Blog Posts by Lalena

Heat up the hearth, deck the halls and set the scene for a holiday gathering to be remembered!
The holiday season is a time to reconnect with those who mean the most to you... those you may have lost touch with, but who have never lost a place in your heart. Make it a truly festive time by planning ahead and gathering your family and friends for a magnificent Christmas party!

Like most people, you might be a bit last-minute rushed, which is part of the fun of the season, but it is really worth getting ahead and staying organized by doing as much as possible ahead of time. With a little preparation, you can develop a plan that allows you to truly enjoy the spirit of the season.

Make a List and Check it Twice
The ultimate lifesaver of every party planner is a party planning journal. Designate a notebook just for your parties. Throughout the year jot down ideas, cut out pictures, paste in recipes, etc. Use it as a planner to fine tune details like the date, guest list, table

With support from the community, your festival planning committee, and local businesses, your fall festival could become your biggest event of the year and kick off the new school year with a ton of enthusiasm. With advanced planning and a little creativity, your Fall Festival can be a safe, fun, family activity that can blossom from a school event to a local community tradition. Embrace the prep time and be willing to think outside the box for seasonal Fall Festival fun.
Halloween

1. What are your objectives for this festival? Are you planning a kid friendly fundraiser, or a free fun filled family event? Will you charge for each game, or will there be an all-inclusive price? Create a budget and stick to it. As you plan your event, involve your leaders and volunteers in the decision-making and brainstorming process. By asking the leaders for feedback, ideas, and suggestions from the start, you're encouraging them to offer their input throughout the planning of the event.
   

A class mom or class dad has a direct role in helping a teacher start the school year off right! Whether you're a first-time classroom parent or a seasoned veteran, a great year for your classroom starts with some advance planning!

• Introduce yourself to parents at the first opportunity and start building a community to support your teacher. By being the first one to say hello, remember names and introduce parents to each other, you can be a catalyst for relationships and a connecting point for communication that eases the burden on the teacher.
  
• Prepare a welcome packet that sets the tone for the year. Advance notice is the key to promotion, participation & setting expectations for the events and activities planned. You might include:
  • An encouraging introduction letter
  • A calendar of important dates, parties, and events
  • A form for collecting email/phone numbers of parents
    
• Spread the work by recruiting volunteers for

Celebrate the Nation's independence with family and friends by hosting a festive
Fourth of July party.

There's nothing better than a summer day filled with family activities and an all-star party table for the ultimate 4th of July celebration! Celebrate in style and create an all-American bash with a beautiful patriotic buffet and decor that's stylish, affordable, and simple to clean up!

A Party with Boom - Boom- Pow!
If you are planning an all day event, you must pay very close attention to food planning. If you don't want to run out of food before the day is over, consider the length of the party. A potluck is a great way to avoid the stress of cooking a large meal for a bunch of people. This will not only allow you to enjoy your own party it will allow your guests to showcase their culinary skills. People love to share dishes they only make for special occasions and you may be surprised at how creative people can be.

Before inviting your guests make yourself

If spring fever has seized your spirit, invite your friends to welcome the season with a springtime brunch.

Celebrate a nice sunny afternoon with a springtime-inspired dining experience that pairs good friends and delicous food. It's the perfect chance for you and your guests to sit back, relax and eat while enjoying each other's company and delight in the beauty of the season.

You can easily host a potluck brunch that has you and your friends creating fresh, seasonal meals to share together. Spring's standout fruit and vegetables, springtime greens and crowd pleasing bursts of color inspire fresh ideas for everything from entrees to side dishes to desserts that announce that spring has finally arrived. Whether served as a buffet or a sit-down meal, a selection of these tips will enhance a casual yet elegant spring gathering.

Spring Into Action with our ideas

Easter or Spring break parties are now being planned in schools everywhere. Typically, these parties involve fun games, festive crafts, and spring time treats. Meanwhile, teachers and parent volunteers are always looking for imaginative ways to have a great time without a huge investment of time or money. It's usually a good idea to gather volunteers early for planning, budgeting, and preparation. When it comes to pulling-off a fun, festive and memorable classroom party, here are some pre-planning ideas to make your party easy, entertaining and fun for all.

Party Logistics: Decide where the party activities will happen, how much time is allotted for the festivities, what time the party will start and end, what time you would like your volunteers to arrive and what time to begin cleanup. A clear party timetable will help you decide what activities can be accomplished during your party, and how much help you will need.

Party Volunteers: Enlist the help of your classroom parents.

10 Tips for a Successful Volunteer Sign-Up: Getting People to Make a Difference Together

If you have ever been responsible for getting people to sign up for a particular job or timeslot, or to bring or donate a specific item, you know how much work that can be. Do you find that e-mail, tons of phone calls, posting a sheet of paper on a bulletin board, flyers, or word of mouth is ineffective and too time consuming? Then here are some tips and strategies to recruit sign-ups for your next event!

1. Become more organized and impress potential volunteers by posting your next sign-up sheet online. It offers real flexibility in allowing you to create sign-up lists that everyone can view and allows people to sign up 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Don't run the risk of anyone thinking…."someone else will do it". If people see that help is still needed, they are more likely to do their part. Online sign-ups let everyone see that everybody else is "chipping in" to get the job done.
   

Host a Valentine's Day party for kids in the classroom, community center or at home with fun activities, festive foods and fabulous holiday favors. Here are some quick and easy ways to help teachers, parents and party planners provide a super sweetheart celebration filled with games, goodies and gifts.

These are some mom-created and kid-tested Valentine's party tips, decorations, treats, games, & crafts for kids from real moms who've hosted dozens of Valentine's Day parties both at home and in the classroom.

Spread the love this Valentine's Day with party invitations and decorations that feature bright designs including pink, white, red and purple hues that are perfect for this loving holiday. Kids love whimsical themes that include sweet hearts, candy, heart designs, polka dots, cupids & adorning words. Be creative. To set the mood, grade-schoolers can create heart-decorated place cards and napkin rings using strips of colorful gift-wrap and sprinkle construction paper rose