Category Archive: Patriotic

Hail To The Chief! Strange Presidential Trivia

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February 13, 2012

President Lincoln

Strange Presidential Trivia

With the President’s Day long weekend right around the corner, as well as the GOP primary elections heating up, in honor of all things presidential we’ve compiled some bizarre as well as interesting factoids about our elected presidential leaders, both past and present.  They say that truth is stranger than fiction–we think you will absolutely agree!

John Adams-It is said that John Adams and his family wandered aimlessly for hours before finally figuring out how to find their way to their new home, The White House.  (Perhaps a map was in order?)

Thomas Jefferson-When old Tom wrote his own epitaph he failed to even mention his time as president.  (Apparently it wasn’t a big enough deal…)

William Howard Taft-Weighing in at well over 300 big ones, President Taft holds the distinction of being the heaviest man to ever be the United States president.  Sadly, Taft once got stuck in the White House bathtub.  To avoid a repeat of this embarrassing gaffe, a new (and 4 times larger) bathtub was installed.  (It’s likely too, that this was prior to the Presidential physical fitness program!)

William Henry Harrison-This president, considered by many to be one of the most long winded when it came to giving speeches, gave one of the longest inaugural addresses in history, in spite of the fact that he was standing outside in very inclement weather without a coat or hat.  He died of pneumonia about a month later.  (Didn’t your mother warn you about not taking your coat?)

James Buchanan-When the Prince of Wales visited the White House with a ginormous entourage of people; President Buchanan was actually forced to sleep out in the hallway! (No respect…whatsoever…)

Grover Cleveland-President Cleveland enjoyed answering incoming phone calls to the White House himself. (That’s one way to screen your own calls…)

Woodrow Wilson-Enjoyed raising sheep for their wool during his stint in the White House. (so baaaad)

Warren G. Harding-President Harding had the distinction of having the biggest Presidential feet–rumored to be a size 14.  (But at least he didn’t get stuck in the bathtub…)

Calvin Coolidge-President Coolidge absolutely refused to use the telephone during his Presidential term. (Can you say paranoid?)

Herbert Hoover-President Hoover was known to donate his entire salary made as President to charity. (awwwwwesome.)

Harry S. Truman-This musical president was known to rise long before dawn each day to practice the piano for about 2 hours. (Such inspiration to budding politically inclined musicians everywhere!)

Gerald Ford-Gerald Ford’s former jobs include being a fashion model and also working as a Yellowstone park ranger. (Strike a pose…with bears…)

Jimmy Carter-President Carter was considered an expert speed-reader and was purported to be able to read approximately 2000 words per minute. (War and Peace in 60 minutes flat…)

Barack Obama-President Obama was known as O’ Bomber during his high school basketball days.  Obama is also known for collecting Spiderman memorabilia as well as Conan the Barbarian comic books.  (Now there are some interesting allies…)

Want more?  Here are a few tidbits of trivia on the GOP candidates:

Mitt Romney-Was named Mitt after his father’s cousin named Milton Romney.

Newt Gingrich-Was named Time magazine’s Man of the Year in 1995.

Rick Santorum-Karen Santorum, Rick’s wife, wrote a book about etiquette for children.  (And mother’s everywhere are still grateful…)

Ron Paul-During his career as an OB/GYN he delivered more than 4,000 babies.  He enjoys gardening and growing his own crops when he is at home in Texas. 

 

Be sure to check out our collection of President’s Day costumes and accessories.

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Get Into a Super Fan Mindset

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January 9, 2012

There’s a vicious rumor going on around here that January is a somewhat depressing month with absolutely nothing to look forward to.  Say what? We have even heard that January 16, 2012 has been officially deemed ‘Blue Monday’ as it is mathematically and scientifically proven to be America’s most depressing day.  Not being ones to fall for a bunch of media hype, we came up with a bunch of reason’s to say ‘Who-ray!’ to the rest of the cold winter months and to get into a super fun mindset for all that lies ahead in the upcoming weeks!

Who’s Your Team?  Football season is coming to its apex and the really exciting end to a great season is here with playoff games happening and then right around the corner (February 5th) is the Super Bowl! Have you picked your winner yet?  Who are you rooting for?  Make sure you get into the spirit of your best football party with fun costumes and accessories that will make your next tailgate party the talk of the neighborhood!

