Thursday, October 09, 2008

A contradiction?

OK, I hope I don't step on any toes here. This is just my personal opinion.
For some reason, I tend to steer away from "character" clothes and/or decor. Let me explain. I would probably not buy Carson clothes that have Diego or Spiderman on them. A shirt or two here and there or PJ's is not that big of a deal. But a Monsters Inc. bedspread is out of the question. I'm not sure exactly why. I think it is because I prefer a more timeless look, especially for something like a bedroom, that I hope to not redo very often. These cartoon characters that the kids love are really a fad, a phase they are going through, and I'd rather not invest lots of time/money in this month's favorite TV show.
HOWEVER! I feel the exact OPPOSITE when it comes to birthdays, which is really strange. I think it is way fun to have a birthday theme that is totally topical, all about what my kid is into RIGHT NOW. I will always look back and remember that Carson loved Elmo when he turned 2, and loved CARS when he turned 3.
I think it may stem from my childhood! I think it is a total hoot to look back and see the cakes that my mom made (and now I know how HARD she worked to make them!). They remind me of the fad I was into at the time, or the toys I loved. It takes me back on a very enjoyable trip down memory lane. We'll see how long I can keep up the cake decorating tradition, but for now it's definitely worth my time.

11 comments:

Peaby said...

wow...carson really looks like you as a kid.

Diane Davis said...

is that holly hobbie? i'm blanking out but so recognize it!

Diane Davis said...

strawberry shortcake?

Beth said...

You were a beautiful little girl!

I love the cake decorating and I'm with you on the character clothes!

woosterweester said...

I don't think it's a contradiction at all, and I LOVE that you make such awesome cakes/memories for your kids' b-days. I'm going to chuckle though when at 18 mos. Sydney is picking out her own clothes and they all have princesses on them.:)

Stephanie said...

Love, love, love that old picture!!

Alli said...

Totally agree with you on this! I love theme birthdays (we're doing a pirate theme next month), but I am not fond of character clothes (John has had a few character outfits through the years, but they are considered "play clothes" not school/church/going out clothes.

And I love your little girl pic--you look exactly the same as you did back then! :)

Brazenlilly said...

Oh, gosh, I hadn't even thought about the Princess stuff! We'll see. It's easy to enforce my preferences at this age when I choose all the clothing purchases! And yes, Di, that is Strawberry Shortcake, of course!!

Diane Davis said...

sorry... i had a brain freeze. i can't remember any of my birthdays. i think it's a very cool idea to have these themes because it speaks to the culture of the time. you're kids will love that.

Heidi said...

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!!! I LOVED her! My mom made me a Strawberry Shortcake birthday cake too - probably my 5th or 6th birthday. I remember she covered the had with little red hots. So cool! And then she made me a Strawberry Shortcake costume for Halloween that year (she was an amazing seamstress).

Oh wow.... your post just warmed my heart - I havent thought about those things in years....

And for the record - I completely agree with you on the characters thing. Hope does have a Hello Kitty bedspread, but that's it (and Hello Kitty is somewhat timeless). But no character clothes.

LOVED this post!

The Craftypigs said...

Yep, me too with you on decorating a room. However, I've given in to the clothes thing. In a way, it's like the cake. They're only going to fit into the shirt for about six months and the fad will last at least that long. And like the cake, I can see what his favorites were at the time.....and really, I don't have a choice cuz God did not grant me the gifts to build a cake that might look like anything recognizable. Cute pic of you :)