NoMoreCrohns.com/Parties

Parties

Parties are an important part of life for children and adults alike! The last thing you want to do at your party is talk about what you're not eating, so we're having fun planning parties that incorporate the right foods, fun activities and lots of creative ideas that move the party on to the fun stuff!
As you have discovered, being on a special diet has made you more of a “home-made” person, and that is the same with parties and entertaining. When you do it yourself you have more control over the situation to better meet your needs, and this leads to enjoying life in new ways… who knows? You might become known as the best party giver around?

Some helpful party giving guidelines:
	Have a definite starting and ending time. Make the party shorter rather than longer. We usually plan for a two hour party.
	Play background music to help set the tone and fill the silences.
	Greet each guest at the door and immediately get them started on some activity or project such as decorating a hat, making an item or discussing a topic that fits your theme. This helps overcome the awakward feeling people have when they arrive at a new place.
	If it’s a kid’s party, don’t stand around chatting with the parents. The kids are the important people during this time, so engage with them. If they lose interest it will be hard to get their attention back. You want to start off with a bang and keep it going until the end.
	Have more than enough games or activities planned so the party doesn’t drag. It's best if your guests are wishing they could stay longer rather than wondering when they get to go home!
	We always like to plan one activity that produces something for people to take home. It doesn’t have to be grand or expensive… maybe a food item or a hat or prize.

Many of the ideas for games that we've used for our parties come from a wonderful old book, “Betty Crocker’s Parties for Children,” 2nd edition, 1964 by Lois Freeman. This is a perfect resource for anyone who is going to be planning and giving their own parties! Even though the games are designed for children, we've had successful parties for people of all ages using material from this book.

And Now... For Some Parties!
	No matter how old you are or what the occasion, it’s fun to mix things up! Our first party idea is a Backwards Party! We did it for Leap Day (February 29th), but any day is perfect!
	Plan an "Aloha Party" after you come back from Hawaii or instead of going to Hawaii! Use it as a theme to welcome summer or to celebrate a hot-weather birthday.
	For some people, Early Morn' is the best time of the day! Serve up a delicious breakfast, take a hike and maybe have an indoor scavenger hunt. This party won't be forgotten any time soon!

No more Crohn's for me!

My journey to perfect health through the Specific Carbohydrate Diet