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www.hauntedhouseforkids.com
December 26, 2007
Personally, I find the winter holidays to be the most special time of the year. My mother always made this holiday a wonderful one as she used to decorate the house in all things Christmas. I especially liked her Christmas decorating ideas, so I tried to follow her lead to help my own family enjoy this holiday thoroughly. There is a fine line between festive and flashy and I have always tried to give my best not to cross it. Thus, I have used for my Christmas decorations natural items and lights. I am a candle light lover so I wanted to use it outdoors but I didn’t know how. My older sister helped me by giving me the idea to use ice globes in my yard, just as the people in 1970s did because of the energy crisis.
Making the globe is not a difficult task - all you have to do is fill balloons with water and put them in your freezer. The balloons freeze from the outside in. It is important to regularly check that they do not freeze all the way through. After you see there is ice around the inside of the balloon you should pop it and drain the water out of the centre of the balloon. You might have to chop a hole in the top in some cases.
This is the process that gives you ice globes. You can get different sizes of globes if you use different sizes of balloons. I personally tried something else, as well - I used rings from canning jars to make base to stand the globes on. Then you have to place a candle in each ice globe and that’s how you realize one of the greatest Christmas decorating ideas. As we live in a cold climate, I put many globes in the yard on our steps and line our driveway. The candles are easily lit and the globe protects them from going out.
Another Christmas decorating idea I has was to create ice sculptures in the front yard which I made by several sizes of globes. I decorate the house inside with the help of evergreens and ribbons. Traditional glass ornaments for decorating the mantel and the table tops are also used. What I really like about evergreens is that they stay fresh for a few weeks and after the season is over I can easily burn them in the fire place. As far as the bulbs and ribbons are concerned, after the Christmas season is gone I store them in flat boxes. It is important to know that the best Christmas ideas do not necessarily mean a great deal of money or storage of items.
You can enlighten your Christmas by following some of my Christmas decorating ideas by using the natural evergreens and ice; you won’t have any storage issues with them and they won’t cost you much. Of course, you don’t have to settle for the same Christmas decorations each year. You can make the ice globes in different shapes and you can buy new bulbs and ribbons in different colours which are quite cheap. Last Christmas I even used some popcorn and cranberry strands instead of the traditional ribbons. After the season was over I placed the strand in the trees outside so that the birds could enjoy. In conclusion, stylish and smart Christmas decorating ideas don’t have to be expensive; you can use simple things to make your Christmas unforgettable.
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Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning holidays. Learn more at Christmas Decorating Ideas
November 28, 2007
Planning a Halloween party is almost as fun as having the party itself and the best part is that anyone can do it. You begin by picking out the theme you would like for the party to follow. For example, would you like your guest to be wearing costumes or would you prefer them to come as they are? Normally a costume party will be much more interesting, but if you want to invite guests that you know would prefer not to dress up then it can be optional.
Next, you are ready to choose your decorations. You can buy these from any retail store or have fun designing your own. A combination of both will add design and originality to your party. The room that you have set aside for dancing could have a strobe light in the center of it to add to the excitement of the night. If this is something you would like to do it would be a good idea to go out early and choose one that is the perfect size for the amount of room that you have. There are many different designs and sizes to choose from.
Making the guest list is a very important step in planning a Halloween party. It is the only way to ensure that you do not miss anyone when the invitations are sent out. If you are allowing alcohol beverages to be served at your Halloween party, then make sure that you let the guests know ahead of time and remind them to make arrangements to get home safely. You can even place this announcement on the invitations you send out.
The next step is a very important one, you must make sure that you are able to provide enough food and drinks for the number of guest that you invite. These items must last through the duration of the party. No one wants to run out of snacks and refreshments. Special Halloween music is a must to keep the sprite of the night going strong, along with some spooky games or contest for your guest to enjoy. Punch bowls and dishes full of candy are also great accessories for any Halloween party.
Make sure that you allow yourself plenty of time to decorate your home for your Halloween party. After all, the surroundings have a lot to do with determining the mood of your guests. Never be afraid to let loose and experiment a little, after all its Halloween!
