Labor Day Pool Party

As Labor Day is fast approaching, it’s time to start thinking about one last pool party! Since it’s a fashion faux pas to wear white after Labor Day, what better time for an all white pool party?!

So gather up all your friends and get ready to transform your backyard. It’s time to throw the perfect Labor Day White Party!!

After you invite all your guests with the perfect all white invitations, the first thing you need to do is decorate. Make sure you have as much white as possible! Grab some white streamers and white (clear) Christmas lights, or floating Chill Lites (shown below).

You can use white table cloths and chair covers, and even float a giant inflatable swan in the pool! This is also the perfect party to have candlelight from white candles in all shapes and sizes.

Don’t forget to hang some white pom poms and flowers around for an extra elegant touch, and make sure you have white plates, cups, and eating utensils!

Now for the food! There are so many possibilities for all white party foods, especially if you’re willing to be a bit creative! For the main dishes, why not try a white cheddar mac ‘n cheese, a chicken Alfredo pasta, or grilled scallops? For your sides, you could include things like white rice, cauliflower, mashed potatoes, and even white asparagus!

Drinks are a great way to add some fun to any pool party. For your guests who are over 21, there are so many adult beverages you can make. White Russians are a great choice! You can also offer white chocolate martinis, white wine, white sangria, and pina coladas. For your party goers who won’t be drinking alcohol, you can make non-alcoholic pina coladas or vanilla shakes- or milk and coconut water!

Desserts are always a really important part of any good party spread! Anything with white chocolate works for an “all white party”! You could have a white chocolate fountain with all kinds of sweet treats for dipping, like marshmallows, hunks of angel food cake, and bananas. You can also make white chocolate dipped pretzels or some white chocolate mousse, and don’t forget to make the white cookies and cupcakes with white cream cheese frosting!

Wardrobe: Well, obviously you want to wear as much white as possible. Pull out some extra white shirts for guests who may have forgotten about the white rule. You could also supply white party hats or white flip flops for everyone. Another fun idea is a Toga Party and have your guests arrive wrapped in white!

Music sets the mood, and is a fun way to really develop a party theme. Make a play list including all your favorites, like Barry White, Average White Band, Jack White, White Snake… well, you get the idea.

Tips for Hosting a Safe Pool Party

Hosting a swimming party for kids is a great way to cool off and have fun. Safety should always be your number one priority.

Ask Parents to Accompany Their Child:
First of all, your invitations should be very clear that this is a swimming party. And this is not the kind of party where you can drop off your kids. A responsible adult or parent needs to stay with their child.

Set and Post Pool Safety Rules:
Set some rules in advance. You can post the rules at the party and make sure everyone sees them. A few important ones: no running in the pool area and no diving. Make sure and have tables and chairs set up in an area away from the pool if you plan to serve food. And let guests know that food and drinks are not allowed in the pool area.

Buy Swimming Floats and Swim Diapers:
Have a good supply of floats on hand in case some of the children do not have any. You can get the arm bands and noodles for a pretty reasonable price. Also make sure you have an extra stock of swim diapers. If the child is not completely potty trained, then they must wear a swim diaper.

Stock up on Sunscreen and Water:
Add plenty of sunscreen and water to your supply list. Even if it is cloudy, everyone should apply plenty of sunscreen and re-apply every so often. And make sure everyone drinks enough water. Even though you are immersed in water, you are still out in the sun.

Set Rest Breaks for Children:
One great idea is to set rest breaks for everyone about once an hour. Have some frozen Popsicles on hand to encourage the kids out of the pool.

Assign a Life Guard:
Make sure you have an assigned adult on duty at all times to act as a lifeguard. And each adult that will be handling that duty should not consume alcoholic beverages. To help out with this responsibility, call your local community center or recreation department and hire a certified lifeguard for the party.

Be Prepared for an Emergency:
Contact your local Red Cross and get trained in CPR before your party. If you are a pool owner, this training is a must. Knowing what to do before it happens will put your mind at ease. And keep a phone and a first aid kit handy at all times in case of an emergency. Check your homeowner’s insurance and make sure you are covered for a special event such as this one. You may need to purchase additional insurance to cover the party.

Check the Pool Water:
The night before the party, test the water in your pool. Make sure your levels are all perfect and add any chemicals you may need to make sure it is safe for swimming. Once you have safety covered, you can relax and have a fun party.

When should I replaster my Swimming Pool?

Plaster
If you want to resurface a concrete pool, your most economical choice is plaster. Certain products, such as Sider-Proof, actually make resurfacing in plaster easy enough for a do-it-yourselfer to tackle.

