A: Roll out the "Birthday Mobile!"
Here is a fun, inexpensive, easy, and exciting way to make any child wake up with a smile on his/her birthday. Decorate a "Birthday Mobile!" Go to a local art supply store — like Michael's Art Supply — and pick up washable or erasable markers, the type in which you can write on windows (I used Crayola Washable Window Markers). Decorate the back window with your child's name and "Happy 5th," "Susie's Birthday Mobile!" or whatever else is appropriate.

Get creative and crazy. For example, I asked several of my six-year-old daughter's friends and my other children decorate one car window each. They drew their own pictures and wrote their own messages. We also had customized T-shirts made for everyone, with "Susie's 5th" on the front (a lot of neighborhood card stores and copy shops make these for $5–10 each, and you can pick your artwork).

When my daughter woke up on her birthday, we pulled the car up to go out for a birthday breakfast and saw a glowing, ear-to-ear smile on her face that is worth everything. Have fun and make your child's birthday one to remember!