I've decided to start my own WAHM forum - a place for networking, advice and for use as a directory for working women!
This past year, I've gained invaluable advice from the homeworkers forums on parenting sites, as well as business forums, but I could never find a group specifically for WAHM's, so I thought I'd start my own!
There's only one member at the moment - me! But it's only about 2 hours old so I'm not giving up hope yet.
I'm hoping it will become a thriving community where women can give each other support and exchange ideas. Here is the link:
http://workingwomen.myfastforum.org
3 September 2006
Well......I couldn't ask for more really, a week on and the forum has 25 registered users and over 200 posts, so I'm really pleased with the initial response. Now I'm going to have to concentrate on entering interesting articles and features to keep it active - I'm very conscious of the fact many join forums but don't tend to post much unless it appears active and fun.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Monday, August 07, 2006
Personalised Party Boxes
I'm really excited to announce the launch of our new product- personalised party boxes!
These boxes are very versatile (built along the same lines as a Happy Meal box). They can be used as individual food boxes (much less waste than a big buffet), take-home goody boxes and gift boxes.
The designs are particularly lovely - they are all the work of talented artist Helen Broadhead, who runs www.helenbroadhead.co.uk.
We chose themes with a wide appeal so there should be something to please all young people.
They feature a cow, monkey, pirate, fairy and dinosaur.There is a choice of 2 wording options:
1. Name only (ideal for food boxes or activity boxes at weddings etc)
2. I've been to (name)'s party for take-home goody boxes.
We can also customise your boxes to read whatever you wish for a nominal charge of 10 pence extra per box! This is a good option if you wish to use it as a gift box for somebody with a special message on the front.
These boxes are really cute and as they feature original artwork you won't find one the same anywhere else!
They are excellent value at just 75p each.
Filled activity boxes are £3.99 each.
http://www.funkydorypartybags.co.uk/catalog/index.php?cPath=43&osCsid=08334db240f82c8fd911ad1f30fbea44
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Party Bags
No party is complete without some take-home goodies.Very often people are so busy organising the festivities that the party bags are left until the last minute. I was even a victim of this at my last party. OK, I had the fillers here but I was frantically filling and wrapping 10 minutes before the party!
You can buy pre-filled party bags at http://www.funkydorypartybags.co.ukbags.co.uk. Or you can be a little different and go for a filled mug or a lucky dip prize as the guests leave.
Party fillers are numerous in the shops and range from relatively cheap plastic items (parents seem to dislike these but for some reason, kids love a bit of bright plastic)to quality wooden items.
Here are a few ideas:
pencils/crayons/felt tips
notepads 
puzzle books
bouncy balls
hair accessories
stretchy animals/insects
jewellery items
stickers
balloons
bubblesbouncing putty
stickers
pirate eye patches
temporary tattoos
The list goes on......
To view our whole range of fillers, stickers, and pre-filled bag range, please visit http://www.funkydorypartybags.co.uk.
Very often party bags are stuffed with chocolates, sweets and other such goodies. There is nothing wrong in this but I often find myself confiscating these before my already sugar-fuelled children dive into the goody bag on the way home!
When setting up the website I decided to keep the sweets to a minimum to give the parent the ultimate choice in how many treats to add to the bag.
Very often a few toys, stickers and a piece of cake are sufficient.
Please feel free to post your own party bag filler ideas.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Party Games
It's amazing how many games you can come up with if you just put your mind to it. So if the thought of hosting party games to a bunch of hyped-up kids makes you feel faint, then read on!
There are the age-old favourites that everybody knows how to play:
pass-the-parcel
pin the tail on the donkey (or a variation thereof)
musical statues/bumps/chairs
blind man's buff
simon says
races
sardines
There are a host of other perhaps not-so-well-known games which are just as easy and fun to play. Here are a few good ideas.
Bunnies in the Burrow
Each child curls up on the floor and closes their eyes. One of the children has a light sheet or blanket placed over them so they are completely covered. Very quietly the other children are tapped on the shoulder - they all get up and try to guess which party guest is hiding under the blanket.
Corners
This is an excellent game to play in a hall.
To play it you need 4 brightly coloured pictures (animals/food/characters or just colours). These are stuck on each wall. The host turns their back to the children and starts to play music. The children dance around the room. When the host stops the music, each child must run to one of the pictures. Still not looking, the host shouts out one of the pictures - all the children next to that one are 'out'. They can all then help the host. The game ends when there is one child left.
Treasure Hunt
There are various ways of holding a treasure hunt, depending on the age of the children present and they are the ideal game for parties at home.
1. For younger children
Place lots of card shapes (e.g. teddy bears, butterflies, flowers etc) or wrapped sweets around the house and garden. Each child has a container and has to collect as many as they can.
2. For all
Place lots of different coloured balls around the house and garden. Each child has a container and a 'colour'. They must collect as many of 'their' colour as possible.
