Party-Sense

As a mother of two young children I know first hand how difficult it can be to keep children entertained while entertaining. Adult party guests want to be able to mingle with one another and not worry about what their child, or children, are getting into. I’ll admit, I didn’t use to think about this until I had children of my own. Now when I’m hosting a party in which children may be accompanying their parents, I basically plan two parties: one for the adults, and one for the children.

Weather permitting, it’s easiest to set up a children’s area outside. Sidewalk chalk; bubbles, jump ropes, croquet, bean bags, and other outside games are all good ideas. Outdoor scavenger hunts are also easy to create and children love them. In case of rain, it usually only takes a few modifications to hold one indoors. I have children check off items as they find them. When they turn in their checklist I have a small prize for them (usually a really cool lollypop I get from the local candy store).

Click below to download my scavenger hunt checklist:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/48137704/Scavenger-Hunt

When evening comes I bring out an arsenal of “glow” sticks and other “glowing” items. Kids always seem to go crazy about these inexpensive trinkets that can be found a just about any party supply store.

Inside, I set out classic board games and age appropriate crafts. For young children a few fun coloring books and crayons will do. I also stock up on children’s costumes whenever I see them in good condition my local resale shop. I have found adorable costumes for under $2.00 after Halloween. I keep them in a wicker chest and bring it out during parties. Children have so much fun dressing up and pretending. This simple trick will sometimes provide hours of fun.

Finally, when little ones grow weary it’s good to have a DVD on hand. Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo always seem to be good choices for any age group. Pop some popcorn, put a few pillows on the floor, and go enjoy the company of your “not so little” party guests.

If you have any good ideas about keeping little ones entertained please send them to me at christine@party-sense.com, or comment on this post. I would love to feature your ideas in an upcoming post!

It’s been 90 degrees or above, with 90 percent humidity for the last two weeks! Coming from the Midwest where winters are typically below zero, I normally don’t complain about warm weather. These are the days, when summer becomes a bit too long for my eight year old son. It’s too hot to play outside… I’m bored inside… I seem to be hearing the repetitious whining about this time every year.


My son’s birthday is in January, and he celebrates a “winter” birthday every year. After brainstorming ideas of how to bring about some excitement to cure his summer blues, I decided to throw him a “1/2” birthday party. I involved him in all of the planning, assigning him tasks and projects along the way.

He helped make the guest list and invitations. We invited many of the boys from his class that he hadn’t seen yet this summer. We wrote in each invitation that they should not bring gifts; instead, they should bring a bucket filled with one dozen filled water balloons, and they should come prepared to get wet. We shopped at discount and party supply stores for summer themed decorations. We purchased a bright yellow sunshine shaped piñata and hung it up in our garage.


We set up a “build your own ice cream sundae” spread in our kitchen and served chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream. We had a variety of toppings such as, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, strawberries, crushed Oreo cookies, crushed Butterfinger candy bars, mini M&M’s, whipped cream, and maraschino cherries.

We kept the party short and simple, but fun. It started at 2:00 in the afternoon and ended at 4:00. I found out to keep children’s parties short, from experience. There are so many different personalities in children that can unfortunately sometimes clash. When they do – believe me, it can make for a miserably long party. Kids seem to have a “two hour” window of good behavior. If you can keep them busy and involved in activities you will have two hours of fun.

After the party guests arrived we started by playing a few outside games like tug of war, bean bags, and then let everyone cool off with a good old fashioned water balloon fight. When “time” was called and the boys dried off, they then proceeded to the “build your own sundae bar”. They ate their creations outside and ended the party by putting the smack down on the sunshine piñata. When I asked my son how he thought the party went, he proclaimed it “the best day of my life!” Oh, to be young again!!!

Send me your ideas to defeat the "Dog Days of Summer" to christine@party-sense.com. I would love to read them and feature you in an upcoming post!

As temperatures rise during the summer it’s always nice to take your gathering outside. However, Potato salad, pasta salad, Cole slaw, and other side dishes are often dairy based and spoil quickly when left out in warm weather. For this reason I tend to avoid using dairy products when hosting a gathering. Vinegar based salads, fresh fruit kabobs; hummus and pita chips frequently top my list of “safe” summer sides.


Other food safety tips to remember in the summer are to plan for no leftovers, eat food within two hours (one hour for dairy based foods), keep all food refrigerated or in a cooler until ready to eat, and when in doubt – toss it out!

Mexican Bean Salad is one of my favorite warm weather accompaniments to serve. It can be set out on an appetizer spread along with tortilla chips, or served alongside the main course as a salad. Its bright colors always make for a spectacular presentation, and combination of flavors will have your guests asking for the recipe. Adjust the spice level to your liking by increasing or decreasing the amount of jalapeños in the recipe.



Mexican Bean Salad

4 tablespoons cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained
2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped jicama
½ cup sliced green onions
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine the vinegar, lime juice, garlic, jalapeno peppers, cumin, coriander and salt in small mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Set aside.

Combine the beans, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, jicama, green onions, and cilantro in large mixing bowl and mix well. Pour the reserved mixture over and toss to coat. Chill for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

Serves 16

Visit the recipes tab to download a printable version of this recipe. I hope you enjoy it. Please send me some of your favorite sides you serve at summer gatherings!


Mexican Bean Salad

I love to think about and plan for the Christmas season all year long. It’s so much fun to plan holiday menus and parties, and think about new and tasty recipes to try. My local Mom’s Club hosts an annual cookie exchange and I’ve always brought my favorite Sugar and Spice Molasses cookies.


This year I think I’ll to break out of the mold and try something different. Help me out by sending me your favorite Christmas cookie recipe! In exchange I will enter your name into a drawing for my favorite holiday cookbook, The Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook. I will also feature you and your recipe in an upcoming post, “Creative Cookie Exchanges”.



Get inspired by the Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook. Full of colorful pictures and creative ideas this cookbook is a must have for the season. Not only does it have hundreds of tested recipes, it has party ideas and menus, and a special section that I love on gifts from the kitchen.

To be entered in the drawing, just send your recipe in an email to christine@party-sense.com or comment to this post with your recipe. Be sure to include your contact information. All recipes must be received prior to July 31, 2010. Contest will end on July 31, 2010 and the winner will be notified via email. Good luck!