Par-T-Perfect announces an expansion in North Carolina with the opening of our new location in Hickory. Last week we got the party started! As you can see our energetic fun staff had a great time putting smiles on people’s faces. We are excited to offer all our great services from; Face  painting and balloon twisting to bouncer rentals and full service theme parties. Have you got an idea for an event if so give us a call or checkout our website: Par-T-Perfect  or phone us and let us help design your next event 828-335-KIDS / 828-335-5437

The classic Teddy Bear Stuffing party is always a favorite.  It is good for both boys and girls and therefore great for birthday parties and Teddy Bear Picnics.  Not too many people know that we offer many different types of critters to stuff.

We usually offer either the teddy bears or an assortment of critters but have you ever thought of having a certain type of critter to fit in with a theme?

My son is into Dragons and in fact was one for Halloween this past year.  We have agreed on creating a magical stuffing party with Dragons (using the dinosaurs that look like dragons) and Unicorns. I’ve bought Puff the Magic Dragon supplies and I’m renting the popcorn machine (his favorite snack).  It will be a magical birthday for him and I’m super excited!

While deciding what to do for my son’s birthday, I thought of a few other ideas to go along with the stuffing party:

1)      Jungle Critters with Hippos, Leopards, Lions, Monkeys, Tigers and Elephants.

2)      Farm Animals with Lambs, Dogs, Cats, Cows, Horses, Pigs and Duckies

3)     ForestFriends with Moose, Bears, Rabbits, Frogs and Raccoons

A few other ideas would be a “Pets” theme or a “Winter Animals” theme.  We do offer our Christmas Critters package to corporate clients but it is also available for smaller events. The package includes: Reindeer, Penguins, Husky Dogs and Polar Bears.

Whatever choice you make, the stuffing packages that we offer at Par-T-Perfect include: stuffing the 15” skin, making a wish on a heart to keep inside the critter, a birth certificate, a health check up with the vet and a t-shirt to decorate for their new friend. We also play a few parachute games and make balloon animals before we go.

I love everything magical and I’m super stoked to be planning this party for my son, can’t wait!!! Hope this helps you create a few ideas for the kids in your life.

Cheers, PTP WGTA

Photo curtasy of Par-T-Perfect HQ

Birthday cakes have come a long way. From the ordinary made from scratch cake to themed cakes, to cupcakes to the newest trend cake pops. These cute mini treats, cakes on a stick have made quite the leap in popularity. If you google cake pops, you are sure to have a number of sites, how to’s and available tools you can buy to help in your journey to making cake pops. When I found these, the baker in me couldn’t wait to try them. Well, they are really good and worth the bit of extra time to make. Practice is important in this. I said mine were good…how they looked is a different story. I recommend trying to make them prior to a birthday party to make sure you get them right. They are perfect for children’s parties when you have other treats and don’t want them to get too much of a sugar rush. Plus, it’s cake on a stick! What kid wouldn’t love that!
Here is a link to the creator of cake pops http://www.bakerella.com/ Here you will find helpful tips, tools and recipes.
Best of luck in your attempt or attempts at the perfect cake pops!

We have all felt that rush of overwhelming frustration time and time again as we stand in front of the pantry or refrigerator door wondering “What am I going to make for dinner!” We see a kitchen full of food, but absolutely no creative solution comes to fruition on how to combine it all and make a dinner. You don’t want to create just any ol’ dinner, but one that is going to nourish you and your family, one that is healthy.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a family of 2 or 6 meal times can be stressful! Whether you work from home or outside of the home, an unplanned dinner can be a lot of work – so why not make it easy and PLAN AHEAD!

We decided to team up with two fabulous local businesses – Lunchalicious & Lindsay Rose Holistic Health to get their take on how to reduce the stress of dinner time by meal planning, and their tips on how to engage the rest of the family so that the responsibility of dinner time does not fall solely on mom. These fabulous women also gave us some insight on how to get the kids involved in meal planning as well as the benefits of planning ahead so dinner time is not nearly so stressful and a whole lot healthier!

According to Lindsay Rose Holistic Health, meal planning is beneficial in the reduction of stress. “We are bombarded by every day stressors in our lives, which are contributing to poor health across the country. Anytime a negative thought creeps into our mind, it is a form of stress. Throughout the week there are many times we cringe about making meals. From the ‘What am I going to make’ to the ‘Arrrggghh I don’t have time to make a decent meal’…. this is all stress. Working with a meal plan takes these thoughts out of it. If done on  a weekly basis, you know exactly what is going to be made on what night, you’ll already have the groceries for it, and know who will be making what. So that drive home from the office can be a little less stressful and spent singing your heart out to music instead of thinking about dinner.”

