Memorial Day Party-- Organize your own

Are you hosting a Memorial Day party this year or will you just be sitting back and enjoying it with family and friends? I have a few ideas to share with you about how to have a safe yet fun Memorial Day party this year with everyone you love.

I have a huge family and we do have holiday parties for all of us, and let me tell you we are a huge family. Four generations of the Timm family will be gathering at my parents' home in Athens, Pennsylvania to celebrate and have a Memorial Day party. Let me tell you organizing something for this huge family at times is a monumental task, but with everyone doing their part it all seems to work out somehow.

Sister Carmon is organizing the food for the Memorial Day party this year; she keeps a list of who is coming and what they are bringing. Family will supply the main food, and friends of the family will bring in the condiments, paper plates, cups, and silverware.

Sisters Lori and Diane are organizing the games for the younger children as they tend to have the most grandchildren of all of us at this Memorial Day party. There are prizes won in these games, my sisters will purchase the stuffed animal prizes, and we will all chip in for the prizes. Games will include tossing a ball, running and a variation of an Easter egg hunt for the toddlers to 6 year olds.

Sister Kim and her boyfriend Bob are organizing the Memorial Day party games for the kids from 6 year old and up. These games include volleyball, redneck horseshoes, and an obstacle course. An older person helps the younger ones, so it is a team effort and the kids tend to have a ball.

There will no doubt be a live band at our Memorial Day party, as brother Trace, and brother in law Willy have a band and will use this as a practice session. After dark, we will gather around a bonfire, if the burning ban has lifted and sing around the bonfire.

I will be creating the Memorial Day party invitations on my computer and Ray will help me hand them out 3 weeks before the party to may family. I will give each family member a few extra invitations so that they can invite a few friends. This years invitations include a mention of the new family members we have gotten since the last summer, which is four little boys.

I also include updates to the family tree during this time, as it is important to remember where we all came from at this Memorial Day party. As our family grows rapidly, each year it is harder to keep everyone in touch and by adding this family tree update, it is easier. Mom and dad help me to organize this family tree and they include little stories about our ancestors, which are fun to read.

This year marks the first time that all the family will be at a Memorial Day party, as my youngest brother and his rather large family of nine just moved back to Athens. The family has decided to let these people sit back and enjoy the Memorial Day party, but next year they too will be in the planning of this fun family celebration.

There will be no alcohol at this Memorial Day party as it is a family day, where we all gather to have fun the old-fashioned way. There will however be plenty of laughter, water balloon races, food and music with family and friends and that is what a Memorial Day party should be.

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Remembering Those who Died Memorial Day

Remembering loved ones who have passed on is a great thing to do on Memorial Day, yet some people find them selves doing the same things year after year. There are alternatives to placing flowers on gravestones, yet many people do this simply because it is tradition.

This year as you are remembering loved ones who have passed start a new tradition in that person's memory. On Memorial Day instead of adding flowers to the gravestone, plant a flower garden on your property in memory of that person. Plant that person's favorite flowers and this way as you take care of the flower garden you will be reminded of that person.

Memorial Day is the perfect time to plant a tree or shrub as you are remembering loved ones who have passed, as the frost is out of the ground in 99 percent of the United States. What a better way to show you love someone then by planting a tree in their name, you can look at the tree and always remember why you planted it.

If you are remembering loved ones who have passed and were members of a volunteer fire company or quilting club why not make Memorial Day donation in their name. This not only helps an organization that that person enjoyed, it also helps your community and lasts a lot longer then cut flowers.

If you are remembering loved ones who have passed and enjoyed books, donate one that you know they would enjoy to the local library in their name, or better yet sit down and share a children's book at story hour that reminds you of that person on Memorial Day.

At your Memorial Day party start by remembering loved ones who have passed, share funny stories about them. Tell the younger generation about interesting things. There is no better way to keep the memories alive then by passing those memories onto the younger generation.

You could also share a time of special remembering loved ones who have passed with the traditional foods you serve at your Memorial Day party. There is always a pot of Uncle Bill's beans on the table, and a cake from scratch as my Grandma Wright would have made. There are always barbecue ribs, as my Grandpa Timm loved; we even use his special family recipe.

I hope that I have given you the inspiration to begin a new Memorial Day tradition of remembering loved ones who have passed on.

