Your Halloween party decorations will probably include the standard range of items, but there are some simple little extra tricks you can easily add that will add a scary surprise, and give your guests a chilling fright and cause a few screams.

You will no doubt be planning plenty of carved pumpkin jack-o-lanterns lit with candles placed around your party room, their ghoulish faces gleaming in the subdued lighting. Luminous images of ghosts and ghouls of all description can be bought and hung to glow in the low lighting around the walls of the room. Gossamer cloth or commercial imitation spider web quickly creates a haunted house atmosphere.

Suspending decoration items like bats, flying witches on broom sticks, large hairy spiders, balloons with ghostly faces, skeletons and the like from the ceiling, down to to face level, will have your guests dodging around among these horrors in the flickering candle light, and always on the lookout for their next fright. Distributing plastic spiders and other shocking surprises around where people sit, or on tables among the drinks and plates, will help to keep your guests on edge.

If you hang a number of thin threads from the ceiling in different parts of the room they will not be noticed in the subdued lighting, but will be felt unexpectedly as your guests move around. This can be a surprising sensation, and suggests a ghostly presence that will often get a shrieking reaction from your guests.

Frights come when unexpected things suddenly happen. You could set up a few lights on timers to occasionally briefly illuminate scary scenes or pictures in two or three otherwise dark corners of the room. The effect is increased if you are able to coordinate sound effects to draw attention when the light comes on. Depending on the age group of your guests, you could create a frightening three dimensional scene that is briefly revealed, such as a ghostly headless or hanging man.

Fog machines are readily available from party hire specialists. Used with lighting effects, they will immediately create a chilling and eerie atmosphere in the room as the fog floats across the floor of the room around the feet of your guests. If you can, set up an artificial tombstone or two to conceal the exact location of the machine.

With large screen televisions becoming more common, you could play a horror movie in the background, with the sound turned down, to help to set the scene.

Music plays a large part in creating the atmosphere. At least for the early part of the party, Halloween sound effects and music like the classic Monster Mash will heighten the sense of tension in the room. With the party in full swing later on, your guests will expect to hear their favorite dance music tracks. A compilation interspersing Halloween sound effects would help to maintain the atmosphere.

Elaine Hodges is a eBay entrepreneur and writer.
http://stores.ebay.com/ebooksmarts
http://www.ebooksmarts.info/blog/

You have my permission to reprint the article free of charge if the article remains unchanged and includes the resource box.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elaine_Hodges

Posted in Home and Family | No Comments »

If you like, you can establish your theme party by simply sending out themed invitations, or you take it up a notch and let your theme lay the foundation for your entire party. Baseball theme invitations may be a great start for your husband’s birthday, but why stop there? With a little attention to details you could really make his birthday an unforgettable event. Baseball theme plates, cups, napkins are staple items in your display. Add some depth to your display with everyday items that complement your theme as well, such as a baseball bat and glove, or your son’s t-ball stand. Play videos or audio game highlights or music heard at games during breaks in action. Focus your menu on your theme, perhaps having nachos and cheese with jalapeños served in personal chip and dip baseball mitt plates and other essential baseball foods like hot dogs and cold beer as your meal. The important thing to remember is to carry your theme throughout your entire party. When you pay attention to the details, you will surely create a memorable celebration.

Parties definitely are not a new trend when it comes to celebrating special events. Most everyone’s been to more parties than they can count. How many do you remember? Did anything at any party stick out? Try to think. Perhaps you remember family gatherings that turned into a family feud or the work party where your boss had a little too much bubbly. If you can’t come up with much of a list it might be because there’s nothing very memorable about most parties. By introducing a theme party, however, you can surely create an event to remember.

There are several decisions to remember when throwing any party, themed or not, such as how many people to invite, how much and what kind of food to make or purchase, and how long the party should last. This is a big one for me. Some people I wish would stay longer and others don’t seem to know how to tell time. Theme parties are no different in this regard, but there are a couple of things you may do differently. First, when planning a theme party you have to choose the right theme. You may decide this based on the timing of the event, for example, your summer picnic may become a summer pool party or Mexican fiesta to take advantage of the warm weather. Another consideration might be, is to consider the person for which the party is being thrown. If your husband is a baseball fanatic and his birthday is approaching, why not throw him a baseball theme party? Once your theme is chosen, everything else is in the details.

