Something weird happens when you have kids – every holiday becomes suspect. The days of mindlessly donning a green mini dress and gold plastic beads to “celebrate” St. Patrick’s Day are behind you. Now, you are responsible for explaining the holiday’s meaning to an impressionable little human and she will have questions.

My oldest is only 2 ½ plus (that means she is some months more than 6 but less than twelve, mom math can be a little daunting) and I’ve already started thinking about how to explain the big holidays. We are not religious – at all, so we’re definitely going to have some explaining to do. Have you ever looked up the meaning of St. Patrick’s Day? Pretty far from Irish Car Bombs and Lucky Charms.

In our new family-friendly neighborhood we live walking distance from a very popular Irish Pub. This makes our house Stop #1 on the pub crawl. I guess that ole’ mini dress is coming out of retirement for one last hurrah, until at least 8pm, when the babysitter needs to leave so she can get her Irish jig on.

Fingers crossed I’ve got at least one more year before I have to explain Saint Patrick to a girl who has never stepped a foot in a church. In the meantime, I’m throwing my leprechaun hat in the ring and whipping up a batch of Guinness Mini Pot Pies. We’ll need the sustenance after such a late night.