Search For America’s Messiest Birthday Party (NAPSA)—Bubble soap on the oe, carpet, cake on the couch andlittle girls who’ve used each other as finger paint canvases. What you're experiencing is the pintsize version of the trendy club scene: the aftermath of a child’s birthday party. Nowit’s possible to capitalize on the chaos while shoring up your home’s defenses for the next hurricane in party hats. A new “Search for America’s Messiest Birthday Party” contest offers parents the chanceto relive their most chaotic birthday moments, with prizes that include a kid-friendly room facelift and other products to help clean up after the wee masters of disaster have stormed the house. Bless This Mess “Manyparentslook into hosting their children’s parties outside of the home—somewhere that handles the set-up and, more importantly, the clean-up,” says New York party planner Francesca Abbracciamento. “But that will increase the cost of the party.” According to a Kelton Research survey, many Americans agree that an at-homeparty is worth the cost savings. Nearly half (49 percent) of survey respondents cite the low cost of an at-home party as a primary advantage—more than any other factor. In addition, 64 percent of all respondents said they would host more children’s birthday parties at home if the parties were less messy. “By simply protecting your home against major messes,” adds Abbracciamento, “you and your child can have a fun, creative party experience in a more familiar environment.” The survey found that the age of children isn’t that much of a factor in the mess quotient: 32 percent of respondents feel that Cake, crafts and kids...Children’s birthday parties often leave a big messfor parents to clean. toddlers (up to 4 years old) are the messiest, while 33 percent feel that children ages 5 to 9 are the most likely culprits when fruit juice is dumped into the fish tank. Older kids aren’t above reproach; 24 percent of respondents say that teens and tweens are the messiest. How To Enter To enter Scotchgard™ Protector’s “Search for America’s Messiest Birthday Party” contest, simply submit an entry form with a photo of a messy child, 12 years old or less, at a birthday party and an essay of 20-100 words. Entries should be submitted to: Scotchgard Protector’s Search for America’s Messiest Birthday Party; c/o Cohn & Wolfe; 292 Madison Avenue; New York, NY 10017. Entries must be postmarked by July 10 and received by July 17, 2006. For official rules or to download an entry form, visit www.scotchgard.com.
