Neighborhood Block Party

We hosted another neighborhood block party on Friday night. This time we hosted with 7 other families in our neighborhood as part of an outreach event through our church. I'll tell more about the outreach part in another email, but I wanted to share some of the party logistics, in case you want to host a similar event in your neighborhood.

• Eight families got together over a Mexican Fiesta potluck to talk about the vision and plan for our party.
  
• We printed invitations and knocked on every door in our neighborhood, inviting them to the party. Knocking on their doors offered so many opportunities for conversations about life, dreams, sickness, needs, church... It was really cool!
  
• We borrowed chairs from a neighbor and set them up in circles around the yard. We also borrowed a camping canopy to shield some of the sun.
  
• We had a welcome table, to give out nametags and invite people to sign up for the neighborhood email list. Host team members worked together to personally greet each guest and start conversations with them.
  
• The church provided hamburgers, hotdogs and chips for the party. We invited neighbors to bring their favorite homemade dessert for a Neighborhood Dessert Bake-Off. Volunteers from our team set-up the food and made sure everything stayed stocked.
  
• For the kids, we set up 2 bounce-arounds in the backyard, tubs of bubbles, a cornhole game, and tubs of sidewalk chalk. The kids played dodgeball inside the bounce-around, which was so funny! The teenagers from our host teams were great - they made it their mission to make sure all the kids were safe doing the activities.
• We were too busy hosting to get a headcount, but we think we had about 130-150 folks from all sections in our neighborhood - from age 9months to 69! We were so pleased and so blessed!
  

Neighborhood Gatherings - Summer Party Ideas - part 2

Inexpensive Entertainment for Summer Parties

bubbles
face painting
finger painting
guess how many jar (m&ms or peppermints)
play dough sculptures (homemade playdough)
sidewalk chalk competition
skateboard or bike ramp
Silly String Fights
water balloon toss
water balloon volleyball
yo-yos
twister
hula hoop competition
hullabaloo
frisbees
bounce arounds (if families share the cost)

Neighborhood Gatherings - Summer Party Ideas

Free (or almost free) Entertainment for Parties

basketball shooting contests
charades stage
dance contest
four square
hopscotch
Kid's talent show
limbo
magic tricks
obstacle course
bicycle obstacle course
paper airplane flying competition
puppet theater (also make paper bag or sock puppets)
relays
sack races
Slip and slide (homemade)
street hockey
three-legged races
volleyball

Neighborhood Gatherings - The Power of Getting People Together

You can greatly impact the people that live around you by taking time to gather them together.

• People recognize faces, and they'll wave when passing by.
• People learn one another's names, and they'll say hello.
• People saying hello leads to a more friendly neighborhood.
• People say hello, and they might ask for a cup of sugar when they need it at the last minute.
• People that have a relationship are more likely to respect one another's property.
• People that care about one another will watch out for one another and their children.
• People that care about one another share resources with one another (wheelbarrows, flower bulbs, babysitting, tomatoes...)
• People that know one another live in a safe neighborhood.
• People that know one another might lead to people helping one another through tough times (new babies, sickness, grieving, death)
• People that discover commonalities might start sharing life with one another.
• People that converse with one another might have the opportunity to talk about Christ.
• People that talk about Christ might discover or reignite a passion for Christ.
• People that love Christ love others.

It's so easy to be friendly to your neighbors, and it's not hard to gather your neighbors together for a party or gathering. Recently I posted about How to Host a Neighborhood Party, so you can click the link to read strategies for hosting a neighborhood gathering.

This week, I'll be sharing simple and inexpensive ideas for summer get-togethers. And I'd love to hear YOUR favorite ideas!

Neighborhood Tea Party

I smiled when I saw Lindsey's post at Passionate Homemaking. She's getting ready for an Autumn Ladies Tea - another great idea for neighborhood gatherings.

She shares about her philosophy of hospitality, some great resources for practicing hospitality, and some really yummy recipes.

Lindsey writes a very inspirational blog. She updates it regularly, sharing practical ideas for being a woman like God - loving, serving, encouraging, and engaging people in her life.

How to Host a Great Neighborhood Party

We had a great time hosting our neighborhood pumpkin carving and chili party Friday night. We had almost 50 people join us from all different parts of the neighborhood. The kids ran around like crazy, having a great time, while the adults sampled four different kinds of chili. Then we went outside to carve pumpkins together.

We believe that it's important to build and nurture a sense of community in our neighborhood. It creates safer community, where people care about one another. It creates a more joyful neighborhood, where people greet one another and actually talk to one another. And it's just fun!

It's easy to host a neighborhood gathering. You don't need lots of money, or a big house, or the best backyard in the neighborhood. You just need to plan ahead and ask for help!

