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Charline Cormier-Pellerin

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With all four children having their birthdays between Oct. 9 and Dec. 6, we've dubbed this our "birthday party season."

Because of unpredictability in the weather, colds, flus and the like, we've sometimes even had to have our parties back to back. As a matter of fact, the year my oldest was in kindergarten, she and my second child (their birthdays are seven days apart) ended up with the chicken pox and therefore, one party had to be pushed back. This resulted in our having two parties (at home) in one weekend; one on Saturday and one on Sunday! The kids had fun anyhow, but we adults were pretty pooped and partied out by Monday.

Of course, the challenges of hosting so many birthday parties within a six week window has forced us to try to be more creative in making each party unique as well as cutting costs whenever possible.

Through trial and error, we have also learned some important lessons, such as in the case of the piñata. Every kid loves a piñata, and it doesn't seem fair to deny the child one simply on account of his birthday landing on a cold, rainy or snowy day. But, we've learnt that having an adult hold the piñata (indoors) in a low ceiling basement while blindfolded six year olds swing sticks within dangerously close proximity to the adults' valuables is not a good idea.

As for the piñata itself, the cost of one (or four within six weeks) can really put a dent into the party budget.

To be honest, I have always thought that it would be really neat to make my own. Although, I have yet to attempt doing so, I was given pretty simple instructions from a friend, who has successfully managed to make her own on various occasions.

To start off, you need to blow up a really big balloon. Second step is to make a paste with flour and water and to cut up newspaper strips. Once the strips have been cut, put them into the paste mixture. Then start covering the balloon. Cover the entire balloon once and let dry. Then tape on a string (which will be used to hold it up) and cover a second time with the mixture. Let dry and then, cut an opening.

Finally, fill it with goodies before taping the opening shut. And of course, paint and decorate as desired.

Apparently, however, homemade piñatas take weeks to dry properly, so when contemplating taking on the task, one really shouldn't put it off until the last minute. Come to think about it, the biggest reason for my not trying to make one yet is probably due to procrastination and lack of timing.

Well, my son would really love to have a piñata this year. So, if I can figure out how to safely have it outside, I wonder if I still have time to make my own by Dec. 6.

* Charline Cormier-Pellerin, Moncton resident and mother of four children, writes a regular column on parenting and its many adventures for This Week.