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Healthy Easter Treats – Easter Bunnies Bring More Than Chocolate Eggs

Easter baskets don’t have to be full of chocolate and peeps. Here are some great ideas that will fill your Easter basket without all the extra fat and sugar.  Healthy Easter treats can be easier than you think.

Bubbles

What child doesn’t love to blow bubbles? Grab a couple of bottles of bubbles for this year’s Easter basket. The kids will have a blast with them and with a little luck, it will be warm enough outside to keep them busy and running around chasing bubbles for quite some time.

Sidewalk Chalk

Another fun treat is sidewalk chalk. This is the perfect time to draw on the sidewalk with the weather warming up. Plus we get enough rain in the spring that your driveway or sidewalk won’t be decorated for too long.

Homemade Playdough

Make some playdough using your favorite homemade playdough recipe (we have one at kinderinfo.com). Get a couple of small playdough toys to go along with it and let the fun begin.

Toys from the Dollar Store

You can also pick up some very inexpensive toys at the dollar store. I have found anything from Easter themed coloring books to kites in there. This is also a great place to shop for the Easter baskets themselves, as well as some plastic Easter eggs that are great for hiding small trinkets and treats.

Of course, every child should have some special treats in the Easter basket as well. Along with the obligatory chocolate bunny, include some healthier treats.

Chocolate and Yogurt Covered Raisins

Both chocolate and yogurt covered raisins look like little mini Easter eggs and are a yummy treat. Fill a small cellophane bag with these sweet treats and tie a pretty bow around it.

Trail Mix with Jellybeans

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Easter- Jelly Beans Galore

Easter is a mark for children with the sense of spring is nearby and the snow and cold weather is about to end. Children sensing school will be over for the year, with summer on way. Easter for children is excitement for coloring eggs, Easter egg hunts, and candy. Jelly beans galore.

The history of jellybeans started back years ago, around biblical times when a Turkish Delight candy was introduced as a soft, jelly sticky filling with a coating of sugar or coconut. Turkish Delights common flavors, rosewater, lemon; other familiar flavors were cinnamon or mint. Small nut pieces pistachio hazelnut or walnuts add extra flavor to the candy.

In the 19th century, the French developed a hard shell candy, Jordan Almonds. To make the hard shell over the almonds, the almonds placed in a bowl and moved side to site to coat the almond with sugar and syrup. The method the French used recognized as panning. With adding coloring, the Jordan Almonds came in a variety of pastel colors, blues, green, yellow, purple, and pink.

The 20th Century brought new life to the jellybean when the Turkish Delight and Jordan Almonds were introduced in America. General stores where penny candy sold, jellybeans were in large glass jars. With array of colors and flavors in the 1930’s the jellybean was include as an Easter candy with the jellybean representing the Easter egg shape.

Jellybeans made out of sugar, cornstarch, and food starch. The process for making jellybeans takes 6 to 10 days. Starting with a sugar cornstarch and other ingredients placed in a large vat. As the filling of sugar, mixtures fill in cornstarch-coated molds, to form the egg shape. The filling then dries for 24 hours. After the drying process the mixtures goes through a process of sugar coating and flavoring and color added until a hard shell forms on the mixture. The jellybeans then set 48 hours to dry. After drying a coating of Confectioner’s glaze sprayed on to, give each jellybean a shinny shell.

Flavors of jellybeans are small portions of natural and artificial flavors and colors. A bean flavor could be chocolate, coconut, juice, peanuts, oils cream, or milk. There are over 100 different flavors of jellybeans today. Thanks to Jelly Belly Company for the original flavor and gourmet flavor jellybeans. From the red cinnamon flavor to the tropical fruit flavors, Bubble gun, Watermen, Blueberry, Apple, and more.

For people with a taste for jellybeans now come in sugar free. Sugar free jellybeans have become popular over the last few years. With more people, becoming and finding out about diabetics, people are looking at the sugarless candy including jellybeans.

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Easter Traditions On A Budget

Every year moms scramble to find just the right easter basket. Will it be the sports easter basket for $20 or the Spiderman one for who know how much? When did easter gifts become so expensive?

The average family has 2.4 children and easter gifts can break a budget in a hurry. Here are some wonderful easter memory creating ideas that won’t break the bank.

1. Bunny Paw prints Grab an old shoe box lid and cut out big bunny paw print to make a stencil . On “Easter Eve” use the stencil to make paw prints through your house by sprinkling baking soda in the stencil. Turn it over to make left and right feet. (the baking soda vacuums up off the carpet)

2. Easter Eggstravaganza For most kids, easter is not easter without decorating eggs. This year instead of letting the kids have all the fun, start a tradition that involves the whole family. Throw an annual Easter egg decorating contest. Choose enough categories so everyone gets a chance to win. Some categories might be: funniest egg, most original egg, scariest egg, or celebrity egg. The wackier the categories, the more fun you will have decorating and judging. Ask everyone to submit an egg and display them on the kitchen table. Ask Grandma and Grandpa to be the judges. Before you know it, you will have trouble finding judges because everyone will want to decorate an egg!

3. Follow the Ribbon This is a simple tradition that doesn’t take much preparation. All you will need to do is buy some narrow inexpensive ribbon from a local craft store. Choose a different color for each member of the family (15 to 25 yards per person depending on how crazy you want this to be). Once the kids are in bed, tie a ribbon to each of their hidden baskets and wind them in and out of the furniture and the other ribbons until you can’t see where they began. Bring the ends to one central location (perhaps the kitchen table) as a place where your family can begin the entangled maze to find their baskets. Before you know it, everyone will be tangled in ribbons and laughs.

4. The Big People Egg Hunt On Easter Sunday, gather the adults together and have them each hide one or more eggs somewhere on themselves. It might be in Grandma’s apron pocket, Uncle Bob’s boots, behind Dad’s glasses, or under Grandpa’s hat. This hunt isn’t just for the little ones, it involves everyone and is a wonderful way to connect the generations. Your family will be sure to get a laugh as the kids poke around looking for hidden eggs. No one and no place is considered out of bounds. You’ll definitely want your video camera ready for this Easter Egg Hunt.

5. Personalize Letter from the Easter Bunny! What child does not get excited about getting mail? How about a personalized letter to your child from the Easter Bunny. This letter will be mailed directly to you child and talk about how mom and dad have told the easter bunny that he/she has been good. What an exciting memory for your child!