Tips for planning an easy get-together

1. Outdoor parties are almost always easier, so use your patio or driveway if the weather permits. Some neighborhoods will even let you block off a street, if you want to involve the whole neighborhood.
2. Collect email addresses as you meet people. I keep the addresses in a word document along with the family names and ph#s. I also keep a neighborhood contact list on my email account.
3. Use evite as your primary invitation source. I know it's not fancy, but it's so easy to use! You can use it to track party #s and party supplies (see #4)
4. Host a potluck style event. Make a list of everything you need for the party (food, drinks, paper products...) and split them up into equal 'portions'. Use evite's 'ask guests to bring something' feature to invite your neighbors to pitch in. Most people want to bring something to help, so they'll be glad to help out.
5. Print out some paper invitations to include new neighbors that you haven't yet met or neighbors that don't utilize email.
6. Ask 1-2 friends to come early to help you do last minute preparations and stimluate conversations among the guests. New neighbors might be very shy, so you might have to initiate conversations until they are comfortable.
7. Use nametags, so people can see and hear names - they'll be more likely to remember them!
8. Have a sign-up list for people to share their contact info.
9. If you're having fun, mention the possibility of getting neighbors together again. If someone is especially enthusiastic about hosting another event, invite them to help with the planning. I think our neighborhood gals are going to start a bi-monthly Bunco night!
10. Be flexible - it's going to be messy and a little crazy. But it will be a lot of fun, and it's totally worth the effort!

Easy party ideas:

• Superbowl Soup & Salads
• Valentine's Day cookie swap
• St. Patrick's Day Irish get together (green foods)
• Memorial Day family softball game and picnic at a local park (thanks for the idea Mary & Stu!)
• July 4th bike parade and cookout
• Back porch watermelon & popsicle parties (thanks for the idea Ginger & Chan!)
• Back to school party (thanks for the idea Heather)
• Pumpkin carving party
• Christmas crafts party (for adults or kids)
• Christmas caroling and cider party

I copied this link 3 months ago, but I never shared it with you. It's a list of 100 things to do together over the weekend - spending zero cash!

On our list this weekend:

• Play board games - with and without kids!
• Bake a loaf of homemade bread - a new friend just gave me some friendship bread starter!
• Meet your neighbors - we've been going door-to-door inviting neighbors to a pumpkin carving party. :)
• Play football / soccer - my sons have been playing sports with the neighbors a lot this week.
• Do some networking - I've been reconnecting with friends & colleagues, announcing our new book.
• Build some paper airplanes - with family friends coming to stay with us this weekend, the 4 boys in the house will love making and flying airplanes!

And they have 94 more ideas for you and your family to do together this weekend!

Win an Ice Cream Party

If you want to win an ice cream party for your neighborhood, all you have to do is write a short essay about why YOUR neighborhood deserves the party. Edy's ice cream will give away 1500 parties this summer.

We were one of the lucky winners last year, and it was so much fun to host a party for our neighborhood. It was so easy to coordinate and Edy's provided everything we needed for the party.

What do you have to lose? Click here to learn more.

If you win, I hope you'll let me know!

Make Your Mark
Little ways you can make a BIG difference

Live simply.
Use your professional skills to help your neighbors, church members, or community.
Shop and eat locally.
Give money to causes that are important to you.
Take time to help others (move, bake, carpool).
Plant a tree.
Recycle and buy recycled products.
Prioritize and be willing to say no.
Find a mentor and be a mentor.
Live life to the fullest.
Use your personality to bless other people and organizations.
Don’t gossip.
Do your best.
Seek forgiveness and forgive.
Use less energy.
Use water wisely.
Give thanks.
Use your hobbies to make a positive difference.
Cleanse your mind, body and spirit.
Stay physically active – and push yourself to be strong.
Drink water. Drink milk. And have an occasional glass of wine.
Write a personal and family mission statement.
Care for your nuclear and extended family.
Don’t keep up with the Jones’.
Rest.
Be financially savvy.
Vote. And challenge others to be active citizens.
Speak up when you have a passionate opinion.
Know the news
Laugh – a lot!
Use your faith as an inspiration to LOVE others, not judge or ostracize them.
Love boldly.Make your mark where you believe a mark needs to be made.


What are YOUR favorite ways to make a difference?
Who do you know that IS making a difference?

Cool Moms Care

This is a message I just received from my friend Anderson:

Well, our friends at CoolPeopleCare have launched yet another exciting and informative website called Cool Moms Care! I thought you might want to check it out and pass it on to any cool moms you know. If you like these sites, I also recommend their new book New Day Revolution -it's full of easy ideas to help revolutionize the way we live our daily lives. The guys that started this are good friends of mine and I am a big supporter their work. Check them out!

They have a newsletter, articles and a blog listed at the Cool Moms site. The articles looked really good, so I just added the Cool Moms link to my bloglines account. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE bloglines?

The Power of a Smile

"A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it. Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give."

- Author Unknown

Think of all the places where your smile can be powerful. With your husband, kids, colleagues, friends, kid's friends, clerks, other moms... Even when we are exhausted, we can still smile. It's a little choice that powerfully influences our lives and the lives of many others. Use your power!

