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Adopting a pet? Consider these tips
Things to Consider Before Adopting a Rescue Pet
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has your child been asking you to get them a dog or cat, are they beginning to wear you down? there are options to consider.You could purchase a pet from a pet store or you could adopt a pet from a local shelter. The following are things to consider before adopting a rescue pet...
Date Published: Mar 01, 2011 - 8:21 am
Mardi Gras – The Historic Facts
Mardi Gras – The Historic Facts
Date Published: Feb 24, 2011 - 7:42 am
Mardis Gras Historic facts 2011
http://shopmsg.webstarts.com/uploads/Mardi_gras.pdf
Date Published: Feb 23, 2011 - 7:17 pm
Make Your Own Mardi Gras Mask for 2011
There are millions of People each year that celebrate Mardi Gras prior to Ash Wednesday. Those celebrating in cities such as New Orleans can be seen wearing those elaborately decorated masks. The following will show you how to make your own Mardi Gras masks for your own festivities.
Items you’ll need include: More
Need food for your festivities?
Date Published: Feb 21, 2011 - 9:42 am
Students and Exam Stress: Coping Strategies
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in college?, then you’re guaranteed to have tests. Unfortunately many students won't handle the stress of taking test well. Here are some tips and strategies to help you you get through those stressful exams. More............
Date Published: Feb 18, 2011 - 7:59 pm
Earth Day Ideas
Fun and Environmentally Friendly Earth Day Craft
Children want to feel like they can contribute something to
society. Many of them are more environmentally aware than their
parents because of what they learn in school. Try these fun and
environmentally friendly Earth Day crafts to reuse and recycle
some of the items around your home.
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Earth Day Celebration Ideas
Theres only one earth in the whole universe and its up to those
living here to take care of it. Thats the idea behind Earth Day
Celebrations. Each year millions of people find ways to take
better care of the planet and these Earth Day celebration ideas
will give you ample opportunities to show how much you care about
the planet on which we live.
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How to Have a Fun and Frugal Eco Earth Day Party
Earth day was first celebrated April 22, 1970 and has steadily
grown each year since then. If youve never really observed Earth
Day, this year would be a great time to do so. Use some of these
ideas for having a fun and frugal Earth Day.
Decide the best date and time to have your Earth Day Party.
More
Date Published: Feb 14, 2011 - 9:49 am
Delicious Seasonal Recipes for the Whole Family
There’s nothing quite like going out to your own garden, picking fresh fruits and vegetables and then bringing them in to use in delicious seasonal recipes for the whole family. The fruits and vegetables can be picked at the peak of freshness and flavor. The taste is out of this world!
Even though your garden is still relatively new, you can still look forward to beginning to harvest fruits and vegetables as early as four weeks after planting. Depending upon what you planted, by early spring you may have asparagus, carrots, and greens including chard and bok choy. You may also have green onions, lettuce, mint, several varieties of peas, radishes, spinach, strawberries, sweet onions and turnips to create delicious seasonal recipes. Here are two for you to try:
Spring Spinach and Strawberry Salad
* 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
* 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon paprika
* 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tablespoon minced onion
* 10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
* 1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
* 1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
To create this salad, you’ll want to start with the salad dressing. Put all of the ingredients except the last three into a medium bowl and whisk them together. Cover this and set it into the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.
Wash and spin dry the spinach. Wash, hull and slice the strawberries. Next, in a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss it to coat evenly. This is best served cold, so you’ll want to refrigerate it for at least 15 minutes before serving it.
Lemon Asparagus Pasta
* 1-1/2 pounds asparagus
* 1 pound bow-tie pasta
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 3/4 cup heavy cream
* 2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (approximately 3 lemons)
* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
* 3/4 teaspoons salt
* 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
* Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Trim and cut the asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces cut on the diagonal. Boil or steam it until it is crisp-tender which is about 3 minutes. Rinse the asparagus in a colander with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain it well and set it aside.
