All the best,

Anna

Both the Spanish and Greeks celebrate the “siesta” during the work day. We force our newborns and kindergarteners to take several of them throughout the day. They have cute and clever names like “cat,” “disco,” and “power”. But can you tell us the last time you really enjoyed a good old fashioned nap? In our busy 9-5, take the kids to soccer practice, meet your friends for drinks, watch the latest episode of Rock of Love Bus lives we often neglect the simplest pleasure we can give ourselves: the nap. Need an added incentive to have the party? Today is national napping day.

INVITATION TYPE

• E-mail This party is all about simplicity so don’t go to crazy with the invite.

DECORATIONS

The idea behind this party is to make everything look comfy and cozy.

• Lots of pillows, big and small. Just make sure they’re comfy. Hard, decorative pillows have no purpose during naptime.
• Big, soft comforters and blankets…it’s time to pull out those fleece blankets you have leftover from college.
• Sleeping bags: we suggest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and My Little Pony. Listen, we won’t judge you…we still have ours in our linen closets!
• Channel your inner 7-year-old and build an old fashioned tent. Gather broomsticks, couch cushions and sheets to make this cheap childhood favorite.
• All serving platters/bowls, cutlery, dishes, and cups should be plastic and disposable. You do not want to wake up from your long, overdue nap to a sink full of dishes.

FOOD AND DRINK MENU

Buy Everything! Do not stress yourself out with cooking and cleaning dishes. Remember tryptophan is your friend. Yes, Jerry did this to his girlfriend on Seinfeld to play with her toys, but who says “drugging” your friends to make them sleep is wrong?

• Appetizer: Cheese Sticks

  Cheese especially parmesan has a high level per serving of tryptophan. You can also put out chips and pretzels since they are carbs and help the sleeping along.

• Entrée: Turkey Sandwiches

  Call your local deli or supermarket and have them make a tray. Also, get sides like potato and macaroni salad; we really hope that your friends can give up the low-carb diet for one night to enjoy the slumber!

• Dessert: Vanilla Wafer Pudding

  Vanilla wafers rank high on the glycemic index, and that spike in blood sugar will help you fall asleep faster.

• Cocktail: Serve a box of white wine with the sandwiches. On the beverage front also serve caffeine free soda and decaf coffee and tea.

ENTERTAINMENT

• Play old John Hughes movies. As much as we love them, we know them and don’t mind falling asleep during them. We suggest “Pretty in Pink,” “Uncle Buck,” and “Some Kind of Wonderful”.
• Get a sound machine with sounds such as “Rainforest” and “Ocean” to create that sleepy environment.

GAMES

• The only game you should be playing is who can be quiet the longest. A favorite of ours here at Party Remedies from our baby sitting days: challenge your guests to keep quiet the longest. The reward you ask? Your guests will most likely fall asleep and take that all important nap they have so desperately waited for.

ATTIRE

Remember to keep it comfy and cozy, no matter what you wear.

• Pajamas, we suggest cozy flannel.
• Sweat pants and t-shirts.
• Robes and slippers.
• We do not suggest lingerie under any circumstance, yes we know you want to look cute when cozy up next to that dreamboat you have been eyeing since your friends last party but this is a nap party. Keep the lingerie for the stripper costume you are going to wear for Halloween so you can enjoy a luxurious nap!

LAST MINUTE TIPS

Normally at this time we would give you a “humorous” last minute tip or trick but, since we so rarely get to enjoy a simple nap in this day and age all we want to say is relax, hit the snooze button and enjoy a massive sleep over with your friendzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

And as always, remember to bring your camera!

Perhaps no other prominent American family has been struck by tragedy as much as the Kennedys. Since we are often on the lookout to make light of the most tragic situations, we thought it would be fun to honor our favorite departed Kennedys with a party.

INVITATION TYPE

• Snail Mail – something official looking, perhaps with a presidential seal or Kennedy family crest.