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A Short History Of St. Patrick and His Irish Holiday

The history of St. Patrick’s Day, which started out as a Holy Day for the Irish Catholics in the 10th or 11th century, goes all the way back to the late 3rd century when a small boy was born in Roman England by the name of Maewyn.

Maewyn and his family lived in a small town where his father was a soldier in the army and a member of the town government. Some accounts say that Maewyn was an agnostic and some say that his family was Christian, but weren’t very strong in their faith. Either way, it doesn’t really matter because it was what happened later in his life that gained him his notoriety.

When Maewyn was only 16, there was a raid on his village from Ireland, in the Irish Sea. They captured Maewyn and many of the villagers and took them back to Ireland as servants and slaves for the local Irish.

It was here in captivity that it is reported that Maewyn accepted God, and began to talk to him. In fact, legend has it that he often spoke to God in prayer up to one hundred times a day. And Maewyn was under the authority of a Celtic family, so he learned the Celtic language and how to speak it fluently. Six years later, when he was 22, Maewyn escaped from his servitude and ran to France. There he joined a monastery and under the direction of the Bishop of France, he studied the Bible. It was this Bishop who gave him the name Patrick. Legend has it that while Patrick was here in the monastery, he heard angels calling him back to Ireland.

After spending 12 years in the study of theology and Catholic Laws, he departed and went to Ireland to preach to a heathen nation. He spent 30 years in evangelistic and missionary work across the land. He won many converts over, healed people, and it was even said that he raised some people from the dead. Everywhere he went he announced God, and he built many schools and churches to help promote the Catholic religion. Legend has it that angels followed him everywhere, and even told him where and how to go.

After 30 years of missionary work, he died on March 17th. This is the day that has gone down in history as St. Patrick’s Day, for the patron saint of Ireland.

St. Patrick’s Day today has grown into much more than just a Holy Day for Catholics. Strict Catholics around the world though do remember St. Patrick, usually in an early Mass on March 17th. But everyone joins in as a celebration of St. Patrick’s Day and becomes Irish for the day. It has now become a celebration of spring with parades special Irish meals, green tinted drinks, and beer, etc. “The wearing of the green” and the Leprechaun have come about over the years to be Good Luck and prosperity to all and everything green typically represents the turning to spring – green is the color of life.

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10 Facts You Might Not Know About St. Patrick's Day

The tradition of St. Patrick’s Day began hundreds of years ago when a boy in Roman England was captured and taken to Ireland as a captive where he found God. It is said that St. Patrick could hear from the angels and that he had raised people from the dead. He was a very active missionary throughout Ireland for 30 years, and that is why he is called the patron saint of Ireland. There have been many legends attached to this saint, and they have lasted throughout the centuries. This holiday began as a Holy Day in the Catholic Church, but over the years this religious Catholic saint’s day has turned into a more secular celebration of the upcoming new spring.

Here are a few facts for St. Patrick’s Day:

– March 17th, the day of celebration, is the day of Patrick’s death. – St. Patrick, the patron saint of the Irish, was not from Ireland. – Patrick was an old-time missionary in Ireland during the 4th century. – He brought many people to conversion and into the Christian religion. – The Shamrock, symbol of St. Patrick’s Day, was a plant with three leaves that Patrick used to demonstrate to the pagans the trinity of God – Father, Son and Holy Ghost. – Maewyn is the name St. Patrick was born with. His name was changed by the Bishop in a monastery in France, after he escaped his captivity. He was not religious at all when he was a child. – The first St. Paddy’s day parade in America was in 1737, 40 years before the Revolutionary War. – The first day of spring is March 21st and this could be the reason St. Patrick’s Day celebrations have caught on so big. – Everyone turns Irish for a day – just wear green, the sign of life. – Irish dishes include Corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, Irish cream pie, Irish soda bread, scones, Irish cheese bread, and all of these would be a good choice on St. Patrick’s Day.

There are many traditions and legends that have been passed down through the generations, so even the barest of facts have gotten confused. It is not even certain exactly when Patrick was born, the actual date varies about 30 years in early 300 AD but the day of his death is certain, March 17, and that is the important day.

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St. Patrick's Day Brings Out the Irish Cooking

There is something about St. Patrick’s Day that brings out the Iris cook in all of us. At least it seems to have this effect on the women in my family. If you are not of Irish decent it may not have quite this profound effect upon you. If you are, then I’m quite certain you will understand what I mean by this. There’s something about revisiting traditions that may have been lost in the fog of coming to a new world and adopting a new way of life that is lifted on this one day of the year. As a result old favorite recipes handed down from mother to daughter over the centuries come out and grand meals are prepared.

If your mother wasn’t of Irish decent and you do not have a stockpile of wonderful Irish recipes in your inventory there are a few great websites on the Internet that offer excellent recipes that have already been converted to standard American measurements that will have Irish eyes and any eyes that think they might wish to be Irish smiling once again.

Corned beef and cabbage is a favorite. In our house we add great things like potatoes and carrots to the recipe. This is a great meal because it can be put in the crock pot before the work of the day begins and with very little effort is simply waiting on you to be ready for dinner time. No real effort is necessary in creating an outstanding feast that many will think you’ve had to miss a parade or two in order to prepare. Just make sure you hide any throws you might have caught and they will never know that you were out having fun and drinking green beer along with everyone else in the neighborhood.

Lamb stew is another great dish to put on your St. Patrick’s Day table. There are also slow cooker or crock pot recipes available for this family favorite if you take the time to search them out. This is a stick to your ribs kind of meal that is very popular in cooler climates for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities. This makes a great lunch or dinner for this great day and goes quite well with Irish Soda Bread.

Shepherd’s pie is another hale and hearty meal that is a wonderful addition to the St. Patrick’s Day festivities. This dish is a favorite among those who have tried it and might just become a staple recipe in your kitchen if you haven’t managed to prepare it before. There are many recipes online though I recommend going the path of least resistance and finding the simplest recipe possible.

No Irish meal is really complete without potatoes of some kind on the table. Keep this in mind no matter which meal you cook. There must be potatoes in order to complete the meal or it simply cannot be authentically Irish. This may be a slight exaggeration but you should take a moment to make sure that there are potatoes for this particular event because it’s just a very Irish thing to do.

