Kid_1 had his 4th birthday party last Saturday. It was a simple affair. Our theme was (are you sitting down?) “Birthday.” We had red and white streamers and some red and white helium balloons. We hung up a “Happy Birthday” sign which we have used every year.
On Friday night, Hubby made the chocolate layer cake (from a mix) while I put together some quick scrapbook pages (of Kid_1’s first three birthday parties) to hang up on the wall.
At the party, we did not open any gifts. Guests had been encouraged to not bring gifts, although grandparents had the birthday boy open gifts at other times. In all, Kid_1 received four birthday gifts — one from us, and one each from the three sets of grandparents.
As always, I was struck by how much work is involved in even a simple birthday party like this one (part of it is just the cleaning and straightening up beforehand, of course).
Next year, when Adam turns five, I would like to use a charity-oriented theme for his party. For example, guests bring donations for the local food shelf or humane society. More ideas along these lines can be found on the Birthdays Without Pressure website. I love this website because it makes me feel validated in my quest to keep my children’s birthdays simple, inexpensive, and fun.
I hope that when my kids are grown up, we will have many fond memories of their birthday parties, and they will have learned that the important thing is NOT getting a bunch of gifts or having an elaborate, expensive birthday party.
The Honest Mommy 
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