Keeping Birthday's Simple but SPECIAL!
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- Опубліковано 12 жов 2023
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Join our FREE 5 Days to an Organized Christmas Workshop! cli.re/5-Days It's totally free and begins on Monday, Oct. 27th. We'll help you plan, budget, & scale back for the most peaceful and meaningful holiday yet! (The workshop is free, but you're invited to make a donation to the Casa Shalom Orphanage in Guatemala if you choose! THANK YOU!) Feel free to invite your friends and family, too! I hope you have a great weekend! - Dawn
I cannot get the link to work.. Will it become active on the 27th?
@@whitneywilliams6437 it should work now, but you can also try this link: www.theminimalmom.com/offers/A7DuBBqZ :)
@@TheMinimalMom Thank you, that worked! I love you and Frugal Fit Mom, so I can't wait to watch y'all work together!
I was wondering how would you ask family to kindly not buy you a gift without causing upset or offence?
I'm confused by the description. 🙃Does the workshop start on Thursday, October 27 or Monday, October 30?
My husband died earlier this year and it made me realize even more how much time together means. I told my brother and his family as well as my daughter and her husband no birthday or Christmas gifts for anyone this year. Instead I am taking all of us on a cruise doing things they normally would not do or spend money on. Swimming with dolphins, the exclusive reserved area on the private island, a ship tour for my brother and nephew. To me being and sharing that time will be memories for life.
I am so sorry for the loss of your husband. This is a wonderful way to enjoy time together and create memories as well as change the dynamics of the holidays.
I am so sorry about your husband. Great ideas. Thank you for sharing.
What a wonderful gift. Best wishes for your future. Your positive attitude will carry you through.
My sympathy to you on the loss of your beloved husband. What a wonderful idea to travel with the children and grandchildren! You will have a blast and your husband will be smiling down on you all ❤️💙❤️💙❤️
So sorry for your loss and what a wonderful way to honour his memory and create new family memories
Yes to thank you notes!! My oldest graduated from high school this year and she was not allowed to use any of the money/gift cards she received until she wrote all of her thank you notes. She found a car she wanted to buy but hadn’t written her thank you notes. I’ve never seen her move so quick to get something done 😂
Our mom always made our birthdays special. Birthdays were always celebrated at home. With 6 kids, and a tight budget, Mom would bake and decorate a special cake for the birthday kid (favorite colors, flavor, decorations.) We didn't get tons of presents, usually a some clothes (new, not hand-me-downs!), a fun toy, a book. $5 from my grandparents, and a magazine subscription (we got to choose!) from my other grandparents. The birthday kid got to cut the first slice of cake for themselves (the one with the most icing decorations) and we all wore shiny paper party hats. Those were good times!
My daughter turned 5 and we have some neighborhood kids that hang out all the time. They had her for a birthday party, but we didn't want to do anything big and crazy so we had her birthday cake outside with the kids, a balloon, and they played. I said no gifts, so it was stress-free for the parents, but my daughter felt super special! :)
Plus, she decorated her cake, so I didn't have to stress about it looking "perfect"! She was so proud.
Love this so much!
I have often been disappointed when grandchildren never acknowledge gifts that we have sent them. I applaud you for training your children to be thankful.
Me too! I spent most of my career working overseas and went to a significant expense and effort to send presents to all 10 nieces and nephews. Finally, I just stopped, because I was never really sure whether the gifts were received or appreciated. That's sad!
That’s not the children. That’s poor parenting. And it is sad.
@@joannecalcutt6724I think it's overstated to say it's poor parenting. It's absolutely good etiquette to send a thank you. And it's someone's right to stop sending gifts if they're not acknowledged. But the lack of a thank you could be the result of any number of things. We don't know what other people are experiencing. They could genuinely be grateful and think very fondly of the gift giver, yet never get around to sending a formal thank you.
@@MyFocusVaries That may be true in some cases, but I think in most cases it is lazinesss and the convenience of the internet/FB of saying thank you to everyone all at once and hope they see it. I just stopped sending money/gifts whenever I don't get a personal phone call or acknowledgement to say thank you.
