Let’s take it back a little shall we? I have been doing a lot of reminiscing lately and I am wondering what it would be like to be a time traveler, just to go back and revisit all of the amazing things that have happened throughout life. Maybe I’m really envisioning more of a time observer. It’s not really that I want to relive my childhood, but I would love to be able to see myself in those moments that have made the best memories. How great would that be?

If you think I am just over here babbling incoherently, I really do have a point. When I turned 9 years old, my mother threw me a birthday party that I still remember to this day. It was my best birthday ever. All of my friends showed up, I got amazing gifts (hello, Dirty Dancing Cassette Tape Soundtrack), and we played musical games and oh my goodness was it fun. That genuinely may be my favorite childhood memory. My friends and I playing musical chairs, us trying to play “old McDonald” on our recorders (do you remember those?), and doing a lot of singing and dancing, all of those memories have turned into a wonderful moment in my life that I wouldn’t change for anything. As a parent, I have longed to create those kind of memories for my children, but I always feel like I never quite reach the level that I am looking for. More recently though, I have been thinking back on that specific birthday party of mine and realizing just how simple it really was. My mom didn’t rent a facility for party, she didn’t plan out big games or a fancy menu (I literally think we ate hot dogs and mac & cheese), it was just us kids, the music and each other creating fun.

So for my son’s upcoming birthday, I believe I will be taking it back those days. I am going to provide a simple menu, a birthday cake and all the music the kids could want. I won’t have to worry about finding that perfect cassette tape gift though, so that’s a plus. We will break out my phone and our favorite bluetooth speaker and create a playlist that my son loves (don’t you just love technology sometimes?) and then we are going to let the kids get creative with their music. I mean, isn’t part of having fun as a kid, the loud noises that you get to make? That’s why I am going to let them make their own music with their Bright Stripe Musical Instrument Sets. They are going to love it. If your kids don’t yet have these instrument sets, I highly encourage you to give them a try. They are bright, colorful and yes, loud, but so much fun! I am a big believer in embracing and encouraging kids’ creativity and that goes for letting them play music!

Here are some of my favorite musical instrument sets:

bright stripe 6-piece instrument set - I like this one because it contains so many fun instruments that multiple kids can play at once.

stripe harmonica - Every kid needs a harmonica in their life, don’t you think? The harmonica is a simple way to get your child started, plus they are inexpensive! At the time of writing this, they are less than $5 each, so I can order enough for each child at the party to have one.

bright stripe maracas - Okay, let’s be real here. Do you remember a single time in your childhood when playing with maracas wasn’t a blast? I remember that they were always the instrument that kids grabbed first when it was time to create music.

Don’t get me wrong though, I will still decorate for the party, I just don’t plan to kill myself over the small details. I love that in addition to the musical instruments, I can also grab some fun decor and accessories here at Sassafrass for the perfect, simple party.

Check out some of the stuff I found to accessorize the party:

Candles - There are so many cute candle sets to choose from, but I believe I will be going with these adorable sea life candles.

Ice Cream Sundaes - I also think I will be making ice cream sundaes to go with the cake. This set of 4 ice cream sundae cups is perfect for serving to little hands and they are adorable. Don’t forget the spoons and the ice cream scoop too!

Now that I have the simple basics planned and the fun accessories ordered, the only issue I have left is a gift. For some reason, I just don’t think that Dirty Dancing Soundtrack (on cassette tape, of course) will make him quite as happy as it did me. If you need me, I’ll be strolling the video game aisle…...