Paper Doll Princess

My brother's family gave my son a make-your-own-finger-puppet kit for Christmas. We made one of them this morning - it's cute. I went exploring on The Little Experience (the puppet makers) website this morning and found the cutest paper dolls princesses! You print out their coloring pages, color the paper dolls, cut them out, and play! You're right - my only daughter is 16months old, so it will be awhile before we make paper dolls. But I can dream, right?

They have other free activities too - check them out! They're great for rainy & snowy day fun.

Meals for New Moms - and a great dish to add!
There is no better gift for a new mom than a meal for her family. I was always so blessed when a friend would bring a meal during those first few months of adjusting to a little one. One of my friends, Tricia, brought me this delightful carrot souffle when my 2nd child was born 3 years ago. I hate cooked carrots, so I didn't try it the first night. I took a tiny bite when I was cleaning up the dishes, and fell in love with the dish. These carrots are divine - great for a potluck supper, a holiday meal, or a meal for a new mom. And we're having them for dinner tonight. Thank you Tricia!!

Carrot soufflé
Serves 8

1 lb carrots peeled & sliced (I use canned carrots, drained)
salt to taste
½ c butter
½ c sugar
1t baking powder
3T flour
3 eggs
1t vanilla extract

Cook carrots in salt and water ‘til tender. Combine carrots with butter in food processor or blender ‘til smooth. Combine other ingredients with carrots. Put in baking dish. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Happy Birthday Baby

My little girl's first birthday was today. I can't believe it's been a year!

First birthdays in our house focus on the cake smashing. Little bit was so cute tonight. She picked up little chunks of chocolate cake and put them in her mouth. After a few pieces, she started handing chunks to daddy. Does that mean she's going to start sharing at an early age? Wouldn't that be nice!

Our family of 5 couldn't eat an entire bundt cake. Well, I COULD, but my husband would make fun of me all year! So we cut 3/4 of the cake into 2-4 piece servings to deliver to new neighbor friends. It was like a traveling birthday party, and a great excuse to connect with neighbors.

Happy Birthday little girl! :)

Neighborhood Playday

We hosted a casual playday for kids in our neighborhood today at Fundom Kids. It was really fun, and so easy to do.

• I made computer invitations with the time/date/place/cost.
• We went door-to-door inviting families that appeared to have young kids (wherever we saw swingsets, bikes, scooters...).
• I asked parents to rsvp via email (and I saved their email addresses for future invitations)
• I called the facility, to let them know we were having a playday.
• We all met at the playplace, where the kids could mingle, snack and play. No cleaning involved!

We live in a new neighborhood, so families don't yet know one another. I planned the gathering hoping to help me kids meet neighborhood kids, to help me meet other moms nearby, and to create a greater sense of caring community in the neighborhood. Four other families came to the playday - not too many, but I feel like we accomplished our goal. I look forward to doing more neighborhood events in the future.

Popcorn on the Porch

We made popcorn for an afternoon snack. The boys wanted to share it with our neighbors, so I offered to call them with an invitation. They wanted, instead, to go over to our neighbor's house with the popcorn. So we packed up a couple of bowls and walked across the street. We knocked on the door, and invited them to a spontaneous popcorn party on the porch. The kids ate and rode bikes, while the mom & I visited on the porch. It was a great way to spend an hour.

So if you're looking for a cheap & easy way to get to know your neighbors, go pop some popcorn and knock on a door. :)

Grandma's Chocolate Ice Cream

This is the recipe we always make for ice cream socials, family gatherings, and neighborhood parties. It's a tradition in my husband's family and it's sooooo yummy!

6 eggs
2 c sugar
2 qts half and half
1 pint whipping cream
16 oz Hershey’s syrup

Beat eggs ‘til frothy. Add sugar and beat ‘til fluffy. Mix in half and half, one quart at a time. Mix in whipping cream. Mix in chocolate syrup. Pour into a 4-quart ice cream freezer canister and freeze according to directions.

IF there is any leftover, freeze it in a tupperware container, and enjoy it another night.

Who are the People in Your Neighborhood?
How many of your neighbors do you know by name? Do you know their occupations, their children’s names, or any of their favorite hobbies? Summer is a great time to get to know your neighbors, building friendships that can strengthen neighborhoods, provide opportunities to share the gospel, and fortify our faith.

How Can I Meet People?
*Host an Ice Cream or Popsicle Party
*Invite your neighbor’s children to Summer JAM Park
*Lead a Backyard Bible Club
*Start a July Fourth bicycle parade for the kids.
*Host a picnic at a local park or school
*Start a neighborhood 4x4 Supper Club
*Invite a neighbor friend to a summer Bible study
*Host a playgroup for same-age children
*Prepare a meal for a family in need
*Invite neighbors to a community group function
*Greet people as they walk or drive by your house
*Compliment neighbors on their yard work or home design

Other Tips
*Exchange phone numbers for emergency contact.
*Make a neighborhood map to chart all the families you meet.
*Offer to check mail, care for animals, or water plants during neighbor’s vacations.
*Start a neighborhood watch group.