How to Host a Successful Baby Shower

A close friend or family member is having a baby and you want to host a memorable baby shower for them, but you’re low on ideas. Here are some ideas to help you plan for the special day.

Decide who will be involved in hosting the shower. Organize a group of people and decide who will be in charge of keeping the shower planning on-track. The main host of the shower should be a friend and not a family member, as etiquette dictates, but family may certainly be actively involved in the entire process. Good communication is essential to success. The "lead planner" should coordinate with the expectant parents and determine the best date for the shower. Most people throw baby showers in close proximity to the due date of the baby, but don't wait too long as some babies do come early. At least one month before the due date should be fine as it allows time for the parents to evaluate the gifts they receive and determine which ones to keep and what they will still need to buy for the baby.

Keep all receipts for the money that everyone involved in hosting the party spends on the shower so that all expenses can be equally divided. Choose the cutest invitations you can find and try to decide on an overall theme for the shower. Knowing the sex of the baby in advance is helpful, but not required. Buy a bouquet of balloons and enough separate balloons to tie in strategic locations throughout the shower. Be sure to have enough balloons to tie a few to the mailbox in front of the house where the shower will be held. Request a guest list with mailing addresses from the expectant parents and mail the invitations no later than six weeks before the event. Include an RSVP as it will help you to plan the necessary food and refreshments more carefully.

Arrange several activities for the shower and have a few back-ups just in case the shower lasts longer than expected. Some fun games to play are baby trivia, unscrambling words that refer to baby terms, writing cute messages on diapers for the baby, and creating custom outfits for the baby using white onesies and fabric paint. If the shower includes both men and women, have two baby dolls and some props, like diapers, clothes, bottles, etc. and make the men try to care for the baby while the women shout instructions to them. Simulate all of the distractions that would normally happen during the day, like preparing a meal, a phone ringing, or a visitor at the door. This is almost always amusing.

Set up for the shower early in the day to allow time for someone to go pick up anything that was overlooked. The day of the shower should be fun and completely stress-free for the hosts, the expectant parents, and the guests. While the expectant parents are opening gifts, have someone write the names of the gifts as well as the gift givers on a sheet of paper. This will be a great help to the couple when it's time to write thank you notes. After the shower, each host should total the amounts that they spent and report them to the lead planner. They can determine who owes money and who gets a refund.


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How to Protect Yourself from Unauthorized Third-Party Charges on your Phone Bill

Your phone bill is an open target for scammers to bill you for whatever fake services they choose and your state and federal government will not do anything to change this. You are free to try and fight it, but the best defense is to educate yourself and spread this information to everyone you know. You will find that your efforts are the only thing keeping your money out of a scammer’s pocket.

Look carefully at your monthly phone bill. You should know the type of services you signed up for. If anything looks suspicious, call your phone company and ask them to explain the charges to you. Look for things like Internet hosting services or long distance services that don't belong there.

Ask the phone company to cancel any fraudulent charge and reimburse you for the current month. You will probably find that this is all they will be willing to do. Next, demand that the phone company blocks all third party charges to your account. The ethical thing to do would be for the government to revise the law in favor of the consumer, requiring them to authorize third party charges on their own phone bills, but this is not even a consideration right now. While you are talking to your phone company, ask that they "freeze your long distance carrier." This will help prevent a company from changing your long distance service without your consent.

File a report with the FTC, your state Congressman, and your state attorney general. Also contact your local utilities commission. Reporting a phone bill cramming scam to the FCC is a waste of time as it does not fall under their jurisdiction. You may receive a sympathetic response from your Congressman with instructions on how to protect yourself in the future, but no offer to help fix the overall problem. You can call to confront the illegitimate companies that did this to you, but it won't get you far. The first company that you contact will be the billing company who only provides their billing services between the scammers and the phone company. They will claim to have nothing to do with any other services. If you call the company who perpetrated the scam, they will hang up, be rude to you, or provide a recording of your voice agreeing to a host of things that you never really did.

