Slipped a mickey in my sippy...

Okay... So what’s up with this latest trend of bartenders serving drinks to minors? Now, I don’t mean kids with fake IDs; I’m talking about the recent incidents where little kids were served alcohol by waiters. Now, it’s not like we had just one bartender bent on getting kids hooked at an early age. This happened in three different cities (Detroit, Chicago, and Lakeland, Florida) at three different chain restaurants (Applebee’s, Olive Garden, and Chili’s.)

The most recent case, the one at Chili’s, does give me pause. It was a mudslide that was mistaken for a chocolate shake. For that one, I can sort of understand the mix up, both drinks are served in old-fashioned malt glasses. And while I’m not forgiving the incident, I can understand how the mistake might have been made on a busy night. Or course, my suggestion to Chili’s is to never serve a non-alcoholic drink in the same type of glassware that you use for alcoholic drinks... but then, no one is asking me...

I must admit, it’s the other two incidents that really disturb me, because the drinks were served in SIPPY CUPS! Okay... Seriously... Who puts booze in a sippy cup? I mean, if you’ve got a guest who’s so inebriated that they need to drink out of a sippy cup, I think it’s time to cut that fella off and call him a taxi! Really, there is no excuse for putting margarita mix or sangria in a cup sporting a picture of Dora the Explorer or Barney!

Both companies were extremely apologetic, as they should be. Unfortunately, being the litigious society that we’ve become, I’m sure they’ll be feeling the sting of these mistakes for some time! Thank goodness the kids are okay -- that is, of course, the main concern -- but I think it brings up a bigger issue with these chain restaurant that cater to both kids and adults. Things need to be properly marked, or even separated. I’m not saying you have to have to completely isolated bars, with one for kids and one for adults, but there should be some sort of divider between the two.

It’s a funny thing, though, because as I ponder this whole situation, I think about just how much faith we put in our restaurants, from the preparation to the delivery. We just assume that our server has our best interest at heart when they bring us our food. But I think about all the times that I’ve mentioned to the waiter that I’m allergic to chocolate -- and they still bring out a cheesecake with some artistic, reaction-inducing drizzle. With allergies being as severe and prevalent as they are in children, I wonder just how careful our waiters really are...

The comedian Nick Swardson (NSFW - language!) has a really fun bit about how hanging out with a baby is like hanging out with one of your drunken buddies, and it’s true! They both have balance issues, trouble focusing and keeping their heads up, and they tend to throw up... But of course, that’s a comedy routine...


Warning - contains some naughty language!
In real life, kids being served drinks isn’t funny, and I’m hoping the recent media attention will raise the awareness level of those serving us our food and drink. I’d hate to see it ruin the industry, but catering to both adults and kids is a tricky business. I suppose it basically comes down to paying attention, which starts with the management and the staff. That being said, I am amazed at how these industries feed millions of people each day without incident -- it’s pretty awe-inspiring. Hopefully the companies will be able to institute a better labeling or distribution system so that it becomes a non-issue in the future. I’d hate to see restaurants brought to their knees by a dreaded sippy cup...

For more info, visit the link below:
Alcohol: Why Are Toddlers Getting Booze at Family Restaurants?

Creative fundraising

Every spring it begins: the letters, the phone calls, the emails... It’s donation season! If you work in my industry, you are going to get hit up by every school auction in town, and let me tell you, that’s a lot of schools! I have to tell you honestly, I know that these are often the single biggest source of revenue for the schools, but they are really a challenge. Fundraising in general is a tough nut. With people still digging out from two years of less-than-stellar financial times, getting folks to cough up $20,000.00 for that week-long stay at your Hawaii house is getting harder and harder to do. The thing about these “galas” is that they cost a lot to put on, with time, money, staff, and so on... Wouldn’t it be nice if there were an easier way?

I’d like to bring some attention to a unique fundraising event that my photographer friend Nano Visser has going on right now. I think it’s really cute, super simple, and although I’m not sure how much money it will ultimately raise, I think it’s a really clever, wonderful way to get folks involved. It’s a photo contest of adorable kids wearing really cute hats. Nano set up photo shoots for anyone who wanted to enter. The photo sessions were scheduled in early April, and cost $10.00. Thus, entrants were guaranteed to get at least an adorable portrait of their child at a very low cost, plus the opportunity to win some fun prizes!



The money is being raised for two programs. The first is Special Kids Photographers of America, which helps raise awareness and train photographers how to take photos of children with special needs. It’s a very specialized organization, and one that probably doesn’t make a “ping” on most folks’ radars. The second organization is Smile Train, a more widely-known group that provides cleft palate surgery for children around the world. It’s pretty amazing when you realize that for as little as $250.00 and 45 minutes, a child can have a completely new outlook on life.

