Throwing a Surprise Party for Your Other Half

So, you have decided to take on the challenge of throwing a surprise party for your other half? And, now that you are into the planning phase, you are starting to regret it? Don’t worry; most people feel like this once they have committed to party planning. After all, there is a lot to do and consider, and the last thing you want is for the party to be a flop. However, there is no need to panic. Read on to discover some helpful tips for planning the perfect surprise party…

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Keeping it a secret – Let’s begin by dealing with the most important element of all: keeping everything a secret. This is often the hardest part. The best thing to do is enlist the help of one or two key people. This could be your partner’s best friend or sibling for example. After all, carrying the burden of organising a surprise party by yourself is often too much to handle. Plus, it is always good to have the opinions of others who know your partner well. Avoid enlisting the assistance of more than two people; otherwise, it can become a bit messy and complicated. In addition to this, you need to keep decorations and any other equipment hidden. You should not risk storing these items in your home. Instead, see if one of your new helpers would be willing to keep the items at their house instead. Once you start inviting people, make sure you stress that it is a surprise party. The last thing you want is for all of your plans to be ruined because one of your guests has a big mouth!

Make a plan – Another sure-fire way your surprise party will be ruined is if you struggle to get your other half to play ball. If they don’t want to go out and you cannot get them to turn up, you will end up having to tell them about the party, which is the last thing you want. This is why you need to have a believable plan and diversion in place. A lot of people pretend they are taking their partner out for dinner, for example. No matter what option you go for, make sure you are planned for every possibility. What if your partner suddenly decides they don’t fancy going out and they want to have a takeaway instead? You need to be prepared to handle all situations.

Choose the venue wisely – Getting your partner to the venue can be the difficult part. As mentioned, you need a believable diversion. This is why you need to choose the venue with care. Make sure that it is somewhere you would take your partner even if it was not for a surprise party, or that it is at least in an area near to restaurants and bars. If you have booked out a hall in a hotel, you may want to pretend that you are whisking your partner away for the night instead. You can find tips on choosing an event venue at https://whova.com/blog/things-consider-when-choosing-event-venue/. Your venue and your story need to easily match up.

Don’t forget the entertainment – It is easy to become so wrapped up in keeping everything a secret and inviting all of the right people, so much so that you forget about the vital party elements, such as entertainment. Getting the entertainment right is so important. After all, you don’t want everyone to be sitting there twiddling their thumbs because they are bored. Luckily, there are so many different entertainment options available today, and various ways for you to add an extra element of fun and excitement to the event. Photo booths are a great example of this, and you can find out further information on hiring one by heading to https://boothboyphotobooth.com. Not only do they enable you and your guests to have great fun by taking lots of photos and making the most of funny props, but also you will be able to capture special memories, enabling you and your partner to look back on the photos for years and years to come. Of course, this is not the only option. You have everything from musician to magicians to select from. Think about what your partner will like, as well as what is going to appeal the most to everyone in attendance.

Try to relax and enjoy it – Last but not least, this is probably the most difficult part of it all: relaxing and enjoying the occasion. This can seem like an impossible mission when there is so much to think about and worry about. However, if you are having fun, then it is highly likely that everyone else is too. Try not to stress. Good parties only take a few simple ingredients: good people, good music, good food, and good drink. If you can bring these four ingredients to the table, you will have nothing to worry about.

So there you have it: some useful tips that will help you to plan the perfect surprise party for your other half. Hopefully, you now feel more pared to tackle the party planning and to give your other half the best party they have ever had. Yes, you can expect to have a few stresses and strains throughout the planning phase, but it will definitely all be worth it in the end when you see the smile on your loved one’s face. Good luck!

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

5 Pieces Of Tech That Could Boost Your Workout

Let’s face it, working out is boring. For the most part, you’re alone, sweating away and counting down the minutes until it’s all over and you can sit down. As any gadget fan will know, adding in some tech can all of a sudden make something seem much more exciting – including getting fit.

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Bring your workouts into the modern age with these five pieces of tech that could boost your workout.

1. Wireless headphones

Wireless headphones have been a long time coming, taking years to get right. Thanks to Bluetooth technology, wireless headphones are ideal for working out – allowing you to tuck your phone away somewhere safe without having to worry about wires. You can enjoy free lifestyle with JBL wireless headphones and benefit from the flexibility that Bluetooth headphones provide.

2. A smartwatch or fitness tracker

Whether you love or hate the idea, a fitness tracker can be a great way for you to keep on top of your goals and improve your fitness. Tracking your step count is just one small benefit that they offer, while other fitness tracker benefits could completely change your approach to fitness. Offering motivation, and an accurate measure of what you’re burning and how healthy your heart is, it’s worth investing in one if you’re serious about your fitness.

3. VR

VR is really starting to take off, but did you ever consider the fact that it could help you to boost your fitness? Many people are using VR to take part in yoga classes, make running on a treadmill more interesting and other things which could change the way we work out. While caution is key for staying safe while using VR, this could be an excellent solution if you’re looking to get more from your workout time!

4. Your phone

With so many other cool gadgets out there, you’ll be forgiven for forgetting about one of the greatest pieces of tech that you can use to boost your workouts – your phone. Your smartphone has numerous apps available that can help you to reach your goals. Some of the best fitness apps include meal trackers, GPS-based running systems and apps that offer workouts and training ideas. With your phone at your side, you can really make the most of your workouts.

