I Love Birthday Parties

I think I get just as excited about my daughter's birthday party as she does - maybe even more! As my daughter's birthday approaches, I can only be honest and tell you that my excitement builds to a feverish pitch as the big event approaches. And I'm sure quite a few probably think "feverish" is an appropriate word - I know my husband does! :-)

Why do I enjoy it so much? Why do I start planning and thinking 6 months in advance? Because not only is Allie's birthday party a celebration of her life, but its also a celebration of her relationships with her family and friends. Birthday parties are about relationships and without those relationships, there would be no birthday parties because there would be no guests. So - we have come full circle in my thinking - i love planning birthday parties for my daughter so not only will she be happy, but all of our guests be happy too!

I truly enjoy the agony (or pleasure) of finding the "perfect" party favor. And I'm not talking expensive - I rarely spent much money on the party favors. But that doesn't mean they still can't be wonderful and creative! You would think that I would have learned my lesson - last year I opted for getting the typical party favor junk and wouldn't you just know it? That crap was the absolute favorite of every child - many of them told me they liked it sooo much better then the personalized favors of earlier years! I have to tell you, I do think I spotted the perfect party favors at the Dollar Store down the street last week. . .

Allie's birthday is at the end of July - this year her party is going to be August 2nd. Why do I know so far in advance when it is going to be? Because another Mom of a little boy in Allie's class is just as nutty as I am - but I soooo appreciate her nuttiness and even more that I appreciate it, I sooooooooooo get it! Her son's birthday is very close to Allie's and about 6 weeks ago this Mom sent me an email suggesting we pick our dates for birthday parties now so we don't conflict with each other as quite a few of the kids would be invited to both. But I took the conversation one step further - once I realized that the parties would be one week apart, I felt that we needed to pick the "what" as well. I mean, we couldn't do the same thing 1 week apart with the same kids - could we? No absolutely not - at least not in my crazy mind! But not to worry, her son wanted a party at a bouncy place and my daughter wanted a pool party - so all was okay. . .

Now, for my confession. Can I tell you what I did next? I'm a bit embarrassed. . .I can't even believe I actually did it - I sent a "Save The Date" email for my daughter's 6th birthday to a few people.

Did I mention her birthday party is August 2nd and this is May?!! My only saving grace is that I did tell my friends in the email that they had my permission to talk about me behind my back and make fun of me! I do hereby promise that although I'm ashamed I felt the need to send a "Save the Date" for her birthday, I will never ever resort to having her register for gifts - at least not before her wedding!

But I had a potentially rational reason for my save-the-date email - with Allie's birthday being in the summer, people are always planning last minute getaways, BBQs, road trips to the lake, etc. I know that there are some people Allie would just not consider a birthday party if they weren't there - so as silly as it sounds that I sent the email, perhaps it will turn out to be a good thing. Maybe that one little girl will be able to come now because her mom had enough advance notice to switch the weekend that they were planning on going camping .

Now this is the first year we are not having Allie's birthday party at our house - this year she is opting to have a pool party somewhere else where there are lifeguards (as opposed to 30 kids between the ages of 5-7 playing in our backyard pool - while they have an amazing time, I'm always glad to see everyone comes alive on the other end.)

So, as I'm writing this, I am realizing I am feeling a bit empty and sad because at this point, other then picking out the birthday invitations, I have nothing to do and nothing to plan. I have the date, I have notified Allie's closest buddies when it is, we know where it is and the staff at the place are doing everything, the theme has been picked out for at least the last 8 months (Miley Cyrus/Hannan Montana - which will probably cover the invitations and the cake) and Allie, Rich & I all loved the party favors we found at the Dollar Store the other day. So, what do I do now??

What is that you say? Am I hearing you right? Ok - I promise to try - I will sit back and do nothing until 3-4 weeks before when we'll send the invitations out. And then there will be more nothing for me to do - usually my days before her birthday are filled to the gill with figuring out what kinds of crafts and water games will accompany the swimming and what are the perfect snack foods for parents and kids alike. And as I sit here and write my blog, I have to be honest with you - I'm kind of excited to sit back and relax and let the birthday place handle everything!

Why do I love birthday parties you ask? Because for everyone who is at a birthday party, it truly simply just means eating, socializing and having a fun time. It’s an event where I get to spend time with family and friends and everyone is always laughing and having a wonderful time and forgetting all about their worries and problems in life.

Oh wait, I just realized something, oh and I feel sooo much better now - I will have something to ponder and worry about the week before - what kinds of snacks should I bring for the moms and dads who do want to hang out????