Some of the fun is planning the décor, yes even dreaming of colour swatches and decorator themes. Of course there are some down sides, like all that packing (my God, where did all this stuff come from) and leaving your old neighborhood with teary goodbyes.

Well we can’t do much about all those boxes, but the teary goodbyes are not at all necessary because ‘you are going to have a housewarming party’! It is tradition,you really should do it! It is good etiquette. It tells the friends you left behind, that they are not forgotten and are welcome at your new home and it introduces you and your family to your new neighbors. If your new neighborhood is like the one we moved into about a year ago, it will also give your new neighbors a chance to meet each other.

Now how do you think that this tradition came about? It is practiced globally and is said to have originated in several different cultures. It is impossible to know the true origin, as it reaches far back into history. It is even said that cavemen started it when someone moved into a new cave. They would bring coals from their fire to start the fire in the new cave. I’m sure this couldn’t have happened too often, I mean, how many new caves were there?

Russia is the country most mentioned as the originator of the housewarming. The story goes that a Russian couple presented bread and salt to a dignitary passing through their town, and a tradition was born. Many other countries and regions, like Germany, Eastern Europe and India have stories as well and the traditional housewarming gifts all have meaning.

Bread-so you will never be hungry,

Salt-(sprinkled at each door entrance) to ward off evil and to bring good luck. Also to give life savor,

Honey or Sugar-for a sweet life in your new home,

Rice-for fertility (you might want to think twice about this one in case it works)

Hot embers-(I can’t imagine giving this one, I mean, how do you wrap it?)

Broom-to sweep away any evil,

Candle-so you will always have light,

Wine-for thirst,

Olive Oil-for health, and last but not least a

Plant-for long life (long living and healthy, it would not be a good sign if the plant died)

Today, giving a broom might be looked upon as a bit chintzy, but you can still stay with tradition by elaborating on one of the above. For example, how about a nice decanter for the olive oil, already filled or salt and pepper shakers also filled? It is also nice to include something that explains the meaning of the gift.

Who ever initiated the tradition, caveman (woman) or other, gets kudos from me. I can’t think of a better way to warm my house than with a gathering of old friends and possibly new ones.

Elizabeth GoughMoody lives with her husband and two adorable cats. She is passionate about etiquette and all of the niceties that make life enjoyable. she is the author and owner of [http://www.etiquette-andmanners.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elizabeth_GoughMoody

Party Uppers

Children ages 9 to 12 are at an awkward age, but give them a fun party and they’ll lap it up. Since they are not official teenagers and no longer the little ones, giving them a party they can enjoy can tax your imagination and stamina. These tween party ideas will give your tween star status in the neighborhood.

Let the tween in you help you along these party ideas. If you’ve decided to host a Safari Sleepover, schedule it on a Friday night. The timing is right. The kids can catch some extra zzzs after a night of fun. But be sure to announce that the pick-up time for the kids is at 10 the following day.

An outdoor sleepover is a good idea, but for the kids’ safety, have the tents installed indoors. Put up a hotdog and harshmallow grill, but don’t forget to add a salad and animal-shaped sandwiches. Fill GI canteens with juice and distribute them among the guests. Let them whoop it up in the lawn – dancing and organized games – until you announce that it’s bedtime. Girls should be separated from boys if it’s a mixed party.

A tween party idea young girls enjoy is the “pajama dress-up” party. The girls can bring along their blings. Let them have a go at putting up makeup and do other girly things they all want to do – fix their hair, paint their nail with fun colors, and do a pajama fashion show. Of course, expect the girls to stay up late watching videos, swapping ghost stories, and doing just about anything. Girls are wont to do that when they are together.

If your tween loves to rock, she or he will be inviting like-minded friends. Host a rock party they won’t forget. A ’70s disco-themed party is a novel experience for the young ones. Clear the living room, install a disco globe, and get dance music they’ll rock to. To make it more authentic, hire a neighborhood DJ who can do the spinning. Be sure to keep a bottomless supply of the kids’ favorite eats, drinks, and munchies.

