When I miss facebook

I can actually say for the first time since I gave up facebook that there is a time I really wish I was on it.  Pinterest is coming in handy for coming up with ideas, but I miss my crafty tried and true friends on facebook today.

The reason?  A birthday party.  Miss E is turning six on Friday.  I cannot believe she has gotten this big already.  She's my "baby" and my last, and I just cannot believe that almost 6 whole years have flown by since she came into my life.

She hasn't had a birthday party ever.  We are "mean parents" and we just don't do a lot of parties.  There was a time in Texas, where all the neighbors in our little row were friends and all the kids were friends, and it seemed like every month there was a party.  I hadn't really been big into birthday parties before that time, other than family parties.  I think before we lived in TX, Hannah had only had 1 party and that was her first birthday, and only family was there.  In Texas, with all our friends, there were plenty of birthday parties and themes and the older three girls had parties.  Poor Evy came in on the back end of our time there, and I think she had one party there, for her first birthday.  All our neighbors in that row felt like family, so to us, it was a family party.

By the time we got to Georgia, I was partied out.  That and living in a new place and not knowing a lot of people, parties just weren't a big priority.  J did have a party here, but it was just neighbor kids that we invited.  I had invited whole families from our neighborhood, hoping it would be a good time for us parents to meet and have a good time, but only the kids ended up coming.

Even after we got to know people, parties just didn't happen.  Instead, deployment, injuries, surgeries, etc. happened.  With having a larger family (I say larger because 4 kids doesn't feel like a large family to me, but other people perceive our family to be large, so I say "larger"), parties also become expensive.  Shindigs 4 times a year add up to big bucks.

What we usually do to celebrate a birthday is an activity of the birthday kids choice (bowling, dinner/lunch out, etc) and the birthday girl gets to choose what dinner they want.  We do present opening and pictures with cake also, just a little family celebration.

Well, Evy really really wants a birthday party.  I told her that her friends may not be able to come.  She is totally fine with that and doesn't mind if it is just our family, but she really wants a tea party.  Already having 4 kids, we have enough people for a party on our own.  Her back up plan was a surprise party.

So I have been planning her surprise tea party birthday party on the sly.  I invited 4 little girls her age, and so far have gotten 3 yeses and a maybe.  I am planning activities and decorating and foods.  Not a problem, I can handle this.  But I do miss being able to post on facebook "hey, does anyone have any ideas for this?" and getting a ton of replies with ideas and recipes.  As I said before, pinterest has come in quite handy, as well as google, but I do miss my go to people for things like this.

Despite figuring it all out on my own, I do think it is going to be a wonderful party for her remember her special day by.