How to have a "shared" birthday party

My sons' birthdays are literally 5 years and 1 day apart, so birthdays are interesting to say the least.  A friend of mine raised fraternal twins (a girl & a boy), so I went to her for advice on "shared" birthday parties.  Here's what we came up with...and a few new ideas.

1) ONE party = less party expense.  Bounce houses/moon walks are expensive to buy and just as costly to rent, especially when you have multiple active kids.  When they were "in to" bounce houses, we only had that expense once a year, so renting one ($150+) wasn't so bad.

2) TWO cakes = individuality.  As the boys get older, even though they share a party, they will each have their own cakes...just a bit smaller.  Since baking/decorating is my side business, it's not such an expense.  Cakes can be pricey.  I guess learning to bake & decorate pays off. 

3) Shared cakes = compromise.  While the boys are young, they share birthday cakes.  They alternate picking out cake designs and flavors.  One year Ean gets to pick the design and Eli picks the flavor and vice versa.  I try to design it in a way that they both have ownership.  So far, so good...
Here are some of the cakes they've shared...

4) THREE sets of invitations...One for Ean's friends, one for Eli's friends, and one for family members.  The invitations look identical except for the name is changed.  I usually create and have them printed at WalMart.  Using Photoshop, saving them as jpegs, and printing them as photos saves a lot!  This year's invitations cost me $5 total...5 for each boy (10 total) and 12 combined for family.  This means that Ean's friends don't feel obligated to get Eli something and vice versa.

5) Easy food...A few years ago, I discovered that I could boil up hot dogs, put them in buns, wrap them in aluminum foil, and put them in a cooler, and they're hot for hours!  Then, a variety pack of chips and drink pouches in a cooler means I have very little clean up and everyone gets what they like.  Sam's Club and Aldi are my friends!

Confessions of a little league mom

Sometimes, I feel like the worst parent ever.  Why?  Because I hate little league baseball.  I would never let my boys know that, and I would never think of missing one of their games.  However, this is excruciatingly miserable.

Between the heat, the dirt, the rain, the know-it-all dads, the cheerleader moms, and "living-through-their-players" coaches, I hate the little league fans. Granted, there are some coaches who truly work with the kids because of the love of the game and the love of the kids.  Granted, many of the parents only want what's best for their kids.  Granted, this is the US, and everyone is entitled to voicing their opinions.  However, I see no reason to take the games so personally and so seriously.  They're kids...let them have fun.

Between the 90 degree days and the hellacious afternoon thunderstorms, I hate sitting at the field.  We put our kids in polyester pants, slather them in 100 SPF sunscreen, drown them in water and Gatorade, and expect them to play their absolute best.  I'm sorry, if I were one of the kids playing in those conditions, I would FALL OUT! 

I know baseball is suppose to be the "great American past time," but I honestly hate little league baseball.  I love seeing my kids playing and having fun, but it's sooooo slow.  I am so thankful that t-ball games are limited to one hour.  The older kids still play 6-7 innings, and OMG...by the 6th inning, my butt is numb!?!?!?  Likewise, there's no beer, no hot (adult) baseball players in cute baseball pants, no entertaining announcers, no fun music, no cotton candy dude wandering the stands, etc.

I realize that many people have just cursed me and labelled me a "bad" parent, but honestly, I say the things that most people think.

Clothing thief

My child is a hoarder.  There, I said it.  He calls himself a "collector."  Plain & simple...he hoards.
On a recent afternoon, I noticed Ean walking around in nothing but a pair of shorts, but the shorts looked oddly large on him.  As he walked by, I grabbed the waist band and noticed that they were a size 30...they were my husband's shorts.  Here's the conversation...
Me: Ean!  These are Jeremy's shorts.
Ean: They were in my drawer.
Me:  They're Jeremy's...
Ean: They were in my drawer.
Me: Ean?!?!  They're too big on you.  They're Jeremy's shorts.
Ean: But they were in my drawer.
Me:  It doesn't matter.  They don't fit you; they're NOT yours.
Ean: But they were in my drawer!

To a 9 year old, I guess possession in 9/10 of the law. 

Later that day, while packing his suitcase for a trip to his dad's house, I found one of Jeremy's 5K race shirts in Ean's dresser.  When asked, again, Ean claims that it's his...because it's in his drawer! 

Needless to say, as we're missing clothes, we know where to look!!!!

The joys if summer break

We've hit a whole new level of picking, fighting, and generally annoying mom this year.  While both boys understand not to get out if bed at the ass-crack if dawn, we haven't managed to understand the meaning of the word, "stop", or the phrase "leave your brother alone!"  The trip to Walmart this morning was a raging, chaotic circus of insanity.

I think I'll chalk this up to my lack of preparedness.  Tomorrow and the following days will be more controlled. They may have gotten me today, but it won't repeat.

Today's score...Kids 1- Mom 0

That will change tomorrow!