Let the Holidays Begin

Ahhh, yes.....my favorite time of year....the beginning of the holiday season when all that money you saved all spring and summer is spent in the blink of an eye. 

At least for me, it's gone before I can blink twice.

My twins birthday is next week. I will be baking a football themed cake for them as they requested, and I'm also in charge of purchasing the ice cream.  Small amount to pay considering their father has decided to have their party at one of those fancy kid places with all the lights and buzzers to boot. Will cost him a good $100-$150 for the whole experience. 

I think he's foolish.

I've shared my thoughts with him.

We could simply throw an elaborate kid's themed party at his house, food, snacks, cake and ice cream for about 60% less than what he's forking over to those folks at the party place.  I remember one year, it was just me and the kids. I had a small part-time job that paid a decent wage and I went to the dollar store and picked up some random toys for prizes, a pin the tail on the donkey game, and we played a balloon game where I hid a dime in one of the balloons and they all had to pick a few colors and sit on them. If they got the dime, they won the grand prize.

I was so poor, and couldn't afford a luxurious party place party, so that's what my kids were stuck with. I listened to them moan and whine about how they wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese. Past birthdays were visited by Spiderman, Cinderella for my daughter and other fancy venues. I just couldn't afford it.  And I figured they would have to learn a lesson about money.

The day of the party came. My house was spotless. We played Halloween music in the background and I served those Totino's pizzas that I got at the store, I bought six of them for a buck each(those suckers are tasty) and some chips and soda as well.

At the end of the night, before we went to bed, my boys told me "Mom, that was the BEST party ever!" You don't know how happy that made me to hear them say that. I almost cried.

I did the same thing for my daughter's birthday the following month. She too said it was the best party ever.

So to all those parents out there who fork over their life's savings to get Bonzo the Bear or Elmo or rent a whole toy store to appease their children on their special day, I say  you are NUTS. A simple party, at home, is just as good as those fancy shmancy parties you spend your kid's college tuition on. And the memories are just as good if not better. Because your kids aren't lost in a sea of children, you have more interaction with them and it just seems to me, in my opinion anyway, that it's so much more personal.

I've seen women compete over who had the best birthday party venue. I think some parents live vicariously through their children, trying to out do the last party they attended with their kids to show the other soccer moms, "Look at me! Look at me! I'm the greatest mother in the world!"  Maybe not the smartest mom, because what you spent on that party, I spent on my kid's party, two trips to the mall with my daughter, a trip to the zoo and a night at the movies with my kids.

So go ahead and shout to the rooftops and spend your hard-earned money...

I still have the change from my last party in my piggy bank.

After my boys' birthday rolls around, no sooner does the dust settle then my daughter's rolls around.  More money spent to make a cake, bring the ice cream and listen to their dad let us know the next expensive venue on the list. It's his money, I'm not about to part with my hard-earned cash for an expensive venue, when a nice home kid's themed venue is within arm's reach at home. Sure I'll bring the cake and the ice cream and hell I'll even throw in the paper plates and napkins too.

Fast forward through to the end of November and now you have Thanksgiving. This year won't be so bad as the kids are with dad for the remaining holidays. I get them next year. I still may make a Turkey for the holiday, just not on Thanksgiving. We won't get to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, or name the turkey(Dexter was the last named Turkey when my middle men were here), or play football in the street together post feast. Still it won't be as expensive as last year.

Next is Christmas.

I've already started shopping around for gifts. I want to have it all done by next month. I am going to start picking up little random things here and there and although the tree may not be packed with gifts, at least there will be SOME gifts under there.

Their dad picks up the slack with his $100,000 a year job he has and all the fancy electronics he buys them at his house. All the name brand clothes, and scooters and BMX bikes and Barbie bikes....I know one day my kids will realize that it wasn't the gifts that made the holidays but the fact we were all together for them.

It's getting late here. I have a shower to take and need to wake the children for another day of school for them and work for me.

Have a wonderful Thursday. I'll be back on the weekend.

Later Folks!