Dear Marsha,

I didn’t send out thank you cards for my baby shower in March 2010 (my daughter is now 8 months) and my parents are so angry at me they won’t talk with me.  Is there anything I can do to make everyone happy without looking even more “tacky” then I already do?

Thank You,

Bad Manners

Dear Bad Manners,

The first thing that came to my mind is you were pregnant and pregnant women have a tendency to forget things on a regular basis. You are lucky to get up each morning, take your shower, and make it to your car. After that, things get fuzzy. I could not tell you how many times I made it to my car only to turn right back around to grab my keys I left on the table or my purse I had to drive 10 minutes back to the house to retrieve. I thought I was losing my mind until my Dr. told me it was perfectly normal and something most all women go through.

If you kept a list of who gave you what, then I think we can mend this situation.  This idea is a unique one, but fitting just the same.

Buy some Thank You cards, and make them out to each person saying: “Thank you for the Walker you purchased for Baby Ann, she has been enjoying it greatly and loves to play in it daily. Then include a photo of your baby using that item if you can.

I realize some guests may have sent diapers, but you can thank them for helping you get through the first few months of the baby’s life and made your finances a little less stressful. You can include any random photo with items like these.

Not only are you giving your guests a Thank You that they deserve and desire, but you are giving them a little bonus with the photos as well.

I really hope this helps and I would love to hear how it turns out.

Always,

Marsha

Marsha,  hope that you can help with some advice.

My 17-year old son is a senior in high school and is quite popular in school,  and for the most part is just a pretty good kid.  He is an athlete (one of the best in his school in all sports),  and one of the bad aspects of this school system is that it is a badge of honor for the girls or boys to have sex with the most popular athlete.  There is a girl that he says that he does not like,  but every so often,  he goes over to her house to “hang” out with her,  whatever that means.

Over the past couple of days,  he has been bringing the mail inside,  which is something that he normally does not do.  Today,  I happened to be at home when the mail arrived,  and included was a package addressed to him from a company that I did not recognize.  I did some investigation on the Internet (three clicks with a Google search) and found that this company is a distributor of condoms.

How would you advise that we, his mother and I,  go about handling this situation.  My first intent was to present the package to him in the presence of his mother and make him open it,  but it will devastate her,  for this is something that we have hope and prayed would never happen.  In addition,  if we were to elect to discipline or punish him,  what would you advise?  You will see by my signature,  what sort of problem that this situation might pose for me and my family.

Thanks for your help.  Looking forward to your reply.

PreacherDJW

Dear Preacher DJW,

Please take a deep breath and try to look at this situation from your sons eyes.  With condoms being easily accessible and sometimes given away for free at most any store, health department and/or school, he is showing some sort of inner guilt by making the decision to order these online and have them delivered to the house. He has no desire to want anyone knowing he has them besides himself. He knows that you, his mother, and God would strongly disagree and disprove of premarital sex, yet he feels the need to protect himself from disease and/or  having a child out of wedlock.

If you were to call him out on this package, and make him open it in front of his mother, you will be causing him much stress, anger, and embarrassment on a decision that he has already thought long and hard about. There is no need to punish or discipline him in this manner. I fear it would only do more harm than good at this point.

If you really wish to get to your sons inner most feelings, than I would suggest taking a walk with him. Drop the Preacher title for this walk and only use “Dad”.  In other words, do not walk and talk to him as a preacher or from a preachers point of view but be as a loving and caring dad instead.  Open the discussion casually, do not jump right on to topic. Ask him how things are going in school, sports, or other events. Then tell him that you feel it is time to talk to him about sex openly. Let him know that it is an urge that all teenagers have both male and female. Tell him that you were a teen once and that you remember the pressures. If you had premarital sex yourself, then do not hide it from him. Let him know what it was like.  If you had any regrets, then tell him about those too. If you did not have premarital sex, then tell him about all of the urges you fought off and how determined you were to save yourself for the right gal. You may wish to explain to him that once you have given yourself to someone, then you can never get that part of you back again, and that it becomes much easier to give yourself again and again be it the same person or another. Remember to keep the conversation between DAD and SON. At the end of the conversation, lovingly hand him the package (hopefully unopened) and tell him that it came in the mail for him. You do not have to say that you KNOW what is in the package, just let that remain silent. He has to make his own decision now. He should piece together from the conversation that there is a possibility of you knowing what is in there.