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An Introduction To Birthday Gifts

Birthdays are very important for most people. You can make it extra special for them with a thoughtful gift. Remember that it is not enough that you hand them a present –your sincerity should show from the kind of gift you give.

The best way to convey that message is by giving something that a person will truly appreciate or use. It need not be anything expensive. Even simple gifts are appreciated so long as the thought is there. Before going shopping, you may want to ask around as to what the receipt may want. His or her friends or family are your best sources.

You can never go wrong with flowers. Most flower shops have delivery services, and you can also order on line. A more lasting floral gift is a flowering plant that can liven up an office cubicle. You may also send a care basket- a collection of items such as specialized toiletries and emergency kits. This is ideal for a single person. There are also online stores that can help you with this.

More practical people will appreciate gift certificates to their favorite stores. Perhaps you would like to try a more out of the box gift, like give that person an extraordinary experience on her birthday. Check out websites that offer various services from adventure packages to makeover projects.

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How to Pick Perfect Flowers According to Occasions

Life is beautiful. There are so much in life to cherish and celebrate – the birth of a baby, graduation, wedding, anniversary, Valentine’s day, Mother’s day and Christmas. Flowers are loved by both men and women for their beauty, purity, and freshness.

Valentine’s flowers are about love and passion if you pick roses. Consider a sunflower for the person in your life. The meaning of this Valentine’s Day flower is admiration. Your special someone will feel adored by you all day long. How about a For-get-me not? This flower means true love. You could not say it any better. A tulip given on Valentine’s Day has a meaning of the perfect lover. Now that is a desired compliment.

The meaning of mother’s day flowers is said best with pink carnations as these flowers say, “I will never forget you” and they represent a mother’s love. While carnations are a popular choice for mom on her special day, they are not the only choice. Think about your mom and what she likes. The meaning of mother’s day flowers is to show mom that you took time out of your day to think about her so choose flower arrangements that suit her best.

Christmas flower gifts have special meanings for Christmas celebration. In a story about the birth of Jesus Christ, it was flowers from two little poor children that outshone all the gifts that three wise men had brought for Him.

Birthday flowers are chosen according to different months of the year, much like birthstones. January is the snowdrop and carnation; February the primrose and violet; March the violet and jonquil; April flowers are the daisy and sweet pea; May represents lily of the valley and hawthorn; June is the rose and honeysuckle; July the water lily and larkspur; August represents the gladiolus and poppy; September the Morning Glory and Aster; October the Marigold; November, chrysanthemum; and December birthday’s the Poinsettia and Holly. Remember, the monthly guide to flowers provides a basis for picking out flowers for a man or a woman, but other flowers are appropriate as well depending on whether you are buying them for a family member or the love of your life.

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Creating Inexpensive Gifts With Coffee Mugs

During the holidays you may become overwhelmed by the list of people you need gifts for. When trying to find gifts it can be difficult to get cute presents at inexpensive prices. The more people on your list however, the more important cheap gifts are however. When trying to put together inexpensive gifts for people like teachers, neighbors, or church members, you should consider using coffee mugs. Coffee mugs are great because there are several different ways of giving them as gifts, depending on who you are giving to. Use these fun and inexpensive ideas to help your holiday gift list become a little shorter.

Candy

If the person on your list loves sweets, then consider taking a lovely coffee mug and filling it with his or her favorites. You can fill the large coffee mug with candy, wrap tissue paper or cellophane wrap around it, secure it with a bow, and be finished. This is an adorable idea for teachers or church members. It is inexpensive and you can even choose mugs that depict the recipient’s favorite hobby or color. Besides, everyone loves a little candy during the holidays. For an extra special treat, consider making your own homemade candy for the gift.

Coffee

As ironic as it may sound, sometimes coffee is the best gift to give within a coffee mug. For a friend who can’t resist gourmet coffee, this can be a quick and easy gift idea. Simply fill an oversized coffee mug with a small bag or two of specialty gourmet coffee. This is an adorable way to give an inexpensive, yet personal gift. Consider adding a specialty spoon along for extra flair as well.

Gift Cards

If you are giving a gift card this season and want to find a way to make it a little more interesting, consider putting it inside a coffee mug. You can fill the mug with a little tissue at the bottom and then place the gift card inside. You can also use shredded confetti tissue for filler. This is a great way to give your gift card as well as a cool coffee mug to the recipient. This is perfect for the coffee or tea drinker as well. You can fill coffee mugs with a gift card for a local coffee shop, a restaurant, or anything else. It is also a good way to avoid losing the gift card under the tree. When it is wrapped into a coffee mug, there is less of a chance it will be accidentally tossed.

Soaps

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Marriage and a Wedding

Marriage is a sacred commitment that should never be entered into lightly or on a whim or, even worse, on a dare. By pledging your love and loyalty to another human being you are assuming the responsibility of that person’s life as they are assuming the responsibility for yours. But that doesn’t mean that a wedding has to be done according to anybody else’s wishes and desires but those of the bride and groom.

A wedding day should be one of the days that will stand out forever in a bride’s and groom’s memories as a day of joy and happiness and one that belongs uniquely to the bridal couple. It should be THIER day…and not just on the day of the wedding but for their lifetime together.

The marriage ceremony, whether it is a first wedding or a subsequent wedding, really does signify the leaving behind of the old life and the beginning of a new life as a couple so it should incorporate everything that makes that change seem real and valid to the couple that is marrying. What others think doesn’t really matter. The mother and the father of both the bride and the groom are about to become in-laws. Disagreements about the details of the wedding can start those relationships off on the wrong foot and be the basis for a thousand other little problems for many years to come.

At a 50th wedding anniversary celebration that I attended recently, I had the opportunity to ask the long-married couple what the secret was to their long and obviously successful relationship. The gentleman looked me in the eye and told me that I wasn’t the first person to ask that question and that he had been giving it some serious thought. He said that he might have a few answers.

He said, “When we got married back in ’56 the world was a lot different. We expected that we would stay married all of our lives. Getting divorced was a shameful thing. So we talked it over and we agreed that we would never let the sun set on hurt feelings or anger between us. It’s a lot easier to make up at night than it is over the breakfast table. And we agreed to never raise our voices to each other unless the house was on fire. I guess that’s about it”, he continued, “except that we just deal with all the little things as they come up and don’t let molehills get as big as mountains before we talk them over.”