Open House Birthday Party

Organizing a birthday party when you have a large family can be difficult at best. With differing schedules, it can be a nightmare but here is a great idea that will work for almost any family. Our large family found the solution and we are sharing it in hope that it will help others.

With our family, which includes seven adult children, twenty-four grand children, and thirty great grandchildren, we found it difficult to plan any type of celebration. However when it came time to plan a birthday party for the matriarch of the family, we hit about a brilliant solution which will accommodate any schedules or size of family and help our mom with anything she needs to have done.

Having a birthday open house party eliminated all the scheduling conflicts. Those who worked during the day could come spend some time with mom during the evening while those who worked nights could spend the morning hours with her.

We chose the day before her mid week birthday as she works every weekend. As a self-employed person, she cannot simply take the day off. We choose the whole day to celebrate her day, this way the day can be as special as she is. She will not have two or three hours of a party, her birthday party will last most of the day.

We will be skipping the usual birthday cake and decorations. We will be including the desserts and foods we know the birthday girl enjoys. Some family members will bring a crock-pot, while others will bring salads, snacks, drinks or something to grill. Food will be served during the day, so no one will be hungry. Between the breaks in guests, those of us who will be staying all day can help with tasks as needed. Since mom lives alone, there are certain household chores she needs help with, we will tackle those projects while we are there.

Our mom will have a special day, with plenty of visits from loved ones and she will get help with those household chores she needs to have completed. This type of celebration is more meaningful than other types of birthday parties.

Father's Day in Heaven, I Miss Ya Dad

Everlasting love is what I have for you, dad
Long shall that love remain
Long shall the memories of you remain
I wish to hear your voice more than anything
Oh to hear your voice to
Telling me one more story about your younger days or
Telling me how to succeed at something that I am struggling with

Thanks dad for everything you have given me
I shall always hold your wisdom close
My heart you will never leave
My life would not be the same without you

Just take care of yourself up there,
Rest in peace dad, I miss you

My dad was a great man because he loved with his heart and told you straight up the real deal on everything. I miss him more than words can say. If one looks at the first letter of each line of this poem, you will know my dad's name.

Saving Money on Paper Wedding Items

Having a wedding is a huge expensive event. Some wedding paper items are just not worth the money you will pay for such an event. You can have a great wedding and have it as memorable as if you had spent thousands of dollars on it. Many people simply do not have tons of money to pay for all the fancy paper trimmings.

Many people want the fancy invitations from a printer. These are indeed awesome to look at, but seriously, they will be looked at once and tossed away or meet a similar fate. Instead, send away for a mail order catalog from a company, which designs these. Use the cards in the book as examples and create your own.

Office supply stores as well as department stores have the fancy paper to make the invitations just as fancy as they are in the books or from a printer. You can download trail version of a card design program and the only expense you have is for the paper and envelopes.

With the right greeting card software, you can create many of the holders of wedding favors. For example, the Print Master software will help you create the little boxes to hold mints. Get the small bite size Hershey bars, and the small stickers, which fit, on them. Use your card software to print small labels, which have your names on them. Attach the labels to the candy bar wrapper. You have personalized wedding candy bars at a fraction of the cost.

Go into the dollar store and purchase tablecloths for all the tables, except for the bridal table. The bridal table should be a linen tablecloth. Pick up napkins, plastic silverware, and the paper plates while you are in the dollar store.

While you are in the dollar store look at the wedding decorations. You can find some very cute ones here. You can find a big banner that says congratulations on your wedding. No one will realize you got them there so do not worry about such things. Sometimes you can find the little containers of bubbles with the congratulations on them and this would be a nice gift for your guests.

Almost any fancy paper item you will pay much money for at a printer or specially store can be created on your home computer and printer. Take your time designing these items and you can have fancy paper goods without the high cost.

Balloon Releases for Loved Ones

Balloon releases can be done on many occasions and they are a great way of remembering those family members or close friends who have passed on. This brief article will give you ideas on when and how to release the balloons.

Helium balloons will automatically rise to the sky when released. Sky Lanterns, are much better to release than balloons. These are 100% paper items. The bottom is lit and the heat from the flame fills the balloon-type top and carries it skyward. On the day my dad passed in 2010, my six siblings, our mom, and I released these hot air balloons to let him know we missed him. You can purchase these Sky Lanterns in bulk at this website.