Who’s Your Valentine?  Have you thought about making this Valentine’s Day your sweetest ever?  Wearing a super sexy costume for your sweetie is an exciting way to surprise your guy on Valentine’s Day.  Wearing something special for him is much more powerful than anything cupid could ever come up with in his quiver of arrows.  Check out our selection of sexy costumes and surprise your Valentine with a decadent treat that is absolutely filled with amour.

Who’s Your President?  All things presidential are happening all around us.  Get into the spirit of the election year and picking your candidate by dressing up in something extra fun as well as patriotic.  With President’s day coming up as well, now may be the perfect time to don your red, white and blue patriotic gear or a presidential costume and show some love for your country.  Don’t forget to check out some of our humorous masks, too!

Who’s Who in Who-ville?  Read Across America is an exciting day that celebrates both books and learning.  This very special day is right around the corner and you won’t want to miss this opportunity to get your kids excited about literature and reading.  Of course this day also pays due homage to one of the greatest authors of children’s books of all time–Dr. Seuss (who’s birthday is on the same day of course!)  Get your Cat in the Hat costume ready!  Sharing the love of and getting kids excited about books is an important step in the right direction toward success in school as well as in life.  Don’t miss getting into the spirit of this very special event!

Who’s Your Hero?  It’s time to dress up and have some serious indoor fun getting into character.  Whether your kids like occupational heroes like police and firemen or more imaginative characters like Fairy princesses or Army men, putting on a really great costume is a super quick and easy way to give your children hours of indoor imaginative playtime that will keep them happy and busy even if it’s cold and miserable outside.

Now Who’s Depressed?  Hopefully no one!  With so many fun and exciting things to do and get involved in during the upcoming weeks you can easily fill up your time with many good things that are fun and enjoyable for you and your entire family.  Get into the spirit of what’s coming up and take even the little celebrations to the next level!

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Fourth of July Ideas for Patriotic Fun

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June 27, 2011

6 Ideas To Get Your 4th of July Started

The Fourth of July can sneak up on us without much warning.  Just as all the school graduation ceremonies and Father’s day activities are winding down, another holiday weekend is here.  Because the 4th is at the beginning of the month, sometimes it’s easy to forget to make your plans ahead of time.  If you start now you can make your plans for a weekend that has great holiday potential.  The Fourth of July occurs on a Monday this year, which also means a 3-day weekend for most people.   Make sure your Fourth of July is filled with all sorts of good patriotic summer fun.  Here’s 6 great ideas to get your Fourth of July holiday started. 

Learn About Our Nation’s History:  A great way to engage your children in both learning about the history of the Fourth of July as well as to have some fun is to play a game of Fourth of July trivia.  Assemble an assortment of fun facts, history and trivia about Independence Day and quiz the kids or play a game that is focused around the information you have gathered.  Your kids will love learning the facts about the holiday and will get excited about why we celebrate the Fourth of July.

Dress Patriotically:  Whether you are attending a family or community Fourth of July event, you are bound to get into the spirit of the day all the more with an appropriate patriotic costume.  Colonial costumes are a fun choice or you can dress up as the traditional Uncle Sam.  Other unique costume choices for your Independence Day celebration are the Statue of Liberty, or any assortment of political figures, perhaps even George Washington.  Of course a very easy way to get into the spirit of the day is to just dress up in the colors red, white and blue from head to toe—use your imagination and be creative.  Don’t forget to wear your stars and stripes!

Create Neighborhood traditions:  Create a neighborhood tradition for your Fourth of July that everyone on your block is going to look forward to.  Have a neighborhood potluck or BBQ with all of the trimmings.  This is a great time to have a watermelon-eating contest or a chili cook off to get your neighborhood chefs motivated.   Have the kids decorate their bicycles in red, white and blue colors and have a bike parade.  Buy some inexpensive and small American Flags at a novelty store and attach them to everyone on your street’s mailbox.  This Fourth of July event is bound to become an event that your entire neighborhood looks forward to.

Uncle Sam Photo:  This is a fun tradition that the entire family can participate in.  Have everyone in the family make an Uncle Sam hat and take a traditional family portrait-Fourth of July style.  You can get very crafty with this if you like by adding spinners, glitter, etc. to the hats.  Start an album with your Fourth of July photographs including the pictures that you take during other fun activities that you do that day.  This family album will begin a fun tradition that you can keep adding to on a yearly basis.  Over time the photo album will become something your entire family will certainly cherish.

