Tuesday Tip: Keep Birthdays Simple, Small and Fun

You may have noticed that my last “Tuesday Tip” was as much a confession of feeling overwhelmed and pressured by multiple life events (work, a trip to Ireland and four kids birthdays in a week, just to name a few!) as it was a suggestion to keep it simple when it comes to kids birthdays.… this week’s “tip” is an affirmation and reminder of that advice.

1.     Keep it simple.   Yesterday, our triplets turned three.  The night before, we arrived home from our adventures in Ireland.  As the sun rose on the third birthday of our trio of tots, our house was full of jet-lagged inhabitants, dirty laundry, strewn luggage and several stink bugs that unfortunately made themselves at home while we were away.  The fridge was empty and the entire scene was far removed from the idyllic awakening one would hope for as their children ushered in a new year.  You know what though?  None of that mattered.  All that mattered was that we were all home, all together and greeted our “Cubs” in their cribs with a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” that they joined in while literally jumping with joy.  Sometimes simply being together and being silly is the perfect gift.

2.     Less is more.  In thinking about our trio turning three, I fretted about what to get them, when I’d find time to go shopping,  and how I’d have the energy to wrap it all up upon our return from Ireland. So here’s what I did:  the week before we left, I stumbled upon some pajamas I’d gotten at Costco last spring in one of our hand-me-down bins.  I bought three little footballs and three cars at the checkout of Old Navy, where I’d gone to ensure the little fellas would have pants that fit while we were away.  I wrapped it all up before we left and decided that was that.  And they were thrilled.  They loved their new pjs and played with their new low-budget toys while happily chattering “This IS my birthday!  Me IS three now!”  It was all good.

3.   Family = Party.   I had also worried about how I’d pull together a party in the midst of the post-vacation mayhem. To address this dilemma, we decided that pizza and cake with my parents and my sister and her family would count as a party.  And it did.  Given the unseasonably warm weather, we opted for hot dogs on the grill instead of pizza but it was still simple, small and fun.

I suppose that’s really the heart of this Tuesday’s tip… your children are simple, small and fun and I think the key to eliminating the birthday stress that so many of us experience is to cater to their whims on their level… keep it simple, small and fun – just like them – and everyone is bound to have a Happy Birthday. 

Tuesday Tip: The Birthday Reality Check

It's hard to believe that October is almost upon us.  It's even harder to believe that that in the next two weeks, our princess will turn five, our triplets will turn three and friendly Finnegan, our loyal lab has a birthday too.  

Our October is jam-packed.  To add to the insanity (oops, did I say that?  I meant festivity!), we also celebrate our anniversary in October and this year, will be spending a portion of these notable days in Ireland.  I know it's crazy but we are taking our five fair-skinned, freckle-faced tykes to the land of our origins in the midst of all this birthday bedlam and back to school mayhem.

So, what's a gal to do?  Truth be told, I do kind of feel like my head is spinning and I'm not quite sure how to pack a family of seven for ten days overseas... when I did the math and arrived at 70 pairs of underwear, I mentally shut down and decided to focus on birthdays instead.  

Four of our five tots share a birthday week and since three of them share not only their date of birth but also have identical DNA, making everyone feel special is always a bit of a trick.  This year, I've decided to follow the advice of one of my friend's Moms.  She recently told me that her Mom approached birthdays with common sense and candor -- according to her Mom, a birthday is an important date on the calendar but not the only date to make a fuss, to let someone be a prince or princess for a day.  From what I gather, her Mom was a pragmatist with a great sense of humor and a grounded sense of reality... all traits that I fear we sometime lose in today's quest for creating those perfect birthday memories.

All too often we seem to fret about where to hold the party, what to put in the goody bag, how many kids to invite, how to bake the perfect cake... the list goes on and on.  Unless, of course, you decide to just say no.  To decide that goody bags are unnecessary, kids aren't cake critics and the only thing that matters is a hearty dose of fun, love and sure, a gift or two as well.

I recently found myself getting caught up in all of this; after all, it's easier for me to make lists and strive for perfection than it is to pack all that underwear!  But really, who needs all this pressure for birthday? Isn't it supposed to be fun?  With this in mind, I ordered a few gifts from Amazon that I have wrapped and ready to take to Ireland for our princess and I have a few more ready for the triplets when we return.  I haven't sent invitations or planned parties... and I'm not sure that I will.  At five years old, Ciara would like to celebrate with her friends but at three, the triplets are still making friends and certainly won't hold it against me (I hope!) if we don't ring in their third year with a bonanza at Tumblebugs.

The moral of the story?  Birthdays are special days and should absolutely be celebrated in a big way.  But, what's big to a tiny tot may not be big to you... some time together, some stuff to unwrap and a messy cupcake will probably do the trick.  I'll give it a whirl and let you know how it works out... and, stay tuned for a recap of our adventures in Ireland... birthday and all!