Just for Fun

8 Things Not To Forget When Traveling to The Tropics

Shendy

Sometimes it is hard to pack for a place or climate that is new. When packing to go to the tropics there are some items that you don't want to forget.

1. Appropriate Identification: With tighter security these days it simply makes sense to carry a passport and photo ID. Also be sure to have identification for your children traveling with you.

2. Contraceptives: Well... If you think you will be getting down and dirty on your trip you should bring contraceptives.

3. Appropriate Clothing: Yes the tropics are warm but if a sudden storm rolls in it can get quite cool, fast. Always bring good shoes, pants and even a light jacket.

I find it is better to pack lightly, You never know when you will need to carry your luggage for a distance. 3 or 4 full changes of cloths will often be enough.

4. Sunscreen: SPF 30 minimum. Any less and you stand to get burned. A sunscreen should also contain either zinc oxide or titanium oxide.

Before leaving on your trip it is a good idea to spend some time in a tanning bed. This can give you a good base to withstand the intense sun near the equator.

5. Medication: Obviously bring any prescription medication but you should also think about Aspirin, Pepto Bismal and other pharmacy items.

Be sure to carry any medicine in the original package and carry copies of your prescription as well.

6. Guide Book: A guide book to the area that you are visiting can come in real handy. Besides showing you the attractions in the area it will also have important phone numbers in case of an emergency.

7. Cash: Having a credit card and travelers cheques with you is a must. Also carry enough American cash for 2 days of emergency living. You never know when a storm will knock out the power.

8. Snorkel: If you have any plans to go snorkeling you may want to bring you own snorkel and mask, or at least a snorkel. Rentals are shared by many people. If you are packing light a snorkel takes up almost no space.

5 Reasons to Take a Holiday in New Zealand

Shendy

Here are the 5 Reasons to Take a Holiday in New Zealand

1. Queenstown in the South Island is considered to be the "Adventure Capital of the World". You can bungy jump or go on a thrilling jet boat ride, go heli-skiing, sky diving, fly-by-wire, and luging to name a few. Both bungy jumping and jet boating were invented in New Zealand. New Zealanders have a saying about Kiwi ingenuity which is borne out in the tourist spots within New Zealand.

2. There is a wide array of different accommodation options to cater for all tastes. At the upper end there are Lodges which are the height of luxury. These lodges are ordinarily located in very scenic and secluded areas and all gourmet meals are included in the price. The price of this type of accommodation reflects the luxury and inclusions.

The next level of accommodation is hotels, from international 5 star down to 2 star for basic accommodation. The hotels will tend to be serviced on a daily basis and usually include one room and a bathroom. Hotel rooms will include tea and coffee making facilities, fridges and most hotels would include a restaurant.

A favored option for families is the ever increasing numbers of apartments. The apartments are generally self catering as opposed to a hotel stay but the advantage is that they provide more space and are self catering which means that you don't have to eat out all the time thus saving you money to spend on sightseeing.

Then we have motels. Generally speaking motels offer more space than hotels and tend to be serviced daily but do not tend to be as luxurious. Motels often provide a separate bedroom or two and sometimes cooking facilities. You would need to check this out when booking.

There are also an increasing number of Bed and Breakfast's. These vary dramatically and can vary from 5 star establishments to the fairly basic. If you enjoy "getting to know the locals", the B & B option could be a good one for you. Generally breakfast will be provided as part of the price. Dinner would be by special arrangement only.

If you are on a budget there are plenty of backpacker hostels to choose from which are centrally located and well priced.

3. New Zealand has a great culinary landscape. Being a small island country surrounded by the sea, there are a multitude of seafood delicacies on offer. The ocean surrounding New Zealand is cold water thanks to Antarctica being relatively close. Cold water fish tend to have a delicate flavor. As well as fish from the sea, there are large lakes which are trout and salmon breeding grounds. Trout can not be caught commercially so there is no danger of supplies running out. New Zealand is also quite big on game and most of the more up-market restaurants will have a game option on the menu. You will find that there are dining options to suit every taste and budget. New Zealand might be quite removed geographically from the rest of the world but it is quick to adopt new types and styles of food and the kiwi ingenuity mentioned earlier in the article is demonstrated in the food served in restaurants. There are coffee bars and cafes, wine bars serving food, pubs with restaurants, family dining options, buffet's as well as the more up-market al la carte options.

There is also a thriving wine industry in New Zealand. Wherever you go, you will see vines and many of the wines produced are top quality. If wine is your thing, you won't be disappointed. Marlborough located at the top of the South Island is one of the oldest and best known wine areas, most famous for production of Sauvignon Blanc. New Zealand is also becoming very well known for producing excellent Pinot Noir, a notoriously difficult wine to produce.

