Thursday, July 2, 2009

Bad Mommy, Bad!

Sooo, when I picked up the mail today, Mister Man was invited to a birthday party. Really, this isn't anything unusual or shocking. We get invited to birthday parties just as often as any other family.

As I went to write down the party on our calendar, I flipped over to August and wrote the time and place on the 22nd.

That's when I realized that umm I'm doing it again. Little Miss turns four on August 1. This is the first time that I've thought about her party. Once again, she's given short shrift, and this year she'll know it.

It's challenging to have a late summer birthday, especially at her age. While she'll be in the same preschool next year as she was this year (unlike last year!), she will have few, if any, of the same students in her class. She's doing gymnastics, but it's a drop in program so the same students aren't there day after day. We don't do daycare in the summer because my husband is off all summer. And given our schedules, while we play with some of the older kids in our neighborhood, we aren't super good friends with the few children Little Miss's age.

*sigh*

She knows she deserves a birthday party, and she goes to plenty -- in fact, we missed one last weekend when we were in St. Louis and she has one on the 18th. I hate to invite people we may not be seeing in the future, as feels like we're inviting them to get presents, but that's the life of a late summer birthday, right?

So now I have to start calling venues to see who is available on August 1. Or August 29. Those are the only Saturdays in August that we're free already. Somehow, I have a feeling that we're going to need to host a birthday during the week, which will lead to the comments (from the children, but I wonder where they got them) about why on earth we would ever have a party during the WEEK of all times.

Aaaaand, this is going to be a small party. We'll invite our friends from playgroup and from daycare, and maybe a couple from the neighborhood.

What do you do for those late summer birthdays? At least with Mister Man, I can get the class list the first week of school and send out invites knowing he'll be playing with those kids all year long. She's definitely tougher.

So let's see, in the next week, I need to find a venue, settle on a date, determine the guest list and get those invitations out. After I make them. Oops.

At least I have time to figure out how to do a dairy free cake that all the kids can eat, get the decorations, and figure out the dreaded goody bags. A little time.

Sorry, Little Miss. I promise it isn't that I don't love you as much as Mister Man. Somehow, your birthday just sneaks up on us every year. As you get older and have a core group of best friends, I promise we'll do your birthday up right with good fun and good friends. In the meantime, I'll just live with the Mommy Guilt.

And seriously, the girl is turning four in less than a month. How has this happened? Tell me I'm not the only one who forgets to plan birthday parties.

15 comments:

Heather July 2, 2009 at 3:54 PM  

Not birthdays, but Baptisms. My son turned one in May, and I finally got around to scheduling his Baptism in late July. Don't feel bad, when she's older all she'll remember is that you did have parties.

septembermom July 2, 2009 at 9:39 PM  

My daughter is turning four in August too. Don't feel bad. My daughter hasn't even had a kid party yet. I do only the family thing for now. I'll probably throw her a kid one when she's in kindergarten. Those late summer birthdays are tough. Good luck with all the planning. I'm sure Little Miss will love whatever you put together.

Superstar July 3, 2009 at 1:00 AM  

Stopping by from Mama Kat...My sister when through all this w/ my oldest neice...she found it to be cheaper to go to a "pump it up" jumping place??? I for the life of me couldn't understand...THEN I say a modern day party...
Party favors for all invites
Invitations: Who needs tissue for a B-day party? I mean really...
20-? how ever many in the class...cupcakes on the day of and at the "party" on the event day...*sigh*
I am sooooo glad I only "rent" my kiddos....via nieces and students!

Mary~Momathon July 3, 2009 at 10:44 AM  

A month in advance? What's wrong with the day before? Shooooot, a week is more planning time than you need and you have at least 3 weeks before the big birthday. I am not throwing birthday parties for my little ones, I did for the big ones and I gave up on that hoola-ba-loo! We are doing birthday outings: same cost, more fun, less stress! Anyway, I think you are amazing for thinking about it this far ahead!

