A Birthday Tradition

I've mentioned this before on my Birthday Freebies list, but I wanted to mention it again because it has become a fun tradition for the girls and me. When you sign your child up for the Toys R Us birthday club, they get a $3 off any $3 purchase gift card every year for their birthday (ages 2-10). So every year around each girl's birthday, she and I go alone into the store to pick out a special treasure with their gift card. They know it has to be something they can afford with the gift card, so we carefully comb through the store looking for something that is $5 or less, and it is such a thrill for them! Some things we have found in the past are bubbles, workbooks, glow-in-the-dark stars, a fun sprinkler, a cool pen and pencil set, stickers, and other treasures.

Once they've decided (I usually give them a few choices based on what we've found), we take it up to pay. Then I tell the cashier it is the child's birthday ask for a birthday balloon. The girls are always on cloud nine and can't wait to show their sisters and Daddy what they bought! We obviously see all sorts of other fun things, but I simply tell them that that item is too much and we don't have enough on the gift card to buy that today, so it's also a great lesson on self-control and stewardship, since they can't pick anything in the store.

If you'd like to sign up, do so at least 8 weeks before your child's birthday. Get more info here.