A beach party theme is also a welcome idea, whether you have a pool or not. Decorate the party venue with shell wired garlands, paper balls, mock palm trees, and surfboards. Prepare more than a dozen rubber slippers. Use colorful fish platters to serve your beach fare. Ask the guests to come in their favorite beach bum attire. If you have a pool, make sure that a lifeguard is around to watch over the kids.

Before the Party

Schedule the party on a weekend before the actual birthday. Get invitations to go with the party theme. A pillow invitation for a sleep over, a papier mache conch shell for the beach party, and a map invitation for the safari or treasure hunt party. Shop for party favors and ask your tween for the type of music he or she wants for the party. To make your shopping a convenient jaunt, have your money organized in one of those money clip wallets, and bring along the list of things you must buy for the party.

Call up the parents and ask for any restrictions on movies to watch and any food allergies to avoid potential problems. To help you out, ask the neighbors’ tweens to come over. They’ll enjoy the party too. If you have smaller kids, let them have a guest or two so they won’t feel left out of the fun.

Make your party planning more convenient by keeping cash in a magnetic money clip and storing your party favor suppliers’ contact cards in personalized business card holders. Don’t forget to give away unique gift baskets as tokens. Visit ExecutiveGiftShoppe.com today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bradlley_Mckoy

Now that you are already old and that you already have your own home, you miss those kinds of parties. The homes in your neighborhood do not care much though about the people around them and so they pretty much keep to themselves. You and your friends have some get togethers at times but they are just not like what you had back in the old days when people would gather just when the sun was about to set and a barbecue grill was smoking hot with all the things being cooked there.

So now you are planning on having one and inviting your friends. It was your way or reliving those memories and just being happy with the company of friends. It is an outdoor party – your outdoor party – and you certainly want it not to be fabulous but a success. A successful party does not mean that it has to be great – it just means that everybody attending has to have a good time.

It is pretty simple. Just invite the people you want to be there and make sure that they come. And when you prepare your yard, there is not much to do. Just set out chairs and tables and the barbecue grill. Prepare the food that you have to cook and keep the drinks chilled so that when the party starts, all you need to do is cook the food and just let the guests get the drinks that they want to have.

The only problem you have is the light and you do not have any kind of outdoor lighting available. Well, all you need to do is get some organic candles. One example is soy candles and you can put them in colorful holders. You can use bamboo and paint them with lovely colors. Light them up when the sun has gone down. Relax. It is going to be a success.

Krystal Bennion loves writing and writes about anything.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Krystal_Bennion

It is very important for everyone in the neighborhood to be invited, if you decide to have a block party. Nobody should be left out. If you have an elderly person in the neighborhood, make arrangements for someone to pick them up, so they don’t feel left out. If you have a true shut-in on your block, it is always nice to let them know ahead of time about the party, and let them know that, though they cannot attend in person, they are going to be included. Be sure and take them a plate of food, a party favor, and take the newest members on the block, and introduce them.

Party Activities for Adult Block Parties

Especially if you are having a block party for someone who is new to the area, it is nice to give them gifts, but not always necessary. You can always give them names and addresses of hairdressers, cleaners, good restaurants, dentists, physicians, etc. Free movie rentals, names of teens who mow lawns or baby-sit (perhaps even let the neighborhood kids be there for the first hour of the party, so they can put names and faces together, as well as putting the correct child with the correct parents) names of mechanics, and other places you know they will need to find eventually are often the most needed gift you can give to a neighborhood newcomer.

A great introductory game is to send a questionnaire with the invitation. Ask simple questions such as “Where do you work?” “What kind of car do you drive?” “What are your children’s names?” and “Do you have any pets, and if so, what are their names?” Then, when the line forms for the Barbeque, the “Ticket” to the food is the questionnaire, which is dropped into a box. After dinner, the questionnaires are pulled out, and the new neighbors attempt to match the questionnaire with the correct neighbor. It is a good way to get to know each other. Be sure to include some fun questions like, “What is your favorite sport?” and “What is a unique talent you possess?”