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Nicola always enjoys Halloween parties with her family. Visit her Halloween site for tips and information about Halloween Party Decorations at http://Halloween-Decorations.Best-Halloween.com
This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Best-Halloween.com
November 20, 2007
Just as in the ‘real’ world, there are many costume shops on the internet that all claim to be the best source for costumes and accessories. Obviously they can’t all the be the best, but how can you tell which ones will be the best to deal with? After all, it’s a little harder to judge them from a website than it is by walking into their store and actually looking around and speaking with someone.
When shopping for a costume online, you should follow the same principles you would when dealing with a traditional store.
Find out where they’re located. Any decent web-based store will have a physical address and contact information listed on their website, in an easy-to-find spot. If they don’t list this information, or it’s buried somewhere hard to find, they may not be the best choice.
What are their return policies? Buying over the internet means you can’t actually see and feel the costume before you get it home. If what you order turns out to not be what you expected, you should be able to return it with minimal hassle.
How do they ship your costume and how quickly will it arrive? If you’re ordering a costume with lots of accessories and detail you want to be sure that it is well protected in shipping, to avoid damage along the way. And the shipping time is important, especially as it gets closer to Halloween.
Do they allow special orders? Most online costume shops carry a wide range of accessories, as well as complete costume kits. If you want to order a kit but substitute a couple of items, will they work with you?
Is there a telephone number that you can call to speak to a representative? Even if you can find all the information you need on the website, it isn’t a bad idea to call them just to get a feel for how easy it is to deal with them in person. If you aren’t happy with the quality of their service before you buy, it probably isn’t going to be any better afterwards.
Shopping for a Halloween costume online can be a lot more convenient than visiting a bunch of stores in person. You’ll probably find a lot bigger selection, for almost any age. By using these tips, you’ll be a lot more likely to be happy with your costume, and more able to enjoy Halloween.
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Phil Sikes writes about Halloween costumes and other related topics for the Get In Costume website. Visit the Costume Deals blog for some great costume ideas and other special offers.
November 1, 2007
What do you want your Christmas to be like? Is this down to you, or do other people have to behave in a certain way, do certain things for your vision of Christmas to be realised? Do they know your expectations?
Just a couple of weeks to Christmas and the tension is palpable!! There are lots of advice columns in magazines offering guides to getting through the day. When to put the turkey/nut roast in the oven etc. You may be one of those lucky people who sail through the season without a care (or maybe in such a champagne-induced rosy glow that you don’t give a festive fig) but for the rest of us, there is often quite a bit of anxiety associated with it. We all have our different issues, here’s mine (or one of them) and what I did to make things better.
We have a lovely tradition in Hebden Bridge (a gorgeous little town in Yorkshire, UK). On Christmas Eve, in the early evening, the townspeople gather in the square, around the tree, to sing carols accompanied by the local junior brass band. Afterwards we ask everyone we know to come back to ours for mulled wine and mince pies. Sometimes just a few people come, but usually lots do.
Now, my partner is a bit of a paragon, works outrageous hours and still manages to cook fabulous food for the girls and me most nights. Because of this I have built up an expectation that when folks gather for yule cheer, HE will be involved in serving up the mulled wine.
The reality for many years was that I would become increasingly hot and stressed as people piled through the door and queued for their festive cup. My beloved, meanwhile, was knocking back the vino and engaging in animated conversation, oblivious to my ‘suffering’.
By the time I emerge from my sticky, red corner, the first wave of guests had moved on to other gatherings and I was slightly grumpy. At the end of the evening, he was always slightly taken aback by my uncharitable, unseasonable and frankly, unusual low spirits, and I was always feeling slightly guilty about having minded. We would then have a rather sulky discussion about it and forget it until just after the party started the following year, when I would remember that ‘it’s always like this’.
SO – one year I decided we should discuss it BEFORE Christmas Eve (Doh!) i.e. BEFORE I got all hot and bothered about it. We both talked about how we felt about the annual event – and we agreed to share the tasks – and (blindingly obvious, this one) to encourage people to get their own refills. During the event we would make a point of checking each other is OK and be on hand to mop up spills, great new guests etc. We talked to the girls about it as well, and though they had always helped by taking coats they were delighted to get involved in all the other erstwhile ‘chores’.
