Birthday Planning 101 for Children's Parties

Birthday parties are like planning road trips....getting there is half the fun.

You have to decide on themes, decorations, activities, food, presents, guests and so much more to make it perfect for that special person. Below is a pre-party timeline to help assist you with planning the perfect Birthday party:

6 Weeks Before:
Choose the theme, draw up the guest list, confrim the date with your child's best friend and reserve off-site space.

4 Weeks Before:
Write out invitations; get updated class list and decide on games , activities and food.

3 Weeks Before:
Mail out invitations, purchase party goods, start homemade decorations and favors, and food.

1 to 2 Weeks Before:
Purchase crafts supplies and favors, draw up a schedule of activities, make samples of planned crafts and call guests who have not yet responded.

1 to 2 Days Before:
Bake the cake, decorate your home or be sure off-site supplies are gathered, adn prepare make-ahead foods.

Inforamtion provided by: www.marthastewart.com

For Rent: 2BR/2BA Apartment in Pooler, GA, $885/month

For Rent: 2BR/2BA Apartment in Pooler, GA, $885/month

Warrior Workout

Want to build a soldier’s body without the fatigues? Follow these tips supplied by two of Fort Stewart’s finest.

Fitness and health are often the primary lines of defense for Fort Stewart’s 3rd Infantry Division combat soldiers. Peak levels of strength and endurance can mean the difference between life and death, success or failure. It’s no surprise then that Sergeants 1st class Jeremy St. Julian and Robert Frankforter take their training very seriously. “Physical fitness is our second highest priority,” said Frankforter. “Second only to training.”

Early every morning, St. Julian and Frankforter motivate and move hundreds of soldiers through rigorous exercise regimens specially designed to keep the world’s toughest troopers in peak physical condition. Luckily for those of us with less fight in us than flab, these two soldiers took a break from their rigorous regimes to let The South in on some if their training sessions’ best exercising secrets. Follow these tips and you’ll be in combat condition in no time.

Push-ups: According to St. Julian, stabilization and alignment are key to maximizing the benefits of this tried and true exercise which works the entire upper body, back and core. “Place your arms shoulder width [apart] underneath your body and keep a straight line from your heels to shoulders. Lower down until your elbows are at a 90 degree angle,” he advises. He suggests beginners start with a few repetitions of 15–20, although his soldiers are pushed through 200-300 during a single training session.

Mountain Climber: “With this one, you work everything from the chest down and you also get some cardiovascular effects,” explains St. Julian. Start in the push-up position with your hands under your shoulders and squeeze one knee up toward your chest. Lightly jump and switch the positions of your feet. Repeat until muscles are fatigued.

Jumping Jacks: The Army’s most notorious exercise is still a fitness favorite among Fort Stewart soldiers. “It’s a good cardiovascular exercise,” says St. Julian. Whether a run or a strength training session follows, the sergeant gets soldiers’ blood rushing with at least 50 jumping jacks.

Article provided by:
http://ww2.thesouthmag.com/lifestyle/2009/warrior-workout/

Which Color is Best For Your New Home?

Color is always important when decorating your new home. Color can sometimes be associated with moods & feelings. To better assist you with your new color scheme for your new home, we thought it would be helpful to give you the psychological aspect of common color schemes used for home decor.

Grey:-Associated with sophistication
-Best for all rooms
Grey has been known to bring a sense of order & peace. It is also considered smart & sophisticated and ranges from dark charcoal to misty silver. Plus it looks great when paired to colorful accents.

Brown:-Associated with Stability, security and a very practical color.
-Best used for the Living Room
Brown is also known as a neutral color and looks great with almost any color. You could introduce a livelier color for mental stimulation such as green or blue to compliment the brown.

Purple:-Associated with Magic, creativity, joy, fertility, sensuous, luxurious and sex
-Best for Bedrooms
Purple is sumptuous and elegant. It can be overpowering, so try a light shade of purple.

Lilac:-Associated with Feminine, spiritual matters as it stimulates the misty area between the sky & heaven.
-Best for bedrooms & bathrooms to create a stress free sanctuary
Lilac can be inspiring!

Yellow:-Associated with sunshine & energy, creativity and stimulates the intellect.
-Best for kitchens, dining rooms or north facing rooms

Blue:
-Associated with soothing & calming, loyalty, serenity, authority, protection, contemplative, prevents nightmares, promotes intellectual thought and is believed to keep hunger at bay.
-Best for Bedrooms and bathrooms

Green:-Associated with promoting feelings of well-being and harmony, nature, security, stability and balance.
-Best for offices, study areas and bathrooms.
The color green is known to aid concentration.

