Birthday Parties

Every kid dreams of this huge birthday bash! They picture endless amounts of money to support all their fantasies, and with the entire school coming, and possibly even a few famous people. Sounds a little like “My Super Sweet 16” right? I never had a party like this, and to be honest, I am happy I didn’t. I had something better. I had homemade birthday parties!
It’s safe to say that my birthday parties were always a huge hit! We usually hosted them at my home and they always included some of my favorite highlights of every year. Since I had my parties, for the most part, at home, I was able to invite all of my friends who I was comfortable inviting. I always had a huge handful of people there! My mom always had me write “please no gifts” on my invitations because she didn’t want people to feel obligated to bring presents. Amazing woman I know! At the time I hated it, but looking back, it was wonderful of her. Well, fortunately for me, people brought presents regardless.
The anticipation of waiting for my guests to arrive was always killer to me! But it was well worth it. My dad was the king of birthday parties. Everyone knew they could depend on him for the best treasure hunts worldwide. He would always create these elaborate treasure hunts that took us all around the yard, the house, and even sometimes the neighborhood. It meant the world to me and everyone loved it. At the end there would always be a fun treasure of candy or something similar for us to split up.
We’d play music freeze, musical chairs, balloon volleyball, and any other game our heart desired.
Little Caesars provided my favorite pizza for all the parties, and my mother my homemade birthday cake. My favorite ever was, and continues to be, her homemade Oreo ice cream cake. It is fabulous and everyone who hasn’t had any in their life is definitely missing out! I can promise you that!
The only sad thing about my birthday parties is they flew by way too fast. I was always sad to see them end and to see my party diminish friend by friend as their parents came to pick them up. Lucky for me, my absolute best friends lived next door. So I was usually able to extend the party to an overnight one! Sleepovers were the best with these girls Meagan and Eileen, and we had unbelievable fun!
I’m grateful for a family that did birthday parties this way to teach me how to not be spoiled, and to teach me that a celebration is truly about the people involved and what you are celebrating. In reality, it’s not about the presents you get or don’t get, the money spent, or anything like that. It’s all about good people and good friends having the best of times. My birthday parties were unforgettable.