Slow Down and Write a Thank You Note

Now I'm as much a victim of the techno-now, instant-everything world as anyone (having a blog speaks to that, eh?). But it's nice to see that good old-fashioned letter writing is getting its due as a source of true gratification.

The Financial Times reported this weekend on the "Slow Down Festival" being hosted in London—its purpose to reconnect people in the fast lane with the pleasures of the slow one. The event stems from the world's financial slowdown, however, the topics are relevant no matter what speed your planet is moving.

Among the activities and workshops:

- A long, slow group walk across the London Bridge as rush hour

- Poetry readings

- Meditation lessons

And of course my favorite,

- How to write for snail mail

There are few things as mutually fulfilling as sending and/or receiving a kind note, especially one on paper that seems a shame to toss out, so that months later when you find it again at the bottom of a drawer or tucked in a page as a forgotten bookmark, it still evokes a memory, a smile, and a warm feeling about one particular person.

That's the good thing about good manners. They slow you down enough to smile no matter what lane of life you're running in.

Safari Party: Lion Invitation

I've got two little wild things at my house -- this party theme was perfect for both of them.

Invitations

The king of the jungle roars out the party details when you open his mouth wide.

Party Favors

I went a little wild myself on this one. Each child got a plastic safari hat (available at party supply stores like Zurcher's for about $1), a t-shirt stenciled with the same lion as on the invite (found cheap t-shirts at an overstock store and at that point in my mothering life had boundless energy to do stuff like stenciling...), and a pair of "binoculars" fashioned out of empty toilet paper tubes (or when you run out of them, paper towel tubes cut in half). The binoculars came in handy during the Lion Hunt game.

Food

This party was for 4- and 5-year olds, so safari gourmet it was not. But the titles on the menu raised little eyebrows. "Giant Fried Butterfly Wings" were potato chips. "Boiled Snakes" were hot dogs. And apple and banana slices became "Orangutan Hors D'oeuvres."

For the birthday cake, we made a basic 8" round cake, frosted it orange, and cut out tiger stripes from fruit leather. Nilla wafers were the big cat's muzzle. Pretty easy for a homemade cake, and the kids loved it.

Good Manners: Great Sportsmanship in Little League

Good Manner Watch: At a little league baseball tournament this weekend, a 10-year-old team showed amazing skills in more ways than one. Sadly for us, the Little Bronx Bombers from Las Vegas trounced our team -- but talk about taking away the sting. After the game end, the team lined up facing the opposing players and fans and applauded. They then gave props to their own parents by doing the same.

Kudos for true Good Sportsmanship!

Dress up party: go out all decked out

I'm going to the opera tonight -- not everyone's cup of tea, I'll admit. But a "fancy night out" might just be a girl's dream come true. How about a party for a few good friends who dress up in their best finery and attend a matinee opera (try something light like a Mozart comedy or an operetta), musical theater, the ballet, a play, or the symphony. For younger kids who might not master a full performance (or who's parents can't justify the full ticket prices), some companies will allow small groups to attend a dress rehearsal for no or little charge. 

Follow (or begin) the party with a tea party, at home or at a fancy little sandwich and cookie place. I've heard The Beehive Tea Room in Salt Lake City is good. Anybody been there?

Good Manners: Kids wish President Obama well

Talk about a good manner that'll make a whole country feel good. These kids wrote letters to President Obama wishing him well in his new job. My favorite: Alexis Feliciano asks him to please help the economy, because her cup of whipped cream at Starbucks has gone from 43¢ to 74¢. 

A girl's got to have her whipped cream, you know.

Letters were collected by literacy program 826 and put in a book called "Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country." You can hear them on McSweeney's web site and reported on by This American Life. Take a listen -- these few minutes of good manners guaranteed to make you feel really good. 

Big thanks from Little Brothers and Sisters

Over the last month, we've had a lot of interest—and thanks expressed from the birthday kids, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, and the media. 

A shout out to our incredibly talented photographer, Alise Allen, and to our Youth Board who made the event come together: John Gardner, Sam Lennartson, Dallas Anderson, Tami Hales, Gabby Jessop, Ashely Wilkinson, and Karli Rodriguez.

Construction Party Game: Wrecking Ball

Another great game that the kids played over and over again while waiting for their parents to pick them up!

Wrecking Ball Game

Before the party, use a variety of empty boxes to make a "cityscape" of buildings. For instance, a paper milk carton became an apartment building. A cereal box was a skyscraper. An empty paper towel tube was a smokestack, etc. etc. This was a great project to involve my kids in party prep. We covered the boxes in butcher or construction paper and drew on the building details with markers.

Also before the party, fill a black 9"-round balloon with dry beans. (Put a funnel in the mouth of the balloon and slowly pour the beans in.) The balloon is your wrecking ball; fill it until it's got some good weight (enough to knock over your largest box). You probably want to use about a cup of beans, but see what looks right to you. Knot the balloon so it closely holds the beans inside. Tie a long ribbon or string around the knotted balloon and suspend it from the ceiling. (We used a ceiling hook that you'd use for a hanging plant -- it was small and easily removed later.) The length of the string should let the wrecking ball hang about 2-3" above the surface of the table you'll use.

Set up your box cityscape on a table and place the table a few feet away from the wrecking ball.

To play, each child stands in a pre-determined spot next to the hanging wrecking ball. The player can raise the ball from where he/she is standing (let the ball go from their raised arm -- definitely NO throwing) and lets the ball swing! The wrecking ball will swing forward and knock down the boxes. Give each player the same number of swings (3-5 is good, unless the kids are pretty young) and see how many buildings they can tip over.

Construction Party Game: Dump Truck Relay

I almost hate to categorize "Construction Party" under Boys Parties, because boys and girls alike were having a great time with these games! None of them were store-bought and they're pretty easy to put together with a little planning.

Dump Truck Relay Race

I took the lids off two large shoe boxes and decorated the sides to make each box look like the bed of a dump truck. (I just used yellow construction paper and markers and cut out the shapes freehand before gluing them on the sides of the boxes.) Then, I poked a hole in each corner of the box bottom and threaded some lightweight rope through the holes to make two straps for the box (like a backpack). Use duct tape to tape down the ends of the rope inside the box, or knot the end so it doesn't pull through.

Also in advance, make a big ol' pile of "rocks" by wadding up pieces of newspaper or paper from your recycling bin. You'll want a big pile -- a good 80-100 rocks will make for a great relay!

At the party, divide the kids into two teams. The first person on each team puts on the dump truck "backpack" and crawls across the room on hands and knees to his/her other teammates. The teammates fill the truck bed with paper "rocks" and the driver crawls back to the opposite side of the room where he/she dumps the rocks at the construction site. The driver can then get up, run back to the team, and give the dump truck backpack to the next driver on the team.

The winning team is the group who successfully moves the most paper rocks to their construction site -- but it's harder than it looks! With all the guaranteed giggling, rocks will fall out in transit. You might want to make a rule that the non-drivers on the team need to clean up the road while the truck's in transit. (They have to put the loose rocks back at the starting line -- no putting them in the truck while it's moving!)

Construction Party: Dump Truck Invitation

Got a truck lover in the house? This dump truck invitation was a favorite for my 5-year-old and friends. The truck bed pivots like a dump truck to reveal the party info underneath. Ours stayed on the fridge door for weeks after the party, and little hands "dumped" it over every time they passed by.