Never forget the power of music in a social gathering. You could have a dance, where each person dances with a new partner when the song changes. What better way to get to know your new neighbors, and let them get to know you, than to have a “get acquainted” adult block party to rock the block!

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes (PartyThemeShop.com) to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or “just because” parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gail_Leino

It is almost always desirable to resolve the issue politely with your neighbor before any more drastic measures are taken. The best way to approach this is to be extremely polite and ask your neighbor if he is aware of how thin the walls of your homes are. Remind him of how close together you must live, and often sound can travel further than we sometimes might think.

This approach doesn’t criticize his behavior, it simply stresses that he may not be aware of how far his sound travels. Tell him that you know that sometimes you make noise as well, but that you do your best to keep it to a minimum. Often this will resolve the issue right away, but sometimes the neighbor may become hostile or angry.

If your neighbor does become hostile, there are some additional steps you can take. You might write a letter to your homeowner’s association or to your landlord. Make sure you detail in the letter the source of the noise and the time of occurrence. They will review the situation and decide whether your neighbor is out of line. Some noise is deemed to be reasonable, even if it is bothersome to you. Although a lawn mower can be very loud, it is reasonable that your neighbor mows his lawn. However, if he mows his lawn in the middle of the night, it may be deemed unreasonable.

If you think that the neighbor may be within his rights, but the noise is still bothersome to you, you may want to invest in a good pair of earplugs. This is also a good solution if you have roommates who keep you awake, but you don’t necessarily want to complain about them. Sometimes stirring up conflict isn’t always the best solution.

Even if your neighbor makes too much noise, you shouldn’t have to live your life in discomfort. If you follow some of the tips above, you should be able to create a peaceful environment that you can relax in. It’s always a good idea to be friendly with your neighbors whenever possible. One tip is to take his outdoor trash can to the curb on garbage collection day. This can spur a goodwill relationship. You might even grab one of your Hefty trash bags and clean up some of the leaves in his yard. He’s sure to appreciate gestures like this and be more open to your suggestions about noise level.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Pine

Ice was still delivered to homes until well after WWII ended. People used to put little signs in their front windows to indicate how much they needed. In the summer the boys on the block used to wait for the ice truck to pull up; and when the man was delivering his frosty product, we would hop in the back, grab a few slivers then high-tail it to the corner before the man returned from making the delivery, and then sit on the curb in front of the corner grocer’s to enjoy this free treat. When he chased us away, we moved to the other corner were the drug store was located. We used the same curbs to eat watermelon, if we were lucky enough to get a slice, and see how far we could spit the seeds. Around Halloween, even though the cement was cold, we plopped ourselves down to eat pomegranates because our mom’s didn’t want us getting the red stuff all over the house,

We watched the produce hucksters make their rounds and the fish peddlers too; even the fresh horseradish man came around periodically. The Italian water ice cart and the ice cream truck rolled by every warm afternoon. And the hand-powered merry-go-round stopped at the corner, and a little old organ grinder with his monkey came by every couple of weeks. Once in a while a man showed up with a pony. He stopped showing up after realizing no one wanted to pay a nickel to sit on the moth-eaten animal or shell out a quarter to have a picture taken with the steed.

This wasn’t the end of the procession. The big department stores were downtown. They delivered, since the mothers couldn’t carry much home on public transportation. Each store had its own trucks and delivered on different days of the week. Plus, there were the debit insurance representatives that collected weekly along with the morning and evening newspaper boys and the people selling everything from brushes to vacuum cleaners to encyclopedias all making their way from house to house. It was a captive market, since most moms stayed home; but I don’t know how well they responded to the sales pitches.