3. For all
This is my favourite and I always play this at the end of parties - the party bags/boxes are the treasure. Draw and colour picture clues and place them around the house and garden. For example, the first clue may be a picture of a garden shed - the children race to the garden shed where they find a picture of a television - they run to the tv where they find a picture of a tree they run to the tree and find a picture of a sofa......I think you get the point! It is helpful to have lots of pictures as kids love this game and tend to get faster as it goes on! At the end of the hunt, instead of a picture they will find the treasure.
The Missing Object
This is better for smaller groups of children.
Place a few items on a tray (eg. ball, fork, comb, pencil etc) and let all the children have a good look and try and memorise what is on it. They then all shut their eyes while you remove an object. Then on opening their eyes they have to guess which object is missing.
The Poison Apple
This is a sure winner for primary aged children.
First make some apples out of card and colour them in different colours. One child closes his eyes, while the others quietly point out one of the apples - this is to be the 'poison apple'. When the child opens his eyes he has to try and guess which apple is poisonous by pointing at them one-by-one. When he points at the 'poison apple' the other children make a big fuss of being poisoned and falling to the floor. Each child takes it in turns and the child who picks the poison apple in the least number of goes is the winner.
Traffic Lights
An old favourite this one - all the children pretend they are driving cars around an imaginary town. The host shouts out 'red' and the children stop - at 'amber' they move slowly, at 'green' they go fast! No point or winners to this game -they just like following the instructions!
There are the age-old favourites that everybody knows how to play:
pass-the-parcel
pin the tail on the donkey (or a variation thereof)
musical statues/bumps/chairs
blind man's buff
simon says
races
sardines
There are a host of other perhaps not-so-well-known games which are just as easy and fun to play. Here are a few good ideas.
Bunnies in the Burrow
Each child curls up on the floor and closes their eyes. One of the children has a light sheet or blanket placed over them so they are completely covered. Very quietly the other children are tapped on the shoulder - they all get up and try to guess which party guest is hiding under the blanket.
Corners
This is an excellent game to play in a hall.
To play it you need 4 brightly coloured pictures (animals/food/characters or just colours). These are stuck on each wall. The host turns their back to the children and starts to play music. The children dance around the room. When the host stops the music, each child must run to one of the pictures. Still not looking, the host shouts out one of the pictures - all the children next to that one are 'out'. They can all then help the host. The game ends when there is one child left.
Treasure Hunt
There are various ways of holding a treasure hunt, depending on the age of the children present and they are the ideal game for parties at home.
1. For younger children
Place lots of card shapes (e.g. teddy bears, butterflies, flowers etc) or wrapped sweets around the house and garden. Each child has a container and has to collect as many as they can.
2. For all
Place lots of different coloured balls around the house and garden. Each child has a container and a 'colour'. They must collect as many of 'their' colour as possible.
3. For all
This is my favourite and I always play this at the end of parties - the party bags/boxes are the treasure. Draw and colour picture clues and place them around the house and garden. For example, the first clue may be a picture of a garden shed - the children race to the garden shed where they find a picture of a television - they run to the tv where they find a picture of a tree they run to the tree and find a picture of a sofa......I think you get the point! It is helpful to have lots of pictures as kids love this game and tend to get faster as it goes on! At the end of the hunt, instead of a picture they will find the treasure.
The Missing Object
This is better for smaller groups of children.
Place a few items on a tray (eg. ball, fork, comb, pencil etc) and let all the children have a good look and try and memorise what is on it. They then all shut their eyes while you remove an object. Then on opening their eyes they have to guess which object is missing.
The Poison Apple
This is a sure winner for primary aged children.
First make some apples out of card and colour them in different colours. One child closes his eyes, while the others quietly point out one of the apples - this is to be the 'poison apple'. When the child opens his eyes he has to try and guess which apple is poisonous by pointing at them one-by-one. When he points at the 'poison apple' the other children make a big fuss of being poisoned and falling to the floor. Each child takes it in turns and the child who picks the poison apple in the least number of goes is the winner.
Traffic Lights
An old favourite this one - all the children pretend they are driving cars around an imaginary town. The host shouts out 'red' and the children stop - at 'amber' they move slowly, at 'green' they go fast! No point or winners to this game -they just like following the instructions!
Party Food
Very often a cold buffet is the best option - or if the venue has cooking facilities it might be easier to engage the help of a willing adult and do a hot meal.
Here are some ideas:
cold buffet:
sandwiches (cooked meat/cheese/cheese spread/egg/jam/marmite/pate)
you can always cut sandwiches into shapes either with a knife or pastry cutter
french stick with butter and cheese/meat
pitta bread
breadsticks
dips
humous
cucumber
tomatoes
carrot sticks
celery sticks
sausage rolls
cocktail sausages
samosas/onion bhajis/pakoras
party eggs
cold cooked chicken nuggets/mini pizzas
Savoury nibbles - eg mini cheddars, wotsits, twiglets
grapes
apple and orange slices
strawberries
biscuits
cookies
fairy cakes
marshmallows
mini dougnuts
If you are feeling really swish, why not invest in a chocolate fountain and let the guests dip fruit and marshmallows in it
Hot buffet:
hot dogs and rolls
chips with:
chicken nuggets/dippers
sausages
fish fingers
mini pizzas
burgers
If you don't have enough room for a big spread, or feel faint at the thought of clearing the mess and the wastage of food, we recommend individual party boxes.
