Deciding to throw a birthday party for any age isn’t something to worry about. There are countless decorations and themes that will work for anyone. No matter whose birthday or celebration it is, here are some hints to make it memorable.

Finding premade invites will be easier and faster to send out. To add a few personal touches to your invites make them yourself. This will take a little longer, but it’ll show your guest that the event is a little extra special. Once you have you’re birthday party invites finished send them out two to three weeks in advance.

Once you’re doing with your birthday party invites, you can move on to getting your party ready. Now is the time to decide where you’re having your party. Is it going to be outside? If so, you need to have a good idea of the weather conditions. Going with an indoor party? Then, you need to decide if you have enough room for all the guests you are going to invite at your home or perhaps select another location.

Now it’s time to decorate for the birthday party. Going to a local craft store will give you a lot of ideas, but you’ll find many more right here online. From balloons, streamers, tablecloths and more, there is plenty to decide on. A theme is a great choice, but it isn’t always necessary.

If you’re planning on a younger child’s birthday party, then get some games to play which can be found at your online party store, too. Good old ones like Pin the tail on the donkey and hide and seek are great choices.

Most of all for any kind of party you might want to make sure that everyone has fun. Most of all any birthday party needs to work with the age of the partygoers!

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes (PartyThemeShop.com) to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or “just because” parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

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We all love picnics. They represent a fun time as we prepare
the food, the entertainment and the guest list. I think that the
main idea behind picnics is the eating! Everyone usually
brings some kind of a special treat that we all like to sample
and sometimes in excess. We are left feeling overly full and
tired. Forget the volley ball for a while and it’s not good to go
swimming after eating, so let’s just lay here for awhile and
rest. Our bodies will digest all this and maintain the
essential vitamins and proteins and minerals and
everything else turns to fat, or gets wasted. It’s a good thing
that we dispose of this because we’d blow up otherwise.
But in all this eating, it’s possible to be starving for another
food. I’m talking about spiritual food.

Jesus talked about the parable of the sower and the seeds.
If this parable isn’t understood then nothing else concerning
the kingdom life will be either. It all begins here. This is
where the true Christian walk begins.

“While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does
not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and
snatches away what was sown in the heart. This is what
was sown along the roadside.” Mt. 13:19 (Amplified)

In other words, the sower is you and me. We are like the
farmer who plants his seeds, expecting a harvest when they
are planted and nurtured. It’s common sense to know that in
order to reap a bountiful harvest, seeds must be planted in
fertile, well prepared soil and then must be watered to
soften the outer shells in order for the roots to break out.
Once this happens, the roots can only grow as deep and
strong as the soil allows. When the soil is good, the roots
will grow deep and strong. This is true of the human heart
as Jesus compares it to the different kinds of soil. And just
like at a picnic, when the food is left unguarded ants are
sure to come in and march of with it. This is how the
adversary the devil operates. When you aren’t looking he’ll
come stealing in and take what you have. Jesus tells us to
guard our hearts from this happening.

Jesus is saying that unless we get well fed with the Word of
God, the enemy will dry up our roots when we aren’t well
watered and fed.

In the Greek language, the meaning for Word used here in
this passage is logos. It means God’s Word is something
said, a thought, or a reasoning of our mental faculty. God
speaks to us through His Word, the Bible. The more we get
fed and watered in His Word the stronger and deeper our
roots will grow and less likely that the enemy can kill them.

“The sower sows the Word.” Mk. 4:14 (Amplified)

Again, Jesus simply says that it is we who sow God’s Word
in ourselves. It’s as easy as picking up a fork and lifting it to
our mouths when we spend time with God in His Word, His
thoughts are revealed to us, He reasons with us and this is
when we will begin to sow or plant His Word in our own
lives as well as the lives of others. It’s to be shared, just like
the food at the picnic. It’s no fun keeping it all to yourself.

