The party

Max was eager to have a friend birthday party this year and I reluctantly agreed.  I say reluctant for a whole slew of reasons.  The time, prep work, planning, etc. can be A LOT.  And, we're not big party parents so going to a place where "they do it all" really isn't a good fit.  Throw in the stress of not knowing the expectations of the other kids, and I'll offer up all kinds of ideas to celebrate a birthday without the kid party.

But, I gave in.

It was time to send out invitations.  I felt like I needed a theme or direction.  I wanted Max to help make them.  That night, after the kids were in bed, I did what many moms do when looking for ideas.  I headed to pinterest.

Ninety minutes disappeared before my eyes as I looked at party after party that was decorated better than my house, themed better than a Disney store, and with treats and snacks placed so perfectly you'd be afraid to eat them.  The invitations shown were beautiful and full of color, imagery and creatively assembled.  The kids, who were professionally photographed, looked blissfully happy.

Enough ideas and images that would spark all kinds ideas for Max's party.

Or, in reality, I stayed awake.  At first, feeling overwhelmed and incapable of providing a party for my son.  As if I'd never meet up to what felt like the expectations of kids today.  My emotions then turned to frustration for all of "those people" who create these untouchable expectations.  A little bit of anger for the person who decided that pinterest was actually a good idea.  Like any of us really need access to what perfection looks like at the click of a button.

Then the better part of my head came back.  Actually, the better part of my head is twofold.  The part of my head remembered this particular party didn't need to be anything but FUN (that is me).  And the part that reflects well and separates out all of the crazy woman emotions (that is Mike). And (most) kids didn't really care what decorations looked like, or how fancy their food was, or too much more.  They really just want to be with each other, get a little silly, and laugh A LOT.

That was the epiphany and I placed only two goals for action.   1.  Spend only the absolutely minimum time in planning (i.e. no pinterest).  2.  Focus on fun.

Back to invitations.  I still had no clue.  I just knew I wanted Max to make them.  If this was his party, then he needed to be part of the process.  The very next day he came home from school telling me his teacher had taught them a new way to make paper airplanes and wanted to show me how.  (Sure, academics were a big part of the year, but as the end of the year approached he came home with all kinds of knowledgeable skills like new airplanes, or how to blow a bubble with bubble gum).

Voila!  We'd make those as the invitations (see below - folded together and he wrote the name of each kid he invited - one of the kids was also named Max).

After delivering, I didn't put an ounce of thought into the actual party until the day before for two reasons:  1.  If I spent more time thinking about it, I'd be lured to over-do what didn't need to happen.  2.  I was waiting to see what the weather would be - fingers crossed we could keep it outside.

The day before arrived, and I expected that games and activities would pop freshly in my mind.  Like mosquitos do at dusk.  I was stumped.  Max shrugged his shoulders.  And I began to panic.  "Maybe I should have planned more!?  What will we do?!"

Then it hit me.  A mini Olympics.

No, this is not an original idea.  In fact, you can put that into your search and find LOTS of really cool decorations and ideas.

But, that night, it felt really fresh, original and right up Max's alley.  He was pumped with the idea and ready to run with it.

Off to the craft store we went to snag some medals, grab bags, and a poster that Max could decorate.  He and I stayed up that night making the poster (I love all the detail he put into it).  And then we gathered up the supplies for the little events.

The events for the Olympics included:

An obstacle course (up and around the playset)
A relay race with some buckets and big sponges (each team trying to fill their bucket of water the fastest with the sponge)
A crossbow shooting target
Pass legos one at a time using on a straw to another plate
Guessing game

Sure, these games really had little to do with the Olympics, but they all encompassed skills of speed, strength, and agility (with some water, legos, and breath holding thrown in there!).

He's not a big bday cake eating kind of a kid.  Per his request we had doughnuts and root beer floats.

All the kids earned medals and a flashlight (a torch) for completing all of the events.

How'd it turn out?  The kids had FUN.  The obstacle course was definitely their favorite, and we did that more times that I can count.  Between our two girls and the 7 year olds, Mike and I were running non stop.  So, you have the three pictures below.

Am I glad it is over?  You betcha.  But, I feel good knowing that I accomplished those two goals.  And that my memories of this party were memories of time I spent with my son.  Making airplanes, a cool poster, designing an obstacle course together, and running to the store that morning to buy some doughnuts.

In my book, those are the kind of memories I want.