@@ruthmanor70 Exactly!! It's not that hard or time consuming to write a thank you note. It's MORE time consuming to shop and buy a gift and then send it. My mom made us write thank you notes after birthdays and at Christmas. I hated it but now I see the value in it.
This year we told each of our kids that they could either have one trampoline birthday party with friends or we could get them both a trampoline membership for three months. They chose the membership, which ended up being much cheaper, and they still got to take a friend with them for free at the end of each month. So much better than one big party!
I have 6 kids. Not my own idea, but i borrowed this lovely birthday touch. Before my birthday child awakes, I decorate a special place setting at the table for them. I buy nothing for this. I rummage around and find ribbons to hang, tissue paper to tear into confetti, a pretty placemat or towel or fabric I have around, a platter or fancier dish on which to serve. My kids are generally not allowed to help themselves to food, and have a couple chores to do before breakfast. The magic of birthdayi is that they get to skip chore that morning, and have treats waiting for them on the birthday place setting. Maybe a yogurt parfait or hot cocoa with sprinkles or an arrangement of fruits...they never lnow what it might be. I don't purchase much or anything for this...just go collecting a small managerie of special things from the pantry and such...(don't we all usually have a stash of chocolate or a little something hidden away not for "everyday" eating?) I think the specialness of this is anticipation. They never know what it will look like. Just something to wake up to that says, "You're special ❤️. It's a special day."
When my kids were young I found the friend parties stressful too, so we gave them a friend party on odd years and a family party on even years. That way, I got a bit of a break!
I always stay up late the night before and decorate the house for their birthday. They wake up feeling so special ❤
I like the way Montessori celebrates birthdays, singing “the Earth goes around the sun” while the child holds “the Earth” and going in circles around a candle or something that represents the sun. Then they go year by year showing pictures of the child doing things, and talking about them and asking them questions like what could you do when you were 3? I’ve seen this with young children but I’m sure something like it with older would be special too.
Our son was a Christmas baby, 12/21. When he was small we would have an inside picnic on the floor in the living room with hot dogs, chips, etc. by the Christmas tree!
I do the same thing my parents did for me growing up.
My kids get to pick the dinner for their birthday and what kind of cake and we
bake and decorate it at home. My parents and my brother and his family come and the kids are allowed to invite one friend over for the evening.
My parents get them a new shirt and money. Brother's family get them something homemade because they're all crafty 😂. Depending on their wants and the cost, I get them 1-3 presents. I have a budget and they know it😂
I'm a single mom and my kids are 24, 15,and 12.
My grandsons wife writes the most sincere and beautiful thank you notes and I love it, definitely a lost art💕
My Grandson's wife's both write beautiful thank you notes, so glad they both married such thoughtful young ladies.
Dawn, too many people don’t know how to write thank you notes, glad you’re teaching your kids to do that.
On my children’s birthdays, I would go sit with them on their bed, first thing in the morning. I would share their birth story. From discovering I was pregnant to the moment I saw their beautiful faces. They loved hearing the crazy stories. And hearing how everyone was delighted with their arrival. We would laugh, and this mom sure did tear up! I was surprised the first year my son was at college, and he called me on his birthday in the morning. He wanted to hear his birth story is the age of 18.
For my oldest child’s birthday, (since about 3 years old) he always asked to go to a hotel with a pool, so that was always his gift. He always wanted to order a pizza to be delivered, and swim all evening. Then my youngest daughter decided when she was older, that she wanted the same thing. It’s was so much fun, and we got to spend quality time together.
Our family motto is “we are blessed to be a blessing” from Genesis 12. If we host a simple party for friends, we request donations for a ministry that helps single moms and their kids. So instead of bringing toys, they bring baby clothes, diapers, etc for the families served by the ministry. Then after the party, mg kids hand deliver them to the home for the ministry. To honor the kids, I make a simple iPhone video compiling pics and videos from their entire life, and each family member shares something they love or admire about the birthday boy.