Learn how the scam works. Here's an example. A representative from the scammer company calls you and tries aggressively to convince you to say something affirmative, like "Yes" or "OK". They will offer you all sorts of things as they attempt to meet their goal. They record your responses and splice them to suit their illegal needs. It's the equivalent of you calling someone and recording them saying "yes" and then playing the tape to the authorities with your voice asking, "Did you break into my home and steal $250,000 from me?" and them answering "yes." I know this sounds totally absurd, but it's exactly how you wind up paying $19.95 per month for something you never agreed to. The difference is that you wouldn't get away with it and yet, somehow they continue to. Learn how to identify these scammers when they call and only provide them with negative responses. It gets them aggravated very quickly. Just keep answering "no" as you hang up. Whatever it is they are offering, you probably don't want it anyway.

Tell everyone you know to check their phone bills regularly and to write letters to their elected government officials expressing outrage that this practice is allowed. Third party billing could survive and be a legitimate means of collecting money from someone if it were properly executed, but this is not the case. Consumers must be constantly on their guard until the agencies who are supposed to protect us do their job and put an end to obvious loopholes in the law governing third party billing on phone bills.


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How to Host Your Own Beerfest Party

Das Boot! If you love the movie "BeerFest" so much that you find yourself quoting it at every party and reenacting those memorable scenes, why not go the extra mile and host your own "BeerFest" party?

Invite your closest friends and instruct them to tell no one about your "Beerfest." Be sure to have a copy of the movie, "Beerfest" on hand so that you can watch it before, during, or after the party. Acquire all of the necessary supplies, including the kegs prior to your guest's arrival. It is perfectly acceptable to ask people to chip in a few dollars to cover the cost of the beer. Also, it's a good idea to have a case or two of beer as backup in case the main kegs dry up at some point.

Be sure that everyone who attends your "Beerfest" is old enough to drink. For fun, and to keep with the theme, tell everyone you invite what the password will be and make them recite it at the door. Take away everyone's keys who will be participating in the games and be sure they all have a place to sleep.

Divide all of the participants into teams. For fun, you can select which country each team will represent. Play beer pong, quarters, darts, flip cup, and any other drinking game that you like. Designate a referee or two and a score keeper so that you'll know who wins. Be sure to save the beer boot chugging competition until last and don't forget the secret technique to keep the bubble from exploding in your face!

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How to Host a Spooky Halloween Karaoke Party

This year, make your Halloween party more exciting than ever by hosting a "Spooky Halloween Karaoke Party."

Decide where to have the party and create invitations. It is a good idea to co-host the party with other people, which takes some of the stress and expense out of planning the party. If nobody owns a karaoke machine, find a party rental store that carries them and pick out a selection of spooky classics. If all else fails and you can't find a karaoke machine, you can just have music playing and your guests can sing along and perform.

When designing the invitations, specify that all attendees should wear costumes. Decorate the party area the night of the party and prepare some refreshments. Another good idea is to collect a "pizza fund" and order delivery at some point in the night when your guests are hungry.

In addition to a costume contest, also have a karaoke singing contest and award the most entertaining singer with a prize. Don't start the party immediately with karaoke singing, though. Let your guests enjoy some non-karaoke music first. For the adult crowd, music by Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper, My Chemical Romance, and Megadeth are good for getting the party cranked up. Don't waste your money on the "scary sounds" CDs. Most adults find them to be annoying after five minutes and would rather hear music.  Be mindful of your neighbors as your party goes late into the night. It is a good idea to invite them to the party so there will be nobody nearby to disturb!

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How to Throw an Amazing Bachelor Party in Myrtle Beach, SC

Your buddy is finally going to tie the knot. When planning the bachelor party, you decide to go to Myrtle Beach, SC but you're unsure of what all there is to do there.

Decide which beach you want to stay in. Myrtle Beach is where many of the young people go to party, whereas North Myrtle Beach is a little more relaxed and family oriented. For a bachelor party, I'd choose Myrtle Beach.

Go play golf. Bring your clubs along and play one of Myrtle Beach's incredibly beautiful golf courses. Many of the hotels offer a golf package with your room. Be sure to pay for the bachelor's green fees and cart fees. Bring beer.

