Birthday Do-over?

So….. there’s this mom………..

Have you ever compared your efforts to the efforts of an amazing over the top personality that you could never live up to (or want to for that matter?)

Well, yesterday was my husbands birthday!  And I had high aspirations, I swear I did!!  Just like every year!  It’s nice to be treated special on your birthday!

But with a sick kid home; me already behind in work and scouting about the town for a new chair (of which there was only ONE in my county, I swear), my plans and aspirations went sideways!

Now; if I had been a planner, maybe my results would have been better.  But as I am a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl… well, there you have it!

As my husband requested no gifts (because lets face it, he gets whatever he wants when he wants it), I decided to clean the house up……with a sick kid….and a busy schedule…at the very last minute possible!!!

And to say I fell short, that would be an understatement.

I found myself reflecting on my mom-friend who recently celebrated her sons 16th birthday.  She posted on Facebook a picture of the balloons she had commissioned for him.  Not just any run of the mill balloons, mind you; but GUITAR playing Life SIZED balloon sculpture that would put any 3-year-old to tears with excitement.

I remember seeing that picture and thinking, “GREAT…..thanks girlfriend for making the rest of us look like shlubs….”  I actually said that to her in person!

My first thought when I saw the picture was, “OHHHH MYYYYY GOODNESS!!!!  How crazy is SHE???”  But then I thought of her son (who adores his mother by the way) and I thought, “Wow…he must feel like the only boy in the world!”  What a great mom to do that for him!

As life gets crazy, don’t we all deserve to feel extra special at least one day of the year???

My husband and I have varying opinions on this.  I once dated a guy who said, “What makes you so special on your birthday?  You are the same person you were yesterday and the same person you will be tomorrow”.  (or something like that!)  I remember being insulted at the time; but the truth is, my family never made a really big deal about birthdays!  I remember one birthday in particular my mom gave my sister some money for a cake and told her to go down and get me a ‘day old’ cake.  What I got was a lopsided piece of work that had twice as much frosting one side than the other just to keep the sucker level!

No offense to my mom; my parents had five kids to raise.  I’m lucky I got anything!!!  I just remember cutting into the cake with my sister, her friend and my friend and just about peeing our pants at how pathetic this offering was……on my BIRTHDAY!!!

When you are one of five kids; you quickly realize…..well, that you are one of FIVE KIDS!!!!  With two busy working parents, you are lucky to get a home cooked meal!

Now, my husband was raised with his mom, who doted on him and dare I say, “Fussbucketed” on his birthday!  He was one of TWO kids in the family.

So, here we have my husbands birthday and I don’t even have a cake to offer him.  I thought about making a banana cream pie; but with the chair and the kid; well, that fell short too!

In the end, we were able to tidy up a bit before he got home and go to dinner with my mom to a lovely restaurant with great food!!  I, personally loved it, because even family time is rare nowadays!

I’m hoping he was okay with his dinner, because after drop off, I ran to the studio for my Mom’s MV Crew practice!  He resorted to his office and the kids to the TV.

So where is the middle ground here?

I have been thinking about it for the last 24 hours.

The idea of an over the top offering is great!!  But with our budget, I can’t see ordering life-sized balloons for my husband!  A housekeeper would have been nice to pick up around the place; but we did the best we could with the short hour that we had!

After a certain age; and with kids; birthdays are a reminder of us getting older.  And what we gain in wisdom, we lose in beauty.  So, it’s a mixed bag.

I personally like being celebrated.  But I don’t care for birthdays.  And too much attention makes me cry.  So there you have it!

Is a family dinner a nice thing to have??  Or should I request a do-over when (and if) I have more time?

He didn’t seem to complain.  But then again, maybe he is just resigned to the fact that he married me!

A birthday celebration won’t make or break a person.  But it might add a little bounce in their step.

What do you think?

Happy Thursday