Today is officially the first day of autumn (hooray!) and there are now less than 30 days until Halloween. Although there are tons of parents who are opposed to celebrating Halloween with their children for reasons that range from anything like religion to anti-traditionalism, it’s important to make holidays like these fun for our children. Carving a pumpkin or dressing up as a ladybug never made any child diabolical (none that I know of, at least).

This year, help the children practice their jack-o-lanterns on construction paper. Grab a few, or more, boring disposable paper coasters, decorate them and scare the children into protecting the furniture in your home from those frightful water rings. Create jack-o-lantern cutouts out on sunkissed orange construction paper and mount them on black construction paper. Make sure the pumpkins are roughly the side of the coaster for you will be gluing your final piece onto them and voila.

These simple creations will add a festive air the dinner table on this spooky day!

Spider webs may be the classic Halloween decoration for festive classrooms and makeshift haunted houses, but I believe we can add some pizzazz to the ordinary this year. Balloon eyeballs might sound like a challenge, but delightfully enough, they’re not!

Also, please note: this small arts & crafts project will definitely keep the little ones quiet for at least 45 minutes (depending on efficiency :-0 ).

Your tools:

1.    Latex party balloons (preferably white/cream colored)

2.    Construction paper (in basic eye colors: blue, green, brown, black, etc.)

3.    Double-sided tape

4.    Glue stick (optional)

5.    Red permanent marker

Depending on the children’s ages, you can either outline them small circles on black paper (pupils) and larger circles in the brighter colors. Then, glue/tape the pupils inside the larger circles. Using the double sided tape, attach the construction paper to the white balloon and add eyeball veins with the red marker.

Go crazy, kiddos.

Halloween is absolutely one of my favorite holidays of all time. It’s the one night of the year when you get to go crazy with the spooky sweets and as insane as you want with the wardrobe. The good news is that this year the holiday lands on a Saturday, making it a wonderful opportunity for parents to dedicate the day to the kids and for young adults to let loose without worrying about school or work the following day.

Since children will be home all day on Halloween this year, it would be so fun to let them help make and/or set up the Halloween Party Decorations for later that evening. Divide the work among each child so they can feel like an important part of the process. Some children can inflate balloons, others can arrange wall cutouts and spider webs, while others fill bowls with candies.

This Halloween is going to be a blast.

Oktoberfest is a German festival, and the world’s largest fair, that dates back to approximately 1810. The crown prince and princess of Germany at the time held the celebration in honor of their marriage. The festival lasts 16 days when celebrated in Munich and is celebrated widely around the world.

Nowadays, churches and communities put together large Oktoberfest-esque events such as street fairs, parties and/or themed fundraising events. The festivities are generally started with a memorable tapping of the first keg. Attendees generally like to wear traditional German attire and beer tents/stations, music, sausages and saurkraut are must-haves.

I just returned from Back to School Night and many teachers are definitely reaching out to parents in regards to donations/volunteering/fundraising ideas. Times are tough and we can’t blame them for their efforts. Music programs and extracurricular activities are among the most affect programs. So, ahem, teachers: Oktoberfest is only a few weeks away and you have plenty of time to put together a fun, German-themed fundraiser.

Use a park, or a wide open venue to set up tables decorated with Blue Gingham print tableware. Sell sausages, pretzels and beer–simple foods that everyone loves! To make your life even easier, try using Paper Hot Dog Trays and ordering classic Red Plastic Cups in bulk.

September 16 marks the day Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1810. Every year on the eve of Independence Day, the Mexican president recreates the events of the fateful night by ringing the bells of the National Palace in Mexico City. At dawn the following day the national military parades and ends on Mexico City’s main boulevard.

Today, similar celebrations take place on a smaller scale at churches, parks and/or people’s homes. Most celebrations consist of traditional Mexican meals with drinks and a reference to Hidalgo’s famous independence speech.

If it applies, gather your closest family members and plan a potluck fiesta. Not only does a get together allow bonding times, but it celebrates your heritage. It’s a great time for grandparents to share stories about the past to the grandchildren. Culture is something that can slip through our fingers in one generation and it’s a shame when some cannot point to their homeland on a world globe.

Dress up the house with Fiesta Fun Party Supplies, bring out the maracas and let the shots begin!