These boxes can be filled with enough food for each child - and can be personalised.
They are especially useful for children with special dietary requirements, and they mean less mess!
Please see our Personalised section at http://www.funkydorypartybags.co.uk for some lovely boxes featuring the gorgeous original artwork of Helen Broadhead.
Please feel free to post your own food ideas.
Here are some ideas:
cold buffet:
sandwiches (cooked meat/cheese/cheese spread/egg/jam/marmite/pate)
you can always cut sandwiches into shapes either with a knife or pastry cutter
french stick with butter and cheese/meat
pitta bread
breadsticks
dips
humous
cucumber
tomatoes
carrot sticks
celery sticks
sausage rolls
cocktail sausages
samosas/onion bhajis/pakoras
party eggs
cold cooked chicken nuggets/mini pizzas
Savoury nibbles - eg mini cheddars, wotsits, twiglets
grapes
apple and orange slices
strawberries
biscuits
cookies
fairy cakes
marshmallows
mini dougnuts
If you are feeling really swish, why not invest in a chocolate fountain and let the guests dip fruit and marshmallows in it
Hot buffet:
hot dogs and rolls
chips with:
chicken nuggets/dippers
sausages
fish fingers
mini pizzas
burgers
If you don't have enough room for a big spread, or feel faint at the thought of clearing the mess and the wastage of food, we recommend individual party boxes.
These boxes can be filled with enough food for each child - and can be personalised.
They are especially useful for children with special dietary requirements, and they mean less mess!
Please see our Personalised section at http://www.funkydorypartybags.co.uk for some lovely boxes featuring the gorgeous original artwork of Helen Broadhead.
Please feel free to post your own food ideas.
Entertainment
Very often the most worrying aspect to the novice party organiser - what to do with them?
You will find lots of party games ideas in the relevent section, but it might ease the panic to engage some other form of entertainment - just in case!
Some ideas are:
You will find lots of party games ideas in the relevent section, but it might ease the panic to engage some other form of entertainment - just in case!
Some ideas are:
- bouncy castle
- bubble machine
- children's entertainer
- disco
- karaoke machine
- face painter
- craft activities (engage the help of willing parents)
- traditional party games
Themes
Themed parties are great and are also very helpful in providing ideas for entertainment.
Some popular themes are:
Please feel free to add your own theme ideas.
Some popular themes are:
- Princesses
- Pirates
- Princesses AND Pirates
- Good old fashioned Fancy Dress
- Superheros
- Dinosaurs
- Teddy Bear's picnic
Please feel free to add your own theme ideas.
Party Venues
Deciding on the party venue is often the first step in organising a party.
The venue will often determine the other factors - for example, if you decide on a soft play centre, the entertainment, food and party bags are in most cases already taken care of by the provider - all you need to do is invite the guests - and pay for it of course.......
Soft play centres can be fantastic fun, and they certainly are a hit with parents as they do a lot of the work for you.
However, they often prove expensive and mean you have to limit your guests. And they do tend to be rather repetitive if you are invited to a few each year.
Possible alternative venues are:
village hall
community centre
sports hall
function room in a hotel or leisure centre
restaurant with a soft play area
(the best in my humble opinion) - home!
Older children could have a fabulous smaller party at any of the following venues:
swimming pool
bowling alley
cinema
restaurant
Please feel free to add other possible venues if you wish.
Welcome to the Funky Dory blog!
I set the blog up to provide an area for visitors to obtain and share party ideas.
Those of us who have organised a kid's party know they can be quite stressful and very often the thought of a big party strikes panic into the most able parent. Where to hold it, how many guests to invite, how to entertain them, what to feed them....? The lists seems endless.
So if you need inspiration on themes, food, games...or just plain old encouragement, then this is the place for you!
Children's parties can be fun for adults too - and with our help you can organise the festivities, relax and (dare I say it) enjoy!
The blog is divided into various sections and these will be updated continually. Visitors are invited to post their own top tips. These will be moderated, as it is a family orientated site.
So that's it for now - I look forward to sharing some fun ideas with you.
Those of us who have organised a kid's party know they can be quite stressful and very often the thought of a big party strikes panic into the most able parent. Where to hold it, how many guests to invite, how to entertain them, what to feed them....? The lists seems endless.
So if you need inspiration on themes, food, games...or just plain old encouragement, then this is the place for you!
Children's parties can be fun for adults too - and with our help you can organise the festivities, relax and (dare I say it) enjoy!
The blog is divided into various sections and these will be updated continually. Visitors are invited to post their own top tips. These will be moderated, as it is a family orientated site.
So that's it for now - I look forward to sharing some fun ideas with you.
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