Fun Celebrations of St. Patrick's Day For The Whole Family

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It is the Lenten Season and Catholics observe fasting and abstinence during this season. However, with St. Patrick's Day falling during the period of Lent, people who celebrate in honour of St. Patrick find that one day as a time for merriment.

Here are fun ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the whole family without getting inebriated and hanging out in pubs. Enjoy the festive moment with those you love in these surefire ways of family entertainment.

Play the bingo

B-I-N-G-O! It's nice to yell Bingo and get those wonderful prizes your family has set to make this game more enjoyable. You can do this at home or have a small family reunion at the nearby park, grab your cute bingo cards and start calling out numbers.  Maybe have a pot-luck with the prizes so even the small kids can enjoy shouting their first BINGO!

Get a free St. Patrick's Day BINGO cards theme here: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/stpatricksdayprintable/ss/St-Patricks-Day-Bingo-Game-Cards.htm

Photo credit: familycrafts.about.com

Watch the parade

Photo credit: redtri.com

Check your local community's listing for any events on St. Patrick's Day and be a part of it whether you are an spectator or a member of the parade or the band. Dress up in nice St. Patrick's Day costumes too if you want. Dress the entire family in lovely shades of green and frolic around town to enjoy the festivities.

You can buy cute and fun costumes and accessories at BuyCostumes for your St. Patrick's Day.





And please don't leave out the pooch in the fun! Even your dogs can join the St. Patrick's Day parade in fun costumes!

Leprechaun Pet Costume

Make crafty stuff

Arts and crafts are so much fun especially you can never go wrong with creativity! Make some cute Paddy's day crafts with the little ones and let them decorate with gusto!

Photo credit: fun.familyeducation.com

Prepare some "green" food for the party

Prepare "green" food to serve for your St. Patrick's Day party. Engage your whole family in the preparation and let each one have something to do as part of their contribution.

I have posted some easy to prepare green snack for St. Patrick's Day in my Home Is Where The Heart Is blog. Check it out for the recipes!

Picnic at the park

Spring is almost upon us and it will be a lovely day to soak up the sun with your family and friends at the park. Set up your nice tents or bring out the picnic table for everyone. Bring "green" foods that are St. Patrick's Day themed and just enjoy the simple pleasure of being with the people you love. Have some games too if you like and that will surely keep the little one active.



What ever it is you have decided to do this St. Patrick's Day, remember to capture those special moments with the people who truly matter. Have fun!

Safety Precautions To Take When Handling Firecrackers

Photo credit: dreamstine.com

It is that time of the year again when people are scurrying to buy their firecrackers to welcome the coming of the new year with fanfare. Some people prefer to celebrate quietly in the comforts of their homes or with their relatives and friends while some prefer to celebrate with a bang, and I hope not literally.

Firecrackers can be both entertaining and dangerous at the same time. While it is nice to see and appreciate the creativity of how the firecrackers explode to show off beautiful colorful sparkles of lights and sounds, it can also emit dangerous chemicals and cause fire when things go wrong.

If you are one of those who prefer to celebrate New Year using firecrackers, it is best to keep a tab of these tips to ensure a safe, hazard and fire-free New Year celebrations with the ones you love.

• Always purchase firecrackers from known manufacturers with good safety standing.

• Read the laws about firecrackers and know what is legal or not and if possible, stay safe by buying only firecrackers that are allowed by the law.

• Read and follow the manufacturers instructions and warnings on how to safely light and handle firecrackers.

• Keep water or a water hose ready just in case you need to dose of a fire. 

• Do not hold a firecracker when lighting it. 

• Wear a safety goggles. You may look weird or overly dressed for the occasion but the rule of thumb is better be safe than sorry!

• Do not point firecrackers at the audience/

• Do not leave firecrackers in your pocket as they may catch fire and also combust.

• Do not let kids light firecrackers. Never!

With all these safety tips in mind, please be careful and practice extreme caution when handling firecrackers. Avoid using them if you can and settle for the old-fashioned way of welcoming the New Year with loud, clanging noises coming from hitting pots and pans, playing loud music, honking your cars momentarily or simply cheering "Happy New Year."

Be safe everyone and enjoy the coming year!

Shop For Your July 4th Party Supplies Now!

June will be over in few days time and July will be rolling in quickly. The next thing you know it, it's already July 4th! If you're planning to host a great bbq and fun activities with your family and friends this 4th of July, grab your favorite party wares and supplies now from Celebrate Express from BuySeasons.