DECORATIONS

Not to sound morbid, but this should essential have the look of a funeral collation for a head of state or other top officials. Then include subtle eeriness.

• Tasteful, patriotic decorations including plenty of American flags.
• Linens should be cream, navy blue, and dark red.
• Fine china and silverware – don’t use disposables.
• For the subtle, eerie (some would say morbid) twist:
  • If your linens are something you don’t mind ruining, you can put holes and red stains through them to resemble bullet holes and blood.
  • Put plastic/toy spiders, worms, and roaches in the food and punch bowl.
  • Use white tape to create a chalk outline of a dead body on the floor.
  • Cover one doorway in your home with police caution tape.
  • Back issues of the short lived George magazine.

FOOD AND DRINK MENU

Have a lot of red colored foods sprinkled in your menu to add ominous feeling of murder. Don’t forget to mix in the toy bugs!

• Appetizer: Stuffed Red Potatoes
• Entrée: Linguine with Red Clam Sauce
• Dessert: Red Velvet Cake
• Cocktail: Red wine and non-alcoholic fruit punch.

ENTERTAINMENT

Watch Kennedy movies and documentaries:

• American Experience: The Kennedys
• JFK
• Bobby

  

GAMES

• Photo darts with dirty/unpopular politicians.
• Clue or similar murder mystery game. Winner should be rewarded with The Kennedy Curse by Edward Klein.

ATTIRE

Come dressed as your favorite dead Kennedy. Couples can also consider coming as a favorite departed couple. Some popular choices:

• JFK and Jackie O.
• RFK
• JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessett Kennedy
• Stir the pot and come as famed mistress Marilyn Monroe.
• See this complete list of Kennedys affected by tragedy on Wikipedia.
• Newly added – Ted Kennedy

LAST MINUTE TIPS

If we don’t think we’re going to hell for suggesting this party, you shouldn’t feel you are for having it!

And as always, remember to bring your camera!

How are you planning to enjoy the most glamorous night in Hollywood? Create your own hype around this year’s awards with an Oscar Night party. Enjoy these tips and tricks to make this one memorable event.

INVITATION TYPE

• Phone

DECORATIONS

• It’s all about the glitz and glam – so decorate with plenty of silver, gold, and glitter.
• Capture vintage glamour with classic film posters and portraits of actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
• Roll out the red carpet, literally. Create your own red carpet runway in your home to take plenty of paparazzi-inspired pics of your guests’ arrivals.

FOOD AND DRINK MENU

Have plenty of snacks, like Movie Theater Popcorn and other picky foods in addition to the menu below. Keep the food casual, but be sure to present your spread in an inviting manner.

• Appetizer: Sliders

  Try this slider bun recipe from chow for your favorite mini burgers.

• Entrée: Sushi

  Give your guests A-list treatment and order platters from your favorite sushi restaurant.

• Dessert: Oscar Cookies

  Use this Oscar Cookie Cutter to cut mini statuettes from your favorite sugar cookie recipe. Decorate the statuettes with golden icing.

• Cocktail: Champagne

ENTERTAINMENT

• Oscar pre-show – scope out the red carpet fashion!
• Academy Awards ceremony

GAMES

• Print out the official Oscars ballot for all your guests. Have them fill the ballot before the awards ceremony begins. Offer a prize, such as a gift card to the movies or DVD copies of nominated films to the guest whose winner predictions are the most accurate.

ATTIRE

• This night is all about the fashion! Get dressed up in your best ball gown or tuxedo.
• Want to be a scene stealer? If you can handle a bit of, “What was she thinking?” criticism, try showing up in a wild, risky outfit. Some famous blunders you can check out for inspiration – Cher, Geena Davis, and Bjork.
• Do you prefer to watch the stars get dressed up? Skip the fashion and enjoy the event in comfy clothes.

