Keeping up with the Joneses

Little Miss had her 1st Birthday this past week! It's been a week of parties, parties, parties. Home parties, friend parties, family parties. And while this week has been so happy and lovely, there's been one small regret which is silly, really. This economy and my stay-at-home Mummy status has meant that we don't have much disposable income which has definitely affected what we're able to give our Little Miss. Namely, hardly anything! :( We've received some lovely gifts from family and friends and Little Miss is loved and happy. But, why then, do I feel guilty about not having much for her? I guess it's because I'm trying to keep up with the Joneses. Little Miss' friends got sooooo many things! Trampolines, ball pits, swing sets, toys, toys, toys. In fairness, Little Miss did get the Smart Trike that all her friends have so we are in the loop on that front. I want for her to have nice things and fun things...things that entertain her and inspire her and allow her to PLAY. I want for her to go to Tumble Tots where she'd thrive in such a physical environment (she's a mover and a shaker, Little Miss is) but it's not in the budget! This is one of the sacrifices we have made for me to stay home with Little Miss and I wouldn't give that up for the world. I do miss being able to afford things for us but much more than that, I hate that our budget is so limited for Little Miss as well. Again, this is a bit silly as Little Miss has lots of clothes, lots of love and enough toys to keep her busy and mostly entertained. We have friends that we can visit (who now have Activity Centres in their living rooms) and we can mooch their toys. We attend classes at our local Sure Start Children's Centre so Little Miss is educated and having fun. That should be enough, shouldn't it? But there's still this lingering regret...I want Little Miss to have the world and we want to be the one to give it to her. Maybe someday, when the economy improves we'll find ourselves in a better position...