Happy Easter Trivia

Hoppy Easter! (I couldn’t resist) Will you be enjoying Easter Brunch? Whether you will be eating at a restaurant or celebrating at home, meal time is always a great time for conversation starters. Over the years, I have purchased various little cards that do the trick, but one of my favorites is to have trivia questions ready to go. The Internet is chock full of trivia for just about any subject area. Easter is no exception. So while you’re waiting to be served, or you’re looking to add some fun during your meal, give some of these questions a try:

1. What is the most common date for Easter? Answer: April 16, but did you know that Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25.
2. Where does the tradition of Easter eggs come from? Answer: Germany - the earliest Easter baskets were meant to look like nests for the eggs.
3. In the song "Here Comes Peter Cottontail," what is the Easter Bunny bringing for Tommy and his sister Sue? Answer: Derived from the Beatrix Potter books and made famous by singer Gene Autry, Tommy is going to get jelly beans and his sister will receive colored eggs.
4. How much do Americans spend on Easter candy and how much do they consume? Answer: We spend about $2 billion on Easter candy every year, translating into about 7.1 billion pounds of chocolate and other sweets. For Americans, Easter is the second most important candy-eating occasion of the year, after Halloween.
5. How did hard-boiled eggs come to be associated with Easter? Answer: When Christians fasted during Lent, they were prohibited from eating eggs. Those that were laid during Lent were often boiled to prevent them from spoiling and then used to break the fast on Easter.

Whether you enjoy trivia or not, I think these are fun and help to keep the conversation flowing. Prior to your next gathering, I encourage you to complete a simple search on google according to your theme and give it a try. It’s always a hit!

Yes, Life is a but a Theme!

Competition and the March Madness NCAA Bracket

A little competition is always good for a family. And my family is no exception. We are very sports oriented, and you could say that we are all a wee bit competitive. ;) But even if you’re not, a little dose can be really fun. I could talk about our intense four-square games or card games that involve name calling (lol) but I’ll stick with the current most popular competitive event - March Madness!  

So how’s your bracket doing? You know, the NCAA basketball tournament. It seems everyone is always talking about it. If you don’t know where to start - it’s easy to find one online, print and fill it out. My husband and son have a ton of knowledge and usually do pretty well. Me, I pick based on the name, the mascot or the colors. Don’t laugh - I do pretty well! And of course, you have to have a prize! And our stakes are high! All five of us fill out a bracket and the loser makes dinner. Not only does it give us something to talk about, but it gives us something to look forward to. So if basketball isn’t your thing, find a little something to stir up some competition (we regularly run to the car laughing, “Last one’s a rotten egg!”) because I assure you it’ll bring a little joy to your day.

Yes, Life is but a Theme!  

Everyone Child has a Song

I grew up in a very musical family. My grandfather was in a band, my mother studied piano and played professionally, and my dad loved his accordion and organ. Quite regularly, we jammed and all got involved with banjos, percussion instruments, or just dancing and singing along. So it’s no surprise that that each of us kids had “our song”. I can still hear my dad singing my song...

Every little star above knows the one I love

Sweet Sue, just you

And the moon up high knows the reason why

Sweet Sue, it's you...

Of course, each of my children have their song. I have so many beautiful memories of rocking my babies and sweetly singing their songs. I haven’t sang those songs in quite awhile, though.

So I was surprised last night when my friend Tina mentioned her daughter’s song. She said, “You know - remember when you said every child needs a song?” Wow, I don’t recall saying that. But she brought me back to so many great memories of when my children were babies. And guess what? I'm going to go down memory lane and sing their songs to them this week! What fun!

Yes, Life is but a Theme!

Spring Break Road Trip

My family loves to travel. And we always travel by car. One time my son said, “I love it when I wake up in the middle of the night when we stop to get gas and I don’t even know what state we’re in!” Too funny! While we try to travel mostly at night (everyone sleeping = no fights...ha!) we do end up spending a fair amount of time traveling during the day.

Over the years, I have used so many different ideas to keep the kids busy. But here is one of my favorites for the little ones. Bring along a cookie sheet for each child. It needs to be the kind with a ledge around the edge and it works well for so many reasons. This little tray on their lap allows them to color while keeping the crayons and markers on the tray so they are not falling all over the car. In addition, bring along every magnet you have! Your kids will spend hours (OK, maybe not hours, but a good chunk of time) playing with the magnets, moving them around and role-playing. All of that with no mess or hassle! Happy trails to you...

Yes, Life is but a Theme!

St. Patrick's Day

Top O the Mornin to Ya! I hope you are all decked out in green! 

St. Patrick’s Day is another day that lends itself to sooooo many themes! Over the years, I've done so many fun things with my children. Some more time consuming than others for me, but all a lot of fun for the family. But a friend once told me about her tradition, and I thought it was so cute I just have to share.

The night before St. Patrick’s Day, when everyone is asleep, those tricky little leprechauns sneak around her house and even pee in the toilet! How do they know? Well, the toilet water is green! (can you say food coloring?!) The little ones think it’s so fun to wake up and check to see if the little green men played their trick again. What fun!

Here’s one to share at your event tonight:

What’s Irish and stays out all night?

Well “Patty O’Furniture” of course! (yuk yuk)

And I can’t close without an Irish Blessing:

May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live.

Yes, Life is But a Theme!

Happy Birthday

I’m so excited to start this blog about life’s themes. And what better day to start than my birthday. That’s right, today’s my birthday! Coming up with a birthday theme is easy. Right?! Whether you are throwing a party for a child or someone who’s “Over the Hill”, it seems easy to identify a theme for the special person of the day.

But, you see, my entire life is filled with themes! My friends joke about how sometimes we can’t even get together without me thinking up some focus for the night. I’m creative by nature and my mind is always a swirl with crazy fun ideas to incorporate into any event. Some ideas I’ve used over the years have even become traditions within my own family.

I’ve heard it before, “You should start a party planning business.” Gosh, that sounds overwhelming. While I do love coordinating a party theme with the games, prizes, gifts, etc., for now I’d rather just shuffle my way through life incorporating fun little activities, gestures and themes into everyday events.

I’m so excited to have this blog where I can share with you ideas that you can easily incorporate into your life and special events or just when you want a little idea to help make someone feel special. I just LOVE themes, and I’m happy to share!

You know what else I love? My birthday! And tonight I’m looking forward to a tradition we have in my family. During dinner, every family member tells one thing they like about the birthday person (we go around the table two or three times). It’s always fun to see what my husband and children share! This tradition makes the birthday person feel special and loved. If you don’t want to wait for an upcoming birthday, why not try it with your family tonight! And it doesn’t have to be at the dinner table, it could be driving in the car, on a hike, etc. 

Yes, Life is but a Theme!