Create Stress-Free Holidays & Special Events

Many women stress over holidays and special events, such as their children’s birthday parties or family reunions.  It can be hard to find the time it takes to get ready for these events when you are already pressed for time on a normal day! Here are some tips to help you streamline this process:

* Start planning for these events early.  If your child’s birthday is in August, it is okay to start planning the celebration in June.  That way, you’ll have plenty of time to get things done and you won’t feel rushed when the day draws near.

* When you start the planning process, start with the end date and work backwards.  If the party is on the 20th, you’ll want to send the invitations out by the 2nd, so you’ll need to buy them on the 15th of the prior month to make sure you’ll have enough time to prepare them. Use this method to plan each aspect of the party.

* Most stores are packed the week before Christmas.  Avoid this shopping rush by purchasing your gifts ahead of time.  Start shopping in September and October or avoid the stores all together and shop online.

* If you are hosting a party at your house, don’t waste time cooking all the food yourself.  Instead, make it a pot luck and cook only the main entrée; ask your guests to bring a side dish or dessert to pass.  If you are going to hold a large event, you may even want to consider having it catered. This doesn’t have to be formal; this can be as simple as getting a large party sub and a few salads from the deli.

* Many times, people will have several small celebrations for one event.  For example, a mom-to-be may have a baby shower for her side of the family, another one for her husband’s side of the family, and a third one for her friends.  If possible, hold one large shower and invite everyone. This will save you lots of time.

* If you work a lot of hours and simply do not have time to plan a party, consider hiring an event planner.  They specialize in this and can take the work off your hands, freeing you up to focus on other things.

* If you don’t want to worry about cleaning up after your guests, rent a space for your party, such as a conference room in a restaurant or an outdoor area in a park. If you want to hold the party in your home, you can always schedule a maid service to come over the day after the party and take care of the clean-up.

Create Stress-Free Holidays

Many women stress over holidays and special events, such as their children’s birthday parties or family reunions.  It can be hard to find the time it takes to get ready for these events when you are already pressed for time on a normal day! Here are some tips to help you streamline this process:

* Start planning for these events early.  If your child’s birthday is in August, it is okay to start planning the celebration in June.  That way, you’ll have plenty of time to get things done and you won’t feel rushed when the day draws near.

* When you start the planning process, start with the end date and work backwards.  If the party is on the 20th, you’ll want to send the invitations out by the 2nd, so you’ll need to buy them on the 15th of the prior month to make sure you’ll have enough time to prepare them. Use this method to plan each aspect of the party.

* Most stores are packed the week before Christmas.  Avoid this shopping rush by purchasing your gifts ahead of time.  Start shopping in September and October or avoid the stores all together and shop online.

* If you are hosting a party at your house, don’t waste time cooking all the food yourself.  Instead, make it a pot luck and cook only the main entrée; ask your guests to bring a side dish or dessert to pass.  If you are going to hold a large event, you may even want to consider having it catered. This doesn’t have to be formal; this can be as simple as getting a large party sub and a few salads from the deli.

* Many times, people will have several small celebrations for one event.  For example, a mom-to-be may have a baby shower for her side of the family, another one for her husband’s side of the family, and a third one for her friends.  If possible, hold one large shower and invite everyone. This will save you lots of time.

* If you work a lot of hours and simply do not have time to plan a party, consider hiring an event planner.  They specialize in this and can take the work off your hands, freeing you up to focus on other things.

* If you don’t want to worry about cleaning up after your guests, rent a space for your party, such as a conference room in a restaurant or an outdoor area in a park. If you want to hold the party in your home, you can always schedule a maid service to come over the day after the party and take care of the clean-up.

Ginger Ghouls

Who said gingerbread cookies were only for Christmas?

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar  
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
1 cup molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons warm water
1/4 cup raisins for decorating
Different color gel icing

Instructions:

Cream together shortening, sugar, egg and warm molasses.  Dissolve baking soda in warm water, and then add to the egg mixture. Next, add flour, spices and salt,  mix it all up until well blended.  Cover and chill overnight.  Prepare a floured surface and get out the rolling pin and cookie cutters.  Cut out gingerbread men (or other Halloween like shapes!) and place an inch or two apart on a greased cookie sheet.  Use raisins and cinnamon candies for eyes, buttons, etc.  Then add gel icing to make bloody legs, arms, and dripping eyeballs! 

