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it is hard for me to plan a party the way i'd like and with several children
i knew i could not do it each year (even if i wanted to.) thats how the
every 5 yr idea grew. growing up we actually got just an eleven year old
"friend" party. so, yes you remember it!!!

at five years old is the first, and we have done the theme, etc. then, they
"plan" their next party for five more years, ha!! actually they fantasize
about it, which is fun. this saturday is my oldest's 10 yr old birthday
party that she has been waiting for for five years! that sounds silly and it
really isnt so. but it has been fun AND it is a great learning project. you
get one motivated child when they are planning their own party and she has
had to do a lot.... working and planning hard-- learning a lot!

okay-- the christmas thing. just a funny comment/story. i like to eat and
breakfast is important to me and feeding the fam is crucial or low blood
sugar strikes and people get cranky. yet, nobody wanted to inturrupt the
christmas morning excitement for food! so a few years back, i had the bright
idea of putting breakfast in the stocking. i froze juice boxes (earlier) and
put them in, along with fruit bars, fruit, pop tart and some sort of jerky or
similar. i of course thought it was brilliant and clever, but i remember a
lukewarm response-- ha! i guess i should have seen that no- one else but the
mother carries the burden of planning meals.... since then we have chosen
one of those make ahead breakfast casseroles-- one was even a make ahead
frenchtoast recipe-- and stop to take a break for eating after stockings,
before presents.

we too have learned to do what we need to as far as giving to others in our
family and just hope it is received for what it is: a gift. we did bring
back sand from the beach this year and probably each cousin gift will be a
little bottle with sand, was thinking of adding a little glitter and things,
too.

erin