L.'s birthday party request: a flower pinata.

"Can't we skip the pinata this year honey?"

"No, I have one every year. I really want my pinata."

"Can I get the kind with string instead of the hit kind?" (Those pull string pinatas were a masterful invention and likely designed by someone whose kid was whacked with a swinging stick. We bought them when the kids were preschoolers and I wouldn't buy any other kind until a few years ago.)

"No, I don't want those baby characters (i.e., Barbie, Bratz, SpongeBob, Dora, etc.) on my pinata. I like the hit kind."

I hated to admit she was right about the selection being pretty limited with that type.

"Please mom, I want a flower pinata that I can hit for my birthday."

So off I went to the party store to pick out the most flimsy pinata I could find in hopes that maybe this year the thing would actually break.

Then I asked Fino to find the heavy pinata stick he made a few years back. He had hoped the small log might break that year's pinata. It didn't work but the wrist string feature he added made it safer for the hardest hitting kids to keep control of the thing. We've never had a flying stick since.

The first round ...

And the third round came and went ...

Then after some aggressive coaxing (i.e., Fino ripping it apart with his hands), everything finally fell out.

Well, at least this year Fino didn't have to pull out the power tools like he did a few years ago with G.'s pinata.