This past week we celebrated the 12^th birthday of Jackeline, the young woman who has been living with us as a daughter since January of this year. A couple dozen friends and neighbors were in attendance for the party along with Jackeline’s biological grandmother who came out to support her.

There was, however, a twist to the traditional hit-the-piñata birthday game: rather than holding candy, the piñata held hygiene products. So adults and children alike dove for deodorants, bath loofas, bars of soap, hair gel, and little packets of shampoo. Rather than give these kids candy, which rots their teeth, we’ll go ahead and give ‘em a toothbrush and some paste to go along with it!

It was a big hit, and, seeing as I’ve already pulled this fill-the-piñata-with-something-other-than-candy trick three times now, the neighborhood kids eyed the piñata at the beginning of the festivities and asked, “Jennifer, what’s in the piñata?” Although sanitary pads, hairbands and notebooks might have fallen out of my 25^th birthday piñata in August, you never know just what you’ll find if you come to our house for a birthday celebration…