Make Your Home a Fun Hub with Fall Playdates

Megan Gates - There’s no doubt that playdates are beneficial to kids. No matter how old your children are, playdates encourage sharing, taking turns, and socializing with others. But when it’s time for you to host the playdate, it can be challenging to know what to do! While there’s no need to throw a party-like atmosphere, a little preparation can go a long way.

There are a few things you’ll want to handle prior to the playdate to ensure that you get started on a good note. First, make sure your child puts away any toys that he or she doesn’t want to share. You may also want to place a few activities within reach for the kids, such as those that encourage them to play together. Good examples include arts and crafts, puzzles and board games. And of course, make the playdate suitable for the ages of the children. If you’re inviting a toddler, 45 minutes is adequate. Even older kids can get overtired, so limit the playdate to 2 hours or less.

One of the best places for a playdate is outside! Not only do you minimize a messy house, but being outside always seems to make kids play better. Don’t think you need to arrange an outing at the park, either. Open up the sandbox, play a round of catch or drag out the soccer nets. This fall, it's fun to rake leaves and jump in the piles! Have fun treats on hand such as popsicles, frozen lemonade, apple cider, or fresh fruit slushies. You can even let the kids help make some of these fun treats.

While outdoor playdates are always a hit, the weather may not cooperate. And some kids simply don’t enjoy what the outdoor has to offer. As long as you don’t mind the mess, opt for an arts-and-crafts playdate. Take out the play-doh, fun cookie cutters, and plastic utensils. For added fun, bake the kids’ creations so that they harden. If you have an easel, let children paint with tempera paints. Or, simply set out coloring pages that can be printed online for free, along with crayons and markers.

You can also bake treats with the kids and take pictures to email to the other child’s parents. Have the ingredients for cookies or brownies measured out. Then let the kids mix the ingredients and wait for them to bake up. Just be sure that the child you're hosting doesn’t have any allergies you should know about. You can also let the kids pick their own ingredients such as white chocolate or milk chocolate chips, dried fruits, and different colored sprinkles. 

If you have an active playdate on your hands, encourage the kids to build a fort. Drag out blankets and pillows, as well as old boxes and containers. Let the kids use plastic dishes and pots and pans to “cook” with inside their fort. Or let the kids put on a dress-up show and provide them with fun clothes, shoes, and jewelry to inspire their imaginations. Take pictures, upload them to the computer, and you can all make a slideshow with music. 

To bring the playdate to a close, clean up the toys and set out a quiet activity such as books.

Megan Gates is an active blogger who provides written work to the blogosphere pertaining to New York Real Estate, Suffolk Rentals, home improvement and the latest architecture, design and fashion. Follow her on twitter @MEGatesDesign.

Bring Out Your Favorite Summer Blooms for Weddings

June is one of the most popular months for marriages in the US, and has been for decades. With the near-assuredness of summer warmth without the heat and humidity of July and August, June is a dainty lady. Outdoor weddings are popular in June, as couples take full advantage of some of the year's best weather.

Perhaps more than any other reason, however, June and July appeal to brides for their incredible floral abundance. While modern farming and shipping allows for almost any bloom, at almost any time, anywhere, seasonal blooms are preferred for cost reasons. In the US there are few months, if any, that offer more seasonal blooms than June and July.

Delphinium, a beautiful purple-blue flower popular in large, English-style gardens, blooms in early summer and makes for a dramatic wedding flower. A hardy, long stem supports endless clusters of the delicate petals, perfect for a draped bouquet. Delphinium comes in shades of lavender but can be found in a rich, cobalt blue - a rare flower indeed, and hard to beat for drama.

(Delphinium via Aunt Owwee on Flickr)

(Delphinium bouquet)

Another long stem June/July beauty perhaps unparalleled for drama and romance is the Calla lily. Calla lillies, most popular in pure creamy white, offer an architectural foil to multi-petal flowers. With their long green stems and delicate, bell-shaped flowers, Callas punctuate bouquets but look incredible on their own. A simple cluster of stems tied with a simple ribbon exudes a refined elegance. If the stems are short, the bouquet is a bit prim. If left long and draped over the arm, a calla lily bouquet is the ultimate for a modern bride.

(Calla lily bouquet)

(Long stem calla lily bouquet)

Hydrangeas, with their big, fluffy heads of tiny petals, are very popular for summer centerpieces. Their size alone means a single bloom can fill a lot of real estate (and fill it well) and their abundance keeps the price relatively low. Happy brides who love the preppy romance of hydrangea are even happier to know that white (and a very pretty white at that) is one of hydrangea's natural colors. Brides looking for a little more punch can opt for shades of baby pink, fuchsia, and occasionally, purple and Dutch blue.

(Blue hydrangea via Wendy Cutler on Flickr)

(White hydrangea bouquet)

Cosmos, a delicate, symmetrical flower, is almost an archetype. With its center surrounded by big looping petals, cosmos is the real version of the flower any 4-yr old might draw. This simplicity and familiarity lends a sweetness to this hardy plant, and few brides can resist cosmos' straightforward appeal. Cosmos is readily available in shades of baby pink, rich pink, white, and more - but one variety stands above the rest and makes for a perfect bouquet flower for brides looking for serious drama: chocolate cosmos. As their name might suggest, chocolate cosmos are rich burgundy ranging to deep chocolate brown. The texture of their petals combined with the color gives the impression of luxurious fabric.

(Wild cosmos)(Chocolate cosmos bouquet)

Colorful and hardy dahlias are an excellent choice for a late June/July summer wedding. Grown all over the US and North America, this popular flower comes in an almost endless variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, from tiny to almost 10" wide. Even better for a bride? They can last up to a week after cutting.

(Dahlias via Muffet on Flickr)Of course, a June/July wedding is not a real wedding without the incomparable rose. Roses have a reputation that precedes them, which is both good and bad. Some brides may turn their nose up at what they perceive to be an overly popular plant - popular in the bad sense - but roses are famous because they are beautiful, and come in endless varieties and colors sure to complement any taste.

(Rose via Suchitra on Flickr)

(Rose bouquet via Muffet on Flickr)

(Pink rose via elvissa on Flickr)

Feeling overwhelmed by the beauty? It doesn't stop. These are just a handful of the many, many flowers available for June and July weddings. It is no wonder that brides can't resist celebrating their nuptials amongst such an abundance.

This article reprinted with permission from the Sheffield School. Interested in planning weddings and wedding flowers? The Sheffield Wedding & Event Planning course teaches everything you need to know to orchestrate a memorable event, from creating a guest list, to hiring vendors, to creating a beautiful wedding design.