Monday, March 16, 2009
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Its a Cake Walk
Before moving to the midlands, I had heard the term cake walk, but I had no idea what it was. Until our new school started planning their yearly carnival. They went on and on about how important it was to have enough cakes for the cake walk.
Last year at the carnival, Firstborn went into the cake walk himself, but didn't give it a very favorable review because he didn't win. But this year, the boys had a strategy. It was partially fueled by the fact that our now-empty freezer in the basement was the storage arena for some 15 donated cakes from the local grocery store. The thought of those poor frozen cakes sitting down there waiting for the carnival was just too much for the boys. They soon decided that they needed to provide a more permanent home for at least a few of them in their stomachs.
So Friday night, I loaded 15 cakes in my car and drove them to the school where they would join the others to form an army of 300 cakes! With all that booty, the boys decided that their chances were good. They strategized together and decided that if they used all their game tickets on playing the cake walk, they should be able to bring home a lot of cakes.
They worried that we would not get there in time and the best cakes would be gone.
We were there by 10:30 and already people were leaving the building with cakes. The boys worried. But when we arrived in the cafeteria, at least 290 cakes were still there. Right away, the boys got into line and began the play.
Now for those of you who are not initiated in the lore of the cake walk, it is sort of like musical chairs without all the pushing. They set up a path of numbered squares on the floor. The kids proceed around this circular path stepping from one numbered square to the next while music plays. When the music stops, a number is drawn and whoever is on that square wins a cake of their choice.
It took only three plays for Lastborn to win his first cake; but then to choose between so many delicious gems. He chose a one layer Oreo cookie piece and clutched it to his chest. I offered to carry it for him and he seemed reluctant to give it up.
"Can I eat it now?" He asked.
Firstborn was still playing the game. Lastborn went back up to the stage to play again. Both boys came back in a few minutes with a two-layer birthday cake with a thick frosting clown which Firstborn labelled a leprechaun. I guess leprechauns carry bunches of balloons in his mind.
Firstborn was discouraged at this point and sat down with me and the cakes. He convinced Lastborn to go back up and play and even gave Lastborn his remaining tickets.
Moments later, Lastborn came back with a dutch chocolate 2-layer cake with nuts. I asked him why the nuts and he said, "they're nuts? Can I trade it?"
"No," I said. "We'll let Daddy have that one."
They were good with that solution thinking that giving Daddy the nut cake would leave more of the frosting-laden items for them.
We were getting comments on our luck at this point. Firstborn convinced Lastborn to go back up, but this time, he said that he should choose the cake if Lastborn wins.
They came back in moments with a large green sheet cake with blue piping and a yellow rose. Firstborn had chosen carefully based on the required frosting-to-cake ratio.
In my defense, each time I sent them up there to play the game, I did not think that they would really win again. I expected both to have luck like Firstborn's. It was a way to support the school and have fun while doing it. At one point, I was considering slipping a cake or two back on the tables and having the kids continue to play the game. I know the cakes were great, but I think Lastborn was just having a rush at winning something; and even better, being better than his brother at something.
In the end, Lastborn gave the nut cake to his new best friend and we took home the totally over-the-top three frosting-laden pieces to share with our neighbors.
But before leaving, my young entrepreneur, Firstborn, figured out that with Lastborn's luck, we should probably hire him out to walk the cake walk for other people and charge a dollar for each play. We could make a killing.
In addition to our cake walk luck, I also won two baskets in the silent auction. I didn't expect to win anything because we left before noon and the carnival went until 4pm. The only problem with winning the silent auction is that you then have to pay for the items.
Last year at the carnival, Firstborn went into the cake walk himself, but didn't give it a very favorable review because he didn't win. But this year, the boys had a strategy. It was partially fueled by the fact that our now-empty freezer in the basement was the storage arena for some 15 donated cakes from the local grocery store. The thought of those poor frozen cakes sitting down there waiting for the carnival was just too much for the boys. They soon decided that they needed to provide a more permanent home for at least a few of them in their stomachs.
So Friday night, I loaded 15 cakes in my car and drove them to the school where they would join the others to form an army of 300 cakes! With all that booty, the boys decided that their chances were good. They strategized together and decided that if they used all their game tickets on playing the cake walk, they should be able to bring home a lot of cakes.
They worried that we would not get there in time and the best cakes would be gone.
We were there by 10:30 and already people were leaving the building with cakes. The boys worried. But when we arrived in the cafeteria, at least 290 cakes were still there. Right away, the boys got into line and began the play.
Now for those of you who are not initiated in the lore of the cake walk, it is sort of like musical chairs without all the pushing. They set up a path of numbered squares on the floor. The kids proceed around this circular path stepping from one numbered square to the next while music plays. When the music stops, a number is drawn and whoever is on that square wins a cake of their choice.
It took only three plays for Lastborn to win his first cake; but then to choose between so many delicious gems. He chose a one layer Oreo cookie piece and clutched it to his chest. I offered to carry it for him and he seemed reluctant to give it up.
"Can I eat it now?" He asked.
Firstborn was still playing the game. Lastborn went back up to the stage to play again. Both boys came back in a few minutes with a two-layer birthday cake with a thick frosting clown which Firstborn labelled a leprechaun. I guess leprechauns carry bunches of balloons in his mind.
Firstborn was discouraged at this point and sat down with me and the cakes. He convinced Lastborn to go back up and play and even gave Lastborn his remaining tickets.
Moments later, Lastborn came back with a dutch chocolate 2-layer cake with nuts. I asked him why the nuts and he said, "they're nuts? Can I trade it?"
"No," I said. "We'll let Daddy have that one."
They were good with that solution thinking that giving Daddy the nut cake would leave more of the frosting-laden items for them.
We were getting comments on our luck at this point. Firstborn convinced Lastborn to go back up, but this time, he said that he should choose the cake if Lastborn wins.
They came back in moments with a large green sheet cake with blue piping and a yellow rose. Firstborn had chosen carefully based on the required frosting-to-cake ratio.
In my defense, each time I sent them up there to play the game, I did not think that they would really win again. I expected both to have luck like Firstborn's. It was a way to support the school and have fun while doing it. At one point, I was considering slipping a cake or two back on the tables and having the kids continue to play the game. I know the cakes were great, but I think Lastborn was just having a rush at winning something; and even better, being better than his brother at something.
In the end, Lastborn gave the nut cake to his new best friend and we took home the totally over-the-top three frosting-laden pieces to share with our neighbors.
But before leaving, my young entrepreneur, Firstborn, figured out that with Lastborn's luck, we should probably hire him out to walk the cake walk for other people and charge a dollar for each play. We could make a killing.
In addition to our cake walk luck, I also won two baskets in the silent auction. I didn't expect to win anything because we left before noon and the carnival went until 4pm. The only problem with winning the silent auction is that you then have to pay for the items.
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