Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Advent Party Ideas

December 8 marks the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The Immaculate Conception is one of six recognized Holy Days in the liturgical calendar. Here are free printable activities and lessons to celebrate this feast day. If you're Catholic, why not throw a party to honor the Blessed Mother? I did. Here's how. Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Advent Activities for Parents and Children
I've gone through all the noted Catholic websites and linked this article to children's liturgy activities that explore the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Blessed Mother. 

Five Worst Gifts for Women, With Better Alternatives

It's the holiday (or birthday) of your beloved and you did it again, didn't you? You put off shopping too long. Whatever the gift giving holiday, most guys can usually found at the store last-minute, frantically searching. And since you put off shopping so long, you'll be in a hurry and will grab the first thing you see. Guys, we women hate it when you do this. But never fear, I am here to bail you out of your own foolish mess. Here are five gifts ideas that you should avoid with alternate gifts that will always be appreciated.  Five Worst Holiday Gifts and Great Alternative Presents for Women

Roaring Twenties Flapper Gangster Couple Halloween Costume

I dressed as a dead flapper for our Haunted Museum Saturday. I used costume ideas from a vintage carnival photo we had done in 1983. And a Roaring Twenties gangster-flapper couples' costume my husband and I wore in 1994. Wish I could find the photos (no, that's not me!) Here's how to make, easy and cheap, dead or alive (scary version or living one). This couples' costume is tres Gothic and very definitely for adult-only parties. .Roaring Twenties Flapper Gangster Couple Halloween Costume, Dead or Alive

Dual Purpose Halloween Costume, Scary and Non-Scary

 I just wrote about dressing up for Halloween this year and needing two costumes. I'll need a non-scary one for helping at my daughter's school concert. The I'm volunteering at our local "Haunted Museum." Here's how I plan to make one costume multitask for both. I'm going as Boudica, Warrior Princess. My Dual Purpose Halloween Costume, Boadicea Scary and Non-Scary

Host a Harvest Apple Party! Crafts, Activities, Recipes, Printables

Looking for a non-scary Halloween party theme? How about apples? Apples are the perfect party theme for fall harvest frolics. Here's an interactive apple activity planner with crafts, recipes, art, creative writing, math and more. I've added free printable apple-themed crafts and worksheets for activity extenders.  Preschool Apple Unit, Cross-Curricular Hands-on Crafts, Activities, Recipes 

Uninvited to a Party? The Term Is Social Ignorance

There's more to planning a party than decorations and recipes. There's social protocol. Case in point: invitations. My daughter just told me she was "uninvited" to a party. She didn't do anything wrong, wasn't rude, was just her sweet, loving self. The hostess was asked by another invitee to exclude my daughter. And the hostess kowtowed.

I didn't think this needed saying, but there is no such thing as uninviting. Call it what you will, it translates to bad manners. In any respectable socal group, taking back invitations is socially verboten. What the hostess more accurately should have said was "I have no pride or self-respect. I'm so desperate to be popular that I'll kick my friend to the curb to please." What she in fact looks is foolish. Read more Uninvited? The Old Term Was Bad Manners

Paranormal Prose Flash Fiction Slam and Party for Halloween

On another site I wrote for, we used to have an annual Halloween flash fiction contest. Several years in a row, I "hosted" a fiction share thread on our forum. We'd share our submissions, read each others' and have good spookable fun. I added submissions to my blog. Now I'm inviting and challenging you to a paranormal prose flash fiction share
online. Oh and how about a Halloween party following your haunted slam? Check out the Halloween link for oodles of party tips. Paranormal Prose Flash Fiction Slam for Halloween 

How About Amateur Wine Tasting for Girls' Night Out?

I discovered the joie de vivre of wine about 10 years ago, before it began to enjoy the girls-night-out popularity it does now! I wasn't raised with it. Few were, in our small Michigan Dutch community. And wine hadn't come into it's own for the common man till the mid-90s. My grandfather tippled his daily cream sherry, but as my grandmother was wont to point out, that was not exactly haute epicurean wine! I'd always been fascinated with world cultures in which wine was part of their tradition.

So how about, at your next bash, an amateur wine tasting? I won't say I'm a sommelier yet, but I'm learning the language. And I can steer you to some good ones. My new find is Amateur Sommelier Wine Musings: Chilean Carmenere Merlot

Family Glue Recipes: Organize DIY Events, Festivals

We've been married 26 years and raised four kids. From first-hand experience, I can say, the disconnected family falls apart, but the family does things together stays together. I've been writing a day Relationship Glue Recipe and Family Glue Recipe with bonding activities to keep families close.

A favorite is hosting my own events and festivals. I got the idea from the old Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Carnival. You could buy a kit and host your own backyard carnival. I never did but wanted to as a kid, so I reprised it as an adult (this article contains links to get one of those old kits!) Read on for tips Family Glue Recipes: Organize, Host Your Own Events, Festivals 

Double Duty Bridal Shower Decorations, Prizes, Wedding Gifts

I've said before that I'm a party gal. I love planning festivities with a low-cost, repurposed, recycled, homemade Here are cheap, double-duty party prizes and bridal shower prizes and wedding party gifts for receptions or showers. Reuse decorations as game prizes, bridal gifts and thank-you presents. Here are suggestions. Double Duty Bridal Shower Decorations, Prizes, Wedding Gifts 

Host a Coed Bridal Shower; Gender Neutral Party for Guys and Gals

I'm a party girl! I've organized kids' parties, receptions, open houses, theme parties and showers. Currently, I'm hosting a different kind of event: a coed shower. No, you don't bathe together; it's a gender-neutral bridal shower with men and women guests. Here's how to throw one everyone male and female will love! Coed Bridal Shower, Unisex Wedding Party Ideas

Homemade Printable Valentine Cards for Kids---Free!

Valentine's Day card exchanges are a rite of passage in preschool and elementary school. Homeschool groups, scout troops and religious education classes often exchange cards, too. Here are free printable DIY valentines to share. These free printable valentines come courtesy of Family Fun magazine. What's more fun than Valentine's Day card exchanges? Making your own valentine's that look completely different than everyone else's!  Free Printable Valentine's Day Card Crafts for Children

Cheap, Recycled Valentine Craft Project for Party

Valentine's Day requires us to do some writing of cards, notes or letters, so why not write with a flourish? Use this guide to design a lovely flower (or feather) pen and an attractive vase. You can make the entire project from recycled materials, purchasing or finding only the new pens or pencils and floral tape. No floral tape? Use masking tape and color in green! Read more