Recently I was asked if people should celebrate their dogs’ birthday! I say resoundingly, OF COURSE! Dogs are truly a part of your family, and deserve lots of special attention ~ especially on their birthday!

When I was a child, I always celebrated Pepper’s birthday ~ he was my Scotty! We baked a cake in the shape of a huge bone and decorated it with white icing and “Happy Birthday, Pepper!” scripted. We didn’t, of course, allow him to eat any of the sweet cake, but we also made him a special “dog food” cake and stuck a candle atop the kibbly, wet mound. I helped him blow out his candle. We all sang “Happy Birthday” to him and he was excited and barked like crazy! Pepper knew something was happening and it involved him!

Read the rest of this entry »

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is Thursday, April 23th, 2009!!

If you have missed it for this year, never fear.  It is an annual event now, occuring the fourth Thursday of April.  Many of you are probably very famliar with this special day where children are invited into their parents’ workplace to have a look at what Mom & Dad do when they “go to work” every day. Beyond gaining that immediate knowledge, children are challenged to learn about the workplace and their future place in the workforce. Through an interactive, exciting, hands-on day of activities, children also build their self-esteem and have the chance to think about their future in a tangible fashion.

This year’s theme is “Shaping the Future,” and is organized by the Ms. Foundation.
For a detailed description of this national program, go to http://www.daughtersandsonstowork.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=293

Read the rest of this entry »

Timing is everything when you are giving your kid a great party

Parties are a fabulous way to celebrate your child. Plan your child’s party for the appropriate time of day and right amount of time so that your child and their friends enjoy it.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here is a suggested time line to prepare for a kid’s party:

6 weeks before:

Choose a fun theme (a theme can be generic, like animals, or more specific, like Spiderman) with your child, draw up the guest list (depending on your child’s age it might be good to invite the whole class to avoid hurt feelings), and reserve your entertainer or venue, if the party will take place outside of your home.  Click through here for birthday party ideas for boys, birthday party ideas for girls, or birthday party ideas by age.

African American Girl

Read the rest of this entry »

“I don’t have time to organize this party for my child…

Read the rest of this entry »

A child’s party invitations is a key component of your event. It can announce the theme of your party, it provides the pertinent information for the event, and it is a physical reminder of the party as well, i.e. people can hang it on their refrigerator. Invitations are readily available in most party stores, and can usually be easily matched to the theme you choose, and you are still trying to figure out your theme, check out the Big List of Birthday Party Ideas.

There is certainly a great variety out there. You can also work with a party planner to customize invitations for you or order them from online retailers like Birthday Express. Right here at Peppers and Pollywogs, there is a great selection of unique, printable invitations. Really, your child’s party invitations will depend on your budget and the nature of the event.

Read the rest of this entry »

When should my child’s first birthday party be?

Arranging a party for your child or a favorite child in your life takes some care and thoughtful planning. One of the best things to do is first consider the child’s age. So many parents go “all out” for a first or second year birthday. It is great to celebrate the one or two-year milestone, but this is more for the parents, family, and friends than for the child — he or she will only remember it via old family photos one day. Read the rest of this entry »