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Pagan Weddings

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ‘pagan’ as: “a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome). Or as: one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods: an irreligious or hedonistic person”

It is thought by pagans that a ceremony performed by a pagan priest or priestess at the moment of a total eclipse of the sun is the best and most fortuitous time for a pagan wedding ceremony. They believe that this is a union between dark and light.

The pagan wedding ceremony (if it can be called that) is called ‘handfasting’. Handfasting can last for a year and a day, a lifetime, or for all eternity. Handfasting ceremonies can be performed for heterosexual or homosexual couples.

A handfasting can be done tying the knots loosely to denote a trial marriage. The couple will live together one year and one day and then decide if they want to continue together or not. If they choose to continue, another handfasting ceremony is done with the knots being tied more securely. Couples may choose whether the knots are intended for a lifetime or for all eternity. If all eternity is the choice, then if one dies the other may not have another handfasting with someone else, but must wait to be reunited with their mate through reincarnation.

If the proper steps are taken a handfasting can be a legal marriage in the eyes of the law.

Preparations for a handfasting ceremony begin from one to four hours prior to the ceremony. Previously there will have been rehearsals to direct the participants of their roles and positions during the ceremony. One to four hours before the ceremony the altar must be prepared. This is done by the pagan priest or priestess and their assistants. The altar is consecrated using specific rituals.

There is a group processional as they enter the altar area. This is directed by designated ushers. Next, the couple acknowledges special guests, family, and ancestors.

Attunement is accessed through silence, toning (chanting) and/or imagery in preparation for the circle casting ceremony that follows. The items used in the circle ceremony are: a hawk’ wing, a blade, two candles, incense, and a bowl of water with a lavender blossom floating in it. The ceremony is supposed to summon the elements and the points of the compass. Simple gifts are exchanged and the circle is closed with a kiss.

The priest or priestess escorts the couples to the four points of the compass and to the center of the circle where they receive the blessing of the direction and the element that is associated with it.

The five points and their purposes are: North: Earth, the Physical Realm Tools: a pentacle of salt, a dish of fertile soil, or a platter with a round loaf bread Qualities: good health, a happy home, and fertility

East: Air the Mental Realm Tools: incense, feather, or bell Qualities: wisdom, good communication, learning, and intellectual growth

South: Fire the Action Realm Tools: candle or wand Qualities: creativity, harmony, sensuality, and vitality

West: Water the Emotional Realm Tools: water from a chalice or bowl Qualities: understanding, emotional support, intuition, and friendship

Center: Spirit the Spiritual Realm Tools: anointing oil, crystal, or other Spirit symbol Qualities: balance, wholeness, integrity, and spiritual growth.

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Weddings in Other Countries

People get married all over the world every day and each country has it’s own traditions and superstitions that surround weddings. Young couples in many countries are now tending to break away from the traditional weddings that their parents, grandparents and earlier generations adhered to. America doesn’t have the market cornered on young people deciding to do things their own way and throw tradition to the wind. In some cultures and in some religions it is much more difficult for young couples to break with the traditions that are deeply ingrained in their way of life than it is in America. Some of these foreign traditions are so interesting that young American couples adopt them for use in their own weddings in an effort to ‘do their own thing’. Consider adding one or two of these wedding traditions that are common in other countries to your wedding ceremony or celebration to give it a little flair or to acknowledge your own ethnic heritage.

Weddings in Italy

Italy is a mostly Catholic country so the weddings and wedding traditions are commonly centered around that Catholic heritage.

Italians as a group love to eat and drink so many of the wedding traditions concern food and beverages. The typical wedding day begins with early Mass followed by a large breakfast for the wedding party. The wedding day ends with dancing and a lot of food and drink well into the early morning hours of the following day.

Here are some of the beliefs and traditions of an Italian wedding: 1. May and August are considered a bad luck months to get married in Italy.

2. Sunday is considered the luckiest day of the week for a wedding to be held.

3. The Italians say, “Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunate.” The literal translation is, “Bathed spouse, spouse fortunate” which all means that it is considered lucky for it to rain on a wedding day.

4. To ward off the evil eye, the groom is supposed to carry a piece of iron in his pocket.

5. The bride’s veil is worn to hide her from jealous spirits and if the veil is torn it is considered a piece of good luck.

6. All of the invited male guests are supposed to kiss the bride at the reception to bring good luck for the couple.

7. The cookie dance is a part of most wedding receptions. The bride and groom lead a line of dancing guests over to the cookie table where each guest takes a cookie.

8. The best man cuts the tie of the groom into pieces and sells the pieces to wedding guests. In past times this was done for ‘real’ but today it just done as a part of tradition.

9. At the end of a wedding, a vase is broken. The number of pieces the vase breaks into determines the number of years the bride and groom will be married.

10. The bride and groom never open presents before leaving the reception. It’s considered bad luck.

Weddings in France

If you have a French branch on your family tree, you might consider incorporating some of these French wedding traditions into your wedding or the preparations for your wedding:

1. Remember the ‘Hope Chest’ of old? That whole notion was based on the French word, trousseau, which translates as ‘bundle’. It refers to the small bundle of clothing that the bride took with her to her new home after she married. Today it means a collection of personal and household items that the bride has collected to begin married life. Trousseau can also mean the clothing that the bride will take with her on her honeymoon.

2. When a bride wears orange blossoms in France it is considered a sign of virginity.

3. During the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom stand beneath a silk canopy called a ‘carre’ for the purpose of protecting them from bad luck.

4. As the wedding couple leaves the church, Laurel leaves are scattered before them to ensure they will have children.

5. A two handled cup called a ‘Coupe De Marriage’ is used as a toasting cup by the newly married couple at the reception.

6. On the couple’s wedding night, their young and rowdy friends congregate outside the window and bang pots and pans together until they are invited in for another few drinks.

The German Wedding

Those of German descent know that the Germans have always had a way of doing things a bit differently and weddings are no exception. Consider incorporating some of these German traditions into your wedding if you are of German decent and plan to stay awhile:

1. The traditional German wedding lasts three days. On the first day, the wedding couple is married in a civil ceremony that is attended only by their families and closest friends. On the second day, there is a huge but informal party that starts early and ends late at which the community at large celebrates the wedding. The third day of the wedding is when the religious ceremony is performed and a formal reception is held.