Theme parties are not necessarily a new trend in and of themselves, but the degree to which a particular theme is carried out has become a distinguishing trademark of the modern celebratory bash. Although some parties have a theme built right in - Halloween parties, Christmas celebrations and other holiday themed gatherings, retirement parties - the parties that are so often forgotten are those that are thrown in between these universal events. Birthday parties, summer picnics and small friendly get-togethers should be remembered to, shouldn’t they? After all, you probably do just as much work to prepare for these events (if not more) as you would for any other celebration. A theme party could be your solution to creating a memorable affair.

Invest a little more thought into your planning to make sure you cover the details. Make the details simple and do-able. People will leave with small memories of your party. They may never know that the expensive looking expensive party only paid attention to details and was money spent wisely.

Ray Plona

http://www.partysolver.com

The online Party Solver destination for birthday party supplies, accessories, tips and ideas for the perfect party. Helping you “create memories, one party at a time.”

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ray_Plona

Posted in Home and Family | No Comments »

Wouldn’t it be great if gender selection was a ‘little button’ somewhere on your body, that you could press to choose the sex of your baby? Press once for a boy, twice for girl.

If only life where that simple.

People from all corners of the world are desperate for a baby of a certain sex, and for numerous different reasons. A boy to carry on the family name, a girl to be Daddy’s little angel. Baby sex selection would be a dream come true for a lot of people

I have a few friends who have 3 or 4 children all of the same sex. When asked if they are having any more, the answer is always “If someone could guarantee me a boy, I would. I just so want to give my husband a little boy to play football with” or “If there was a way I could definitely get a little girl, I would be all for it, but with 3 boys… I just wouldn’t take the risk of another!”

I am one of lucky ones, I have a boy and a girl, one of each, most people tell me how blessed I am. And I do feel blessed, not to mention guilty sometimes when I see my friend walking in the street with her 3 little girls.

Years ago people just popped babies out and didn’t really mind if they were boys or girls. If they really wanted one or the other, they would just keep having babies until they got what they wanted. These days things are very different. The average family with it’s 2.4 children, just can’t afford to keep adding more kids to the itinerary until they get exactly what they want.

So in today’s society there must be things that you can do, after all it’s a world of freedom and choice. Well there are things that you can do, but they don’t come cheap! It all depends on what lengths you are willing to go to, to add that much wanted child of a certain gender to your family.

Gender Selection - The Expensive Method!

Now if you have a couple of thousand pounds lying handy (which I’m sure not many of us have these days!) There’s a procedure called ‘Microsort’ This gender selection method sorts out the sperm, male and female. Now that sounds fairly easy, the next bit is the hard bit.

You will then have to undergo IVF (in vitro fertilization) or IUI (intrauterine insemination) With IVF your eggs will be harvested and mixed with either male or female sperm. If the sperm goes on to fertilize the egg, you will then have the sex selection embryo implanted into your uterus.

With IUI the sperm will be deposited into your uterus by artificial ways. This is a lot less invasive for the woman, and can also work out cheaper.

The problem with the above procedures is that neither one can guarantee you a baby! On the other hand, if you do get pregnant from these gender selection procedures, the chance of you having the gender of your choice is a lot more promising. At around 90% success rate with a girl, and 80% success rates for boys, you would be well on your way to the baby of your dreams.

As baby sex selection becomes more widely available, will planning to have a baby also include planning its gender too?

Article by Julie Gardner

To learn more about gender selection visit me at: http://www.new-baby-and-beyond.com/natural-gender-selection.html With lots of other idea’s and not just the ‘expensive method’!

If you fancy delving further into the Microsort method, be prepared and know all you need to about IVF:
http://www.new-baby-and-beyond.com/what-is-ivf.html Hope to see you there!

(C) 2008 All rights reserved

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Gardner

Posted in Home and Family | No Comments »

Although there really aren’t any rules when it comes to creativity, it is helpful to have some guidelines to follow when approaching scrapbooking for the first time. Consider these tips as you think about how you are going to lay out your page and use all of your photos, embellishments and other elements to create a cohesive design.

