Birthday Party to do or not to do

[LisaInNc]

Here is the background. My only DD was born on Christmas Eve, knowing that meant she would never get a day all to herself I decided to celebrate all but her first birthday in June. She loves it. She gets toys for Christmas and then toys in the summer.

My problem is this year I wanted to have a big party at home. We usually spend 3 weeks in June at my Mom's house in RI and we have a family party with my DD's cousins and she always enjoys it.

She is in preschool this year and we have talked about having a party at our house with the kids.

Here is the problem. I am about to buy a house and move, sell a house too. The "new" house is old and needs a lot of work before we can even move in. We have 3 weeks to get it done and to move in. The as soon as we do. My DH has his annual training and I head to RI. We come back 3 weeks later and I have my 40th birthday. I don't expect a party but maybe a day or two of hysteria and celebration. Then Mom and other family members come and we head to Va Beach for 4 days. I was going to have the party that weekend after the 4th of July.

My problem is I just don't think I am going to have the time to do it properly. The house won't be ready and I had big plans for this party. I would never dream of having it somwhere and we don't have anything like that in my little town even if I did.

So I am trying to decide if I should make the party a priority. She will have a party in RI either way.

 

[aunt kelly]

It sounds like you have a lot on your plate. I wouldn't add to your stress by trying to plan a party. I think your daughter will be happy with the party in Rhode Island, and may forget all about the party w/ her preschool friends. If she mentions it, I would just be honest and tell her that it is impossible to have a party at your house this year, but next year she will get to have all her preschool friends over.

 

[momrek06]

OP: So you have no Chuckie Cheese type place to have the party with the pre-school kids and time is crazy for you right now with that PLATE so full...

I would opt to switch things up this year and have the party in Rhode Island.

If DD is really disappointed about the pre-school kids not being at her party...is there another pre-school parent that would opt to let you have the party at her house, with you supplying EVERYTHING and staying later to CLEAN!!!!

My DS' bday is December 30th and other DS' is June 14th...same dilemma as my Dec baby gets everything the 25th and again the 30th and NOTHING for another whole year while other son gets all his winter toys at Christmas and all his summer toys in June....yes, tough on those DECEMBER births. (I should say or did, they are 23 and 20 now)!!!

I will say BOTH boys were NEVER in school for their bdays...Winter Break for one DS and Summer Break for the other DS. But I did have allllll their parties at restaurants from McD's to Papa Gino's to CC to bowling alley's!!!!

Good Luck with whatever you decide. Hey how about a Kids Party @ a local bowling alley...???

 

[kimmikayb]

Have does your dd feel? Is her heart set on it? If not, you have so much going on...forget it this year and do not feel guilty about doing so. If you decide to go ahead....do what I do when there isn't time to get the house ready, have it in the city park. Most cities/towns, even small towns have some sort of city park with a shelter. The kids love it!

 

[mommytotwo]

Would you be able to have a small party at her preschool or bring in some cupcakes and drinks to celebrate her birthday with her preschool friends?

 

[clh2]

Would you be able to have a small party at her preschool or bring in some cupcakes and drinks to celebrate her birthday with her preschool friends?

I think this is a great idea. Your DD will be able to feel really special! I agree with some of the other posters - YOUR HANDS ARE FULL! B-day parties can be very stressful, from people not RSVP'ing, to guests showing up with siblings, to preschool melt-downs. Not to mention the cleaning up after they are gone.

 

[golfgal]

I would skip the party too. She will have many more birthdays. By the time my kids were about 8 I was tired of having parties. I wish I would have waited until they were about 8 to START having parties. She will be fine and you will be a lot less stressed.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Would you be able to have a small party at her preschool or bring in some cupcakes and drinks to celebrate her birthday with her preschool friends?

I think that's a great idea, but the time to have done that would have been close to the actual birthday.

My DD has a Christmas Eve birthday and my youngest a 12/19 birthday, so we are constantly faced with this. We always celebrate close to the birthday. Sometimes the next month, though. This year my 6yo son had a January celebration.

If you brought something into preschool, how about having an Unbirthday Celebration?