Kids’ Toys: To Keep or Not to Keep?

As your children continue to get more toys with each passing birthday, Christmas and other special occasions, space becomes a premium, and clutter can begin to take over. So how do you keep it in check and still enjoy giving them new things? You have to balance “out with the old and in with the new”. If there are toys that are broken, or games and puzzles with missing pieces, they can probably be thrown away.

Why not set aside different times of year that you go through all of the toys and decide what needs to be given away? This can be a month or so before birthdays and Christmas. However, if you wait until after they get new things, they might be more willing to part with the older toys. It is important to talk to the children about it beforehand, if they are old enough to understand. Let them help decide which toys they might want to give away.

As the children go through their toys, let the younger siblings see if there is anything they’d like to keep from their older brothers or sisters, but if they do they have to give up something from their toys. Try to keep it even with how much the kids are getting rid of, as you don’t want them to feel like they are sacrificing more than the others.

If the weather is nice, you could even encourage your children to participate in a family yard sale. They get to keep the money for any of their things they sell. This takes a bit more thought and organization. First, they have to make sure that what they are selling is in good enough shape to sell, and that all the pieces are there.

One important thing to keep in mind, especially with the younger children, is to give them time to adjust to the idea of giving things away. Young children can often be generous with their things, but then later realize they gave away a “favorite” toy. Let them practice for a few days, or even weeks. Put the things away in a box where they can’t get them. If they realize they don’t miss the toys, then they should be ok with going ahead and getting rid of them.

It is also good to encourage sharing their blessings by donating some nicer toys and games they’ve outgrown. There are many charities that take gently used books, toys and games, including hospitals and shelters. This is a great way of not only reducing the clutter in your home, but also helping someone less fortunate.

Valentine’s Gift Ideas for Teens

By the time kids reach their teen years, so many things that parents do can seem sappy and dull. Gifts on Valentine’s Day can become one of those things. This year, give a gift that shows your teen that parental love is still a cool thing to have in their lives.

Teens these days are into vintage and eclectic things. This includes their clothes, shoes and gadgets. Think of a throwback gift that you can surprise your teen with that will get you a hug or at least a smile of gratitude. Remember the Rubik’s cube or the magic 8 ball? These gifts are especially fun for a girl.

What about your son? He could use a Nerf football or basketball. Every boy should have an over-the-door basketball hoop in his room. Making a few baskets helps him to think over his problems or just let off some steam. He would enjoy the Rubik’s cube or a Simon game. Nowadays they make these kinds of games pocket size and keychain size.

When I was a teen, my walls were covered in posters. The posters were of celebrity idols and movie scenes. Find out what kids of movies, music celebrities, and games your kids like and get them some new posters. They’ll be surprised that you even know where to find those posters.

Gifts from the heart show that you are interested and care about their life and their passions. They may be interested in the guitar this week. Even though you have a sneaking suspicion that next week they will want to be an artist, give them a gift certificate for a few free guitar lessons. At least they will have a chance to try it out and see if they really want to play the guitar.

Girls and guys like jewelry. Surprise your daughter with a necklace and earring set in the color of her birthstone. Boys are usualy more into silver rings or necklaces. Instead of choosing a piece of jewelry for him, get a gift card to the jewelry store and let him pick out his own accessories.

Create some cards that they can redeem for free services around the house. If your teen is on the younger side, they might appreciate getting to stay up an extra half hour, a free movie, or a sleepover with friends. Older teens would like an extra half hour or hour out with friends on the weekends or extra driving time in the family car.

A good way to choose gifts for Valentine’s Day for your teen is to look at what they didn’t get from their Christmas list. If there was something that you couldn’t get at that time, you can choose from those things and get a Valentine’s Day gift. This could be an electronic toy or even a new cell phone.

Give a special card to your teen. This card doesn’t have to come from a store. If you have a card creating program on your computer, you can make it as lavish as you want. Express to them how you feel about them and how proud of them you are. A card is a keepsake that they can look back on in days, months and years to come and remind themselves of your feelings.

Valentine’s Day affections don’t have to be lost on your teen. Think of something that would interest them. They may act annoyed by it, but deep down they will cherish the sentiment forever.

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