Category: outdoor activities

To Host or Not to Host

There are many occasions throughout the year where you will have the opportunity to party. But, to host or not to host, that is the question. Right now, we are one-step away from the busiest celebration season of the year: Summer and all the fun and events it brings. After all, we have Memorial Day BBQs, Graduation parties, 4th of July and with all the great weather, there is always a good excuse for a Friday night BBQ. For some, hosting a party is an impulsive decision, for others, a mental struggle. There are several things to consider and many others to plan, if you go ahead. Therefore, I recommend asking yourself these three main questions before deciding whether to host:

1. Do I have the time to pull everything together before the event?
2. Do I have the space to comfortably fit the number of people I will invite?
3. Do I have the money to spend on this event?

If the answer to any one of the above questions is no, then do not host. You can stop reading here and go ahead with your day.

If you are still reading, then you must have decided to host. YAY, party time! Now, it is time to start planning and organizing. This is the only way to minimize unforeseen situations, provide the best time for your guests and make sure you have fun too.

1. Plan the menu. In the case of a small gathering, you may want to ask your guests about food allergies or dietary preferences, so that you can avoid conflicts. On the other hand, in a large gathering, you will want a variety to cover all tastes and preferences (like having meat and veggies options).

You can do the main dishes and ask your guests to bring sides and dessert. Be thoughtful in your assignments to set the party up for success. Don’t assign appetizers to your family member that is always late. Don’t ask your friend that can’t cook to make something challenging. Most importantly, keep your menu simple enough or to things that can be made ahead of time so that you can enjoy your party and not spend the whole time in the kitchen.

2. Sit down vs. buffet. This should be decided based on the number of people attending being able to sit at a table and by the formality of the event.

3. Real dishes vs. paper/plastic. It all depends on the type of event you are hosting. Using paper/plastic dishes minimize the risk of breaking something (something to consider especially when you have kids around) and also make the cleaning much easier, which is something to think about it when you have a large number of guests. If you have a more intimate party with a small number of guests, the real dishes will save you some money, but will also add to clean up time. Real is always more elegant, but you will need to weigh elegant vs. easy clean up.

4. Beverages. Do you plan to serve alcohol? If so, the first thing to consider is what you are going to serve (wine and beer or full bar) and consider the number of guests and the duration of the event. When you think of a full bar, the general rule is: 50% will prefer wine, 30% beer and 20% mixed drinks. If it is just wine and beer, consider that 60% will prefer wine and the rest, beer. Usually, a person will consume 2 drinks in the first hour and 1 drink/hour in the following.
For non-alcoholic events (or as options for children and non-drinkers): soda, water, juice or sparkling water. You could even create a punch or mocktail that both kids and adults can enjoy like an Arnold Palmer (ice tea and lemonade) or a large dispenser with flavored water (water with cut limes, lemons, cucumbers or oranges)

5. Background noise. If there is an important sporting event or the Preakness, you may have the TV on. Or, are you going to have music? If so, what type? Make sure that everything is working, your stereo is set up and that important game is part of your TV package.
Not sure what kind of music you want, check out Pandora or download the app. You can search genres and you can find a pre-built station that will suit your tastes. Pandora has stations for Dinner Party, Classic Rock BBQ or Laid Back Brunch and many more that continuously play a variety of artists that fit that theme.

6. Stock your house. Fully stock your bathroom with extra toilet paper, wipes, feminine products and air freshener. Put extra trash bags in the bottom of the trash can so that the bag can be easily changed when it is full. Have extra napkins, paper towels, dish towels handy. Guests will want to help and if you make it easy for them, you will get extra help!

7. Entertainment. If you are having an outdoor party, you may want to have a few games to keep people busy. Corn hole, croquet, frisbees, volleyball or even just some footballs to toss around can keep fidgety guests and kids entertained for hours. If it is a night party, kids would love some glow sticks, flashlights or a few jars to catch lightening bugs.

Planning before will allow you to fully enjoy your party without having to keep checking every moment if everything is ok!

If you liked today’s post, you’re welcome to use it in your own newsletter or blog as long as you include the following blurb: Tara Rudo, Life Strategist, helps working moms and families focus on what’s important. Get our FREE weekly tips and advice at www.NoMorePiles.com. Image courtesy of tiverylucky at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

May 5, 2015
Prep Your Kids for Summer
Summer is fast approaching and now is the time to shop for all the items you need while the store shelves are full and the selections plentiful. It is hard to think about bathing suits and shorts right after putting our winter coats away, but advanced planning will save you from the stress of running around trying to find necessary items the week before summer camp starts or the day before you leave for your summer vacation. Prepping your kids for summer now will also save you money.

