Advance preparation is the key to a successful barbecue. Most importantly, people should make sure they have plenty of charcoal to last the duration of the party, or bottled gas if a gas barbecue is to be used.

It is always good to have pre-barbecue snacks available for guests as soon as they arrive, to keep them going until all of the delicious char-grilled food is ready.
Snacks such as cured meats, marinated olives and light cheese are perfect pre-BBQ snacks. Less is more, as it is advisable to whet but not spoil the appetites of the guests.
Refreshing summer cocktails, such as caipirinhas or Pimms cocktail always go down well in the summer heat and most of the preparation for these can be done in advance of guests arriving.

Several things can be done in advance of the barbecue so that hosts are free to spend more time with their guests:

Pre-cooking chicken in the oven is advisable, particularly if the host is using a basic coal barbecue where the level of heat can be quite hard to control. Chicken can be roasted at 200°C for between 25 minutes (wings) and 45 minutes (legs,) simply brushed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. This leaves the chicken safely cooked through, but still able to be crisped-up and charred on the barbecue.

Salads for the barbecue can easily be prepared in advance. Small potatoes, boiled until tender, mixed while warm with mayonnaise, crème fraiche, chopped spring onions, salt and pepper make a delicious and simple potato salad.

Proper oven cooked jacket potatoes are always a good barbecue accompaniment and just require washing, piercing in a few places and placing in an oven at 230°C for one hour. These can even be finished off wrapped in foil in the embers of a charcoal barbecue.

Cooks not experienced in BBQ cooking can invest in a meat thermometer to ensure they do not poison their guests!

Preparing as much food as possible in advance means the cook is free to concentrate on grilling the food when the time comes. Food that can take really high heat, such as vegetables, steaks, burgers and whole fish can go on first.

Pork, sausages and chicken do well at a lower heat so are better cooked slowly once the heat has died down, or at a lower heat setting in the case of a gas barbecue.
Barbecue Considerations for Vegetarians
It is likely there may be vegetarians amongst your guests, so it is good to make sure they are well catered for. There are many recipes available for things such as homemade vegetarian burgers or stuffed mushrooms, or cooks could make interesting vegetarian kebabs with fresh vegetables and Greek halloumi cheese, which is delicious when grilled on a barbecue.

It is important to cook the vegetarian food first on the barbecue, as vegetarians are unlikely to enjoy their food tainted with meat.

If there is still heat left on the barbecue, there are many delicious desserts that can be prepared over the coals. Whole bananas can be thrown onto the grill and served when soft and mushy with syrup, cream and a dash of rum.

Certain fruits also work very well grilled on skewers, such as pineapple, banana and strawberries. Served with a good vanilla ice-cream, these make a delicious light dessert to follow the BBQ feast.

However many people are attending a barbecue party, these tips, along with some advance planning, will make the barbecue a fun experience for all, including the host!

With the school year coming to a close, many parents wonder how to keep their children active and engaged in learning during the traditional summer recess. According to Jack O’Connell, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, “When children are inactive mentally and physically during the summer, they often have to take time to get back up to speed in the fall.” Below are some tips for summer learning:

· Turn off the television and computer and play outside: Call your neighbors and start a volleyball game in your yard. Dust off the old Slip ‘N Slide and invite some kids over for water fun. Physical activity helps prevent the silent epidemic of childhood obesity. Teamwork teaches children about the values of helping, sharing, listening, respecting, and participating.

· Watch educational programs: If it's too hot outside there are several educational programs on television, such as "The Electric Company" or "Sesame Street" on your local PBS stations. These programs are also online and offer activity and educational resources for children. For more information, please visit Home - Sesame Street or The Electric Company

· Set aside time each day to read: Read the morning newspaper with your children, or find a good book at the library or bookstore. Reading keeps children's minds active and engaged and ready to learn when they go back to school. Search the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Recommended Literature database that will help you find age-appropriate materials at Search List, Recommended Literature for Reading and Language Arts, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve.