We raised our kids on Long Island, talk about expectations! Sweet 16s were like weddings! I did not have the money, or personality for that, so I told her, she could have a backyard barbecue, or I would lease her a horse for a month and take her every day! Her best friend mom her that and said, you're allowed to do that?! Sign me up! So every day, I took the girls to the barn, and became I had to stay on the property, would sit under a huge oak tree and knit and pretend I wasn't there. It was magical, and she still rides today all these years later!❤
We chose ages 8 and 13 for bdays parties with friends. The rest have been with family only. At age 8: oldest had a bounce house and outerspace theme crafts and activities, the middle chose a horse riding event at a local farm, and the youngest turned 8 in 2020 so we delayed until 2021 and had a petting zoo, ponies and friends come to our home.
At age 13 we did an outing with friends and family. Oldest chose an indoor water park, middle did Revolutionary costumes and went to Mount Vernon, and we have yet to see what the youngest will choose.
I think it makes for more distinct memories when there are fewer, specific events to look back on. Definitely saves the stress on parents!!
I love how you mentioned thanking people for their gift. That happens so seldom now but it is still important.
We started doing dinner out and a fun activity of the child's choosing instead of gifts a few years ago. They love it. We've done movies, arcade, jelly ball, etc. Also my parents (starting at age 3), they take the birthday kid out for a meal of their choosing and then they give them a budget to go shopping with. Our kids are 17, 14 and 11 and my parents plan to do this until the kids don't want to!
As my kids have gotten older they just have one friend over and pick an activity. Going to the pool, a rec center, seeing a movie etc. We make a homemade dessert and they choose dinner. Easy peasy.
My grandson is the type who doesn't care much about presents. A few years ago, she threw an Animal Shelter birthday for him. The kids brought pet food, dishes, towels, blankets, chew toys, etc. Great idea. 😊
My parents, who don't like to shop and know our son has everything he wants, would pay for a party at one of the local "fun houses" (Jump Sky High, The Jungle, etc.) as his gift. It was a fun day, and always fell near a teacher in-service day, so kids had a day off school. We would invite the whole class, specify no gifts, and the whole thing was big, inclusive, and lots of fun. Parents were also excited to have an activity for that day off! Then we'd have a special dinner and cake with our family friends that was more intimate.
Yes! Thank you notes are important. Gratitude is even more important! Adults need to be reminded of this, too.
We have 5 kids, all young adults/adults now. We have always decorated the house for their birthdays (still do for those still living at home).
We have a special pancake breakfast and they choose the dinner I'll cook for them and the type of cake.
I think it's super important to celebrate the kids on their birthdays. They've bought me a lifetime of joy. ❤
I was raised to write thank you notes. So sad to see that it no longer seems important. Wedding presents, baby shower presents, it doesn't matter, even when the guests fill out the envelope as they come in to the party, the note doesn't get written and sent. Thank you for raising your children with this form of gratitude. It means SO much to others.
I agree with you completely Dawn. People get stupid buying presents for birthdays and Christmas. I like to have big family dinners for these occasions with good food, lots of desserts and games everyone can play. Good times. Love your channel ❤️
When I was a child, my mom made “Money Cake”. She would hide coins (boiled to sanitize them first!) in the cake before she frosted it. A couple of pennies, nickels & dimes and ONE QUARTER.
We were thrilled to invite our friends for a simple backyard or kitchen birthday cake party knowing birthdays were Money Cakes, our childhood friends thought we were rich … 😉 for less than a dollar. And, for those helicopter parents worried a child will choke on a coin or break a tooth 🙄 - nope, every bite was inspected by us before going in our mouth because we wanted that oh-so exciting single quarter 🥳
Simple pleasures.
For Christmas we kept it strictly for the kids - no adults received gifts. The kids got 3 gifts from us - 1 for the mind (a book or something educational) 2 for the body (some piece of clothing or accessory), and 3 for the soul/spirit (something that reflected their personality). We explained that it was Jesus' birthday and when He was born he only got 3 gifts. It really helped on the years when the budget was tight.
Funny story... A friend of mine had to come down hard on her pre-teen for misbehavior so she took away the privilege of going to her friend's bday party. The "host" of the party called her, incensed, "how dare she ruin her child's party" by not letting said pre-teen to attend. My friend's response is priceless and I have never forgotten it, now 20 years later. "I'm sorry my parenting got in the way of your party-planning." 🤣😆 She was such a great inspiration for me...
