ZOLOFT CAKE

One day a dear friend asks if I would be able to assist her in planning and shopping for her four year-old granddaughter’s upcoming birthday party. Like most little girls of four in America, my friend’s granddaughter is obsessed with the Walt Disney movie “Frozen”. “I’m completely out of practice and haven’t even seen the silly movie.” My friend explains as we shop for party decorations, paper place settings and a princess dress for the Guest of Honor. Our final stop is to Walmart to order the child’s birthday cake. It is getting late and my friend and I are hungry. “Don’t worry.” She says, “I know exactly what she wants.”

She speed-walks to the bakery with my short legs double-timing behind, and rings the service bell on the counter approximately 47 times. A freckled teenager burst through a backroom door to see if the bakery is on fire. “Can I help you?” she asks, annoyed. She removes the bell from the counter as my friend continues to pound on it. “Yes.” My friend says. “I need to order a cake for my granddaughter’s birthday.”

“Okay.” Says the girl. “Would you like to look at our character cakes?” She pulls out a large three-ring binder full of photos of princess and superhero cakes, but my friend brushes it aside. “No.” she says. “I already know, I would like a Zoloft cake.”

The teen pauses, pushing her glasses up on her nose in order to better inspect my friend. “Excuse me?”

My friend repeats herself irritably. “You know, a Zoloft cake! Everyone’s getting them these days.”

“I think you need the pharmacy.” The teen responds, slowly.

“What?” snaps my Yankee friend, preparing to unleash multiple obscenities upon the innocent child.

The two confused women cock their heads at one another, and this – for me, is just way too fun.

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“I’ve got this.” I tell my friend, placing a hand gently upon her arm, and I turn to the teen who is clearly looking for me to make sense out of complete nonsense. “You are familiar with Disney’s movie Frozen, right?” I ask.

“Of course.” She says.

“Well then, you must have heard of the spin off that’s scheduled to come out in late February called “Fruity”

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Everyone’s talking about it. It follows a similar storyline, although the characters give it an interesting new twist.

In Fruity, Queen Elavil, queen-elavil  struggles to manage her emotions and spends years locked in her bedroom, giving everyone the cold shoulder.

Princess Ambien, princess-ambien  her younger sister, suffers from sleep disorders due to a head injury she sustained as a child at the hands of her sister who, in a fit of uncontrolled anger, hit her in the head with a block of ice.

The two build a clinically depressed, yet lovable snowman named Zoloft, zolaft3

whose antics provide much needed comic relief.

Together, the mentally unstable trio attend enough group therapy to reach the conclusion that love melts the frozen heart. Such a lovely message.” I sigh, touching my own heart, and dabbing invisible tears – a beautiful performance.

Now, both my friend and the teen are staring at me, mouths agape, heads cocked. “However!” I nearly shout, holding my forefinger high in the air, causing both women to jump. “Given the age of the child, and the mature subject matter, I suggest going with the old-school Frozen “Olaf” cake.”

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My friend and I order the cake without further trauma and exit the store. On our way out, my friend looks at me suspiciously. “I have absolutely no idea what you were babbling on about back there.” She says.

“Let it go,” I say. “Just let it go.”

“I’m hungry.” She groans.

“I know.” I say. “I could really go for a warm piece of Zoloft cake right now.  Couldn’t you?”

The little Philanthropist

IN TODAY’S AGE OF…

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“AND I WANT A BUNCH OF IT!”

Let us explore children’s birthdays:

When I was a child, birthdays were a fun-filled, family event.

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You could count on a delicious cake, handmade with love.

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And a nifty present or two.

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Well, in case it’s been a while since you’ve attended a good, old fashion children’s birthday party…

things have changed just a bit.

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Nifty gifts have changed just a bit…

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And that handmade cake...FUHGEDDABOUDIT!!!

Get yourself on Pinterest baby, because this is what is expected of you today!

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But…every once in a blue moon, someone different appears out of nowhere, reminding us all of what is really important…other than chocolate, that is.

