Back to School Party

Summer is ending which means that it's Back to School time!  It is really bittersweet, yes, you love sleeping in and hanging out at the pool all summer, but...the kids get to go back to school and you'll have your days to yourself back again!  

So, let's celebrate with a Back to School Party for  our kids.  If this is your child's first year attending school, then perhaps you can invite your family over, or some friends they will be going to school with.  It's a great way to transition them into the school year.  Hopefully everyone can give words of encouragement to the child and this will help ease them into this change in their life.  Otherwise, if they are returning to school, invite some classmates that they haven't seen in a while as well as some new summer friends over and party!

So the theme is obviously classroom related.  You can either go with your school's colors as the palette or just stick to primary colors.  You'll want to decorate your table with classroom appropriate decor: books, apples, chalkboards, pencils, crayons, globes, maps, school buses, numbers and letters.

Food can go 1 of either 2 ways.  Either you can have a buffet of favorite cafeteria foods like: chicken nuggets, pizza, french fries, apple sauce and chocolate milk with silly straws.  Using compartmentalized trays would be very fun!  Or, you can can individually pack brown bags with foods like: peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, string cheese, pudding or applesauce cups, grapes, baby carrots, chocolate chip cookie, and  juice boxes.

Some activities you may choose to do at your party may be: a game of dodge ball, school race "pack lunch bag, collect homework, put on back pack, run to school house", paper airplane contest, making bookmarks or book covers and finally a game of Show and Tell - describing their favorite summertime activity. You can also ring a bell between activities to make it even more appropriate.

Party Favors should be some extra fun school supplies that they wouldn't ordinarily get: glitter pens, stencils, stickers or personalized items.  Otherwise, you can just give them their new book bag with supplies in it: crayons, pencils, erasers, note pads, folders, pencil box, pencil sharpener, rulers, lunch box ect.

Last, but not least, it's fun to plan a small event for the first day of school itself--something like a Bus Stop Bagel Bash. Fueled by good food, good friends, and a send-off by mom and dad, who knows? Your kids might even look forward to that first day of school...and you may too!

Friday the 13th

So Friday the 13th is coming up this Friday...do you have any plans to celebrate everyone's superstitions??? Well, here are a few ideas in case you want to celebrate this "unlucky" day....

There are 3 ways to go with this theme:

First, you may be thinking of going the gory route in honor of the movie, Friday the 13th. This is where hockey masked Jason Voorhees, who drowned at Camp Crystal Lake as a boy due to the negligence of the camp staff, decides to commit mass murders. If so, this is easy...just pull out all your scary Halloween decorations with hockey masks, machete's, fake blood, and throw in some ripped and bloody camping supplies and you're good to go!

The second, and most popular way to celebrate this day is to deal with people's Superstitions! Obviously, if your friends take superstitions very seriously, they should not come to the party or they will be extremely offended. So, find 12 of your closest friends to come and then you'll have 13 people partying it up on the 13th!

Decor should either be all black or black and white....representing lucky and unlucky. There are a few must for decorating...black cats, a ladder set up for your guest to walk under when they enter the house, open umbrellas around the house or as centerpieces, large sea salt spilling out of shakers, a few pennies facing down, a mirror that looks broken (use candle wax or a black marker to make "cracks"), also use sidewalk chalk to make cracks on your entry steps and sidewalk, and some hats on the table.

When you do decorate or make food, display items in groups of 13. Make this evening a little spooky with candles all over the house. You can even ask your guest to wear all black. It may also be fun to watch some scary movies, tell ghost stories or even invite a psychic to the party.

Your playlist should include a few favorite songs....