Time seems to go by a lot quicker during vacation season. In just one month, we’ll scheduling our last summer hurrah, students will go back to class, the sun (in most places) will go back to it’s normal temperature and tanning salons will be booming with business again. Labor Day is traditionally viewed as the last holiday to celebrate the end of summer, the last chance for summer trips and for the hip teens, the last party weekend before school.

It’s a bittersweet feeling, isn’t it? Knowing the end of summer vacation is coming only makes it more stressful for those of us who stress about the date nearing instead of enjoying the last few weeks. For some of us, it’s the time to squeeze in quality time with our significant other before football season officially begins.

So, take that last nap by the pool and enjoy the grilled hamburgers made by undistracted football maniacs, ladies! Football themed party supplies are a great way to greet the upcoming season.

It is summer time and children usually have way too much free time this time of year. Statistics indicating rising levels of obesity among children (adults, too!) have been breathing down our backs in the last decade. This summer, if you have not already done so, encourage your little ones to participate in some sort of active activity.

We try to keep our little ones in the sport of their choice every season. This summer, the pookenator is playing soccer. He may complain every now and then because he’s little and he doesn’t like to stop playing outside to go to practice or he wants to ditch a game for cartoons, but once he’s there he really enjoys himself.

In an effort to spread out team expenses, the team mom assigns snack responsibilities to each family, each week. Snack time is great team-bonding time after every practice/game and participating in team sports is ideal for the development of children’s social skills.

Suggest using themed sports (Soccer Party Supplies) tableware for special team events such as awards banquets, fundraisers and games.

Summer, regardless of whether you’re a student or a full-time employee, is always associated with vacations, trips or time off from the mundane-ness of everyday life. Since the term budget seems to be thrown around more and more often these days, an international trip or extravagant travel arrangements are obviously out of the question.

Although it’s understandable that some of us would definitely like to be complaining about not having a vacation than not having a job. It’s still important to take a “breather” every now and again. This weekend, my girlfriends and I have organized a low-budget trip to a friend’s beach house in San Diego. The cost of housing arrangements is definitely more do-able when it is split 5-6 ways, and let’s faces it: the more, really is the merrier.

All I’m saying is that everyone needs a couple days off to let brain center relax and enjoy some sun or time to relieve some stress. To avoid requesting time off work, try planning a weekend to a near-by beach, or even a camping trip to a lake or a national park.

If that hasn’t convinced you already, think about the ice-cold Margaritas (Disposable Plastic Margarita Glasses) and all of the work you won’t be worrying about. Throw in some disposable tableware (Summer Party Supplies) and I guarantee you won’t be worrying about dishes either.

I’ve experienced first-hand the pressures of being a bridesmaid. Yeah, yeah, it may sound like it’s all make-up and flowers, but ten deep breaths later, you come to find that it can turn into one big passive-aggressive gala.

All stressful memories and pressures seem to fade when you see your good friend glowing with happiness. It may sound completely cheesy, but being a friend’s bridesmaid is a trivial task that shows your genuine friendship and happiness for the journey she is about to undertake. The job may sound simple—get in the dress, look less pretty than the bride, walk in a straight line, join her for the last wild night, etc.—but, it’s important to make your girlfriend’s last months as a single woman, as memorable as possible.

I remember my close friend’s bridal shower and I’m sure made some great memories. The shower doesn’t need to be crowded with people—it’s the close, loved individuals that matter. So, if the other bridesmaids aren’t stepping up to the plate, grab a notebook and take initiative. Bridal Showers are the chance to have a nice dinner, play some games and really just sit back through the trip to memory lane.

Summer weddings, for the most part, tend to feature a wide assortment of vibrant hues and colors. This year, yellow seems to be one of the most popular shades in the wedding department as well as the clothing department. Celebrity gossip magazines are my occasional guilty pleasure and it seems they’ve captured quite a few female stars donning beautiful yellow dresses—casual and dressy.

A couple years ago, I attended a wedding and the placecard holders were actual lemons—fresh, citrus-y, yellow lemons! The decorator or the wedding coordinator made a slit across the top and popped the placecard right in. It was simple and it coordinated rather nicely with the color scheme of the wedding.

See, bridezillas! There is no need to be frantic. There are quick fixes as close as your backyard.