When I was about eleven my mom went back to graduate school and money was fairly tight. When my birthday came around there wasn't a lot of money for presents, so instead, that morning at breakfast my mom declared that as my gift I could do and eat whatever I wanted.
So we ate ice cream sandwiches for breakfast and corn on the cob and tuna sandwiches for dinner before my dad took my two besties and I ice skating where we got hot chocolate from the snack counter and came home to cookie monster cupcakes with frosting so blue your teeth were stained for the next three days.
I'm sure I must have also gotten presents, though I can't recall what they were. I remember though, is that no matter how odd the request (cookie monster cupcakes? For a kid with a cosmo subscription? LOL) my mom said "sure".
As M has grown up, I've tried to continue the tradition. Some birthdays have meant that we rode roller coasters and ate nothing but food from 7-11 and others have meant hoards of little girls swarming from every corner of my house. Mostly though, it's been dinner and a movie and shopping for something that I usually would say no to.
Yesterday, she got up before I left for work and ate cherry ice cream topped with fresh cherries for breakfast. For lunch she dove into the Veggie Straws and by the time I got home she'd spent ALL DAY on the phone while IMing and also texting. Then we loaded up into the car and headed to the movies to see UP. (side note, WTF, Disney? Ellie dies? In the first ten minutes? The hell? So sweet and heartbreaking, not a kids movie really.) Then we went to Fudruckers Hamburger Bar for dinner. Because it has a cheese fountain.
before heading to Baskin Robbins because miss "PLEASE CAN I GO TO A RAVE? PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE?" wanted a clown cone. Too bad they were out.
she consoled herself with pistachio ice cream over a scoop of birthday cake flavored topped with Kissables and rainbow sprinkles.
And then? She went home and moaned that her belly ached.
I'm calling this birthday a win.
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7 little kittens say Meow:
That is an awesome tradition! Something tells me that what you do with M will stick with her longer than what she may have gotten as a gift. Right?
I think I will try to institute such a tradition for MY birthday next year. I wonder if my husband will go along with it? ;)
Geez, and for my birthday all we do is watch the bony hand of Mr. Grim slide over another black bead on his death-abacus, while lamenting how I am sliding ever closer into my cold, cold grave.
But your idea sounds cool too!
love this idea! I think I'll have a birthday tomorrow!
I love birthday traditions. Our birthday person gets to pick the food and the dessert and it has never been cake. I have a weird family.
happy belated bday M!!
happy belated bday M!!
awesome tradition. i wonder if i can talk my kids into skipping the party next year and do something without having 3-20 other peoples sniveling brats along....yeah, probably not.
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