Add 5 quarts of salted water in a large kettle for the pasta. Bring it to a boil. While waiting for the water, heat a 12-inch deep skillet over moderately low heat. Add the butter and cream and allow the butter to melt. Stir in the salt, lemon juice and zest. Remove it from heat but keep it warm by covering it.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and boil until it reaches the al dente stage. This will take about 8 minutes. Spoon 1/4 cup of the pasta water into the sauce and then drain the pasta in the colander. Immediately add the asparagus and pasta to the sauce. Cook this over medium heat, tossing it frequently, until it is heated through. Toss the parsley and season to taste. Sprinkle parmesan over the pasta and serve.
These are only two delicious season recipes for the whole family to enjoy. You can find more by looking through cookbooks, magazines or watching cooking shows on television. Remember to choose fruits and vegetables your family loves when finding recipes for seasonal foods.
Date Published: Feb 12, 2011 - 3:10 pm
How to Throw a Great Easter Party
Tips and Tricks for Throwing a Great Easter Party
How to Throw a Great Easter Party
INTRODUCTION
Spring is a wonderful time of year. There’s new life all around with flowers beginning to bloom, trees budding out and baby animals being born. It is during this time of the year that people all around the world celebrate in one way or another.
Christians commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jewish people observe Passover. Pagans honor the Vernal Equinox and arrival of spring. Even people who have no particular religious belief system often recognize the beginning of spring by having secular celebrations.
If you’re planning an Easter celebration for your children, you may want to read the following tips and tricks for throwing a great Easter party. This report will offer a history of Easter celebrations, how to plan your party and how to incorporate an Easter egg hunt for your children and guests to enjoy. You can use the suggestions which appeal to you most and combine them with ideas you may have of your own. Between your own ideas and those in this report you’re sure to have a great Easter party and Easter egg hunt your children will remember for years to come.
A short history of spring time or Easter celebrations
Mankind has recognized the importance of the Vernal Equinox for thousands of years. The reasoning behind organizing celebrations at this time is due to the new life often associated with spring. Here are a few of the historical festivals of spring:
* No Ruz, a 12-day festival of Iran which is related to the ancient Persian festival based on Zoroastrianism, was a festival of rebirth and hope. It began shortly after the vernal equinox which is also the beginning of the new year for Iranians. Those celebrating No Ruz often spend time with family and outdoors.
* Italians have been celebrating the Feast of Cybele since ancient times. The feast honored Cybele, a Phrygian fertility goddess, and the resurrection of her grandson/lover Attis. It was celebrated during the spring. Some Italians still celebrate Hilaria, from March 15 to March 28, in honor of Cybele and Attis.
* Those of Jewish descent celebrate Passover in the spring. It is one of three annual festivals in which Jewish men are supposed to travel to Jerusalem. Historically it commemorates the Death Angel’s passing over the homes of Hebrews on the 15th of Nisan and the Hebrew’s exodus from Egyptian slavery. Immediately following Passover is the Feast of Unleavened Bread which generally includes a thorough house cleaning to remove all leaven (which represents sin) from the home and the people’s lives. This may be the beginning of spring cleaning.
* Christians the world over have been celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth for around 2,000 years. Since that time, some of the pagan celebrations have been absorbed by Christianity in an attempt by the Catholic Church to bring all people to this religion.
* Buddhists in Japan celebrate Higan during both the vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox. They have been national holidays since the mid-1800s. This time of spiritual observation is spent remembering the dead whereas family will visit, clean and decorate the graves of their loved ones. Imperial ancestors are also worshipped during this time.
* The newest observation of the vernal equinox (which began in 1970) is Earth Day which generally falls on April 22. This day has been embraced by people from many nations, religions and cultural backgrounds. Those celebrating Earth Day learn about protecting the planet by planting trees, cleaning up roadsides and other public places, and recycling rather than disposing of many items.
As you can see, people have been celebrating the beginning of spring for a very long time. When you’re thinking about having an Easter party for children in your life, you know you’ll be following in a long line of celebrations and festivals at the same time of year.
The five Ws and an H of throwing an Easter party
Before you can plan any party, you’ll want to determine a date, time and location. Having the party as close to Easter Sunday as possible is preferable. Depending upon the other events your family generally attends around this weekend, you may want to have your party up to a week before.