LAST MINUTE TIPS

As fun as it is to play dress up to enjoy this glamorous night, we strongly encourage that you do not go above and beyond by showing up in a limo. You’ll look like a tool, we promise.

And as always, remember to bring your camera!

March is National Frozen Foods Month. The occasion gives us an opportunity for one of the easiest parties ever, food wise. The hardest part (besides all the ice) is choosing just what exactly we want for our menu!

INVITATION TYPE

• Snail Mail – if you’ve got a few extra bucks to spare (we know, who has a few extra bucks these days?), consider getting creative with your invites. Laminate the invitation and freeze them into large blocks of ice. Have the packages hand delivered or delivered overnight to your guests. Not up for the challenge? Go ahead, pussy out with an on-line invitation.

DECORATIONS

Frozen foods had their biggest boom in popularity in the 1950′s, when mass marketing of frozen dinners began. Hence, we’re going to give this party and its decorations a bit of a retro feel.

• Print out retro frozen foods and freezer ads to hang on your walls. Use photo paper for a better quality print. Here are some examples:
  • Campbell’s
  • Swanson TV Dinners
  • Frigidaire
  • Good Humor
  • More Good Humor
• Have out tray tables for folks to eat off of in front of the TV.
• Have at least one large cooler filled with ice.
• Decorate a small chest freezer, like this one from Wal-Mart, with magnets, stickers, and other images of ice cream and frozen treats. This will come in handy later on.
• Use paper goods in cool colors, like blue, white, silver, and gray.

FOOD AND DRINK MENU

The beauty of this menu is that it requires little more than an oven, saving you time and money! Peruse the frozen food aisle for your favorites. Here are some of our suggestions:

• Appetizer: Classic Frozen Hors d’ Oeuvres

  Mini quiche, pigs in the blanket, spanakopita, mini eggrolls, mini empanadas.

• Entrée: Stouffer’s Party Size Lasagna
• Dessert: Ice Cream Novelties

  Fill the small chest freezer you decorated with ice cream novelties like Drumsticks, Creamsicles, Eskimo Pies, Chaco Tacos, and more. Guests can pick and choose treats from the freezer at their leisure.

• Cocktail: Frozen Margarita

  All Recipes has classic frozen and a variety of flavored frozen margarita recipes.

ENTERTAINMENT

• Chill Play List – some songs to get you in the frozen mood:
  • “Cold as Ice” by Foreigner
  • “Frozen” by Madonna
  • “Ice, Ice, Baby” by Vanilla Ice
  • “Heartless” by Kanye West
  • “Cold Hard Bitch” by JET
  • “Freeze” by T-Pain

GAMES

• Use these facts from Mahalo to create a Frozen Foods trivia game. Award the winner and Ice Cream Maker.
• Pun is fully intended- play icebreaker games.
• Ice Cream-opoly – an ice cream-themed monopoly-style board game.

ATTIRE

• Bundle up for cold weather!

LAST MINUTE TIPS

You can give this party a variation by going Pot Luck – bring a box of the most unusual frozen food item you could find. Also, have a teapot going on the stove or keep your electric tea kettle ready to go. Warm drinks help to cure brain freeze!

And as always, remember to bring your camera!

Have you ever been to Diddy’s Annual White Party in the Hamptons? Well, neither has the staff of Party Remedies! However, this did get us thinking, “Why not throw our own Diddy-inspired shindig but with a “klassy” Party Remedies spin?” Hey, just because you can’t shell out $2498.00 on the white Ralph Lauren Julianne Collection Dress to hob knob with New York City Royalty in the sunny Hamptons doesn’t mean you can’t put on an old wedding dress and serve friends up some tasty chocolatinis!

INVITATION TYPE

• Snail Mail Send out black and white invites, if you know calligraphy use it to address your envelopes, the swoops and swirls really jazz up a plain old envelope. Remind your guests to bring their invites as they will need them to enter, you don’t want any crashers!