4. If you are a Lord of the Rings fan, you will know that the recent series of movies was filmed in different parts of New Zealand. New Zealanders are very proud of this and whilst traveling around you will come across many mentions of parts of the movies which may have been filmed in certain spots. There are also tours catering specifically to Lord of the Rings fans.

5. New Zealand has an interesting cultural history. It is thought that the Maoris who came from Polynesia settled in New Zealand about 1000 years ago. New Zealand became a British colony in 1840 after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. There are many excellent museums within the cities and towns which offer a great overview of the relatively short and violent history of New Zealand.

Visit Rome a Historical City

Shendy

Do you bear a passion for history? Are you interested in ancient architecture and temples? Do age-long and legendary activities beckon you? If so, then you must definitely explore the ancient lands of Rome, at least once in your lifetime. With an area of about 150 square kilometers, and a population of 3.8 million, Rome still stands tall in the vast field of world history. Whenever we come across Rome, Etruscan tombs, Republican meeting rooms, Imperial temples, ancient Christian churches, medieval bell towers, Renaissance palaces, and Baroque basilicas strike the core of our mind and we enter the superficial world of history and architecture. Rome takes us through the pages of history.

Rome is situated halfway down Italy's western coast, about 20 kilometers inland. Rome is a large city, though the historical area is quite small. A majority of the Rome historical sights are restricted within a reasonable distance of the central railway station, Stazione Termini. All the main Rome monuments are situated west of the train station in Rome. However, it is always advisable to use the map of Rome, once you arrive in Rome.

Attractions

The central attractions of Rome are the Palatine Hill and the Forum. Via Del Corso is located north from the Forum to Piazza Del Popolo, accompanied by Spanish steps and the Trevi Fountain on the east. The Vatican in Rome is situated northwest of the Forum, across the River Tiber in Rome.

Rome offers a great deal of pleasure with the likes of the arrogance of the Vatican, the immemorial haunting memories of the Coliseum or the sheer thrill of going back to centuries ago of timeless history.

Rome offers you a wide range of excitement, adventure, and enjoyment. The thrill and sheer experience of Rome is very distinctive and unique. Rome gives you the liberty to thrive on wine, architecture, history, and sunshine.

Burning Bush Craft

Shendy

These crafts to illustrate the lesson of Burning Bush range from simple to involved. A couple can be adapted from their original idea to specifically fit this lesson.

Materials:
Paper bowls
Glue
Water
Paintbrushes
White construction paper
Scissors
Red and yellow tissue paper

Instructions:
1. Using the red and yellow tissue paper, cut into 2-inch teardrop patterns, and make several of each color per child.
2. Give each child a white piece of construction paper and a paintbrush.
3. Set out bowls containing a mixture of one part glue and one part water.
4. Have the children place red and yellow tissue flames on the paper at random, overlapping the yellow and red flames.
5. Have the children paint over the flames with the glue mixture using a paintbrush. The overlap of the yellow and red flames should produce orange flames.

Aluminium Fish Craft

Shendy

I always hate to throw away used aluminum foil because I feel there has to be some great use for it that I just don't know about. I decided it was time for me to do a good search for the best foil crafts, and if I was able to find more than just a couple of foil crafts, I would share them with you.

I'll share with you pictures of the foil crafts that I found, plus the name of the site where you can find the project. All you'll need to do is just click on the site name and you'll be taken directly to the page with the directions and, if appropriate, patterns.

Materials:

2 aluminum pie plates
Heavy poster paper
Pencil
Scissors
Stapler
Scrap wood pieces to create a base for the fish
Water-based paint
Paintbrushes

Instructions:

First, place the 2 pie plates together (bottoms facing out) and secure with staples. You can always use masking tape instead but the staples work the best.
Next, take 2 pieces of poster paper and draw out the following shapes: a fish head, a top fin, a bottom fin and a tail.
Cut these shapes out both pieces of paper so you have 2 of everything.
Staple or glue or tape the fin, tail and head pieces together, but only along one side. You need to keep one of the sides open so that you can attach it to the pie plate.
Attach the fins, head and tail to the pie plates.
Create a stand for the fish. Fasten the fish to the stand using tape or glue. (Attaching the fish to the stand prior to painting makes decorating much easier).
Finally, your kinder artists can decorate the fish using colorful paints, construction paper or markers.

Cool Face Painting Ideas For Kids

Shendy

If there's one thing we can be sure of, is that kids love to have their faces painted...most of them at least! These 30 quick & easy face paint ideas for kids will give you some insight into the world of face painting, and also help you give your child or client an amazing experience!

These face paint ideas are easy to replicate and follow along to, thanks to our very talented and knowledgeable face painters. Whether you're looking for new ideas, or want to perfect that cat face paint, you've come to the right place! Below, we've compiled 30 of our best, easiest, and quickest face paint ideas for kids so that no matter how skilled (or not) you are, you CAN pull these off!