So here’s the unique way that Nano is raising money. With all of the portrait photos done, the public gets a chance to vote on their favorite! It’s really worth checking out; some of the photos are to die for! To log in...

• Go to www.collages.net
• Click on the “Guests” button
• Put in the username, “Contest2011”
• Put in the password, “35432”
• You will be required to provide your name and email address, but I think it’s worth it!

Once the photos load on the page, click on “Web show” to see all the photos, or you can click through separate galleries by category. Now here’s where the fundraising part comes in: as you find photos you like, you can vote on them. Each vote costs $1.00. You can vote for as many different kids as you like, and you can come back and vote daily, and each time you do, they raise another $1.00 for a great cause. Isn’t that a fun way to raise money? Personally, I like it a whole lot more than being shaken down at a silent auction.

If you decide that you would like to participate in the voting, let me walk you through the steps (just in case you are like me and less than tech savvy!).

1. Click on “Web show”
2. When you see a photo you like, click the “order prints” button directly below the photo, on the left hand side. (Don’t worry, you aren’t going to actually receive prints of these tykes, you are just voting!)
3. Click on the pull-down menu that says “size/price”
4. Click on “1 vote - $1.00”
5. Click on “Add”
6. Click on “Update/continue shopping” if you want to keep viewing and voting, or...
7. If you are all done voting, click on “Update/go to shopping cart“ and follow the prompts as you normally would when filling out purchasing information. (Again, don’t be nervous that you will be inundated with cherubic photos in the mail, it’s just the standard form they use for payment).

I definitely think this is a cute way to enjoy some fun photos while raising funds for much needed causes. It’s definitely worth taking a peek, even if you don’t vote and you just enjoy the photos... I hear the baby in the pink hat is in the lead.

The Wheels on the Bus (Video)

Join us on a trip "all through the town" with this singalong rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus!" And for more singalongs, you can check out our "Going on a Bear Hunt" video, along with the rest of our clips on our YouTube channel!

Easter egg hunts!

Easter was always one of my favorite holidays as a kid. Not because of the fancy dresses or hats (gah, I hated those! One year I was even forced to wear gloves!), not because of the family gathering together for ham and potato brunch after services, not for the cute bunnies and chickies (although my mother will tell you all about the year she got live dyed Easter chicks in her basket), not even for the week we got off from school. No, Easter was always special because of one thing, and one thing only: the Easter egg hunt!

The Easter festivities usually started a day or two before Easter. My Pop (who was the cook of the family) would boil up about two dozen eggs, which we would then decorate. This was in the day when all we really had were the PAAS Easter egg dyes and clear wax crayons (which you could use to write your name, dip in the dye, and then magically your name would appear).


A vintage PAAS kit, from Flickr user mod*mom.


LifeLoveBeauty also has a cute review of the classic PAAS kit here.
I remember the smell of the vinegar, and watching the little tablets fizz and dissolve, creating amazing hues of red, blue, yellow, green, and purple. My husband Scott remembers dyeing eggs with natural dyes like onion skins and beets, but then he grew up in the farming community of Lancaster County, PA. The PAAS kit came with this precarious little copper-wire dipping wand, and the box had little circle pop-outs on the back that served as a drying rack. You could always tell the way you had placed the egg in the rack because it left a dark ring on the egg. If you got the deluxe kit it even came with four pop-out egg stands (little cartoon-printed strips that went around the base of the egg to form a little collar for the egg to balance upright).

Martha Stewart also has some incredible egg decorating tips that are well worth checking out, if you’re ready to graduate from the PAAS class of egg dyeing.


Some of Martha’s adorable creations.
Once all the eggs were done, my cousin Greg (who is two years older) and I would make paper bag Easter baskets in preparation for the Sunday festivities. (If you missed it on Monday, learn how to make paper Easter baskets with our video here!)

Now, I just happened to have an amazingly creative Grandmother who would put together amazing egg hunts for my cousin and I. At the time, it was just the two of us kids (I’m from a pretty small family), so Cousin Greg and I would usually get our very own hunts. There are tons of ways to do Easter egg hunts. Here are just a few, including my personal favorite, which I will always remember...

THE SCATTER HUNT
This is what one typically thinks of when they think of an egg hunt. Candy-filled plastic eggs or dyed hard-boiled eggs are hidden all over. Children are given a basket and allowed to gather as many eggs as they can find.

