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Green doesn’t just have to be the color for your party, make it the theme!! Green living can extend to how you entertain! Making it green is easy on the environment and easy for you to do! Mimicking the tips we’ve already given you for St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas, we’ve matched some eco-friendly ones. Check out these tips:

Tip 1: Invitations
As I always suggest, send out electronic invitations. Besides giving your party a more casual tone, you also save on paper that is just going to be thrown out later.  Or if you’re party is going to be formal and dictates having an invite, try to use recycled paper invitations.

Tip 2: Decorations
Just for the sheer expense, I always try to recommend fun crafty ideas for holiday decorations. Take a look at our St. Patrick’s Day Party ideas. But it turns out, not only will these save you money; they are also more environmentally friendly! Making your decorations would be a creative and a fun thing for you and your friends or kids to do.  And as much as it hurts, my favorite party staple that I always recommend–balloons–is actually pretty bad for the environment! They often end up in the ocean where they are consumed by sea life, which eventually die from balloons blocking their digestive system. So looks like all my ballooning days are over! 

Tip 3: Food & Drinks
A cute and easy idea to avoid waste is serving finger food. By serving finger food, you alleviate the need to have utensils or plates.  Your guest can just have their little sandwiches, cheese & crackers, cookies, chips on napkins.  And if you want to save on purchasing cups, offer your guests canned or bottled beverages. You can recycle them when they are done!  Wow, this tip allows you to save on a little bit of money as well! Cha-ching!

Tip 4: Entertainment
If you’ve read our blog about St. Patrick’s Day  Party ideas then you know we suggest doing contests, having music or a movie playing in the background.  These ideas don’t require too many materials. But another idea I’d like to add is doing Karaoke! You don’t necessarily have to have a machine (although it helps), but just grab a bunch of your already ‘tipsy’ friends for some movin and groovin and perhaps a little singing!  This should make for a lot of entertainment!! 

While we are making suggestions about how to make your St. Patrick’s Day party more eco-friendly, please remember these tips can certainly be used for your other parties.  If you’re having a Birthday celebration soon, think about using some of these ideas. Not only are you helping the environment but you also may be saving some money in the process!! Bonus!!

Source: Progressivekid.com

St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations

In the United States there are many festivities to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. It goes back to the first celebration in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737 where the first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade took place on March 17th.

From the major cities like Boston or New York to your home town. Here is a brief list of some major festivals, parades and events happening in the U.S. Feel free to add your city’s celebrations to our list!

Savannah, Georgia
Savannah’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade usually takes place on March 17th, regardless if it’s during the work week. However for 2008, the parade will take place on Friday, March 14th to honor Holy week in the Catholic faith. The parade route changes each year but usually travels through Savannah’s Historic Park District and Bay Street. In additional to the parade, Savannah’s Waterfront Association has an annual celebration on Historic River Street which mimics Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street.

New York City, New York
According to Wikipedia, the New York parade has become the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world with more than 150,000 marchers and close to 2 million spectators on the street! The parade marches up 5th Avenue in Manhattan and ends by the U.S. 69th Infantry Regiment.

Seattle, Washington
A unique fact I did not know is that Seattle and Galway, Ireland are sister cities given that Seattle has many Irish residents! The annual Irish Week Festival is enormous and includes activities such as Irish step dancing, food, historical and modern exhibitions and Gaelic lessons. It starts on March 14th and goes through the 17th.

Chicago, Illinois
The dyeing of the Chicago River has been a tradition for over 40 years. While many cities have tried to mimic it, none can get as true of a St. Patrick’s color as Chicago’s river can. This year the dyeing is to take place on March 15th. Chicago also has a St. Patrick’s Day parade that takes place on the same day.

San Francisco, California
On March 15th, San Francisco will have the 156th anniversary of its Saint Patrick’s Day parade. At the end of the race there will be a family festival with games, music and various other ‘green’ activities!

If you enjoy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, there are many options to choose from! Regardless of where you are, cheers to you having a great time!