As far as the mother goes, if you are in fear that she will be devastated over this situation, then tell her only what needs to be told. Ask her to continue praying for your son and let her know about him having normal teen urges. There is no need to let her know that your son purchased condoms. That was supposed to be something he did in confidence and if it were not for the power of technology at our fingertips, even you would not know what is or could be in that package.

Remember in your heart, that you have done the best you can in bringing your son up in God’s light. You have sowed Gods word into him throughout his upbringing, that seed will always be there. Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Always,

Marsha

Dear Marsha,

I am dealing with something rather painful right now and need to know how to handle it better.

I just recently married a guy that has a child of his own.  This was not a big deal at all for me and in fact I love his son. I also have 2 boys around his same age. They all get along here at home for the most part. There are a few squibbles, but aren’t there in all families between siblings?

The problem is that my parents and grandparents do not openly accept his child as “our” child. They make differences between them at birthdays, weekend overnights, and so forth.  They are not excepting him as a grandchild.  Will this go away in time or will this always be this way? Thank God they are all under 6 and really don’t really see the differences like we do.

If you welcome one, then welcome them all!

Dear Welcome One Welcome All,

It is a shame that your family is not excepting your spouses child as their grandchild.   Sadly, a lot of families do this same thing.  They should be pleased to have another member as part of the family.  Hopefully this will be the case in the near future.

If you are sincere about wanting this favoritism to stop, then you will probably have to be the first one to make a significant move.  If you allowed your husband to speak up, they would just blame the whole situation on him and not think about how much it really hurts you.

My suggestion is that you call them before any birthday parties of your own children, and you tell them NOT to bring any gifts etc. unless they intend to do the same thing for your new son.  Note, I did not say STEP son.  I feel that the terms “Step” or “Half” are belittling themselves.  Family is family and there should not be any subtitles given to any of them.  Those 2 words could really make the person intended for feel hurt and left out of the family.

If your parents and grandparents persist in giving your children gifts, take the gifts away from your kids, and put it up, or call it a family gift that belongs to all of them.  Maybe you could do this in front of your parents/grandparents so they get a little harsh reality of how it is going to be!

As far as the overnights go, don’t allow your children to spend the night or go for a visit without your new son going as well.  Express that this is not fair and you will not tolerate it in any way.

Most of all, tell your family how much this hurts you and that you want them to accept your new son the way that you do.  Tell them they are to treat him as if he were your biological own.  Hopefully they will understand exactly how you feel and make those needed changes in the way they think and/or act.

Always,

Marsha

2010

Many people like to make resolutions with themselves for the New Year.  Some will vow to try to lose weight, stop smoking, or visit the doctor more regularly.  Others will vow to attend church more regularly, to stop cursing, or to go out more to meet new people.

I, myself, have made the resolution to learn to be more appreciative for all of the wonderful things I do have, instead of focusing on all of the things I “wish” I had.

At one point or another we always seem to find ourselves saying “I wish we had ______” or “We need to have _______” but how many times do we actually say “Thank you lord for providing me with ________ just so I am able to do _______ on a daily basis”

I don’t care how minuscule it may be, I am going to try to be thankful for it and if possible to think of where I would be if I didn’t have it at all.

If you made a resolution and would like to share it with us, please leave a comment below.

Always,

Marsha

We here at

Always Marsha

would like to wish everyone a

Very Merry Christmas!

I am blessed to come from a close knit family, and that makes for really special holidays.  When your family comes together under one roof for any get together, it should be considered a blessing.  Life is precious, and we need to embrace these moments that will one day become a mere memory of a loved one.

We have had a few holidays when not everyone was able to make it for a visit.  These holidays were not the same, but we did try to make the best of it.  We would always call our missing loved ones on that special day just to let them know we missed them and were thinking of them.  It was still really great just to hear their voices.

This year, make it a point to even go out of your way( if you need to) in order to call or visit your loved ones and to let them know just how much they really mean to you.

Christmas should not be based solely on who gives the most or the best gifts.

You are taking Christ out of Christmas when we let our focuses dwell on material items.

I would also like to encourage everyone to read the Birth Of Christ from the bible to their children or other family members. The account of Jesus’ birth can be found in Matthew 1:18 – 2:23 and Luke 2:1 – 24

I will now close with a poem I wrote many years ago.

I DREAM OF CHRISTMAS

I DREAM OF CHRISTMAS

AS BEING A SNOWY WHITE

WAKING IN THE MORNING

SEEING EVERYONE’S FACES SHINING BRIGHT

I SEE MOM, DAD,

MY SIBLINGS TOO

THE ONLY ONES MISSING

IS SANTA AND YOU!!!