Go to a strip club. Take the guys to the famous Crazy Horse strip club, which is actually in North Myrtle Beach. Pay for the bachelor's alcohol and buy him a few dances.

Go on a gambling cruise. There are several cruises that leave from nearby beaches which feature alcohol and gambling when the boat reaches international waters. Bring along some motion sickness medicine. Even if you don't need it, someone will probably offer to pay you for a tablet if they know you have it. Play your earnings in a slot machine. Again, buy drinks for the bachelor. He can gamble his own money.

Buy some fireworks. In Myrtle Beach, it is illegal to have alcohol or projectile fireworks on the beach. Remember that they are both illegal. You've been warned.

Take the bachelor to eat at "Dick's Last Resort" restaurant and let the wait staff have their way with him. Don't get mad at the things they say or do. It's all part of the ambience of the restaurant.

Buy lots of beer and also buy a funnel at one of the local surf shops, like "Wings" or "Bargain Beachwear." Have fun!



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How to Throw a Halloween Lock-In Party

It's that spooky time of year again when ghost and ghouls walk the streets in search of fun and yummy treats. Keep children safe and sound this year while entertaining them and create long-lasting memories with a Halloween lock-in party!

A lock-in party is an exciting way to entertain a large number of children, while keeping them safe from the outside world. During the Halloween season, a lock-in is the perfect way to celebrate with a large group of children, while reassuring parents that their little ones will not be roaming along dark streets, accepting candy from complete strangers.

The first step is to acquire a building for the event. This building must be safe and all entrances must be capable of being locked in a way that outsiders cannot sneak in and insiders cannot sneak out. Many churches have family centers that serve this purpose perfectly and will allow members of the church to use the facilities for free. A perfect building will be equipped with a kitchen, a large room or rooms for sleeping, a gymnasium, adequate restrooms, and many smaller rooms for separate events.

Well before the event is scheduled to take place, the coordinator of the lock-in should determine approximately how many people it will be possible to accommodate during the lock-in. Be sure to also check fire safety codes and set limits to the number of people who will be able to attend based upon these limitations. As you begin to generate interest in the event, try to determine the total number of people that will need to be fed and calculate the total cost of refreshments. It is a good idea to charge a small amount for each guest to cover these expenses unless an organization or church is willing to sponsor the event. Collect permission slips for all participants who are under the age of 18. Verify that a phone number and contact name is available for each child. Be sure to arrange for enough adult volunteers to be present during the entire event to assist with the festivities and to ensure the safety of all guests. It is not a bad idea to hire a security guard to watch the building and to regulate who comes and goes through the main entrance.

In the days leading up to the lock-in, begin decorating the rooms of the building. The adult volunteers will be very useful for this work. Orange, black, and white streamers, fake spider webs, and large sheets of black paper make good decorations. If colored lighting is available, it may be used to create eerie effects. Plan which games and activities will take place in each room. Some suggestions are bobbing for apples, a cake walk, a bean bag toss, and even a maze or a small haunted house. Another popular idea is to create a fake jail cell in one room. Play a game where you have people "arrested" and put in the jail cell for 5 minutes at a time. Allow enough time for other recreation as well. Be sure there are some basketballs and misc. sports equipment available in case you run out of Halloween games. Depending on the age group, you can also organize some games like "Duck, duck, goose" and other physical activities that will keep the children occupied. Also do some research and come prepared to tell some scary and some funny ghost stories in case there are moments when the children become bored.

Buy all food supplies and drinks just before the event. Be sure to make some treat bags to send home the next morning with each child. If the building has a sound system, prepare a recording with some scary sounds to play randomly throughout the evening. Be sure to set a time for everyone to be present for the lock-in and also have a time when the doors will lock. Arrange a time for everyone to go to sleep and a time when the doors will open the next day for parents to pick up their children. Develop a complete set of rules for the event and post them on a sign for all to see as they enter the building.

The night of the event, be sure that, as the event coordinator, you are constantly monitoring the activities in all areas of the building. Delegate this task among the adult volunteers as well. Have fun, but be mindful that the responsibility of the safety of each guest is in your hands. If anyone becomes too disruptive, use the contact information for that individual and contact the parents, regardless of the time of night.

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