Birthday Parties Gone Wild

   First of all, let me start off by saying that I love birthday parties.  I love planning them, I love reading about them, but when it comes down to it I really don't like hosting them.  It's just me, I guess.  I want them to be so perfect, for everyone to have fun and for my birthday girls to be happy each and every minute.  That's a huge undertaking for a Mom.  Anyway, I just finished reading this article about people spending $10,000 on a party for their child.  I don't mind spending money, in fact I rather enjoy it, but isn't that INSANE??!  I have seen a few episodes of the MTV show "My Super Sweet 16" and I wanted to vomit.  I did not like even one of those children.  So sad.  They were incredibly spoiled and treated their parents like trash.  

   Lately, I have found that many of my friends do not have birthday parties for their children every year.  Some celebrate every certain number of years and some just celebrate with their families.  This is sounding better and better to me.  I am pretty sure that we will still host birthday parties for our girls, but I am really going to try and tone things down.  You know, less people, less unnecessary "stuff".  Last year Katie really wanted to have a birthday party at our home with the big event being cookie decorating.  Well, we ended up going to Chuck E. Cheese where she was scared to death of the giant mouse.   She and her little friends did have fun, but they would have had just as much fun decorating cookies and just playing together.  Live and learn, huh?