• "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
• "Black Magic Woman by Fleetwood Mac
• "Only Superstition" by Coldplay
• "Witchy Woman" by The Eagles
• "Good Luck, Bad Luck" by Lynard Skynard
• "Witchcraft" by Frank Sinatra
• "Evil Eye" by Black Crowes

Here are some Common Superstitions:

1. Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day
2. A rabbit's foot brings good luck
3. An apple a day keeps the doctor away
4. To find a four-leaf clover is to find good luck
5. If you walk under a ladder, you will have bad luck
6. If a black cat crosses your path you will have bad luck
7. To break a mirror will bring you seven years bad luck
8. To open an umbrella in the house is to bring bad luck
9. To find a horseshoe brings good luck
10. Step on a crack, break your mother's back
11. You can break a bad luck spell by turning seven times in a clockwise circle
12. Garlic protects from evil spirits and vampires
13. Our fate is written in the stars
14. At the end of a rainbow is a pot of gold
15. Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck
16. Wearing your birthstone will bring you good luck
17. If you blow out all of the candles on your birthday cake with the first breath you will get whatever you wish for
18. To have a wish come true using a wishbone, two people make a wish, then take hold of each end of the bone and pull it until it separates. The person with the longer end gets his or her wish
19. An itchy palm means money will come your way
20. A beginner will always have good luck: beginner's luck
21. A cat has nine lives
22. Eating fish makes you smart
23. Toads cause warts
24. A cricket in the house brings good luck
25. Crossing your fingers helps to avoid bad luck and helps a wish come true
26. It is bad luck to sing at the table
27. It is bad luck to sleep on a table
28. After receiving a container of food, the container should never be returned empty
29. A lock of hair from a baby's first haircut should be kept for good luck
30. A bird that comes in your window brings bad luck
31. To refuse a kiss under mistletoe causes bad luck
32. Goldfish in the pond bring good luck
33. Goldfish in the house bring bad luck
34. For good luck, wear new clothes on Easter
35. An acorn at the window can keep lightning out of the house
36. If the bottom of your feet itch, you will make a trip
37. When a dog howls, death is near
38. It is bad luck to chase someone with a broom
39. A sailor wearing an earring cannot drown
40. To find a penny heads up, brings good luck
41. To cure a sty, rub it with a gold wedding band
42. Animals can talk at midnight on Christmas Eve
43. A drowned woman floats face up, a drowned man floats face down
44. A person cannot drown before going under three times
45. To drop a fork means a woman will visit
46. To drop a knife means a man will visit
47. To drop a spoon means a child will visit
48. To drop a dishcloth means bad luck is coming
49. If you shiver, someone is casting a shadow on your grave
50. To make a happy marriage, the bride must wear: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue
51. The wedding veil protects the bride from the evil eye
52. Washing a car will bring rain
53. You must get out of bed on the same side you got in on or you will have bad luck
54. Evil spirits cannot harm you when you are standing in a circle
55. A cat will try to take the breath from a baby
56. Warm hands, cold heart
57. Cold hands, warm heart
58. It is unlucky to rock an empty rocking chair
59. To kill an albatross is to cause bad luck to the ship and all upon it
60. Wearing an opal when it is not your birthstone is bad luck
61. Smell dandelions, wet the bed
62. To give someone a purse or wallet without money in it will bring that person bad luck
63. A forked branch, held with a fork in each hand, will dip and point when it passes over water
64. Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day
65. A rabbit's foot brings good luck
66. An apple a day keeps the doctor away
67. To find a four-leaf clover is to find good luck
68. If you walk under a ladder, you will have bad luck
69. If a black cat crosses your path you will have bad luck
70. To break a mirror will bring you seven years bad luck
71. To open an umbrella in the house is to bring bad luck
72. To find a horseshoe brings good luck
73. Step on a crack, break your mother's back
74. You can break a bad luck spell by turning seven times in a clockwise circle
75. Garlic protects from evil spirits and vampires
76. Our fate is written in the stars
77. At the end of a rainbow is a pot of gold
78. Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck
79. Wearing your birthstone will bring you good luck
80. If you blow out all of the candles on your birthday cake with the first breath you will get whatever you wish for
81. To have a wish come true using a wishbone, two people make a wish, then take hold of each end of the bone and pull it until it separates. The person with the longer end gets his or her wish
82. An itchy palm means money will come your way
83. A beginner will always have good luck: beginner's luck
84. A cat has nine lives
85. Eating fish makes you smart
86. Toads cause warts
87. A cricket in the house brings good luck
88. Crossing your fingers helps to avoid bad luck and helps a wish come true It is bad luck to sing at the table
89. It is bad luck to sleep on a table
90. After receiving a container of food, the container should never be returned empty
91. A lock of hair from a baby's first haircut should be kept for good luck
92. A bird that comes in your window brings bad luck
93. To refuse a kiss under mistletoe causes bad luck
94. Goldfish in the pond bring good luck
95. Goldfish in the house bring bad luck
96. For good luck, wear new clothes on Easter
97. An acorn at the window can keep lightning out of the house
98. If the bottom of your feet itch, you will make a trip
99. When a dog howls, death is near
100. It is bad luck to chase someone with a broom
101. A sailor wearing an earring cannot drown
102. To find a penny heads up, brings good luck
103. To cure a sty, rub it with a gold wedding band
104. Animals can talk at midnight on Christmas Eve
105. A drowned woman floats face up, a drowned man floats face down
106. A person cannot drown before going under three times
107. To drop a fork means a woman will visit
108. To drop a knife means a man will visit
109. To drop a spoon means a child will visit
110. To drop a dishcloth means bad luck is coming
111. If you shiver, someone is casting a shadow on your grave
112. To make a happy marriage, the bride must wear: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue
113. The wedding veil protects the bride from the evil eye
114. Washing a car will bring rain
115. You must get out of bed on the same side you got in on or you will have bad luck
116. Evil spirits cannot harm you when you are standing in a circle
117. A cat will try to take the breath from a baby
118. Warm hands, cold heart
119. Cold hands, warm heart
120. It is unlucky to rock an empty rocking chair
121. To kill an albatross is to cause bad luck to the ship and all upon it
122. Wearing an opal when it is not your birthstone is bad luck
123. Smell dandelions, wet the bed
124. To give someone a purse or wallet without money in it will bring that person bad luck
125. A forked branch, held with a fork in each hand, will dip and point when it passes over water