An experienced professional will either chip or sandblast the old plaster out, leaving the original concrete shell. Next, a bond coat is applied that is topped with one or two coats of new plaster tinted to your choice of color.

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Unlike fiberglass, plaster will react with pool water over the course of its lifetime, so more chemicals may be necessary to maintain proper water chemistry. To counteract this issue, add a “filler” to your plaster mix.

Quartz and pebbles are common additives. Quartz is more stain-resistant than plaster; when the two are mixed together, you get an improved, durable surface that adds true sparkle to your pool water. QuartzScapes by NPT and DiamondBrite by SGM are popular quartz-plaster blends.

Pebble-plaster aggregates like Pebble Tec or Pebble Sheen are some of the most expensive options in this category, but they create a striking look as well as a smooth, river rock-like texture underfoot. Additionally, pebble blends are the most chemical- and stain-resistant of all plaster techniques.

Other Options
If your fiberglass or concrete pool is in decent shape, consider painting instead of resurfacing it. Water-blast the old paint off, then spray on a new coat of epoxy paint, such as Nu-Pool), which should last seven to 10 years. Rubber-based or acrylic paint may also be used, but neither is as durable as epoxy paint.

Still another option for bringing your pool back to life is re-tiling. Here, it’s the same as indoors: A scratch coat is applied, tiles are laid, and grout is put in between. Depending on the size of your pool, of course, tiling can be an extremely expensive and time-consuming process. But it will give you an elegant result.

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Should I put in a Swimming pool or Not?

Is Putting in a Swimming Pool Worth It?

It’s that time of year again where the weather’s getting nice and the pool parties are starting.  We just went to our first one of the year and as always, my wife says, “Boy the kids would love a pool.  We have the room.  Would it be crazy if we did a pool?”  In years past, I’ve immediately replied that she is in fact crazy.  More recently though, I’ve started to at least give credence to the notion of either footing the bill for a new pool or perhaps even moving to a house that has a pool already.  There are some key hurdles I continue to struggle with though and it’s clearly a mix of tangible costs and intangible costs and benefits.

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What’s a Pool Cost?

While the estimates vary widely by what type of pool you want, what type of landscaping, patios, fences, and even what your locale is, the high level estimate I’ll go with for our situation would be $50,000.  That sounds like a huge number, but when all is said and done, that’s about what we’d be looking at.  If you’re going to go forward with a pool, you’re going to want a nice look to go with it, not to mention all the additional ongoing costs once it’s in, like an increase in homeowner’s insurance, a tax increase, maintenance expenses like opening/closing the pool, heating it if applicable, etc.  For an additional data point, we have some friends in the area who got multiple quotes last year for a small pool given their yard size and they were coming in at around $45,000, so $50,000 for what we’d want is probably a decent bet.  Of course you could argue that adding a swimming pool increases the resale value of your home, but that’s not what I want to focus on here.

What are the Benefits of a Pool?

The kids would obviously love it, that’s the only reason we’d ever even consider it.  When I was a kid, my friend across the street had a pool and we were at his house constantly over the summers.  I still remember playing Marco Polo and all kinds of other games in there for years.  On one hand, that meant his mom had to worry about young kids in the pool, feeding us, washing towels, and everything else that goes along with it.  But on the other hand, she knew where her kid was all the time.  For people that like to entertain and have young kids of their own and friends/family with kids, it’s great. But then again, there are always fun summer activities you can do with your kids, even on a budget.

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Benefits of a Swimming Pool......

Benefits of a Pool

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Know Where Your Kids Are

Did you know that the average American family can spend close to $100 a week on each child to entertain them while home from school during the summer? The cost of sports and activity camps can really add up, and so can memberships at town recreation facilities, trips to water parks, or expensive vacations to the beach. With a swimming pool in your backyard, however, your kids have endless entertainment right at home — and you don’t even have to drive them to it! And, even more important, you know where they are.

Work Out. Calm Down. Make Peace.

In addition to serving as a summer haven for your kids, owning a swimming pool can benefit your health — swimming can burn more than 500 calories per hour! A quick dip after work can help you de-stress and relax. Even just sitting out by the pool on a quiet summer evening with a glass of iced tea and a good book can be a source of immense calm.

Entertain with Style

You’ll become the envy of the neighborhood when you entertain in your new backyard. Whether it’s a family-friendly pool party with Marco Polo and pool volleyball, or an adult-only gathering with wine, grilling and good conversation, a swimming pool provides the perfect atmosphere to enjoy summer sunshine and good company. Close a business deal after entertaining customers in your backyard. Host a bridal shower for your niece. Throw a birthday party for your daughter. Invite the neighborhood over for a fundraiser. Your pool becomes the go-to venue for all of your entertaining needs.

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