· Volunteer: Summer jobs for teens can be scarce because of the economy. Instead, encourage your children to volunteer at your local nonprofit agency, help some elderly neighbors, or those less fortunate.

· Encourage children to create their own job: Children can mow lawns, pet sit, house sit, or take care of your neighbors' plants while they are on vacation. Or they can baby sit after getting lessons from your local American Red Cross Chapter. Search for lessons near you at American Red Cross, keyword "babysitting lessons." Work helps children learn about responsibility and financial literacy.

· Start a scrapbook: Find all your old vacation pictures that are stashed away in boxes and work with your children to put together a scrapbook. This helps preserve your fun vacation memories, initiates family conversations, and helps you bond during the tough economic times.

· Visit your local museums: Families sometimes only go to museums when they're on vacation and rarely visit their own hometown's facilities. The American Association of Museums reports attending a museum is very affordable and often free. Search for a museum near you at AAM Member Museum Directory

· Go grocery shopping with your children: Let them help you plan your meals. Then you can teach them the value of good nutrition, balanced meals, and making healthy choices. While at the grocery store, let the children add up the price of groceries. This will teach them about math.

· Cook dinner together: Let your children help you prepare a meal. This teaches them how to be self-sufficient and independent. Let them measure out the ingredients and teach them how the ingredients interact with each other. This allows them to practice their math and chemistry skills.

· Let your kids teach you how to use a computer: Using technology comes naturally to children who were born in the Internet age. Letting them be the teacher teaches them how to engage their parents in conversation, patience, and makes you listen to each other, which may become a bonding experience.

Information adapted from: Tips to Keep Children Engaged in Learning During Summer Recess

Here are ten great tips to get you motivated and ready to save:

1. Subscribe to your local papers
You have to get coupons to use coupons! The quickest way to get started is to subscribe to your local newspapers. Savvy coupon users find that getting a subscription for each member of the household helps to maximize coupon benefits by using the extra coupons to stockpile items that your family uses frequently.

2. Start a coupon circle
Tell a few friends, family, and coworkers that you’re going to start using coupons and ask if they’d like to join in. You can build a valuable buddy system and share coupons with one another. Invite everyone over for snacks and coupon clipping and share the benefits with those closest to you. You’ll stay motivated and you may even get a few extra coupons, which means extra savings!

3. Get organized
Maximizing the benefits of couponing means staying organized, like using a three-ring binder, envelopes in a shoebox, or paper clips. Whatever you choose to use, make sure it works for you and stick with it.

4. Print and save
Browse the web for great savings on coupons and sign up for manufacturer’s emails (which often include a coupon). Worried about spam? Get a free email account that you’ll use exclusively for couponing.

5. Plan ahead
Expert coupon users rarely run out of items because they plan ahead. Plan by using pen and paper, a computer spreadsheet, or a smartphone app. Consult your manufacturer coupons and your local stores circular to find out what items are on sale and use your coupons to maximize those savings. Planning your meals around store specials and what coupons you have can really save you money.


6. Get to know your local store
Most coupon users don’t shop at one store, but they do know their local stores very well. If your store has a website, they often post the weekly specials online which will make it easier for you to plan your trip. Speak with the manager about any coupon policies and get to know the clerks for hassle-free shopping. Also be sure to sign up for loyalty cards at the stores your frequent most. 


7. Coupon Courtesy
The first few times that you use coupons, it may seem like a hassle; but with a positive attitude, you can fly through the check-out with ease. If you have a lot of coupons, let the clerk know and ask if they would like for you to organize your items in a particular way.


8. Stock up
Stockpiling doesn’t need to take up a lot of space. Find an empty shelf or cabinet and begin filling it with items that you get for free or at a deep discount. This works particularly well for toiletries and household cleaners.


9. Forget warehouse clubs
You’ve started to stockpile your items and maximize the benefits of using coupons – so who needs megastores? Most warehouses charge a yearly membership fee, meaning you have to pay a hefty fee just to save money.