For food, you can be very creative here by going gory or sticking to the "unlucky" theme. 

Chicken feet are considered a delicacy all over Europe. Look for them at your local butcher shop and follow a hot and spicy recipe, as that is how they are traditionally served. 

Black squid pasta might freak out your pals...but adding a few dollops of fresh ricotta and parsley will round it out nicely. 

Black Pudding (also known as blood pudding) is actually a British delicacy. Yes it is made using pig's blood, but it also incorporate onions, pork fat, oatmeal and other ingredients. 

A horseshoe-shaped cake is a fun way to wrap up the party. Use Wilton's pan and decorate yourself or order one from your favorite bakery. Pair it with a few chocolate-covered fortune cookies for fun. 

Chicken wings may be the best because of the legend that your luck can fly away. 

Anything white, like eggs or white cheese, is perfect because white is a Chinese symbol of death.

Freaky Food Superstitions

The third way to celebrate Friday the 13th is to decorate with all "Lucky" items. 

Include good luck charms such as a rabbits foot, acorns, four-leaf clovers, ladybugs, horseshoes, crystals, wish bones, rainbows & a pot of gold, the number 7, dream catchers, coins, elephants, shooting stars, wishing well, ect.  Here's a list of 27 Good Luck Charms used around the world that you could decorate with: 27 Good Luck Charms

Serve lucky foods like the ones in this link by Martha Stewart: Lucky Foods as well as this one: Lucky Foods

Common Lucky Foods:

• Grapes
• Lentils & Beans "shapes of small coins"
• Fish "swim forwards"
• Black Eyed Peas "humility, inviting good fortune"
• Circular Food "shapes of coins for wealth or things coming full circle"
• Long noodles "longevity of life"
• Green foods like spinach "color of money"
• Pork "fat of the pork brings prosperity"
• Cornbread "gold food represents prosperity"
• Pomegranates "smashed on the floor in Greece"

Hope you have a fun and "lucky" day!