What a HUGE difference that made – my expectations, my vision for a warm and welcoming happy family-hosted gathering was finally translated into a reality. Apologies of those of you who are thinking along the lines of ‘not exactly rocket science, that one, Jan’ – believe me, it felt like it at the time.
However, maybe this scenario strikes a chord for you. Your Christmas expectations are always scuppered, and it has a feeling of inevitability about it. If so, you might like to try the following in an effort to defuse the potential situation in good time. First of all, take a few minutes to ask yourself:
- What are the things that sometimes go wrong, or give you stress at Christmas?
- Is there a feeling of inevitability about this?
- Have you got any control or influence over the situation?
If you answered ‘no’ to that last one, just check it again, are you absolutely sure there is nothing YOU can do?
- What are all the different things you could do to deal with this? (and this is when you are allowed to make crazy suggestions, sometimes the daftest ideas contain a real germ of wisdom. All I ask is that in the spirit of Christmas, your ideas should not involve violence
- Which of those suggestions feels possible?
- Whose support do you need to make it happen?
- What resources (time, money, people, kitchen paper) do you need to make it happen?
Now you have to take action (that’s always the crunch with coaching!): At a time when you are feeling relaxed and happy, open a discussion with the key players about this stress-point. You could tell the other person you always worry about this and you really want to make sure its OK this year. In a nutshell:
- Be clear how you would like it to be
- Ask the other person how they would like it to be
- Discuss your hopes and expectations with each other
- Decide on the division of labour (if that is the issue)
- Agree to be kind to each other
- Agree with them to talk about how it’s going
Have a happy Christmas!
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Jan Scott - life coach
http://www.janscott-lifecoach.co.uk
I have revelled in seeing myself differently and therefore the different opportunities available to me as I continue along my journey. The challenges ahead are now more exciting than nerve-wracking! NB, York
No doubt a nice drop of the Irish would take the edge off that heightened state of anxiety that heralds the approach of the Christmas season. These days I rarely touch the stuff (it relaxes me rather too much!) so I rely on my old friend, the trusty list, to save the day.
What a wonderful thing is a list, reassuring, endlessly adaptable, ultra-motivational, and a fantastic means of convincing myself that, far from falling prey to encroaching short-term memory loss, I am efficient and industrious, a paragon of organisation. It?s true; people think I?m really together and it?s all down to that buttress of modern life, the list!
The key you see is in the sheer pleasure of ticking off each item, revelling in another task accomplished. To optimise this little surge of satisfaction, and harness its power to ensure everything gets done, I have hit upon the idea of breaking every job into lots of smaller parts.
So, in the run-up to the festivities I become a list factory: cards (with columns for ?extras? like an invite to post-carols-in-the-Square drinks on Christmas Eve), Christmas presents (ideas, bought and to buy), food (for each day), shopping lists, a list of stuff to take when visiting family, baking, cleaning, and of course a list of what we?re actually eating on the big day just in case I give in to the call of the Irish and am enveloped in a rosy glow so dense I forget the chestnut stuffing or the after dinner mints.
I list every stage of all the things I need to do; by breaking each job into small, manageable chunks I can see progress, have complete confidence that it will all be done by Christmas Eve and almost certainly enjoy the process. What?s more, because it?s such a huge list I?ll have conned myself into believing I?m hard working and productive.
For example, I have a grasshopper approach to housework and so the way I can measure (and glory in) my progress even when all the chairs are up on the kitchen table, along with a chaotic jumble of cutlery, odd socks, grubby tea towels and small change, is by crossing off ?clear the kitchen floor? and ?scrape crusty food off chairs? before embarking on ?scrape crusty food off floor?, ?sweep floor? and then ?mop floor?; you get the drift.
The down side of all this jubilation is of course that a list, however well formed, is rendered utterly useless if you haven?t got it with you when you need it, if you?ve put it in the washing machine or perhaps placed it on top of an already established pile of papers. My worst possible scenario in terms of losing lists is if I turn one over and use the other side for a telephone message, whereupon it mysteriously vanishes only to pop up again when I?m frantically searching for something else entirely.
