Did you know that a trend has started for ‘couples showers’? This is sometimes termed as ‘Jack’ and ‘Jill’ shower where you shower both bride and groom with gifts and good wishes. Either way, if you are having a traditional shower party for just bride, or decide to have a couples shower, then planning and checklist will invariably be same.

Here is an outline of a wedding shower checklist to get you on your way to organising a great shower party.

Who should host shower?

Traditionally maid of honour tends to plan shower party. But today, anything goes and it is perfectly acceptable for both family and friends to work together to organize, host and share cost of wedding shower. It doesn’t really matter who actually hosts party as long as it is planned well in advance and normally in consultation with bride. If shower is planned to be in someone’s home, then it’s always a good idea to choose person with largest home or garden.

When to have your party

Because of busy schedule bride and her family will have in lead up to her wedding, it is best to hold shower about four to six weeks before wedding. A growing trend is that more wedding showers are no longer a surprise and statistics show that 4 out of 5 brides are employed, therefore it is necessary to include bride in planning when it comes to setting a date and time. A traditional ’girl-only’ party could be a Sunday brunch, a midweek lunch or an afternoon tea garden party.

Couples showers are best held on a weekend day or evening. The majority of people tend to work between 9-5 Monday-Friday, therefore a weekend is a safe bet in that most of couples’ friends and relatives can attend. If you are having a shower party with work colleagues, then ideal time would be in your lunch hour or straight after work.

Who to invite

Apart from your family members, host should invite people you know well whether it be friends, relatives or work colleagues. You don’t want to invite too many people, as a large group tends to split off in small separate groups. You want everyone to interact with each other and be a manageable size for everybody to play hilarious shower games and not feel left out. Taking all this into consideration, a comfortable shower should involve about 10-20 people.

E-mail or courtesy link appreciated when you publish mailto:Joyful-Productions@comcast.net --------------------------------------- Title: A Minute Can Turn into Hours for Child of a Work-at-Home Mom

Author: Patricia Gatto

Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved

Category: Parenting/Children's Social Issues

Word Count (including Resource Box): 1,100 --------------------------------------- A Minute Can Turn into Hours for Child of a Work-at-Home Mom Patricia Gatto ©2004 All Rights Reserved. Joyful Productions

In theory, working at home is an ideal situation. But in reality, it's difficult to balance needs of your family with needs of your clients.

Phones, fax machines and e-mails have no common courtesy, nor does your client really care about your personal situation. You are simply a means to an end consisting of a telephone number, an e-mail address and a 1099 at end of year. For most part, you are not afforded special considerations and must respond to their needs or your business will suffer.

Long before I began my career as a writer, I was already a work-at-home mom. I provided outsourcing solution to a variety of clients, which included bookkeeping, personnel records, reports and creating employee handbooks and mission statements. Initially my clients were leery; it was a time when home businesses were just emerging. I went to great lengths to establish and maintain my associations. Part of my success was perceived illusion was that I was available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Continuously, I had to prove my home life did not interfere with their business needs or deadlines.

One day, as I absentmindedly brushed my son off and repeated phrase, "just a minute" for fifth time, I suddenly realized why he had no concept of time. That "minute" I was speaking of was hours away, at best. The business I built so that I could be at home with him was also business that was taking me away from him. I turned back to my computer to complete report I was working on and my son returned to his video game in frustration. It was then I realized my solution was only a paragraph away.

I was experienced in writing mission statements for my clients. These leadership tools are used in corporate world to define goals, values and purpose. A successful business takes commitment, resources, responsibility, problem solving, honesty and hard work. Doesn't that also define raising a child? Parenting consists of all those factors and so much more.

As in any business, business of raising a child will bring accomplishments, successes and rewards, but it will also have it's share of conflicts, disappointments and setbacks. However, when it comes to business of family stakes are much greater than a new client, a contract, a promotion or a raise; they involve wellbeing of your child.