© AlwaysMarsha

Dear Marsha,

I am a grandmother of 11 grandchildren.  I love each and everyone of them. I have recently been accused of favoring one grandchild over all of the others. I do not notice that I do, but everyone is starting to say well if it was —— then you wouldn’t mind, or I’m sure you would buy it for —— etc.

I do have a close bond with ——, but I don’t think that I pay more attention to him then I do to any of the others. He is my oldest grandson though, and I know that I do trust him more then the younger ones. He also grew up in my house for 8 years with his younger sister. I don’t get accused of favoring her though.

I would like to ask how I can show the others that I love them just as much as I love ——? I want them to know that they are all just as special to me as the other one. I don’t want any of my grandbabies feeling left out.

Thanks,

Grandma Jo

Dear Grandma Jo,

It always seems that most parents and/or grandparents do favor one child or another in every family.  Most are like yourselves and do not see this connection until it is pointed out to them by an outsider, or someone that feels left out.  Sometimes it does happen when we are closer to one child or another due to similar interests, living together, looks that resemble one another, oldest, youngest, or any other common similarity between you.

There is however something that we as parents or grandparents can do to change this habit we have unconsciously started.  Here is my plan of guidance.

1. Take a day or weekend and dedicate it to each child individually.  Make that child feel like a king or a queen of the day.  Allow that child to make all of the decisions for the day such as what game you can play together, or what they would like to eat.  You could teach them something, or tell them stories from your past of something you did or used to do at their age.  It does not have to be costly, you can do all of this right from your home.

2. Keep it fair.  Do not stay at home with one child, and go to the local fair with another.  That will cause jealousy and still make someone feel left out.  Make a plan from the start on what you will do with each one.

3. While you are spending your time with each child, get to know their likes and dislikes.  Keep a journal of their favorite foods, drinks, games, colors, etc. Then you can use this list when it comes to their birthdays, Christmas or to alternate use between visits to grandmas on what you cook or plan for the family.

4. Don’t be afraid to ask any of the children if they feel you treat them unfairly.  They may tell you how the feel, and give examples of your behavior that has made them feel this way.  Take notes on that, reassure each child that you love them the same, and explain that you are going to try to be fair from now on.

This should help you to get on the right track of making each child/grandchild feel that grandma loves them each equally.  Before you know it, they will always be wanting to come/go to grandma’s house.

Always,

Marsha

I am sitting here wondering how you could give such great marriage counseling to people when you yourself have been married more than once and had 4 children from at least three different men maybe four and are married to another man that doesnt father any of your children. I guess you could say you have been around the block a few times!!

Hmmmm What do you do if say an accidental pregnancy happens and the mother of the child does not contact the father of the child for say 15 years? And then when she is hurting for money she decides to take that childs father to court and sue him after all these years. I dont think that it is quite fair to leave the father out of the picture for all these years and miss his child grow up and then when the mother is hard press sue him for support once the child is pretty much grown. I think that mother should get a real job to begin with and then maybe a second job to support her child since she never wanted the father in the picture to begin with!!!

Dear Angela,

Thank you for viewing my site and thinking that I have been giving great advice.  Seeing as to how I am not certain as to who you are, or why you are passing judgment on me…allow me to give you a little deeper insight to my life.

You are correct, I have been married 2 previous times. I have 4 children all by 3 different fathers. However, what you do not know is that I was in fact married at the age of 17 before having my first 2 children.  This man became very physically abusive toward not only myself but to the children as well and arrested several times for it.  I soon found courage and escaped that relationship.  He still does not have contact with his children and they do not acknowledge him as “dad” either.  Since then, he has had 2 other failed marriages due to abuse…was it wrong to leave this situation?  I THINK NOT!

My third child was by a man that I had a 3 or 4 month fling with. When he found out I was pregnant, he left the picture quickly.  He did however inform me of his sisters name, and I had that address where his mother and sister lived.  He was a truck driver and probably always on the road, but that was no excuse to never reply to all the letters and photos I had sent the family.  I did try to involve him, but he would say that he was not the father.  I had even wrote him one day telling him that my ex and I had a DNA test done that proved my ex was NOT the father.  I requested this man at this point…nearly 4 years later…to send appropriate paperwork relinquishing his rights as father so that this child could be adopted by another man that would gladly take over the “Dad” role…but this as well as all other letters went unheeded.

I then married a young man that was a friend of my step brothers.  We did have my 4th child at this time.  We were married for 10 years before he decided he wanted to see what else was out there.

