Tips in Making Holidays More Memorable

The holidays comprise of numerous special events in our lives since these are the only days when we can meet our relatives and loved ones. These are rare occasions wherein everyone can have their free time out of work and spend bonding moments with the whole family. That is also the reason why we all celebrate it in a special way.

Since the holidays just happen once a year, it is safe to say that we should always make it memorable, filled with fun and enjoyable moments. It may seem difficult, but when you consider that your entire family will be there to help, the holidays will be quite easy to organize.

When you find these quite challenging, here are some tips in making a holiday party that will surely be unforgettable for everybody.

* During holiday parties, one of the most popular things that people are always waiting for is the food that will be served. It is really an important aspect to prepare the best and the most delicious menu for the holidays. Also, take note that this kind of party will have both old and young guests. So, be sure to serve food that all age groups can enjoy. When we say party, it means a lot of activities. A party will never be complete without it. Decide what activities you will integrate. It is also important to organize these activities, whether you'd prefer having them before or after the dinner.

* We all wouldn't want to attend a boring party, and preparing a program ahead of time will help you avoid this. Remember that this party must make everyone happy. Prepare activities that will bring a lot of fun to the crowd such as different parlor games, ice breakers and a lot more. And because games will be open for everyone, these can also be a great way for your guests to spend more quality time with others.

* It would be nice if the party will be remembered by everyone. You can do that by simply throwing the unique and unforgettable holiday party of all time. Make it different from any other parties. A unique way of celebrating holidays is encouraging your guests to wear some costumes, wigs, and masks. Providing a good theme for your party is also a good idea to have that more unique feeling to the party.

* To ensure that your visitors get to enjoy your party, it is best if you organize an activity for them to be able to participate in all the activities that you have prepared. Perhaps, you can start by giving them irresistible prizes - of course, keeping in mind their age. You can also provide wonderful giveaways that they will love. In that way, you can encourage them to join in, ensuring that they leave the party with a smiling face. These can also serve as their remembrance or souvenir in order for them to remember the wonderful time with the whole family. Just make sure to have enough for all of them.

Incorporating an Absent Person Into a Young Child's Birthday

Whether daddy's deployed or grandma is recovering from surgery, sometimes unavoidable circumstances cause a beloved person to be missing from a child's birthday party. When this happens, it can make the child feel unloved or even despondent. Here are a few ideas for incorporating the missing person into the celebration.

Explain several times to the child why the person is not coming. Especially with young kids, they may secretly think that the absent person is angry with them, or no longer loves them. Assure them several times that this is not the case. If possible, have the absent person call and speak to the child. They should describe again why they cannot make it to the party and say they would be there if they could. Hearing from the absent person directly will reinforce what the child has already been told.

Have a gift from the absent person. Even if grandma can't get out of bed, she can tell the child's parents what to get for the honoree 'from her'. A simple, "and this is from Grandma!" can brighten the child's mood and assure them that they haven't been forgotten. It may prove to be a favorite gift.

If possible, have a prerecorded message from the absent person to play the morning of the party. A video tape, voice card, or even an MP3 file of the person's voice can provide comfort and give the child something to watch or listen to over and over again. The absent person could read a story, sing a song, or just send their well wishes.

Place a photo of those absent at the table. Daddy's smiling face, propped up in a frame at the table, can help remind the child that Daddy wishes he was there and will be returning soon. Encourage your child to pose for a picture with the photo to present to the person the next time they see them.

In fact, prearranging a special reunion for when the person is able to attend will give the child something to look forward to. Even though daddy or grandma missed the birthday party, knowing that there is a set date when they will be reunited will help ease any anxiety. A special dinner, trip to the park, or other favored activity is a great way to reunite.

Having a birthday party with someone absent can be hard for a child. By making sure they know that they are still loved and a priority to the person that is missing, the child can accept the absence with aplomb and enjoy their celebration.

'Birthdays' are an important day for the birthday person. Sometimes it is more than just a birthday because it turns into a huge family gathering and everyone one is having a great time.

If you want to send birthday cards, plan a birthday, try a hand at baking the perfect birthday cake then check out the site that specializes on everything to do with birthday at www.birthday.com.

Make Memories Last Forever

Regardless of socioeconomic stature, a question that always rushes through people's mind is what will they leave behind for their dear ones when they are gone? Some people spend their whole lives in building bank balance, buying properties, saving from necessities and what not. Though such materialistic things do come handy for future generations, it is your experience that you should leave behind for your future generations to benefit from. This can be done is a number of ways such as writing a diary or autobiography, making illustrative photo albums, etc. However, the best way to pass on the experience you have earned is by the virtue of a memoirs movie.

As the name suggests, memoir movies are biographical movies based on the life of an individual highlighting their struggles, success stories, achievements, mistakes, relationships, and pretty much everything about the person. The motto of DVD memoirs is to preserve the life you have led for the future generations to learn from and remember you even after you are gone. By getting such a movie made, you will ensure that you pass on your life experiences to not just one or two individuals, but to generations to come. This is the perfect place for memoir movies.

Thanks to the popularity memoir films have gained, numerous film production companies have started offering this service. These companies have a dedicated team comprising of an interviewer, a scriptwriter, a screenplay writer, an editor, and other professionals needed for memoir film production. The process starts with a series of interviews with the individual on whom the movie is being made and their friends, relatives and co-workers. The interviews raise curtain on various aspects of the individual's life such as their birth, growing up, education, childhood hobbies, and many other interesting facts.

