My own DD is almost 21. We celebrated that birthday while she was home on break from school, and we did it at home. All but 1 of DD's childhood parties were held in our home. Yep, I did try to be creative, and did alot of planning with regard to the parties that ran the gamut from American Doll tea party to the teen sleepover. Tried my best to keep it age appropriate taking into consideration that many times one of DD's guests would bring along a sibling or two when the girls were really young. Also, I always planned a "craft" for the guests in attendance. Really needed to include something for the girls to do and some type of take home to avoid the dreaded party bags. Only once did I plan a party out of the home. We took 8 girls to a ceramics studio to do a small piece which was then fired and delivered by me to the girls' homes a week or so later. That party was more of a PIA than any party I planned and hosted in our home. That said, I was a SAHM, so I think I had alot more time to be creative with an at home birthday party. roarah - I think your party is going to be great! Love the Madeline/caplet idea and your planning brings back memories of the many fun home parties I organized for my own DD. auntjen - I think maybe your nephew and his friends may have enjoyed a minor league game more. The local teams and stadiums that host those games really focus every single game on the kids in attendance. Between innings the kids are brought down onto the field for games, there are also other types of entertainment during the game directed at the kids. I get the "how much longer?" feelings of the kids that age. Heck, I sometimes feel that way, especially at an extra innings game! I will say that most of the birthday parties DD attended as a child were held off site. Those parties were fun, but I think came about out of one call planning, and no cleanup for the parents. Most times both parents worked, so planning a child's birthday party may not be something they want to add to their long weekend to-do list. I always enjoyed the planning of the parties, but I think I am probably in the minority given the number of parties DD attended in "places". You think it is bad now, roarah, wait until you get to the "Sweet 16" fiasco. Boy, that was a tough year... There was no way I was getting into throwing the equivilent of a small wedding party for a 16th birthday. Seemed that each parent tried to out-do the party of the girl whose party their DD attended prior. Hope the girls have a great time!

Annz covered most everything I was thinking precisely, and probably a lot less wordier than I would have. Definitely get him neutered ASAP. My youngest cat was only 4 months old last Christmas, and he was a terror much like your guy is. Though he doesn't have elimination issues, he does have a lot of aggression issues. Also like you, he is just a doll with my young child- they are attached at the hip and that is a major redeeming quality IMO. We did a lot of gentle discipline with bad behaviors. I like squirt bottles for some of the more moderate behaviors- like when he is clawing at the edges of the carpet, and I like time-outs for the more out of control behavior like aggression. Our boy was very bad last year about attacking the other cat, or even people, and he'd just be so worked up that he couldn't seem to stop himself. In this situation, any of this behavior was an automatic deal breaker and he got an immediate time out. Time out is just being put in a nice bedroom, that does have cat amenities, but it doesn't have interaction or attention. I would put him in the room alone for 15-20 minutes, then let him out, and if the aggression started back up, he immediately went back in for another 15-20. Maturity and discipline have made him a much better cat than he was a year ago, nowadays if he goes into one of his out of control modes, he is fine after a very short time out. I would like to think that this would work with his aggression toward the other cat- and that the other cat will learn the outcome as well, and probably like it. If you were to put him in a time out at the first attack of the older cat, he will soon learn that the behavior gets him nowhere except alone- and the older cat will probably start baiting him to get the reaction (I swear my old girl will do this sometimes). At first it will probably seem like you are constantly correcting, but things will change given time. We still have issues with our guy, but thinking back to last year- and how he destroyed the Christmas tree- we can see how far he has come. This year we have been using apple cider vinegar under and around our Christmas tree, and it has seemed to deter him for a few days at a time. Initially we sprayed the tree (before it was decorated), but subsequently we have put a sponge in a plastic container and soaked the sponge with the vinegar, then set it under the tree. That might help him stay away from areas that he seems to like, but as has been noted, you need to thoroughly clean up any marked spots with an enzyme cleaner to make sure he cannot smell that this is an area to be marked. Citrus spray did nothing to deter our cat from getting anywhere near the tree- we just had a citrus fresh kitty throughout the holidays. Our cat also has much better behavior if he is exercised heavily each day. DH runs him around with a laser pointer every night before bed, and if we miss doing that even one day, the next day he is much more wound up. The major issue for us with the laser pointer is that our child wants to do it too, and you need to be careful that those things don't get pointed at cat or people eyes. She is pretty good about understanding that only Dad or Mom can do the laser pointer, but sometimes she can get him to chase the light of a regular little flashlight too. Good luck to you. I know how frustrating it can be to get a wild and crazy guy.

Thanks for the nice comments. The figurines on the mantel are a collected assortment. The birds (yes, they are metal) and the gargoyles (which are supposed to be hung) are antiques that were always in my in laws home which I admired and as they are in the downsizing mode have found their way into our home. The Father Frost (wooden) is from St. Petersburg Russia where our 2 youngest children are from -- it makes me happy. I didn't buy one when we were there the first time, but made sure to the 2nd. I'm trying to think what else is in the picture . . . oh the ark is an advent calendar (I think from Gardener's Eden???) - has to be up on mantle because it's person is only 2 years old and it is breakable :-)

I really appreciate all the feedback. Yes, it's true that my natural preference is a single slab island. But the issue isn't my architect-- he has an opinion (and usually incredible taste and guidance) but he won't try to force me to do something I don't want. I really posted the ad because even though I think I could come up with the rational pros/cons list, I don't really know-- I have never had a two-tier. So does anyone have one and feel kind of closed in, cut off from the rest of the party? Is the bar height really a drag with kids? (MIne are 4 and 6 so not tiny). We have a lot of other table top space so I don't really need it for wrapping gifts or projects (though I'm kind of psyched about imagining drying pounds of fresh pasta on the counter...) Would it be really awesome to have the wood area for serving and lower stress given the marble counters? The island with part stone/part wood on the same level isn't really my style, though I could imagine a large walnut cutting board, as remodelfla suggested). THANKS