Preface to Anatomy of a Birthday Party

It's February. My baby's birthday is in September. So why do I get party fever this early? Almost 3 seasons ahead of time? Because I'm an enigma. And also because, this, my friends, is how we roll. Birthdays are a big freakin' deal to me. Especially Homey's! Because I was there. For, like, all of it. It was a long day...and from now on that day will be celebrated like none other.

And my preference is to have spectacular birthday parties in our own yard (or somebody's yard that I know!) rather than paying someone else to provide the venue, entertainment and food. Again...just how I roll. I'm a glutton for punishment, and I love every bit of the creative process. To me, a birthday party should allow the honoree and the guests to spend a couple of hours in a whole other world, eat good food, and go home with things to remind them of their visit to the magical land from the party.

So rule #1 to my approach is to START EARLY. I got online today and started looking through various party ideas...ooh, let me stop here. Again, this is not for everyone, but to me, creating a magical world for an afternoon is a little different than having plates, cups, and napkins (or the Party in a Box) plastered with a character. That's just me though...I like to make my life difficult. It's part of who I am:

Me: "What's the easiest way to do Task A?"

Me: "Probably to just go to a store and see what they have."

Me: "Okay, yeah, you're right. But what if I could...[insert a plethora of problem causing, time consuming ideas]."

I really can't help it. Anyway, I'm not against a theme. I'm just against doing things the easy way. I would much rather take an idea or a theme and inject my child's personality, a twinge of fantasy, and a sprinkling of imagination to make it better. So that brings us to why I start 8 months in advance. Because I don't have any money. I didn't have any money when I had a job, so I certainly don't have any money now! But if you get the idea early (and timeless ideas will be okay with even the most surly child, trust me), you can spend those months looking at ideas, picking up favors little by little, and hand making (or delegating to JMom) decor for a fantastic party! For sooo much less than you would spend on a venue-party-in-a-box party. I have other friends that also create fantastic parties, and I remain in awe of what they're able to create (Christie...that one's for you, and I'm going to ask for some pictures of J-man's recent parties...you rock!).

So join me (mwah-ha-ha), on doing things the BusyB's way. Take your time, find your groove, and make your little one's special day more than the cake and the presents. Make it the one day a year they can be an explorer, an artist, a cowgirl/boy, a mermaid or pirate.

I'll show you the magical worlds we've created in the past for pennies. And follow the Anatomy of a Birthday Party this year as we go through the looking glass, to places we've never been before. It's gonna be awesome, people!