Money was tight until late in the 1940s when the economy opened up, new cars became available, television came on the scene, suburban branches of the downtown stores began to appear in newly constructed shopping centers. That’s when American’s started to spend. And we haven’t stopped; there were a few slow-downs along the way but we always came back and bought more. For years we jumped into our cars, fought the traffic in search of the places that carried the things we want to buy, loaded up the trunk or the cargo area, and took our treasures home. Now, we go online, order whatever we need, and have it delivered. It’s convenient and efficient; but for this pre-boomer, it’s a long way from the ongoing activities and interactions that once took place on one little street in Northeast Philadelphia when I was a kid.

Don Potter, a Philadelphia native, was born in 1936 and is a 50 year veteran of the advertising agency business. Now living in Los Angeles, he has written two novels in retirement, frequently writes on marketing issues, and has a blog dedicated to pre-boomers (those born between 1930 and 1945).

Read more articles for and about pre-boomers with thoughts, comments and opinions designed to spark thinking, foster discussion, and stimulate debate by logging on to http://www.pre-boomermusings.com

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A couple of years ago we might have missed a moment like this. Like many others, we would probably have been watching TV, even though it was a gorgeous day outside.

WHERE HAVE THE “GOOD OLD DAYS” GONE?

It’s funny how the critics lament the passing of the “good old days”. They wonder what happened to communities, neighborhoods, civic virtue, or family values. Pundits rant at the right and the left, blaming each or the other.

Yet, the biggest change over the last two generations has been the advent of television. In two generations TV has grown to suck up over four hours of peoples’ time per day. No other social change comes close to this shift. It eats up about half of individuals’ free time.

What did people do with those four hours a day before the television came along? They spent time with the neighbors, with their families, and with their communities. The “good old days” were simply sucked into the television set. The fastest way to get them back is to get rid of your TV.

TV ISOLATES US

TV does not unite us. It does not bring us together in any meaningful way, although it is sometimes portrayed that way. The physical act of watching TV isolates us from one another. We don’t chat over dinner. We are plugged into the TV set. We don’t visit the neighbors. We watch “Friends”. We don’t play ball with our children. We watch the “Playoffs”.

We can not enjoy the warmth of the sun, if we are indoors watching TV. We cannot savor the beauty of nature if we are parked on a safa watching TV. “Nature” and “National Geographic” can not compare with the real thing. Most importantly, we can not enjoy one another’s company if our attention is locked on the TV screen. TV always demands our full attention.

COMMUNITES OF TV’s

There can be a room full of people, but if a TV is playing, everyone will be plugged into the set, mesmerized by the flickering lights. Watch it. Watch a party be ground to a halt by a TV.

That is what is happening on a larger scale with our communities. There are communities full of people, all ignoring each other as they are plugged into their TV. Drive around almost any community at night. Are people gathered in groups gossiping and having fun with one another? More likely, you will pass by a plethora of isolated houses with eerie lights flickering through the windows. From a distance those lights are downright creepy.

PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED AND RELATIONSHIPS BUILT

Get a taste of the “good old days” by turning off the TV. It is not that problems vanish when you turn OFF the TV. Problems do not vanish any more than they do when the TV is ON. My idyllic scene was disrupted shortly after I descibed it by the kids’ bickering. However, they resolved their differences and started playing in the sandbox.

That is the key. They were still interacting and could resolve their problems. Turning off the TV frees them to solve their problems and to grow in their relationships.

I have studied history extensively. I know full well that the past is full of pain and suffering as well as joy. People have also made great strides in many social issues over the past several decades. Yet, we lost something critical to our existance when we plugged in the TV and left it on for over four hours a day. We lost the time that used to go to building relationships, to loving, to living, and to connecting with each other.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Go back to the “good old days” by turning off your TV. Turn it off and play outdoors with your family. Go for a walk. Invite the neighbors over for a barbeque. Host a family game night. Read with your children. All these activities are relaxing and build essential relationships. They are also things people used to do in the “good old days”. Going back is as simple as pushing a button–the OFF button.

