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Personalized, Handwritten Thank You Notes

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

In an era of texting, social media, and e-mail, the art of sending handwritten notes is fading.

With the passing my grandmother earlier this year, I treasure her handwritten birthday cards and notes of encouragement that I kept throughout the years.

No one else writes like my grandmother and seeing her handwriting brings back sweet memories. Her investment of time to handwrite those cards and notes continues to bless me today.

Learning the Skill

Writing thank you notes has been a part of my life. As an elementary-age girl, I still remember sitting at our kitchen table and writing my thank you notes after a birthday party or Christmas season. My mom taught me how to write personalized thank you notes that I continue to do today.

Expressing my gratitude with a handwritten note is more personal than shooting off an e-mail or Facebook post. Though there are times when I do send those messages, I value the personalized, handwritten notes for special occasions.

Practicing the Skill

Spending my time writing notes shows my gratitude for the recipient’s gift. After a party, event, or gathering, I write personalized, handwritten thank you notes expressing my appreciation to all the helpers. Without others’ assistance, these events would take more money, energy, and time.

In using time wisely, writing personalized, handwritten thank you notes is a small token of my appreciation for a job well done. Happy writing!

Question: How often do you write personalized thank you notes?

2012 Quick Tip Week: Keep your Brainstorming Notes

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Jeremy Mikkola)

Following quick tip #1 from the document category and quick tip #2 from the household category, we move to the category of event planning in our week of quick tips.

Whether you find yourself planning a birthday party, dinner with friends, or a fall festival, this next tip comes in handy throughout the planning process.

When choosing or accepting the role of party planner, I always begin with event notes. These brainstorming notes contain the possible as well as the near-impossible for carrying out the details for the event. Though most of these ideas never get acted upon, use this next tip for future reference while using time wisely.

Quick Tip #3: Keep your Brainstorming Notes

Through my brainstorming sessions, I jot down all sorts of ideas from schedules to themes to contacts for ideas. As the event takes on a form of its own, I have learned to file away my brainstorming notes.

During the execution phase, I have hit snags in the plan. Referring back to my brainstorming notes has offered suggestions and solutions during these need-a-fix-now situations. Keeping my brainstorming notes has saved me time and energy throughout the event planning process.

As you plan your events, remember to keep your brainstorming notes. In using time wisely, you can save energy and time coming up with a solution (again) by referring to your former ideas. Sometimes those notes will prompt another idea for an up-coming event, so save your notes. Happy planning!

Question: What tool do you use to spark your creativity when planning an event?

Event Planning: On the Job Training

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Growing up in a home where parties were the norm and not a rare occasion, I learned how to organize an event via on the job training. I can still remember arranging fruit and vegetables on trays, filling cups with ice, and counting plates and napkins. Those training sessions equipped me with skills I use today.

As I stay involved with many events, my children join in the process. By involving them and allowing them to help, I offer on the job training for event planning.

My oldest daughter loves to cook, clean, sort, and organize with me. Embracing her desire to help, I give her simple instructions, space to work, and time to complete the task.

Simple Instructions

While setting up for an open house, I received a request by my daughter to help. As I surveyed the tasks, I chose to give her the opportunity to place the pink and blue (Sweet n’ Low and Equal) packets into one bowl and the white (sugar) packets into another bowl. After having her repeat the instructions back to me, I left her to work.

Space to Work

I went to the kitchen to bring out the trays of goodies. When I returned, I checked my daughter’s work and praised her for continuing to sort.

Time to Complete the Task

Without rushing her, I gathered the other items and added them to a kitchen cart. When my daughter finished, we packed up the extra supplies and transferred the items from the cart to the table.

  

By giving my daughter simple instructions, space to work, and time to complete the task, she welcomed the praise she received for helping with the open house. What a joy to watch my daughter develop confidence by completing tasks alone!

As I continue assisting with events, I seek for ways to include on the job training while using time wisely. By teaching, demonstrating, and encouraging, I am providing opportunities for my children to develop, practice, and perfect their event planning skills.

If you have little ones close by that love to help while you are busy executing your plan, consider offering on the job training. You might save time with the extra help and nurture a special relationship in the process. Our little ones are watching and learning. They love the extra attention and opportunity to succeed alone. Happy training!

Questions: What tasks can you entrust to your child?

Blue’s Clues Birthday Party – Part 3 of 3

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Though I plan each birthday party, I know that there will be changes. I never know how my children will react on the day of the party. Sometimes they are all in and ready to play everything while other times they do not want the attention focused on them.

Having learned from past birthday parties, I try to have a backup plan or at least another option for those moments.

For my toddler’s Blue’s Clues party, we chose a theme and planned an itinerary. On the day of the party, we carried out our plan. I enjoyed the process as my toddler allowed Daddy, grandparents, and siblings to help her. Though the party was not perfectly executed, a bit of spontaneity kept everyone on their toes. 😉

Welcome

Since my toddler cannot turn the door knob on our front door, my son and older daughter opened the door when the guests arrive. My toddler remained down the hall waiting for her guests to come see her.

Games – Part 1 of 3

Blue’s Clues

After our guests arrived and had a few minutes to play, we began the game of Blue’s Clues. For our party, Blue was looking forward to something at this birthday party, and she left 3 clues to help us figure out Blue’s Clues.

The 6 children then began searching for Blue’s Clues. (We hid one clue at a time to avoid finding them out of order. During setup, Paul placed the first clue. Though I could have cut the clues out of paper, I just used the clues from her Halloween outfit since they were nice and big.)