My family is spread out in different states. So at Christmastime my kids buy presents for their children (my grandchildren) for me. Every one gets exactly what they wanted... the right size, the right color, etc. and I buy for me from them. On Christmas we show each other what they bought. No stress, no shipping costs, no returns and no disappointment.
It's fun and funny on the Zoom calls. :)
We all live in the same county & my daughter and daughter in law do the buying for me too! When they see something the kids want from Halloween to Christmas they pick it up & I wrap it. Works great for us all
The moms of younger kids in our church will often do a fb invite or hand out invites to a "party" requesting no gifts but that of friendships, have a simple cake or cupcakes, a couple balloons, and play in sprinklers, homemade water slides, or play in dirt patches in the yard. Sometimes if there's a particular interests that the child wants included a small activity is done, but nothing major.
No kids yet, but my husband and I have a formula for each other’s birthdays. Choice of restaurant for dinner, choice of birthday dessert, and doing something fun together 😊
One year for my son’s friends party we asked people to bring items to donate to the animal shelter. Then I took my kids to the animal shelter to drop off the donations and play with the cats and dogs. It was a lot of fun!
I live in australia and have 2 girls, 13 and 8.
We do a nice dinner with cake and in the morning the dining table has their gifts on it with streamers and stuff.
We do a party with a limit of $300 or they can choose to take $200 instead. So far we have done home parties only and usually do craft like potted planting, necklace making or even a water gun party. No party bags, just take home your craft or water gun.
I send txt thank you's afterwards.
Many kids are confused by the no lolly bags and will ask for one at the end. After a party full of sugar thats the last thing they need!😂
Its nice that you are teaching your kids the art of the Thank You note. My parents didn't teach me that, and then later in life, my Dad dated someone who would send me gifts but also, took offense if you didn't send this note. Thankfully I learned it before I got married, lol...
At the end of the day, you don't know what you don't know. He'll be much better situated to avoid offending people this way.
We always let our kids decide what kind of party they want and we have a few options. The option that almost always gets picked is to have one friend over for a sleepover. It's by far the cheapest option and it's the one they like best.
We only have a 2yr old but I am already feeling the stress of birthdays and so thankful for this video to give me more perspective into the years to come especially how to instill gratitude.
So far we purchased a wooden cake stand to use for every birthday and also I found a really simple tablecloth at Target that I purchased 2x incase something happens. But I am calling it the celebration tablecloth. Next year I hope to finally paint a birthday cake plate.
My youngest son turns 36 on the 19th, and I am giving him a handmade gift - 3 scrapbooks covering birth to high school graduation (plus the death of his brother right before his 18th birthday). He knows he's getting these books that I've been working on for several years, but he hasn't seen them put together. My husband, son, and I then celebrate by going out to a restaurant for dinner. I did do the friends' parties when the boys were little, but I really enjoy this time, just the 3 of us. Life just goes by so quickly that sitting down and talking means so much. We do this for all the birthdays in the family. Your family has really grown up during the time I've been watching your videos.😊
Love that you have your kids write thank you notes! They are also learning about how to mail letters. In our electronic age it is still important to know how to mail letters.
My daughter-in-law is the best "thank you for the gift" card giver ever! And, she taught our grandsons to write their own thank you cards, too! I have saved everyone, especially when the grandboys were littles and were learning how to write. Thank you cards are a lost art. I treasure mine as I'm sure other do, too. Gage is so adorable and so sweet as are all your other children.💗
I love the idea of thank you's. My sister in law did such a great job and we saved all of the thank you cards over the years from her kids, which included how they spent the cash we sent. From toys and Batman capes to books and makeup & tech, the cards told the story. On their 18th birthday, when we stop presents for kids, I made a collage of all the thank you cards over the years and gave it to them. They laughed (and we cried a bit) at all the growing up they did, and how fast the years went. Loved this video, and emphasizing that gifts are a part, not the whole, story of family love.
What a fabulous thing you did!