Choose the Best Photos:

It’s been said that it only takes 2 - 3 images to trigger a solid memory. As you go through the selection process for your photos, consider that an event can be represented by showing just a few visuals. Most people these days have digital cameras, and therefore have oodles of photos from every angel - a play by play that’s almost minute to minute! When it comes to scrapbooking, less is more. Pick the best of the best, the cream of the crop! Then, if you don’t wish to rid of the others, have a separate photo album or box to store the ‘extras’.

Find a Focal Point:

When deciding on the size of your photos, consider whether you want one larger than the others - almost like the primary focal point of your page. Other photos can act as a complement. Or, if you like to keep it simple, having just one primary image can make a very nice presentation - especially when partnered up with a page title and or journaling entry.

Including a Journal Entry:

There are times in our lives that warrant the need for documenting - whether it’s the funny conversation you had with your child, or the way you felt when you experienced love and friendship that day. Including a journal entry with your primary photo is a wonderful way to preserve the memory of that person or event being featured on your page. Journaling can be done in a handwritten form, or can also be done on the computer, allowing you to select the font most appropriate for the page.

An Eye for Symmetry:

Depending on your taste, there are many methods of achieving symmetry. Some people prefer to have things visually centered. Others, off-center. Depending on the size of your images and embellishments, you can play around to see what works best. The only rule of thumb in this area is to remember that the eye is naturally trained to view things from left to right, and then down. Keep this in mind when considering the placement of your key elements.

Use of Embellishments:

There is no magical formula here - just like dressing up for the cocktail party, consider your primary image your ‘little black dress’, and the embellishments are simply your accessories! Try not to overpower your image(s), and remember that there is nothing wrong with a little empty space.

Using Page Titles and Lettering:

When not using a journal entry, it makes sense to add a title to your page. Whether you use pre-cut lettering, rubber stamps, or even your own handwriting, the key to keeping your layout looking good is to watch the proportion of your Title to the rest of your page’s elements. Don’t overpower your page and take away from your images by using letters that are too large in proportion to your images.

Paper Choices:

This all depends on the theme of your scrapbook. If the entire scrapbook is centered around one main event (such as a wedding), then it makes sense for the entire book to have a themed set of papers that all complement one another. If the scrapbook is a collage of main events in someone’s life, then it doesn’t need the overall design consistency, and it’s okay to simply marry each page of spread to one another. Then again, there are many who prefer to approach their scrapbook as simply a collection of individual pages, and in that case, it’s not in any way important to connect the pages to each other visually.

Prior to beginning any project it is essential to have the right scrapbooking materials on hand to help you complete your project in a timely manner. Of course there are occasions when buying scrapbooking kits that are already made is a better option then creating your own layouts from scratch. http://www.basicsofscrapbooking.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J_Isaacs

Posted in Home and Family | No Comments »

Forget the “decade of the brain”: it’s becoming evident that the modern fascination with neuroscience is not going away anytime this century. The fact is, thanks to the neurobiological revolution, nothing is what it used to be. Including motherhood.

In this vein Katherine Ellison, author of The Mommy Brain: How Motherhood Makes Us Smarter (2005), brought welcome news to mothers everywhere: Having babies doesn’t zap a woman’s brain cells after all.

In fact, scientists say, childbirth and motherhood, like many other challenging experiences, actually increase brain cells and along with these little darlings (the new brain cells as well as the babies) come increased skills of all kinds.

At the center of this good news is the now-familiar concept neurogenesis: the brain’s ability to grow and change as it develops new neurons. This amazing plasticity is encouraged by repeated new actions, especially of the “positive, emotionally charged, and challenging” variety scientists call “enrichment.”

As it happens, childbearing, beginning with pregnancy, is enrichment’s mother lode. Challenging new experiences borne of daily interaction with our children strengthen much more than our multitasking skills. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reveals increases in a host of areas, including (but not limited to) emotional intelligence, sensory powers, mental perception, motivation, attention, problem solving, prioritizing, memory and learning. And the gains are not temporary. In fact, indications are that these changes last for the rest of our lives, long past the time our grandchildren are born.

