A Day in the Life of a Princess
By Natalie DeLaPorte
The alarm goes off far too early for your liking. You stayed up too late finishing that paper or scrolling on Facebook, or texting that cute boy again. But now it’s 6:30, and you have to get up and get ready for school.
What to do first? You have to pick an outfit, one that will portray how cool and artistic you can be. The vintage, kind-of-messy-cute look is in right now, and you have that perfect plaid shirt that you found online for $35.(Your parents hesitatingly bought it for you, even though it wasn’t a need, and you pouted your way into getting what you wanted.) Pair that with skinny jeans, lace socks and boots, and a slouchy hat, and you’ll be an instant attention-getter. Don’t forget the tumbler of coffee – you’re trying to like the taste because you feel cool that you drink it when none of your friends do. Everyone will think you’re so hipster and adorable.
After your shower you get dressed, and now you have two tasks facing you with 25 minutes before you have to leave for school. Your hair is a long, wavy brown heap that you are self-conscious about. You never know how to make it look like those girls on Pinterest, or those seniors you see at school. Their hair is so shiny and bouncy, and it looks like they never have to do anything to it! So unfair. You begged your parents for some expensive hair serum that you were positive would tame your frizzies and give you the right amount of volume. You apply it now, trying to remember the techniques from the YouTube videos you’ve poured over.
The bloated bag of makeup comes out of the cabinet, and you begin the ritual of the layers of product that you believe will cover your imperfections. “A little too blotchy here,” you think, or, “have my eyebrows ALWAYS looked like THAT?” Out come the tweezers. Your makeup is from the drugstore, and it doesn’t cover the few pimples you’ve acquired very well. You sigh, imagining the pretty girls in your history class noticing and laughing at you.
Those girls who seem like they’ve never had a zit in their lives – who are sporty, flirty, and dress well. All the boys have crushes on them. The cutest boy in your class is dating one of them, and you secretly hope he’ll notice your outfit today when you walk by him on your way to Chemistry. He’ll notice and maybe even talk to you one day.
You aren’t a girl who gets a lot of attention from boys. In fact, you don’t have many guy friends – only the ones you’ve known since grade school who are totally NOT cool. They play computer games and dress dorky and you don’t have anything in common with them anymore.
Arriving at school, you scan the hall for your friends, eager not to be alone. Your friends are running late today. No big deal. You go to your locker, manage your books and notebooks for a while, listening to the conversations around you. SHE did WHAT with him? Who’s having a party this weekend? Will you be invited? What would you wear if you were?
When your friends do not arrive, you get fidgety. You take out your iPhone and play on it, checking Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, hoping no one notices that you really just don’t have anyone to talk to. That you are lonely and in need of a hug.
Your friends don’t show up before the bell, so you walk to class alone. A text reveals that all of them are sick with one thing or another and won’t be at school for the day. Your heart falls. Classes aren’t so bad, but when lunch hits, you feel lost. Who to sit with? You wish you could sit with the guys – the athletic, attractive boys you admire from a distance. You could sit with the dorky grade school friends, but they would know it was fake.
That’s just it, isn’t it? Fake. The word pulses through your mind and you try to ignore it. This isn’t who I am, something inside you says. I don’t like to wear flannel. Coffee is gross. No one thinks I am special no matter what I’m wearing. I don’t even know who I am anymore.
You think of a message your youth pastor preached recently about having authentic faith. If you’re telling yourself the truth, nothing about you is authentic. You don’t like the vintage style – you’d rather wear a dress than to grunge up in big sweaters and boots. You realize you’re only thinking, dressing, and behaving the way you do because of what you perceive everyone thinks. You don’t think, dress, or act based on what you know Jesus thinks about you. You’ve actually done a good job of forgetting Him in this whole process. What would Jesus say?
“What do you say?” you whisper aloud. You remember verses you’d read in Ecclesiastes about vanity, about striving after the wind. Trying to please those girls and impress those boys? It’s all striving after wind, you conclude.
Under 'Da Sea!
Little Mermaid Inspired Party Ideas
[Ideas submited by Michelle Mikayla ]
Ahh, to be a mermaid. What little girl doesn't want to be one? I so enjoyed planning a mermaid party for my princess. Keep these ideas in your back pocket for the next time a little sister, cousin, or little girl you know needs some good girl time. This is a fun twist on the typical “princess” party, and will give her lots to talk about with her friends!
An Exotic Party Space
I know the usual colors for many "Under the Sea"-inspired parties include purple, but I wanted to do something different for this party. The color scheme was aqua, peach, gold, and a pale blue-green. We made lots of tissue pom-poms and decorated the walls with streamers. We had a net full of balloons on the wall which was an awesome backdrop to the dessert table.
Sea Snacks
All of the food was given sea-inspired nicknames like “Shark's Teeth” (triangular cut cheese), “Bait” (crackers), “Ham and Turkey Sushi”(sandwich roll ups), and “Peanut Butter & Jellyfish Sandwiches,” just to name a few. It was fun coming up with the names! The drink of choice was blue Kool-Aid & lemonade mixed together, which we called “Ocean Water.”
Mermaid Photo-Shoot
We made picture cutout poster boards of a mermaid and an octopus for the guests to pose in front of. To add to the fun, we had an aquarium screen saver up on our TV.
“Dinglehopper” Desserts
The cupcakes were amazing! The colors matched perfectly with our palate, and had starfish, shell, and mermaid tail accents. The dessert table included “Day at the Beach Brownies,” “Under Da Sea” jello cups, and pretzels with “High Tide” frosting.
Personalize It!
I love adding personal touches to all of my events, so I made a name pennant banner for the birthday girl and added pictures of her, which I hung with clothes pins (painted to match the theme of course). At the end of the day, the décor was fun, the food was good, and everyone left happy!
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Photo by Liz West