Once you’ve gotten your costume planned out, it’s time to decorate and get ready for the party. Use false cobwebs and strew them on tabletops and along the staircase. Don’t forget to add the plastic spiders! You can buy large holiday themed cut outs in a huge selection of shapes and sizes as well, which will really give your home a cool look.

Light candles and dim the lights to give your home a more creepy effect (just be sure the candles are on a secure surface and far away from the reach of children).

You can also play some spooky sounds on a pre-recorded CD. These CDs can usually be found at a number of retailers during the Halloween season and they contain cool sound effects that will give off an air of creepy ambiance. Look for cool statues or figures you can use like black cats, bats, or ghosts.

Do a little research and make some creepy snacks for your guests at the monster party. There are plenty of interesting recipes to choose from where you can make the food look as gross and creepy as possible but in reality, it tastes great. Some examples are strained eye balls, witch finger cookies, red popcorn, monster blood punch, and even maggot stew, just to name a few. For some ideas, click here.

With a little planning you can have an excellent monster Halloween party that your friends will remember for years to come.

Pool parties are the perfect way to get friends, families and neighbors together, especially during the summer months. One of the reasons why a pool party is a great idea, especially during the summertime, is because of the heat.  In addition to spending quality time with your friends, family and neighbors, you may also be providing them with a fun way to stay cool. 

Another reason why you may want to host a pool party is because pools are fun, for individuals of all ages.  This means whether you are inviting adults, children, or both, everyone should be able to enjoy your pool. Despite the fact that even children enjoy swimming, they may need more attention than adult swimmers. 

When children are attending your pool party, it is a MUST to develop a safety plan, just in case. This safety plan may include when children can swim or who will be watching over them when they do. And follow the general swimming safety tips.

While a pool party is enough to bring in excited guests, you may also want to incorporate other backyard activities. To please your pool party guests, especially those that are looking for entertainment, you may also want to have some sports equipment on hand.  In addition to traditional backyard sports games, such as football, basketball, or horseshoes, you may want to include water games. These games may include, but should not be limited to, water basketball or water volleyball. 

Here are some ideas for the games:

Baloon Train Race
Fill a Cup Relay
Beach Ball Race
5 Fun Swimming Pool Games (Marco Polo, Ring Toss, Tube Race, London Bridge and Basketball) 
Shark and Fishes

Have fun!