Reasons to Celebrate in February
There’s more than Valentine’s Day in February. ShindigZ has tons of ideas for your Valentine’s party, but if you’re looking for a different reason to celebrate, we have you covered too.
Host a party for Elmo’s Birthday on February 3rd! This is a great party idea for schools, day cares or households that don’t have any birthdays during February. Everyone loves Elmo—adults and kids alike—and this party is sure to be tons of cuddly fun! Host an Elmo party using the Elmo Kit-N-Kaboodle. It includes tons of tableware items, decorations and a piñata for one great price. Add a third dimension to your decorations with Elmo mylar balloons, an airblown Elmo decoration or an Elmo’s World play house. Send guests home from this party with fun favors; pass out the Elmo Birthday Party Packs which can be personalized with each guests name on their own red tote bag.
President’s Day is February 18th this year and it’s another great reason to celebrate—especially if you don’t have work or school that day. This party is great for a patriotic theme. Check out our Patriotic Party TipZ for ideas on how to decorate. Entertain guests with a fun President’s Trivia Contest and award fun prizes such as flags, patriotic beads, red white and blue poms or personalized votives for the winner or the top competitor in each trivia category. Include things like funny moments in presidential history, which states presidents came from, how many terms each president had or when they were president. Because this is an election year, you can spice up your President’s Day party by adding a political twist. Check out our Super Tuesday TipZ for more ideas.
2008 is a Leap Year. Celebrate that extra day with a Leap Day Party. This party doesn’t have any natural theme, so you can pair it up with any theme you like! Just make it a day of fun with your family and friends. Rest up or play games or have a huge blow-out of a party, really it’s up to you, but for any theme or size you choose, there are tons of party supplies and Party TipZ to help you make it a Leap Day to remember.
Tell us your reasons to celebrate this February. Here are more of our ideas:
* Mardi Gras * Ash Wednesday* President’s Day* Chinese New Year* Black History Month * 2- Groundhog Day * 2- Wear Red Day * 7- Women (Girls) in Sports Day * 11- World Marriage Day * 12- Lincoln’s Birthday * 12- Man Day * 14- Valentine’s Day * 16- Do a Grouch a Favor Day * 17- Random Acts of Kindness Day * 22- Washington’s Birthday * 24- National Tortilla Chip Day * 27- International Polar Bear Day * 28- National Tooth Fairy’s Day * 29- Leap Day *
Birthday Cakes - Show Your Care and Love For Your Child
Your child’s birthday is one special day in a year both for him and you, his/her parents. This is one day every child looks forward to with tender hope and love. This is a day s/he feels happy for others being happy for him/her to be with his/her loved ones. Such an occasion then calls for birthday cakes that can cheer him all up. Birthday cake is the first thing that works best if you want to make it a grand occasion.
Show your care and love with a formal celebration. You may want to remember some of these points. A little kid likes things simple. Too many things are confusing even for elder people. All that the kid wants is a simple fun but in loads of it. Try making things as relaxed as possible. A buffet system can be a good idea.
Balloons are an eternal favourite a feature of any birthday party. Bright-coloured balloons swell up the children with delight. Balloons have that added charm of going ‘pop’ as kids have fun poking them. As it goes, cakes have been associated with festivities all along. And it is in every person’s memory of his childhood days to associate his/her birthday with cakes and balloons. Birthday cakes, in any case, are any child’s favorite. So cakes: the bigger the better, and also with a lot of fanciful soft bright multi-designed icing that sets a child’s imagination run.
Kids are crazy after cartoon characters and birthday cakes designed as one of your kid’s favourite cartoon character can send him/her in raptures. Another great idea is to have an individual cake designed for each of your kid’s friends as per each one’s choice of cartoon characters. Such a thoughtful gesture on your part can make them talking about the birthday party for days; and of course, bring fond memories back to them with your birthday cakes.
A Cozy Valentine’s Day Dinner
My mother gave me a cute little cookbook when I was in College entitled Dinner Dates: A Cookbook for Couples Cooking Together by Martha Cotton. I never really read through it because 1) I didn’t really cook in College and 2) the boyfriends I kept around at that time were not the cooking types either. Now that I am part of a great "couple" and my fiancé is slowly learning his way around the kitchen, I think it is a good time to bring it out and dust it off.