?I?ll be there in a minute, I?m just writing a list? has raised wry grins from those around me for all of my adult life, yet I?ll guarantee that my fellow revellers will be glad of it when there are enough croissants for everyone at breakfast, when their Christmas pudding has steamed for just the right length of time and when Santa, having checked the list very carefully, delivers just the right gift for each and every one of them. I?ll SO deserve that rosy glow.
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Jan Scott - life coach
http://www.janscott-lifecoach.co.uk
I have revelled in seeing myself differently and therefore the different opportunities available to me as I continue along my journey. The challenges ahead are now more exciting than nerve-wracking! NB, York
October 24, 2007
The sky is darkening. You feel a chill and ghostly horrors in the air as the moon shines brightly on this cloudless night. It is the last night of October, October 31st. It is officially Halloween night and you have decided to have a hauntingly exciting Halloween party. How ghoulishly delightful! But where do you start in planning your Halloween holiday celebration. Here are 10 steps to help you in planning a great Halloween Party that will have all those ghosts, wicked witches and grim goblins screaming with delight.
Step 1: Halloween Party Kickoff: Think about who the party is for - for you or your children? An adult Halloween party will be quite different from a children’s Halloween party when it comes to planning the Halloween theme of the party, Halloween decorations, Halloween recipes and beverages. Adults and older children usually love to be frightened, but that is not the same for smaller children. So when planning your event keep the ages of your guests in mind. Once you have that figured out, now it is time to pick the date, time and place of your Halloween party. And don’t forget the guest list.
Step 2: Halloween invitations: This is where you can have fun and set the mood of your unforgettable night of horror chills and thrills by sending out unique and spookily inviting Halloween party invitations. You can purchase them or make some yourself with some construction paper and some glitter markers, or how about buying some inexpensive Halloween paper eye masks and writing the words on the back. Include all the important information such as date, time, place and a request for RSVP to your Halloween party.
Step 3: Halloween party food and recipes: now the party would not be a party without a lot of great Halloween munchies. Plan a menu and write out your shopping list. Try to do as much in advance as possible, and try to pick Halloween recipes that can be made ahead and stored or frozen. And again, think of the ages of your guests - there are a lot of fun Halloween foods for both kids and adults. Here might be the place to use up some of those Halloween pumpkin guts.
Step 4:Haunted Halloween Pumpkins: plan to buy your pumpkins early to get the best selection. By selecting a variety of shapes and sizes of pumpkins, you will be able to make a variety of interesting jack-o-lanterns ghosts. And don’t forget about those miniature pumpkins, they can make great party favors or Halloween decorations also. And the day before the party, carve your pumpkins and double check you have enough candles or use small flashlights to show off their ghostly grins.
Step 5: Halloween Costumes: there is always something exciting about putting on a Halloween costume and taking on another identity. So prepare yourself and your families Halloween party costumes in advance so that you don’t have to run around in a panic trying to put something together at the last minute. It is easy to find a lot of great Halloween costume ideas that will not cost a lot of money or time.
Step 6: Halloween Party Games or Activities: Halloween games and craft activities are especially popular for younger Halloween party guests, but this does not mean that adults would not enjoy the fun of Halloween games and showing off their ghostly talents. So think about what Halloween activities your guests would be interested in and gather all the materials you need in advance. Also be sure to have some extra Halloween activities incase a game that you are expecting to take 45 minutes only lasts for 20. And do not forget the Halloween prizes, these can be easily and inexpensively assembled by a quick trip to your local novelty or dollar store or ordered online to be delivered straight to your door.
Step 7: Halloween music and sounds: there is no time then the present to start thinking about what kind of Halloween music you want at your Halloween party celebration. Are you looking for some fun party songs for dancing music, or hauntingly spooky background ghost music for a dinner party, or a collection of sing-a-longs for the kids. Also, you might want to incorporate some Halloween special effects outside with spooky horror sounds as your guests walk up to the front door. There are a lot of special music tapes or CD’s available to purchase, or if your try making one on your own - it could be almost as much fun as the Halloween party itself.
