Party Idea: A Chocolate Themed Party

Several chocolate festivals are celebrated by hundreds of thousands of chocolate lovers worldwide. These include Chocolate Lovers’ Festival, Salon Du Chocolat, Garfield Park Chocolate Show, Eurochocolate, Chocolate Rush, and Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival. They converge to these events to see and sample terrific creations from world-renowned chocolate makers and take delight in chocolate-inspired activities.

The pleasure and fun you will feel is doubled when you go to these festivals of gaiety in the fellowship of your chocolate loving patrons. Eating mountains of chocolates of various kinds and sizes will surely drive you crazy. You don’t necessarily need to spend a lot of cash to enjoy these festivals. You can stage a chocolate party of your own. You don’t even have to be an expert party planner to organize this. All you need is a bit of help and some sparks of ingenuity!

The Menu
A sit down, four-course meal is not necessary unless you insist. Hold it just like a common cook out Sunday. Serve pork chops, chicken, mashed potatoes, pasta, or anything you are at ease with! The magic happens when the meat pieces can be made special by adding some chocolate-inspired sauces such as the "mole," a Mexican, chili-chocolate recipe. Make it climactic with chocolate deserts of cakes, pastries and, of course a mound of chocolate assortments. Be sure to have loads of them since you will be needing them for games and other activities! You need not to buy expensive gourmet chocolates, just get the regular ones, or your favorite brands - unless your theme is about gourmet chocolates. You may also call for a pot-luck chocolate party to save you more money and get more participation from the guests.
If you prefer to serve fondue, then set up fondue pairs like fruits, marshmallows, and pretzels. Explore wines that would pair well with chocolates, too. And also don’t forget to serve an assortment of drinks that will help wash down your guests’ palates.

Plan The Setting
Bring out your nicest linens — even better if you have chocolate designed-linens. You can prepare two or three tables. One will be used for eating and the other to hold the chocolates and wines. You may also have a table to display the desserts that your choco-loving guests may wish to indulge in at anytime they want to during the party.

Adorn your party area by integrating chocolate brown hues in your design. Set the audio system and match the ambiance with nice and happy music. And finally, ensure that your programme is set up along with the stuff that you will need in games or activities.

flickr image by _e.t.

Chocolate Party Fun Ideas
Here are some ideas you can do at your chocolate party besides chocolate and wine tasting. You may select one or a few of them, which is possible that can easily be done without being forced to spend so a lot.
1. Who Can Eat The Most Chocolates?
2. Paint With Chocolate – using chocolates and fingers or hands to create art.
3. Chocolate Gallery - Set up an exhibit on the history of chocolates with pictures included and display them so everyone can see and learn at the same time.
4. Chocolate Poker – Substitute chips with chocolate pieces. The winning guest takes home whatever chocolates they won.
5. Baking Challenge – A baking contest on making the best chocolate cake or cookie.
6. Chocolate cooking demonstration – A great way to learn and share a novel chocolate recipe
Now, you don’t have to wait for a special event to organize a chocolate party! Just being a chocolate buff is a sufficient reason. But if you wish to make your Thanksgiving, birthday, reunion, anniversary or any gathering fancier allow the chocolate lover in you emerge and let your dearest family or friends experience a feast that was once only made for kings!
 

Home Child Safety Tips for New Parents

Several measures can be taken to see to it that the diverse elements in your house are safe for children especially for babies and toddlers. For example, baby walkers may become dangerous items for babies and toddlers, as they can cause children to fall down stairs or bump their head on a sharp corner. Always make sure that safety gates are properly installed and that the cribs meet current safety standards. Gates that can be fastened to walls are ideal to be placed at the top landing area of stairs, while spring-loaded gates are best for the foot of stairs.

Next, check different parts of the cribs, such as the mattress, the frame, and the screws. When it comes to bathtub safety, remember these tips: A child may drown even in just an inch of water in less than a minute! Within a few seconds, hot water from a faucet can scald a person’s skin. In fact, a child’s skin can get burned in one-fourth of the time needed for an adult’s skin to get burned! Before bathing your baby in the bathtub water, rest the temperature using your elbow. When bathing for your baby, consistently start out and end the bathing process, with cool water. If you should leave the bathroom during your child’s bath time, take your child along with you. During the bath teach your child to keep seated in the bathtub the whole duration of the bath time to avoid the risk of slipping and bumping the head.