2. One of the traditions at the big party that is held on the second day of the wedding is that dishes are smashed…a lot of them. The couple is required to clean up the broken dishes as a symbol that nothing else will ever be broken in their home.

3. The German version of the bachelor party is called the ‘junggesellenabschied’. The groom and his friends go out to a local pub to drink the night away a few days before the wedding.

4. Another German wedding custom is for the Bride to carry salt and bread as an omen of a good harvest.

5. The groom is supposed to carry some grain to ensure good luck and wealth.

6. When the couple is kneeling during the wedding ceremony, the groom kneels on the bride’s wedding dress to show the world that he will be wearing the pants in the family. After they rise from their kneeling positions, the bride will step on the groom’s foot to assure the world that he is wrong.

7. As the newlyweds leave on their honeymoon they toss coins to the children who attended the wedding for good luck.

8. After the ceremony, the best man kidnaps the bride and takes her to a local pub. The groom must search for them and when he finds them, he is required to pay for all of their drinks in order to get her back.

9. The veil dance or sometimes called the money dance, wedding guests pin money to the bride’s veil to get her to dance with them at the reception.

10. Friends of the newlyweds block the exit so that when the couple leaves they are required to pay a toll. Most often this ‘toll’ is the promise of another party.

11. Friends of the couple go to great lengths to ensure that the wedding night will be fraught with problems. They will loosen the headboard of the bed, for example, or hide strange things in the room that have strange smells.

The Mexican Wedding

The Mexican wedding has many traditions. Some are based on superstition while others are rooted in tradition only. They vary from region to region in the country but if you are of Mexican heritage or if you just want to use a Mexican theme for your wedding here are some common traditions:

1. The first step is the religious ceremony…most often Catholic. Then there is a party or fiesta that is followed by a short civil ceremony.

2. Brides should not wear pearls…they signify tear drops and grief in her marriage and are considered very bad luck.

3. A bride that wears her mother’s or grandmother’s wedding dress is assured of good fortune and it is a status symbol as well.

4. To ensure food, money, and passion in their marriage, the bride sews a yellow, a blue and a red ribbon, respectively, onto her lingerie.

5. The padrinos (Godparents) selection ceremony is held before the wedding. These honored people play a large role in the wedding and in the following reception. The padrinos are chosen because of their own successful marriage and high moral standards. The padrinos need to be financially stable because they are expected to provide a substantial gift to the newlyweds and to assist them financially after they are married if needed. More than one set of padrinos may be chosen. The first are called ‘major’ padrinos and others are called ‘minor’ padrinos.

6. Since the Mexican wedding is a very family oriented affair, often a heart shaped piñata is provided at the reception for the children who attend to break.

7. At the beginning of the reception (fiesta) following the wedding ceremony, the father of the bride makes a short speech and then the band plays a waltz for the ‘money dance’. The guests, in descending order of importance or kinship and according to gender, dance with the bride and the groom and pin money to their clothing. The money dance is called the ‘aguinaldo’.

8. The groom is assaulted by his male friends. An apron is tied around his waist and he is given a broom. He is insulted by being called ‘henpecked’.

9. The bride stands on a chair while the unmarried women, holding on to each other’s waists, dance around her. The bride then tosses her wedding bouquet over her shoulder and the girl who catches it will be the next bride.

10. The groom stands on a chair while the unmarried men dance around him and he tosses the apron over his shoulder. The first man it touches will be the next henpecked husband.

11. The wedding cake consists of five to seven layers and is usually cut with a sword. It is not, however, served to the wedding guests. It is taken home by the parents of the bride to symbolize that this is the last time the bride and groom will be the center of attention.

The Vietnamese Wedding (Westernized)

Those who have a Vietnamese ethnic background often have a traditional Vietnamese wedding that precedes their legally recognized marriage before a judge or minister. The customs and traditions of a Vietnamese wedding are so beautiful and meaningful that many who have no Vietnamese background at all like to incorporate some of the traditions into their weddings. The morning of the wedding the mother of the groom visits the family of the bride bearing two gifts. The first gift is a plant that represents respect and the second is pink chalk. Pink represents the color of happiness. In the traditional Vietnamese wedding, the bride wears Ao Dai….this is a long dress that is red in color. The Vietnamese consider red to be the color of good luck while white is used only for mourning. The bride waits at her home with her family and friends for the groom. Along his way to the home of the bride, the groom picks up his family and friends. He arrives at the bride’s home bearing gifts of money, jewelry, and clothing. The wealthiest couple will lead the procession to the bride’s home to provide good fortune and wealth for the couple. The gifts that the groom and his family bring to the bride at her home will be wrapped in red paper or be in red boxes or boxes lined with red paper. The gifts will include betel leaves, areca nuts, wines, fruits, cakes, and jewelry. The leading couple (the wealthiest) enters the home first and offers a bottle of wine to the parents of the bride. With their acceptance of the wine, the bride’s parents are accepting the groom into their family. The wedding ceremony takes place at an altar in the home of the bride. The wedding couple kneels at the alter and ask the blessings of their ancestors on their union. The couple then rises and facing their parents, they both bow and thank their parents for raising them and protecting them. The couple then faces each other and bow to signify mutual respect. Each of the four parents then gives advice to the couple about the responsibilities of marriage and family. Then there is a candle ceremony that signifies the unifying of their two lives. The red gift box that contains jewelry will be opened by the mother of the bride and she puts each piece on the bride to ensure good luck for her. The couple then exchanges rings than symbolize their commitment to one another. The couple then signs their marriage certificate and is given red envelopes containing money with which to start their new life together. At this point they are considered officially married in the eyes of their families and their ancestors but not in the eyes of American law. Often the bride changes out of her Ao Dai into a traditional white wedding gown and the couple are married in a ceremony that is legal in America.

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Wedding Superstitions

Wedding Superstitions Like many important life occasions the wedding day is steeped in superstitions and old-wives tales. We are rational human beings and therefore do not hold with superstition and old-wives tales…..except that when we spill salt we still throw some over out left shoulder, avoid walking under ladders and take a sharp right or left turn when a black cat walks across out path…..but we don’t really BELIEVE that bad luck will fall upon us if we don’t do these things, do we?

