Since I haven't uploaded any January pictures yet, these from "last year" will have to do for now.
Mariposa had her birthday party on Sunday the 30th after Mass. For those of you who don't know (or haven't caught on after 2 years of blog posts), we don't have kid-friend birthday parties, we just have family parties. No, it's not because we homeschoolers don't have any friends! It's because #1, the cousins ARE friends and #2 kid parties are a lot of work for a poor hardworking mom! Luckily the kids are cool with that. (And we have their friends over for other occasions so it's just as well).
 |
| Bunny ran the bingo game (bought at Harbor Freight, yay!) |
 |
| Mariposa was SOOO concerned that the other kids would blow out her candles |
 |
| Her concern was well-founded. Luckily Uncle Brian took pity on her (he has had many a candle blown out by my own children) and had them lit again |
 |
| Success! |
 |
| lots of presents |
 |
| and lots of dishes, but it was all worth it |
You had your windows open in December!
ReplyDeleteNot to be rude but just to create some conversation.....you have family dinners every weekend with the cousins, don't you think it would be more special for the bday kid to have a partywith other friends they don't see every week? (Of course cousins invited too if the bday kid wants it.)Could be same menu, same activities, same games, etc, so doesn't seem like it would be more work for mom. just an idea, what do you think?
What are the kids non cousin friends like and how often do they see them? Just curious as I've never met any ( I should visit more often!!)
You are not being rude, Erica, and I enjoy conversation. :o)
DeleteThe way I see it is:
First, we aren't invited to many kid parties ourselves, as homeschoolers generally have a LOT of friends of all different ages. So usually if they even have a party it would be at a park with just cake, etc., which is great but not what I prefer to host.
Second, it's not the same as group school where there sometimes is an expectation of parties but an absence of playdates (of which we have many).
Finally, with just family we have 19 (9 adults 10 kids) so if I invited family and friends at the same time it would be too many. If I invited them separately it would be too much work to do two parties.
Large families/homeschoolers have a different set of social rules they play by, I think. ;o) We do what's best for our kids and our families, and in our case it is an intimate party with cousins and then one-on-one playdates with friends and the occasional feast-day special party for a group. I am considering a big once-a-year BBQ in the summer but haven't implemented it yet. We homeschoolers usually don't bend to the social pressure to do something that doesn't fit with our family goals (like even sending our kids to school in the first place!).
Good questions! I'm always happy to explain the thoughts of a (slightly-frazzled) homeschooler! ;o)
I just linked over from Shower of Roses...and I wanted to comment that WE just went to a homeschool birthday party today! I am putting up pictures tonight! I love your comment about the playing by a different set of "rules." For example.. I texted my friend after we did our school if the party started at 1, and she said "Yes. Ish." I laughed and replied that "we are getting in the car. Ish." We both have four kids and we know how things unfold. Is was a part of three families? How sweet and intimate and fun!
ReplyDeleteLoved looking around your blog! So happy to have stumbled upon it :)
I meant to write it was a "party" of three families :)
Delete