Do you celebrate birthdays?

I do.

Here are some questions I ask myself:

• “Why do I celebrate birthdays?”
• “What’s the goal?”

Ultimately, it is to let them know they are loved and cared for. That they are special and I am so glad they were born.  Also, that they are loved by their creator.

I am reminded of these bible verses I want my children to hear and know. To write them on the tablets of their hearts.

Ps. 20:4– “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.”

3 John 1:2– “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”

Phil 1:6- “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Is. 46:4- “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

Jer. 29:11- “ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

2 Cor. 9:15– “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

When I continue to ask myself, “What do I want to get from this party?”

It boils down to wanting to spend quality time with family and friends, creating more happy memories together with other people who love my children.  Creating positive interactions so they know who they can rely on when they feel unloved, or alone.

How do I plan and DIY to try and save money?

There are many different ways to celebrate your child’s birthday.

Some people rent out a space spending hundreds of dollars, all decked out.

It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant it can just be a simple breakfast, card, and a dollar tree balloon.

To save as much money as we can, I try to look ahead, get good deals, and use coupons.

Planning

First, try and find a date that works best.

Second, decide on a location. This is usually done at your own home but you could have a party at the grandparents’ house, another relative or friends, or even at the park.

Third, decide on the cake. You could make a homemade cake or use a box cake.  We may need to have Melinda write a blog post on how to bake and decorate a cake. Did you know she used to do this as an occupation?! If you needed, you could freeze the cake ahead of time or even ask a friend or a relative to make it. Or as the picture suggests you could even use any sweet such as donuts in place of a cake.

Action

Fourth, DIY invitations: On my daughter’s 3rd birthday we hand drew it to say “Tea-Rex” because she likes tea parties and dinosaurs. On her 4th birthday, she wanted a unicorn party so I drew the outline in sharpie and had her color it in. You could also use a computer to create a photo, add text and print it out.

Fifth, DIY piñata: I collect all the cardboard from packages or from my husband’s work. I decide on the shape, tape it together, and add tissue paper. Here’s a link I used to help direct my steps.

Six, DIY food & drinks:  You only need a few basic snacks of fruit, vegetables, salty snack, and sweets which is usually the cake. When we celebrated my daughter’s “tea-rex” party I went to community aid for teacups and her unicorn party I made our own unicorn chocolate-covered strawberries and my mom made her a unicorn cake.

Seven- DIY games: Pin the horn on the unicorn was created from poster board from the dollar tree and markers.  The dollar tree dinosaur hats and dinosaur tails my Grammie made were used for an obstacle course. In part of the obstacle course, we had a dinosaur face drawn on cardboard to “feed the dino” with a bean bag.  They had to dress up as the dinosaur, complete the course, and then the next person went.   For her first birthday, we threw donuts made from cardboard and paint around a cone.

Eight- DIY thank you bags: We either used items from the pinata or this year my daughter beaded a bracelet for her guests as a thank you for coming to her party and celebrating with her.

Nine- DIY decor: Use your printer for a banner, use childhood pictures as decor, cardboard for signs, paint anything, and always remember the dollar tree has great balloon options. They also stay inflated for AT LEAST one month.

Ten- Balloon arch: The first one I bought on Amazon and now I just reuse the plastic balloon strip tape. It gives a great pop for decor. You can make it as small or long as desired.

Freebies

Below are two free printables.  You can print them out and attach to a gift or just send in the mail with a little note on the back letting them know how loved they are.  That they are special and thought of by you and their creator above.

Have a blessed week!

I used to be a Kindergarten teacher. I decided to stay at home when I had my firstborn.

Since then all of my teaching “stuff” has been placed into the basement. Recently, I have sorted through some of my children’s books. I have been able to give many children books away, but the past few weeks, I went through the majority of my teaching textbooks, children’s books and resources to be able to donate to a new classroom.

It made me reflect on all the life that has occurred to bring me to this very moment and all the role changes I have gone through.

Before I was married I was a daughter, granddaughter, friend, girlfriend, and student. These were all the independent years when I mostly had to just think and worry about myself.

Mrs. Trayer

I got married, got a new job and therefore, a new title of Mrs. Trayer. I was now in charge of paying attention to someone else’s needs other than my own, who was a part of me. Also, in charge of little children who depended on me for 8-10 hours of their day and their parents who expected me to teach their littles how to read and write their ABC’s.

I enjoyed being a wife and a teacher duo. I got to practice those roles for many years. I learned a lot about my job as a teacher and a lot about myself as a person while being a wife and it especially made me reflect on the relationship of Christ with the church. During this time, I was able to get a decent amount of sleep and could eat what I wanted, when I wanted. Whether that meant eating at home, eating out or having to change my thought process to cooking whole foods that would help me get off my thyroid medication (that’s a whole other story).