All of us agree that by planning ahead, we make better, healthier meal choices. Meal planning enables us to choose less pre made or frozen foods, meaning we eat less salt, sugar and items high in fat. Healthier choices mean more energy to do all that fun stuff like riding bikes, hiking and running around the park with the kids! Planning ahead also helps save money – making a week’s grocery list means less trips to the grocery store (we all know the impulse extras we make & don’t really need) or we skip the unhealthy take out choices which, in the end, do cost us more!

Lunchalicious stresses the importance of including the kids in your meal planning. “When we meal plan, we ask DD what sort of meals she would like to have that week. We also ask what veggies she would like to have throughout the week, does she have a preference on how they are prepared? We take the time to listen to her requests, and try to incorporate those into our meal plan.”

In their house, they don’t stop there, the kids get to go grocery shopping too! “Kids can get a sense of ownership and pride! Shopping for fruits and veggies is a fantastic life skill that can be taught to children even at a very young age. It’s easy to casually teach children what to look for when picking the perfect produce. Smell here, tap there, gently squeeze this and look at that!”

At the Par-T-Perfect Victoria house, we plan one night, (usually Saturday night) for “junk food” night – anything goes from nachos to homemade pizza to a spread of appys.  We also have one night to polish the leftovers so nothing gets wasted and of course some of our meals end up in the freezer for another night when we’re super busy and don’t want to cook!

Taking the time to plan ahead “allows time to breathe & enjoy life,” says Lindsay Rose. “There is one thing that most people will say is the most valuable in their life: Time. Time to relax and replenish, more quality time spent with the kids, or my personal favorite “Me Time”.  Planning meals ahead of time can free up A LOT of time. Think of how many minutes are spent running to the grocery store to ‘pick up a few items’ or spent in the pantry trying to figure out what to make. All this wasted time could be spent doing more of the things that make your heart swell and your soul sing. So when choosing what meals to make, aim for ones that can be done in the crock pot, or double up so you have a 2^nd easily ‘re-heatable’ meal later in the week.”

Planning the meal together as a family not only gives you some good quality time but also takes the pressure off and lets the other family members know you value their input too! In the planning process, ask your spouse to take care of cooking one night, have the kids assist with washing, peeling, and some of the other easy preparations that can be done by little (or big) hands. Sometimes as women, we believe we should “do it all!” Remember, asking for help is not only okay but according to both Lunchalicious & Lindsay Rose Holistic Health, it’s beneficial! Both women insist that the kids will enjoy the entire process from shopping to meal planning to cooking – they will most likely be more willing to try something new if they’ve had a say in it; and despite what our spouses may say, they too enjoy the rewards & opportunity to be appreciated!  How nice it will be for everyone to come to the table happy & excited about dinner!

Lunchalicious states, “Make food fun! One of my daughter’s favorite food is Pizza chicken, AKA Parmesan chicken. It’s simple…chicken, sauce and topped with cheese.”  Carrol also reminds us that it can take a minimum of 10-15 times for children to try new foods before they may accept it, so don’t give up! Try serving foods in different ways…even we have our preferences on how we enjoy certain foods. Get kids involved in making meals. Kids are way more apt to try a new food if they have picked it out and helped cook it! How about challenging the family to try something new by picking up that never before opened cookbook on the shelf?!

We all know that routine and structure around anything, especially meal time can make life simpler, easier and the goal… less stressful!  Try to have dinner around the same time each night. Often this is easier said than done, if this is the case in your household, try your best sit down and enjoy a family meal as often as possible, turn off cell phones, T.V. and enjoy a conversation with your family.

Finally, Lindsay Rose points out, “that we are responsible for creating the life we want to live. In every thing we do and every choice we make we are either Nourishing & Strengthening our health or Depleting & Weakening it. So choose wisely. You and your family are worth it!”

Don’t know where to start?  Check out these great websites that have calendars, recipes and a whole lot more!

http://www.everythingmom.com/free-meal-plans.html

Meals Matter

Momables

**Par-T-Perfect Victoria would live to thank Lindsay Rose Holistic Health and Lunchalicious for their invaluable expertise and advise!

Hello Par-T-Perfect friends,

We here at Par-T-Perfect Western GTA are super excited to announce the arrival of a few new inflatables for your bouncing fun!

As you know we are growing and are excited to be able to service the Mississauga and area location as well.  In anticipation of serving you and the new area we went shopping!!!!

We now have: a Giant Slide measuring 20X18x20’ with a single lane, a Safari Bounce N’ Slide Combo, a Safari Obstacle Course measuring 40X11.5X13’ and a new Rainbow Bouncer.

These large inflatable are perfect for public events and our Rainbow Bouncer is great for any occasion measuring only 13X13X13. It is large enough to attract attention, yet small enough to fit in most backyards.

We are looking forward to this spring and summer and are already feeling the love from our fans along with receiving a warm welcome from Mississauga.

