Go Green!

If March Madness is not your thing, March is also a good time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Even if you are not Irish, a St. Patrick's Day party can still be fun.

You can plan either a March Madness party, or a St. Patrick's Day party, or both! It is up to you!

Think of all the fun things associated with St. Patrick's Day: shamrocks, leprechauns, and everything green! To plan your St. Patrick's Day party:

1) Learn about the history of St. Patrick's Day. It will be fun to tell all your partygoers about how the holiday came to be.

http://www.theholidayspot.com/patrick/historyofpatrick.htm

2) Decide on your decorations and music.

http://familyfun.go.com/st-patricks-day/

http://www.chiff.com/home_life/holiday/st-patricks-day/st-patricks-party.htm

http://www.party411.com/holidays-stpat.html

3) Decide on your food. Will you make traditional Irish foods? Or will you serve only green foods? :)

http://partyfood.suite101.com/article.cfm/st_patricks_day_party_food

http://www.ehow.com/how_14303_throw-green-fun.html

http://childrens-party-food.suite101.com/article.cfm/st_patricks_day_childrens_party_food_ideas

It's Tournament Time!

March is the month that basketball fans wait for all year! The NCAA tournament is the perfect occasion to throw a sports-themed party.

How can you carry your basketball theme through the whole party? Will you have a basketball cake? Games? Trivia? What game will you watch? Will everyone dress in team colors? What music will you have?

Here are some ideas for throwing a March Madness Party!

Brackets:

http://www.chiff.com/recreation/sports/ncaa-brackets.htm

(* If you want your guests to guess who will win, everyone can print a bracket at home and bring it to the party!)

Party Ideas:

http://www.purpletrail.com/partytrail/general-parties/basketball_march_madness/enjoy-a-series-of-laid-back-march-madness-gatherings-with-your-friends

http://www.ehow.com/how_2202786_have-march-madness-party.html

http://www.celebrations.com/article/Throw-a-March-Madness-Mixer

Valentine's Day Party Planning

It's February, and you know what that means: Valentine's Day is around the corner! Many restaurants, museums, and other attractions charge a lot of money for people who want to celebrate Valentine's Day... so your challenge this month is to "create" a Valentine's Day party that will not cost a lot of money.

Think about:

Where will you go?

What will you do?

Create:

Homemade Valentine's Day cards

Who are some people that you think should be appreciated this year? How can you send your thanks and love in a handmade valentine?

Homemade Valentine's Day "treats"

Think of the people you wish to appreciate. What treats would make them happy? A few cookies? Cupcakes? Maybe something that is not food: a nice bookmark, a poem, photograph...

Use:

Here are some great websites where you can find ideas for making Valentine's cards, gifts, and treats.

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/handmade-valentines-day-cards

http://www.homeandfamilynetwork.com/holidays/valentines.html

http://familyfun.go.com/valentines-day/

http://familyfun.go.com/valentines-day/valentines-day-recipes/

http://familyfun.go.com/valentines-day/valentines-day-recipes/

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/valentine/index.shtml

Post:

Post a list of your Valentine's Day party ideas here. Post ideas for creating cards and gifts. Finally, post a finished photo of your creations.