Variation #1 - THE PRIZE EGG - one egg is special in some way -- for example, its color or size or texture is different from all the others. Whichever child finds that egg wins a special prize (such as a chocolate bunny). You could also make it more of a surprise by having a regular egg, but having a picture of a prize hidden inside, or perhaps a note that says “You’re a winner!” I’ve even seen eggs that folks have filled with dimes and quarters.

Variation #2 - YOUR EGGS ONLY - this is a great idea, especially if you have a large group of competitive kids. It takes a bit of preparation because you have to have a color, texture, or style of egg for each child (and the same number of eggs for each child). Eggs are hidden in the regular fashion, except for one example egg of each kind. Those eggs are placed in a bag, and before the hunt begins, kids reach into the bag and take out an egg -- that is the kind of egg they then hunt. Once they’ve found their eggs -- and only their eggs -- they are done.

Variation #3 - NUMBER THE EGGS - this again takes a bit of prep, but hey -- you have to decorate and fill the eggs anyway! For each kid that is participating, you will need one full set of eggs (say you are planning on 10 eggs per child and you have 9 kids -- you will need 90 eggs). Fill the plastic eggs or decorate the real eggs, and then break the eggs into groups for however many kids you have (as in above example, 9 groups of 10 eggs), number the eggs in each group (in this case 1-10). You can do this with Sharpie markers, stickers, printed labels -- whatever works for you! Have the kids hunt for the eggs with the intention of compiling one complete set, with all the numbers 1 through 10. Kids may have to barter with one another to get a full set (you know how it is -- little Henry might decide to gather only 2s and mess everyone else up!). Once they get their full set, they can either just be done, or they can show them to an adult who will then award them a special prize as well (like a chocolate bunny... can you tell I’m big on chocolate bunnies?).

THE PICTURE HUNT
When I was too young to read on my own, my Grammy used photos for a hunt. She must have prepped these weeks in advance, because this was back in the day when you actually took film to a processing store and got the photos a week later. The hunt was a series of photos that lead from one thing to the next. For example, she would hand me a photo of the front door. There, under the welcome mat, I would find a photo of the fireplace... At the fireplace I would find a photo of the toaster... And so on and so on, until I found the last hiding place where my Easter basket was hidden. This can also be done with hand-drawn pictures, pictures cut out from magazines, or printed from the computer...

THE FOOTPRINT/ARROW HUNT
This was a really fun hunt, but again, it took a ton of preparation. My Grammy lead us to the starting spot, where Greg and I would find pictures of bunny footprints on notecards (if I remember correctly, my cousin’s were blue and mine were pink so that we wouldn’t get confused). We had to follow the direction that the bunny feet pointed until we could find the next set of bunny prints. We were both lead on a winding path up and down and around (sometimes heading off in the wrong direction and then doubling back), until we came to our hidden basket. Now, I’m not sure if this is my memory rewriting history or not, but I think I remember that my final rabbit feet were found at the bottom of a rope hanging from a tree. There in the branches was my basket! I was an avid climber, so even in my Sunday best I was able to get that basket lickety-split.

Aaaannnd finally... my personal favorite...

THE RHYMING CLUE HUNT
I’ve always loved rhyming, so this was one of my favorite hunts of all time. My Grammy handed me a card with a poem, something along the lines of this:

Easter hunts are lots of fun
So gather these clues, one by one
You’ll see that if you solve each rhyme
An Easter basket you will find.
So now I hope you’ll use your noodle
And check underneath the stuffed pink...

Obviously, you can see where this is leading... to an Easter basket! The thing about the hunt was that it was uniquely created for me, which made it super special. (If you can’t tell by now, I had a pretty amazing Grandmother!)

After the baskets had been discovered, my cousin and I would race back inside to join the rest of the family. There, in the middle of the dining room table, was the crowing glory of the day: my Grammy’s famous Lamby cake, nestled on a platter of green dyed coconut. Mind you, I hated the coconut curls that blanketed this adorable confection, but then, I was a super picky eater.


An example of a lamb cake, from All Recipes
As with any and all holidays, I think the main point is spending time with one another, connecting, and creating memories. I, for one, know that I will never forget some of those special family times, when it was just me, my Gram and Pop, and my cousin Greg. Those were some of the best times of my life: simple times of laughter and art, and a little bit of grandparent magic!

MacGyver Moments 3: The Revenge of MacGyver Moments

MacGyver just keeps popping up! He’s becoming quite a dear friend.

I did a party the other day where the client wanted the entryway marked with balloons, so people would know where to enter. The problem? There was nothing to tether the balloons to!

Balloon weights you might say, use balloon weights!