Thank you all,

Amber and Brenda

On Saturday, March 31st Par-T-Perfect celebrated the annual Bojangles Easter Eggstravaganza. Families from all over came to Carrier Park – 220 Amboy Road, Asheville for an afternoon of fun hosted by the City of Asheville Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Department. 

Inflatables were provided by Par-T-Perfect Asheville who showcased their; 21ft Inflatable Slide, the Bounce House and Slide Combo Castle, Chuggy the Choo Choo a massive 60ft inflatable train, the Spaceship Maze, and a large Moonwalk Bouncer. The sights and sounds of kids jumping, bouncing, sliding, crawling and climbing lasted for hours. Par-T-Perfect artists were on hand to provide facepaint and cheek art. Judging by the pictures and crowds this event will be memorable for years.

Easter Bunny and Par-T-Perfect Party Leaders

Par-T-Perfect Slide and Bounce House Combo

 Additional educational programs by the Western North Carolina Nature Center, crafts by Easel Rider Mobile Art Lab, entertainment by the Mountain Thunder Cloggers, and free BoBerry biscuits by Bojangles of WNC were included.

Kids from Toddlers to 11 years  brought Easter baskets for the Easter egg hunt. Each participant also received a free goody bag.

The Bojangles Easter Eggstravaganza is a popular event, one of Par-T-Perfect’s favorite events of the year. Western North Carolina is beautiful at this time of year, and our community is blessed to have such wonderful FREE events for parents and children to enjoy the outdoors together.

We had so much fun that our Par-T-Crew is looking towards more seasonal events throughout the year! Beyond birthdays and summer events. We love to take part in fall and winter events like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

If you know of any other great public events in your area throughout the year we would love to hear about them. Please leave us a comment and perhaps we can see you there.

Par-T-Perfect proudly serves Western North Carolina in:

The Par-T-Perfect Asheville and area and the Par-T-Perfect Hickory and area areas

828-335-5437 (KIDS)

partytime@par-t-perfect.com

Due to the overwhelming success of our first open house & fundraiser, we decided to make it an annual event! On March 25th 2012, Par-T-Perfect Victoria hosts its 2nd annual open house & fundraiser!  Each year we will choose charity to raise funds for.  This year we are raising money for The Queen Alexandra Foundation

Join us this year on SUNDAY MARCH 25th from 3-5pm for some great family fun including the obstacle course, pirate ship bouncer, amazing face painting, fabulous glitter tattoos, balloon animals and crafts! The Easter Bunny (thanks to Victoria Costumes)  will be making an early appearance as well as a special magic show by Paul Kilshaw! We have some amazing door prizes to win courtesy of the following great supporters of our event! Entrance is by donation (minimum $3.00 donation please)

Ooh La La Cupcakes

Tumblebums

SweetArt Supplies

Tall Tales Books

Healthier Coffee & Teas by Caron Price

Epicure with Tricia will be offering her Extraordinary Cheese Collection for a  $20 purchase  ($5.00 goes to Queen Alexandra Foundation)

Parents can enjoy FREE coffee thanks to  Level Ground Coffee   as well as FREE water will be available

Finally, don’t forget you could win the grand prize of a Deluxe birthday bash!  This amazing prize includes the following:

• Services by Par-T-Perfect Victoria
• Cake pops by Nibblesticks Cake Pops
• Room rental by Burnside Gorge Community Centre
• Pizza by Boston Pizza Saanich

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday March 25th 2012 from 3-5pm at the Burnside School Gym – 3130 Jutland Road.  For more information and last minute updates, check out our  Event information

It’s been a while since we blogged! What better reason than to do our favorite – fun facts! St. Patrick’s day is not just about wearing green & shamrocks, there’s actually some interesting history behind this day filled with leprechauns and 4 leaf clovers. Here’s what we discovered!

St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17th because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17th in 461 AD. It’s used as a celebration of Irish culture & history