So why have women almost universally embraced the idea that having children turns their brains to jelly?

Sleep deprivation certainly plays a role, but Ellison points to neuroscientists whose findings add other crucial pieces to the puzzle. “What’s really going on,” she translates, is that “a pregnant and early postpartum woman’s brain is tied up in a major, hormone-powered transition.” In other words, our bodies have just served us a powerful hormonal cocktail designed to prepare us for unprecedented growth and reorganization. “Motherhood,” says Ellison, “just like puberty, may knock us off our feet for a time, only to set us back up, often stronger than before.” Comparing the forgetfulness of pregnant mothers to Einstein’s famous distractedness, Ellison nevertheless qualifies the analogy: “Encouraging as this paradigm may be . . . it’s important to remember that new mothers are coping with some serious physical challenges that Albert Einstein could barely have imagined.”

Despite the role of pregnancy-induced hormones in this brain-enriching experience, the good news is not only for mothers. Adoptive parents and other caregivers also reap some of the brain-boosting benefits of child-rearing and experience some physiological changes. This is especially true for fathers.

“If research on mice has any bearing on humans,” says Ellison, “modern, engaged dads may be gaining some of the same advantages from parenthood as have been found in maternal rats. The key appears to be the degree of involvement with the children.” Further, Ellison documents the rise of certain “parenting” hormones in men when their wives are pregnant, and the well-known phenomenon called Couvades syndrome, in which “sympathy morning sickness” and “sympathy weight gain” are factors.

But are these pre-baby changes only “sympathetic” in fathers? A 2006 study by the University of Wisconsin Madison suggests that there is more to it. In the first nonhuman primate study into this phenomenon, researchers concluded: “It is clear that expectant fathers of these species are physiologically responsive to their mate’s pregnancy and the impending birth. Males need to be prepared to engage in infant care immediately after birth and this requires carrying multiple infants weighing up to 20 percent of their adult body weight. Both the hormonal and the physical weight change suggest that marmoset and tamarin males prepare for the demands of infant care.”

If, as scientists speculate, these changes come about through the exchange of pheromones between pregnant mothers and fathers, it may be one more benefit to be gained from ensuring close family ties.

Ellison’s thoughtful collection of research dispatches the sometimes popular notion that raising a child is “less worthy” work for thinking people. In fact, it’s beginning to look like one of the best avenues for increasing human potential.

Perhaps motherhood, after all, is its own reward.

Gina Stepp is a writer and editor with a strong interest in education and the science that underpins family and relationship studies. She began working toward a Journalism major and Psychology minor at the University of Central Florida before moving to California where she completed her BA in Theology in 1985. To contact Gina Stepp, please email at ginastepp@earthlink.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gina_M._Stepp

Posted in Home and Family | No Comments »

Here are some general steps in planting and caring for a new tree. You first need to decide what kind of fruit tree you want to plant, and where you want to plant it. If you buy a young tree from the nursery, take care when you are transporting it on the way home. Once you have gotten the tree safely to your home premises, inspect the root plate to gauge how large the hole you need to dig will be. Also, make sure you double check the leaves and branches to rule out any signs of disease.

You should dig the hole twice as wide as the diameter of the root plate and just a little less deep to allow enough room for the soil that you dug out earlier, to be put back in. Otherwise, you could end up with a large amount of soil, with which you have nowhere to put it. Before putting the soil back in, it’s a good idea to sprinkle some fertilizer or compost into the hole just so that the soil gets some buffering. Your tree will also need the extra nutrients during this transitional period. When all is ready, set the tree into the hole, and spread the roots out evenly, making sure the tree is stable and secure. If necessary, prop it up for a week or so using some wooden stakes so it doesn’t topple over.

If you do use wooden stakes, tie the tree to it with some rope, being careful not to tie the rope too tightly, since the tree needs room to grow. How long the stakes should be left on? When the tree appears stable and sturdy enough to hold its position through most types of weather conditions, you can remove the stakes. After the stakes come off, you should mulch around its base. If you live in an area where there are frequent wildlife sightings, consider putting up a fence around your tree, because some animals can strip the bark off your tree!