Know when - What time you choose to have the party may be determined by whether you want something formal or informal. Think about the ages of the children who will attend and you’ll have a better idea of what time to plan your party. If the major activity of the party will be the Easter egg hunt, you may want to have the party after lunch so the children can enjoy some of the candy they find.
Know where - You’ll also want to think about where you’ll have the party. Some people choose their own yard but you could also check into renting an area of a local park or someone else’s home. In most cases, particularly if you have an Easter egg hunt, you’ll want someplace with a large enough area to hide eggs for younger children. You’ll also want there to be good hiding places for older children. Be aware, however, that spring time weather can be unpredictable and you may have to move the party indoors. You’ll want to think about what you’ll do if the weather doesn’t cooperate.
Know why - This part of the equation may determine the ‘what’. Some people simply want to have a get-together to celebrate the arrival of spring. Others want to incorporate elements of their faith. Knowing why you’re giving the party will give you better ideas about what to do during the party as well as the tone the party will have.
Know who - Once you have the party particulars planned, next you’ll want to decide who will be invited. How many people are you planning the party for? Will you have the party for your own immediate family or are extended family members (cousins, nieces, nephews, etc.) also invited? Are the children allowed to invite friends? If so, how many friends can each child invite? Your answers to these questions will affect how much space you’ll need as well as give you an idea of what type of budget the party will require.
Know what - Since the party is going to be during the spring and around Easter, your theme is pretty well set. You will, however, want to think about the type of decorations needed. If the party is for young children you may want to use cartoon-like bunnies, lambs and chicks. Many people believe young children are too young to understand much of the religious aspects of Easter, so having a spring party may be a better choice.
Having a party for older children, particularly those you know very well, may afford you the opportunity to bring some of the spiritual aspects into the plans. Of course, if your family doesn’t believe or attend religious services, you can simply recognize the newness of spring and leave the spiritual out of it entirely.
Teens will have their own thoughts about an Easter party, so you may want to get their ideas. Incorporate as many of those ideas or allow them to have their own party in the living room while the younger children hunt eggs or play games. Remember that you’ll want to make your presence known during the teen’s party to keep problems to a minimum.
Plan something for the adults who will bring their children. You could ask a teen or young adult to be in charge of the children’s part of the festivities. This will leave you with time to entertain the parents. If you have the party before lunch, plan a brunch for all in attendance, but add adult fare during the time the children are searching for Easter eggs.
The nuts and bolts of the party
Now that you know the five Ws and an H of throwing a party, you can begin thinking about the nuts and bolts. How much money do you plan to spend? What will you need to purchase in order to have a great party?
Invitations are going to be a necessity but they don’t have to be expensive. In fact, why not take advantage of today’s technology by using online invitations from services such as Evite, Sendomatic or MyPunchbowl? You can cut down on postage costs by using these services and then send printed invitations to people who don’t have an email account.
Decorations will also be necessary. You can use flowers to decorate tables if you’re hosting a brunch. A large, filled Easter basket may also be a good idea for the centerpiece. You could also use small stuffed lambs, bunnies or chicks to decorate tables. If your children don’t have the animals you need, purchase a few and use them as prizes if you plan games. Decorating will also include paper goods such tablecloths, plates, cups, napkins and silverware. Helium-filled balloons are also a good decoration. Think about using pastel colors to match the colors of spring.
Food and drinks are probably the largest expense when throwing any party. An Easter party isn’t going to be any different. What types of food you’ll need for the party will depend upon the type of party you’re throwing.
If you’re having a brunch you may want to have scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, various types of muffins and fresh fruit such as grapes, strawberries, orange wedges and apples. Beverages for a brunch would include water, coffee, tea and orange juice.
Parties which are later in the day will most likely have simple finger foods such as small sandwiches, chips, fresh vegetable sticks, cupcakes and decorated Easter cookies. Water, soft drinks or punch can be served as beverages. Don’t forget to have plenty of ice for beverages. What you have on the menu can be as simple or elaborate as you choose. If you’re trying to save money the simpler the foods needed the better for your wallet.
