Dinosaurs and Mermaids

I let out a shaky sigh.

Why do birthdays have to exist...?

I chewed on the inside of my cheek nervously. Somehow, I needed to make this work. I had to mix dinosaur robots with mermaids. How? I do not know, but if I don't, all hell will break loose.

I am Josephine Stuart, a 35-year-old office worker with three children, two of them being twins. My eldest, Samantha, is a problematic high school student who seemed to enjoy being anywhere but home. My twins, Emma and Ethan, are in the third grade and childish as any normal child should be. Emma was your typical girly girl, changing her interests from princesses to fairies every week. Ethan was a quieter kid, but he was actually pretty smart. Why words 'Why?' and 'How?' seemed to escape his lips quite a bit. He still enjoyed They were both adorable, but...

I was really questioning how I'd be able to mix both their desired themes.

On one hand, I had a dinosaur robot theme with 'awsome ligts' and 'lazors!!'. On the other hand, I had a mystical 'mermed fairy sparklez princess qeen magical fliing girl party'. I had no idea how, but I had to combine these themes so the two twins could have the perfect birthday.

Could I mix the decorations? Split the room apart? Perhaps have both on each decoration? Maybe I could have two completely seperate parties, or even just have no parties all together. Whatever I thought about, my head hurt, but I knew I had to get this done. Their birthday was coming up only in three days.

Deciding I needed an outside opinion, I called up a close friend from work, and explained all I could. From the contrasting themes to my ideas and more. Once I was done, a drift of silence passed through the line.

"...Oh," Linsay, my best friend said. "That sounds tough."

"Lindsay, please. I need help, not sympathy," I sighed, sitting onto the table where I was organizing decorations. "How am I going to mix dinosaurs with mermaids?!"

"You just mix the decorations. They're kids, Josephine. Anything flashy or sparkly will be amazing in their eyes," Lindsay laughed, and I sighed, knowing it was true.

"Yes, but... I feel like Ethan's friends would make fun of him for having mermaids at his party, or Emma's friends would make fun of her for having dinosaur robots!"

"...Hmm, you could just have one party in one room, and another in a different room."

"How would I bring them together, though? They're different, but they're best friends. If I split them up, they'll hate me!" I exclaimed, groaning as I clutched my head, which was paining as usual. "I need a coffee..."

"Well, if you need them to be together, but also need to separate them, what are you gonna do?" She asked as I walked towards the kitchen.

"That's what I'm asking you, Lindsay. You have to help me," I begged, turning on the kettle. I decided I'd go for a snack too, and opened the fridge.

"I really don't know. Where's Joshua? He's an architect, isn't he? Tell him to help you out," Lindsay suggested. I rolled my eyes.

"Being an architect and planning birthdays are two different subjects," I sighed.

Joshua is my husband. He's a great man, understandably busy, but still amazing. I met him through a co-worker I had lost contact with, but I am forever grateful. Joshua the one that keeps me together, and without him, I'd be a crumbled ball of stress.

"Why don't you just go to the garden, but half of the decorations on one side, and then the other on the other side. Then, in the middle, you can have a cake," she said, and my eyes widened, finally realizing what to do.

"That... Might work. But we're planning to get a bouncy castle. What theme should it be, and what side should it be on?"

"Put the food on one side, bouncy castle on the other. Done."

"...Alright." I laughed in relief. "That's it! I'll do just that. Evenly balance out each side. Thanks, Lindsay."

"Haha, no problem. Good luck setting it up," she said, and I paled, thinking about the work to come. First, I had to think, and now I have to do actual physical work...? "Bye!"

She hung up. I sighed, and continuing with my coffee and snack. I'd need it, after all.