My little Goofball just celebrated his fifth birthday. We had a great day without having to spend much money at all. I am a firm believer that children need time and attention far more than they need things or entertainment. We will have a party for him, shared with Tornado, in a few weeks. But on his actual birthday, Goofball received just one store-bought gift and a ton of love.
I started off the day by letting Goofball watch cartoons during breakfast (a special treat in our house). Then, he got to open his present. He was overjoyed to receive the one thing that he wanted: a Bumblebee Transformer. We don’t have cable, so he never sees commercials for toys. The only time he is exposed to a vast selection of new playthings is when he’s with other children or in the store. It’s quite a blessing that he seems content with his small collection of toys, which includes hand-me-downs from Daddy (matchbox cars and Ninja Turtles are timeless). And of course, this sweet little boy will always be happy to play outside with sticks and rocks.
We ate Goofball’s favorite for lunch – English muffin pizzas. He has so much fun making the food himself – it’s more than a meal, it’s an activity. These mini-pizzas were inexpensive, just the cost of the muffins, tomato sauce, and some mozzarella cheese.
Grandpa made a special dinner for the birthday boy. It included tator tots and corn on the cob, at the request of Goofball. We sang to him and he ate up his homemade birthday cake. A five-year old does not need an expensive, store-bought cake when we can make our own for under five dollars.
Goofball played outside with friends and was allowed to stay up late. To be honest, he was going to stay up late anyways because we are in the middle of redoing his bedroom. Goofball has been sleeping in his sister’s room and their antics continue far past “lights out.” He knows that the new room is partially a birthday present and partially a reward for agreeing to share his room with the baby. I can’t wait to finish his patriotic room; it’s really starting to look awesome.
I know that Goofball had a good birthday, even though he only received one present. Before going to bed he told me that he wanted the next day to be his birthday again. I have many friends with young children. They all seem to lament their children’s birthdays with that all too common phrase, “where did the time go?” However, I don’t feel that way. It feels like a very full five years has passed since we met our first-born son. I know exactly where the time has gone . . . to fun-filled adventures, countless hours of reading books, engaging mealtimes, secretly watching him imagine and create, hilarious conversations, and precious snuggling.
Happy Birthday Goofball – I love you to Andromeda and back.
We didn’t throw birthday parties for either of my kids this past year. My son turned four while I was in India, and the time before and after was so hectic that it just didn’t happen. My husband took him to a pool on his birthday and that was his special celebration. My daughter’s birthday is right around Thanksgiving, and with all the family events surrounding that, we just sang happy birthday to her and had her blow out 2 candles.
I do remember my mom throwing us simple parties that involved english muffin pizzas and games like throwing pennies into a muffin tray. Definitely not Pinterest-worthy, but we loved it.
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