Our neighbor was 80 years old on the day my sister and I were born. We used to celebrate with him! It was great! It was a small gathering because that's our speed and because our birthday was on a long-holiday weekend, so people we might have invited were typically out of town. It all worked out.
I find birthday parties are so over the top now. In years past I felt the pressure because everyone else was doing these expensive birthday parties for their kids with 15 friends at a venue that costs $200. I decided that’s not for me and my family and I’m keeping it simple. I grew up with cake and ice cream, a few friends to play with and presents, and it always felt special! 🎉
We have three boys right now. I've decided that we will "alternate" birthday parties with friends each year. I always celebrate a first birthday because getting through that first year is really special! Whoever's year it is to have a friend birthday can invite which friends they want and choose a theme. The party is their gift. The other boys' whose "off year" it is gets a special celebration day with family. They get to choose dinner (or eat out) and get a couple of gifts (something they want and something we want for them). We focus more on gifts for birthdays and not so much on Christmas. Each year is different, but I always try to keep things simple!
I remember when I got a little older, we would put on my birthday party invitations No Gifts. The intention was to have cake and ice cream and play some games with family and friends. I had a much better experience when we started doing that. Later on, I would just pick a friend or two we would take out to eat with us. Spending my Birthday with them was the treat.
We try to keep birthdays simple but meaningful as well. Our kids get to pick out all the meals, and cake/dessert. For school, we donate books to the classroom instead of bday treats. And we take them out of school to spend the day with them. We go through their baby book, which they love.
I did have a friend recently ask everyone bring a book to the bday party for an exchange instead of oodles of gifts being left at the house and no goodie bags to be made. Win. Win I say.
I love the $5 idea because it cuts down on clutter, removes any unwanted gifts that your child may want, and is reasonable cost for a gift. Toys are outrageous at the stores now! My little guy has Autism and we find lots of ways to make him feel special on his Birthday. First, we countdown the days to his birthday on a dry erase board so he gets to change the day up everyday. Then, he always gets a special dessert that he chooses ahead of time which is usually not cake. One year we all ate pull and peel cherry Twizzlers and he was so happy! Last, if we have it in our budget we do something special like a day at the zoo -- we live where it is warm, Polar Express was super fun and on his birthday which he loved. He gets 2 special presents from us -- a nice one and an inexpensive one and then family and friends give him gifts. We once had a huge pizza party for him at a restaurant but found that was overwhelming for him. So I think you are right think about the specific child and what would be special for them!
The balloon fairy comes to visit my children on their birthday! Each birthday morning they wake up to their bedroom floor covered in balloons.
I find the “layers” of the birthday cake really loving and caring of each person’s special day. You are such a thoughtful parent to your children and family. Greetings to your mom as well . 🥳
I was thinking to tell you what a great blessing you have been in my life. Thank you, God brought you to me in a time of great pain and loss. What a blessing your family is to me! I just finished making your pumpkin bundt cake for a gathering. I make your cake every fall now, in celebration of you & your family! And in celebration of your birthday! We love you! We watch Rusty Judgment as well! And love it !Thank You for caring & sharing! Again thank You!
And Diana 's Birthday as well! You are all loved well!
Growing up, it was always a family thing (usually a cake after dinner type of thing). When my kids were little, we'd let them choose what to have for dinner, a cake or pie for dessert. Again, always a family thing. I did notice, when they were younger is when the huge, expensive, themed children's birthday parties started becoming a thing. I never understood spending a car payment or a house payment on a party trying to outdo other parties. Hopefully that will become a thing of the past.
I think it is worse. I like Dawn's approach. The fiver party is genius.
We do themes parties, but very low key! There is also a middle ground. It's just sad that you can't put balloons up anymore because everything gets broken in matter of minutes even if the parents are there. 😢 It would be so easy and cheap to decorate with balloons, but now we do even less decorations...
This year for my daughters 8th birthday we offered her a “yes day” in a city about an hour away from our hometown. Her dad and I are divorced and she asked for a day with mom & dad and she picked where we were eating for breakfast lunch and ice cream, one big activity (she chose an indoor trampoline park) then we stopped at a few of her favorite consignment stores (each of us gave her a limit as our gifts to her) and we went to a few of her favorite outdoor parks. It was a special day for sure!