10. Be patient 
You won’t save 80 percent on your groceries during your first trip; but, you may save 5 or even 10 percent. Over time you’ll become more experienced and you’re savings will increase. Keep motivated by recording coupon savings and think of how you can use that money toward paying down debt, a dinner out, or even a vacation!

Your family has decided to set aside some time each week to have a family night, but now you aren’t sure what to do. Playing games is a good start, but you can do so many other things to keep family night interesting. 
Here are 50 PLUS ideas for family fun night.





1.Make a craft project. 
2.Paint and decorate the family mailbox.
3.Decorate a Family Vacation Jar in which you save change.
4.Create a family newsletter to send out to family and friends. This can be a monthly project.
5.Have family movie night and watch old family videos together.
6.Family star-watching night. Lay outside on a blanket in the yard and look up at the stars together. Try to map out constellations together. Afterward, look up the stories behind each constellation on the Internet.
7.Enjoy a cookout and camp-out  Pitch a tent in your yard and cook food over an open fire (or on the barbecue). Sit in a circle and tell ghost stories.
8.Volunteer as a family. Help out at a school fundraiser or serve meals at the local soup kitchen.
9.Bake together. Take turns picking favorite recipes out of a cookbook and let the kids and dad join in on the fun.
10.Go to the local playground and swing together or climb the monkey bars. Kids love it when parents play like they do.
1 1.Play hopscotch. 
12.Set up an obstacle course in your backyard. Using things like hula hoops and jump ropes, create an outdoor obstacle course in which you can compete with each other for best time. This is not only a fun activity but also a great way to provide exercise for the whole family.
13. Backyard games to keep kids entertained. 
14.Learn a musical instrument together. Find an instrument that every member of the family would enjoy playing and take turns learning a song. If everyone already plays an instrument, try learning a song together.
15.Visit the zoo. Have each person write down which animal he liked best and what he learned about that animal.
16.Visit a museum. 
17.Have a game show night. Set up a stage and give each family member a part as the host, contestant, etc. Use trivia games, word games or whatever you enjoy playing as part of the game show. Play for points or fake money. 
18.Make sock puppets. Gather some old socks, decorate them and then use them to put on a show.
19.Create a family photo album. Have the kids pick photos from a recent vacation, family gathering or other event. Together, place the photos in a scrapbook with each member adding a funny saying or description to the photo they like best.
2 0.Take family photos. Get out the camera and have some fun taking photos of each other. Be silly, be serious and have fun.
21.Create your own family board game. Draw up a board on a piece of cardboard, make up rules and find interesting things around the house to use for game pieces.
22.Take the family bowling.
23.Play miniature golf.
24.Put a puzzle together.
25.Go roller skating.
26.Play card games.
27 Family card games.
28.Build a birdhouse together.
29.Work on a family genealogy chart together. Talk about distant relatives and family history.
30.Rent a dance DVD and learn a new dance together.
31.Go on a nature walk at a local park or outdoor trail – point out different types of trees and plants.
32.Have a formal family dinner. Set the table with your best tableware, have everyone dress up and use your best manners. Give everyone a fancy name and title -- like prince or princess -- and behave as one would. This is a fun way to teach table manners.
33.Play show and tell. Have each family member choose an item that is important to them and tell all about it.
34.Set up game stations. Mom and dad can each have a different game station, and each child takes turns playing a quick game like Tic-Tac-Toe or Hangman with each parent separately. After 10 minutes, everyone switches. Older siblings can have a station, too, if there are several kids in the house so everyone is playing something all the time.
35.Go biking.
36.Take a class together like cooking, drawing, ceramics, ballroom dancing or music lessons.
37.Write a story together. Decide on characters and theme, and then let each family member come up with a one-page chapter for the book. Put it together and read aloud to find out what adventures the characters encounter.
38.Color together. Bring out the pile of coloring books and bucket of crayons and have everyone sit at the dining room table and color. This is a good way to let the conversation flow while everyone is creating.
39.Visit a local historical site. Learn about it together, take pictures and add it to your family album or newsletter.
4 0.Play a casual game of baseball, football or basketball.
41.Go ice skating.
42.Make your own bubble solution out of dish soap and water. Add glycerin if you have it for firmer bubbles. Go outside, blow bubbles, and chase and pop them.
43.Learn a language together.
44.Make a family cookbook. Have every family member choose several of their favorite recipes and type it up. Make copies to pass out as gifts at Christmas.
45.Teach your dog some tricks. Learn how to teach simple tricks and have the entire family work with the dog on a new trick each week.
46.Make a family movie. Write up a script together, put together some costumes and film it. 
47.Collect seasonal items outside, like leaves, branches, flowers, rocks or pine cones. Bring them inside to create a table centerpiece in a bowl or jar.
48.Paint your own mug. Buy inexpensive glass mugs and acrylic paint, and have each family member decorate a mug for their own use.
49.Play Name That Tune. 
50.Read under a blanket tent. Set up a huge blanket tent in the living room and have the entire family sit under it while one family member reads a favorite book out loud.
5 1.Cook together. Cook a meal that everyone agrees on and let the whole family help in preparing it.
52.Make collage posters. Set out a batch of old magazines to cut up, and print out some favorite family photos that can be used to create a decorative collage. Give every family member their own poster-board and let them each create a collage poster.

