This year was the first time that we celebrated Matias' birthday at a venue, rather than at home. It went really well and considering that it was POURING rain that day, I was very happy to have booked a gymnastics party where the kids got to run around for 1.5 hours (especially since there were 14 of them)!
But, what I'm most happy about is the gift idea that I got from another mom. Instead of gifts for Matias, we had a "toonie party". This meant that each guest brought two toonies; no plastic toys from the dollar store, no wasted wrapping paper and no headache for the parents. Instead, they could bring two toonies. Matias would then take half the toonies ($2.00 coin in Canada) and use them to buy something he really wants for himself. The other half of the toonies, he will give to a charity or organization of his choosing. I love this idea! We have had some great conversations with Matias about who needs help and how we could help them. He hasn't decided for sure what he wants to do with the money, but I love the fact that he is thinking about it. I strongly believe that kids need to learn from an early age that they are able to contribute and "change the world".