While certain parts of the house can be dangerous to children, just remember that child safety products can help to ensure their safety. Be mindful of the items that your child puts in his or her mouth. Prevent your child from choking on and swallowing objects by keeping items that are small enough to fit in a child’s mouth out of reach especially for babies and toddlers. Objects that pose a threat to very young children when swallowed include tiny toy parts, chips, seeds, small candies and nuts, wrapping paper, popcorn, broken balloons, batteries, and hot dogs. To prevent your young child from choking on food, cut solid foods that are hard and round, into smaller strips. Instruct children to always chew their food slowly and remain sitting up during meals or snacks. As a parent, it is important to know very well the signs of choking and the steps needed to take when it happens.

Aside from choking on small objects, be aware that the majority of homes can contain about 200-300 poisons. Teach children the danger symbols on bottles and containers, so they will understand the danger of touching or even consuming such products. Items such as household chemical cleaners; nail polish; perfume; cosmetics and some poisonous plants should be kept away from children’s reach, as they become toxic when consumed. Even party leftovers, certain medications, and holiday decorations can be toxic to children! Also remember the difference between “child-resistant” caps from “child-proof” versions. 

© 2010 Athena Goodlight

Single Parenting and Discipline Issues With Preschool Children

After a divorce, legal separation, or death of a spouse reality soon sets in that only one parent will have custody of the children. In many cases, these are experienced by parents of pre-school children.  How does a single parent cope with child discipline issues?

The custodial parent should continue household functions and implement family discipline. Depending on the previous family participation by the husband, a lot of mothers find coping by themselves extremely difficult. After a divorce, family routines often become disorganized and discipline is slackened. At a time when organization and consistent discipline are needed, your capability to nurture the whole household decreases because you are straining to reorganize yourself. Try the following strategies to cope with this situation:

1. Children do not adjust easily to too many changes quickly. If changes (e.g., different house, school, city) are necessary, undertake these bit by bit and with preparation. Family life must go on and apparently some changes are required. As your children grow they will have to take on some added responsibility. This is a nonnegotiable fact of single-parent household life. Gather the children in a form of family council and make a list of the new responsibilities to be portioned out and let each child have a say in picking out his or her contribution. Squeezing in too many duties on your children at this vulnerable time may cause them to rebel and further resent the divorce (if this was the case). Organization in the household makes the children's general adjustment and your discipline much easier to handle.

3.  Single parents have to run a tight ship. Remember, discipline also entails emotional support. If you increase both your expectations of your children and your methods of expressing your love to them, they will most likely honor the changes in discipline.

4. Following a divorce or death, a single parent often moves back to the town of the grandparents. Grandparents can offer valuable support, both for the parent, who needs love and company, and for the children, who may need the love and care only a blood relative can provide. Your children may gravitate to the grandfather as a father figure, which is normally healthy behavior. Single-parent support groups and church fellowships may also provide you with social contacts and valuable support.

5. You cannot be both a mother and father to your children. This cliché is unrealistic. If you are a good mother, be a good mother; if you are a good father, continue to be a good father. A lot of single mothers are understandably concerned about providing male role models in their children's lives. Mothers are not expected to become baseball players and plumbers overnight. You can allow opportunities for your children to meet males who will act as role models at school, clubs, religious and sports events. Appreciate that a male role model is not a backup for a continued father-child relationship. The main goal in raising your child through a divorce is to uphold his sense of security within the broken family.

Most preschool children of divorce experience the following types of behaviors.

Because many preschool children do not express their feelings, they may show regressive behavior. This results from a sense of loss and insecurity, and may manifest in the form of thumb sucking, masturbation, mood swings, and sleep disturbances (caused by a fear of waking up and finding mommy gone too). Children may also regress in developmental advancement, such as toilet training. The preschool child may cleave to the custodial parent for fear of losing that parent, too. He may crave attention and not let you out of his sight. He may also feel that he is at fault for daddy's departure. The child's energy needs and behavioral changes put an added stress on you as a custodial parent at the same time that you are struggling with your own adjustment. If possible, delay any sudden modifications in your parent-child relationship, such as a return to work or school, for a couple of months. Your preschool child may be too young to realize your needs and may translate your departures as desertion. Try to accept his desire to sleep with you and accompany you wherever you go. Allow your child to be near you as often as possible.

Download free ebook: Effective Single Parenting

© 2011 Athena Goodlight

How to Shop for Baby’s Shoes

What factors should parents look for when buying a pair of shoes for the baby who has just started walking?