Step 8:Halloween Party Favors: party favors add an extra treat of fun to any Halloween party and are a wonderful addition as a Halloween treat for each guest or something they can take home. They do not need to be elaborate Party Favors or costly and can range from a small plastic toy to a homemade individual bundle of snack mix wrapped in Halloween decoration style.
Step 9: Halloween Decorations: decorations for your front yard and house for Halloween can be a lot of fun and again does not need to be costly. You can get a lot of great eerie Halloween effects by experimenting with some horror lighting placed around your indoor and outdoor Halloween decorations. And adding in some Halloween music or ghost sounds can make some of your Halloween decorations come to life.
Step 10: Party Guests Arrival: today is the day - Halloween party Night, and your guests are about to arrive. Have a quick look around to see if all is in order and that your house is a safe setting. Keep a porch light on so everyone sees any steps or other obstacles, and make sure all your guests have a way back home after the Halloween festivities come to an end.
Final note: Remember that your Halloween party does not need to be elaborate, the main component of a great Halloween party are a few willing participants that want to have fun, a few simple Halloween decorations and props, toss in some spooky music and ghost sounds, and definitely the Halloween food - and you will have a smashingly and howling Halloween Party. So when the party starts, enjoy yourself! It will be a spookily great time.
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Daryl Plaza is the owner of
spooky night.com a website with reviews and resources on Halloween recipes, costumes, music and decoration
Halloween is generally a sugar fest - kids go trick or treating and pick up sacks full of candy.
This Halloween Menu will get some proper food down them before they go out - with a bit of luck they’ll be too full to eat the candy until much later.
For starters, get a round loaf and use it to push vegetable kebabs into.
Get some cocktail sticks or kebab skewers and push chopped up raw and salad vegetables onto them.
Some ideas here are chunks of carrot, whole radish, cubes of cucumber, slices of pepper, tomato quarters, sticks of celery and anything else you fancy.
Use some green food coloring to mix into mayonnaise and use this to dip the vegetables in - call it slime.
How about worms or maggots for your main course?
No - don’t fancy them? OK if I said spaghetti or a rice dish does that sound more appetizing? You can call them worms or maggots ? the kids will laugh.
Try a canned tuna and tomato spaghetti or a prawn provencale over rice - there’s recipes on my site for those, link at the end of this article ? or use your own favorite spaghetti or rice meal.
The idea with this menu is not to make yourself a slave to the kitchen, just to get some good food down your kids before they go out and get them in the mood for Halloween.
Now your pudding ? well, it would be a shame to waste the insides of the pumpkin that has now become their lantern ? so microwave the insides for 7 minutes per lb (or thereabouts) and use the pulp to make a pie.
There?re loads of variations for pumpkin pie, but you basically mix the pumpkin with cream and spices and bake in a pastry case ? serve slightly warm with a good dollop or cream.
Don?t waste the seeds either ? separate them from the pulp before cooking, rinse and then let them dry for 4 hours or so. Sprinkle them with olive oil and salt and then bake in moderate oven for 30 minutes ? give them a stir every 10 minutes and you?ve got some lovely nibbles there.
Decorate the room and table with orange and black, cobwebs, skeletons and have a few games laid on.
Bobbing for apples is good fun ? but bobbing for grapes would be more fun ? easier to get hold of I think and your guests will get a bit wetter.
Do a hide and seek with the lights out ? spooky stories ? don?t scare each other too much ? and then let them loose on the area with their trick or treating.
Happy Halloween.
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Liz Alderson is the webmaster of find-a-seafood-recipe.com which is a free fish and seafood recipe site giving advice on buying, preparing and cooking fish and seafood. She also has a herb website - the-herb-guide.com which has advice on growing, cooking and using herbs. You are free to use this article on your site, but this Resource Box and the article itself must remain unaltered.
October 21, 2007
A fun kid Halloween party idea is to turn the party into a haunted house! Kids love Halloween parties and Haunted Houses so why not combine the two? This Haunted Halloween party idea can be set up a family room, garage, or backyard.