Well, I tried that, but the wind was too fierce. The balloons started making little getaways down the cul de sac. I had five weights tied to one balloon bouquet, but they just kept making a break for it, and unfortunately I didn’t have any bricks on hand! There was a nice patch of grass which made me think I could use a garden staple (which is just like it sounds: a large, metal staple with three-inch prongs that anchor things like drop cloths or garden webbing into the ground), but I didn’t have any in my tool bag, and no wire either (which could have easily been cut and folded in half to make a quick staple)... Darn...

I knew the idea was a good one, but I just didn’t have the materials. Then it hit me: paper clips! I always have nice, hearty paper clips in my tool bags. I opened up four really nice-sized clips, formed them into “U” shapes, and used them to secure the balloons into the little patch of grass out front. Mission accomplished!

However, MacGyver’s appetite was yet to be sated!

The party was a “car” theme and we were doing this awesome obstacle course. The object of the course was to use the client’s battery-powered car (which all kids love!) and drive it through a series of obstacles. Our course was designed like this: the kids had to go to the “change bowl,” grab a giant dime (which they would use later in the course), hop in the car, and go! They had to stop for gas at our gas pump, then make their way to the bridge. At the bridge they tossed that dime into a bucket to pay their “toll,” then drive over the bridge...

Uh oh... MacGyver moment ahead!




Upon setting up the obstacle course, I realized that the car was too wide to fit through the cut-out pieces of the bridge. The solution was pretty easy: just turn the bridge pieces sideways instead of straight ahead. Hey, it meant suspending disbelief a bit, but the kids still got to “drive” across the Golden Gate Bridge. But there was still one little flaw: the suspension wires. What I had brought for the suspension wires was too short because I had originally planned for the pieces to be much closer.

Hmm... What to use, what to use...

I didn’t have any rope, which would have been the natural choice. I thought about using extension cords, which actually looked pretty good, but I only had one to spare since I needed the other for the glue gun station. The balloon ribbon was too thin... Then it hit me! I had this really fun wire that we use for crafts, it looks a bit like a fuzzy caterpillar, or perhaps some Christmas tinsel that’s been put on an extreme diet. I had a ton in our craft area, and it was gold! How perfect was that?

So you’d think that MacGyver would have had enough by now, right? Wrong! He just had to pop in one more time... and under stressful conditions -- otherwise known as “the glue gun line”!


The kids were making adorable cars for their “car show” and race (we brought a cute little racing ramp for them to test their vehicles). The car bodies were made of Styrofoam (which is an easy product to use since the kids can stick things into it without glue), with wheels that actually turned. The only issue was that the axles (which are just tiny nails, mind you) kept ripping out the bottom of the cars. We were experiencing tons of “blowouts” (which made the kids giggle). I had to find a way to solve our wheel dilemma. The solution -- thank you, MacGyver -- was to take the axles, glue them to a popsicle stick, and then glue the entire stick to the bottom of the car, instead of putting the axle back into the blown-out chassis. It worked like a charm and the race continued well into cake time.

All in all, this may be a new total for me. Three MacGyver moments in one party! Somebody call the Guinness Book of World Records.

Paper bag baskets (Video)

Got another totally-recycled and cute Easter craft for ya! This time, instead of plastic bags, we're using paper bags! Using just a few brown paper bags that you decorate any way you like, you can create an eco-friendly and fun Easter basket! Happy (egg) hunting!

Be sure to check out our other videos on the Sophie's World YouTube channel!

A new take on presents

Kids go to a lot of parties these days.

When I remember back to my days in school, we very rarely went to birthday parties. We had family parties, meaning we’d always be there to celebrate my cousins’ birthdays, but that was about it. There were a couple of high school parties that I remember, like the Sweet 16 party in my friend Kathy’s basement where I danced with this really handsome guy who was so tall my chin was practically in line with his belly button (and for those of you who don’t know, I’m no peanut -- I’m 5’9”!), but that was about it...

As a kids’ party planner, I find myself seeing a good number of kids over and over again, year after year. As I mentioned before, this is one of the joys of my biz: I get to watch these kids grow up over the years. It’s fun, but it really gets me thinking about the number of birthday parties that these children attend. Then I think of the parents of those kids... It’s a ton of time and money! I mean, unless you have a closet filled with toys appropriate for boys and girls of all assorted ages, then you are probably schlepping to some toy or department store at least once a month.

Actually, I do have one client who has four children, and believe it or not, she does have a small warehouse of toys organized by age, sex, and theme. She is one of those great shoppers, so when she sees items on sale or in bargain bins, she pics them up and adds them to her storehouse. Then, when a party invitation comes in, she lets the invited child go to the “closet store” (as they have so aptly named it) and pick out the gift that he or she thinks the birthday child would enjoy. The closet is then locked up, the present wrapped and labeled, and the kid is ready to attend the party. I think she also arranges a car pool to the party... She’s a very organized client...

