My almost 11-year-old daughter asked me today when I was going to get started on her Halloween costume. Oh, I guess in between the bonbons and the pedicures. More like in between her birthday party and class Halloween party. Over the past year my daughter has become enamored of the Harry Potter series, which is about right for her age. This Halloween she has decided to be Hedwig for Halloween. You heard me - a snowy owl. They only sell those costumes for pre-schoolers. So guess who will be gluing hundreds of feathers on a tee shirt over the next several weeks? If your family is into the series, I highly recommend hosting a Harry Potter Theme Party (with purchased costumes) instead.

I can't believe my daughter's birthday party is already this week. It seems to be a little too easy. That's partially because I'm planning a shared party with the mom of one of my daughter's best friends. Since the two girls have birthdays one week apart, and their guest list is nearly identical, we decided to host a two-fer this year. We're taking this group of tweens to the mall for a scavenger hunt and movie party (they're going to see "Fame"). The only thing we really need to do, now that we have all of our RSVPs, is put together the party favors. I plan to study this list of tween party favor ideas that was compiled by Tween Guide Jennifer O'Donnell. She really has her finger on the pulse of what makes tweens happy.

There was an article in "The Chicago Tribune" this week that cited a recent survey where more than a third of participants said they were entertaining more at home over the past year in order to save on expenses. However, this article claimed that the way friends gathered for group entertaining has changed over the years. Instead of traditional pot luck meals, groups were cooking together as dinner clubs, or hiring private chefs to do the work. Naturally, this made me wonder what the readers of this site have been doing. Please take this poll and let me know if your entertaining has changed, and how.

There's a question in our forum from a reader looking for advice on how to clean up a home from the last party's mess, before an upcoming party. I share how I would approach the problem, but I think the best strategy is to avoid getting into this situation from the beginning. Keep control of the mess while your party is going on. This doesn't mean you should stand at the sink washing dishes instead of partying with your friends. But there are things you can do that will keep things under control so there isn't such an overwhelming clean up the next morning. Your hangover will thank you for it.