The fact of the matter is that pests can ruin your plantings if you’re not vigilant enough. Pests can be large or small, seen or unseen. Bugs, caterpillars, raccoons, moles, certain species of birds, and deer, all these can turn out to be pests, given the moment. The most destructive pests are certain kinds of bugs and moth larvae; these usually eat the leaves of your tree, and in heavy infestations, can kill your tree within a couple of weeks. To help keep these pests away, keep the surroundings of the tree free of decaying plant debris, as these can breed bugs that may consider your tree a much more attractive option, and perform regular inspections for any tell-tale signs of infestation. Some spraying of chemicals may be carried out, as long as you use them very sparingly, and only if the threat or infestation is serious.

To make sure that your tree always stays healthy, try pruning it during winter or early spring. These are the times when your tree is not really expanding a lot of energy to grow, and so the impact is lesser. When it comes to watering your tree, stick to once a week, although when you first plant it, you may water it once every few days, especially if the weather is hot, and the soil drainage is good. When mowing your lawn, be careful not to hit it with the lawn mower; your tree may suffer irreparable damage!

If you planted a fruit tree, remember that it takes on average, 3 to 5 years before you actually get to see any fruit. This is certainly the case with apple trees. It’s not really such a long time to wait, and if you tend to its needs now, it will grow strong and healthy, and thus capable of bearing good fruit later on. You should not worry if your tree takes a while to bear fruit, because some years, healthy trees may not seem to bear as much fruit as other years. This is perfectly natural, and not something to be alarmed about. Just don’t forget to enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Jamie Woo is a prolific writer and designer who is very much into gardening, bonsai, and healthy lifestyles. He guests blogs for a number of blogs and is also a co-writer on Gardening Site

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jamie_Woo

Posted in Home and Family | No Comments »

It can be easy and inexpensive to start garden seeds indoors for spring planting. Here at The Garden Glove, we use several methods.

Method #1- Purchase an inexpensive dome style seed starter from your local garden center or discount store. These usually sell for less than $10, and contain everything except the seeds to get you growing, including a humidity dome to keep in heat, and soil or soil less cubes. The only downside to these is that the growing blocks are usually pretty small, so if you are going to plant fast growing annuals such as sunflowers, morning glories or squash, you might want to wait to just two weeks before last frost. Otherwise, you will have to transplant your seedlings into larger containers as they outgrow the seed dome.

This method works very well for growing perennials, since they are slower growing than annuals as a rule.

Make sure the growing medium is moist, place the seeds at the depth recommended by the packet, and place the dome on. You will see moisture condense inside the dome. This is great for starting out, as the heat and moisture is trapped in. However, once seedlings start to appear, you MUST remove the dome to prevent “damping off” a fungal disease that will kill the seedlings. Add water as necessary to keep the soil moist, but not wet.

Method #2- The second method is the most economical one. This is where we plant seed into reusable or recycled containers. These containers must have drainage, and be able to be moved easily. Tupperware, egg cartons or pots made from recycled newspaper are several popular ideas. Placed on a tray, such as an old cookie sheet they make great planting flats, if not too terribly attractive. It helps when using this method to enclose the entire tray in a clear plastic bag until seedlings appear. This does the same job as the $10 dome, by keeping in heat and moisture.

Method #3- This is my preferred method, and one I just started using two years ago. I picked up a tabletop portable greenhouse. It has several metal shelves for seedling flats covered by a poly “tent” to keep in heat and moisture. This makes it very easy for me to move the entire set up outdoors for daylight, and the tent keeps the heat in, even when it hovers near freezing outside. I can grow several hundred seedlings in this setup. I caution you against leaving it outdoors during windy conditions, however. Also keep in mind during sunny days it can heat up inside the greenhouse quite quickly, so make sure you tie up one side and occasionally monitor the temps in your greenhouse. When the weather is warm enough, remove the poly tenting entirely.

Once the seedlings are up, they must have very bright, though not direct light. Using a windowsill during bad weather is acceptable, but to grow healthy and strong, seedlings should be placed in either artificial light, or on a protected porch for much of the day. Make sure you bring them in at night, and don’t leave them out on frosty weather.

