Fit for a Queen

Growing up did you have one of these?

The coveted "You are special plate." 

I believe they were all the rage in the 80's.  It's fascinating what  a thrill that silly plate brought to me and my siblings as tikes.  We counted it a big deal. The plate was used by each of us twice a year.  Once on your birthday and also the sunday dinner following.  Which also meant we got to pick where we got to sit at the table, (this was always a fuss because everyone wanted to sit next to my dad).  Thinking about that red plate brings back a flood of mental souvenirs from my childhood.   I wanted to carry on that tradition in my own home.  An updated version of course.  After some contemplation I finally came up with my own spin of the birthday plate.  We had a few unfinished chairs in our basement collecting dust.  With a little leftover paint and scraps of fabric one of those chairs became this…

This is our birthday chair!

The kids use it for every meal on their birthday and for sunday dinner. They also get to use it at their birthday party.  My girls feel like they have a throne.  And not only do they sit on it to eat their cake, but then it's pulled out into the room that they may perch upon it as they open presents.  A little birthday tip that has worked for me… To keep kids occupied and from bickering over who gets to give their present next we play pass the present.  Basically everyone forms a circle, present in hand.  Music is played and presents are passed to the right.  When the music stops which ever present the birthday boy/girl is holding they get to open.  (Think hot potato with a twist).  That way all the kids feel involved, and don't ask me why but somehow (so far) it keeps them from crowding around the birthday child.  

I made this chair a year ago, and since have concluded that I should have used a gender neutral color and put "chair" in place of "girl".  Fortunately  I have another chair so I will be making another for Momo.  Which I think is a project I may take on sooner than later.  I've started to realize the poor kid is going to be stuck with first a pink bike then he'll graduate to a purple one. To top it off, he'll  have a pink helmet too.  He'll also be sporting soccer shoes with pink stripes.  (Which makes me think of our neighbors  little boy who wears his sisters old purple snow boots, which I actually think is pretty rad). Because Momo is going to be stuck with loads of pink and purple hand-me-downs (or a few that have a cheap spray paint job).  He at least can have his own birthday chair.

linked up to 
Tatertots and Jello
Sunday Showcase Party
Sundae Scoop