i have come to realize that "birthday party season" is not a season, but rather a euphemism for the over-whelmed to describe what is, in fact, the entire school year.
here is a website to help. CHANGING THE PRESENT is a great place to browse with your kids to pick out meaningful gifts for their friends.
buy flowers for a playground ($5), books for kids in need ($15), feed horses ($12) or buy toys for children needing aid in recovering ($20).
the lesson: every chance to give is a chance to help.
***added bonus: not having to make that trip to the toy store, which inevitably winds up with you bringing home more stuff that your kids didn't need.