 

[Christine]

I think that's a great idea, but the time to have done that would have been close to the actual birthday.

My DD has a Christmas Eve birthday and my youngest a 12/19 birthday, so we are constantly faced with this. We always celebrate close to the birthday. Sometimes the next month, though. This year my 6yo son had a January celebration.

If you brought something into preschool, how about having an Unbirthday Celebration?

I'm not one to think that EVERY year has to be a big blow-out, so take this with a grain of salt.

Honestly, I would just do a small party this year if you feel you have to. Send in some cupcakes to the preschool or have your other party in Rhode Island.

I have a December 30th birthday and my son's is December 21st. We tried the "June" stuff and, honestly, as he got older, he found his heart just was not in it to do it off his real birthday.

I would start planning your DD's birthdays about 2 weeks before the actual day. We have done this with MUCH success. I always have my son's parties before the school lets out for Christmas Break. The parents are usually quite happy to leave their kids with me for a few hours on a weekend day so they can go out and do some Christmas shopping.

 

[we3disneygo]

my only dd12's birthday is Dec.22 we have always had her party's around her birthday but it does stink sometimes because of the holidays. she was never interested in a summer party.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I would start planning your DD's birthdays about 2 weeks before the actual day. We have done this with MUCH success. I always have my son's parties before the school lets out for Christmas Break. The parents are usually quite happy to leave their kids with me for a few hours on a weekend day so they can go out and do some Christmas shopping.

She's not planning ahead for the next birthday, though, right? She's planning for the one that already happened 5 months ago. Unless I'm reading it wrong and she's a long range planner. I'm so not, so I assume that others aren't.

I think that I'd either lower my expectations and not worry about a party to end all parties. Or go with the Unbirthday Party cupcakes for preschool. Then maybe let her invite a friend or 2 for a special half birthday meal.

I also have a Dec birthday and I used to think about a half birthday celebration, but never had one. With my kids, they have always been allowed to have sleepevers and friends over, no matter what time of the year it was, so it just meant that they didn't get presents and cake. They aren't deprived in the toy department, so that's not an issue.

 

[SC Minnie]

Why not wait and have it in August or Sept? After Labor day the weather will be cooler and you can have the party mostly outside.

If you can't I wouldn't worry about it. Plan a family thing and then your DD can help you plan a big party next summer.

 

[Christine]

She's not planning ahead for the next birthday, though, right? She's planning for the one that already happened 5 months ago. Unless I'm reading it wrong and she's a long range planner. I'm so not, so I assume that others aren't.

No, you were reading it correctly and I know she's planning for the December birthday from 2005. I was just giving her some 'food for thought' in that it is really not so bad to celebrate your December birthday in December.

I fairly low-key about birthdays and with all that the OP has going on, I'd probably just keep it very low-key this year, celebrate a REAL party in December and keep it on the December track. But that's just me, I know.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

No, you were reading it correctly and I know she's planning for the December birthday from 2005. I was just giving her some 'food for thought' in that it is really not so bad to celebrate your December birthday in December.

I fairly low-key about birthdays and with all that the OP has going on, I'd probably just keep it very low-key this year, celebrate a REAL party in December and keep it on the December track. But that's just me, I know.

I agree about keeping the celebrations close to December. I did and my celebrations were very simple growing up and I didn't turn out so bad! OK, so maybe that's the reason I am the way I am! Let's go back to the big summer blow-outs... Sometimes parents (and I am speaking from personal experience, not making judgements on the OP by any means) get wrapped up in all the details and things end up bothering us a lot more than it does our kids. I am so famous for this and sometimes have to literally tell myself that things will be fine and my child won't hold the lack of hoopla against me.

 

[MouseWorshipin]

I'd have a party for her...it is her birthday! Of course she wants a party. It could be just a kid party. Musical chairs, pin the tail on the donkey, cake, and good-bye.

I realize that her "real" birthday is in December, but if you celebrate the half birthday, I think you should celebrate it, and not move it around, or tack it on to some other celebration. She should have a special day all about her.

...but that's just me.