How to Host the World's Best Kids' Birthday Party

I just threw the world's best, most awesome, wonderful turning-four-years-old birthday party.

We had NONE of the following:

1. Games

2.  Ice cream (we're allergic anyway)

3.  Matching plates, cute napkins, or theme tablecloths

4.  Balloons

5.  Goody bags

6.  Screaming four year olds

7.  Loud music (a fixture at parties here)

8.  Pinatas (another fixture)

9.  Dancing (my least favorite fixture.  And yes, for toddlers too.)

10.  Pizza (which I would have had to make)

11.  Expensive "place to have birthday" rental

12.  Stress.

We DID have:

1.  Three families my whole family loves (with nice, non-screaming, non-mean, non-fighting kids.  Eleven of them, ranging in age from 10 to 4.)

2.  Cake

3.  Candles

4.  Heartfelt rendition of "Happy Birthday" in at least two languages

5.  Fun

We may have even remembered to take a picture or two.  My new four-year-old was delighted at the amount of attention paid him (20 people in our house in his honor!!), the cake, and getting to blow out candles.  After that little ceremony, the kids ran and played all over the house (there was a great deal of Tropical Rain outside or we would have shooed them into the street), and the adults sat and visited over a glass of wine.  Since I had invited everyone for "Kaffee und Kuchen" (the German ritual of afternoon coffee & cake), I didn't even have to cook a meal.

I had an AWESOME afternoon.

Best of all, so did my not-such-a-baby-anymore!!