The book is very user friendly with a variety of menus you can choose from depending on the occasion or your mood. There are shopping lists and tips for creating atmosphere, plus a list of cocktail and wine recommendations for "marinating the Chefs". I also like the way the recipe instructions are written out, with Chef Numero Uno and Chef Numero Due working together instead of stepping on each others toes.
There are some fun menus like Indoor Picnic and Catch of the Day, but what I am interested in for February is the Ultimate Valentine’s Day Dinner. This includes French Onion Soup, Filet Mignon with Herbed Butter, Sauteed Mushrooms, Steamed Spinach, Garlic Mashed Potatoes plus Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries with Biscotti to finish. Mmmmmmmm… sounds good.
Now all I have to do is convince the fiancé that its a good idea to stay home, avoid the cold and the busy restaurants and make a wonderfully cozy Valentine’s Day dinner for our selves!
1st First Birthday Party Ideas and Games
We’ve just added 2 new pages to the website for first birthday party ideas.
Lots of fun 1st birthday party ideas and games for one year olds to keep every one happy and make the party special.
Let us know your favorite games for 1 year olds - we’ll add them to the website for other Moms and Dads to share.
Five Great Birthday Cake Ideas
It’s almost that time of year again: time for little Zach or Madison’s birthday, and for all the attendant worries and hassles. Time for the usual whining and gift-grubbing, for tedious visits from relatives, and for sugar-amped kids running rampant through the house. Although birthdays will always be a stressful time of year, baking and decorating the perfect children’s birthday cake doesn’t have to be. This article will help give you some great birthday cake ideas that you can use year after year, child after child.
1. Character Cakes: If your little one is obsessed with a film, television, or cartoon character, or even a licensed doll or toy, a character cake is the no-fail way to go! Disney character cakes or Barbie cakes are always popular with the girls, and what little boy wouldn’t enjoy a Bob the Builder or G.I. Joe cake? Fortunately, finding the perfect kids birthday cake mold is easy — you can obtain a specialized cake mold for the most popular licensed characters at your local upscale baking store or cake decorating supply shop. As if it couldn’t get any easier, many specialty children’s birthday cake molds come complete with frosting instructions.
2. Sports Cakes: Your active girl or boy will jump for a sports themed cake. Some easy birthday cake ideas are decorating round cakes to resemble baseballs, soccer balls, or basketballs. Sporty girls and boys will also love a cake that resembles their favorite sports field, which is easy to make with a rectangular sheet cake. You can even add a net, goal, or hoop, as well as plastic figurines resembling spectators and sports players!
3. Animal Cakes: The younger set will especially enjoy a cake decorated to resemble their favorite animal. Kittens, puppies, pandas, and teddy bears are classic favorites. An easy way to decorate an animal-themed children’s birthday cake is to use two round layers. Use the first round cake as the animal’s head, and cut the second round cake to make ears and other features.
4. Photo Cakes: Run out of birthday cake ideas? Making a cake with a translucent, sugar “photo” is easy, and enjoyable by birthday boys and girls of all ages. Just take a favorite photo to your local cake decorating store, and they can prepare an edible version of it for a few dollars. Follow the instructions provided, and you can add it to the top of a simple, iced cake. Voila! Instant birthday gratification!
5. Decorate-your-own Cake: Moms who hate decorating kids birthday cakes will love this suggestion — provide the basic ingredients (cupcakes, frosting, piping bags, spreading knives, small candies, etc.) and let the birthday boy or girl and his/her guests decorate their own cupcakes! Just lay down a plastic tablecloth and provide plastic aprons for each guest to minimize the mess!
Less Mess on Superbowl Sunday
Let’s face it: Super Bowl Sunday is a messy day. The majority of Super Bowl parties are celebrated inside a home, and if that home happens to be yours this year, you need to prepare yourself for the inevitable. Dips will drip onto upholstery, chips and popcorn will be crunched into the ground, and drinks will be spilled on the carpet when everyone jumps up cheering during that final touchdown. Then at the end of it all, you will have a kitchen full of dirty dishes, plus pots and pans if you cooked everything yourself.
