On the Menu: The Birthday

So here it is. I have dreams of someday throwing lots of parties. Not just the children’s birthday party with paper hats and cakes decorated like toys, as dear as those memories would be

I dream of throwing the kind of cute or classy, DIY parties that you read about on a blog or in a magazine that leave you daydreaming about an upcoming occasion that might possibly warrant a party where you could try out all of these cute ideas.

But for now I don’t throw those kinds of parties.

I think one reason is because I’ve been under the delusion that cute, classy, DIY parties require lots of guests – at least more guests than our 800 square feet of home sweet home can accommodate. Which is wrong. We can have an adorable little party, complete with sweet decor, soft lighting, and fine eats, and by golly we can do it in our tiny living room with six people as well as or even better than we could in a larger room with 20 people.

{The décor – I hung some of Ray’s “artwork” and pages from his baby album}

But this weekend, I threw a simple party for my two year-old, and it was wonderful. Thank you so much for your suggestions. I really like the idea of alternating years between throwing a party and going on a family outing. We chose to do a party this year, and I had several basic goals:

1. Simplicity

When the birthday child is young enough to still enjoy playing with an empty kleenex box, nothing extravagant is required.

2. Intimacy

If this party was going to be simple and fun, I needed to be very selective about our guest list. Our living room simply can’t hold more than a few people. As it was, it’s the middle of November, and we had the windows open so the room didn’t get stuffy.

We’ve also been battling viruses recently (so maybe the open window idea wasn’t real smart), so rather than spread the love to the whole neighborhood, we decided to save it for just our very best friends. You’re welcome, guys.

3. Decorations

Simple party or not, I enjoy decorating. And one of Ray’s favorite things right now is balloons, so I didn’t need another reason to make this a priority.

4. Cost

Technically this party hardly cost us a thing because my parents paid for everything I was going to buy at Target (thanks, guys!). But we decided not to go all out for Ray’s second birthday. Save that for a birthday he’s actually going to care about and want to plan with us. This time, I just bought some basics:

• 1 package of balloons
• 2 bottles of bubbles
• Ingredients for cake
• 2 quarts of vanilla ice cream

{Silly string = fun}

And it was a hit. We had some of my family and a few friends over. We shared cake and ice cream. We watched him open gifts and spun him (gently) around in a swivel chair (which may have been his favorite part of the day). The kids played with bubbles outside, and the adults talked and held babies. It was a good day.

Last week you reminded me to keep it simple, and I thank you for it.

On to the next week.

On the Menu

Breakfast:

• Homemade Yogurt & Fruit
• Cereal & Milk
• Toast & Whatever
• Sweet & Spicy Breakfast Hash

Lunch:

• Leftovers
• PB&J/Honey (with soaked whole wheat bread and natural peanut butter)
• Green Smoothies

Dinner:

• Turkey Soup
• Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchiladas
• Lentil Pot Pie
• Pasta & Red Sauce
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Salmon

{Pumpkin cake – more on this later}

Snacks:

• Fruit
• Cheese & Crackers
• Cereal & Milk
• Yorkshire Pudding (with whole wheat)
• Leftover Cake

Prepare:

• Turkey Stock (use some, freeze some)
• 1-2 Quarts Homemade Yogurt

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

What are you making this week?

Cheers,

P.S. This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday! Check it out for more menu inspiration.