A birthday primer

With as many birthdays that I have to plan each year, I have come to some conclusions that I'd like to share with you...

1. You get ONE birthday party ON your birthday. IF your birthday falls on a weekend, your birthday might involve a bit more friends, food, fun than if it falls on a weekday. But you have the assurance that it will be on a different day next year.

Let's say Betty Sue's birthday is on a Thursday. But she's having the big party with her friends on Saturday. Does she get cake and presents on her Thursday birthday? Do you buy more cake and presents for her Saturday party? I know it's her party, but my experience says Betty Sue is going to feel a little let down on her birthday...

So for my sanity and everyone else's joy - you get ONE birthday party ON your birthday. At some point I might have to amend this for Emily and Becca, but we aren't there yet.

2. My special day really revolves around food. So we get special breakfast, lunch and dinner...with special birthday plates (and cups) at every meal. I eat out all 3 meals on my birthday - that's part of my present to me. The kids want special birthday dessert at every meal. :)

IF someone wants to come have a special birthday lunch or dinner with you on another day, that's just special and not considered to have been a planned party (thank you Grandma and Poopa).

3. Streamers... We used to hang them all over the ceilings but have settled into hanging them from the doorways (like beads in the 70's). We hang them on your bedroom doorway, the kitchen doorway, the living room doorway, maybe the bathroom doorway.

The kitchen ones hang a little shorter - chest high - because you will be carrying food in and out of that one. But your bedroom ones need to be knee high or lower. You want to make sure and hang them on the outside of the doorway, so you can still close the door when you need a little privacy. This year I even hung them on the side of Katy's loft bed...

The rule is that no one is supposed to tear them down on your birthday - but the next day they are no longer protected. However, I don't want to see Claire eating them! So pick up what you tear down.

4. The singing. We sing to you first thing in the morning, at all the meals and again with any desserts or presents.

We sing the traditional Happy Birthday to You song with lots of cha, cha, chas at the end. Did you know it's copyrighted? That's why lots of restaurants sing some other song. (Thank you Darren.)

We also sing the birthday song from Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses:
Today it is your birthday and we sing to let you know,
that you will be queen(king) for the day,
whatever you say goes.

We sing because we love you and we sing to let you know,
(Then the bad aunt comes in and we don't know the rest of the song, so we sing the first verse again)
that you will be queen(king) for the day,
whatever you say goes.

Jacob usually gets up first every morning. On his birthday last year, when he got up first (45 minutes before anyone else) he sad on the couch and cried. No one sang him the birthday song when he got up. Won't make that mistake this year. I'll make sure to wake his butt up when I nurse Claire and sing him the birthday song!

5. Any presents or cards you receive in the mail must be saved until your birthday (thanks Aunt Mel, Grandma and Poppa, Aunt Kelly and Uncle Joe Bob) - unless it says perishable or open right away!

We tend to open them at breakfast... but if it's a school day, we make them wait for the parental or sibling presents until after school. What good is a present if you don't really have time to play with it but have to go to school and think about it? Better to just be in suspense all day and not be sure what it is yet. The waiting is hard for the receiver but fun for the givers.

6. I think you should have to wear a piece of birthday flair on your special day... a birthday pin or hat or shirt. We haven't been consistent in this area...but we're going to work on it.

I think birthdays are great. Everyone should have one. :)