5. The hi-tech yoga mat

A yoga mat is a pretty standard piece of equipment, but it’s been made super sophisticated thanks to technology. New yoga mats can feature tech that is used to stimulate nerves in the hands and feet to help make your moves more stable and balanced. While perhaps best left to the serious yoga practitioners, this is an exciting piece of tech to show the potential developments still to come in the future.

It’s amazing the effect that tech can have on our everyday lives, from making you a safer driver to enhancing your workouts, you’ve got to wonder what’s next! Enjoy making technology a part of your fitness routine to help you get the most from your workout.

 

Top Gifts for Dads, Uncles and Gramps

Sometimes dads, uncles, and gramps get the raw end of the stick when it comes to getting cool gifts. Often ending up with socks (although, everyone needs socks right?) or the same check shirt as last year. Here is a list of goodies that might land you in the good books.

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So, this year put the sock back on the shelf and hit the internet for some excellent purchases.

First up, how about a beer caddy with a bottle opener? Ideal for the outdoorsy men who like to cook up a storm at a BBQ, or sit and fish on the weekends. Either way, for around 45 dollars you can buy a handcrafted beer caddy and give the gift of 6 bottled beers available anywhere.

Sports tickets. If you know the man in your life is a huge sports fan, then imagine the absolute joy of getting a pair of Dodgers tickets (or better yet, go see the Cardinals). Or of course, your choice of sports team and sport!

Have a music mogul man hanging around? Someone who talks about their classic vinyl collection? Then maybe getting a turntable would blow them away. You might not want to hear some of the golden oldies that start playing, but there is no denying great music can make anyone’s day better.

Avid cooks are ideal people to buy gifts for. Because everyone can benefit from those kitchen toys! Think about some of the following items:

  • Keyboard Waffle Iron
  • Pancake Maker
  • Slushie Makers
  • Mini Cupcake Maker
  • Waffle Bowl Maker
  • Breakfast Master
  • Hotdog Toaster
  • Bacon Express

Super cool gadgets with a lot of appeal for everyone in the house. If none of those are what you’re looking for, why not consider a new BBQ. Either way, with anything on this list you’re bound to get something delicious!

Ballpark Blueprints. Huge baseball fan? Why not get them a piece of art they’ll genuinely enjoy having around?

Personalizing a family photo album filled with photos as far back as you can find are always such lovely things to receive.

What about, indulging them in an incredibly aged whiskey or other drink of choice. You can often find online stores that will personalize the bottles for you too. Giving it an extra special touch.

If you have a bit of a joker in your midst, then funny gifts like sound effects machines, whoopie cushions, and inflatable sumo suits work a treat and entertaining the whole family.

Model kits are a very cool and enjoyable gift to give to someone. The hobby kits come in different levels and sizes, so you can pick something that would be ideal. A few companies to check out are Revell, Airfix, Tamiya, and Zvezda. But, you can find more online. They come in many different forms so you can pick something they’ll love.

One more great gift to think about is, are any of their favorite bands or musicians touring? Grab tickets, and you’re sorted!

So there you have it, a few gift ideas that might save your bacon when it comes to birthdays, fathers day and the holiday season.

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

Quick Solutions to Your Frustrating Tech Problems

Whether you’re at home or work, technology doesn’t always work as smoothly as you want it to. We all have those days when we can’t get something to work, and we end up going around and around in frustrating circles. Some of your top tech problems don’t need to keep happening, though. You can correct them forever if only you can find the right solution. There’s always something you can do to make your life easier, and usually, you have a few different methods you can try. Take a look at these tech problems you might experience in your daily life and how you can fix them.

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Too Many Distractions

The internet is full of distractions. Even a computer disconnected from the internet has games and various other apps that can easily distract you. When you’re trying to get things done, being tempted by hundreds of distractions isn’t exactly what you want. If you’re finding it tough, there are fortunately a range of things you can try. Disconnecting from the internet is one method, but sometimes you need the internet to be productive. Sometimes, it’s enough to make an application full-screen to block out everything else. But you might benefit from using a browser plugin that lets you block distracting websites.

Sharing Files and Collaboration

Sharing files with other people is something you need to do all the time. You might be sending some documents to a colleague or trying to show your parents some new family photos. Sending an email attachment is often adequate, but it doesn’t work when your files are too big. One of the recommended solutions to this issue is to use a file sharing application instead. You can upload your files, give someone permission to access them, and they can download them. You can also use cloud storage combined with cloud apps, like Google Drive combined with Google Docs.

Losing Your Work

Working on something all day and then suddenly losing it is a nightmare. Working on it for weeks or even months and then losing your files is even worse. And when it happens, you also can’t help beating yourself up – because it’s at least a little bit your fault. If you want to avoid losing your work, you need to save it regularly and back it up. The best way to do both at the same time is to work using a cloud application. Everything will be saved remotely as you work. But you should also make sure you save your files to different places at the end of the day.

Not Getting the Most Out of New Tech

When you start using new software or a new gadget, you can sometimes be on a learning curve. While you can easily take to some things right away, not everything is so intuitive. Sometimes, it’s worth looking for courses you can take or some useful tutorials that will help you get more from your new tech. It will help you make sure you don’t waste your money.

Don’t spend your time feeling frustrated by tech. Sort out those annoying issues to stop wasting time.

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.