Hmmm….I’m not sure so just to be on the safe side, consider these superstitions associated with one’s wedding day. There are some, of course, that everybody knows:

A groom should not see the bride on the wedding day until she walks down the aisle.

For luck a bride should wear ‘something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue’.

A bride should have a penny in her right shoe when she walks down the aisle for good luck. Others superstitions and old wives tales can be found in poems handed down through the ages:

Concerning the day of the week a wedding should be held: “Monday for health, Tuesday for wealth, Wednesday best of all, Thursday for losses, Friday for crosses, Saturday for no luck at all.”

Concerning the month of the wedding: “Married when the year is new, he’ll be loving, kind & true, When February birds do mate, you wed nor dread your fate. If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you’ll know. Marry in April when you can, Joy for Maiden & for Man.  Marry in the month of May, and you’ll surely rue the day.  Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you’ll go.  Those who in July do wed, must labor for their daily bread.  Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see Marry in September’s shrine, your living will be rich and fine.  If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry.  If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember. When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.”

Ok, let’s recap. The ‘luckiest’ time to get married is on a Wednesday in January, April, September, November or December…..at least according to these old poems. And according to this little ditty, you’d better where either white of blue: “Married in White, you have chosen right Married in Grey, you will go far away, Married in Black, you will wish yourself back, Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead, Married in Green, ashamed to be seen, Married in Blue, you will always be true, Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl, Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow, Married in Brown, you will live in the town, Married in Pink, your spirit will sink.”

Now that you have the month of the year, the day of the week and the color of your dress down, what else could go wrong?

Well if you should see a pig, a monk or nun, that doesn’t bode well for you and if the groom should drop the ring the marriage will be doomed from the start. The bride entering her new home by any way except the main entrance is very bad luck and if she should trip and fall, that would be even worse luck….that’s where carrying a bride over the thresh hold came from, maybe? A bride can court good luck by:

Letting a cat eat out of her left shoe exactly one week before her wedding.

Making her own wedding dress.

Find a spider in her wedding gown.

Look only once at herself in a mirror after she is dressed for her wedding and not look back.

Wear earrings at her wedding.

Cry on her wedding day to ensure that she will never cry again.

Step into the church with her right foot first.

Step into her new home with her left foot first.

Be certain that wedding vows are not said at the bottom of the hour.

Do not carry a red and white bouquet….it symbolizes blood and bandages.

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Wedding Receptions with a Twist

When we envision a ‘wedding reception’ what comes to mind are men in suits or tuxedos and women dressed to the nines standing about talking in subdued tones and holding little punch cups or wine glasses. What we picture is a very staid affair and it is an accurate picture (maybe memory) of what the usual wedding reception looked like in years gone by. A few such affairs still exist today but they are quickly becoming extinct.

The old fashioned wedding reception was held at a rented hall, in the ball room of a hotel or in ‘Fellowship hall’ or the basement of a church or synagogue. There was a receiving line with a dictated order that was never departed from. The order was: The father of the bride, the mother of the bride, the bride, the groom the mother of the groom, the father of the groom and sometimes the bridesmaids and groomsmen were also included. Protocol ruled!

Many modern day brides and grooms opt for wedding receptions that could hardly be described as staid affairs. While mothers and grandmothers are having ‘vapors’, young people are insisting on ‘doing their own thing’ when it comes to their weddings and the receptions that follow. The venue for a modern day wedding is far more likely to be at the beach than it is to be in a church or synagogue. Wedding receptions are held in back yards, open fields, and Las Vegas casinos. Receptions, that in earlier times would have been considered ‘in poor taste….an affront to protocol….and even (gasp) TACKY, are now more the norm than the exception.

As weddings have evolved into individualized events that reflect the tastes and desires of the wedding couple, so, too, have the receptions that follow them. The most popular of wedding and reception venues today is, by far, the beach but there are many others that are nearly as popular.

The Beach Wedding Reception

Weather permitting, the reception for a beach wedding is held on the beach. The wedding ceremony is most often held just before sundown and as the sky darkens, somebody will build a bonfire. Underneath their wedding garb most all of the young people that attended the wedding will be wearing bathing suits. They strip off their wedding finery and the reception begins in ernest. Barbeque pits appear. Wieners are roasted. Ice chests full of beer have replaced the tired old punch bowls and fluted wine glasses. Beach blankets and beach towels are spread out on the sand. Rock and roll music blares and the beach wedding reception is in full swing.

Themed Wedding Receptions

The theme of the wedding, and themed weddings are big today, determines where and what the wedding reception will be. Many times the receptions for themed weddings are held in rented halls or hotel ballrooms (rarely in the fellowship hall or the basement of a church, however) but the place is all that remains unchanged between the old fashioned wedding reception and the themed wedding reception.

Nautical Theme Wedding Reception: The tip-off that it wasn’t going to be the old-fashioned wedding reception probably came with the invitation. The food that will be served will, no doubt, come from the sea. The music that will be played will have a nautical theme, throughout the reception. Jimmy Buffett tunes and Beach Boy selections will dominate. There will likely be hanging fishnets and seashells everywhere.

Mardi Gras Themed Wedding Reception: The reception for this themed wedding will come closer to looking and feeling like a Mari Gras party than like a wedding reception of old. The food will be more that a little spicy. The music will be jazz most likely. It will be a loud and rowdy affair where the guests will have a lot of fun….they may even been asked to come dressed in Mardi Gras style costumes just to add color and fun to the celebration. There will be a lot of beads and streamers everywhere and you might even see a few alligator heads all dressed up.

Country Themed Wedding Reception: The reception for the country themed wedding will most likely not be held in a rented hall or hotel ballroom. Think tent. The wedding ceremony will have been performed in a field of wild flowers and the reception will most likely take place either in the same field or one that is close by under a tent that has been erected for the purpose. The tables and chairs will be of the folding variety. The decorations will consist of white picket fence sections….some with gates. The food will be simple country dishes. There will be no fluted wine glasses. The scene will be pastoral….the music will match.

