Birthday presents

The problem with having children with birthdays in August and September is that it's too far away from tax time, and too close to the winter holidays.  Money is always short, and there's a great deal of stress involved in trying to make sure your child(ren) have a good time for their birthdays.  To be honest, it really SUCKS when their birthdays come around and you're perpetually broke from trying to make ends meet, never mind trying to save up for Christmas/ Hanukkah/ whatever holiday you happen to celebrate at that time of the year.

This is why I have taken to trying to make gifts for my kids.  No, they don't always appreciate the work I put into their things, and they also don't always entirely LIKE the games/ toys they're given, but that never seems to make me stop trying.  This year, I am making my daughter a "doll-making kit", but I'm having difficulty thinking of what else I should give her.  I know birthdays shouldn't be all about gifts, and I do try to teach my kids that they're really not, but sometimes I feel like that is the best I can do for them when it comes to their birthdays, and since we may be away from their father when their birthdays roll around yet again, I feel like I really need to make sure that they get something really special from me, and hopefully Daddy will be able to move with us by Christmas.

Oh, before you ask, no my husband is NOT military.  He works for a local grocery store and is trying to get transferred to a store in our target area, but so far isn't really having much luck.  He's on the list for management, which is a good thing, but honestly, who knows how long that could take to actually get?  But since he doesn't want me homeschooling the Littles, and I refuse to put them back into the school system in the county where he lives (they did not help my younger son in the entire 5 years of school that they had him, in fact they did him more harm than good) it looks like we will have to find a home and move back to the area we were in for all of last year, provided we can find one that's in our target price range and size.  THAT is where we will likely run into some problems, as my budget for housing is EXTREMELY small, but I'll manage, I always do!  :)