Showing posts with label Planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Planning. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Planning a Pool Party: What You Need to Prepare For

Each year, a large number of Americans search for the perfect party idea. If you have a pool in your backyard, you may already have what is needed for the perfect party, a pool. Pool parties are nice because they not only allow you to socialize with those that you know, but they also give everyone a way to cool off. If you are thinking about hosting a pool party, you will need to start planning. Despite what you may think there is actually a lot of planning involved in hosting a pool party.



Perhaps, the first step in planning a pool party is to let everyone know that you are having one. Although pool parties may not be like birthday parties or Christmas parties, you may still want to send invitations to your guests. These invitations, if you choose to send them, do not have to be elaborate. In fact, since your pool party will most likely be casual, your invitations should be as well. If invitations are not your style, you will want to phone your friends or send them an email, inviting them to your pool party.



Once you have let your guests know that you are planning a pool party, you can then start preparing for the party. While it is not always important, you may want to consider confirming with guests whether or not they will be able to attend. Having an accurate guest count may help you better prepare for your party. In fact, a guest count may enable you to determine how much food, drinks, or snacks you should have on hand.



If you are planning on including a barbeque with your pool party, you will need to decide what type of food you would like to serve. Like any other special occasion, you may want to have a wide variety of different foods. This will ensure that there will be at least one thing on the menu that each guest will enjoy. In addition to main courses, such as meat, you will also want to include side dishes. These side dishes commonly include fruits, vegetables, and salads.



After you have decided which foods you would like served at your barbeque, you will also need to think about making them. Even if your party isn’t for a few weeks, you may still want to develop a cooking schedule ahead of time. Although your main courses, such as barbequed meat, will be prepared the day of your pool party, you may want to prepare everything else earlier that day or the day before. This will help not only to ensure that you get all of the food prepared on time, but that you are also able to enjoy your own party.



As previously mentioned, you may want to include a barbeque with your pool party; however, it is not required. If you are planning on having a pool party, without serving a large meal, you may still want to have snacks and drinks on hand. Non-alcoholic drinks and most snack foods can be purchased for a reasonable price. Alcoholic drinks make for a great party, but some drinks can be expensive to purchase, especially in large quantities.



Aside from the food and entertainment, you may also want to make sure that you have a number of pool supplies and accessories on hand. These items may include, but should not be limited to, beach balls, lifejackets, arm floaties, swim rings, floating chairs, and other popular swim toys. If you do not already have a large collection of swim toys, you can easily purchase a few low-cost ones. Many pool toys, such as swim rings, arm floaties, and beach balls, can be purchased for a reasonable price. In fact, many of these items only cost around two or three dollars. It may also be a good idea to have extra towels on hand, just in case any of your guests forget to bring theirs.



Although pool parties are designed to be fun, you may want to establish some pool rules ahead of time. These rules may help to keep your pool and your pool party guests safe, especially young children. Whether you plan a simple pool party or an elaborate one, it is likely that you will be happy with your decision to plan your party, ahead of time.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Planning a Backyard Campout: What You Need to Know

If you are planning a backyard campout, you are not alone. Each year, millions of campers head out to their local state parks or other public campgrounds. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to enjoy this type of camping. Instead, many individuals and families make the decision to have a backyard campout.



One of the many benefits to backyard camping is being close to home. Despite this closeness, you may want to avoid your home. This will help to make your backyard camping experience seem more lifelike. To prevent your backyard campout from being interrupted, due to multiple trips inside the house, you are advised to devise a plan. That plan should not only include camping equipment, but toys, snacks, food, and drinks. The best way to develop this plan is to pretend that you aren’t camping in your own backyard. By imagining that you will not have access to your home, you can better develop a camping plan.



When it comes to camping, whether it be backyard camping or not, one of the first things that you need to consider is your sleeping materials. Many campers use tents, while others use nothing, but a blanket. If you are planning on sleeping in a tent, you will want to make sure that your tent has all of the needed pieces and equipment. It may also be a good idea to setup your tent in advance. This may help to ensure that you can repair your tent or purchase a replacement, if needed.