“And Jesus replied to him (Satan), ‘It is written, Man shall not
live and be sustained by (on) bread alone, but by every word
and expression of God.’” Lk. 4:14 (Amplified)

In this verse we read where Jesus was in the desert for 40
days and nights with nothing to eat or drink. He was weak
from hunger in the physical sense. It’s just like Satan to
tempt us when we are weak and out of sorts. It’s important
to keep in mind that he tempted Jesus, he didn’t succeed.
Even though our Savior was weak from hunger in the
physical body, He still remained strong spiritually and told
Satan that because He was well fed with the Word He could
not be tempted.

This Greek meaning for Word here is rhema. It is a
command, or to speak of. In other words Jesus told Satan
that aside from physical bread, man shall be fed and
sustained by the command of God. As Jesus said, “It is
written” was because God had said this same thing earlier
to Moses in the desert when he was leading the captives to
freedom.

“And He humbled you and allowed you to hunger and fed
you with manna, which you didn not know, nor your fathers
know, that He might make you recognize and personally
know that man does not live by bread only, but man lives by
every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.”
Deu. 8:3 (Amplified)

God fed his people a bread which was sweet to the taste
called manna that fell from heaven to feed them physically
to keep them alive but Moses informed them that man
doesn’t live by bread alone, but instead by the word that
proceedes from God’s mouth. This was the rhema word.

And as God is still the same today as He was yesterday and
will be tomorrow, He doesn’t change what He says or does.
Just like the Israelites in the desert, God intends us to eat
His Word in order to live spiritually and the stronger we are
in it, the enemy does not have a chance in hell to take our
lives from us.

I’m sure you’ve heard that your body craves what it needs.
Does your spirit crave something with meaning? If so, get in
God’s Word and let Him feed you.

In knowing His Son Jesus as your Savior, the One who lived
and died, was buried and rose on the third day to pay the
price of your sins God will make sure your appetite is well
satisfied with His Word that will give you eternal life.

The next time you go on a picnic, ask yourself if you are still
hungry for more of God or is all the junk food satisfactory?
It’s your choice.

Vivian Gordon, writer and teacher of the Word. She studies
God’s Word daily and spends time in prayer. The Holy Spirit
moves through her to be a blessing to others.

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The lines are blurring between segments - we’ve seen fast-casual and full-service
restaurants with drive-thrus begin to challenge the competitive advantage traditional
quick-serves once had. Taking a diversion from the usual focus of this column on training
and service, let’s look at what you can do outside to bring more customers inside.

Get online. Make it even easier for customers to get their meal from you. If you can
minimize the ordering process at the unit, you save labor and the customer saves time.
Yes, you might have to create an express line, but to have orders placed online, instantly
print in the kitchen, and be paid directly into your merchant account saves tons of time
when the guest arrives. Additionally, no one has to pay attention to the fax machine! The
real benefit, however, is the database of information these customers provide. If you are
expecting a slow day, you can use the database of customers to send out a lunch special at
10:30 as a last-minute reminder to visit your restaurant for lunch. Everyone has
information but only a few choose to use it!

Get to know them. Really get to know the businesses in a 1-2 mile radius — they are
your core lunch customers. Visit them and find out who controls the communication and
distribution in the office, as well as who is responsible for placing catering and large
orders. Invite them in for a free meal or, better yet . . .

Edible business card. Pick a local business per week or day and deliver a surprise lunch
attached to your business card. Not only is it a nice surprise, but it will also create a buzz
for your brand and keep you top-of-mind when the employees are hungry. Treat your local
businesses like friends and they’ll repay the favor with their loyalty.

As a reminder, marketing should be the step that happens AFTER your operation is
running top-notch. There is no sense bringing in more customers for an average or belowaverage
experience — it just hastens your demise. Focus on the inside and then look
outside. Your customers are waiting for you!

T.J. Schier is service professional, consultant and speaker with over 20 years experience in operations and training. Founder and president of Incentivize Solutions and podTraining, T.J. has helped numerous clients enhance their service and training programs and spoken to tens of thousands of managers, franchisees and operators in various fields. Visit http://IncentivizeSolutions.com/ for more info motivating today’s employees, training today’s generation and delivering outstanding guest service; or http://podTraining.us/, a unique new system and the foundation of ‘i-learning’ - using the device of today’s generation, the iPod - to train your workforce.

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