DECORATIONS

• Use black and white prints like those by Ansel Adams and Black Velvet Paintings (we suggest Elvis, thin Elvis to be exact), to decorate the walls
• Set your table with white tablecloths and black napkins, silverware and black and white serving platters.
• Fill silver candelabras with black and white candles.
• Set out bowls of Black and White M&M’s and Hershey Hugs.

FOOD AND DRINK MENU

If you have a younger sibling/relative in high school here is their chance to learn how to be part of a wait staff (a skill that will probably keep them employed for the next 4-10 years). Have them pass hors d’oeuvre like mini butlers.

• Appetizers: French Bread Crostinis w/ Black Olive Tapenade, White and Blue Tortilla chips (They are dark enough to pass as a black like substitute), Spinach Dip with Pumpernickel Bread Bowl
• Entrée: Blackened Chicken Alfredo
• Desserts: Black and White cookies, Hostess Cupcakes, Oreo Cookies
• Cocktails: Black and White Russian, Chocolate Martini and garnish with white chocolate shavings, and White Chocolate Martinis’ garnished with blackberries and black cherries

ENTERTAINMENT

• Have a classic black and white film, like Clerks, playing on the TV’s throughout the house. Keep the sound muted to give your home that extra special artsy feel.
• Create a Playlist of all of the Black and White Songs, Bands, and Singers you can thing of, here are some of the musts:
  • “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles
  • “White Wedding” by Billy Idol
  • “Black Rock” by O.A.R
  • “The White Album” by the Beatles
  • “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes
  • “Back to Black” by AC/DC
  • “Black and White” by Michael Jackson
  • “Blackbird” by the Beatles
  • “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice
  • “No Diggty” by Black Street

GAMES

• Hold a Best Dressed/Costume Contest for all your guests. Include categories such as Best Dressed, Most Elegant, Most Original, etc….. Give out goodie bags of homemade mini black and white cookies to the winners.
• Mime Contest: Inspired by the classic black and white street clowns of France. Break out into two teams (boys vs. girls, costumes v. ball gowns, what ever works). Take a bowl and write down different actions or things to pantomime on pieces of paper, mix the pieces of paper in the bowl, and each team take turns pulling the pieces of paper and trying to mime what is written within 30 seconds. If the team is successful they receive a point; if not, the other team will have a chance to steal with one guess. Continue on until one team reaches 20.
• Dominoes: the ultimate black and white game! Can’t you just picture your friends dressed in ball gowns and Oreo costumes playing this city park favorite?

ATTIRE

The only rule is black and white (no whining- we are giving you one more color option than Diddy). Here are some suggestions you may want to give to your invitees:

• Traditional Black Tie (tuxedos and ball gowns)
• Wedding dresses
• Referee Uniform
• Audrey Hepburn
• French Maid
• Nuns and Priests
• Oreo Costume

LAST MINUTE TIPS

This party is about being “klassy”, so “klassy” that your party makes Page Six and Diddy is begging to get on your guest list!

The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar (SPOGG) welcomes you to National Grammar Day! Brush up your speech, find those typos and have a party; who says proper English needs to be boring?

INVITATION TYPE

• On-line – We recommend triple-checking your invite before sending or you might be subject to ridicule.

DECORATIONS

• Posters with grammar rules and common mistakes to avoid.
• Spread around literature such as Easy Writer; Eats, Shoots and Leaves; The Elements of Style.
• Have magazines, newspapers, printed on-line articles and books on-hand for ridicule.
• A selection of highlighters, pens and markers for guests to mark errors.

FOOD AND DRINK MENU

Try to use punctuation-shaped foods

• Appetizer: Exclamation Fries from All Recipes.
• Entrée: Punctuation Meatloaf from Punctuation Day’s official site.
• Dessert: Period Cupcakes – You can also arrange to look like colons.
• Cocktail: Brain Candy recipe from Drinks Maker.

