Ice Cream Before Noon

What kind of a birthday party do you want?

A pajama party!

Since there was no way in hell that we were having a slumber party, we decided that the best way to incorporate pajamas into the party would be to have a breakfast party. We brainstormed ideas and settled on waffles at 9:00 on a Sunday morning.

Pajamas were worn, many waffles were made, three pounds of bacon was eaten, much drama ensued, one conference was held in a closet, several children were dragged out from under a bed, one small boy came downstairs and told me very seriously that "bad words are being said upstairs", umpteen cardboard blueberries were stuck onto a three foot square waffle poster, Twister was played, and there was cake.

But oh, it wasn't just any cake: it was ice cream waffle cake, four chocolate waffles, with chocolate and vanilla ice cream in between - for a total of seven layers for a seventh birthday.

We have a big square waffle maker, so we made big square waffles, and then used a 9" cake pan as a template to cut clean circles out of the squares. Then we lined three 9" cake pans with parchment and filled them with softened ice cream. Those went into the freezer for a while, so they were firm enough to handle and peel. Last, we stacked (and photographed in series). The chocolate waffles were tasty and not too sweet, a good foil for the ice cream, though chewier than I thought they'd be. (I thought the waffles would soften up like the gooey cake on the outside of an ice cream sandwich.)

And for party favors, which I wouldn't mind doing away with altogether, but that's another post, my sister Pinky had a genius idea: waffle weave long johns on sale at Target. Pajamas! Waffles! All-in-one!

After everyone was gone and the house was sort of cleaned up and the girl was intently coloring, I took to my bed and had a nice nap, my version of Hide 'N Sleep, which never did get played at the party. What would the rules have been anyway?