Katherine Westphal is the founder of a daring new website Trash Your TV! (http://www.trashyourtv.com) that makes it fun and easy for people to get control of their TV set. Are you addicted to TV? Take our TV Addiction Quiz (http://www.trashyourtv.com/survey) and find out!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katherine_Westphal

For the neighborhood kids growing up in the late 60’s, the fort was a representation of both our independence and ingenuity. We had a place to call home on those beautiful and endless summer evenings where it stayed light until well past 9 p.m., signaling we would not be called back home until darkness fell. Summer meant no school and an extra hour or two with our friends swapping stories. More important, we designed and built the BoGaKoTeZa sanctuary with our own hands. What a pleasurable reminder this was of our early team building efforts.

Growing up on The Hill, as it was commonly referred to, was an exercise in youthful utopia. In the 1950’s, many young married couples pushed slightly westward in the Chicago suburbs to secure an affordable home with a small piece of land. Most of the homes were similar tidy brick ranch structures with 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, a family room, and a 1 car garage positioned on a quarter-acre (or less) of land. The very rare split-level would occasionally interrupt the sea of small ranch homes. Situated behind the houses on our block were sloping dense woods where we would walk, play, and socialize for hours. Kids ruled the neighborhood. It seems that nearly all the parents were in their middle to late 20s, of Bohemian or Polish ancestry, and had several kids in tow. The neighbors at the end of our block had 6 children, and our next door neighbors – the “Za” in the name of our fort — ultimately had 8 children. We were the exception — Irish Catholic with a relatively paltry 4 children.

This was a period when kids went outdoors and played. Perhaps in the spirit of pre-video game suburbia, kids were forced to congregate, play sports, communicate, and learn from each other. Our backyard, like that of all the neighbors, and in stark contradiction to Robert Frost’s admonition that “good fences make good neighbors”, was devoid of a fence and represented an open invitation of friendship. The backyard, meanwhile, was never an appropriate advertisement for Scot’s Turf Builder. Instead, our backyard was an active child’s paradise, simultaneously torn up to construct a mini golf course, beaten down in straight lines where we frequently ran the bases, or shredded completely to accommodate a lawn hockey game complete with homemade nets constructed of wood and chicken wire. Perhaps the greatest news was that our parents would either help in the construction of the various backyard games or, at the very least, enjoy having all the neighborhood kids visit and play. Except when we would inadvertently destroy the same sapling that my dad tried to plant, year after year.

The Hill was not only a haven for kids. For some relatively strange reason (strange by today’s standards anyway), the parents all got along seemingly well, too. They were part of bowling leagues, social clubs, invitees for each other’s parties, and communal workers when the water well needed to be repaired. This was a group of young people who rarely had two nickels to rub together, but who always helped each other and pulled together in time of need. These neighbors never moved. To this day, 50 plus years later, there remains a handful of the old guard still living on The Hill. Our 40-year home tenure was probably the norm.

The Hill was also a place of great experimentation. Most of the neighbor kids had their first communal taste of alcohol or nicotine, represented in the form of a beer or pack of cigarettes surreptitiously pilfered from someone’s house. And many more kids had that first kiss with the neighbor girl. With the assistance of my best neighborhood friend, a girl with whom I enjoyed that first kiss, I even unintentionally lit my first and only forest fire. It certainly didn’t help matters that as the fire started to spread, we tried to “smother” the conflagration with dried leaves to the horror of the volunteer fire department. That’s a story for another time.

From a child’s perspective, we were engaging in exciting yet debaucherous and sinful activities that might forever condemn us to hell. Forty years later, it is obvious that these were innocent and perhaps even necessary steps in our adolescent development.

