It’s clear to me now that we never needed to make over my mom… but we absolutely do need to make over the plan for her welcome-home party. I have always prided myself on planning perfect parties. Surely I can come up with some way to twist this old-fashioned royal ball into something that feels totally de Nile but is also perfectly suited to my dig-in-the-dirt, down-to-earth mother. I just know that trying to force Mom into the kind of party that no longer suits who she has become is NOT the right way to welcome her home to us.

A few ideas I’ve come up with:

Deuce’s pool-party suggestion (But our wrappings will get very wet, which is never ideal)

A backyard barbecue (Too common?)

Perhaps we turn this into a smaller dinner party with only our closest friends (Let’s be honest—this idea will disappoint everyone who isn’t invited. How does one limit the guest list for a de Nile party? It simply isn’t done.)

Ugh. That’s all I’ve got. I think I’m going to have to enlist the help of my ghoulfriends to figure this one out. But first, I’ll have to tell them what Mother is really like.… This will be interesting. I know everyone at Monster High has very high expectations for the de Nile family—what will my ghoulfriends say when they realize my mother is so different from the rest of us?

Cleo