Bring the flavor of New Orleans to your home on Fat Tuesday with these party plans.

It's easy to turn your house into a family-friendly French Quarter for Mardi Gras with a few decorations and most importantly, some Cajun cuisine.

Traditionally, Mardi Gras is a three-day celebration prior to Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The final day of Mardi Gras is known as Fat Tuesday. It serves as the last big chance to "live it up" before forty days of fasting.

Here are a few ideas to make your party the hit of the season:

• Send out paper masks as invitations to a masquerade ball. In New Orleans, invitations, not tickets, are distributed for attendance at Carnival balls during Mardi Gras season.
• Use bright colors and shiny flatware for your table or buffet. The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold. Lay aluminum doubloons or shiny chocolate coins around your table interspersed with sparkly, colorful beads and masks.
• Bring the party to Bourbon Street by setting the mood with a little Zydeco, Cajun or Jazz music. Bands like the Funky Meters, Buckwheat Zydeco or Preservation Hall Jazz Band are sure to set the tone.
• Pass out feathered masks or inexpensive paper masks and beads to guests as they arrive at your party, then ask the guests to add their names to an elaborate Mardi Gras-themed hat. Crown a king or a queen for the day by picking names out of the hat, then have the king and queen wear the hat for the rest of the party.
• Bake your own King Cake—a ring of twisted pastry or bread topped with purple and green frosting or colored sugar that contains a plastic doll hidden inside. The person who finds the doll is supposed to have good luck for the year and is crowned the "King of the Feast." To make your own King Cake, try adding colored frosting to our Swedish Tea Ring, Cinnamon-Swirl Coffee Ring, Cinnamon Pecan Ring or Cherry-Nut Tea Ring or use one of these recipes from TasteOfHome.com readers.
• Have children follow a parade route through the house conga line-style. Give them colorful beads and doubloons to throw to the adults at the party, or vice-versa.
• Read more at Taste of Home

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The Lily Pad Blog wishes you a SPOOKTACULAR Halloween.

Photos from Martha Stewart's 2009 pumpkin gallery.

bTrendie is a mom-approved shopping network that brings a world of trendy boutiques right to your doorstep. bTrendi has exciting weekly sales events that feature the most sought after mom and baby brands at up to 60% off. bTrendie is by invitation only, but you can get on their waiting list by signing up here...

Patricia Ann Designs is currently one of bTrendie's featured products. P.A.D.'s products are currently 60% off until November 2, 2009 at 10:00am EST. If you are already part of the bTrendie community, shop now...and if you want to join bTrendie and get notified of upcoming sales, click here.

Braelyn Bounty Bug is an innovative maternity and baby essentials design company who has brought to market a unique and fashionably functional pregnancy organizer – the Prego Planner. Award-winning and conceived to be a distinctive organizational tool for the expecting mother, there are many things to love about the Prego Planner such as its style, size, the colorful/whimsical pages, its unique functionality, and so much more. With approximately 6 million pregnancies throughout the United States every year, the Prego Planner will add an adoring touch to your current collection of products. Also be sure to take a look at the ultimate diaper bag tag by Braelyn Bounty Bug – the Tot Tag.

For more information on Braelyn Bounty Bug click here

Are you following The Lily Pad Blog on Twitter? Start following us now and you may get a sweet tweet from us at The Lily Pad Blog.

Imagine a nail polish designed especially for little girls. Piggy Paint is a water-based, non-toxic polish that is formulated of natural ingredients and proudly made in the U.S.A. Its hypoallergenic, odorless formula makes it gentle enough for sensitive little hands and noses, yet dries to a hard, durable finish that can easily be removed with Piggy Paint Remover. This unique remover is also non-toxic, safe to us, and contains none of the solvents that could offend your nose or harm our atmosphere. Finally, a kid-friendly polish without the accompanying drawbacks of traditional kid polishes. Piggy Paint... it's as Natural as Mud!

For more information on Piggy Paint, click here

Happy Fall! Fall has officially begun and I am excited about all of the fun fall family activities. With the ushering in of fall's cool weather, this makes it a great time to get outside with the kids and have some fall fun! I have gathered a variety of suggestions to help your children learn and keep your children entertained during the months of fall. These activities also help you and your children spend quality time together.

• Take a nature hike with your children. This is a great opportunity for your children to collect leaves for a special leaf project. It's also a perfect time for you and your children to talk about their day/week at school. 

• Plant bulbs with your children to enjoy next spring.

• Go on a hayride to a pumpkin patch and have your children pick their own pumpkins.

• Make corn husk puppets with your children.

• Go horseback riding on a scenic trail.  

• Wander through an apple orchard or pumpkin patch.

• Make homemade applesauce, caramel apples or apple cider.

• Check out fall-themed books from the library and read with your children.

• Create a scarecrow from leaves, straw and old used clothes. 

• Help your children press fresh fall leaves and make a pressed leaf scrapbook. 

• Bike through a national forest with your children.

• Visit a local fall craft fair, Oktoberfest or farmer's market.

• Show your children how to create a summer memories scrapbook filled with photos and mementoes from last summer.

• Have your children rake leaves from your yard into a big pile and jump in them!

• Let your children finger-paint a fall scene on construction paper. They can even make fall-themed cards for friends and family. 

• Make a fall wreath using collected leaves, pine cones, acorns and paper plates and hang it on your front door to greet visitors. 

• During a walk in the woods, look for animal tracks and help your children identify them.

• Take your children to a football game.

Don't quench your child's generosity. There may come a time when your children want to give away something you think they should keep. If at all possible, let them be generous. Recently one of our sons wanted to give his favorite book, which he had recently received, to another friend as a birthday present. I talked with him, making sure he knew he wouldn't get it back afterward. He understood, and he really wanted to bless someone else. I let him, and he hasn't regretted it.

Some families require their children to set aside part of an allowance for giving. This can be a good exercise in teaching the discipline of giving. But generally, I think mothers should focus on inspiring generosity instead of requiring it. A child's personal motivation will produce longer-lasting results than a parent's force. When giving is a lifestyle, it becomes a natural way for a child to interact with the needs he or she notices in the world.

In the process of nurturing generosity in our little ones, we find ourselves blessed. Through the act of giving away, we gain infinitely more - depth in our relationships, our marriage, our children, and our faith.

How do you attempt to instill a generous spirit within your family?

Read more of this article by Jamie Martin of Steady Mom here

Here is a picture of my little Chloe, 7 weeks, sound asleep with her new PAD Oversized Snow Leopard Blanket ... so comfy, I think it's love! She's one happy baby. Thanks PAD for the beautiful work you do! Making babies happy...including mine! -Barbara D., Provo, Utah

If your baby loves Patricia Ann Designs, we'd love to hear from you. Click here to submit your Baby Face!

I love back to school time. It brings back such great memories from my childhood. Here are a few great books for back to school for young elementary students...all of these we own and love.

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Miss Bindergarten Get Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg