BlogHer - birthday - Comments

Hot Flashes

KarlaJoe — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:27:40 -0500

Your description of hot flashes brought on a hot flash for me! After my surgery that induced my menopause I was really turned off to hormones (even bio-identical) and pharmaceuticals so I've been trying to deal with my symptoms through natural medicine. I get regular acupuncture, take some Chinese herbs, and use one of these to cool my bed at night: http://www.chilitechnology.com/ I've also gone on an all organic whole food diet - and eliminated sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and refined flour. So far I think I have it managed, but I'm not 100% yet. Just wondering what else people are doing as I'm always looking for other solutions.

Food, Gift Certificates and no Gifts At All

Britt Bravo — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:29:41 -0500

Hi Kelly, Sara and Lucinda,

Thanks for all of your alternative gift ideas!

As someone who likes to cook I am particularly attraced to your idea, Lucinda. I've given bags of homemade granola as gifts before and people seem to appreciate it.

We often give the gift of food.

LucindaA — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:07:23 -0500

My husband is a fishing guide so we get our share of salmon. We have given away fresh, frozen or canned salmon depending upon the time of year. Or berries from the garden, cookies we have made, jam we have canned. Anything like that and it is always appreciated because it's something that person may not usually get.

Gift Certificates

InkAndPixelClub — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:45:06 -0500

My husband and I both like recieving gift certificates as presents. I know they sometimes get a bad reputation, because some people believe that it means you don't know the persons likes and dislikes well enough to pick out something specific. But to us, a gift certificaye is something we can use on what we want when we want, which is nice when we have a bunch of presents to enjoy at one time and could really use something we can save for later. For keeping the amount of stuff in the house down, iTunes gift certificates and gift certificates to restaurants we like are great. If we know the person giving the gift also likes that restaurant, we're usually happy to bring them along when we go to spend it.

I'm happy with any kind of gift that shows the giver is really thinking of me. For my last birthday, my parents gave me a DNA test for our beloved mixed breed dog and my music junkie dad gave me a personalized mix CD. Neither takes up much room, but both made me very happy.

Sara

www.inkandpixelclub.com

No gifts!

Kelly Logan — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:26:39 -0500

My friends and I don't give each other birthday gifts. We're grownups, we have everything we need - there's really no need for gifts. We do take each other out for a nice dinner.

Kelly Logan

Wonderful ideas

Britt Bravo — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:49:51 -0500

Hi Merna,

Thanks so much for sharing all of these great ideas!

Helping kids in need

merna — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:31:33 -0500

That's wonderful you want to celebrate your life by helping others! As far as sponsoring, how about sponsoring a child abroad so they can have another birthday too? Sadly, over 25,000 children die every day! That's 1 every 3.5 seconds (http://www.globalissues.org/article/715/today-over-25000-children-died-around-the-world).

I've sponsored a child through World Vision for years (http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/sponsor/learn-about-sponsorship) and have visited many of their impressive projects in Africa and the Middle East. I've also sponsored one through PLAN (http://www.planusa.org/sponsorachild/). Save the Children (http://www.savethechildren.org/sponsorship/learn.html) also has a child sponsorship program.

You could also ask people to refrain from giving you gifts and instead pick something out of World Vision's or Save the Children's gift catalogues (e.g. clean water, school suppies, etc.).

If they still insist on giving you a gift, shopping at Ten Thousand Villages provides fair wages to artisans in developing countries. If there's not a shop nearby, people can shop online (http://www.tenthousandvillages.com).

If you'd like to help local foster children, mentors are badly needed. Adult mentors provide love, support, and advocacy to children. i see you're in Oakland and Boy and Girls Club organizes this (https://volunteer.united-e-way.org/lcuw/org/opp/3839280-printer.html).

Have a Happy Birthday!!!

Ignoring it :)

Beth Engel — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:03:35 -0500

I've been ignoring my birthdays for the past five years or so. I like the idea of doing something that would benefit others, though. I guess one easy way is to ask my loved ones to use the money they usually spend on gifts for making a donation.

My mame is Beth Engel. I've been running my own online business, Epic Merchandise, where I sell personalized, engraved gifts, since 2003.

Thanks

Britt Bravo — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:05:06 -0500

Very helpful info!

Local Non Profit Organizations

Tina Lane — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:35:58 -0500

There may be a better way to do this but I would search your local nonprofit organizations to see who supports homeless and foster children. They are usually the ones who would support this kind of work. Legal Aid organizations are a good place to start. I recently listened to a speech from Victoria Rowell, from the Young & the Restless fame, who was once a foster child herself. She recommended calling local colleges and schools and asking to see if there were any children in the foster system in attendance that could be helped. www.floridagirlmidwest.blogspot.com

How do you sponsor a foster child

Britt Bravo — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:14:09 -0500

Hi Tina,

That is a lovely idea. How do you do that? I mean, are agencies that serve foster children set up to support that kind of thing? I know very little about how they work.

Sponsor A Child in Need

Tina Lane — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:54:10 -0500

You could sponsor a foster child in need and ask your friends to buy needed items for the child instead of bday gifts for you. You could even throw a party. www.floridagirlmidwest.blogspot.com

The best bar mitzvah I ever

Leighbra — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:57:14 -0500

The best bar mitzvah I ever attended had no food, or party afterwards. They ordered food, but after the ceremony, all of the guests were led by the man of honor to the local homeless shelter, to donate all of the food we would have gorged on, and tossed away.

It was the boy's idea, too. I've never been so proud.

His section of the Torah was about service to others, and it really motivated him.

Short of that, I do not wish I was in your place right now lol

Party Mayhem

FeeFiFoto — Mon, 25 May 2009 20:21:27 -0500

FeeFiFoto

I'm free of birthdaystravaganza planning just in time to begin planning a Bar Mitzvah that will keep up with the Jonesbergs, not so much because I or my son want it that way, but because my mother does.

Wow...birthday parties for kids!

BrownImani — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:29:45 -0500

Wow...birthday parties for kids ! They are outrageous. In my daughter's age group (9-12) many moms are getting hotel rooms for overnight. I guess the "party" is the night out and swimming in the pool late at night and ordering room service. This costs a couple a hundred dollars !! Talk about crazy. For my daughter, I do the same thing every year (it's Memorial Day weekend so that makes it nicer). I have a little cookout in the backyard, some balloons, ice cream & cake, her favorite songs on a cd and playing a little louder than I usually allow, and a few friends and cousins, aunts, uncle, Dad and grandparents. So far it is always fun. She will be 11 this year & always complains about "this is for babies" but she has the time of her life each year so I will keep it simple and cheap for as long as I can.