Another thing in terms of gifts from people who really want to give something is we ask for experience gifts, my mom is great at gifting passes to a local zoo or children’s museums and lately “spa days with grandma” has been a favorite gift of my daughters. They go get manicures and pedicures together
Our kids are now 15-22, but we also found friend birthday parties to be stressful and accumulated unnecessary "stuff" and can overwhelm the calendar when you have lots of kids. So we always got our children one small gift, and it became a family day where the birthday kid got to pick all the meals for the day and it could be anything they wanted. Then because the meals were "special", all the kids, even in high school and sometimes even college if they were close, would make an even bigger effort to make family meal a priority even around sports practices and work and things. For the more outgoing/social of our kids who wanted it, we would let them have "unbirthday" parties where they could have all their friends over for a fun night of games and snacks and a bonfire, but since it wasn't near their birthday, there was no expectation of gift-giving and the kids had just as much fun having their friends over.
It does get better to do friends' birthday parties as they get older. My girls (17 and 15) have friends round to hang out, use our pool (we have an above ground one like yours), eat pizza and then, a firepit as the sun goes down. They have lots of musical friends so they sat in the glow of the fire and sang.
I love your tradition of the birthday person making and decorating their own cake!
My son works in IT and It has always been that company's tradition that the birthday person brings treats for everyone else.
We always stay up later the night before and decorate for whoever’s birthday it is. The kids will tape up a ton of balloons and put streamers everywhere. Special breakfast. I ask what kind of cake or dessert they want me to make. They get to go in store in pick out the ice cream they want. Usually one big gift and a couple of little ones. They will usually make each other cards. I fill up one confetti balloon and put the amount of money that matches their age. For dinner it’s either what they want me or my husband to make or go out to eat. We keep it simple and just have my parents come over.
When our kids were small, I stressed myself out, planning the perfect parties with games, prizes, goodie bags for guests, decor… The older they got, I realized they just wanted to hang out with their friends. Whew! So much easier to just plan a simple lunch, ending with the birthday cake. 😊❤️
I like to sit down with my boys on their birthday to look at their photo albums and scrapbooks. Seeing the photos of them as they grow and the reminders of the fun things we’ve done together is an amazing tradition.
What a lovely tradition! 🥰
Dawn, your channel lowers my blood pressure, lol. Love being invited into your cozy home and lovely family. Many times, my husband and I will leave your channel on to go to sleep (no offense! lol). I have used many, many of your organizing and minimalist ideas/methods. Thanks for putting the work in that you do, to provide your followers with a breath of fresh air and great tips. Sounds like you have a wonderful mother and you have taken after her. Thanks again and Happy Birthday, Gage!
I am working on simplifying parties, I unintentionally set the bar high 😅 but the last couple years, we have told our older 2 kids (7 and 9) they can get gifts from mom and dad, or have a birthday party. They have both chosen birthday party. So that is my gift to them. The planning, execution and money spent so they can have fun with some friends. (We do also have cake with family) And they get more than enough wrapped presents from family and friends. This year our 4 year old wanted a dinosaur theme and there is a park near by with robotic dinosaurs so we took him and his siblings and cousin to that, and it was the funnest “gift”. We also let them choose what we have for dinner that.
I agree with you on the thank you notes. I have always told my nieces and nephews that if I can take the time to write a check, they can take the time to write a thank you note. My family is trying more and more to give experiences rather than things, because we all have too much. When I was a kid, we only got gifts from our parents. Now kids get gifts from aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, friends of your parents, etc. It’s overwhelming.
My go to gifts are mostly chocolate boxes, wine or watercolor art i make (like bookmarks or a handmade card) lol people enjoy them and they don't clutter up their spaces ❤❤🎉🎉😊😊
100% agree on kids birthday parties with friends. I’ve done it few times and each time I swear I will not do it again.
