and that maybe, I could get the goody-boxes from the same chocolate store where yesterday's party was held... We'll play speed stacking of Oreos and we'll guess how many M&Ms are in the jar...

Okay, I'm on it.

(But y'all could send some good vibes anyway, if you don't mind.)