Get your patriotic party favors and supplies while they last and enjoy Independence Day feeling proud and happy! Click the image below to shop. Have fun! Enjoy the celebration of your Freedom!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

Happy Valentine's Day 2013!

They say, Valentine's Day is so overrated. And yet, it's still a big hit to most people. No matter how much other people criticize this Love day, it is always going to be special to some.

So, to everyone who is celebrating this day of the Heart, may you have many lovely surprises to find. And to those who are still on the prowl for that special someone to come along, do not despair! You can always celebrate "love" day when you find your "the-right-one" any time of the year. Love and loving does not happen singularly on February 14! :)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL!

Safety First This New Year

Christmas has come and gone and people are now anticipating the coming of 2011. A lot of you may celebrate New Year with a bang, quite literally. However, here in Dubai, residents are not allowed to hold their own fireworks display at home. Maybe some who have permission but it is done by big hotels only or the government body.

So, New Year is rather safe here. We just watch the fireworks from the distance and it is being set up by the professionals. For those of you who are going to have fireworks display, just bear in mind these simple tips to avoid any accidents or mishaps you may regret.

1. Keep all your fireworks in a safe place, preferably away from the reach of children.

2. Don't put your fireworks near hot areas like stoves, fireplace and kilns. This is rather common sense!

3. Set up your fireworks in a vacant yard or at least few feet away from the residential area or where the public has access. You don't want your fireworks to accidentally "blast" on unwitting passers-by.

4. If you need to light up your fireworks the conventional way, i.e., use of a match, please wear protective gloves like the ones used by construction workers.

5. Tie a candle on a long stick and use it to light your fireworks from a distance.

6. Do not fire "weapons." Period!

7. Tap the pots and pans instead if you want to make some noise or put your stereo on for some nice and non-deafening music. 

We have managed to live without the frivolities of fireworks display for many years now. It is a welcome respite though, to see the magnificent display brought by the professionals as sponsored by the government and hoteliers here in Dubai from a very safe distance. Although the celebration back in the Philippines is really missed, I would rather settle for a simple and safe welcoming of 2011 than find my fingers all over the place. If you know what I mean.

So, let us keep it safe and simple. If we can avoid not setting up fireworks then let us do so. However, if one intends to welcome 2011 with grand display of fireworks, be my guest. Just be cautious and have a first aid kit within reach just in case.

Happy New Year everyone. Where ever you may be. Have a safe and peaceful 2011!

Cinco De Mayo today!!!

Happy Cinco de Mayo to all my friends in the southern region of America who are celebrating this festive occasion. Enjoy!

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Easter Greetings 2010

Celebrate and rejoice for the Lord has risen.

Happy Easter everyone.

May this season "springs" new hope. God Bless.

This Coming Christmas

Christmas is slowly peeking from the corner. Next time you know it, we are singing Christmas carols, sipping hot chocolate near the fireplace, having guests for Christmas Eve and finally opening Christmas presents under the tree.

Well, I think our Christmas will not be the same as last year or the years before that. I remember preparing my Christmas gifts to buy as early as June. I started buying my presents months before the major rush. All my gifts were neatly placed under our Christmas tree. That was the previous year.

It is already mid-October and I haven't even prepared any Christmas gifts' list this year. I think I will skip on the gift-giving for the time being because honestly, money is quite scarce and I am not sure if I can stretch my budget to accommodate gift-giving. It is at this point where I ponder if gift-giving is truly necessary to be able to celebrate Christmas. I know it's not always the material stuff but it does bring joy to the children, right? However, with the calamities hitting my motherland left and right and the ongoing recession, I think my solemn prayers for mankind will suffice to feel and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

Thankful for...

Thanksgiving is not just a celebration of getting together to enjoy the bounty of a good harvest or eating a big turkey for dinner. It is something where we offer our thanks to the Lord for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. There are so many things we should be thankful for despite the current situation surrounding us at the moment. Let us be glad that we have family and friends to share our love with, a job to pay for our bills, children to bring joy in our lives, a roof on our heads, clothing to keep us warm, food on our tables, and a life to live. These are few of the many things I am very grateful for and I pray that I may be able to share these blessings in any form, great or small.

Lord, I thank you for everything.

Happy 4th of July!

To all my friends who are celebrating the 4th of July.
Have a good, fun and safe one!