6 Fun Water Games for Your Next Pool Party

Photo credit: beglib from morguefile.com

There's no better way to celebrate summer birthdays than with a pool party! Whether you're lucky enough to have a pool in your own backyard, or you're meeting party guests at the local pool water games are always a hit. (Always play it safe in the pool and make sure children are supervised at all times.)

Pool Party Games

Noodle Jousting Tournament: In this game, two players at a time to sit on rafts with foam noodles. Each player tries to knock the other player in the water by jousting with the noodle. The person left standing takes on the next player, and the person still on the raft at the end of all the rounds is the winner. Set up a tournament bracket for serious fun.

T-Shirt Races: Divide the swimmers in two teams and provide an oversized T-shirt for each team. Swimmers must swim the length of the pool in the T-shirt and then hand it off to the next teammate in a relay-style race. This game is best for more advanced swimmers.

Scavenger Hunt: Place items that sink and float in the pool. Call out items to be found and the person who collects the most at the end of the game wins! To make it difficult, use riddles instead of calling out the item names. Use only one of each item, or a limited number of items to keep the game challenging.

Ping Pong Plunge: With a magic marker, write a different number on ping pong balls and then toss them all into the pool. The object is to be the one who collects the most ping pong balls with the highest value.

Marco Polo: This one is an old favorite. A version of tag for the water, Marco Polo is played by choosing someone to be "it." That person must close his or her eyes or be blindfolded while calling out "Marco." The rest of the players must reply "Polo." If the first player tags someone, they become "it" and the game continues as before.

Volleyball: If you have a pool net and a volleyball, this one is a lot of fun. But you can also play by roping off the pool and using a plain old beach ball.

What are some of your favorite water games?

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Office Party Planning Tips

We spend a lot of time at work and, consequently, we spend a lot of time with our coworkers. Lots of businesses like to offer their employees a chance to relax and shoot the breeze from time to time while also celebrating employees' accomplishments and other milestones. To this end, small businesses and corporations everywhere instituted the Party Planning Committee.

But what if you're new to party planning, or you've been doing it for a while and need some inspiration to shake up the workplace a little? Well, we've got a few tips to help you plan an office party that's a hit--whether it's for a promotion, a birthday, a holiday celebration or whatever!

Name the Big Event

Every party deserves a great name. It's a way to add a touch of humor or personality to the event, which will in turn generate more positive reactions and higher attendance. For example, instead of inviting employees to the "Don's Plumbing Christmas Party," send out invitations to the "Don's Plumbing Holiday Disco Extravaganza." Well, a disco might not be a draw for your event, but you get what we're driving at.

Pick the Right Date

If you're hosting a small office party during business hours, we recommend setting the date for a Friday afternoon. Fridays are just more festive, but they're also a little slower work-wise in a lot of companies. If you're planning an off-site event, you won't have much choice but to choose an evening or weekend. Do your employees a favor and host a party on a Friday or Saturday night if you're planning to serve any adult beverages.

Serve a Variety of Finger Foods

In most cases, the less stuffy the event, the more employees will enjoy it. Instead of a sit-down menu, go for a variety of appetizers and finger foods that guests can munch on as they mingle. The less structured the event, the better the party atmosphere. (Note: Your best bet is to offer vegetarian and non-vegetarian options to make sure there's a little something for everyone.)

Remember that office parties don't have to be a drag. Make sure everyone is included, and ask for suggestions if your party planning committee needs ideas that will be fun for the entire company.

Slumber Party Tips

So your daughter wants to have a slumber party for her next birthday. Now what?

If you're going to host a slumber party, you might be a little anxious--but never fear! There are a few things that will help you get through the night unscathed. Here's what to do:

Set a Guest Limit and Stick to It

Your best bet is to keep the guest list to eight or fewer. You might need to whittle the list down to six or less if space is limited in your home. Remember: all those sleeping bags are going to have to fit somewhere! Send out your invitations and include a contact information sheet with your RSVP. Everyone will feel better knowing that parents can be easily reached -- just in case.

Set Arrival and Departure Times

Make it clear when the party starts and ends, and ask parents to bring the children after they've had an evening meal. You'll likely be serving cake or other treats, but preparing dinner for an army of your child's friends might be a little too much to ask--especially with all the party decorating and planning you'll have to do. Keep breakfast the next morning simple with individual serving cereal boxes, fruits, and a choice of water, juice or milk. It's a good idea to ask parents to pick their children up by noon.


Schedule Activities

Whether you play birthday games, outdoor games, or do movies and popcorn, it's a good idea to give structure to the evening for the kids. Let them know what they can expect, and you'll help calm any worries or anxiety that first-time sleepover guests will have about being away from home overnight.

Set a Bed Time

A half-hour before it's time for bed, dim the lights and start a quiet time for the partygoers to wind down. Some of the children will probably be a little chatty, even after lights out, but you shouldn't have any reason to stress about it. It is a party after all.

Tips for Hosting Brunch

Hosting a brunch is a great idea for a party or gathering. They're perfect for celebrating wedding showers, baby showers, holidays and more. However, if you've never planned a brunch before, you might have a difficult time planning and organizing. Here are some tips to help you pull it off:

Go for the Brunch Buffet

Serving food buffet style is ideal, because it allows you to serve the food quickly without worrying about juggling different courses. Plus, with the right tools, you can keep food at temperature so that everyone get their warm food warm and their cold food cold.