You may want to consider asking some of the guests to help defray the food and beverage costs by bringing something. Perhaps one family could bring drinks, another could bring chips and dip, someone else could bring cut up veggies and another could bring cupcakes. Accept any help you can get, no one will think any less of you if you don’t do everything yourself.
Seating may be a large expense if you don’t have enough for everyone you invited. You may be able to borrow chairs and tables but you may have to rent them. Don’t forget to include this cost in your budget.
Games can be fun at a party but they’re not necessary. Most children will be satisfied having a snack and an Easter egg hunt. You, however, may want to plan a few. Whether or not the guests actually play them is entirely up to you and your children. Have guests guess how many candy jelly beans or chocolate eggs are in a jar (the person with the closest guess gets the jar) to something more time consuming like musical chairs. Ask your children what types of games they want at their party, if any. If you do have games, you may want to come up with a few small prizes to give out which may be an additional expense on your budget.
Plastic Easter eggs will also be an expense you’ll want to plan for. To determine how many eggs you’ll need, make a list of all children who will attend the party. Try to have at least 10 eggs for each child. Of course, there’s no guarantee that each child will find that number of eggs, but you don’t want to have to purchase too many plastic eggs. Included in the expense for the Easter egg hunt, you’ll want to include the cost of candy, small prizes, loose change and a few dollar bills.
It might also be a good idea to purchase a $1.00 basket for each child attending the party as well as grass to place inside. Providing a basket may limit the number of eggs each child takes home. If the child can’t fit more than 10 eggs in their basket, they aren’t quite as likely to try to find too many.
The above items are the most common expenses when throwing an Easter party. You may be able to think of other expenses that aren’t listed here. If you do, simply add those into budget to help you keep control on the cost.
Preparing for the party
Make as much food as you can in advance so you won’t feel so stressed. Some people enjoy making egg salad or other types of sandwiches. These can be made a couple of days in advance and kept in the refrigerator. Whatever you can do before the party will make the day of the party go much smoother.
Keep non-refrigerated foods put up or stored in a separate location from the rest of your family’s food. This will keep your family from accidentally eating it. Having it all in one place will also ensure you can find everything when you need it.
Try to wait a day or so before the party to do a thorough clean up in your home. The chances are that if you do a thorough cleaning a week before the party it’ll be messy again before party day. Obviously you can do some cleaning before hand, but expect you’ll also have to do some cleaning the day before or even the day of the party. Be sure to get your family, especially the children who are the beneficiaries of the party, involved in cleaning. There’s no reason you should have to do it all on your own.
This is often overlooked when planning parties, and it may seem insignificant, but you’ll want to ensure you have plenty of bathroom tissue, paper towels and soap on hand in the bathrooms. You’re going to have extra people in your home and they’re going to have to use the restroom. It would be terrible to run out of these important items in the middle of the party because if it happens someone will have to go out and get more.
Set up the area for the party including tables and chairs if you’re having a sit-down meal. If you’re having finger foods you’ll need a table for the food and seating for the guests. These can be set up the night before so you’ll have one less thing to do the day of the party.
If you’ll be using part of your house for seating, remove anything that might be important to you and could possibly be damaged. Even though guests don’t intend to do so, accidents do happen. By moving these items out of the area where guests will be, you’ll be able to keep your precious items safe. Be sure to lock doors to rooms that guests don’t need to enter or put a sign on the door asking people to stay out.
Prepare the plastic Easter eggs several days before the party. You can fill the eggs with pre-wrapped candy, small toys, stickers or money. If you choose to put money in the eggs you’ll want to have quarters, fifty-cent pieces and one dollar bills which can be folded up before putting them in the eggs. If you want to give away larger items, you can write down what the item is on a sheet of paper and place that in the egg. Write ‘congratulations’ on a sheet of paper which is folded and then put it in an egg. You can give the lucky child who found this special egg a prepared Easter basket.
Wait to decorate the party area until the day of the party. This will ensure the balloons are still full of air, nothing is falling down and things don’t get wet from the dew. Again, ask your family or a friend to help you with the final decorations so you have time to get ready.