Source: Wikipedia.com

How much to you know about the United States’ first President? Did you know that there is actually no proof that he chopped down his father’s cherry tree with a little hatchet? And that contrary to popular belief, while he had several set of teeth made none of the sets were made from wood? There were actually comprised of hippopotamus and elephant ivory. To learn more about this honorable man read on!

George Washington, born in 1732 in present day Colonial Beach, Virginia, was the first President of the United States from 1789-1797. George Washington and Martha Custis married on January 6th,1750 just three weeks after they first met, at her home known as The White House. In 1775 Washington was chosen to be the commander-in-chief of the American revolutionary forces. As a result of his strategy, revolutionary forces captured the two main British combat armies — Saratoga & Yorktown - a big victory in the Revolutionary war. In the late 1780s, Washington presided over the Philadelphia Convention that drafted the United States Constitution. Washington became President of the United States in 1789 and established many of the customs and practices of the new government’s executive department. He supported plans to build a strong central government by funding the national debt, implementing an effective tax system, and creating a national bank.
Washington is a powerful symbol to the United States and he has consistently been ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents. Henry Lee, a Revolutionary War comrade and father of the Civil War general Robert E. Lee, said of Washington in his funeral oration that of all Americans, he (Washington) was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” Lee’s words set the standard by which Washington’s distinguished reputation was imprinted upon the American memory.

Today we remember a great man. Happy Birthday President Washington!

Source: wikipedia.org

Many of you know today is President’s Day from the various amounts of sales adds or if you are one of the lucky few to have the day off from work. But do you know what the actual history of President’s Day is? Where is stems from and why it’s so important? Allow us to educate you a bit….

This holiday was first celebrated in commemoration of George Washington’s birthday in 1796, which was the last full year of his presidency. By the early 19th century, Washington’s Birthday had become a bona fide national holiday including many celebrated traditions such as speeches, receptions, etc. Then along came Abraham Lincoln who was another revered President also born on February 12th. Following the year after his assassination, Lincoln’s Birthday became a formal observance. Lincoln’s Birthday, however, didn’t actually make it to become a national holiday, although many states made it so.

In 1968, legislation was enacted that affected several federal holidays, one being Washington’s Birthday. It was decided that the observation of his birthday would be on the third Monday in February whether it fell on the 22nd or not (which is actually his birth date). This act was designed to simplify the yearly calendar of holidays and give federal employees some standard three-day weekends in the process.

Even though on record the third Monday in February is known as Washington’s Birthday, it has become popularly known as ‘President’s Day.’ To honor Washington and Lincoln as well as the other men who have served as president.

It is very important to realize how this holiday came to be and to honor the beloved men who have run our country. Given that this year is an election year, you can choose who will be celebrated on the next Presidents day. So be informed and vote in the 2008 election!!

Source: patriotism.org

ForRent.com is dedicated to helping the consumer long after the apartment hunting process is over. We strive to be a resource for apartment renters, when searching for tips and advice during the apartment search as well as in their daily life. Which is why this February we have posted many topics such as tips for your Super Bowl & Valentine’s Day Party, cheap decoration tips, 10 reasons you will Love using ForRent.com, Apartment Amenities you love, Valentine’s Day Classic Movies, fun Valentine’s Day craft ideas, President’s birthdays, recipes and more! We hope that by providing our research and comments, the consumer will visit us again and again to obtain more helpful information and begin to recognize us as the ultimate apartment listing service.

Thank you for being our friend, visiting our blog, myspace profile, our videos on YouTubeTM and searching for apartments on our website. We hope you and your loved ones have a fabulous Valentine’s Day!!

Sincerely,

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Mr. Abraham Lincoln, born on February 12th, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky, was the sixteenth President of the United States. During his terms, he helped preserve the United States by leading the defeat of the secessionist Confederate States of America in the Civil War. He also introduced measures that resulted in the abolitions of slavery. His assassination in 1865 by John Wilkes Booth was the first presidential assassination in U.S. history. Booth thought he was helping the south, but instead made Lincoln a martyr for national unity.

Lincoln is viewed by many scholars as one of the top three U.S. Presidents. His everlasting influence on the United States will forever be remembered.

Remember him and all that he has done for this great nation today. Happy Birthday!

Source: Wikipedia.com