Go for a Diverse Menu

The brunch buffet also gives you the opportunity to create a diverse menu that accommodates a variety of diets. Got guests with food allergies or diabetes? Serving vegetarians? At a brunch buffet, everyone can pick and choose their ideal brunch meal. Here are some great brunch favorites:

• Egg and meat casseroles (or an omelette station if you want to kick it up a notch)
• Quiches
• French toast, breakfast bars, pastries, pancakes
• Fruit and/or vegetable salad
• Bacon and/or sausage
• Cheeses, jams, jellies
• Bagels and cereals (especially great for kids)
• Coffee, tea, orange juice, milk, hot cocoa

Make the Food Easy to Eat

You can plan a sit-down style brunch buffet if you have plenty of table seating for your guests. However, you can also enjoy a great buffet as guests walk around and mingle. To accomplish this, your menu should include bite-sized options that don't require utensils. Mini quiches, bagels, and pre-cut pastries work perfectly.


How to Arrange the Brunch Buffet Table

Plan your table before you start piling on the food. In general, keep your main course or entree items together, and consider using separate tables for dessert items. Use yet another table for coffee and other drinks. When serving a large crowd, allow your guests to fill their plates from both sides of the table. Finally, don't forget the party decorations for the buffet table. Adding decorative elements to the serving tables with make your brunch buffet more festive.

Eco-Friendly Party Tips

Everywhere you turn, people are working hard to go green and reduce waste. There are plenty of ways you can encourage green party planning too! These eco-friendly party tips aren't just good for the planet, but they can also rescue your party planning budget.

Use Cloth Napkins and Real Dishes

You can cut way back on the amount of waste you produce at your party by using real linens and dishes. By eliminating the paper plates and napkins from the equation, you can also create a more elegant party atmosphere for your guests.

Buy Recycled Products

We know that sometimes real linens and dishes just aren't feasible. If paper plates and napkins and plastic utensils are a must, look for brands that contain recycled content.  Recycle any products you can and store leftover items for future use. Look for party invitations that can be recycled, printed on recycle papers, or that have been printed with earth-friendly inks.

Store & Reuse Party Decor

You can store party favors and decorations for birthdays, graduations, anniversaries and more just as you would decorations for the holidays. When you do this, you have the opportunity to turn ordinary party decor into family heirlooms -- just like your favorite Christmas ornament or Halloween wreath. You might also want to create a community party chest where you and family and friends join forces in creating a huge stash of party favorites.

Make Your Party Favors Eco-Friendly

It's always a fun idea to send your guests home with party favors. Instead of disposable toys and trinkets, offer them something that can be used over and over. Glass jars can be filled with treats or snacks and decorated to fit with your party decor and reused for drinking glasses, dessert mix jars and more once your guests take them home.

Do have tips or suggestions for planning a more eco-friendly party? Share them in the comments!

How to Plan a Family Game Night

Family game nights aren't just fun, they're a good way to reconnect as a family. With the hectic pace of life and work today, taking the time out to spend time together with your family is a good way to take time out and relax.

Favorite Board Games

The following board games are great for family night. If you are in need of some games to get things started and are on a tight budget, check out the local Goodwill or other thrift store for sweet deals on games. (Just make sure everything you need to play is still in the box!)

• Pictionary
• Charades
• Clue
• Scrabble
• Card games
• Cranium
• Scattergories

Game Stations

If you are blessed enough to have extended family close by, you might want to make family game night a big bash once or twice a year—or even once a month. With different game stations, you can accommodate all age levels.

Fair Play

Remember that couples and close friends always have an advantage in game play. It's best to separate any groups of players that might have an unfair advantage. Of course, is if it's every family member for himself, this won't be a problem.

Game Night Necessities

Some games require paper, pens and other consumable materials. Make sure you stock up on these items in advance of game night. Ask for a volunteer scorekeeper to tally points, but keep a close eye on the scorekeeper's math!

Finally, don't forget the food. Game night is much more fun with snacks to get your munchy fix. Non-greasy finger foods are easy to eat while playing, and they won't get your game pieces covered in grime. Some of our favorites include: fresh whole fruits, nuts, unbuttered popcorn, pretzels, and raisins.

What's your favorite family game night board game?

Photo credit: idesign-er

Progressive Dinner Party Tips & Suggestions

If you're tired of the same old cookouts and dinner parties, you might want to try hosting a progressive dinner party with your friends.

What is a progressive dinner party?

At a progressive dinner, several different friends plan and host an entire meal. Each course of the meal is served at a different participant's house, and all the partygoers move from home to home during until the even concludes.

Progressive dinner parties can be a lot of fun, plus they break down party planning activities so everyone shares a little bit of the responsibilities for the party. You can include as many different courses as you like, but here are some suggested courses:

• hors d'oeuvres 
• cocktails
• appetizers
• soups
• salads
• entree or main course
• desserts
• after dinner drinks

Tips for Planning a Progressive Dinner

Four to five stops works best. Unless you're planning to go all-out, four to five different stops will be enough to fill up your evening. Remember that the more stops you add, the later your dinner party will last. 

Plan enough time for each stop. Each course will require a different amount of time to complete, but you can generally plan 45 to 90 minutes at each home for the different dinner courses. Don't forget to calculate travel time between homes.

Consider making it a monthly event. A monthly progressive dinner is great for groups of friends that want to keep in touch on a regular basis. With larger groups it's also a great way to divvy up the entertaining costs and prepping responsibilities.

Try a themed dinner. Try coordinating with all hosts to plan a themed menu. You could try themes by inspired by country's cuisine, a holiday, or even a movie. The possibilities are endless!

Have you ever hosted a progressive dinner? What tips do you have for first-timers?