Announcing a Pregnancy to Family and Friends

So you just found out that you are going to be a parent. How exciting! How should you inform your family and friends? Here are some suggestions.
 

Many young, expecting couples decide to announce a pregnancy via a huge gathering of family and friends so they can tell everybody the great news at once.  This type of gathering is fun and allows everyone to hear the good news at one time.  The problem with this plan, however, is that the future parents don't get to see everyone's initial reaction to the news. If this is a concern, a more personal visit with each person may be the better choice.  One-on-one visits allow intimate conversations with each other and the satisfaction of seeing the joy on peoples’ faces when they hear the good news. Save the big parties for the baby showers or just have a huge gathering after everybody knows.

On a piece of paper, write a complete list of family and friends. Arrange these names in order by when each person or group will receive the good news. The parents of the expecting mother and father, if they are still living, should be the first ones to know the good news, since they will be the child's grandparents.

Decide who lives close enough to visit and who will receive a friendly call instead. Plan this carefully because good news travels fast. You don't want someone special to receive a phone call from another friend or family member before you are able to tell them. Plan the visits so that phone calls can be made to the out-of-town friends and family while you are on the road from one in-person visit to the other. This is the most efficient way of reaching more people in a shorter amount of time.

For parents and grandparents of the expecting parents, it is a good idea to present them with a gift; something with a significant reference to grandkids or great-grandkids. This gives an element of surprise so that you can watch the look on their face change as they realize what they are hearing. It is very exciting for everyone involved. A book about how to spoil grandkids or a picture frame or flip book with "grandkids" engraved on it are some suggestions.

Take pictures and video while visiting with friends and family and then write about the experience, including the date and time that each were told. These will make interesting entries into the baby's memory book or even a personal blog and you'll be glad that you took the time to do it when they read it years from now.  Don’t procrastinate and allow precious memories of this joyous occasion to fade into obscurity.

How to Plan a Vacation for a Large Group

Vacation time is here and you have a large group who can’t even agree on what toppings to order on a pizza.  How in the world will you ever plan a successful trip?  Don’t panic!  This can be much easier than it seems.

The first thing to do after deciding that the group wants to spend their vacation time together is to elect someone to take ownership of the trip and be the group’s leader.  This person should be easily accessible and be very organized because they will be responsible for delegating duties, performing extensive research, collecting funds to pay for big expenses, and arranging meetings and transportation.  Once the group decides on a leader, the next thing to determine is the destination.

Do you want to go somewhere close or far away?  The beach or the mountains?  A national park or Las Vegas?  Be democratic about your decision.  Majority rules!  Once the decision has been made, find out if anyone from the group has ever been to this destination before and ask for suggestions including accommodations, places to eat, and possible activities.  Use the Internet as a resource and find out as much as you can about where you are going.

Take a head count of all those who are going.  Choose your accommodations and what mode of travel you will need to use to get there.  Start calculating a price, based on the total expenses divided by the number of people going.  Let everyone know where you are going, in which establishment they will all be staying, how much each person will need to pay.  Set a firm deadline for payment that is well in advance of the hotel or resort’s cancellation policy.  Open a discussion with the group and ask for suggestions or complaints.  Try to be as patient with people as possible.

If your travel plan includes a flight, arrange to have seats that are close together.  If many people will be driving, carpool and have everyone chip-in on paying for gas.  Remember that half the fun in going on a trip is the journey itself.  Plan some activities to keep the group occupied along the way.

When you arrive, take another head count to be sure everyone made it.  Enjoy your time together and take lots of pictures or video so that you’ll have memories to share forever!  There’s a reason you chose to go on vacation with these people.  If it was just to get the group rate, then so be it, but do try to get along with everyone.  If conflict happens to arise during the trip, remember to be democratic and go with the majority.  Also, there’s nothing wrong with the group splitting into smaller segments to enjoy activities!