Flash back photo of my kids from 2010

Here is the list of items that you must check in your supply:
- Bathing suits: 2-3 per child except if they are doing summer camp. In this case, you want to have at least 6 (2 per day from Mon-Wed, laundry on Wednesday to get you through the rest of the week).
- Beach/pool towels: I recommend buying one nice towel per person and then if your kids go to camp, buying cheap towels that you won’t stress about if they get destroyed or lost. You can buy a 6 pack of hotel towels at Sam’s Club or Costco for around $25. Also, Five Below and Target often have towels for $3-$5 per towel. Personally, I have towels in two colors (one for each child), so I know who loses what.
- Goggles
- Water shoes/flip-flops
- Sunscreen
- Bug spray
- Life-vest (for younger non-swimmers or boaters)
If your kids go to camp, you will need to label all of their clothing. I recommend Lovable Labels . They are self-adhesive and last all summer through washing and drying, so they are worth the money. To save a few bucks, you can get the mini-dots.

I recommend that you let them use an old backpack for summer camp. They sit all day with wet bathing suits and towels and often get muddy and gross by the end of summer (even if you wash it regularly). Regular washing and rough handling by your kids will break down the material and most of ours end up with holes by the end of summer. Save your money for a new backpack for school in the fall.

If you are one of those people that throws away 15 tubes of half used sunscreen every year because it expires, then maybe it’s time to plan a little better. Sunscreen is expensive and if you are throwing away 15 half used tubes, then you are also throwing away money. With the cost of sunscreen between $6-15 per tube, you could be throwing away $50-100 worth of sunscreen each year. Or, if you are using expired sunscreen, it could result in sunburns that could ruin your day, your vacation and harm your or your child’s health.

How many tubes of sunscreen do you need? This will vary depending on how much your family is outdoors during the summer, where you vacation and if your kids go to summer camp, but here is my calculation to give you an idea of what you will need. AND, most places have sunscreen 20% off right now, so take advantage and stock up, but don’t overstock!
- 1 bottle or tube per child for camp (labeled and in their daily camp bag
- 1 for the car (just in case you didn’t put it on before you leave the house or need to reapply)
- 1 face + 1 body in the kitchen to put on in the morning (I use separate ones for body 30 SPF and face 50 SPF)
- 1 face + 1 body in the pool bag
- 1 face + 1 body per week, if you are going to somewhere sunny for vacation
Advance planning will give you more time and money to enjoy all the fun summer brings with it.

If you want to read more about prepping your kids for summer day camp, please read our blog post on Summer Camp Organizing.

If you liked today’s post, you’re welcome to use it in your own newsletter or blog as long as you include the following blurb: Tara Rudo, Life Strategist, helps working moms and families focus on what is important. Get our FREE weekly tips and advice at www.NoMorePiles.com.
April 9, 2015
Get ready for outdoor activities!

Spring is finally here and it is time to take out the ice scrapers and snow gear of your car and repack it to the rainy and warmer season. Whether you are the outdoors person or you will spend hours shuttling kids to various outdoor activities, you need to stock your car for spring.
We recommend that you get a large tote to keep everything inside. There are two that we recommend. One, is the Smartworks Pop-Up Organizer ($25 on Amazon) and the other is Thirty One large Utility Tote ($35 on Thirty One.com.)

• This will avoid having your things spilled all over the car
• Easy to move to another car or take it out of you need the extra space
• Easy to bring inside and restock it after a busy week

Here is our must have list:
• First aid kit: bandaids, single use ice packs, antiseptic wash, allergy relief medicine (aka Benadryl. Also good to have on hand for bee stings), pain reliever, athletic tape
• Sunscreen & bug spray
• Water
• Emergency snacks: power bars (regular Lara bars are good since they don’t melt), peanut butter crackers, fruit crushers and other non-melting items
• Wipes and tissues
• Trash bags: multifunctional item!!! Put the muddy, wet clothes in it; use it for sitting on if the ground is wet; or even wear it as a poncho if it rains.
• Hair ties for those with longer hair

If you have young kids or babies, you may want to add extra diapers and change of clothes. You should also keep these other items in your car or handy in the garage to use them on sports days:
• Folding chair
• Blanket
• Hats and/or sunglasses

Being ready helps you to enjoy more of the springtime weather and be prepared for unexpected events. When you are dealing with kids, it is NEVER a bad idea to be prepared for the inevitable, unexpected events.

If you liked today’s post, you’re welcome to use it in your own newsletter or blog as long as you include the following blurb: Tara Rudo, Life Strategist, helps working moms and families focus on what is important. Get our FREE weekly tips and advice at www.NoMorePiles.com.

April 1, 2015