You can create an artificial light system easily with a cheap shop light from the home improvement store, and a both a warm and cool 40 watt fluorescent tube. It does not have to be one of the more expensive plant growing tubes. Hang the lights from chains off a scrap 2×4 stand. Keep the lights very close to the seedlings, and leave on for at least 12 hours a day.

Starting garden seeds indoors will save you money and allow you to grow plant varieties in your garden that are special and unusual. It’s easy, so try starting your seeds indoors today!

Kathy Wilson is an author, home decorating columnist for LifetimeTv.com, and editor of several popular home and garden websites. For hundreds of free do it yourself home and garden ideas, please visit her websites now at http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com, and http://www.TheGardenGlove.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathleen_Wilson

Posted in Home and Family | No Comments »

Spring is a time when you can often get caught out by an unexpected frost. We have had a couple of vicious frosts after relatively balmy days, and this can be lethal for plants that get caught and are unprotected too. How do you recognise the signs, and what can you do?

If wilting leaves appear with no good explanation or they have a water logged look, this can be a sign that your plant is suffering from frost damage and needs some help. Another symptom of frost damage can be the sudden appearance of brown areas on the leaves. You should also watch out for evidence that the new shoots on your plants are starting to die back. If the plants are spring flowering and their flowers don’t open completely or they become discolored and start to die off, then you can be fairly sure that frost damage has occurred.

Sadly, there is no treatment for frost damage. Once it has occurred you can do little to save your plant if the damage is severe. You should remove the damaged parts of your plant so it can concentrate on the healthier parts. It also makes the plant look a great deal healthier. You will need to take special care if there is a chance of more frosts as the plant will be even more than usually vulnerable. If the damage hasn’t been too severe you may be able to save the plant, however unless it shows signs of growth and recovery fairly quickly it is better to remove it and plant something new at a suitable time. You may not always notice frost damage immediately, especially if the frost has been a light one so you need to be vigilant for a few days after any frost, mild or hard.

There are a number of ways to protect against frost damage, one of the best ways to reduce the possible effects of a frost on your garden is to choose the most suitable plants for your climate conditions. If you are living in an area that is subject to frosts then you should always try and choose plants that are frost-tolerant. If you plant in areas that are less exposed and sheltered from frosts you will increase the chances of saving plants that might otherwise be killed by the sudden drops in temperature. However this is not always practical as it would restrict the variety of plants that we could have in our gardens which would be a tragedy.

If you suspect there is going to be a frost you can take precautions by protecting your plants. Anything in pots can be moved to a sheltered area where the frost won’t bite. You can protect your plants by wrapping them in Hessian, newspaper or garden fleece until the risk of frost has passed. It is a painfully slow process but worth it for any special or precious tender plants and shrubs.

There will always be times when a frost is unexpected and catches you out. If you are even remotely concerned, protect your plants anyway or you may lose huge parts of your garden for want of a few minutes spent taking precautions.

Lizzie Westerley has spent many pleasurable years developing her garden and her gardening skills. You can find more of her insights and information on how to make your garden equally magnificent at The Garden Magazine

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lizzie_Westerley

Posted in Home and Family | No Comments »

The holiday season is upon us. And so are the usual hustle-bustle accompaniments of the busiest travel time of the year…road trips, traffic jams, airport lines, late flights. So while you’re busy dealing with luggage and fuel fill-ups, manage the noise level in the backseat with an array of kids’ activities.

Top 10 Ways to Keep Kids Entertained While Traveling During the Holidays:

Road Trip 101 says: “Never leave empty handed.”

Print out a stack of coloring sheets before you leave. Whether it’s Holly Hobbie™, Care Bears™ or fun-filled holiday pages, kids will love the creativity involved. All you need to do is grab a box of crayons and you’re ready to go.

Classic car games.

The classic License Plate Game is always a crowd-pleaser. Check off each state as you spot the plate - winner takes all. Don’t know how to play? Check out this video for a wacky explanation. Or try counting cows, whoever counts the most at the end of the trip wins.

To grandmother’s house we go.