Mother

When I become a mother my role changed and it changed quickly and drastically.

If you have never been pregnant or are currently pregnant with your first PLEASE do not be discouraged. This is a beautiful process. It can be hard but it doesn’t make it any less beautiful. Just think about how the caterpillar has to metamorphose into a beautiful butterfly. Not always easy but beautiful.

Then, I had my first child and everything that I did for myself now became second because I was in complete control of keeping this precious little human alive. I asked myself how? How am I supposed to take care of myself postpartum AND take care of this precious baby who needs me around the clock? I am completely new to this role and I don’t even know her. I felt the need to observe her almost every second so I could figure out her every cry and know what she needed when she needed it.

Yet, I was in pain. Somehow, I needed to figure out how to heal and keep my body from getting worse and gaining an infection. It pained me to stand longer than 10 minutes. When was I supposed to get my food and take a shower? Do I even dare put clean clothes on that were just going to get spit up on in 20 minutes? Also, what clothes do I even put on? Nothing fits me the same way. The nursing tank I got was too small because how was I to know that the milk my body was producing would change the size of my milk containers.

Ice packs, ice packs, and more ice packs.

I was exhausted. I would sleep 2-3 hours stretches. Since my husband had to drive for work, I offered to take the nights because I was the one feeding her and I didn’t have to drive the next day for work. I remember I would pray for daylight because the nights were LOOONNNNGG. I had a whole new understanding of the verse, “joy comes in the morning”. I felt I needed coffee to be alert enough to take care of my baby, yet remind myself “you’re not supposed to have too much caffeine in a day”.

So many changes occur in a year to you physically, mentally, and spiritually. If you are the first of your friends to have a baby, it may feel hard to relate and have someone to talk to.

We also start to compare ourselves to other moms, whether it’s the support they receive, how they make it look so easy, the temperments of their children, etc. 

Turning Points

I LLOOOVVVVEEEDD my new title AND there were also times I wondered who I was becoming. Did I recognize her?

This wasn’t a bad thing, but this was a turning point for me and can be for a lot of mothers.

At this moment, it made me start thinking about the one role that has NEVER changed and has stayed constant: my role as a daughter of God. This has been the role I can always rely on for identity and strength. A role that I look back at all the ups and downs and can observe any growth and any falls in my journey.

To help in identifying my identity I started searching for love, joy and peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

I Remind myself, I am loved, I am chosen, I am blessed.

Then, I check in with myself.  Also, don’t forget to check in with other momma’s too.  Talk to those around you- mother’s you look up to.  Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Proverbs 31:25: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”

My Mother.

She, to me is the epitome of what kind of mother I want to be to my children. She is patient, firm, understanding, kind, considerate, and knows the importance of quality time.

A great listener, gives sound and godly advice. 

Also, she is honest, modest, makes healthy meals (without spending much money), and creates a comfortable and welcoming home while working in the home and outside the home at our family business while, always displaying what it looks like to put God first.

She loves Big, prays Big, and makes food Big.  I believe it was because she loves Jesus Big

If I had to pick one character my mother possesses that I want to instill in to my motherhood it would probably be the feeling she provided for our home as a whole.  Because of her love for Jesus it was a comforting, loving, welcoming, a safe haven, the obvious presence of God, encouraging, everything you would think it would be like being around Jesus.

When I asked my brothers’ “what characteristics stands out the most about our Mother”,  they said hardworking, consistency in being present and being that calming voice.  I love that all her children see the same thing in her, even though we all have different temperaments, she was the same.

Memories

We have so many great memories as kids and most of them are of the times we spent together as a family at home.   The times my Mother stopped what she was doing to sit down beside me and play babies with me, draw pictures with me, or build a fort with me.   When we would go on walks down our road, have picnics outside in our yard, or play ball.   Our Mother took the time to invest in our relationship by being present and taking interest in our lives as we were little up to now, as adults.

Our birthday parties weren’t over the top or at the most poplar location but it was time spent with family and friends, a homemade cake big enough for all to have a slice.   Activities weren’t chosen by joining all of the sports and local events but it was time spent with the church family.

MeMaw

Watching my Mother become a Grandmother to my two girls and hold them for the first time was the most

OUTSTANDING day.

It was the day I knew they both would get to feel the love of a special woman who is such a blessing to her family and to

those around her.

I am so incredibly thankful for the role my Mother played in our family and the example she set for her children.  I pray I

love Jesus BIG, like her so everything else can fall into its place and eventually set an example for my girls as well.

Phil. 1:3  “I thank my God everytime I remember you.”