Did you know…

• St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland AND a provincial holiday in Newfoundland & Labrador
• St. Patrick’s actual color is blue, not green. Green became associated with St. Patrick’s Day during the 19th century.
• The very first St. Patrick’s Day parade was not in Ireland (gasp) It was in Boston in 1737, New York started their parades in 1762 – today almost 3 million people attend the parade
• Shamrocks are worn on the lapel on St. Patrick’s Day
• You wear green to avoid being pinched
• For the grownups, The Irish believe if you float a shamrock on the top of whiskey before drinking it, you’ll have a prosperous year.
• With all the Irish symbols you can think of, Lucky Charms cereal was created in 1963
• 34 million Americans have Irish ancestry – that’s nine times the population of Ireland! 23% live in Boston!
• 9 of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence were of Irish origin
• In Chicago, the rivers are dyed green and in Seattle there is a ceremony where a green stripe is painted down the roads
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14
• Legend says that each leaf on a clover represents hope, faith, love & luck
• At one time, there were more Irish living in New York City than in Dublin, Ireland!
• Irish don’t really eat corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day – that was an American invention
• Over 41.5 billion pounds of beef are produced in American each year just for St. Patrick’s Day. 2.5 billion pounds of cabbage are produced each year
• Over 8 million St. Patrick’s Day cards are exchanged each year – making it the 9th largest card selling occasion in the U.S.
• Approximately 94 million people plan to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day – will you be one of them?
• In 1903 Member of the Irish parliament, James O’Mara introduced a new billed that called to recognize St. Patrick’s Day as a religious observation meaning that most of the local pubs are closed for the day!  In 1970 this was overturned and was changed to just a regular national holiday, not a religious observance.
• Finally, this is what could be the most interesting fact…. St. Patrick was actually Scottish and his name wasn’t even Patrick! According to the history we found, he was born Maewyn Succat. At age 16 he was kidnapped & sold into Irish slavery. Later he became a priest and took the name Patricius (or Patrick). He felt his calling was to bring Christianity & Ireland closer together

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  Our wish to you, “May your blessings far out number the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you no matter where you go.”

For more fun facts, party ideas and other great fun stuff – check out our website too www.par-t-perfect.com

With February behind us, so many of our New Year’s Resolutions have already flown out the window, with the number one New Year’s Resolution being losing weight or getting fit. The fact is getting fit should not only be a resolution every January but every month! Easier said than done, we know but here are a few tips to hopefully keep you on track by getting your family involved.

1. Make fitness fun. Include the entire family (Even the dog if you can!) Sign up for your communities walks, or bike rides and train as a family. Fitness can be free or cheap; you don’t have to spend tons of money on the latest sporting equipment or classes. Try checking out your local used sporting good stores. Especially when the kids grow out of their roller blades almost monthly, there’s no point in buying new. And when they have grown out of them, you can take them back to the used store for another family to use. Even just getting out to your local parks or trails for a walk and enjoying nature is a great way to get moving!
2. Have special snack night. Let’s face it, cold turkey never tastes good and chances are, if you cut out all the “bad foods” you love, you will hit them hard eventually! The key is not to cut your favorite foods out completely. Let’s say the families favorite show is on Thursday nights, so once a week, you could splurge (in moderation!!) on one or two of your favorites. Not only do you satisfy your craving, the entire family can be together and hang out. And why not go for a walk before?
3. Keep track and Set Goals! This can be rewarding and fun. Make up a table or use a white board to track what activities you have done each week and how many times you have completed them. You can also track who has snuck extra treats not on snack night! At the end of the week or month, whatever you chose, there can be a reward (try not to be food based) like the family gets to go to a really cool park that is further away and you might not get to as often or renting a karaoke machine for the family to enjoy. As adults, you can take this one step further by keeping track of your food. I highly recommend www.livestrong.com as a great tool to keep track. It can be a real eye opener to how many calories you consume vs. how many calories you SHOULD consume. If you bite it write it!
4. Make eating healthy easier. One of the main reasons for blowing our diets is time and convenience. If you set yourself up for success, it is harder to fail. Pre cut and portion veggies as soon as you get home from the grocery store. If it is all ready for you to eat, you are more likely to grab it. Also, plan your meals for the week and get all the ingredients you need at once, avoiding the supermarket (and more temptations each time you go) Fresh farm markets are a great family outing, try a new fruit or veg each time you go!
   PTP Quick Tips:
   • Remember the “Smart Plate” ½ plate veggies, ¼ starch, ¼ meat
   • You can burn 80 calories for every 10 minutes of Bouncy Castle Jumping!
   • Be a good example! Monkey see, monkey do! Get your Monkeys to follow your good example!
   • Be aware of the activities you do… Check out this website for calories burned per hour by different activities: http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist4.htm

   

   Check out the participaction website  and the 5 Best Family Fitness Activities for more ideas on how to get moving!
   Here are a few links for fun and fresh recipes:  http://www.extension.iastate.edu/food/recipes/index.htm
   http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/quick_healthy_dinner_recipes (Southwestern Beef Burger Wraps?? Looks delish!!)

Looking for something to do this weekend?
Check out the Children’s Art Festival in Richmond!
When: Friday February 17th 9am-3pm and Saturday February 18th 2012 10am-4pm
Where: Richmond Cultural Centre – 7700 Minoru Gate Richmond BC

What:
It gets bigger every year and you won’t want to miss this one! This is a great opportunity to have the kids try several different drop in classes from Hip Hop to Lantern Making. Also enjoy “imagination Stations” and performances for only $5/child. (Classes are extra)
Check out their website for more information
http://www.richmond.ca/news/richmondcalendar/EventSearch.htm

Don’t forget to visit Par-T-Perfect in the Library for Face Painting and Balloon Twisting!
See you there!