This is a review of the best balloon pumps you can find in the market, according to my experience as a balloon twister.

The little Palm Pumps
The Palm Pumps are little squeeze bulb pumps that work well with the long balloons used for twisting sculptures, (which are known as 260’s or 160’s, depending on their size). With each hand squeeze, a bit of air puffs into the balloon. It takes 20-30 squeezes to inflate a balloon. They are small and convenient, specially if you only need to inflate a few balloons.

The Spaghetti Blaster
This is an inexpensive single action hand pump. It is very light, slim and easy to handle. The best choice if you need to inflate lots of thin 160s.

The Hand Pump, Dual Action.
This is my favorite, the one i always use no matter where i am. Dual action means that it pumps in both directions. This pump is very light, easy to use and works well. I use primarily to inflate 260s, although the nozzle adapts to balloons of other sizes as well. The best choice for professionals that need a dependable pump.

The Single Action Hand Pump
This amazing hand pump is the number one choice for beginners, as it is very sturdy, compact, easy to handle and performs very well. I used that one when i first started learning and it was very dependable, although not as fast as the dual action.

Balloon Floor Pump
A great manual pump for the twister who wants a flashy professional image on stage and a dependable pump at the same time. Just one stroke inflates a standard 260 balloon. It weighs less than 6 pounds. I have seen it used, but never used it myself.

Twist-N-Flate
This pump runs with a high-powered battery that will last up to 3 hours, long enough to inflate up to 500 balloons. Its high pressure inflates balloons of all sizes. It is lightweight, portable (can even be shoulder mounted for right or left hand use). Best choice for professionals that need to stand for long hours and inflate hundreds of balloons.

Mini Mac Light Balloon Pump
Faithful to its name, this is a large but light manual pump. The Mini Mac Light weights only 4.5 lb and comes with a carrying strap to make transporting it around easier. It can fully inflate a 260 in one stroke!

Rose Gagnon is a veteran balloon twister, who has performed at many events and charities in many countries. Her experience with pumps and balloons will save you time and money, directing you to the best possible articles in the market.

wholesaleballoons.com
party bags qualatex pumps

This is a true story.

I frequently entertain at parties and events by drawing caricatures for the guests. The guests have a fun time while they watch me draw the candidate in the ‘hot seat’ and then he gets a ready-made souvenir to take home.

I entertain in all kinds of environments ranging from fancy hotel ballrooms to outdoor festivals, company offices, and people’s homes.

On this day I had set up my easel under a large shady maple in the leafy enclosed yard in a home in an upscale Philadelphia suburb. The yard was large and private. The occasion? A boy’s middle school graduation party.

I was not the only entertainment. There was also a DJ to provide music and dancing.

The party, held in the mid-afternoon on a weekday, was small, low-key, and the kids were orderly. The DJ played his music at a moderate decibel level.

All-in-all, this was a pleasant, well managed event.

Until 3pm when the police arrived.

A neighbor had called the police complaining of noise. The police asked the DJ to refrain from playing his music.

I had no part in planning the festivities and I do not know the peculiarities of the township’s regulations. Nor do I know if my client had a pesky or sensitive neighbor.

But there were some steps my client could have taken that might have prevented the problem.

She could have given a heads up to her neighbors, or at least a neighbor that might be particularly sensitive.

She could have given a heads up to her local town clerk or police department.

If she required any permits, she would have had them. And in most towns, none would have been required for a party as low-key as hers. But even if none were required, the local police would have been aware that the event was going on.

Local cops like to know what is going on in their beat. When they know about your bash ahead of time, they are likely to deflect complaining neighbors.

The requirements of some towns are more onerous than others. You or your event planner has to research your town’s particular procedures and sensitivities. But non-compliance can result in your party being shut down.

Even if you have paid thousands of dollars for it.

Even if you think it is totally unreasonable.

While it is true that some townships and some regulations are unnecessarily onerous, most town regulations are designed to prevent catastrophes. Such as the collapse of a poorly rigged tent on party guests. And, unfortunately, that happens.

Moral of the story: Know your town and know your neighbors and keep both informed.

Want to learn more? Visit my blog, http://coolpartyhost.com where you can find cool party tips and tricks and observations of author, Ellen Zucker, who has entertained at hundreds of parties and special events of all kinds for over 15 years.

Ellen@facesandfortunes.com or (215) 722 2453

One of the best indoor activities for children during cold winter days or other nasty weather during anytime of the year is creating Digital Photo projects for them. Most kids love taking pictures and any digital camera will do in most cases. The subject matter and depth is only limited by your imagination and children’s age.

A good example is doing a day in the life of Mom, or a pet, or Dad, or even the kids themselves. They can document the day or even one activity in their own way with pictures. You will be amazed at some of the ideas children come up with and how good the story can turn out. Here’s a good short list of possible photo projects.

A Day in the Life of Mom
Dad’s Saturday Adventures
Rover’s Adventures (cat, dog, iguana, what ever pet you might have)
How To (anything within reason)

Kids love to act out any storyline, they can put on a play or make up and act out a story and document the whole shebang with pictures. One of the funniest one’s our grandkids came up with was called Our House Safari and they went form room to room and took pictures and told what happens in that room. They spent all day between taking pictures and writing the stories of each room. Another really funny one was about the melting of a snowman they brought inside the house. It was small enough to fit on a pan for the melting water and they came in and took pictures about every 20 minutes to show the melting process.

There are really two different parts to the photo projects, one is actually taking the pictures and the other is creating a scrapbook that tells the story. The kids can describe the details of each picture and it is truly amazing to see what they say and think about the most subjects.