Anyway... back to the actual point of writing this...

I recently did an event where the birthday boy chose to forgo gifts in lieu of a card (either hand made or store bought) and a $1.00 bill. The wording on the invite made it clear that the $1.00 was optional; I think it said something along the lines of:

Instead of a gift, I’d rather see
A card that was made from you to me
And if this idea makes you holler
Then you can include one crisp dollar!

The birthday boy then made himself a really cute, decorated box, with a slit cut in the top (much like a mailbox). As his friends arrived they slipped their card into the box.

Because I manned the welcome station, I was privy to the bevvy of amazing handmade (and some store bought) cards that came in. Some were intricate displays of scissor work, in which you could see the dollar peeking through as a kind of background color. Some were massive sticker fests that had become so textured and lumpy they barely fit through the box’s slot. Some simply featured hand-drawn marker figures, depicting something fun that the guest had recently done with the birthday boy. Each had its own personality and was definitely a thought-provoking creation.

I was speaking to the mom about the whole notion of including a single dollar instead of a big, full-blown, wrapped-up gift, and she explained that the birthday boy just really likes money. He likes the concept of it, and he likes the way he can then choose to do with it what he likes. Instead of the party ending in a maelstrom of ripped paper and ribbon, he happily sat and went through each card, sharing the artwork with his sister (who was quite an aficionado of children’s art), and stacking up his booty. He counted it, recorded it, then started planning what he wanted to do with it, whether to save it, spend it, or portion it out. In that way, he was able to make his gifts last longer, and the thrill of being in control of what he did with his money took on a life of its own that made the experience last way beyond his actual birthday.

Sure, I know what you’re thinking: “Oh, well, that’s just a banker in the making.” And sure, maybe you’re right -- maybe it’s in this kid’s matrix, but I think there is a really nice element here. I like the notion of making things more personalized (like with the cards) and less about glut (as it would have been with presents). I’ve been at some parties where the stack of presents was so high it took five grown men to load them out. At these parties, all I can think is, “Man, they are either going to need to give away all the toys they have already, or renovate their playroom!” I also like the notion that there isn’t all the waste that would normally be created by the wrapping paper and packaging.

I do realize that I might be shooting myself in the foot here; I mean, I survive in an industry that promotes glut! But I like the homespun nature of this concept, and I don’t think it would be such a bad thing if more folks tried it. I do think, however, that it needs to be something that the birthday child will embrace. I mean, some children love the act of ripping open their gifts, feeling the anticipation of what it could be, and the thrill of discovering what’s hidden inside. To take that away would be unfair.

I do think it would be fun to start exploring alternative ideas like this -- for our planet, for our kids, and for the sake of parental sanity!

When bad things happen to good Bat Mitzvahs...

I’ve been doing this party thing for a long time, and I’ve been through just about every disaster you can imagine: employees who don’t show up, traffic, power failures, outdoor parties deluged by rain, wind so strong it stung the eyes -- you name it! Fortunately, it’s working through these harrowing experiences that make for good stories later on...

That brings me to the tale of The Crashing Candy Cart.

We were doing a Bat Mitzvah for a sweet, gentle young girl. She had very specific ideas about what she wanted for her party, and the one thing that she was very focused on was an old-fashioned candy cart. Now, I’ve always thought to myself that it would be fun to have one of those carts. We didn’t own one, and since I’m me and I always have to make things more challenging than they have to be, I decided we would make one. Now, when I say “we” I actually mean Stephen, my warehouse manager. I figured out the general look of the thing, and he turned my idea into a reality.

We were all very excited about the cart. It would have eight gumball machines, four of which would protrude on a cantilever shelf, 30 jars of candy, and a striped awning. It would be candy apple red, have giant white wheels and a push handle.

We actually had to order the wheels and axle from my husband’s old stomping grounds: Lancaster, PA. We bought them from an Amish vendor there who makes wheels for buggies and carriages! How cool is that? The handmade wooden wheels were amazing and really made the piece look unique and authentic. It took about two weeks to build, but when it was done, we were all so amazingly proud.

On the night of the Bat Mitzvah, we decided to do what we call a “reveal.” That is to say, the candy cart would make a grand entrance. It was mostly because everything on the candy cart was, well, candy -- pure sugar! -- and we wanted the kids to eat something before they had a chance to attack the cart. We were working at The Officer’s Club in the Presido, which is the perfect place for a reveal because there are large swinging kitchen doors right off of the main room. Looking back, this was probably our biggest mistake: thinking we could move this sucker.

