ridiculous kid parties
Ready to PartyIf you've never been to an over-the-top birthday party, you just might be missing out. You know the ones: Local celebrity musicians are being paid an exorbitant sum to entertain 4-year-olds, the cake is more impressive than the one at your wedding, the goodie bags cost about the same as the present you brought.

While I certainly enjoy attending these bashes, it's not something I ever thought I'd get on board with for my own kids. In fact, there's no way in hell I would spend more money, time, or effort on a kid party than I would on a weekend getaway. Yet, here I am looking down the barrel of a crazy birthday party situation, and shrugging as I give in to the madness.

How did this happen, exactly?

1) I decided that my kids' birthdays were close enough together so a combined party might be a better idea. Completely ignoring the fact that both kids have like 19 kids in their pre-school and kindergarten classes (each). While I'm not a math whiz, I do know that 19 plus 19 plus parents = a crap load of people at a party.

2) There was a LivingSocial deal! So what if I already have another form of entertainment lined up -- now I've got face painters and balloon animal twisters! Whoooo! Oh, and then there's that deal on the candy bar .... There it is, we've officially jumped into crazy party land.

3) I love it. The truth is, having a big blow-out is something I enjoy. Instead of praying for rain, or a ton of RSVPs in the negative, I hope this is a huge mess. My kids will love it, parents will shake their heads at the chaos, but I'll probably get a huge kick out of every single minute.

Then I'll go home and collapse, and swear, "Never again!"

Have you ever thrown a crazy party for your little one?