Wherever you’re headed for the holidays, why not decorate the table on the way. Create place cards and napkin rings, perfect for a festive table. Let the kids plan the table’s theme and encourage them to help set up once you arrive.

Cultivate generosity.

Custom coupon books let kids get creative with their gifts, just print out the templates, and help younger kids write out their coupon surprises. One easy way to let little ones be in control of the gifts they give; make them funny, make them cute, what dad wouldn’t love a free back scratch?

Traveling far and away?

Printable postcards will let kids keep in touch with loved ones back home. Or, try sending one back to your own house so kids will look forward to returning home after being away. Just don’t forget the stamps.

All I want…

Turn holiday wish lists into keepsakes and pieces of art with seasonal stationery. Let children draw exactly what they want this year. (Explanations may be necessary.)

Say “cheese.”

A picture is worth a thousand words. Let the little ones play photographer with an inexpensive disposable camera. Then create lasting memories with personalized and printable scrapbook pages and festive photo frame mats.

Surprise!

Who doesn’t like surprises? Excite kids with their own travel-treasure bags. Fill with snacks, goodies, travel games and little toys, or let them pick a small treat every so often while on the road. (It’s a sure-fire way to ensure good behavior.)

Nurture Creativity.

Hand written cards never go out of style. Encourage self-expression by creating homemade holiday cards for friends and family visited throughout the holidays. Stock up on holiday stickers and accessories to give custom cards some personal flare.

“Jingle Bells, Batman Smells…”

Turn travel into a party with festive party hats and garland. Get goofy and celebrate the season with holiday songs and stories to set a seasonal mood. (Good for family car rides, but not suggested if traveling by airplane

Find more fun-filled ideas for keeping the kids at bay at americangreetings.com, and don’t leave home without them. Let the kids pack their fun in their own small bag and add other items so they’re comfortable the whole trip through. Happy Travels!

Jaime Smith is an organic SEO Analyst with Brulant, Inc. Jaime has formal training in journalism and proven experience in marketing copywriting that make her perfectly suited for her role in organic search engine optimization. Jaime produces quality content - a critical component of effective search engine optimization, and is a competitive differentiator for Brulant. Jaime has extensive writing and integrated marketing experience in a corporate setting, and prior to joining Brulant she contributed significantly to the goals and strategic initiatives of financial services firms and international real estate organizations alike.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jaime_L_Smith

Posted in Home and Family | No Comments »

No matter how strapped for cash you may be, families require fun diversions. The key is to think creatively. A fun diversion doesn’t require an expensive day at an amusement park. Following are ways to stretch your family entertainment fund:

1. Find free factory tours, visit a historic site, see a play at a local community college, a high school musical, and find free concerts offered at many churches.
2. Head to the library for books and DVDs. Many libraries also offer free passes or discounted passes to local museums, zoos and aquariums.
3. Sign up for restaurant birthday clubs which offer free meals on birthdays.
4. Start fun family traditions, such as a weekly game night (find slightly used board games at thrift shops), family movie night (rent movies from dollar kiosks found in supermarkets), or pizza night (have the children help you make your own pizza).
5. Check out recipes online to learn how to make your favorite dishes from popular restaurants.
6. Try silent auctions to find discounted gift certificates or baskets of household items at well below their value.
7. Share a large entrée with your spouse or children when dining out, as well as any appetizers or desserts.
8. Go for a walk. Enjoy a walk around the neighborhood or through a park. Give the kids a list of nature items to collect along the way, such as three pinecones and two different leaves.
9. Have a car picnic. Pack a picnic and park the car at a scenic overlook, where you can watch planes take off, or where you can watch wildlife amble by. Play some music, a book on tape, or just talk to one another.
10. Swap babysitting duties with friends at no charge and escape for a night out!

Hilary Basile is a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com. At http://www.myguidesusa.com, you will find valuable tips and resources for handling life’s major events. Whether you’re planning a wedding, buying your first home, anxiously awaiting the birth of a child, contending with a divorce, searching for a new job, or planning for your retirement, you’ll find answers to your questions at MyGuidesUSA.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hilary_Basile

Posted in Home and Family | No Comments »