We were in the kitchen, and everything was going as planned. Our thought had been to load the cart with everything but the cantilever gumball machines; those we would put in place when we got out on the main floor and had placed the stabilizer leg. Somehow this was lost in translation, and a fellow who was actually there to man the photo booth, but was trying to be helpful, placed the gumball machines on the shelf just as I was opening the doors to allow the cart through. Without the stabilizer the cart became a catapult. The result was instantaneous.

Yep, all of this came crashing down

I had my back to the cart as I was opening the doors, but people who witnessed the fiasco say that my husband Scott, who was pushing the cart, was lifted into the air by the sudden tipping. Much like Laurel and Hardy on a playground see-saw, the front end of the cart with the gumball machines came crashing to the floor. All I heard was an enormous shattering sound, which I can only equate to the sound one must hear if you’re in a china store during an earthquake. It was like a sonic boom! I whipped around to see my beautiful cart face-planted on the kitchen tiles, wheels spinning, push handle facing the ceiling, and a sea of broken glass and candy everywhere. I began to hyperventilate.

It took me about thirty seconds to recover. I was just so shocked by what had transpired -- but then I switched into battle mode. The floor looked like some crazy mosaic tile explosion of colors and shapes... There was literally an inch of candy on the floor... And little round jawbreakers were making a rapid escape down the incline of the tile grooves... I would bet to this day that they’re still finding M&Ms and Skittles in that kitchen! I imagine the mice that live there all ended up in diabetic comas that night, much like Templeton the Rat at the fair.

Quickly, I instructed my staff to leap into action. We needed to assess the situation -- I needed a damage report, stat!

Kevin ran to get the broom and dustpan, while the other team members picked up the broken gumball machines. We were blessed on this one: the cart was primarily set up to be a “Sandy Candy” cart. Sandy Candy is sort of like sand art, but with flavored pixie dust sugar; the candy comes in plastic dispensers and is then poured into plastic bottles and tubes. That meant that other than the gumball machines, there wasn’t much that was breakable. As we assessed the damage, we realized that we had only lost three of our machines. Much like a head wound bleeds a lot, 36 pounds of tiny candy really spreads out and looks worse than it is. When all was said and done, we were able to salvage five of the machines (three were so badly mangled that we could only salvage them for parts) and all the Sandy Candy. We removed the cantilever shelf, redistributed the placement of the machines so that it didn’t look like anything was missing, and took a deep breath.

Upon revealing the cart, there was such a swarm of activity and bodies that I don’t think anyone even realized we were missing three machines.

In hindsight, that may have been one of the more stressful moments in my life, but it was amazing how well my team worked together and made everything happen. I’m just so happy the accident happened in the kitchen and not the party room! With the exception of a few kids who happened to be sitting near the kitchen (their little faces were plastered against the scratched round windows of the door mere seconds after the “boom”), I don’t think anyone was aware of the great fall.

It was definitely one of those moments, though, that had it been caught on video, it coulda won us $10,000 on America’s Funniest Home Videos.

We’ve since perfected the cart, so that it doesn’t happen anymore. But as my husband is so fond of telling me, “That’s why there are places where we can buy things...” My reply is always, “Yeah? Where’s the fun in that? It’s much more fun to create something!” And hey... we did get a good story out of it!

Plastic bag bunnies! (Video)

With Easter just around the corner, you can make great use out of all those plastic grocery bags everyone has laying about the house. Recycle them with this cute bunny craft, and make a whole warren of the crinkly creatures!

Don't forget to check out the rest of our YouTube Channel too, for more videos of crafts, games, songs, and quick tips!

So you want to be a party planner...

Just another day at work: wrangling Lou Seal with two walkies and a clipboard in hand...

“I should be a party planner! I love planning parties!”

I hear this all the time.

It’s sort of like being an actor -- especially with all of this “reality” TV that’s out there nowadays. Most people look at acting and think it’s all about glamour, fashion, and adoring fans. They don’t see the long, grueling hours, the memorization, the research, the endless rehearsals, the nerves before performing... They just think it happens naturally and easily. Of course, that’s the sign of a good actor: they make it look effortless.

It’s the same thing with party planners. If we make an event happen seamlessly and seemingly without effort, then we’ve done our job well. So when I hear that statement, the one I opened with... Well, I just smile, because in essence it’s the best compliment I can receive.