With all that in mind, here are a few tips to make your Superbowl party a little less messy:
- Put bowls full of liquids or dips on plates. Dips and things like soup or chili are known to run over, especially in an excited environment such as a Superbowl party. By keeping the bowl on a plate, any overrun will be captured before it can make a mess.
- Have an excess of napkins and wet wipes. This is a pretty basic tip, but one that is often overlooked. When you are at the store buying party supplies, buy way more napkins than you think you’ll need, and keep wet wipes nearby. Most party foods are sticky, messy and stain fabric, such as hot wings or cheetos. By making sure your guests have every option to clean their fingers off, you really cut down the chances of someone accidentally wiping something on your couch.
- Give your guests adequate surface in which to place and eat food. The worst mistake you can make is to send half a dozen men into the living room to sit on the couch with plates and cups. Make sure they have a surface to set their food onto, or better yet, a surface in which they can eat over. Since they will want to be planted firmly in front of the television, coffee tables will work, but TV trays are even better. If you use TV trays, try having 1 for every 2 people, set sideways between them. This way everyone can get up without knocking over their trays.
- Don’t fill anything to the top. A large amount of spills happen when carrying the "spillable" item while walking. Since so many people will be walking from the couch to the food table, only fill things 3/4 of the way (or less). This way it is less likely something will spill if the container tips or if the person is bumped into during transit.
- Try to buy as much as you can pre-made. Again, this is pretty basic, but a lot of people don’t realize how many good finger foods can be bought pre-made. Most grocery stores sell things like hot wings, dips, vegetable trays, and sandwiches made fresh that day. Because of the quantity of food you’ll need, and how quickly it will be consumed, cooking everything can be more trouble than its worth on this day.
- Use disposable plates and cups. This isn’t just for the mess factor from the food, but also because if a glass plate gets dropped, it’s very likely to break, which can be dangerous with a lot of people in the house. Also most people go back for seconds, thirds, fourths…and they get a new glass or plate each time. Buy a lot of plates and cups to help meet this need. If you are worried about the waste, check out places like GreenFeet, which offers eco-friendly food packaging.
- Keep cleaning supplies nearby. I have recently discovered that Resolve’s Multi-Fabric spray and Tide’s To-Go Pen do wonders when you’ve spilled something on your couch. Since it’s very unlikely that you won’t have any spills at all, keep cleaning supplies handy. Most messes won’t stain if you treat them right away. You can even spray Scotch Guard on all of your furniture to give it extra protection.
Have fun during the Big Game!
Children’s character birthday cakes
Do you know what is so special for a child’s birthday celebration? It is the birthday cake. They love the moment of cutting the birthday cake. There can be so many gifts for the child, but the center of attraction is the birthday cake. Therefore, it is worth putting a lot of time and money in planning the birthday cake.
More than the taste, we need to concentrate in shape, color, and size of the birthday cake. It is always better if we could design the birthday cake in cartoon characters that are familiar to the children. If the birthday cake is made in the birthday child’s favorite color, they will obliviously love it.
The birthday cake idea
If the birthday cake has a theme or idea the attraction for it, is immense. Here are few suggestions. There are Pirates and Princesses, a classic birthday cake themes for boys and girls. They can be Cinderella Castle Cake, ice Cream Castle Cake, Pirate Cake, Pirate Ship Cake, Princess Cake, Splendid Castle Cake, and Treasure Chest Cake
Sports- this birthday cake idea is for kids who love sports. They are Bowling Ball Cake, Bowling Lane Cake, Football Cake, and Skateboard Cake. Wings and Wheels-this birthday cake idea will really move your child. They are Train Cake, Dump Truck Cake, Fire Engine Cake, Outback Jeep Cake, Racetrack Cake, School Bus Cake, and Space Cake
Birthday cake designs
The birthday cake design can be anything. If the birthday cake design is different, meaningful, the kids, children and adults will appreciate it. Listed below are a few design ideas for your next birthday cake.