The birthday girl found the first clue on the living room ceiling fan. It was really cute. The older children took turns drawing the clue in our handy-dandy notebook.

Hide and Seek Blue

During setup, I hid 6 Blue’s Clues items (2 figurines, 2 stuffed animals, and 2 bath mitts). With the 6 children paired up, the two 6-year-olds searched for the figurines while the two 4-year-olds and two 2-year-olds looked for the stuffed animals and bath mitts. Each child found one item. How cute it was to watch the older ones help the younger ones after finding their own.

Lunch

With our party beginning at 10:00 a.m. and the younger children used to eating lunch around 11:00 a.m., I tried to keep them on schedule. The children found their seats at the table, set with tableware, silverware, and place cards, while the parents served the food.

      

While the children ate at the table, the adults filled their plates and ate in the living room.

Games – Part 2 of 3

Pin the Paw on Blue

After lunch, we played the Blue’s Clues version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. The older children were blindfolded, but the younger ones just closed their eyes or placed the paw on Blue. 😉

  

Open Presents

The children all sat on the living room floor and waited for the birthday girl to open her gifts. Sometimes opening the presents is the hardest part with keeping the children back to removing the toys from the packaging to the commotion.

However, this gift opening session went very well. While the grandpas removed the toys from their packaging, we continued with our games.

Games – Part 3 of 3

Blue’s Clues

During lunch, I placed the second paw print on my daughter’s portrait. When the participants found it, we drew the clue into our handy-dandy notebook.

While drawing the second clue, Paul placed the third clue on a candle. The guests quickly found the third clue, added it to our handy-dandy notebook, and deciphered Blue’s Clues. Blue was ready for the birthday girl to blow out her candle.

Sing, Blow Candle, and Cake

After singing, my daughter blew out her candle (with help), and we served cake at the table with the children sitting in their lunch seating arrangement.

  

Thank you and Goody Bags

As the children finished their dessert, they went to play. My daughter then distributed the goody bags, made from brown paper bags with a paw print and a guest’s name on the front. The goodies included: blowouts, straws, flying disks, jewelry (girls) and action figures (boys).

Play with new toys and goody bag items

The participants finished the party by checking out the new toys and their goody bags. Throughout that morning, they enjoyed playing with each other while celebrating my daughter’s second birthday.

With an itinerary in place, I followed the plan to keep the party moving and to remind myself when to hide the clues and what activity to complete next. The party was fun for all and wore out our toddler. Upon telling her friends goodbye, she got her blanket and crawled upstairs. She was ready for her nap. 🙂

When planning birthday parties, I consider the theme, plan an itinerary, and enjoy the execution. Happy planning!

Question: Does your child like or avoid the attention at his/her birthday party?

Blue’s Clues Birthday Party – Part 2 of 3

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Blue's Clues birthday partyLast week I shared how Paul and I chose our toddler’s 2-year-old birthday party theme of Blue’s Clues. After making the theme choice, I had more decisions to make.

Since my two older children had a Blue’s Clues party for their first birthday, I had many items. However, I had no games. With my toddler joining in the games of her older siblings, we had to have a game of Blue’s Clues.

For those unfamiliar with this children’s program, Blue is a female dog that does not talk. To get her idea across, she marks three clues with her paw print to help us find the answer. Each segment follows the same basic sequence with the clues changing from episode to episode. The repetition is fantastic for learning sequence and order.

Keeping the guest list to our family, extended family, and one close friend’s family, I planned the following 2-hour morning birthday party for 8 adults and 6 children (ages 2 to 6):

Blue’s Clues Birthday Party Itinerary

Welcome. Greet each guest as she arrives, and escort to the living room to play or color Blue’s Clues coloring pages.

Games – Part 1 of 3. When all the guests arrive, the games will begin.

1. Find the First Clue: In determining what Blue wants to do today, we will need to play Blue’s Clues. With the first clue hidden, the participants will search for Blue’s Clue. Once found, we will add the clue to our handy-dandy notebook.

2. Hide and Seek Blue: Prior to the party, I will hide six different Blue’s Clues items (2 figurines, 2 stuffed animals, and 2 bath mitts). Each participant will seek one item.

Lunch. The table settings will include name cards for each child. The adults will help serve the children in the dining room and then relax and eat in the living room.

The menu:

  • Ham and cheese sandwiches
  • Chips and dip
  • Carrots, celery, and olives
  • Fruit salad: strawberries, cantaloupe, and bananas

Games – Part 2 of 3.          

3. Pin the Paw on Blue: I will cut out 6 paw prints and write one participant’s name on each one. After blindfolding one child, he will turn around and placed the paw on the printout. The younger participants will either close their eyes or just stick the paw print on Blue.

Open Presents.

Games – Part 3 of 3.

4. Find the Second Clue: Another paw print is hidden. When the participants find it, we will draw that clue into our handy-dandy notebook.

5. Find the Third Clue: The participants will find the last paw print. We will add the last clue to our handy-dandy notebook and decipher Blue’s Clues.

Sing, Blow Candle, and Cake.

Thank you and Goody Bags.

Play with new toys and goody bag items.

With the itinerary set and most of the decorations unpacked, I waited for help to arrive before decorating the space and preparing the food.

With a plan in place, I scheduled time for play, games, food, other games, presents, more games, dessert, thankfulness, and goody bags. Next week in Part 3, I will finish this Blue’s Clues birthday party series with our execution of the planned itinerary.

Question: How detailed do you plan for a child’s birthday party?