Out of Control Birthdays

David will turn into a teenager in one month so we want to make it a special and memorable day. He would like a NASA party with a space shuttle cake. He would like to invite some kids from school and some from church. We will have to be creative since there will be many ages at the party. He doesn't understand that some older kids don't like to hang out with younger kids. Luckily, all the older kids are girls.
However, as I have started making plans for a party I have become appalled at what I see. A mom in California wanted to celebrate her daughter's third birthday in a big way. She spent over $10,000 on a Cinderella themed party—complete with a horse drawn carriage and 10 hired princesses. This past year her daughter turned five, but what to do? How about a catered affair for 150, two rented ponies, a carousel all professionally photographed at a park.

Where do you go from there? Does a parent who's willing to spend this much on a party love their child more than a parent who doesn't? What happens the day that the little princess gets married?

One of the parties we have loved most for our son was the totally homemade party we created. My son was turning four and Veggie Tales was big. So we got a huge plastic ball and made it into a Bob the Tomato piñata. I made a fabric Pin the Hat on Junior game and we had a veggie toss—little plastic veggies tossed into a farmer's basket. The three of us wore Veggie Tale shirts, which Rich and I still wear. David still talks about how much fun it was. We held it in the backyard and everyone had a wonderful time. And the ice cream cake was refreshing on a warm day.
You can check out more on these out of control parties and also ways to create a party on a budget here.