Take a Patriotic Vacation:  There are some very fun as well as traditional locations that you and your entire family can visit over the Fourth of July.  If you want to make the most of your family vacation and celebrate the holiday weekend in a patriotic fashion consider visiting one of our nations more historic locales.  New York City, Washington D.C., Philadelphia as well as Colonial Williamsburg, VA are some cities to consider visiting.  Immersing yourself in the local 4th of July festivities of one of these heritage rich cities is bound to be memorable for all your family members. 

The Big Finale:  No Fourth of July celebration would be complete without watching a fireworks display after dark.  Scout out your community’s local fireworks event or perhaps try a different venue out of town for a change.  Many beach communities have amazing fireworks displays that you can watch down on the pier.  Plan your holiday barbecue to coincide with your evening’s activities and get that perfect spot to watch the fireworks from after the sun goes down.  If you don’t live near the beach, many cities set off fireworks at local venues or community parks. 

No matter what you choose to do for your Fourth of July celebration, it’s a perfect opportunity to bond with your friends and family as well as to create memories that you will have for a lifetime.  Let your inner patriot fly free and make this Fourth of July be your best one yet! 

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8 Ideas: Things To Do Memorial Day Weekend

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May 23, 2011

8 Ideas of Things to do this Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day is the traditional kick off day that signals the start of summer.  White pants and sandals become fashionably legal again and warm weather is finally here.  There is something magical about that first 3-day weekend at the beginning of summer.  After a wet and stormy spring for much of the country you are undoubtedly ready for some warm and sweaty weather.  Here are 8 great ideas to get you started planning for your best Memorial Day (and the unofficial start of summer) ever!

Be Patriotic:  It is Memorial Day after all.  Use the day to honor those soldiers who have passed away while in military service.  Visit the gravesite of a soldier you know of or the grave of a family member.   Proudly fly the American flag in front of your house. Visit a local VA hospital. Or, if you happen to see a service man/woman out this weekend, thank them for their service.   This is also a good day to go to a celebratory parade or a festival that may be happening in your very own neighborhood.

Traditional BBQ:  Barbecuing is an old summer stand by but there is a reason for this.  When the weather heats up there is nothing better than cooking great food outside.  No matter what feast you choose to grill up the smell and flavors of your barbecue are going to get your entire family excited for the upcoming summer months.   There is something about cooking outside that makes everything just taste better.  Barbecuing is truly one of the greatest simple pleasures of summer. 

Hit the Movies:  There’s no doubt about it—this is the year of the sequel when it comes to movies.  With so many great movie franchises coming out with their latest installment -it’s time to escape the heat and hit the theatre for a really great flick.  So many of your favorite movie characters are back in action-make them a big part of your summer to remember.

Beach Picnic:  When the sun is out if you are lucky enough to be in the proximity of a beach or a lake this is the time of year you’ve waited for.  Pack a cooler full of cold drinks along with sandwiches and other picnic foods.  Add a few towels, some sunscreen and plenty of beach toys—and you are all set for the perfect family outing and a day playing at the shore.

Weekend Campout:  It’s time to drag that tent out of winter storage and get ready to set up camp in a beautiful setting in the mountains or at a nearby campground.  Sleeping under the stars in the summertime is magical.  Bring your camp supplies along with some good campfire stories to tell as you sit around the fire.  Bring along plenty of marshmallows to roast for S’mores as well as something delicious to cook up for breakfast the next day.

Scenic Drive:  After a very wet spring the world is blooming and the lush green scenery is worth taking in and noticing.  Take a drive to someplace local to you that is now alive with wildflowers and new green growth.  Enjoy the amazing beauty of nature. 

Plant a Veggie Garden:  If you go to your local nursery you will find many vegetable plants already off to a good start and it’s not to late to take them home and transplant them into your very own backyard vegetable garden.  Growing vegetables at home is very satisfying and can be very economical as well.  The best advantage to having your own garden is that the flavor of your homegrown crops far surpasses anything you will ever find at the supermarket.

Family Day at the Park:  Pack up your Frisbees, baseball bats and gloves and head out to your local park.  Many parks have barbecue facilities so you can plan on cooking up some burgers and hot dogs after a day of fun in the park.  Cut up a watermelon and have a watermelon-eating contest.   Cool off with some homemade lemonade served on ice.

The hot and lazy days of summer are nearly here.  Make your Memorial Day the start to your best summer ever.   Spending quality time with your family and friends together doing fun activities will create bonds as well as memories that will last for a lifetime.  And above all, please remember what Memorial Day is all about.

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