ENTERTAINMENT

• Sing the Punctuation Rap.
• Watch any news or entertainment news show and find the errors.
• Download “Headlines” clips from The Tonight Show for a good laugh.
• Play inspiring films such as Dead Poet’s Society, Finding Forrester, Dangerous Minds and Newsies.

GAMES

• Any appropriate word games such as Scattergories, HuggerMugger, Scrabble.
• Play “Find the grammatical errors” in magazines, newspapers and books.
• Test your guests grammatical knowledge with Grammar Worksheets (answer keys included).
• Host a Spelling Bee.
• Throughout the night try to have “grammatically correct” conversations, see how long guests can last after consuming multiple drinks.

ATTIRE

• Dress is casual – Jean and T-shirts/sweatshirts
• Try to find shirts with punctuation or funny grammar sayings
• Shop Here for some ideas

LAST MINUTE TIPS

For the true grammar freaks out there, Facebook has a fun group, “I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar.”

And as always, remember to bring your camera!

Who says only kids can color? How many parents secretly use their kids as an excuse to have a go at that Crayola box and coloring book? We say unleash your inner child with this color-explosion, art-creating soiree.

INVITATION TYPE

• Online – something bright and cheery, preferably in primary colors. If you want to go nuts, color your own snail mail invites.

DECORATIONS

Think primary colors and lots of blank canvases for guests to create masterpieces.

• String colored yarn from corner to corner for guests to hang up their creations. For added effect, paint (or sponge-paint) clothespins to clip the pictures.
• All table covers should be white paper for guests to draw and doodle; and don’t forget to hang one large sheet on a wall for the creation of a community mural.
• Scatter crayons, coloring books, markers, paper and any other art supplies you are comfortable letting potentially inebriated guests operate. Also be sure to have Crayola air dry clay on hand, this will come in handy later.
• Visit www.crayola.com for tons of ideas, products and printable pages.

FOOD AND DRINK MENU

Try to keep with the primary color theme:

• Appetizer: Frank’s Buffalo Chicken, you can either make wings or to go all out, make chicken tenders and insert colorful toothpicks
• Entrée: Sunshine Yellow Mac n’ Cheese
• Dessert: Decorate your own sugar cookies – prior to the party, make Pillsbury or Betty Crocker sugar cookies (round or shaped) and purchase different cookie decorating supplies.
• Cocktail: Blue Lagoon

ENTERTAINMENT

• Since Classical music has long been associated with creative development we recommend a classical play list. One collection that will inspire creativity without putting guests to sleep, Classical Thunder Series.
• For a more artsy approach, try a jazz play list: be sure to include legends such as Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Ella Fitzgerald.

GAMES

• Have a clay modeling session. It can be a free for all or you can host a contest for the best clay shaping in whatever image you choose.
• Break out the creative games such as Pictionary, Cranium and Who, What, Where, When Drawing game
• Decorate the cookies – using the sugar cookies mentioned above, have guests create their own edible masterpiece.

ATTIRE

• Go with bright, vivid colors to match the theme. Extra points if you have a smock and actually wear it!
• If you are a bit of a klutz, or just messy in general, you may want to show up in your painting/home repair/I-don’t-care-what-happens-to-these clothes.

LAST MINUTE TIPS

You can also plan a future event by organizing a trip to the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA. Tickets are available online. Go ahead and stay inside the lines, we dare you!

And as always, remember to bring your camera!

In honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday:

You could not,

would not,

want to miss,

a celebration such as this!

INVITATION TYPE

• Snail Mail – Get creative with your invitation. Make sure that everything rhymes!

DECORATIONS

• Do whatever you can to transform your party space into a fun and colorful Seussian world. Hang multicolored streamers and balloons all over. Think of the Trufula trees and Whoville for inspiration.
• Put large cut-out stars on the ceiling, like “The Sneetches.”
• Have plenty of Dr. Seuss books around for your guests to look at. Put a rug, pillows, and cushions on the floor so the kids can get comfortable during Story Time.