Fort BoGaKoTeZa lasted a couple of summers and in the end was torn down or died of neglect as we grew older. I can’t remember which. But I do remember the pride in its construction and the joy we all felt hanging out there. These were simpler days, forever gone, only to be pulled from our memories. I miss The Hill.

http://www.dailyharangue.com

The Daily Harangue was started by a group of friends who had much to say, but agreed on little. These candid discussions on topics ranging from politics to music, nature to art, life, love, and the human condition have always been a free flow of ideas that serve to strengthen, rather than to destroy, the bonds of our friendship.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Gaynor

But first, let me tell you a little story. I know a single mother who was looking for a house. Her main requirement was that it had to be safe for her children. After months of looking she found the perfect house on a cul-de-sac in a great neighborhood and the price was right, too. After moving in one of her neighbors stopped in to welcome her to the neighborhood. One comment from the neighbor got her attention, though. She said she really admired her bravery.

Naturally my friend was curious what that meant. After pressing the neighbor she told her that her new next door neighbor was registered sex offender. That’s why the house had been priced so low – because nobody wanted to buy it because of the sex offender. And that’s why the previous owner was desperate to sell. And apparently the the offender really liked young children.

Needless to say my friend was frightened. She couldn’t turn right around and sell the house so she ended up installing a new fence and alarm system. And her kids never left the house without her. That’s no way to live. And it’s a shame because it is so easy to perform a sex offender search. And it doesn’t cost anything.

Thanks to the internet and the need for people to be aware of their surroundings the government has made it much easier to find out if offenders are lurking in your neighborhood or wherever you may be moving. And it will tell you exactly where they live and include photos. I know my wife was shocked the first time she did a search to find out how many offenders were near us. Of course this is for information purposes only, it does not give you the right to camp out on their lawn or otherwise harass them. You may want to but it is against the law.

Not all details are included on the sites. It won’t necessarily tell you their exact crime but will give you a good idea of what they may have done. And having this information could have saved my friend a lot of grief and money. So how do you search? It really is easy.

Go to Google or your favorite search engine and search for “Sex offenders in [your state]“. This should show you the state site where you can find everything you need.
Do you really know who’s living next to you?

David Lemon is the owner of TDL People Search. You can visit his site at http://www.tdl-people-search.com where you can search for anyone you’d like to find as well as perform background checks.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Lemon

Well, chances are there are sex offenders in your neighborhood You may be surprised to know how many are living in your area. Chances are great that there are more than one living within a one mile of your home. I can tell you that I live in a nice, middle-class neighborhood, and there are 8 sex offenders in my neighborhood. It doesn’t matter if you live in a wealthy or poor neighborhood, sex offenders live in nearly every city and town. They are everywhere.

The best way to find out if there are sex offenders in your neighborhood is to do your research and keep up-to-date. There is a nationwide database of more than 500,000 registered sex offender records. It can be searched online, with instant results. Search results contain details about the sex offenders in your area, including names, aliases, photos, home addresses, and offense details. The registry provides a mapping system which provides detailed maps of all registered offenders in the area of your search. When new sex offenders move into your area, you will get an email with red alert details about any new offenders that have recently moved into your neighborhood.

Ok, I know where the sex offenders are living in my neighborhood… now what?

You will want to use your information to protect your family and your neighborhood. Now, I’m not saying to take matters into your own hands and confront the offenders. This will only serve to antagonize the offender. But, if you have a neighborhood association it would be a good idea to let them know. Let the association send a letter to the offender letting them know that the neighborhood has been made aware that he/she is living among them. Distributing a picture of the sex offenders to the residents of the neighborhood will let everyone be on alert and aware if the offender is doing anything suspicious in the area. Let the offender know that the neighborhood families will be vigilant in protecting their children. Chances are, if the offender were to commit a repeat offense, they will not chose to commit the offense in an area that they know is being watched and monitored carefully.

Be responsible, be alert and be informed. Knowledge is power. Don’t just asked yourself, “I wonder if there are sex offenders in my neighborhood?” Arm yourself with the knowledge to know exactly where the offenders are living in your neighborhood at all times.

Would you like to check the national database to find out what sex offenders are living in your neighborhood? Visit [http://www.sexoffenderswatch.info] to access the database right now.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracy_Wineberg