Birthdays used to be a simple affair when I was little. A couple of close friendsΒ would come over.Β We’d play some games and dance to music. The evening highlights would beΒ homemade food, unlimited fun and simple gifts. True, nothing like the good ol’ days.
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Present day birthdays, however, reel under exotic themes and expensive party planners. I did the customaryΒ ‘Royal Ball’ for the princess, on her 6th birthday.Β A one time affair, thatΒ pretty much left a dent in her college education, as my husband puts it.Β The 7th birthday was round the corner.Β I couldn’t bear the thought of just another expensive party. I wanted it to be special but I also wanted it toΒ keep it simple. More importantly, I wanted to put in effort and not hire some agency who had no clue what my child was all about. So, I put my grey cells and Google to work.
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I decided on having the kids over for the entire day. A first of sorts among her friends. Ambitious, but then again, birthdays are supposed to be celebrated just once a year. I decided to take the plunge. The Princess was a huge Hannah Montana Fan back then. So the theme was thankfully taken care of.
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Pink and purple were theΒ coloursΒ used for the balloon dΓ©cor.Β
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Concert passes became the invites. The invitees had to carry them along to be allowed admission for the party of the year.
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Hannah Montana posters adorned the room and the cake, albeit an edible one here.
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The girls sang, danced and put on a rock show. They made bead braceletsΒ andΒ then their own goody bags. Instead of a piΓ±ata, I threw down the sweets from the bunk bed. What fun! Yes, by the end of the day, my head was reeling with ‘Party in the USA’ on a loop.
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AndΒ finally a custom madeΒ song CD and a printedΒ lyrics book (all doneΒ on the home computer)Β became the takeaways. Right from 11 am to 6 pm, I just let them be. The princess was delighted, the girls had a ball and IΒ earned the Super Mom tag.Β
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As a bunch of satiated girls headed home, I realized, things hadn’t changed at all. Kids still loved to simply go out there and be, well, kids. It is the parents who are busy outdoing each other. They, in my opinion, never did grow up. And just as I was lost in my thoughts, my daughter comes and hugs me saying “Mom, this was the bestest birthday ever”.
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Did I mention that birthdays 8 &10 were also house parties? The number 9 was done at a local restaurant, as the house was under renovation. Birthday number 11 is around the corner, in two weeks. Yup, you guessed it, IT IS A HOUSE PARTY! Karaoke is the theme. Anyone care to join?
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Β Β Tally-Ho,
Day 2 of the A-Z Challenge – April 2013
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