The scrapbook part can be done with a simple word processor or even online at some free photo sharing website like Google’s Picasso. Many digital cameras come with software that can help upload, make changes to the photos, and make photo albums. Many are geared toward young users and can be menu driven which can easily be learned.

Depending on the age and ability of the kids, parents can participate to what ever level they want. This provides some great one on one time for both the children and their parents. These can be a group project or maybe multiple children to work as a team. There are so many positive aspects to these types of activities since you can set the rules to fit any situation.

These projects present excellent opportunities to teach children how to work together, learn new skills, and can even have some moral to the project. They get to learn a little more about any subject they choose and self-discovery is always a good way to learn new things. And the working on the computer helps with basic computer skills and is far better than shooting aliens.

Amount of supervision is up to the adults and can be adjusted as the project unfolds. And once you go through the whole process, any new photo projects can be a snap for the kids. You could even assign subjects that are educational and help the kids with whatever they are learning at school.

And one of the best things about these photo projects is you can keep them forever. When the kids grow up you and your kids have a great souvenir to look at years later. Many subjects can be a learning situation and provide fun too. And as the kids get older, the projects can get more diverse and include subjects you want them to learn about.

Learn more about Children’s Digital Cameras here: Childrens Digital Camera. Fisher Price makes a good kids digital camera: Fisher Price Digital Camera.

There are lots of reasons to choose soy candles.

You can have virtually any candle you want – from soy pillar candles in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, soy scented candles, unscented soy candles, soy tea light candles, votive soy candles, to aromatherapy soy scented candles – you name it, someone is manufacturing it….

It’s not surprising that soy candles are growing so rapidly in popularity, particularly among environmentalists; you get everything you could wish for in a candle, in terms of scent, color, shape and size – and you get all the advantages of soy.

“Healthier” is one of the most common claims.

Because soy wax has a vegetable base (it is made from soybean oil), it has no petroleum by-products such as those thrown off by conventional candles. It is also a renewable resource, a concept that is becoming more and more important to increasing numbers of people.

Soy is also said to be less likely to induce allergic reactions in sensitive people.

Soy wax candles produce much less soot. They are not soot-free (no candle can ever be soot-free), but soy scented candles produce up to 95% less soot than their paraffin equivalents.

This translates into a healthier environment and no damage to walls, hangings and furniture.

Soy wax has a lower melting point, so it burns cooler and longer – anything up to 50% longer than a normal candle.

Because of this lower melting point, soy candles are often container candles. However, soy wax can be used to manufacture pillar candles if certain additives are mixed in. One possible problem is that the softer soy wax can deform in hot weather, although manufacturers have largely overcome this problem.

Hot weather is obviously not an issue with container-based soy candles.

This same cooler burning also means a better scent “throw”, which loosely translates into the degree to which the scent is dispersed throughout a room. This is because the lower melting point of soy wax produces a larger pool of liquid wax around the burning wick, and it is from this pool that scent evaporates into the surrounding air.

Soy wax is water soluble, so any spills can be easily removed with hot soapy water.

Last but by no means least, soy wax is produced from soy beans grown in America, so every pound sold means greater security for the American farming community.

Small wonder then that there are now more than 300 companies making soy candles nationwide.

Most soy products will state quite clearly that they are made from soy wax; if you can’t find such a claim on the label or in the product description, the wax is probably paraffin-based.

To keep your body looking as good as your home, you need to think about keeping fit and in shape. Visit http://www.ellipticalstepper.net to find out how a home gym with a compact Elliptical Stepper can help you lose weight and stay fit.

I remember the first time I sat down to eat at a formal meal. It was quite the experience as I was coming into the situation unprepared.

Although my parents had taught us to be polite, we never were taught how to eat at a formal meal. Our meals were always very “normal” and did not require any special type of behavior.

Naturally, the first time I experience a formal meal I felt like a fish out of water. I am sure that I am not the only one with that experience and so I want to pass on the proper table setting etiquette.

Table Setting

It this is your first time like it was mine, you are going to wonder why there are so many forks, knives, plates, and glasses. Let me try and break this down very simply so that you can quickly understand what proper etiquette will be at a table setting.

1. Always start with the outside of the silverware and work in. Please note that this rule only applies to the silverware. The rules are different for the glasses. There will normally be enough silverware for each course of the meal. So, you will have one fork for the appetizer, one of the salad (if one is being served), and one for the main dish. Start with the fork furthest from the plate and work in as each new dish is served.

2. With glasses, start with the left glass and work to the right. Depending on what is being served, there could be as many as five glasses. Yes, that is probably going to be overwhelming, but let me help you keep it simple. The most important glass is the water glass. This one is usually placed directly above the knives. That makes it easy to identify. The other four glasses go as follows from left to right: champagne flute, white wine glass, red wine glass, and dessert wine glass. If there are fewer glasses, then not every type of wine is being served.

3. Silverware above the main plate are for dessert only. They are cute and small. You will probably want to play with them, but that is not proper etiquette. Save them them for the dessert to do things the right way.

4. The smaller plate and knife are for bread or rolls. That is the only thing this plate is used for. When you have a partially eaten piece of bread or roll, it should be kept on this plate.

These simple rules will help you impress others at the next formal function. If you want to see a full diagram of a table setting, what each utensil is used for, and how to eat properly, you can brush up on your table setting etiquette with this link.

Kevin and his wife, Wendy, have created a website called Modern Manners and Etiquette. This site focuses on showing people how to impress and influence others through proper behavior.