Archive for the ‘Big Dot of Hapiness’ Category
What’s the trick to looking like you know what you’re doing? Well, just looking like you know what you’re doing. It’s a trick I discovered at school a few years ago and something that I have put into effect ever since. It’s simple, probably so simple that you would never think of it. Just look busy, with a purpose. As long as you look busy, even if you’re completely lost and need to think through a few things, you can buy yourself some precious time by just looking like your furiously working towards a conclusion. Work’s every time. I should patent this stuff.
For as long as I remember it’s taken me a little extra time to get stuff done. This is not from a lack of trying, or because I’m slow moving or anything like that, it’s simply that I like to think things out. I use to get in trouble at school for “day dreaming” even though I was just thinking about my assignment. I learned at that point that people want you to just look busy even if you’re not doing anything in particular. Whether you’re trying to find the perfect baby shower decorations for a baby shower (which I recently had to do), or have to get in an important report at work (which I also had to do recently), people seem to feel a whole lot better about the whole situation if they see you feverishly working, even if it’s all just an act.
Take this for example: As I mentioned before I was recently put in charge of getting baby shower decorations for a friends baby shower. Finding the perfect baby shower decorations was tough. There was a lot to sift through and none of it seemed to exactly fit what my friend wanted. After a few weeks, my friend began to get nervous and asked me, crying (she was under a lot of pressure at the time), why I wasn’t searching and taking it seriously. Instead of yelling at her and telling her how much work I had done I decided I was going to begin to include her in the process to show her how much I was working. So from then on, every couple of days I sent her links to baby shower pages to see what she thought. I was actually doing less work then before but since I was showing her what I was doing I looked busier.
And that is the key: as long as you look busy people will think you know what you’re doing. Once I started including her she felt better about the whole thing and apologized to me. Try it sometimes, I guarantee if you look busy people will give you the benefit of the doubt, even if your still trying to figure out what you’re going to do.
Author Kim Green takes her tasks, such as finding baby shower decorations very seriously.
Sometimes, party favors can get a bit, I don’t know, redundant. Remember when you were a kid and you would go to four or five birthday parties a year and each one would have the same lame party favors? Chances are, the unused favors would usually end up either in the trash or put away in some drawer to not see the light of day until the next spring cleaning.
Now that we are all grown up, party favors have gotten a bit more grown up, but at the same time, just as redundant. Whether they are baby shower favors or wedding favors they all seem to follow the same type of pattern: lotions, mints and bubble bath. I can honestly say, outside of possibly the mints if I find them at the bottom of my purse a few weeks later, that I have never used any of them. I don’t take bubble baths, and the lotions usually end up going away in my lotion drawer.
I’ve come to the realization lately that the only way to make sure that your party favors are used is to make them edible. That’s right, food. Or, more specifically, candy. Everyone likes candy and everyone eats candy, especially your friends who lie to you and say that they never touch the stuff (they are the worst offenders, usually). Candy is your surest bet, and it’s usually cheaper than the bulk packages of lotion or bubble bath that you buy from a big box store.
You have two options: you can buy your candy or make your candy. Or, I guess, you can buy candy, open them and then place them in a custom holder, which I guess would make that three options. If you choose to buy your candy, but it in bulk and give your guests a variety of it. Truffles are usually a good bet as they are classy enough to be a parties treat but also cheap enough to buy in bulk. Chocolate covered hazelnut candies are always popular, as are M&Ms (which you can get customized now), and chocolate covered raisins. If chocolate is not your thing, you can go with hard candies, licorice or hard caramels.
Making candy is probably a lot easier then you might think, especially chocolate. All you need to do for a custom chocolate favor is melt chocolate chips over a double broiler, place them in a mold (which you can get at any baking supply store) and then freeze. You can then wrap them yourself and attach a cute personalized note. I guarantee these will go over better than any lotion or bubble bath ever will.
Author Kim Green is always looking for unique and good quality baby shower favors.
In a time where every penny counts and saving money is paramount, there is nothing more terrifying then having to plan a party. I’m sure it’s happened to everyone of us since the economic downturn: just when you have found a way to cut your budget down and save just enough money for that much needed new appliance for your kitchen or break- job for your car, someone comes up with the wonderful idea of having a get together at your place. They ask really nicely and swear it will only be a few people, but regardless of their assurances you can only envision a bunch of money being flushed down a toilet.
You can’t say no. I mean you could, but if your best friend needs a baby shower and your place is the most ideal location, you can’t look into those puppy dog eyes and say no. No, it’s now your responsibility to not only get the food and drinks, but also purchase baby shower favors, games and decorations to make sure the occasion is properly festive.
Fortunately, for both your sanity and your pocket book, there are ways to make a get together like a baby shower not only cost effective but also supremely fun. You just have to be willing to put in a little more leg work and prep time, but if you’re looking to save money it will be more then worth it.
First of all: skip the catering. I know, I know: catering is easy. Let someone else worry about it. The problem is, catering is also expensive. If you have a specialty that you love to cook think about cooking it in bulk for the party. Know a great recipe for enchiladas that you’re sure everyone will love? Make a hundred of them and serve them with beans and rice for your meal.