My sister Freda finds it offensive, and cringes every time she hears one of our clients say that. But the issue is this: the nature of a party planner puts us in the service industry, and when one is in the service industry, one has to accept a few important facts. The biggest one is that pretty much everyone can, in fact, plan and execute a party. It’s true! The thing they might not realize is that it takes countless hours of preparation and detailed work to make even the simplest of parties come off without a hitch. But because it isn’t recognized as a practiced skill, such as juggling or magic, folks are going to be a bit more demanding when it comes to paying for a service they themselves could manage. Unlike being a dentist or lawyer, the service industry revolves around providing people something that they could readily do themselves if they had the time and inclination... And therein lies the bane of our existences.

So, if you want to be a party planner, let me give you a bit of advice. You can take it or leave it, but here it is...

If you are going to work in the service industry, you are going to have to get used to five things:

1. Criticism: clients often don’t know what they want. However, they won’t know what they don’t want until they see it. And in that case they’ll say, “Oh... I don’t want that.” Usually they don’t have any suggestion other than that, and yes, they’ll pretty much just say it like that. There seems to be this unwritten law that if you’re paying someone, you can be blunt with them, so develop a thick skin or you’ll end up weeping in your car after a site inspection! Basically, this means you have to mind-read a bit. Really good planners will get inside their clients’ heads and figure out what makes them tick, then hone in on those elements and celebrate them.

2. Constant changes: this goes hand in hand with number 1 -- you will need to make many changes before you find the right mix. You can handle this a few ways: you either change as many times as is necessary to make the client happy and just accept it (and don’t become negative because of it), or you limit your client (which can often cause them to get irritable with you), or you somehow manage to finesse your ideas into their ideas (making them think they came up with it, and hence - brilliant). Clients will make changes at the drop of a hat without realizing what it takes to make that change. If they go to someone else’s party and see something they like or dislike, get ready for a phone call the next day! I can’t tell you the number of vendors I’ve had to switch out right before an event because the kid went to so-and-so’s bat mitzvah and they had this really cool item that totally made the party... so now the client needs it, too. Ooor you’ve had the hottest airbrush artist booked for a year, and then the kid decides that airbrush is passé three weeks before his mitzvah -- trust me, been there, dealt with the angry vendors.

3. Being beat up on price: this will happen in everything you do in the private sector. Believe me when I say this; it happens to us with even the best of clients. You either stay firm on your price, or you say, “I’m trying to build a client list so I’ll do this for less to get my name out there.” But then you can’t become bitter when you feel abused; if you decide to do something for less, than it’s on you, the party planner, not the client. Of course the client is going to want it for less! Don’t you personally like it when you buy something on sale? Doesn’t that make you want to buy it more? This is why I say you’ve always got to put a little cushion somewhere. Maybe it’s the rentals, or a certain vendor... You always need something that you know you can give up or shift so that you can make ends meet but still give your client a discount. We don’t mark stuff up too much in my personal business, but we’re different from most planners, I think. We also are very upfront about our labor fees, and this is the one place we won’t budge on price. If someone asks me to lower my fees, that’s a sign of disrespect for what I do, and as far as I’m concerned they’re no longer a client. Those rare individuals go on a Black List. And guess what? Even if they try to book two years in advance, change dates, or just beg, they will find that the entire month of their event is magically booked up. Sorry -- after sixteen years in the biz you don’t disrespect me or my staff.

4. Spending way more time than expected: this is a given, especially if you are working outside your comfort area. But that’s the nature of the beast, especially if you are taking on something new for a client’s event. However, you can’t charge the client for your own learning curve. For example, if I design a prop that requires me to use an airbrush, and I don’t know how to airbrush but I’ve always wanted to learn to use one, I can’t charge the client for all of the messed-up pieces or the materials I’ve wasted. And I can’t charge them for all the time I spend learning how to use the tool. If I am slow at something, I have to eat those costs. But in the long run, I learn a new skill that I’ll be able to get better at and use in the future. And that’s also why we have professionals to hire if needed!

5. Feeling under-appreciated: if you want to work in the service industry, you have to get used to this. No one knows how long it takes you to do something... and they don’t care. Sorry if that seems harsh, but it’s true. I’ve spent many an unpaid hour creating something, and never gotten any feedback. It’s just how it goes. I have one client in particular -- every party we throw for them, we spend hours researching and developing a plan, finding locations, activities, transportation... and they never even acknowledge our emails until we force ‘em to respond by telling them that venues are going to start going away. The only emails that are responded to start with “I hate to push, but...” in the subject line.

If you are meant to work in the service industry, you find ways of accepting these things and making them work for you. And for the most part, clients are wonderful, beloved, and easy to work with. It’s usually the ones you haven’t worked with before, or who don’t really know you well who push the boundaries. But in the end, they usually become beloved clients.