Make announcements shaped like a haunted house with black paper, and white or yellow markers. Let everyone know what day, time and location of your haunted house Halloween party. Let the kids and guests know to dress up as ghosts, ghouls, a mad scientist, and monsters.
Once you decide on the location for the party, look at the room or yard to locate any safety concerns, any off-limit areas of the room or yard, and where to place decorations. Ideas for decorations and supplies include:
- White sheets, tablecloths or fabric to drape over furniture
- Black fabric or tablecloth to cover any bright areas
- String twinkle lights, flashlights and litesticks
- Dry ice or fog machine with adult supervision
- Lots of spider webbing and creepy creatures
- Scary looking jack-o-lanterns
- Assorted large clear jars for a scientist lab area
- Make tombstones from cardboard or foam blocks
- Haunted sounds and eerie music
Cover any furniture or large items with white sheets or cloth. Place or hang scary decorations such as spiders, bats and rats around the room or yard. Lots of jack-o-lanterns piled in corners really adds to the effect. Make a graveyard with cardboard tombstones and plastic skeleton bones. Set up a table covered with a sheet for the mad scientist?s laboratory. Large jars with green tinted water can display a cauliflower brain, green olives in a ball of mozzarella cheese looks like an eyeball, and lots of creepy bugs.
Lighting really adds to the effect of your haunted house Halloween party. Cover any really bright areas with black or dark cloth and hang twinkle, clip-on black and strobe lights in key locations. Look for areas that might become hazardous if too dark and add more lights. String up lots of spider webbing all around the room. Use dry ice with adult supervision or a fog machine to add to the spooky effect.
Serve Halloween party finger foods such as:
- Bite-size pizzas (an olive in the center looks like an eye)
- Fried-ravioli (looks like knuckles) with red pizza sauce
- Chicken wings (tell the kids they are bat wings)
- Frog-eye salad (ambrosia with green grapes)
- Bubbly brew (punch)
- Cocoa Cat Cookies (chocolate cookies cut into cat shapes)
Play spooky music and use a strobe light to play kids games such as Musical Jack-O-Lanterns (use pumpkins instead of chairs), Pin the Hat on the Witch, or Freeze Tag if you are using the backyard. Send everyone home with a treat bag full of goodies!
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As a mother, grandmother, and child development professional, Nancy Johnson, shares over 20 years experience working with children and planning activities on her website, Creative-Child-Activity-Notebook.com. Check it out for more school age child activity ideas including fall, holiday, learning, nature, and child party activity ideas.
October 12, 2007
For many people the best part of Halloween is being able to decorate the outside of their home. This doesn?t have to be limited to just the front yard. Decorating the backyard can create a very spooky atmosphere. You can even design a detour that will take each of your guests on a long walk that circles the backyard before leading them to the entrance. This way they get to enjoy the full benefits of your decorating efforts.
The traditional pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns make great additions when you decorate the outside of your home for Halloween. The light that these decorations give off will help your guest to see their way around and add the perfect lighting to create scary shadows that surround the other decorations. Ghost and goblins are an old favorite that can still make your guest look over their shoulder twice. Don?t be afraid to get very creative with these items. Some of the newer designs are now being made inflatable to help give them an even more lifelike appearance.
The use of a fog machine can create an illusion that can make your yard the spookiest of all. This is especially true when you litter the lawn with fake body parts and fake blood splattered all about the area. The fog just intensifies the whole spooky theme. Don?t forget about a special door bell ring that alerts you of the incoming guest with screams, howling or some other unique Halloween greeting. You can even have a host that is decked out in one of the scariest costumes around to stand outside your door to personally welcome each and every one of you Halloween guest.
Add special sound effects that will begin whenever your guest walks past a certain area. You can also use props that are programmed on a timer to go off at specific intervals. Spider webs are also a great decorating idea that will help you to create a spooky outdoor theme. Make sure that you don?t forget the customary black cat and maybe a witch or two sitting in the trees watching the guest wondering by. It?s just not Halloween without a few traditional items.
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