I was working as an EMT at 2 full time stations.  I was even Lieutenant at one station.  This was the best job in the world.  I have made so many friends in the medical field here and have gained a great name for my family and I.  I was even taking the paramedic classes to move on up.  I was offered a position as a flight medic once I graduated.  Sadly, that day never came for me.  As I was working an accident on the highway of a tractor trailer that jack knifed…I was the most injured patient taken to the hospital. I told my partner that I was not feeling well…they checked my heart rate and it was 180 bpm or beats per minute.  Once I was at the hospital, they noticed my heart at resting was going down to the 50s.  This is when I was sent to a cardiologist who performed many tests and observations of me.  It turns out that I have Sick Sinus Syndrome.  If you are not familiar with this…it is when the heart will beat too slow one minute then just jump sky high the next minute for no apparent reason but all awhile maintaining a healthy heart pattern.

Within one month from this accident, I had to have a pacemaker put in.  I was only 30 years old.  Even with the pacemaker, I was still having heart palpitations and not feeling “normal”.  Despite the pacemaker, I attempted to go back to work.  I worked for a year and a half longer before my next BIG episode happened.  This is when I was once again taken to the hospital by my co workers in MY ambulance and they decided I had to be taken off of work period.  My cardiologist was there and agreed it was too much stress for me.

This of course forced me to have to file for disability.  As anyone would know, it takes a great while before the disability is approved.

During this time, I had met a really great man.  He lived in Australia, and we met online actually.  We talked for nearly a year before he decided to come visit.  I had gotten to know his parents, friends, and other family before making the decision to meet.  On my 33rd birthday he showed up at the airport.  That was the best gift I could ever have.  We were wed shortly after that, and it has been such a great move on my behalf.  This is when I experienced TRUE LOVE for the first time in my life.  I know now what it is and am happy to share it with others.  My children love him and call him dad.  Even my 3rd son, that never knew his father…loves this man so much that he himself chose to have his name changed to my husbands last name.  Seeing as to how his father NEVER once wrote back to relinquish his fatherly rights…we could not do a formal adoption. This was the first choice of my husbands wishes…but things happen.  Seeing as to how I had never received a letter back from the 3rd sons biological father, we had no idea of his residency or how to locate him.  With this being noted in court, they allowed the legal name change.

I then began drawing my disability checks.  Once I started receiving the checks, I was forced by the courts to turn over child support payment history.  When I was questioned about my 3rd sons father, ALL I had was a name, an old address, his sisters name, and his fathers name.  I did tell them about the school he went to for his cdl’s…but that is all I knew.  I never thought that they would find this man…but it was not in my hands.

I was really saddened when they did find this man, and we both know who we are talking about.  I never had even discussed with his son about his father until this moment when I knew we had to go to court.  I did not want my boy thinking his dad left just because I was pregnant with him.  That would be a blow to any ones head.  His dad was a loser in my book and is still a loser in my boys book for doing such a thing.  He can not say he didn’t ever know he had a son, because during the child support court case, I was questioned through HIS attorney about this child being adopted and I had allegedly made mention that another man was going to or wanting to adopt him…Hmmm…that must have came from all those letter I sent and he never replied too huh?

Trust me, if I were able to work…I WOULD!  This was not done out of spite or any ill intentions.  I was forced to go through with this in order for me to draw my disability.

Now you asked how I gave such great advice…Well I think that answer is rather clear.  It took me 33 years to find the perfect man, and after dealing with losers like this all of my life…I think that makes me MORE than qualified. I have never been a floosy, but life has taken me to several “blocks” as you said.  Does this make me a bad person? I think not. I have learned some very valuable life lessons along the way.

I also give thanks to God for all the blessing he has put in my life. He is the one that should get all the glory. Without him, Who knows where I would be.

Now that you have my address…you can write if you so choose.  I am sorry you have such hard feelings against me.  I have never wronged you or your husband for that matter.  It sometimes helps to get the truth before bashing on something you know nothing of.  His sister, (and we know the similarities between our names), had told me that he did in fact see the baby pictures and knew of the letters as well…so don’t be fooled if he is saying different.

I am glad this could come out in the open. We were actually wondering if and when we would hear from you guys.  I know that you have a 13 year old son , and that your husband, or my ex was in the national guard. That only came out after they found you all in the state you now live in.  Have you discussed with your son that he does have a 1/2 brother in a neighboring state?