If you are really pressed for time and want to go the catering route, skip the professional catering services and get catering services from places like PF Chang’s or Claim Jumpers. They are usually reasonably priced for their services.
For the actual baby shower supplies such as the decorations, games and favors, your best bet would be to do a little looking around to find the lowest prices possible. If your internet savvy (and have time to wait on shipping) you should try looking at websites like Amazon.com or Half.com to compare and contrast prices. You can usually find amazing deals (up to 80% off) at some of these overstock sites, though be wary of shipping costs which can cost more than the actual products.
If you would rather buy the products in person, try looking at places like Target, Wal-Mart or K-Mart, as these big box stores have started offering high quality party supplies at great prices. Smaller boutiques can offer a better selection (and sometimes a better quality) but they can also cost a lot more.
Kimberly Green is always on the look out for great gifts and other baby shower favors.
Is there anyone else out there who doesn’t know what to expect at a baby shower? Maybe I’m alone but going to my first baby shower was not as scary as I thought it would.
What do you do at a baby shower? Sure most of us know what a baby shower is, but what we exactly do at one, well, if you’re like me, you really have no clue. We have a vague idea about eating, drinking some wine, and playing some baby shower games, but outside of that, we really have no idea. You just know to bring a gift and show up at the specified time and at the specified place outlined on the invitation but outside of that, well, you have no idea.
I went to my first baby shower last week and I can pretty much say that what I had expected was pretty much what we did. This is not to say that I didn’t have a good time. I’m just saying that if you’re nervous about what to expect at a baby shower don’t be.
A baby shower usually involves more people than the mothers-to-be immediately friends and family. Usually included are the husbands (or boyfriends) female family members, work acquaintances and neighbors. I got the feeling when I got there that the mother felt a bit pressured to invite all these people (heck, once you invite one person from work you have to invite the rest). Typically these people find their friends and a bit of a pack mentality comes through (equate it to grade school when you would sit next to your friends during lunch). This pack mentality usually lasts through the meal, which can vary from taste to taste, though for some reason Chinese food seems to typically make an appearance (no complaints from me).
After the meal, the group usually comes together for a couple of games and to open gifts. Games can vary but there are a few that tend to make an appearance at most baby showers. The first is a game where you try to guess how many squares of toilet paper can fit around the pregnant women’s belly (sometimes a monetary number is attached and you end up giving the mother-to-be a dollar per square of something like that). Another popular game, and I frankly have no idea why, is a game where a candy bar is melted into a diaper and you have to taste and smell to see guess what kind is it (you see because it looks like… well, I’m sure you’ve guessed it by now).
By the time it’s gift opening time the showers is coming to a close. Most people get in a circle and watch the gifts getting opened while finishing their wine. People also have a tendency to begin filing out at this point so don’t be afraid to say good-bye and get on your marry way after your gift is open. Oh, and congratulations, you’ve just survived your first baby shower.
Kimberly Green recommends getting fun baby shower games from SimplyBabyStuff.com
As the economy continues to nosedive, people continue to look for ways to save money. While boutiques offer quality that comes across in its price tag, online stores are beginning to offer designer invitations at cheaper prices.
Did you know that you could get quality baby shower invitations online at a great price? Amazing, huh? Alright, maybe I’m in the minority that I found this kind of shocking. Maybe I was always under the belief that you needed to go to someplace that dealt only with personalized invitations to get something of quality for an event like a baby shower. Didn’t you have to spend time going through pages of invitations looking for exactly the right one? Wasn’t this supposed to be easy? Apparently I missed the boat.
The baby shower invitations I found online weren’t pre-packaged in shrink wrap type invitations either, but they are made out of high quality paper and can be personalized using either ink or computer programs. Sure, they might cost $30, but that’s much cheaper than paying top dollar at some planner’s business.
This discovery got me to thinking: with these specialty online stores offering these types of services, are individual “boutique” stores becoming completely obsolete? These boutique stores used to thrive in shopping malls and upper-class strip malls. It used to be that for weddings or baby showers or major birthdays, these boutiques used to be the best place to get classic looking invitations. Of course, because they were “designer”, they also tended to be a bit pricey. Plus, it took time to sift through the mountains of available invitations. The only times you would go to an online store for invitations would be for a children’s birthday party or maybe a thank you card.
Now that the economy the way that it is people aren’t as willing to spend the money that these boutiques charge for invitations. Because of this, online stores have seen an opening to begin offering designer invitations. Most people are not willing to totally sacrifice quality in the name of saving some money, but if you can it within the same ballpark then that’s enough to win the people over. Remember, despite what you might think most people don’t really give an invitation that much thought when they receive them in the mail. It’s all about perception and, in a way, getting people on a subconscious level. Stuff like design and font make a difference, but only to those who are really looking for it to begin with.
So yes, if you’re looking to save some money on invitations online stores might be a good place to look. You might be surprised what you find.
Author Kimberly Green got baby shower invitations online at SimplyBabyStuff.com and was very impressed!
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