Being a kids party planner is one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever hard. It’s taken me into some of the most beautiful homes in the Bay Area, and introduced me to some incredible people. I love what I do. I love meeting with people, planning with them, and (especially on larger events) building a real relationship with them. In some ways, on these big events, you almost become part of the family. You work intensely for a period of time with someone, and of course you are going to create a relationship. It’s what makes it all worthwhile. When you can see your client at their event having the time of their life, it makes your heart sing.

I had one of my clients tell me that her son said this to her as she kissed him goodnight after his bar mitzvah: “Mom,” he said, “You know how when you dream of something, and it actually comes true? This was better than that.”

Seriously... who can ask for anything more?

My three wishes

You know the story of Aladdin and the genie? Aladdin rubs the lamp, out pops the genie, and boom -- Aladdin gets three wishes. I think about this story sometimes (don’t we all?), and I’ve seriously pondered what my three wishes would be.

In general, I have no complaints about my life... except one. I never seem to have enough time! I think this is a pretty common complaint, and if you speak to any party planner they’ll tell you that when you’re setting up for an event, the last hour seems to fly by like mere minutes. The amazing thing is that we usually accomplish more in those hurried sixty minutes than we do in the previous eight hours! It never fails.

So for me, my first wish would be that I could have an extra hour in my day. Here’s the caveat: it’s my hour, and my hour only! I’m not sure how it would work, and I don’t even want to think about it -- I’ll leave that to Einstein and his time/space continuum. I just want my extra hour for me at whatever moment of the day I need it. It could be an extra hour when I’m stuck in traffic, it could be an extra hour of sleep, it could be an extra hour with my friends... Whatever it would be, it would be mine and mine alone to declare at whatever moment I wanted it.

If I had that extra hour I might be able to hit the gym a little bit more... Sigh...

Wish number two would be that I would always have $100.00 more than I needed. For example, if I have to pay the rent on my warehouse, I’d pay it and have $100.00 left over. If I need groceries, I’d get to the cash register and have $100.00 more than the final total. It would be an ongoing sort of thing. I’d never actually be rich, but I could afford everything that I needed, which would be great because it would take any and all worry about being able to pay staff or buy necessary supplies. It would just take the pressure off when it came to money.

And finally, wish number three would be that I could understand and speak any language at any time. I find people so fascinating, and I would like to be able to communicate with them in their native tongues. I sometimes find that with a few of my clients, things can get “lost in translation.” This wish has a really broad scope, because I would want it to include the lingo and slang people use, not just “book” knowledge. I would also like to be able to pronounce things with the accent of a native, and I’d like it to include a deep understanding of the cultural rules that go along with each language. (Like not shaking hands, bargaining, burping after a meal, that kind of thing.) Not asking much, I know!

The problem with my three wishes is that when I was younger, I saw an episode of the “Gene London at Cartoon Corners General Store” show (I’m a Philly girl, so many of you might not know who Gene London is, but it was a wonderful local kid’s show -- similar to Captain Kangaroo, Sherry Lewis and Lamb Chop, or Barney -- but without the big-headed dino). He was such a wonderful character, much like Mr. Rogers -- but funnier!


Get to know my beloved Gene London with this great video
I couldn’t have been more than six or seven when they did a teleplay version of “The Monkey’s Paw.” It terrified me! And to this day, it still sits in the back of my mind, jabbing me every now and then like a reality probe. You see, in the story, the owner gets three wishes from a magical monkey paw... but each wish goes terribly wrong. It’s as if to get your wish, you must pay an incredibly high price that ultimately makes the wish a nightmare instead of a dream come true. I suppose the lesson is that whole “be careful what you wish for”... But man, it hit me hard!

I keep trying to look at my three wishes from every angle, trying to figure out where the loopholes might be, trying to beat the “monkey’s paw” aspect of each wish. I suppose that’s the reason for me writing this in the first place... Others will be able to see the gaping holes and the enormous potential for ruin more readily than I can. I mean, it’s important to be prepared, you know? You never can tell when you might stumble across a genie...

Beadlins! (Video)

Today's craft video is all about the bling -- or beads, as it were! Beadlins are cute dolls made of pipe cleaners (a.k.a. chenille stems) and beads. You can make yourself a whole family, decorating them with whatever else you might have on hand or in your Creativity Fodder Box! These dolls are fun for a party craft, or any other occasion, and can be made to fit any theme -- it's all up to your imagination!

Be sure to check out our YouTube channel for more crafts, games, and entertainment!