What a Pineapple Under the Sea, Where's Spongebob!

What a Pineapple Under the Sea, Where's Spongebob!

Who lives in a pineapple, under the sea? Spongebob Squarepants! Spongebob is one of the hottest new characters out, and children and adults both love him and his show. A Spongebob Squarepants party would be a great theme for both kids and adults who love the yellow guy!

You can find Spongebob Squarepants party supplies in any party planning store. There are plates, napkins, cups, tablecloths and silverware that come in yellow with Spongebob’s face. There are also themes which have him and the rest of the characters on his show, including, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Crab and Plankton.

One of the best piñata’s around is Spongebob. He is large and square and easy to fill with all of your favorite candies. Other decorations include balloons, streamers, wall hangings and table pieces. They can be plain colors or bought to match your chosen motif.

Every party needs games! Pretend your guests are all crabby patty flippers. Use a spatula, cardboard or felt to resemble a crabby patty and an apron. Divide your group into teams. Each person at the front of the team wears the apron and carries the crabby patty on top of the spatula to a “bun” on the other side of the room. Who ever can race the most patties to the other side wins!

Prizes to give away can include any number of trinkets like bouncy balls, paddle balls or Spongebob stickers and tattoos. Candy can also be found to look like Spongebob or even a gummy crabby patty. Party stores have rows of prizes to include in treat bags to send home with kids (or kids at heart).

A craft to make with the kids would be a take home Spongebob. Buy yellow sponges and let the kids color his brown pants on. Glue big googly eyes on and they have a work of art!

Scooby Doo, Where Are You?

Use this famous motto from the television cartoon at your Scooby Doo theme party. Someone was always asking the questions, so you can too! Make your first game a find the Scooby stuffed animal. Whoever finds him gets a prize!

To get guests to your Scooby party, send out Scooby or bone shaped invitations from the party store. They will also carry treat bags, wall decorations and party favors to give away for the games. Balloons, crepe paper, plates and cups are also made to match any Scooby motif you choose to follow.

All great Scooby Doo parties, whether they are birthday or not, need a Scooby shaped cake. Party supply stores have specialty cake pans in the shape of your favorite character. Matching candles, frosting and sprinkles can be found to adorn the cake or cupcakes for your party. Other foods to serve and follow your theme can be bone shaped sandwiches, “puppy chow,” or any food with a dog name.

Other games to play can be pin the Scooby snack in Scooby’s mouth. A Scooby piñata filled with all of your favorite candy is a fun way to celebrate too. If the guests attending are old enough and can read, create a “Scooby style” mystery and let them solve it. Using saran wrap and construction paper, have them make a magnifying glass to find clues to solve their mystery. Winner gets a whole box of Scooby snacks!

For quiet entertainment, watch a Scooby movie or television show. Find a giant stuffed or inflatable Scooby Doo character and take every guests picture with it. Send a copy with the thank you note or print it from the computer that day. Each guests will have a way to remember the great Scooby theme party they attended at your house. Save time to open the presents and eat cake too.

Of Brothers, Power and Genes

It’s ended now, hopefully, but until a while ago they were squabbling - like dogs? Children? Enemies? Or what?

What makes a brother fight brother, I wonder! What makes one brother treat another like the biggest of enemies?

If at all there is anyone in the world who can truly understand one, it is a brother or a childhood friend…and, yes, a sister in the case of a girl, with exceptions, of course! Yet, brothers fight brothers and have been doing so for centuries. Some have gone to the extent of exiling their brothers or even stopping them short with a well-directed knife in the heart, from behind!

I know, there are theories of all sorts – sibling rivalry et al. But, is that all? I mean, even when the brothers are not kids any more and therefore, are not really fighting for their parents’ love (what with many of them having already departed for their unearthly abodes and so on), they keep at it. And, sometimes, they fight over trifles. Mostly over inheritance rights, even when there is more than they can use in a lifetime or seven. Everyone saw the recent bigfight on TV, newspapers etc. The inheritance in question was a mindnumbing sum running into tens of thousands of crores. If one of them had agreed to even a mere one percent of the sum in question, he would have had enough to last many lifetimes except, of course, that the one with 99% would have all the power and the one with 1% very little - in comparison. So, I guess, it’s all about power.

Yes, power – that is the one thing all men (or shall I say, most) desire most. Power means wealth, influence, the ability to spread one’s genes far and wide, just as the crafty Chenghiz Khan did some hundred years ago (I forget the actual dates). Yes, he was powerful, wealthy, conquered and controlled large territories and most importantly, sowed his oats with wild abandon, becoming in the process, the most successful man ever – in the spread-my-genes-far-and-wide stakes.

I wonder, how many brothers today who squabble with their kin and stab them in the back and front, have the balls to do what Chenghiz did. If they can’t do so, their best bet would be to let their brothers, with a similar gene pool, continue to prosper and do well and spread their collective genes.

Boy! I have come a long way – from brotherhood to fatherhood! I think I ought to stop this rambling right here, before my brother reads this and gets a peek into my mind, claiming all my share of paternal property (or at least, 99%of it).

Is it better to take less and live happily or is it better to fight over the smallest crumbs and spend one’s life paying lawyers, picnicking in courts and filing false accusations against each other? I wonder!

Relationships: Five Little Things You Can Do to Cultivate a Peaceful and Happy Home Life

Today's typical couple is busier than ever. Whether you're working overtime, shlepping the kids around, traveling or fulfilling social obligations, life at home can be a chaotic scene. But is this any excuse to let good-old-fashioned manners and consideration go out the window? Of course not. A peaceful and loving home starts by showing respect and courtesy to your spouse and children. Here are five little reminders to keep you on good behavior!

1. Remember your manners.

Kindness and consideration go a long way. Don't interrupt when another family member is speaking. Make please, thank you, may I, and excuse me part of your daily repetoire. Apologize if you've accidentally hurt someone's feelings. Give others the benefit of the doubt.

2. Eat meals together.

Sure, life on the run has everyone grabbing a quick meal when they can, but quality time is the key ingredient to a happy family life. Even if it's just once a week, schedule a day when everyone can sit down together at the table and enjoy a home-cooked dinner and some good conversation.

3. Be a unified parental front.

If Mom and Dad can't agree on what the rules are, let alone enforce them, you can be sure that your kids will have the upper hand and the two of you will be left feeling ineffective and resentful of each other. Lay down the law and present yourselves as a Unified Parental Front!

4. Listen to each other.

Sure, Moms and Dads often know best, but that doesn't mean shutting your mind to what your children have to say. Listen to each other with open hearts and minds, and start your children on the path to positive communication and great relationships.

5. Never go to bed angry.

Sure, disagreements happen from time to time, but there is no better indicator of a secure and loving home than agreeing to put differences aside when the lights go out each night. Explain to your children that even though you and your spouse don't always see eye to eye, it doesn't mean you don't love each other. Same goes for the kids!

Now more than ever before, we must instill solid family values in our children. The best way to teach them to respect others is to show respect for each other in our own homes.

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.