Keep the Bar Low

I have a goal, it's to keep my kids thinking that normal birthdays are thrown together at the last minute and the only themes are stars and balloons because that's what Safeway's paper plates have on them. Before you judge, this has been working for years. I have three kids, and you'd be amazed at how often birthday's pop up in our family. My luck, however, is running out. My oldest son is now getting a taste of what other kids do for their birthdays, thank you public school system. So far he's been invited to a movie party, a Tai Kwan Do party and an Inflatable Bouncy Adventure party. As of yet he hasn't questioned why his birthday's have all sucked up till now, but I can tell he's thinking about it. He's getting ideas for his next party. Things like Lego themes and who he's gonna invite, and all I can think is this sounds expensive. I am working on what I'm going to say if he asks for some kind of "theme" party. "Hey that sounds great, when the Lego store is free, then we can have a party," or "OK we can have a party at the bowling alley, but we have to sell all your toys first," or "I have an idea, no!" I think that last one is my favorite. Gets right to the point. No sense in giving him hope. A good rule of thumb, always keep expectations really really low.