They are Apron Cake, Artist’s Palette Cake, Boom Box Cake, Checkers Cake, Chinese Checkers Cake, Groovy T-shirt Cake, Pizza Cake, Private Eye Cake, Remote Control Cake, Smiley Face Cake, and Teeny Tiny Cake Tub Cake Upside-Down Cake, Volcano Cake Birth day cake decorating ideas
Once the birthday cake is made or purchased, it should be decorated well. The decoration is generally done to the top and sides of the cake. It is always better to decorate the birthday cake using the favorite color of the birthday boy or girl. The table in which the birthday cake is placed also should be decorated suitably.
Birthday cake recipe
An excellent birthday cake recipe is a 4-layer chocolate cake with whipped cream filling between the layers. The ingredients are -1 package Devils Food cake mix, 4 small cans or cups, Ready-to-Serve Chocolate Pudding, 1 egg, ½ - 1 cup Chocolate Chips WHIPPED CREAM FILLING INGREDIENTS 2 cups, Whipping Cream, ¼ cup Powdered Confectioner’s Sugar, 1 - 2 Teaspoons Vanilla
We can frost the entire cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting, and sprinkle the sides with chocolate sprinkles. The recipe Chocolate Whipped Cream consists of Frosting-1 ½ cups, Heavy Whipping Cream1 ¼ cups, Powdered Sugar- 1/3-cup, Baking Cocoa-1/2 teaspoon, and Vanilla.
Children’s birthday cakes
Children’s birthday cakes must have a good design, shape, and size. If the cake has any theme or idea, the children will love it. If the design resembles a familiar character to the children like noddy, it will be an added attraction. The suggested children birthday cake models are Pureed Strawberries and Fresh Cream, Vanilla Sponge in Nemo, Teddy Bear, Power Puff Girls, Tweety, Winnie the Pooh, Flower Basket, Bob the Builder, Simpson’s, Thomas The Train, Barbie, Star cakes.
Bachelorette (Hen’s Night) Party Games: Start the Fun at Home
Your best friend is getting married and you are the maid (matron) of honor. What an honor that is! The only problem is that you are not sure how to plan the bachelorette party. Listed are a few games that are guaranteed fun! Please start the bachelorette party at home so your guests feel more comfortable and can get acquainted. If you decide totake the party out on the town later, you can reflect back on the fun activities from earlier in the evening!
Guess The Nuts
1 sturdy wooden hanger,
1 small salami or pepperoni,
1 pair men’s cotton y-front underwear,
large safety pins,
whole walnuts,
needle and thread
Sew the leg holes and y-front of the underwear closed. Pin them on the wooden hanger using the safety pins. Fill the underwear with the walnuts making sure to count how many you put in. Place a small salami or pepperoni down the front of the underwear. When the guests arrive have them guess how many nuts are in the underwear. Encourage the players to feel the nuts! Leave the nut filled underwear hanging up for the remainder of the party, as it makes a great party decoration! The closest guess below the actual number, wins! The sausage and walnuts can be eaten at a later date!
Tape the Shape on Her Man
1 posterboard,
multi colored construction paper, scissors, clear tape, markers, 1 blindfold,
1 enlarged picture of the grooms head
On the posterboard, draw a picture of a sexy man’s body from the thigh area up to and including his neck, but leave out his male member. Tape the picture of the grooms head onto the neck. Try to make this proportional, but if it’s not, sometimes it’s even more funny! Tape the poster to the wall at waist level.
Hand each player a piece of construction paper and have her cut out a shape of a male member. Make sure she writes her name on the back. Blindfold the first player. Fold down the square end of her playing piece and attach a loop of tape to it.Put the other end in her mouth. Spin her around 3 times and have her get on her knees to crawl over to the poster. Have her press her mouth up against the poster until her playing piece sticks. She must not use her hands to feel the poster. The player who is closest to being anatomically correct, wins! This is the big girl version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey! Wear the game pieces as name tags later in the evening.
