When the children were little, we had huge parties! Themes of their choice, all the decorations and plenty of friends to create many memorable celebrations. But, as the kids got older, and my homeschooling duties increased, I realized that planning large playdate-style, ultra-theme parties were becoming less and less appealing. I no longer was enjoying the weeks of planning, and began to get more frazzled over the details as time went on.
Sure, I love celebrating and having people over!! But spending weeks to create a “perfect” and elaborate party was more work than it was worth. All my kiddos wanted was to have FUN on their special day, whether it included a big tent for the carnival theme, complete with a giant paint-filled balloon dart board and a duck fishing pond (Yup, we did that!) or not.
So, after 5 years each of parties (Lola was ages 2-6, Otto was 1-5) we decided to mix things up a bit. We allowed the kids to pick a destination for our family during their birthday. But, after they both picked a trip to visit family for two consecutive birthdays (it’s a 19-hour drive y’all that we did twice in 7 months!) we began giving them a few options to pick from. We’ve gone to museums, water parks, favorite splurge restaurants. We’ve done day trips or an entire weekend, depending on the location!
Of course, the kids still spend weeks planning their special days, and I can again see a shift in the structure. Now, they are starting to lean toward having a friend or two over for a special day of treats and activities. Lola had been planning since early January what she’d like to do on her special day, but we had no idea then what would be going on when her birthday arrived…..
This year, many people will enjoy a completely different birthday memory…. The Quarantine Party! As in, no one can come over to celebrate….
We tried to make the best of it, and stick to most of the plans. We made cookies and splurged on homemade ice cream from a local small-business. We made wooden flower presses; collected and pressed beautiful little buds from our property. We enjoyed a massive cinnamon roll (using our favorite long-fermented dough recipe!) We worked to create a special seafood dinner feast with fresh-squeezed pink lemonade. And, the birthday girl had a special scavenger hunt to find presents around our property! We, also, opted to go for a special surprise gift….
It was different for another reason as well… For the second year in a row, my hubs had a pop-up work trip during Lola’s birthday! Of course, we were still able to celebrate after, which meant several days of yummy foods!