I want you to be happy, just as we are.  There is no reason for any hostility or angry tones to anyone.  Sarcasm is dangerous…Please do not post anything else that is deragatory on my site.

Always,

Marsha

Dear Marsha,

I am a single mother of 2 kids, both are under the age of 8, both are from different fathers, and both live with me.

Both fathers have regular visitations that they commit to. Only one father pays his child support regularly, the other pays when he can or if I really need extra help.

I use this child support to help me pay my monthly bills, and I count on it each and every week. I do work, but my job is not enough to cover even the basic bills to survive.

My question is, am I in the wrong to take the non paying father back to court for additional child support enforcement when I know he is barely able to make it on his own?

Marrissa G.

Dear Marrissa G.,

Child Support is defined by the Legal Dictionary as:
Main Entry: child sup·port
Function: noun
: payment made for the support of the children of divorced or separated parents while the children are minors or until they reach an age set by the separation agreement or in a court order

Would you go out and purchase a new vehicle or buy a house if you knew you only had half of the money to cover the payments?  No.  So, why would children be any different?

A couple that decides to have children must know that the cost of raising that child will take both incomes.  You reach this agreement knowing and relying on the other parent to help support these costs.

If one parent decides to leave the home, or his/her actions has caused them to be forced out of the home, then he/she should still do their part in raising the child, even if it means to pick up a second job or to do without a little themselves.

In the case of accidental pregnancy, just remember that with God, there are no accidents, and everything happens for a reason and a greater purpose.  If you are going to play around, be prepared to pay the cost.  If an unplanned pregnancy occurs, there is still no reason for either parent to back out and disown or neglect their child and his/her duties to pay for that child.

Sometimes you will hear one parent complain that they do not have the money to pay the amount of support the court has ordered.  This may or may not be the case.  I know from personal experience that a father may say he is unemployed to the courts, yet hold a very high paying under the table job and able to purchase him and his new girlfriend a house, plasma tv, and take weekend trips all across the area.  I firmly believe that if this absent parent were still a part of your household, then he/she would make every effort to work harder to ensure there is proper food on the table, and everyone is taken care of.  So why should it be any different with him/her out of the house? They do not have to live the high life while your child goes to school in worn out hand me downs.

My suggestion would be to feel no guilt at all for taking him back to court to enforce his obligation to pay for a child that he helped bring into this world. He is aware of his negligence to pay his share for that child.  I would have no sympathy whatsoever  for his inabilities to pay.  If there is a will, there is a way!

Know in your heart that you are only doing what is best for your child, and that is all that really matters.

Always,

Marsha

Dear Marsha,

I am starting a new construction job and I need to purchase steel toed boots.  I am not having any luck in our department stores at finding boots to fit women.  My daughter had also wanted to purchase a pair of mens cleats for soccer, and we had to try on 10 pair to find her size.  I was wondering if there was a general rule of thumb that you could share to let us women know what size of shoe we would wear in mens shoes? This would be very helpful to many of us.

Thanks,

What Shoe Fits?

Dear What Shoe Fits,

With more and more women entering work fields that were typically known as a “mans” job in the past, there really should be more of an option in clothing, shoes, and accessories.

Recently, there have been several women to come forward and market their own line of Women’s Gear. 

For instance, Próis™ Hunting Apparel started their own line of feminine Hunting Gear and can be found at www.proishunting.com

Terri Piasecki also started her own line of womens construction and safety gear at www.charmandhammer.com

However, there is a General Rule Of Thumb or Formula in converting your correct shoe/boot size into the appropriate mens shoe size.  Simply subtract 2 from your current feminine shoe size.  For example, if you wear a 7 in womens shoes, then you would approximately wear a 5 in mens shoes.

It is always best to try shoes or boots on before you purchase them, but at least now you will know where to begin your search for that perfect fit.

Always,

Marsha

Hello Marsha,

I am thinking of putting together a Halloween party for my 8 and 10 year old children this year.  I want them to be able to invite friends over and have a fun yet safe time. The trouble is, I am not good at creating ideals for games and activities. I am the type of person that has to be fully prepared, and I need to start planning now for the things I will need. Is there any advice you can give me in those areas? It would greatly be appreciated.

Much Thanks,

Happy Halloween

Dear Happy Halloween,

Autumn is definetely my favorite season of the year.  The colors are so rich, it shows us just how great of an artist God really is.

I have been known to host a few Halloween parties for my children and for adults as well.  I would be glad to share with you some of the games and crafts we have had.  I will try to list several, so that you will have a variety to choose from.

