It’s time to make a rumble in the jungle with some serious rafter-swinging! That’s right, I’m talking about acting wild, climbing trees, and eating bananas! It’s time to get funky with the monkey with our “Monkey Business Party!”

The internet is filled with amazing images. Choose the one you like the best and print it up with words such as, “Come monkey around!”, “Get funky with the monkey!”, or “It’s time for some serious monkey business!” Make sure to include the important information: who, what, where, starting time and ending time, whether it’s a drop off or a "please stay" party, and how to dress (in our case, we usually say dress for mess!).

Anything jungle-y will work for this decor: palm trees, parrots, stuffed monkeys. Use dark green, lime green, and brown streamers around the room to create vines. You can even hang them from door frames in strips to create a sort of jungle curtain. Use fruits such as pineapples, bananas, and coconuts as centerpieces on your table. I found these cute monkey plates that I taped all around the room, peeking out from secret hiding places.

Read more...

I am in love with cardboard boxes.

That may seem like a strange comment to make, but you can do sooo much with a cardboard box! Especially if they are large cardboard boxes the size of, say, a refrigerator or couch.

Case in point... the “Alone Zone.”

The other day I was setting up for a party when I noticed a large cardboard box against the wall in the living room. I realized right away that this was no ordinary box; one of the children had clearly been working on it. I just assumed it was a box in the process of becoming a playhouse.

When I inquired about the box, the mom just smiled and shook her head. “That’s my son’s ‘Alone Zone.’”

“His what?” I said, a little bit baffled.

“His Alone Zone,” she said. “It’s where he goes when he’s fed up with all his homework, or is mad at his sister, or when things just get a bit too overwhelming for him... It’s his cool-down place... the place where he can be alone.”

Read more...