Birthday Blues

Birthdays are strange things, I never know exactly how to celebrate them, parties cause so much stress and worry not to mention the price of them, over the years we have tried all sorts of birthday celebrations from discos inviting school friends to days out and quiet family get togethers but no matter what I do it always seems to be abit of a flop. I always have higher expectations for them than ever materialises.

Yesterday was my youngest 5th Birthday.

Five whole years has passed since the day I brought him home from hospital a tiny new life with so many great things ahead of him, hes grown up, learnt so very much and turned into the most amazing little boy I am so fortunate to be able to call him my son.

So I wanted to make sure his birthday was special, full of happiness and laughter getting him all the gifts he could ever want.

But in reality how do you achieve that with minimal budget, its a toss up between a party or a big present, and with my experience of parties from the past, the hassle and stress of arranging the party, sending out invites to never get responses, waiting anxiously on the day to see if anyone will turn up, buying all the food and party bag toys, ensuring everyone has fun and preventing any tantrums when your in a room full of 5 year olds isn't an easy task. Bad party experiences in the past means I will take any opportunity to avoid them and present always score higher on my list.

But then what present do you buy which makes up for not having a party? and how do you make the day special without a huge celebration?

This year I had decided to buy Mikey a new bike, he wanted one for Christmas but we didn't end up getting him one, and he has never had a 'new' bike before, always making do with hand me downs.
So that was the present sorted, what about the celebration? Well a quiet family tea party was planned, Chloe and Jake staying up the night before to decorate the room with balloons and birthday banners, cocktail sausage rolls purchased and a big birthday cake.

All sounds perfect doesn't it? nothing to taint the day surely?

But in true birthday style the expectations of a lovely day of smiles was grounded with the reality of poorly children!

Mikey has spent the whole week ill. A really horrible virus has had him feeling rough with a bad headache, tired eyes, off his food and generally under the weather not himself at all, I was desperately hoping he would have recovered somewhat to enable him to enjoy his birthday but no the fever was still there, he managed to smile whilst opening his presents, sit on his bike for a moment or two, forcing a smile before returning under the covers to sleep the day away.

He didn't even get to blow out his candles or enjoy the party snacks.

But the good thing about having a birthday at the beginning of May is that it coincided with the Bank Holiday so we have the Bank Holiday weekend, he is abit more his self today so I am hoping that we'll be able to get out on his new bike soon!