BOBBING FOR APPLES GOO STYLE:

Instead of the normal Bobbing for apples from a large tub or galvanized bucket, we would GOO it up a bit.  I added dry Ramon Noodles that I broke into smaller pieces to look like worms in the pan.  I then added red food coloring to make it appear as blood.  You can also add fake plastic fly’s that float on top of the water for an extra Gooey effect.  You can make it as gross as you desire, and the kids will still enjoy bobbing for the apples.  Be sure to have towels around to wipe off their faces with, because this does get messy.

CAULDRON OF GOO:

You will need:

4 small plastic cauldron buckets. (These are usually  sold as trick or treating buckets)

Flour, Cornmeal, Ramon Noodles, Green Food Coloring, Water

Mix all of the ingredients together to form a slightly pasty Goo. Try not to make it too thick or too watery.  The consistency should be able to be picked up by the handfuls and ooze over your hand.

You place equal amounts of Green Goo into 2 cauldrons and set them along side one another about 4 feet apart (outdoors preferably).

Then place the remaining 2 empty cauldrons about 15 ft. down from each of the full cauldrons.

Divide your guests into 2 teams. Each team will race one another to grab a handful of Goo from the full cauldron, and walk it down to place into their corresponding empty cauldron.  Everyone gets one turn, using only one full hand of GOO.  The team that has the most Goo in their opposing cauldron WINS!

GHOST IN THE MANSION:

This is a fun game that even the adults love playing.  In fact, we enjoy it so much, we change the name of it to suit almost every holiday so we can play it.

You will need to get an accurate head count of every member that will participate.  You will then need to cut or tear out that exact number of small pieces of paper.  On ONE piece of paper write GHOST, on ALL of the remaining papers, write GUEST.

Allow each player to pick out one piece of paper.  They are not to share if they are a guest or a ghost with anyone.  Only they are to know what they are.

Have everyone to sit in a circle, around a campfire works great!

The GHOST is to discretely WINK at other players one at a time to Scare them away from the mansion.  If a player is winked at, he/she is to let out a scream and fall down or turn around.  All players will try to guess who the ghost is.  If someone makes an incorrect guess, that player must immediately leave the mansion.  If that player is correct, the game is over, and everyone gets to draw papers again for another round.  The more drama that is added to this game, the funner it is to play.

SCARY STORY CARRY ON:

Sitting in a circle or around your campfire, have one person begin a scary story with saying one or two lines, then the next person has to continue this scary story by adding their line or two, and it continues around the circle for as long as you wish the story to be.  It can get quite funny as well, so this makes it interesting to hear just how creative the story will become.

PUMPKIN BOWLING:

You will need 10 empty 2 litter bottles, some sand or pebbles, and small pumkins.

Spray paint the 2 litter bottles white to look and serve as your bowling pins.  You can also paint or draw faces, eyeballs, or anything you wish on each pin.

Fill the bottom section of each pin/bottle with either sand or small pebbles to make the pin stand upright.  Do not weigh it down too much as it would be nearly impossible to knock over.  Place the pins in the appropriate 10 pin locations for bowling.

Divide your guests into several groups, and allow them to use the small pumpkins as their bowling balls.  Give each player 2 trys to make a strike or a spare.  If they succeed, spares get a small prize and strikes get a larger prize.  You can award them with candy bars, containers of goo, or anything you feel appropriate.

BUILD A SCARECROW:

This game could be considered a craft.  Divide your guests into 2 or more teams.  Each team is to try to build the scariest, funniest, or silliest scarecrow they can think of by using the supplies you have laid out for them.  You will want to have a variety of clothing such as jeans, shirts, hats, scarves, gloves, shoes, etc. as well as other items to decorate their faces with such as construction paper, scissors, glue, & markers.

Give each team approximately 15 minutes to finish their scarecrow.  Then place all the scarecrows together in a line, and allow each member to cast a vote for the winning team.

I will give you a few hints here to keep down on your expenses.  I used the grass cuttings from our lawn to stuff the scarecrows.  If you rake up your cuttings for a few weeks in advance, and keep them laid out in an area to dry, this should be much cheaper than buying hay or straw for this project.

I also visit our thrift store and yard sales to buy junky clothing, or you can ask others to donate something that they may have been going to throw out in the first place.  Do not use your good clothes, for the children enjoy cutting the clothing to make it look scarier.

I am certain your Halloween party will be a lot of fun and a huge success with all of the children.

Always,

Marsha