FOOD AND DRINK MENU

• Appetizer: Nook Hook Cook Book Dogs
• Entrée: Green Eggs and Ham

  Use a little bit of green food coloring in scrambled eggs. Serve with warm ham.

• Dessert: These Cakesicles from Bakerella look just like a Dr. Seuss illustration!
• Cocktail: Kid’s Fruit Punch

  Try this colorful fruit punch recipe from Cooks.com.

ENTERTAINMENT

• Story Time! Here’s some of our favorite Dr. Seuss stories:
  • The Lorax
  • Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
  • The Sneetches
  • Horton Hears a Who!
  • The Butter Battle Book
• Watch Dr. Seuss movies!
  • Horton Hears a Who
  • The Cat in the Hat

GAMES

• Oobleck- Use this non-edible recipe to create the mysterious Oobleck mixture that falls from the sky in Seuss’ “Bartholomew and the Oobleck.” Let the kids “ooh” and “ah” as this liquid turns into a solid when they touch it.
• Hop on Pop Relay Race – Organize the kids into teams and have various relay races, depending on how much space you have.
• Decorate your own Cat in the Hat! – Buy felt “Cat in the Hat” style hats and allow your guests to decorate them any way they’d like! Make sure you have plenty of markers, glitter, and other pizzazz for the kids to use.

ATTIRE

• Adults can keep it comfy and casual. Encourage the kids to come in Dr. Seuss inspired costumes.

LAST MINUTE TIPS

At the end of the party, give the kids goody bags filled with sweet treats and fun Seussian toys or gadgets. We like these Horton Party Bags, from the Oriental Trading Company.

And as always, remember to bring your camera!

Today is the 21st annual Beer Day in Iceland. The tradition began in 1989 when after 75 years, prohibition on beer was lifted. So today, celebrate Iceland with good food and plenty of drink. As if we needed an excuse for a party dedicated to beer.

INVITATION TYPE

• On-line

DECORATIONS

Transform your space into a pub/tavern.

• If you own a home bar, have it on prominent display.
• Make sure you have plenty of beer steins and pint glasses for serving. Lots of ice is also a must.
• Decorate with posters, neon signs, and other beer promotional materials. You most likely stole plenty of this stuff during the pub crawls of your youth, so now is the perfect opportunity to use it.
• Hang up images of Iceland.
• Leave space for game play. For example, if you own a pool table, you will want it put to use.

FOOD AND DRINK MENU

The following recipes can all be found on Joe’s Icelandic Recipes.

• Appetizer: Fisklummur (Fish Pancakes)
• Entrée: Kjötsúpa (Traditional Icelandic Lamb Stew)
• Dessert: Slöngukaka (“Snake Cake” with Chocolate Butter Cream)
• Cocktail: Egils, Thule, and Viking beer

  To properly honor Iceland, serve Icelandic beers.

ENTERTAINMENT

• Happy, sing-a-long songs (think great karaoke hits). Some suggestions for your playlist:
  • “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
  • “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” by Billy Joel
  • “Come on Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Riders
  • “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey
  • “Living on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi
  • “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” by Meatloaf
  • “Freebird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • “Love Shack” by B-52′s

GAMES

Opt for games you’d typically play in a bar:

• Darts
• Pool
• Foosball
• Photo Hunt
• Golden Tee

ATTIRE

• Keep it casual, but look cute, because the beer googles will most certainly be on. Our best advice is to wear something that you look good in, but if beer or vomit is spilled on your clothing, it won’t be ruined.

LAST MINUTE TIPS

Don’t fret, this is only the first of many beer-themed parties for Party Remedies. Have a suggestion? Send your thoughts to feedback@partyremedies.com.

Also, should you be feeling ill the next day, try hosting our Hangover Remedy party.

And as always, remember to bring your camera!