Birthday Parties

Wow! Sorry readers, it's been a long time since our last post. Personally I have been uber-busy with the usual and in addition both of the kid's birthdays. Jak just turned 1 and Paige turned 4. Let's just say that when you have 2 kids' birthdays within 10 days of each other it's like the birthday party that will never end. Cake on one birthday, a holiday, a party, cake on another birthday, a party. Paige has no clue that her birthday really is only one day :)

I would like to talk about birthdays. As a friend and reader, Emily, wrote,
"Oh PLEASE tell me you will write about children's b-day parties. Is it me or are there a lot of people out there who think that their little angel's 3rd b-day necessitates a party with engraved invitations where you make people who only see you quarterly hang out at "go Bananas" until you want to "go postal"?

I will admit, we had a big party for Paige's 1st birthday at a pizza banquet room. Mostly because we simply could not fit everyone in our house. It turned out looking much fancier than it actually was. I really got my money's worth. Poor Jak did not get the same treatment. the second kid really does get the shaft. Anyway since then I have had one other actual "party" for Paige and that was last year at our local Park Rec center. I did it because Jak was just born and I wanted her birthday to feel special and not like she was forgotten because of a new baby. So this year I thought hmmmm I'll just have a little party at home with pizza and cake, no big thing just a get together, a joint party for both kids. Boy, am I crazy! Let's just say that no party with just friends and family is ever small. It was a great time and I'm glad we did it but I have decided that now there will be no big parties except on the "big birthdays". It's too much with both birthdays so close and thanksgiving and christmas thrown in there too. This was my first year with both kids having birthdays so I guess it's a learning curve. Even though it was crazy, it was fun. Paige loved every minute and Jak was totally thrilled with all the attention. Note to self - make the kids happy but don't go crazy doing it!

Since we usually have our neighbor buddies over for cake on the actual birthday from now on we will just do that and maybe a play date with the closest friends. I think that was my favorite part of the birthday madness this year. I did a small tea party after school with her class buddies (as a mom suggested) just have a few friends, more like a play date. Tiny sandwiches and snacks and treats, apple juice in tea cups. Lots of "please" and "thank you ma'am", so super cutie!

The worst thing about a big birthday party every year is that you really are setting the bar pretty high early on. People go to great lengths now for fantastic parties at fun places. If I did that every year what is my kid going to expect on her 10th birthday? A private circus show with gifts for everyone and a 8 tier cake? I just can't keep up with it. I have seen it getting really competitive. So who are we having these parties for, the kids or us? I know they enjoy it but let's be serious, don't kids like just about any kind of attention? I know my kid would be just as happy with a few of her friends as she would be in a big party.

I say all this now and I know the readers with older kids are saying "just you wait, just you wait until your kid is whining for that super expensive cell phone/ipod/navigation/book-reader/bottle-opener and huge party at some fancy place because all her friends are doing it". Ug, I guess I'll just wait and hope for the best!