The Myth of the Pinterest-Worthy Birthday Party

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Everything has to be perfect are the words I would think to myself as I planned my only son’s first birthday party.  My son loved a Curious George book I read to him at bedtime, so it became a given that I would go in that direction.  Once I decided on the theme “Curious Luis is One”, it was full speed ahead.  I spent every night brainstorming ideas- searching through Pinterest for other moms’ seemingly perfect photos of invitations, cakes and decorations.   In the months leading up to the big day, I carefully purchased favor bags, candy, table decorations and a myriad of other things that I thought would make the party Pinterest-worthy.

 

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Everything has to be perfect. 

I ordered a handmade outfit for my little boy to wear (Curious George themed, of course!) and special ordered a cake that seemed to be as detailed as the three tiered creation I had at my wedding.  One of a kind centerpieces were designed and I created a picture collage showing Luisito’s first year of life. Oh yes, THIS mom thought of it all.

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Everything has to be perfect.

The party quickly grew from a small family gathering to an event for one hundred and twenty people. How could I not invite my cousin’s neighbor or my grandma’s friend from church? They would know about the party somehow and it would be very rude of me, I would think.  Eventually I was forced to select a larger space to accommodate the number of people, shelling out a ridiculous amount of money to use an event center for a few hours. But it would all be worth it I’d tell myself.

 

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Everything has to be perfect.

Except it wasn’t.  January 10, 2015  was a cold, rainy, awful day. The roads were slick and the temperature hovered around the mid 30s.   Due to the inclement weather, many of our guests were either unable to attend or very late.  The centerpieces- despite having been ordered months in advance- were more than an hour late after the party had begun. Additionally, with the commotion during the weeks leading to his birthday, I had suddenly forgotten my plans to create a slideshow of my son’s pictures.  I tried so hard to micromanage every aspect during the event that I didn’t even have a chance to apply my makeup. Everything was a mess.  The worst part was that I didn’t get to enjoy Luisito’s first birthday party as much as I would have liked to- and all because I was trying to reach a standard depicted on Pinterest boards. That day I vowed to do it all differently for his second birthday.

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Thank you God for blessing my son with another year of life are the words I thought to myself as I prepared for my son’s second birthday party.  We decided to go for a western theme this time around since my sister had some supplies left over from a previous western party she had hosted.  In the weeks leading up to his second birthday, I purchased a banner and hay stacks to decorate my home.

 

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Thank you God for blessing my son with another year of life.

I bought some very cute western clothes at a local shop and ordered a cake from my favorite bakery. My mom and I made adorable and inexpensive decorations to place in the center of the tables that were set up on my patio.  Oh yes, my mom (or Mema, as my son calls her) was a huge help.

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Thank you God for blessing my son with another year of life.

I tried to keep the party to a reasonable number of people although I really wish we could have invited more guests.  However, I was really glad we stayed on budget by celebrating at home and keeping the guest list to close family and friends.

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Thank you God for blessing my son with another year of life.

January 10, 2016 was a beautiful, cool yet sunny day.  Our guests arrived in a timely manner and seemed to enjoy themselves very much.  Like his first birthday, I didn’t get a chance to apply my makeup this time around either, but I didn’t mind at all.  Because unlike his first birthday, this momma enjoyed every second of it.

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