In an ironic twist, the few strong opinions I have are for relatively unimportant topics. For example, I have come to believe that birthdays should be simple celebrations. When my oldest son turned one, we had a big family bash that resulted in a messy house, an overwhelmed toddler and an exhausted mommy. Was it a fun party? Of course! Did the celebration of turning one year old have the desired impact on my firstborn child? Not so much. Since then, our birthday parties have been small-ish affairs. Simple backyard parties with a few friends of the boys' choosing.
In the age of pinterest, Martha Stewart style tv shows and beautiful lifestyle mommy blogs, there is so much visual stimulation when it comes to party planning. I do find inspiration from luxe tablescapes and elaborate party food. I know you all have seen the 6-layer rainbow birthday cake. But after many years of taking on too much, I am finally learning from my mistakes... It's so easy for me to fall into a trap of taking on more than I can handle. I overschedule, overplan and overspend. And by the end of it all, I am a mess. A grumpy mom and a grumpy wife. Neither of which is fair to the people who love me most.
So a few weeks ago, when my youngest celebrated his fourth birthday, we had a total of 8 kids and 8 parents. He chose a superhero theme so I set about making 8 satin-y superhero capes and 8 felt superhero masks. We played a few un-organized party games and ate Jersey Mike's subs and veggies for lunch. The kids sang happy birthday before munching on cupcakes and there was a bit of chaos during present opening time. But overall, a simple and easy birthday party with little stress on mama. Which, as everyone knows, is directly proportional to the level of happiness in the house.