Now of course these are intended mainly for children, but there's nothing in the rule book (what rule book?!) that says adults can't rock these face paint designs! Grab your paints, sponge and brush and check out these 30 quick and easy face paint makeup ideas for the face and body!

Funny Christmas Homemade Gift Baskets

Shendy

Christmas is the time to celebrate, make merry, and indulge in giving. People give out gifts to friends and relative and spread cheer all around. Of late the gift baskets have grown much in popularity. They help you in personalizing your gifts while presenting them. The baskets can be made in many creative ways. They can also be used at home after the gift inside it has been removed. There are many gift baskets available in the market but you can be more creative by making a gift basket at home, by using other items. How about creating an innovation gift basket without an actual basket? It just requires some planning and creativity. Here are some ideas on how to create the perfect gift basket at home.

You can use different bases to hold your gift instead of a traditional basket. For example if someone in the family loves cooking then consider gifting her with kitchen items filled into a crock pot. Fill in all the items inside a stock pot or crock pot and add some glitters and bow to it to make it look really special.

If there is some man in the family who just loves fishing then how about gifting him a conventional wicker tackle box which would help to hold a cluster of fishing items. You can use this as a creative basket to stuff it with goodies such as handkerchiefs, line, a coffee thermos, and some other things you think he would like to take with him on his next fishing trip.

Women just love to be pampered so you can create a basket out of a robe and fill it with various items such as a manicure kit, eye mask, gels, lotions, and lots of other girlie stuff.

The kids can gift their teachers a tote bag that can hold lots of other stuffs such as pen, notebooks and papers. You can put the gifts inside the bag and surprise your teacher. You can also attach a card to it to wish them a happy christmas holiday season.

How To Dress Up Like A Santa

Shendy

http://just4funwithsandy.blogspot.com/2013/11/how-to-dress-up-like-santa.html

This Christmas holiday season would you like to dress up as Santa Clause and spread cheer? Or may be you have been invited to dress up as Santa for the kids of the local school, or you want to visit a party. Whatever the reason be, ensure that you dress up perfectly so that the kids don’t recognize you.

You can get a Santa Clause costume from a store but there are some things that you need to take into consideration in order to make yourself pass. You of course know that Santa is a rather plump fellow with a round jelly which shakes when he laughs. If you are not plump naturally then you would have to consider making yourself plump by tying a cushion to your stomach. It would require some manual help to ensure that it wobbles when you laugh. After you have your artificial belly made, you can get the perfect Santa costume of your size.

Now, it is time to concentrate on the make-up. Santa Clause is famous for his red cheeks and cherry like nose. You may need some pink blusher to make your cheeks and nose rosy like Santa. You can get the best effect by creating a pink circle on each of your cheeks and a smaller circle on the tip of your nose. Even if this sound a bit weird, it would make you look simply great when you have your entire costume on.

Santa usually wears boots that help to keep him warm. You just can’t do with any boot. Santa clause rides on the sleigh and wears furry boots. Even if you are wearing simple boots, they must appear to be fur lined. Therefore it is necessary that you create some effects in your boot to make them appear fur lined.

After you have got the costume and the make-up right, you need to practice saying ‘Ho- Ho-Ho’ perfectly. This would make you a real Santa; just remember to keep laughing and spreading cheer.

Fun Ideas For Christmas Decorations

Shendy

Christmas bring along with it lots of good times and cheer. One of the most exciting things to do during this time of the year is decorating a Christmas tree. This is also one of the most nostalgic moments for the adults and a fun time for kids. So, if you too love to decorate a Christmas tree then here are some exciting decorating ideas for this season.

You can start with the front of your home, which is mostly forgotten but is the most important one to make a good impression. You can decorate the space in the front with two Christmas trees. You can both get the pre-lit ones because they are hassle free, or you can use light the candles and out them on the trees yourself. You may get a nice welcome mat that has snowflakes or holiday flowers design.

Houses with entryways make for the perfect place for Christmas decorations. If you have a large entryway then you can place a lighted Christmas tree there. This tree can be used for decorating as well as entertaining purposes. You can place the main Christmas tree in either the living room or the den.

If you cannot put so many Christmas trees in your home then alternatively you can get the kids to make hang cloth Christmas tree banners and glue them on the wall. Glitter can be added to it to create a special effect. This is a creative and fun way to involve the kids in the decorations of Christmas at home.

Bathroom is one part of the house that usually gets neglected when it comes to decorating. This holiday season remember to decorate even your bathroom by placing some scented pine, holiday spice, or cinnamon.

For the bedroom, you can add freshness to it by buying linens in red, green, or silver. You can also opt for holiday quilts that are warm and comfortable.