Remembering Our Ancestors: Family History Month

"We inhereit from our ancestors gifts so often taken for granted... Each of us contains within... this inheritance of soul. We are links between the ages, containing past and present expectations, sacred memories and future promise." - Edward Sneller

What gifts did you inherit from your ancestors? What ways did they shape who you are today? October is Family History Month! (See here: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/holidays/p/FamilyHistoryMonth.htm)

One way to honor and remember ancestors is to remember the special moments in their lives and celebrate them in your life. For example, in the traditional Chinese culture, families keep pictures of their ancestors on a special wall in the room that is used for family gatherings. This month, plan a celebration to honor your ancestors in some way.

Make a list of special days in your family's history, including your ancestors' birthdays or weddings. Turn this list into a family tree or a family history calendar.

Here are some websites to get your started on compiling a family history to remember your ancestors:

http://www.genealogybeginner.com/

http://kids.familytreemagazine.com/kids/default.asp

http://pbskids.org/wayback/family/tree/tree_tips.html

Safety First!

An important part of planning parties for children is ensuring the safety of your pint-sized guests. Young children are naturally curious and adventurous, and while this makes their parties fun and exciting, it can also make it difficult to monitor everyone.

This month, plan a children's party that will be fun for children AND adults. What will you do to make sure that the children are having fun, but that the adults do not have to spend the whole party watching the kids? How will you plan activities that keep the kids engaged and safe?

Here are some websites about child safety:

http://www.safekids.co.uk/ChildSafeParties.html

http://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/psc_english_02/intro.html

http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/first-aid-for-children.html

Cowboys and Art

Great job planning a cowboy party at the Western Art Museum! What a great day!

Halloween Party Pre-planning

It's never too early to start planning a Halloween-themed party! Think of traditional things associated with Halloween: ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, monsters, spiderwebs, and more. What ways can you plan a Halloween party in your own unique way, putting a twist on those traditional themes?

Here are some websites to help you:

http://www.halloween-website.com/themes.htm

http://www.ehow.com/halloween/decorations.html

http://www.celebrations.com/halloween-party-ideas

http://www.halloweenhowl.com/

Yee Haw Cowboy Party!

You're Wanted... to Plan a Cowboy Themed-Party!

Make a list of items, food, music, and activities associated with cowboys and the Wild West. How will you incorporate these things into a cowboy (or cowgirl!)- themed party?

Yee Haw!

Celebrating 80 Years

Looks like everyone had a wonderful time at Jackie's 80th birthday party extravaganza! Congrats on a successful party!

Milestone Birthday Party

There are a few "big" birthdays in life that deserve special recognition: 16th, 21st, 30th, 50th, and so on! In fact, one of the nicest things we can do for each other is to remember and celebrate birthdays, especially these milestone birthdays, with family and friends.

This month's assignment is to plan a milestone birthday party for someone special in your life. To give you some ideas for what to do to make this party special, I am going to share some memories and pictures from my favorite party that I ever threw for someone: my grandmother's 80th birthday party. It was just last year!

My grandparents live in Vermont, and with the help of my mother and her three siblings, we planned a surprise party for my grandmother's 80th birthday. All of her family was able to be there, and all of her local friends managed to keep the secret for three long months of planning. And she sure was surprised! Here is a picture of her when she first arrived:

We wanted to add some "special touches" to the party, so we collected old pictures from family and friends and put them into giant collage frames. We told guests to bring memories and photographs instead of gifts, and we collected these momentos in a keepsake box that my grandmother now keeps on her side table. Here is a picture of my aunt giving a toast. You can see the collage frames behind her:

We also created a book of "Momisms," or the sayings and bits of advice that she used to say when her children and grandchildren were growing up. When printed with old photographs, the book made a nice keepsake and made everyone laugh! I then typed up all the "Momisms" onto favors and, with candy attachments, distributed them to all the guests. I got the advice: "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" and "You better eat it or you're going to wear it!" Finally, my aunt brought along her singing group and they serenaded my grandmother with her favorite Frank Sinatra songs, and of course, Happy Birthday! Here are some pictures of my grandmother's book, myself with my aunt and mother (holding up our "Momism" favors), and the chorus:

When we talked to my grandmother after the party, she said her favorite part was what everyone had said in their toasts and written on their keepsake notes. After all, if you have lived 80 years, you have touched a lot of lives and it is nice to feel appreciated and loved on such a milestone birthday.

After you plan and successfully throw a milestone birthday, please share your photographs here, too.