Bless you for sending thank you notes! It's a lovely thing to do, and people who have mailed things will then know their gift arrived. It's classy and distinctive, and if your kids continue the practice into adulthood, they'll stand out in the best way. Think about writing a sincere and specific thank you note after a job interview. They will really stand out! I remember receiving one thank you from my nephew, who wrote. "Thank you for the birthday check. Dad will cash it as soon as I mail this note." He was about 10 or 12, and I was living far away. Please encourage your kids to continue with their thank you notes. They're easy to write if you do it soon after the event and really make a positive impression.
My mother also had me write thank you notes when I was growing up. Now, as an adult, I actually enjoy writing notes to people! ❤
@@Ago2904Bravo! This sets you apart and makes such a great impression. I remember my dad standing at the base of the staircase, yelling up to my brother "Did you send the Kiley's a thank you note?" If not, he had my brother come downstairs and write the note on the spot. Seemed tiresome when we were growing up, but I'm so happy we have this skill now.
I have always put birthday decorations up for my Daughter’s on their birthdays - mainly consisting of bunting and door wreaths I made years ago that get pulled out every year. Birthday celebrations were a choice that came out of their birthday budget. They always have a cake and the few gifts that they receive from us are usually consumables or experiences- always wrapped beautifully because that’s what my mum did for me. I can’t remember the present but that she always took the time to make sure they were wrapped and looked special. And I always prioritised getting it all done and ready before their birthday - nothing screams more loudly that you don’t care is a card or gift that is given late xx
I love the idea of the "Fiver Party." I'm going to pass that along.
This is a great video, Dawn! I love the idea of a Fiver Party. Genius!
I hated being the sixth person to like this comment because it was so perfect to have five likes for a fiver party! Love this idea!
Thank you notes for the win! My parents always stressed the importance of them, and I am so glad they did. It's just good manners.
When my boys graduated, they couldn't spend ANY of the money until ALL the thank you notes were sent.
What a great idea. I'm definitely going to keep this in the thought bank for when my kids graduate.
And please have them do the envelopes as well. It kind of gets me when I can tell the envelopes were addressed by mom. Come on... You're 18!!
I have always made them a special dinner, anything they wanted with a small gift. They no longer live with us but the still look forward to the family getting together and choosing their special meal. Only difference is we plan the day since they now work.
I agree with you! Family parties over friend parties! Family is forever
Every year, right before my kids' birthday party we have with family, I update their scrapbook. Each kid has their own simple scrapbook and I make this my annual time to update it with their special moments from the past year. I leave this out at the party so guests can look back from their birth to now. Dawn, I love how intentional you are about making your kids' birthdays special. I share a lot of your thoughts and I am trying to establish good traditions while my kids are young. Though my kids are too young to write, I'm adding thank you notes they can help with to my birthday checklist. Thank you!
I love this! I've been wanting to create a "birthday book" for each of my boys, starting with the pregnancy, birth, and then adding each birthday celebration (however big or small)... then giving it to them when they turn 18 :)
I was the manager of the football team my senior year. They tried to sing me Happy Birthday at the banquet and I had gone to pee 😂
I'll remember that Birthday.
Now as an adult, my kids and I celebrate all the birthdays with 4 generations 🎉
We tried a Fiver party this year for my 4 year old and I love the idea! I also like the focus on love languages too!
Happy birthday Gage🥳🧁🎂🍨🎊💙
Every year for our twins' b-day my husband and I prepare them a treasure hunt consisting of various tasks they have to do in order to find the presents. The tasks have gotten more and more complex with each year. We find so many ideas online and adapt them, for example, doing crosswords, putting together a puzzle and flipping it so that you can read your next clue on the reverse side, encrypting clues with all sorts of codes, using a mirror to read a clue etc. Our kids spend almost an hour doing the treasure hunt tasks, and it brings them probably just as much fun as getting the presents :-)) We, the parents, have loads of fun creating the treasure hunts too!
Your mom seems like such a special person ❤
I decorate the bedroom door with streamers - so they burst thru into a new year! Love love the idea of “celebrating” & making memories 🎉 I’ve done the fiver & it’s a good way too!! And gratitude is so very important!! ♥️♥️ sometimes my daughter wants to have a giver party …. Collecting food pantry items or shelter items or items for the animal shelter.