With these items, the entire thing will burn up as it rises skyward so there is no fire danger. There is also no danger of a bird or other small item dying from any plastic or Mylar from a regular type balloon. These are more environmentally safe then the classic types as well.

At a wedding when the grandparent, or mom or dad of the bride or groom has passed as the couple leaves the church the one who lost the family member should release a balloon. This can be a printed balloon with the names and date. You could also use a sharpie to write a special message.

Do not forget the other special days such as Wedding Anniversary, birthdays, Grandparent's Day, Mother's Day or Father's Day or any holiday the person loved. You can release balloons with personalized messages at anytime to acknowledge the much loved and missed family member. My dad gets them often because he had a huge family who misses him immensely.

Please be forewarned that in the winter months balloons do not fly so well. My first granddaughter passed in late November and on some of the years, we have trouble getting the balloon up. We assume this is because of atmospheric conditions.

Many people believe that loved ones who have passed join us in spirit at special occasions. Acknowledging that we feel them there is very important and this is why many people do the balloon releases.

Special 10th Birthday Party

When your child turns 10 years old, coming up with an idea for a special celebration to mark the occasion is sometimes a daunting task. A 10 year old is too old for a Barney party, and this brief article will give you a few suggestions to make his or her party one to remember.

Have their party in a special location. Usually this age a child has many friends who will need to be invited. So you need a place that will hold a lot of people both friends and family and one such places your local community hall or perhaps a room at your local volunteer fire department.

My niece recently had a 10^th birthday party for her daughter and rented a room at the local fire department. The room was big enough for people of all ages to enjoy themselves, whether they sat at one of the tables or danced in the open space. There was adequate parking, handicapped accessible restrooms, and the kitchen was open so the family had access to the sinks and counter space.

A local deejay was hired to provide music that the preteens could dance to. The preschoolers who are not dancers loved the light show that was synchronized to the music. Even if you cannot afford to hire a professional DJ, having someone play music than the children can dance to is always a good idea. The dance party is a good way to let your preteen few more grown up.

A regular birthday cake will not cut it; you need something more grown up. Instead of the usual one layer frosted cake, try a layered and filled cake. At the local party, there was a huge sheet cake. Half of it was a chocolate cake layered with Bavarian cream and the other half was a white cake with raspberry filling. The entire cake was covered with a cool whip based icing. Everyone enjoyed it.

There was the usual mix of beverages, plenty of water, little juice boxes and assorted sodas which were kept on ice in little barrels. The food table held big bowls of assorted chips, cheese doodles, and pretzels.

There was even a box of leis for the kids to wear and plenty of balloons. There were more balloons than there were children. My niece decided to release the extra balloons for our family members who are in heaven after the party.

Creative Ways to Announce the Sex of an Unborn Baby

There are many creative ways to announce to your families the sex of your unborn baby. Using one of these ways will build the excitement of the upcoming arrival and will announce him or her in a unique way.

My nephew and his wife are expecting their first child and they decided to let the rest of the family know at gender revealing party. The family gathered for a cook out, and the mom to be was presented with a box. When she opened the box, several pink balloons emerged. When the couple had their first ultrasound two weeks prior to the party the Dr. revealed to my nephew the sex of his baby. My nephew was home for this ultrasound but had to report to active duty the day afterwards.

My nephew let his best friend know the sex a few hours before the party so that he could get the right color balloons to surprise his wife. He was on the phone so he could hear the excitement of his wife, but was also sent a video via a cell phone of the reveal.

With all the technology available to us today parents can give very creative with the announcement of their impending arrival or arrivals.

Creative parents could create a web site for their unborn child and upload the ultrasound pictures. The page that has the ultrasound pictures should be gender neutral, as the reveal will happen in the specially created video that the parents will upload. In this brief video, the one parent who knows the sex of the baby will tell the other parent. This way the excitement is captured on film and everyone can share in that stimulation.

If a couple is having twins or other multiples here is a cute way to let the world know. Create a video of one parent revealing to the other parent the sex, and upload this video to share the announcement. If mom knows the sex of the babies, she could hand dad a little pair of socks for each baby. Two pair of blue socks revealed twin boys, while a pair of each color would represent a baby of each sex.