Birthday Parties For All Ages

The first half of the year is a very busy time for birthdays in our household as all of my children's range from January to July, interspersed with various adult relatives' as well.

The birthday roll-call starts with DS1 on 29th January (trying not to forget DH's nephew's on 27th!), closely followed by DS3 on 23rd February (again, trying to remember DH's sister on 18th, and now my lovely new sil on 15th!). Then there is a bit of a gap until DD's on 21st April but we still have my brother's birthday to celebrate on 18th March! Since my friendship with madmumof7, we have also discovered that her DS5 was born on 24th February (read about her DS here) and DD2 is on the same day as my DD so we have had a few joint birthday celebrations over the years!
After my other brother's birthday on 25th April, we then have a couple of month's breather until DS2's on 21st July (but I must not forget DH's neice's on 8th July!)

Although my parents have never been ones to make a fuss over birthdays as we became adults, I am still very much a firm believer in making a huge fuss of said person and don't understand people who don't do anything to celebrate. We had our tea parties when we were very young, homemade cake and everything, but I remember one year when I was about 13 actually wrapping up some beauty items I had bought at the local pharmacy for myself the day before my birthday and putting them next to my bed ready to open the following morning! Well, at least I got presents I wanted!
Since then, I have always planned my own birthday celebrations, doing something that makes me happy, which invariably involves lots of friends, dancing and laughter, and, later in life, a tipple or two!

Getting raucous at DS1's 11th birthday party

When DS1 was approaching his first birthday, I got very excited being able to plan a party for my baby. Yes, I know he was only one and had no idea what was going on, but it meant I could invite my friends and have an excuse to eat party food and cake! I bought boy-themed plates, cups, banner and napkins, squashed all my friends into our tiny living room and dining room and made them all sing happy birthday to my bewildered boy. They were generous in their present giving and many of the toys and books given lasted for all of my children. (When I had to finally part with some of the baby toys, I had a sentimental moment remembering who had given them and was quite sad to let them go.)
DS2 and 3 got the same treatment when they turned 1 and then 2. Having a July baby with DS2 was lovely as we could host a big bbq in the garden, inviting family and everyone we knew, and spent a lovely day chilling with a glass of wine or beer whilst the kids hurtled about in the garden. I bought a small bouncy castle for DS2's second birthday and had a mini climbing frame with tunnel already (DS2 was an active child!) and a playhouse filled with toys, so they had a whale of a time.
In their early years I had no need to invite children from nursery or school as all my friends were having kids so we had a good enough parent-to-child ratio, but when DS1 started being invited to parties himself I realised I would have to return the favour.
Parties at the local Kid Zone was the popular choice at that time, an all-in price including tea (with a choice of hot or cold food), invitations, drinks and an hour for the kids to enjoy the soft play, bouncy areas, tunnels, climbing and slides. All we had to provide was a cake and party bags. I like to think that I provided quality party bags in the early days before my enthusiasm waned - I thought carefully about the children attending and selected age appropriate, quality gifts. I used an on-line website for most of the selection and each party bag was different according to child and gender - I wanted the kids to be really pleased with what they got! So DS1 and 2 got a few Kid Zone parties before the noise and worry of injury got the better of me and we turned to other options.

DS3 having fun at his joint
bowling party for his
7th birthday

Bowling parties became popular and a real favourite with DS3 and, although all my boys could swim and attended a few swimming parties, the thought of being responsible for other people's children in water made me too nervous so I never hosted one!
We had a few simple tea parties where, instead of inviting the whole class, they chose 4 or 5 of their best friends and we did party games (pass-the-parcel, musical statues/bumps, pin-the-tail etc) or they were just happy hanging out.

DD enjoying a small joint tea party with madmumof7's DD2

One disastrous year, DS2 whose birthday fell in July, had invited all the boys in his class and we had planned football and running races outside, only for typical English weather to do what it does best and rain us out! 8 boys plus my 3, all trapped indoors, getting loud and running round madly was not my idea of fun! Never again.
Some years we have managed to "get away" with hosting a party - last year DS3's birthday fell in half term so we got together with madmumof7 and celebrated his and her DS4's birthday by watching the Lego movie and enjoying a Chinese buffet afterwards. And most years we stick to family celebrations only for DS2 as his birthday falls in the summer holidays.

Relatively calm after watching the movie!

However, in the last couple of years now the boys are older, we have stumbled onto a couple of the easiest and cheapest parties ever. When DS1 was 11 he requested a movie party where we simply bought a DVD movie of choice, laid on some popcorn (done in the microwave) and fizzy drinks, and after the movie fed them all pizza (bought from the local supermarket). Party bags consisted of a £1 box of maltesers each (an idea stolen from another mum) and job done! We repeated this twice for DS3 and DS2 has requested it for this year. As long as the movie is chosen well (action and explosions always good for boys), they will sit quietly for an hour and a half to two, quick feed and you're done - result!
Now that my eldest are in secondary school, they seem to have a smaller group of good friends anyway, so when DS1 asked if he could have a sleepover for his birthday and was only inviting two boys, I was more than happy. They enjoyed an afternoon of gaming, pizza for tea (we splashed out on takeaway this time!) and, although they didn't get much sleep, I didn't hear a peep out of them. And, of course, they are too old for party bags so that was one less job!
I would happily do that type of party as it meant very little work for me and they had a great time, which is the most important.

A day out with just the family for DS3's 8th birthday

Over the year's my children have been lucky to be invited on a huge range of parties, but some must have been ridiculously expensive. As well as those already mentioned, there have been Quaser laser parties, pizza making, a party on a farm complete with horse rides, all normally with the whole class invited. Lovely, but we just couldn't afford to do that four times a year! I remember thinking when they were little, what happened to the simple tea parties we had when we were that age? There's no rule saying you have to invite everyone, wouldn't the children prefer to celebrate with their actual friends in their own house rather than having to host it elsewhere just so everyone gets included?

We managed to do a few big parties in the past, but now they're getting older I think I will just keep it small and simple!

The only time the whole class was invited,
another joint birthday party with madmumof7's DD2

The two birthday princesses!