If you are interested in sleeping under the stars, instead of using a tent, you will want to keep a close eye on the weather. Despite the fact that you will be camping in your own backyard, you will still want to make sure the weather is appropriate for sleeping without a tent. Regardless of whether or not you are sleeping with a tent, you will need a sleeping bag or blanket. Additional sleeping equipment may include pillows or an air mattress. In the event that you do not have these supplies, you can purchase them from most sports stores or department stores.



After you have decided how and where you will sleep, you will then want to prepare for other aspects of your backyard campout. What many campers enjoy about camping is eating outdoors. If you wish, you may also want to incorporate a backyard barbeque into your camping adventure. Simply by moving your cooking grill near your other camping supplies, you should be able to create the illusion of a campground. The type of food you cook should all depend on your preference and the preference of the other campers. If a backyard cookout is not possible, a pre-made picnic can be used as an alternative.



In addition to a full dinner meal, you may also want to think about having snacks on hand. There are a large number of snacks that are ideal for campers. These snacks may include, dry fruit, chips, pretzels, cookies, and other dry foods. If you are able to start a small fire, don’t forget the most important camping snack, smores. Although it may be easier to keep your food, drinks, and snacks inside your home, you may want to store them in outside ice coolers. This will not only help to keep your food fresh, but it may also reduce the number of camping interruptions.



Finally, depending on the length of your backyard campout, you may want to consider brining along outdoor toys. These toys may include water guns, water balloons, a kickball, a Frisbee, baseball equipment, or other similar items. Even if these items do not get used, they are still nice to have on hand. At times, even in your own backyard, camping can be a little boring. Having a fairly large selection of outdoor activities to choose from will help to ensure that boredom is a thing of camping past.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Planning a Backyard Barbeque Party

If you regularly cook your meals on a barbeque grill, you are not alone. Grilling is a popular American pastime. While many individuals end up grilling for their family, not everyone makes the decision to host a backyard barbeque party, despite the fact that it is a good idea. If you are interested in socializing and sharing good food with your friends, family, coworkers, or neighbors, you may want to, at least, think about planning a backyard barbeque party.



Backyard barbeque parties, like most other parties, require planning. While the planning associated with a backyard barbeque may not be as large as most other parties, it is still important. The proper planning of a party, including a barbeque, will help to ensure that your party is the best that it can be. For that reason, you may want to start making party plans as soon as you make the decision to host a party.



Since backyard barbeque parties are centered on food, you will want to think about the food that you will serve. To please all of your party guests, you will want to have a fairly large selection of meats. This will help to make sure that all of your party guests are able to eat the foods that they like. In addition to meats, you may also want to think about side dishes. Popular barbeque party side dishes may include, but should not be limited to, toss salads, macaroni salads, coleslaw, and fruit salads.



In addition to the foods that you are interested in serving, you may also want to plan how those foods will be made. Of course, the purpose of a barbeque party is to grill the foods then, but most of the side dishes will need to be prepared ahead of time. To ensure that all of your side dishes are prepared on time, you may want to start cooking them the day before your barbeque or earlier that morning. If you are having a large party, you may need to make a large amount of food. If this is the cases, it may be a good idea to have party guests bring a small side dish.



Aside from the main food, served at your barbecue, you may also want to think about drinks and snacks. For a reasonable price, you should be able to obtain a number of different snacks for your barbeque. Great snack ideas include crackers and cheese, cookies, chips, and pretzels. For drinks, you need to decide as to whether or not you want alcoholic beverages served at your party. Regardless of whether or not you choose to serve alcohol, you should be able to purchase your party drinks from most supermarkets.



While backyard barbeques are center on food, additional activities may be a good idea. At most department stores, you should be able to find a number of affordable toys or backyard activities. Many individuals, especially teens or adult males, enjoy playing sports. A football, basketball or horseshoe pit may be a great addition to your backyard barbeque. If children will be attending your party, you may want to have child friendly games on hand.



If you have a pool, it may be a good idea to incorporate swimming into your backyard barbeque; however, it is optional. If you are planning on allowing your party guests to use your pool, you may want to think about establishing some rules. These rules should focus on pool safety and children in the pool. While establishing rules at your barbeque may seem like a bad idea, it is not, especially when it comes to pool safety.



Of course, you will also want to invite your guests to your party. This can be done with formal invitations, a quick phone call, or a quick email. In addition to informing guest of your impending barbeque party, a guest list may also help you prepare for the big day.