Western Themed Wedding Reception: The wedding for the western themed wedding may well be held in a barn or a hall decorated to look like a barn. There will be bales of hay and lanterns hung from the ceiling. The food will likely be barbeque and the music will be country and western. The bride, groom and the guests will probably be wearing jeans western shirts and boots. The bride and groom may have both arrived for the ceremony on horseback so there will be horses and maybe a few cows thrown in for good measure. There will be no fruit punch or wine to be found…beer, soft drinks, coffee and tea will be the beverages that are offered.

Renaissance Themed Wedding Reception: The wedding reception following a Renaissance themed wedding may be at a castle in England or Switzerland where the ceremony took place. The food might be a little startling….a whole roasted pig, for example. The entire Renaissance theme is reflected in the music and the decorations for the occasion. You may see suits of armor and real live ‘wenches’ may serve the food and drink. The bride will have researched the period well and the all aspects of the reception will reflect that research.

Themed Wedding Receptions Las Vegas Style: Las Vegas is the place where so many themed weddings take place. The resorts and hotels are all well equipped to handle even the most bizarre wedding and wedding reception requests.

You might choose to have a Hawaiian Luau following your Elvis Blue Hawaii wedding. This would, of course, include an Elvis Impersonator.Could there be a whole roasted pig with an apple in its mouth?

A reception might be held on a ‘Pirate Ship’ following your Pirate themed wedding. There are boats available that will accommodate up to 30 people and the food and beverages included are in keeping with the pirate theme.

The wedding reception following a wedding ceremony performed at the top of the Eiffel Tower replica at the Paris Las Vegas Resort might be held in the casino of the resort with the legs of the Eiffel Tower protruding into it.

The Venetian Resort offers a Gondola wedding package that includes a reception with all the flavor of the real Italy. The food, the music, the very atmosphere feels like Venice. These receptions are held on a party boat docked out in Lake Las Vegas.

There are, of course, many other themed wedding packages available that include receptions that are reflective of the theme. Some of these packages can cost many thousands of dollars while others are far less expensive. What a couple chooses is dependent upon how well heeled they are and just how far they are willing to go to make their wedding and wedding reception a totally a unique experience for them and for their guests.

The Sports Based Wedding Reception: Couples, who have met and fallen in love while supporting their favorite sports team, can’t imagine that their wedding and reception wouldn’t be based on the sport they love. There are as many sports based wedding and receptions as there are sports and the fans that support them.

The Baseball Fan Wedding Reception: Those who are devout fans of baseball in general or of a specific baseball team might opt to be married at home plate of their favorite team’s park and have their reception in a restaurant within the baseball park. Others might choose to have their wedding at a public baseball diamond and have a baseball game as a part of their wedding reception with their guests as the players. The food will most likely include hot dogs and beer if it isn’t exclusively hot dogs and beer.

The Football Fan Wedding Reception: If they can swing it, the first choice of an avid football fan couple is to have their wedding ceremony performed on the fifty-yard line of ‘their’ team’s home field with the wedding reception held in facilities within the park. If they can’t pull that off, they settle for a football themed wedding and reception. The food is likely to be or the tailgate party variety and they often choose to make a touch football game using their guests as players a big part of the reception. These receptions are usually held in open fields or in public parks.

The Basketball Fan Wedding Reception: Those couples, whose whole relationship has been centered on their love of basketball and usually a specific basketball team, often choose to have a basketball themed wedding and reception. The first choice, of course, is to be married at center court of their favorite team’s home arena with the reception held at the arena itself. They love to have their weddings and wedding receptions revolve around a basketball theme. A formal reception that includes men in tuxedos and women in formal gowns isn’t for the avid basketball fan wedding couple.

Those couples, who love a sport almost as much as they love each other, choose to have their wedding and receptions reflect that devotion. It’s a good bet that avid sports fans weddings and receptions will be a lot of fun and a far cry from the traditional wedding reception idea.

Couples who are into sky diving might have their wedding, as well as, their wedding reception on a landing field while couples who are into scuba diving might have their wedding and reception on a beach or on the shore of a favorite lake where they dive regularly.

Most wedding receptions last a couple of hours but some can continue many hours like the ones for the all-night-long weddings. Some even last a lot longer…even as long as a week and are held either in private homes or at romantic get away spots around the globe.

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Plan B for Valentines Day

Each year men and women spend a great deal of time and energy planning Valentine’s Day surprises for their loved ones. However, unfortunately, each year a lot of these plans are often ruined each year due to circumstances beyond their control. They may find that all of their advance planning seems to go to waste but in most cases, Valentine’s Day may still turn out to be a great day just because they are getting to spend the day together. However, this article will provide some information on how you can not only plan a great Valentine’s Day surprise for your loved one but also plan a backup plan in case anything goes wrong.

One example of a Valentine’s Day surprise which can be ruined by circumstances beyond your control is a simple picnic in the park. It is a very simple and romantic idea but it is also one which is dependent on the weather. Rain, snow or incredibly cold weather can put a damper on your Valentine’s Day plan to have a romantic picnic in the park. The simple solution to dealing with inclement weather is to move your picnic indoors if the weather becomes foul. This can be very easy to do and requires very little advance planning. The easiest way to do this is to use your own house or apartment as the backup location. The only advance planning involved is straightening up your place beforehand to create a relaxing environment. Also if you have a roommate you might want to make sure he is out for the evening so you and your date can be alone. You can even make the indoor picnic more relaxing by purchasing CDs with nature sounds or soft music.

Planning to take your date to a nice restaurant on Valentine’s Day can backfire. Even if you make reservations well in advance there can still be complications. For example, the restaurant may lose your reservations, be too busy to honor your reservation or the restaurant may be too crowded to have a relaxing experience. In these cases, you might want to consider not having dinner in the restaurant because it will be too complicated and not at all relaxing. If you are concerned one of these situations will occur you can have a plan B by being prepared to go home and cook your date a fabulous meal if the restaurant is too hectic on Valentine’s Day. You can prepare by buying a few simple and versatile ingredients that you can use to create a great meal at a moments notice. This way you will be prepared if anything goes wrong plus the ingredients won’t got to waste because you can always use them later in the week.

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Weddings in Strange Places

Modern day couples are opting for their weddings to be held in places other than the traditional church, synagogue or even city hall more and more frequently. These couples want the place that their wedding ceremony is performed, whether it is a very traditional ceremony or not, to be a place that is meaningful to them as a couple in some way.

