Something I'm really working on is being in the moment. It's really hard to do that if you're also trying to preserve the moment for posterity. My sister-in-law has a nice camera and a great eye, so I asked her if she would take photos of the birthday party for me. I wasn't disappointed. I have beautiful pictures to look back on plus my actual memories of the event.

I included a "no presents, please" request on the invitation. It was a tough decision because I didn't want to appear rude or ungrateful, but my daughter is a very lucky little girl and wants for nothing. She really doesn't need presents. I don't want her to start expecting boatloads of gifts, so I figured we might as well start when she's young.

It didn't totally work (you try telling a grandma she can't buy a birthday present for her grandchild), but I think it helped people at least give in moderation. It was kind of selfish in a way, too, because I wanted my kiddo to really appreciate her gift from her dad and me. It was so nice to watch her take the time to enjoy her play tent rather than simply move on to the next thing.

There was no way I was going to pull this off by myself. Fortunately, I have an awesome cadre of army family and in-laws who are more than willing to pitch in. During the festivities, they helped with getting people beverages, serving food, and cleaning up. And I let them.

I charged my husband with grilling hot dogs. Wouldn't you know that he got called in to work that morning. He ended up getting back in time, but I'd already conned one of baby girl's honorary uncles into being grill master in his absence.

I didn't want to be doing any cooking during the actual party, so I threw some chili in the crockpot the morning of. My husband grilled hot dogs and prepared the fixings, and my family brought all the side dishes. I think all I had to do was put out the cookies and cake that I'd made ahead of time.

I love Pinterest, but I refuse to be a slave to it. I made a board, but I limited myself to choosing five pins. The one crafty project I did (besides that labor of love of a cake) was melting tea lights in the oven and putting sprinkles on them. I also made a banner of her monthly photos that I later gifted to her great-grandma. I did enough to make me happy, but not so much that I was too pooped to party.

We hosted my daughter's cousins and one little friend. We have tons of toys at our house, so I figured the kids could entertain themselves. A 1-year-old kid isn't going to be able to join in on organized games, anyway. This mom didn't feel like she needed to referee a piñata-slaying, or even a bean bag toss, to be honest. Nope, I had stuff to do.

Judge away, but I had a glass of chardonnay in my hand for most of the celebration. Honestly, hosting that many people can be stressful, and I personally like a little something to take the edge off. It's not like I was stumbling around tripping on streamers or anything.

I guess I'm like the Scrooge of birthdays, but I think that if you're already getting cake and cookies, you don't also need a giant sack of candy to take home. Party favors are nice, but I didn't want to have to worry about making sure everyone got theirs on the way out for fear of being stuck with a dozen bags of sh*t that no one in this house needs to eat anyway.

Yeah, my kid is 1, so her friends are the children of people whose company I enjoy. My in-laws are the business, and my army family is just that: family. Everyone takes care of their own kids, so I didn't have to worry about monster-wrangling. I actually spent most of the time visiting with people I love.

By the way, my daughter had a great time. Sometimes, as a mom, you have to take some steps to make sure your enjoyment and your children's aren't mutually exclusive. I did, and I don't regret it.