I really like these ideas! Birthdays, specifically parties and gifts, really stress me out. We did the party thing for our first kid but then when our second came along, we decided to go somewhere fun (trampoline park has been a favorite for us) and just invite the grandparents. We do a cake and then they still have gifts from the grandparents to open, but the special place we go is our gift to them. So far, our kids have loved it!
We have only done a friend's party every couple years for our kids and then have asked for donations for a charity. Our kids are blessed with gifts from family. Last year our son took the donations, picked out lego sets (he had a lego theme party) and went with me to Donate them to our local children's hospital. It was a special memory!
Happy belated birthday to Gage. He sure is special! I love watching him grow and that winning smile. 🎉❤
My daughter and son-in-law celebrate their birthdays at church with a potluck lunch. I usually go to a restaurant. But my best gift, 5 years ago, was when my son-in-law proposed to my daughter and she said yes! How often does a daughter get to give her mother a son-in-law as a birthday present? He is truly the gift that keeps on giving and I thank her for him all the time.
Happy Birthday (a little later), Gage!
The “Fiver Party” is genius!!
I’m so glad you don’t enjoy organising kids parties! Omg I feel the same way. I let my children tell me what they want, if they say party, I suggest pick all the friends that fit in a car & we go do fun stuff. Happy Birthday Gage 🥰🥳🥳🥳🥳
I work with a gal who does something I love for her kids birthdays. She gives them the option to choose between one large gift, a birthday party with friends, or a “yes day” with just mom and dad. I thought it was so cool! It keeps expectations even and doesn’t blow their birthday budget by trying to do it all. But it also lends way for the kids to change up depending on what they want every year, or just depending on their personalities and what they would like.
My mom gave my sister and I the choice of a party or an experience with 1 friend. More often than not, we choose the experience.
My youngest turned 17 this past week! Our traditions are VERY similar to yours. Choose your dinner and cake (which is now one of your bundt cakes), simple decorations that they wake up to (and I write a poem on a chalkboard each year) and a few gifts. This year her gift from us is a trip to TN in a couple weeks. We also prioritize thank you notes, too.
We go get ice cream sundaes at a local ice cream shop for each birthday. Our son (33 yo) was killed in an accident 8 years ago and our daughter (37 yo), who is Down Syndrome, always wants to get ice cream on his birthday, so we do. It has been a nice tradition for all of us. No matter whose birthday, we talk about memories while we eat our sundaes.
My children are grown ..but my 2 youngest went to School together and their friends either all got together and bought them something , they new they really wanted ..or they all got together and gave them a voucher ..but one from all of them ..
For me personally..my friends no I don’t like gifts .. but I always appreciate, a bag of multi purpose compost , a tub of treats for my pony or a refill for my moisturiser..
Love your ideas so good they are adaptable. Thank you notes are a must; gratitude is important. We celebrate as a family always have as we have enough kids to make it fun. We usually do a family dinner at home. We adapted cash gifts or gift cards 3 years ago because there was a lack of interest with toys after a week or so and as kids got older their interest changed and it just became donations.
We have a few special traditions around birthdays. I made a birthday pillowcase and "happy birthday" banner that we pull out a week or so before. Then we have special family activities that we do each year for our kids' birthdays. They also get to pick the meals for the day and their birthday cake and ice cream.
We do a friend's birthday party when they turn 5 and 10 (it will be up to them if they want a party for 15 or 16). They help with the planning and inviting and decision making. It gives them something to look forward to, but I don't have a crazy birthday every year ☺️
Yes...I have done the no spend money until thank you note was written...especially for graduation...my youngest would have fought me like crazy to write them but since he could not have the money/gifts until he did it we sat down in one afternoon and got all of them done😉
We had a birthday party for my son this year, his first one!
At the bottom of the invitation, i wrote "gifts not necessary, just come have fun!" Only 2 out of 12 kids brought something, my son didnt seem to notice, and it was a great day!
We do party’s with family too. My middle son is turning 18 and I tried to get him to invite friends but he just wants a family birthday because he likes that tradition. 💕
I just joined the Organized Christmas Workshop! Thank you for all you do!