After the round of interviews is completed, the information collected is handed over to the film production team that carries on further actions involved in memoir movies production. Once the production work is completed, the memoirs movie made is given to the individual or their family for approval, after which the film is mastered in the production company's studio using latest equipment and software. DVD memoirs made by reputed names in the business come in high definition video quality with stereo audio for impeccable viewing pleasure. It is recommended that you get some backup copies of the disc in case the original one gets damaged.

Personal Memoir films helps you to tell your life story through DVD quality memoirs movie, memoir films. Your history, past and story brought to life for your whole family to view DVD memoirs. We begin to specifically create your custom biography which highlights your life stories. Just contact us.

The Importance of Sleep For Working Mums

There are three main causes why a working mother may not get the sleep they deserve and need at the end of a hectic day.

First off, there is the obvious culprit, the children.

Secondly, the ever whirring mind of a busy working mum inevitably struggles to switch off at the end of each day. With the endless list of things to do: from school, work, home, and not to mention a social life, can cause countless hours either trying to get to sleep or causing hours of wakefulness in the early morning hours.

Finally, the evening period is often the only hope of downtime that a working mother has, that is after dinner is eaten, dishes cleaned, and any personal correspondences have been take care of. Although bed beckons like a siren of the fitted sheets, in can be quite a tough decision to curtail the act of just sitting. This often leads to later nights, in many cases going to bed after your partner has retired just so you can experience selfish 'me time'.

So why is sleep so important? Sleep, after eating and breathing, is the main way that our bodies recover. Studies have clearly demonstrated that all aspects of mental performance, our reaction time, concentration, memory and reasoning all decline steadily as sleep decreases. As a working mum, this decline can wreak havoc in all aspects of a busy juggling act.

So, as a busy working mum, how can you ensure that your resting period is as undisturbed as possible?

1. Keep a notebook by the bed. Then, when the inevitable flow of thoughts enter your head as you try to count sheep, write them down and then forget about them. The alpha brain waves your brain switches to in a more relaxed mode are the creative generators and this is why solutions often come to us during this period. Writing them down allows your brain to move on rather than desperately try to retain them for remembering in the morning.

2. Short of sleeping in a different building from your children, there will occasionally some element of disturbed sleep that occurs because of them. Hopefully, the older they get the less this should happen. Encouraging bad sleep patterns for the benefit of a short term peaceful night rarely helps, but can be a very easy habit to fall into. Be strong, be brave and accept that for a few nights the sleep available will be minimal. Remind yourself though that, in the long term, your own body's needs must be met in order for you to fulfill all the aspects that your role as a busy working mum demands.

3. Give yourself a bedtime. Take yourself back a couple of decades and tell yourself to be in bed by a certain hour. The first few times may feel a bit strange as you lie restlessly until your usual lights out time, but your body will eventually catch up and reward you by removing those bags under your eyes that were becoming a regular feature.

With these tips in effect, you are sure to have better sleep periods.

Amanda Alexander, Director of Coaching Mums, helps pressure-cooked, exhausted working mums who long for more hours in the day and space to think. Through professional coaching programmes and online coaching courses, Amanda helps mums to create a balanced, fulfilling life that works for them. For self-coaching tips tailored to working mums, sign up for Inspire, our free newsletter, at Coaching Mums.

Getting Ready for Spring

Spring is in the air. It's the 11th of May and London has already seen weeks of sunshine. Barbeques have come out, Pimms are flying off of supermarket shelves and nurseries are entering their busiest time of year. What are some of the things that you can do to get your home and garden ready for the summer?

1. Trim back garden overgrowth:
If your garden happens to have a lot of foliage it is likely that it has overgrown over the winter season. While it might look pretty, it is problematic for a couple of reasons. First of all, your flowers and herbs will have a difficult time growing with limited access to sunlight. Second of all, that much overhang provides a comfortable nesting place for birds who will then poo all over your garden and patio furniture. In this instance, some major trimming is in order. If branches are too high or thick to manage on your own then you should contact a professional tree surgeon to assist you.

2. Repaint your house:
If the winter left dirt and stains on the outside of your home, you might want to freshen it with a new coat of paint. All you need is a little bit of touch up and your house will look brand spanking new.

3. A trip to the local nursery:
Even if gardening isn't your thing, a few colourful plants are worth investing in if you have the outdoor space. Even if you don't, filling a window box with some pretty geraniums will really brighten the front of your home. Planting doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming, and in a city like London, you can count on rain to do most of your watering for you. Instead of, or in addition to flowers, you might opt for a few herbs or vegetables, and enjoy eating fresh, homegrown produce all season long.

4. Air out the inside:
Aside from cleaning out our personal wardrobes, there tends not to be a lot that we do to 'springify' the inside of our homes. Opening up your blinds and windows, putting away big, winter blankets, and keeping fresh, cut flowers all around your home will make it feel like spring. After all the season is associated with warmth, colour, and nice fresh smells.

While getting your home and garden ready for spring might feel like a chore, it tends to be more of a labour of love. At the end of the day we're all willing to work for good weather and all the fun that comes with it.

Artemis Tree Services provide professional tree care services to clients throughout London and the Home Counties. They offer tree care services to ensure trees, hedges and shrubs remain healthy and retain their beauty and amenity value. For more on Tree Surgeons in London visit http://www.artemistrees.com/