Orange:-Associated with stability, reassurance, warmth, sunset & autumn leaves.
-Best for Living & dining rooms.
Orange is supposed to aid with digestion.

Pink:-Associated width love, fresh, flirtatious and distinctly feminine.
-Best for bedrooms

Red:-Associated with danger, passion, energy, warmth, adventure and optimism.
-Best for dining rooms.
Red is known to stimulate the appetite.

Hopefully this will help you decorate your new home. Information provided by: www.apartment-ideas.com

Stay in Shape the Sneaky Way

Do you keep looking at the mirror and wish you could get rid of that "gut", tone those arms and legs, but just do not have the time to dedicate yourself fully? Don't' worry. I just went on the net and found some really great workout routines, you can do with that busy schedule of yours. Here are some suggestions:

1) When walking the dog:
Chase your pup fives times every doggy outing, and you'll burn 98 calories per 20-minute stroll.

2)Watching TV with the kids? Get a bounce ball and do this:
30 minutes on the stability ball can burn more than 100 calories.

3)Coffee break in the kitchen? Make it productive by:
Try resistance push ups against the side of a table. Place your hands on the sides of the table, contract your abs and lower yourself with your arms. Push back up. Do three sets of 15." Or do three sets of 15 squats.Five minutes of resistance push ups or squats burn 48 calories—right in your kitchen.

4)Like listening to upbeat music?:
Thirty minutes of treadmill rocking burns 170 calories. Researches have studied, when upbeat music is on during your workout, more calories are burned effortlessly.

5)Waiting at the doctor's office? Well make your wait productive and do:
A 30-minute mix of power walking, stair climbing, and wall squats burns 238 calories.

6)On Facebook, twitter, myspace etc for a bit?:
Facebook while riding at a light effort for 30 minutes and burn 197 calories.

7)Need to clean the house?:
A 20-minute mop workout burns 83 calories.

8)Have to cook dinner?:
Mashing garlic, dicing veggies, and tossing salad is surprisingly strenuous.
30 minutes of culinary sweat burns 60 calories. Get chopping.

9)Make brushing your teeth fun and healthy:
Tilt your hips forward and backward while contracting the buttocks muscles.
Rumba for three minutes when you brush twice a day, and you'll burn through 140 calories a week—or 10 calories every dancing brush.

10) TV & cardio:
Do standard crunch sit-ups and forearm planks. Place your elbows directly under your shoulder, forearms and palms on the floor. Lift your body in a straight line, hold for five seconds, relax and repeat.
Exercising through three TV breaks takes about 10 minutes, burning 70 calories.

I can't wait to see your results! Time to start the day and get motivated effortlessly. Get fit the sneaky way. Let's Go!!!

Information provided by Fitness Magazine Website
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/

2010 Gray's Reef Film Festival

September 17th-19th there will be an Ocean Film Festival. It's a weekend dedicated to marine life and children working hard to protect it. There will be activities, infromative speakers and presentations in regards to protecting the ocean life. Here is a copy of the schedule:

http://graysreef.noaa.gov/news/events/film_festival_2010/pdfs/film_fest_schedule_2010.pdf

Enjoy!

Five Beers for an Authentic Oktoberfest

Five Beers for an Authentic Oktoberfest: Wolfgang Ban and Eduard Frauneder

1. Altenmünster
"One of the most beautiful regions in Germany is the Allgäu, home of Altenmünster Brewer’s Beer. The Allgäu is a land of lush, green meadows, hills and lakes that give way to a majestic mountain backdrop. Altenmünster is made from rediscovered recipes and uses long-forgotten ingredients to create a full-flavored and timeless beer. With a sweet and smooth malt body, Altenmünster is the ideal companion for spicy Gulasch, Kässpatzen, ox roast, German dumplings and hearty boar dishes."

2. Clausthaler
"Clausthaler has been the undisputed champion among non-alcoholic brews in Germany since its inception. Clausthaler is among Germany's leading export beverage brands and is regarded the world's best non-alcoholic brew. A major reason for this outstanding product quality is the unique (and patented) Clausthaler brewing process, which allows the brewmaster to prevent the formation of alcohol, rather than removing the alcohol after the brewing process. How does Clausthaler do it? Top secret … but it pairs well with white meats and fresh seafood."