Mary~Momathon July 3, 2009 at 1:07 PM  

Btw... in answer to your question "what is a serger" ...

http://raisingprincesses.blogspot.com/2009/04/present-peeking.html

:)

Kim Lehnhoff July 3, 2009 at 5:41 PM  

A four year old doesn't need much for it to be a party. Just a couple of kids and family should do it. I don't understand the folks who spend hundreds of dollars on a party for a young child who will barely remember it a year from now.

But I'm old, maybe it's just me.

KatBouska July 3, 2009 at 6:34 PM  

Kainoa's birthday is in a week and I STILL don't have invites sent out...or even purchased for that matter! Ugh. At least he's too young to be on to me!!

Michelle July 3, 2009 at 8:34 PM  

Heather - Eh, baptisms can be scheduled whenever. When Mister Man was baptized, there were two year olds also in the parent class :)

septembermom - It is tough... but she sees what everyone else does, so she wants the same. Not easy.

Superstar - Yeah, it's one of those things that you can't get completely out of. Pump It Up is the place you're thinking of, and we've been to 23 parties there. #24 is on July 18. I do rebel against much of it though.

Mary - Oh you're making me feel so much better :) It's not really ummm what's done around here, sadly. I have friends with children having birthdays in 2010 who are already planning the themes.

June - I'm with you, and I minimize it as much as possible... but my wee ones talk about their birthdays and the parties they've been to from when they were two. But cheap is definitely the word!

Mama Kat - Ahhh, that makes me feel much better. Especially because I didn't call anywhere yesterday or today, and everything's closed for the Fourth. Here's to winging it!

Angela July 5, 2009 at 8:37 AM  

She's getting to be such a big girl! My birthday is in March. It always fell over spring break when no one was in town (often, including us). But I share it with my grandmother, so we always had a family party, then I had a regular party when everyone got back to school.

Don't stress, you will think of something perfect!

Cookie July 5, 2009 at 7:27 PM  

Wow! You already got invited to a party on August 22?! That's so far away!

Michelle July 7, 2009 at 10:21 PM  

Angela - Spring break is hard, too, but how cool to share it with your grandmother! I love that!

Cookie - Ummm yeah... standard around here is 6-8 weeks notice before parties. Is that not par for the course there?

Jen July 9, 2009 at 8:45 AM  

My daughter will be 4 in August too (the end of August, when school around here starts back). I LOVE having kids with summer birthdays because it means outside parties! It's minimal work and effort on my part. I choose a time that doesn't involve a meal, so that I can get away with just serving snacks, fruit and cake. The kids play outside (I'll set up fun water games/toys if it's hot enough) or they just play on the swingset. Another option is to do an unofficial Chuck E Cheese party. You bring some chips/pretzels and your own cake. You buy enough tokens for all the kids coming (20 - 25 tokens each kid) and a small drink for each kid. It's low cost but the kids have a BLAST! The Chuck E Cheese around here doesn't mind if we do this, but I guess it depends on the location. Good Luck!!

Michelle July 9, 2009 at 8:28 PM  

Jen - Thanks for the support. My concern isn't so much how to do the party but who do we invite. I don't want to invite people just to invite them, but I don't want to leave them out either. I think I've finally settled on a compromise, so wish me luck!

Anonymous July 10, 2009 at 5:47 PM  

I hear you should only have as many children to a party as the age of the Birthday child. Plus family. so, you don't need to do a lot or get a big place. If you are into fast food have it a McD's or someplace like that.

Michelle July 12, 2009 at 9:08 PM  

Elftea - That's where we'll go once we're through Kindergarten. Up to Kindergarten, we invite al the kid from the class plus a few friends from other places since they haven't really cemented friendships yet -- and it's what everyone else around here does (sigh). We don't do fast food, BUT we're going to do a fairy princess (rock star diva, if Little Miss gets her way) party at the local kids hair salon on her birthday. Invites are OUT!

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