The feet of the babies and their style of walking are as unique as their faces and smiles. When the baby starts taking those first steps, it's time to shop for  baby shoes. There are four basic but important parts of a shoe you should consider:

The sole. As a general rule, the earlier the stage of walking, the thinner and more flexible shoe sole should be. Before buying a baby shoe, bend it by hand to check its flexibility. As you fit your baby's shoes, observe how your baby walks. The shoe should bend at the toes as the baby takes each step.

 

The counter (back of the shoe). To ensure a good fit, the counter should be firm. Squeeze the counter between the thumb and index finger as proof. If it feels too soft, it will be easily be worn out with use, which causes the shoe to slip off.

Heel. With the first shoe for your baby, a small heel is advised to help avoid dangerous backward falls.

 

Top and side of the shoe. These parts of the shoe should bend easily when the baby walks. If the top and side does not crease easily, it means the baby shoe is not flexible enough and the baby's foot could not bend in a natural manner while walking.

The choice of an experienced shoe salesman and a shoe store reputation important when caring for your baby's feet. When trying on shoes for yourself, it is easy to tell if shoes fit by the way they feel. But the baby cannot say whether a particular shoe feels good or not. Therefore, in the same way that you trust with your pediatrician to give advice throughout the stages of your baby's development, you should also be able to trust a shoe salesman for his advice on the footwear needs of your baby. A shoe salesperson should be someone who understands progression fitting. This means that he can properly match the changes in the baby's size and design of shoes with the progressive changes in the style of walking and growth of the foot.

Parents often ask about the shoe height. Since the baby's heel is not yet well formed during the first two years, there isn't much to hold the shoe to the foot. This is the reason why some babies need to have higher shoes than others, depending on the growth of the heel. Many babies can manage to walk in a three-quarter boot type, which is not as high as the traditional high-ankle styles, giving more freedom of movement while staying on your baby's feet as well. A well-trained shoe salesman can advise you as to what height of the shoe is best for your baby.

Is Your Baby Ready to Wear Shoes?

flickr photo by Sarah Essex Matthews

Foot specialists have varying opinions on when babies should wear their first pair of shoes. Some perceive that babies should learn to walk barefoot. After your baby has been attempting to walk for a couple of months, you may try giving him or her some shoes. Your baby's feet will continue to de­velop just as well without any type of footwear, but most parents find that shoes are required for the beginning walker. Baby shoes help protect your baby's tender feet from the rough surfaces, splinters, and sharp objects that lie on the path. Babies who are learning to walk looks ahead more often, not down, and these uncautious little feet are likely to bump into anything.

 

Some foot specialists feel that shoes help a baby walk better, others do not. The reason why shoes may help some babies walk better is that the flat, even soles of the shoes provide lateral stability for a young tenderfoot. Walking is a balancing act. Your baby balances on one foot while swing­ing the other foot ahead. Baby shoes worn on a baby's feet are like flippers on a scuba diver- they square off and widen the margins of the foot, providing a steady, stable surface for the balancing foot while the free foot forges ahead. The baby shoe insoles also provide a surface for your baby's toes to first grip and then push off of when taking a step. If the walking surface is soft and yielding, such as a thick, carpet or a sponge pad in a playpen, a barefoot baby's toes may sink in too much and make walking difficult. When your baby is beginning to take his or her first steps, you may try getting a first pair of shoes. If your baby walks better in them, then your baby is ready for shoes.

 

Read also on  Tips on Buying Baby Shoes

Advantages of Using Gas Barbeque Grills

The routine of Barbequing or Grilling has been around for a long time. Cavemen easily realized that food tasted great after it was cooked over an open fire. Barbequing has been a standard American custom for families. Not only does the food that goes with barbequing have a taste that is unrivaled by different cooking techniques, but it also affords a family a reason to get together outdoors. Nowadays, over 90% of families in the U.S. hold or attend barbeque about once a year. Almost 70% of all of the barbeques are done on a gas grill.

Gas grills operate using a spark igniting the gas inside the grill. Gas grills normally have a knob or button where in you push, that in turn activates a small hammer. The hammer collides with the top of an ignition crystal. Then the burner mixes the gas with oxygen and disperses it all over the cooking surface. This makes the gas grill among the easiest, and quickest grills to use.

Gas grills are suitable for virtually any kind of barbequing party since they come in all shapes and sizes. Smaller gas grills afford you the portability needed to plan barbeque parties away from home.  Bigger gas grills are handy and effective for cooking larger amounts of food rapidly, and without the mess of other kinds of grills.

There are numerous factors that you must take into account when you buy your first gas grill.