3. Schlösser
"Brewed in the unmistakable Düsseldorf style, Schlösser has a distinctive fresh and spicy taste. A standard everyday drink in the Lower Rhine region, the strong malty ale finishes with a fine bitter taste of hops. The amber and copper color and spicy freshness pairs perfectly with hearty foods such as roasted pork, smoked sausage or potato pancakes with applesauce and cherry crepes."

4. Hövels
"Hövels is Hövels: it’s completely unique and cannot be categorized as any one type of beer. Brewed in Dortmund, one of Germany’s most traditional brewing regions, Hövels has been a great success since 1893. The beer uses four different fine malts and a traditional mashing process to make an amber-colored beer that has undertones of caramel, bread and dark raisin-y fruits. The caramel notes and mellow taste are ideal for meat dishes as well as starters, like wild mushrooms, and even goes well with sweet desserts."

5. Schöfferhofer
"Fankfurt am Main, commonly known as Frankfurt, is the home of the fine Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen. A top-fermented, full-bodied beer with a distinctive and slightly sweet, floral aroma, Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen is one of Germany’s most well-known wheat beers. The cloudy wheat beer has a smooth malt background and rich yeast flavor with a zesty lemon crispness. This tangy, dry beer is best paired with lighter foods such as sushi, salads, seafoods and, of course, the classic Weisswurst."

Information provided by:
http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2010/09/03/55-chefs-wolfgang-ban-and-eduard-frauneder/

Will motion controls reinvent gaming?

*Microsoft and Sony are releasing motion-sensing gaming systems this fall

**The Wii proved motion controls' power to extend video games' mainstream appeal


***Despite systems' high price tags, both companies counting on appeal to casual enthusiasts

For more info, read:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/09/03/steinberg.motion.controls/index.html

Samsung: Galaxy Tab has leg up on Apple iPad

**Galaxy Tab permits both picture-taking and video chat with front- and back-mounted cameras
***Product will begin shipping by year's end in the U.S.
****Galaxy Tab will run Adobe Systems' Flash Player 10.1, which opens the doors to more games

This will be awesome for the holiday's. For more information, visit:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/09/02/cnet.samsung.galaxy.tab/index.html

History of Labor Day

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September (September 6 in 2010).

The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City.[1] It became a federal holiday in 1894, when, following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with the labor movement as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.[2] The September date was chosen as Cleveland was concerned that aligning an American labor holiday with existing international May Day celebrations would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair.[3] All 50 U.S. states have made Labor Day a state holiday.

The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations," followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civil significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.



In U.S. sports, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons. NCAA teams usually play their first games the week before Labor Day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day. The Southern 500 NASCAR auto race was held that day from 1950 to 2004.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day

Are you prepared for Hurricane Season?

Hurricanes are violent storms, which can bring intense winds, heavy rain, a storm surge, floods, coastal erosion, landslides and tornadoes. The season for Hurricanes runs from June-November, most typically occur mid-August to late October. Each season, on average, six hurricanes form in the Atlantic Ocean of which two become major hurricanes.

You should know what to do, to help you prepare for a hurricane. Be sure to:

*Contact your local emergency management office to learn about evacuation routes & emergency plans
*Buy flood insurance. If flooded and do not have insurance, there is a 30-day waiting period before coverage is activated. www.floodsmart.gov
*Find out what your child's emergency procedure is at school and for your workplace.
*Make a family disaster plan. Be sure to have close friends & relatives contact information.
*Put together a Disaster Supply Kit with food, water, medical supplies, battery-powered radio & NOAA Weather Radio all Hazards, batteries, flashlights and other items that will allow you to get by for 3 days after a hurricane hits.
*Be sure to gather important documents such as birth and marriage certificates, social security cards, passports, wills, deeds and financial and insurance records. Store them in a fire & flood safe location or safe deposit box.

As the storm approaches:

*Remember that a "Hurricane Watch" means the onset of hurricane conditions is possible within 36 hours; a "Hurricane Warning" means the onset of hurricane conditions is likely within 24 hours.
*Have a full tank of gas in a vehicle,cash and your disaster supplies kit ready to go.
*Make sure every family member has their identification on them.
*Turn the fridge on the coldest temperature and keep it closed.
*Fill the bathtub & other large containers with water for bathing, flushing toilets and cleaning---DO NOT DRINK THIS WATER

For more information and a checklist, visit the following sites:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/prepare/supply_kit.shtml
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/