Celebrating A New Baby

Monday, March 1, 2010

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Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2575 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 Celebrating A New Baby (NAPSA)—Whether it’s for a first-time or experienced mom, throwing a baby shower is more than a celebration of new life but a fun way to ensure that mom has all the tools needed for the arrival of her new baby. Here are a few tips that will help make the shower festive, fun and stress-free. Who Hosts: Historically, the baby shower was hosted by someone outside of the family (friend, co-worker). Today, anyone other than the mommy-to-be and her mom can throw a baby shower. It is most common for the best friend, aunt or sister to host. Select a Theme: Decide the theme early on as it will set the tone of the party, affecting the venue, the choice of menu and decorations. Baby shower themes can be as simple as blue or pink if you know the sex of the baby. Determine a Date: It is traditional to host the shower four to eight weeks before the baby is due. With baby’s due date in mind, decide on a few dates and contact important guests to make sure they are available. Buy Decorations and Supplies: Once the venue and menu have been determined, it’s time to purchase decorations and supplies such as balloons and streamers. Shopping online can provide a wider array of choices and reduce the amount of running around. Baby Shower Gifts: It is customary to provide the mommy-to-be with gifts at the shower. Sometimes these gifts can be “do-it-yourself.” Creating a Johnson’s Baby gift basket can be a great way to A great gift for a baby shower is a gift basket filled with baby care essentials that a new mom will need during the early months. ensure that expecting moms are fully prepared for their new baby. Moms will appreciate being “showered” with a variety of new baby products, such as Johnson’s Baby Lotion, No More Tears Baby Shampoo, Head-To-Toe Baby Wash and Desitin. Fun & Games: Part of making the experience successful is through thoughtful party planning and having fun baby shower games. Before kicking off the baby shower games, have everyone introduce herself and say how she knows the mother-to-be. Hosting a successful baby shower comes down to planning. Following a timeline, having a step-by-step planning guide and planning ahead for great DIY gifts will help keep the hostess organized and make the shower a success to ensure the mommy-to-be has the time of her life. For more information on fun gifts and caring for baby step by step, visit www.johnsonsbaby.com. The Top 10 Reasons To Love Hydrangeas (NAPSA)—There’s nothing wrong with the old-fashioned “snowball” hydrangeas at grandma’s house. But today’s hydrangeas have gotten a makeover, offering homeowners more choices than ever before. Count down the top 10 reasons to plant them in your landscape. 10. One for any climate. Panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) are the toughest, surviving even a Minnesota winter. The flowers form in a large cone shape (called a panicle) and prefer full sun. Smooth hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) are the second hardiest, growing well in cool climates. Flowers form in a snowball shape. The best-known variety, “Annabelle,” was discovered growing near Anna, Illinois. It prefers partial shade. Oakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia), native to the southeast United States, grow in partial shade, showing off attractive shaggy bark, large panicles and oakleaf-shape leaves that sport burgundy or red fall color. Grow a dwarf variety if you have a small yard. Oakleaves tolerate drier conditions than other types. Mophead hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) display the showiest flower heads and grow best with morning sun, afternoon shade and plenty of moisture. These are the ones people think of when they hear the word “hydrangea.” 9. Rebloomers. The Forever & Ever series of hydrangeas (all mopheads) promises continuous Hydrangeas come in an impressive array of shades. blooms. Technically, they’re “remontant,” which simply means they bloom on new and old wood. Add a controlled-release, balanced (10-10-10) fertilizer to the soil in spring for a bloom boost. Since new stems grow throughout the summer, keep spent flowers clipped to promote new flowers. 8. Beautiful bouquets. Wait until the flower heads become slightly dry before cutting hydrangeas for bouquets. For fresh bouquets, make an angled cut and place stems into water laced with a floral preservative. Air-dry hydrangeas by hanging them upside down or just arrange them without water in a large vase. 7. Foliage. The star attractions on some hydrangea varieties are their colorful leaves, such as chartreuse-yellow “Lemon Daddy” or variegated green-and-white First Editions Light-O-Day. 6. Pink or blue. Hydrangeas come in an impressive array of shades including pure white, chartreuse green, blues, purples and pinks. A mophead hydrangea turns blue only if there’s aluminum present, found naturally in acidic soils. If your soil is alkaline, add aluminum sulfate to turn blooms blue or just enjoy the pink color. 5. Bicolor or double petals. The cute Forever & Ever Peppermint looks like someone took a brush and painted a stripe down the center of each petal. Forever & Ever Double Pink produces twice the number of petals on each tiny flower. 4. Lacecaps. Take a mophead hydrangea, flatten its top and you’ve got a showy lacecap. Forever & Ever Summer Lace is the newest of the reblooming lacecaps on the market. 3. Monsters or dwarfs. Want soccer ball–sized flowers? Check out Incrediball, a smooth hydrangea variety. Want a small potted hydrangea for your patio? Many of the mopheads grow less than three feet tall, well suited for a large container. 2. Sun or shade. Hydrangeas need some sun to bloom well, but they don’t want to bake in the afternoon; place mopheads in partial shade or a spot where they get afternoon shade. If you’ve only got full sun, grow panicle hydrangeas. The farther north you live, the more sun the plants need to bloom profusely. And the No. 1 reason to love hydrangeas? 1. All of the above!

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