Thinking back to my own childhood, the most memorable birthday party was one with two cakes. I’m a twin and we always shared a cake, but this one year when I was maybe five (?) I got a cat sheet cake and my brother got a dog sheet cake- and it was a BFD. It was a small party with homemade food. It was simple, but great.

Fast forward many years and we’re a week away from my own daughter’s 2nd birthday in which time we’ve been invited to birthday parties for children that rival my wedding reception in scale, theme and budget. Don’t get me wrong, these parties were amazing, but at the same time I can’t help but think about how unnecessary it is, and how much extra stress this adds to parents’ already very full plates.

I can’t lie to you- I bought into the big party for Baby G’s 1st with a cute theme, lots of guests and time spent agonizing over decorations. But it’s time to reclaim simple birthday parties- and the joy in parenting. For birthday number 2 we’re doing things much differently. It’s time to lower the bar a bit for myself and for my kid’s expectations of every milestone in life to something that feels appropriate. There will be no grand balloon arch, no themed foods, no party favors and no long guest list. We won’t max out the discover making every single moment of the day Instagram perfect.

For this year’s second birthday we have a Minnie sheet cake ordered from Walmart, along with about 10 pink and white balloons and plan to order cheap pizzas with our immediate family in the back yard. All in all we’ll spend about $150 bucks on the affair and be able to spend the time enjoying the day instead of worrying about tiny details that don’t matter.

Parenting is hard enough. Maybe it’s time to reclaim how simple birthday parties can be and get back to enjoying the moment as a mom.

Do you love extravagant birthday parties or hate them? Let us know in the comments below!