Set the food out right before the party. You can either set the tables with place settings or set the food up buffet style, whichever is easier for you. Don’t forget to have a cooler filled with ice for beverages. You may want to have one person in charge of pouring drinks so little ones don’t spill anything while trying to fill their glass.
Get yourselves ready. Have everyone chip in to get everything ready for the party before you change into your party clothes. This will ensure your clothes don’t get dirty and you look your best when guests begin arriving. Ask one person to be in charge of greeting guests. Have a designated place to store jackets if necessary.
Go have fun. Don’t forget that the party isn’t just for the children. There will be adults at the party, too. Make sure you take care of replenishing food items but don’t spend so much time ‘working’ the party that you don’t have fun.
The ‘big’ event
The children will probably want to start hunting for eggs when they first arrive but what kind of fun is that? Let the children know that they’ll have the Easter egg hunt right before they go home. This will give you an opportunity to play games, eat and visit before the children disappear to find eggs.
Ask any fathers who have come with their children to help hide Easter eggs while the children are occupied with other things. Dads generally are good at hiding eggs because they think differently than moms. Give them some guidelines - no hiding eggs in thorny plants, animal homes, holes in trees or the ground, around outdoor electrical outlets or in animal food or water dishes. Of course, you may want to have them count how many eggs are being hidden and then write down where they hide the eggs so they can all be found.
There are a couple of ways you can deal with hiding the eggs. You can have separate areas in the yard for the youngest children (3 to 6) and one for the older children (7-10 or so). You can also color code the eggs so the pastel eggs are for the younger children while the darker colors are for the older kids. You’ll also want to let the older children know that there is a 10 egg limit but they are free to help the younger kids find eggs after they’ve met their quota.
Once the fathers return to the party and let you know the hunting can begin, hand out baskets with grass to each child. It would also be a good idea to have stickers or a couple of permanent markers to write names on them so children can identify their baskets if they are set down.
Explain any rules you have for the egg hunt. For instance, everyone has to stay in your yard. No one is allowed in the front yard. All eggs are hidden in a specific area or something along those lines. You decide what rules there are since it’s your party. If a child doesn’t want to follow the rules, ask them to sit with their parents but have some candy eggs available so they get some, too.
When everyone has a basket and has agreed to the rules, let the younger children begin searching for the eggs. Give them about 5 to 10 minutes to find them. A parent may want to help a toddler find eggs. Once the designated time is up let the older kids loose. Be sure to take plenty of pictures.
What about the weather?
There’s no guarantee nature will cooperate with your party plans, so you’ll want to have an indoor contingency plan. The process is the same for an outdoor party you’ll just have less room to move around and fewer places to hide the eggs.
If you have a video about spring or Easter, you may want to have the children watch that to keep them occupied while the eggs are hidden. When hiding eggs indoors you want to be sure to avoid things which may be knocked down, avoid electrical outlets and keep them all hidden in one large room.
For those parties where there are a large number of children, you may want to break the egg hunts into groups according to age. Hide a certain number of eggs for the youngest children and then let them hunt first. When they’ve found those eggs, hide some for the next age group. This will continue until everyone has had an opportunity to hunt for eggs and all of them have been found.
Since you’ve had to move the party and egg hunt indoors, don’t be shy about asking for help cleaning up. Of course, you won’t want to ask people you’ve just met to help, but you could ask extended family and close friends. They’ll most likely start picking up before you ask but don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it and they don’t offer.
Ask the person who took jackets to retrieve them and hand them out as guests are preparing to leave. Be sure to thank guests for coming. Once everyone is gone you can sit down and relax for a few minutes before you finish cleaning up.
Conclusion
Begin thinking about having an Easter party and egg hunt as early as you can so you have time to do everything. Even though the party doesn’t have to be elaborate, there are quite a few things to consider. You can use these tips and tricks for throwing a great Easter party to help you have the best party possible.
Date Published: Feb 12, 2011 - 3:04 pm
Funny Scary Girl Hits Golf Ball off Teeth (History's Playlist)-Sports
Date Published: Mar 17, 2012 - 7:49 pm
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