Cucumber Race
1 cucumber per player,
1 maraschino cherry per player,
2 cans whipped cream
Divide the players into 2 equal teams. Choose one person from each team to be a captain. Seat the two captains across the room with one cherry per player and a can of the whipped cream. Have the rest of the team line up on the other end of the room and give one cucumber to each player. To begin, the first players in each line place their cucumbers between their thighs so the cucumber is horizontal to the floor. Have the players race down to their captain. The captain places some whipped cream on the end of the cucumber and places the cherry in the whipped cream. The player races back to the starting line, balancing the cherry on the cucumber. Then it is the next players turn. Continue until each player has a turn. The first team finished, wins! If a player drops her cucumber or her cherry falls off, she must start over. This game promotes team spirit!
These games are so much fun and are a great way to get the party started in the right direction!
Hosting A Dinner Party? Hire A Personal Chef
Think only the rich and famous have the privilege of having a personal chef wait on their every craving or gourmet pleasure? Think again.
Personal chefs are now helping couples and families to present fabulous home cooked dinners to their guests. And it’s not as expensive as you think!
Why hire a personal chef?
A personal chef will bring the food, create a nutritious and balanced meal, figure out the servings needed (so you don’t need to deal with leftovers) and most of all give you the freedom to focus on other aspects of entertaining while still providing the best food for your guests.
Are you hosting a business lunch? An intimate wedding reception? Or even an intimate dinner for two that just HAS to be the best? A personal chef can handle any order. You can usually choose from a selection of courses they provide or arrange for a customized menu.
How much does it cost?
Prices will vary but you can expect a weeks worth of meals (containers, food and cooking included) to be about $350 for a family of 4 (20 meals of entrees and side dishes) or $175 for a couple (10 meals of entrees and side dishes).
Some services will prepare all the meals at once while others will deliver or prepare the meal in your home throughout the week.
How do I find a personal chef?
Finding a chef is easy by using the USPCA (United States Personal Chef Association - http://www.uspca.com) or the CPCA (Canadian Personal Chef Alliance - http://www.cpcalliance.com). Here you will find information on personal chefs as well as a directory of members in your area.
Will they do meals just for my family?
Personal chefs are more than just a catering service. For busy professionals who are looking for quality meals and more time with their family, a personal chef will prepare several entrees and side dishes, store them and clean the kitchen. For the rest of the week all you have to do is take them out of the fridge or freezer and reheat to enjoy gourmet meals all week. For families who turn to fast foods and restaurants the cost may actually be less than what they are currently paying.
Some personal chefs also can be booked for private or group cooking lessons. Invite a group of your friends to learn the art of creating delectable pasties or sumptuous seafood from an expert!
While not everyone needs the daily services of a personal chef you may wish to treat yourself to the luxury of a fabulous dinner at home - no cooking, cleaning or experience necessary!
Party Like a Rockstar in Las Vegas for Under $1000
Las Vegas vacations are some of the most talked about and wild times people have experienced. It’s called Sin City for a reason. With numerous casinos, swanky hotels, curbside service, world class restaurants, awe inspiring shows and beautiful people, Las Vegas is a site to behold. Going to Las Vegas can cost you thousands of dollars if you are not careful. Las Vegas doesn’t have to be expensive if you know some secrets to cutting down on the costs. First off, you have to search for a hotel and flight package. These packages usually run anywhere from $300 to $1200 for 3 to 4 days. Three days is an idea vacation in Vegas as it is really intense and will deprive you of sleep for the entire trip. Most people spend less than three hours in their room on any given day. Does it matter which hotel you stay in? You should think of your hotel room as somewhere to simply get some rest. Most of the partying you will be doing will be in the nicer hotels.
Staying in a nice hotel will not really make your trip any better. Find an ok hotel and flight package and start packing. You should be about $400 in the hole by now with $600 to spare. In Vegas, you can gamble, drink, and go to shows. I can’t tell you how much to gamble, that is up to you. If you want to drink, you can drink for free. I explain how to do this in one of my previous articles. Before you go to the nightclubs, you can get your alcohol for free at the casino. You’ll probably have to pay $40 at the door of any decent nightclub. Since you have had your fair share of drinks at the casino, you probably only need one or two overly priced drinks of $10 each. You can afford to spend a decent amount on food if you cut down on the alcohol costs. If you want to go to a gentleman’s club after the nightclub, make sure you talk to the cab driver who can get you into free at most places. It will cost you about $400 for hotel and airfare with more than enough to party like a rockstar in Las Vegas