Brides-to-be (and grooms as well) sometimes deliver a real shock to their family and friends when they announce that they are getting married. Not that the fact that they are getting married is such a shock but the fact that they are planning on doing the deed while they are riding a roller coaster in Las Vegas, skydiving in Nevada or scuba diving in Bermuda, holding the ceremony in a castle in Switzerland or on the 50 yard line of Mile-High Stadium might be a little shocking to say the least.

Many of those of an older generation think that weddings held in strange places are an affront to the seriousness of the sacrament of marriage and strongly object to the idea. Of course, it isn’t an affront at all but it takes some strong and convincing arguments to change the minds of those who believe it is. Sometimes they warm up to the idea given time, sometimes they don’t. The truth is that the marriage that is being planned is about the two people who are joining their lives together and not about ‘what the neighbors will think’ or what others believe to be an appropriate venue.

Nobody asked for advice but here is some anyway. Do what you want to do. Make your wedding a memorable event that you will look back on in 50 years and be glad you did it your way. Get the pictures that will prove to your grandchildren that you were once wild and crazy kids that were madly in love and had a strong sense of adventure. Just take the vows seriously and mean them with all your heart no matter where the wedding ceremony is performed.

Get Married in a Castle

Can there be a more romantic setting than an ancient castle that has witnessed generations of history? Probably not. Visions of Snow White and Cinderella come to mind. There are castles in England, Italy, Switzerland and other countries that can be rented and used as the site for a romantic wedding. The prices vary and they are in great demand so a very early reservation must be made. Many of the towns and villages near the castles cater to weddings and wedding parties.

Get Married at Home Plate

If you and your intended are both avid baseball fans and a lot of your dating history revolves around your mutual love of baseball and a particular team, there is not a reason that your wedding being held on home plate of your favorite team is in any way not appropriate. If it feels appropriate to you, then it is. Many major league teams and minor league teams allow marriage ceremonies to be performed either after a game or when the stadium isn’t in use. Some baseball stadiums even have facilities for wedding receptions that they will rent.

Get Married on a Landing Field More than a few couples who enjoy the sport of skydiving together have jumped into marriage out of a perfectly good airplane flying at 13,000 feet and have been glad they did it their way. One couple did exactly that. The band that they had hired played “The Wind Beneath my Wings” as the fell through the sky. Within moments of landing, they were saying, “I do” with both of them dressed in their jumpsuits. The bride’s veil was held firmly on by a chin strap and the groom’s only concession to bridal attire was a bow tie. It was a beautiful and memorable event. One that will be remembered in detail much longer than a traditional wedding in a church.

Get Married on the Beach

Many modern day couples love the beach. The beach may have been the place where a lot of their dating occurred or where they have had their heart to heart conversations. There can be no more romantic setting that a beautiful windswept beach at sundown. There is a feeling of peacefulness and hopefulness on the beach at that time of day. It makes for a beautiful setting for a wedding.

Planning an outdoor event of any kind including a wedding is always subject to weather of course. It’s a good idea to have an alternate location for the ceremony to take place in case Mother Nature decides to throw a fit and rain on your wedding day.

If you are both scuba diving enthusiasts, you could wade out of the ocean hand in hand in your wetsuits. When the ceremony is over, you could wade back into the ocean and swim away together. That would be a very symbolic gesture and one that you and your family and friends would never forget.

Get Married in a Field of Wildflowers

A friend of mine in Texas had a field her father owned seeded with a wide variety of wildflowers that are indigenous to the State and that all bloom in the Spring at about the same time. She scheduled her wedding for early May. The wedding could not have been more beautiful. There is nothing a florist can do that can compare with Mother Nature at her best. Of course, everybody can’t have a field seeded with wildflowers. But you know where and when in your area wildflowers bloom and you could make arrangements with the people who own the property to allow you to have your wedding there.

Get Married at the top of the Eiffel Tower

It’s true. You can get married at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Marriage ceremonies are performed there all the time. It’s a very popular wedding location for couples who live in France. If the price of going to France and getting married atop the real Eiffel Tower is a little more than your budget can bare, you can go to Las Vegas and get married in the Eiffel Tower replica that is located at the Paris Las Vegas Resort. Wedding ceremonies are performed on the fiftieth-floor observation deck. The view is spectacular and memories of the experience will last a lifetime.

Get Married in a Gondola

In Italy, you can, in fact, get married in a Gondola while traversing the canals of Venice. Could there be anything more romantic? Of course, actually getting yourselves and your friends and families could prove to be a little costly.

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Celebrating Valentine’s Day Apart

There are a number of reasons why a couple may find themselves spending Valentine’s Day apart. Couples who are in a long distance relationship, business trips, shifts which prevent couples from being together, sickness and family emergencies are just a few examples of reasons why a couple may find themselves spending Valentine’s Day apart. While you may certainly understand the reasons why you and your loved ones cannot be together on Valentine’s Day it does not make it any easy to deal with this situation. You may still feel sad and lonely if you find yourself in one of these situations. However, there is home for those who are spending Valentine’s Day apart from their loved ones, there are a few ways for making the day a lot more fun. This article will provide information on ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day apart in a number of different scenarios.

First, we will consider the case of a couple who is in a long-distance relationship. For this couple, they may be used to spending important days such as Valentine’s Day, anniversaries and other holidays apart so it may not be as difficult for them to deal with. However, there are ways this couple can still celebrate Valentine’s Day together. One way to do this is to both rent the same movie and watch it while on the phone together. This may run up your phone bill but if you have unlimited evening minutes you and your partner can chat away on your cell phones while you watch the movie together. You might even consider both ordering the same type of food such as pizza or Chinese food so you will feel even more together for a little while.

Next, we will consider a couple who finds themselves spending Valentine’s Day apart due to an unexpected business trip. This can be particularly difficult because the couple is not used to being apart on important days and likely did not have a great deal of time to prepare for spending the holiday apart. In this situation, the couple should discuss Valentine’s Day as soon as they realize they are going to be spending the holiday apart. While discussing it they can decide whether they want to celebrate before they separate or after they are reunited. It is also important for the couple to try to at least have some contact on Valentine’s Day even if it is over the phone or through email. This will allow the couple to feel like they are together in some way so they don’t get too lonely. Having flowers delivered to your loved one while you are separated is also a very thoughtful gesture.