Special thanks to all our Angels who offered input and ideas.

One of the hardest parts of spring cleaning can be deciding where to begin and what to tackle first. Not to mention figuring out who will do what. 
So why not approach the big job like a pro this year: create an action plan, assign tasks to specific family members (or even to a professional) and then reward everyone for a job well done. Don’t forget to hold a family meeting to brainstorm enticing and fun rewards that will inspire everyone to work hard! 
Downloadable checklists ease your way.

To help you out with your big spring clean, consider down loading a handy and easy-to-use spring cleaning checklists: one for each room in your home, plus an extra to cover outdoor cleaning. 

Each list should contains tasks, suggestions for who can best handle each task (adult, child or professional), tool and product recommendations, helpful tips are also sometimes included. 

To download a checklist, Google the specific checklist names (by room or structure type). Then simply click the name of the checklist you’d like to use and print it. 

Once you have your checklist, print it and use it as a guide to keep you and your family on track throughout your big spring clean (feel free to add to or taylor list to your families specific needs). Here’s a suggestion: tape the appropriate checklist to the door of the room you’re cleaning and check off tasks as they are completed. That way everyone can track the progress of each room and share in a sense of accomplishment as you get closer to your goals. It will make the chores seem more manageable too. 

Make safety a priority

As always, read the labels of any product you use so you fully understand all directions and precautions. Consider, too, whether you’ll need special equipment, like safety goggles or rubber gloves, to protect your eyes and skin. 

Children can often help out with spring cleaning and on your checklists be sure to indicate cleaning tasks that are most appropriate for them. However, some cleaning products should be kept out of reach of children (and pets too), so check labels to make sure. Be sure that you supervise them as appropriate for their age.

Place X-tra Emphasis On Carpets

Because the cleanliness of your carpets not only significantly impacts your home’s appearance but also your families health a good professional cleaning should be a part of your Spring over haul whenever possible. Here are a few tips to keep in mind from Zack and Jennifer Brenner who own and operate Nor Cal Carpet Cleaning in Northern California (they serve the Greater Sacramento region):

*Be certain the quote you get is accurate and truly reflects all of the rooms you wish to have cleaned.

*Clarify what the service includes (are they using a cleaning agent, scotch guard…)

* Do they run background checks on their staff (these individuals will be in your home, and have access to family members as well as belongings).

*Try to avoid walking on carpets until they dry and keep humidity down in the process.

You can contact Nor Cal Carpet for additional carpet cleaning tips at 916-893-1937.

Celebrate a job well done.

Once the last check box has been checked and your house is gleaming from roof to basement, treat the whole family to the agreed-upon reward. Whether it’s dinner at a favorite restaurant or maybe a new hammock for backyard relaxing, it’s certain to be a well-earned spring bonus!