MEET SARA HAYS:  THE LITTLE PHILANTHROPIST

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Name:  Sara Hays

Age:  9

Home State:  Georgia

Interests:  Sara Hays is an extremely active girl.  She loves to play soccer, jump on the trampoline, do gymnastics, swim and ride horses.  She’s also a very social and well-rounded young lady.  She grew tomatoes and peppers in her own garden this summer.  She enjoys playing the piano, having tea parties, playing with her American Girl Dolls, and being active in her Church.  It should, however, be noted that she does not like to clean her room.

I caught wind that Sara Hays was planning something a little different for her 9th birthday on Facebook.  Sara Hays and her big brother, Jackson (age  11), were planning to run a 5k called “Race for the Orphans.”

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Instead of birthday presents, she was asking friends and family to donate money to the cause.  Sara Hays’s family said the idea was her own…which really left me wondering:

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Seriously???  A nine year-old who would rather raise money for orphans than receive birthday presents?  And this was her own idea?  How could this be?  I had to find out more.  So I dug a bit.  What exactly IS “Race for the Orphans?”  This is what I discovered:


RACE FOR THE ORPHANS 5K

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More than 360 runners and walkers participated in the inaugural RACE for the Orphans in 2013, an event that successfully helped raise necessary funds to bring a little girl from China home to her Newnan, Georgia family. The ongoing mission of RACE for the Orphans is Raising Awareness, Compassion, and Education about the needs of orphans around the world.  Each annual event is a fundraiser to help other local families who also have a heart to adopt and love an orphan.  The RACE atmosphere provides an exciting and family-friendly time of healthy competition. More importantly, though, the adoption momentum grows when a community comes together for the united objective of helping to reduce the world’s 150+ million orphan population…even if by just one child at a time.

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INTERVIEW WITH SARA HAYS AND JACKSON
NANNY:  “How did you first hear about this event?”
SARA HAYS:  “My mommy took pictures for it the past few years.
NANNY:  “What gave you the idea to do this?”
SARA HAYS:  “I saw some other kids donate money to an animal shelter at their birthday parties.”
NANNY:  “Why do you feel like this is an important thing to do?”
SARA HAYS:  “Because I love kids, and this will help someone to adopt a kid.”
JACKSON:  “This money will help little kids find a home.”
NANNY:  “You two had to run a long way for this event.  Did you have to train or anything?”
SARA HAYS:  “I used an App called  “Couch to 5k” that trains a person gradually, week by week.”
JACKSON:   “I actually found the app on the iPhone.”
NANNY:  “Was running the race harder than you thought it would be?”
SARA HAYS:   “It was harder than I thought it was going to be.  Way longer.”
JACKSON:  “It was a good time of year to do the race . . . not too hot, but not cold either.”
NANNY:  “How did it feel when you finished?”
SARA HAYS:  “It felt really, really good.”
JACKSON:  “Sara Hays might be an inspiration to me to donate my birthday money this coming December.”
NANNY:  “When your birthday was over, did you feel sad at all that you had given away your birthday money?”
SARA HAYS:  “NO!  It feels good to give to other people.”
NANNY:  “What would you say to other kids about choosing to do something different on their birthdays or for Christmas?”
SARA HAYS:  “It’s a good thing to do because there are so many good causes needing money.”
NANNY:  “Is there anything else you would like to say about the event?”
JACKSON:  “We know a family that actually benefitted from this money.   This family has inspired their friends and fellow church members to participate in this event.  It has become an annual event and gets bigger every year.   There were over 450 participants this year with many being children along with their parents.”
So…Children giving for the sake of giving…could this could catch on?
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TAKE THE SARA HAYS AND JACKSON CHALLENGE!!!
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Read this post to your children and discuss creative ways that they can give to others.
Email me pictures and stories that I can post, as your children work to become a
generation of more grateful and generous people.
 erkenly@gmail.com

Then who knows?  Perhaps the world will be a better place…
One child at a time.