. You may want to include your backyard or garden, too. Label the places differently. For example, your backyard or garden is the Hogwarts grounds or the black lake. This grabs people's interest, and you can play Find the Sorcerer's Stone, or something similar. While you don't really need decorations to have a great Harry Potter party, if your party is themed on a particular part of Harry Potter, they can be useful for getting the mood right. Handmade posters, the "paintings" that hang up around Hogwarts and drapes in house colors are all possible ways to decorate for your Harry Potter party. Stick stars on the ceiling if it's okay with your parents, so that your room looks like the Great Hall. These can be made as follows: Stuff inside the party bag: At the end of the party, have a hunt to see if kids can find the following objects. Whatever object that is on the list that they find, they get to take home. It may be a good idea to do this in the backyard. Here is a list of things you may want to use: 2 chocolate gold coins 2 Harry Potter collector cards 2 Harry Potter badges 1 toy mini dragon Set up a music playing device and organize playlists. Play some different Hogwarts songs at the party to set the mood. Some good bands are Swish and Flick, Draco and the Malfoys and The Parselmouths.

Summary: Ensure that the place the party will be held is tidy, so that it is easily manageable. Make a map of your house Decorate your house. Make Harry Potter loot bags. Organize music.

Keep a separate bowl for shells. Move the hardest pistachios onto a sturdy plate for cracking. These nuts are small and low-calorie, but they are rich with flavor and nutrients. A handful of pistachios can help ward off hunger pangs, which might come in handy during prolonged activity. Furthermore, the nut is a great source of protein and fiber. Pistachios are packed with nutritional value, but they contain many fewer calories than fat-rich nuts like walnuts and macadamias. Try incorporating more pistachios into your diet if you are trying to lose weight, or if you're just trying be more mindful about your nut consumption. One pistachio contains 3-4 calories, on average. Some dietitians suggest a daily portion of 30 grams, or about 49 pistachios which translates to roughly160 calories. In comparison, an equivalent portion of walnuts contains 190 calories, and the same portion of macadamia nuts contains 200 calories. Use a blender, a mortar and pestle, or any food-grade grinder. You can mix the nut powder into smoothies, sprinkle it into your cereal, and even use it as a baking ingredient. If you are blending the pistachios into a smoothie anyway, you can leave them whole and add them directly to the mix.

Summary: Serve pistachios in a large bowl. Use pistachios in trail mix. Replace fattier nuts. Grind pistachios into nut-meal.

Interactive play sessions in the evening are a great way to get your cat tired before bedtime. Toys that mimic the movements of mice and birds, which cats hunt in the wild, are ideal options. Look for toys that bounce and wiggles, like ping-pong balls, string-based toys, and furry mouse toys. Play until your cat seems tired or uninterested. Cats hunt in short bursts, so they tire quickly (like sprinters, not marathon runners). They usually tire after 10 to 15 minutes max. However, make sure there's plenty of play spaced over the day. Our pets lives revolve our comings and goings. Oftentimes, cats get bored during the day when their owners are gone. This leads to an excess of neediness later in the day, when you're trying to wind down and get to sleep. Keep your cat entertained while you're at work or school and they'll be less likely to need attention at night. Provide toys your cat can play with on his own. Small plush mice, especially those laced with catnip, are a great choice. They can be swatted around without a human's assistance. Make sure to rotate toys often as cats, like people, crave variety and will get bored with the same toy after awhile. DVD's are available for purchase online and at some department stores that are designed specifically for cats. Video CatNip from Pet-A-Vision Inc., for example, includes footage of birds and mice that cats will try to catch when you're not home. Just leave the TV on and make sure it's at the cat's eye level. Battery operated toys are available at most grocery stores, department stores, and supermarkets. These toys move on their own and can be left on for a few hours while you are at work. However, be sure to read any warning labels. Some battery operated toys recommend cats only use them with supervision. Cats love windows, and enjoy being able to see the outside world. Anything you can do to make your backyard more appealing is great. Installing a bird feeder is a low-cost way to give your cat something to watch while you're at home. Set up your feeder in a quiet place where it's easy to stock and refill. Feeders should ideally be close to natural shelters, like trees and shrubs, where birds will feel safe. Make sure your feeder is at least three feet away from your window. This reduces the likelihood of window collisions, which kill millions of birds each year.
Summary: Schedule playtime before bed. Provide entertainment options for your cat throughout the day. Install a bird feeder.