Weight

 

The kind of grill you buy should actually depend on what you plan on using the grill for. When you envision barbeques at the beach, camping trips, or tailgate parties, you might want to consider availing a smaller gas grill. Smaller gas grills can range anywhere from 10 to 40 pounds. Portable gas containers are likewise available for these kinds of grills.

If your plans are more centralized on home cooking, then bigger grills would suit you very well.

 

Cooking Surfaces

Gas grills, as opposed to other grill types, have the capacity to come with several types of cooking surfaces. These unique cooking surfaces include a BBQ surface, a ribbed grill and a flat grill. Some grills even provide these types of surfaces as none stick, which grant you to cook a whole range of foods that you might not be able to cook on a grill otherwise. You'll be able to cook your entire meal, including side dishes if you plan properly.

Some gas grills even bear a Wok type surface for cooking pasta and rice dishes, or a full rotisserie set which affords you to cook rotisserie chicken.

 

Surface Area

Similar to weight, you must consider the quantity of cooking surface area you'll need, based on the circumstances you'll be in. When you'll just be cooking for yourself or you and one other, a gas grill having a smaller surface area will be easier to clean. If you plan on throwing parties or cooking for a larger family, a gas grill with a larger surface area is the way to go.

 

This surface area might also include several types of cooking surfaces. Seek the type that suits you best, or is exchangeable.

Cost

Gas grills are normally on the higher end of the price scale, as they need more mechanical parts than other grills. You can look to spend anywhere from $50 for a smaller grill up to $400+ for a huge stationary grill.

 

You also have to keep in mind that you must also buy the gas for your grill. Propane can be bought at your local grocery store, superstore, or from a dealer. Bottoms come in all sizes, having miniature versions for portable gas grills.

 

Games for a 4th of July Party

If you are hosting a 4th of July party, you will have many hours to fill prior to the highlights of the day commence - the fireworks. You will prefer to have a lot of activities and games designed to have everyone busy and entertained.

There is a wide range of games you are able to plan that contain a patriotic theme.

Balloon pass - This game includes relaying a balloon down a line of individuals. Employ balloons that are red, white and blue and ask the participants they'll be using their hands and their legs to give the balloon down the line. Make two teams of people, and have them form straight lines. Give the first individual a balloon and ask them to place it between their legs, passing the balloon to the next person in line using their legs only. That someone will get the balloon and pass it to the following person by placing it over their head. That third person would put the balloon between their legs and hand it to the next person like that. The game carries on until the balloon has passed all the way along the line. When you have a small group, demand that the balloon get passed down the line and back again before announcing a winner.

 

Chalk it up - select a panel of judges (the oldest members of the family are the apparent picks) and let them be the official judges for a chalk competition. Break your guests into two teams (or more, based on how many people are at the party) and hand them each one or two containers of sidewalk chalk. Ask them to make a sidewalk picture that exhibits something patriotic, and specify the flag must be included in the picture. Give them a time bound (based on your group, this time limit might range from 10 minutes to 45 minutes) and then have the judges announce a winner after they have diligently studied all the artwork. You may have art-themed prizes for the winners.

Parade - One fun 4th of July activity that just shouts "4th of July!" is a parade having decorated bikes, scooters and the like. Tell everyone who attends the party to adorn their bike or scooter or some item in patriotic garb. You may have people bring them to the party already ornamented and have a competition for "best bike", etc., but also fun is to hold a decorating party within the party. Get all the items on hand to dress the bikes and scooters and skateboards. You may have streamers, banners, flags, and ribbons. The kids and adults can decorate their bikes and scooters as a party activity.

Guessing Game - These games are constantly popular for virtually any occasion. Take a large jar with peppermint candy (the red and white striped type) and decorate it using blue and red ribbon. Have people judge how many candies are in the jar (which naturally implies you count as you place the candies in the jar). The winner, or the individual who gets closest to the number without going over, begets the jar of candy.

 

Fireworks - If you are having fireworks at your home, you may have a big box of various fireworks. Everybody has their personal favorites and people may have clear ideas of what they prefer to see and hear. You may play a game to judge who gets to choose the next firework to go off next. You may ask trivia questions (why are there 13 stars on the flag?). Or you could have a dance off. While music plays, each individual who truly wants to pick the next firework to go off has to dance the craziest, silliest dance they can muster up. Somebody who's been assigned a judge will select who won the dance off and that person gets to pick the next fireworks item. Unless there are more fireworks than people, each one only gets to pick once.