Kids Games!

If you're reading this post and you happen to be in my family, then you get it.  If you're not, please be prepared to think we're absolutely wacko for taking our Family Reunion so serious.  Since our family came on the boat from Italy we have celebrated the tradition of food and family by joining for our annual gathering.  Saturday, a smaller group of our family, has a "Corn Roast".  We literally roast corn.  In Ohio we take our corn VERY serious.  

Sunday is our Family Reunion day.  It can be pretty intense and have a chairperson, treasurer, secretary, etc.  We also elect next year's committee leaders and last year volunteered to organize our kids games.  Here's our challenge: No prediction of number of kids, age ranges from 1-18, and to boot we're Italian so chances are you only have the attention of about 5% of your audience.  

Step 1: Organize

To reduce confusion I placed the following on each table and asked for parent volunteers for each team.  I decided the best way to do this was to create games that would appeal to all age groups and sort the kids in order of tallest to shortest.  I then assigned each a number (team) so that age ranges were evenly distributed in each team.  

 Games: 
Marshmallow Race
Doughnut Eating Contest
Sack Race
Water Relay
Balloon Toss
Giant Angry Birds - I can't take credit for this one.  I found on a very lovely blog.  Click here

For all kids under 3 years old they had the following to do: 
Cloud Sand with toys- 8 cups flour to 1 cup baby oil.  Stir.  Add toys.  Genius.  
Bubble Bin- literally pour bubble fluid in a shallow storage container, throw in a few dollar store wands, and you're good to go.  

Step 2: Prepare

- Make a list of all items needed and head directly to The Dollar Store.  Do not pass go.  Do not collect $200.  

- I made a "Team Bag" in a gallon sized Ziploc containing all of the items needed for each of the games.  This helped reduce confusion and will definitely be doing again next year.  

- Since I live two hours away from where the reunion was held, I won't be doing Angry Birds next year.  At 10:30 pm the night before this was me at Walmart sourcing boxes: 

<-------Don't be that guy

Step 3: Execute

Here are some rules for wrangling 20 kids:

1.  Speak loudly.  

2. Use as few words as possible.  

3. Disqualify anyone not following the rules.  That's like a life lesson right?  I'm practically Buddha.  

4. Give prizes to all kids for playing but recognize actual WINNERS.  THERE ARE NO AWARDS IN LIFE FOR PARTICIPATION.  If you lost, get better next year.  

Hilarity ensues....

 

<---1-3 Year old 

Let it Go

This is now my 2nd blog post, approximately 9 months since my last.  Awesome start, Kendran.  In all honesty, I never published or publicized the fact that I had even started a blog because I was of course insecure about the whole thing.  What if people thought I was so egotistical that I think people actually want to hear what I have to say?  What if people thought I was a horrible writer?  What if taking the time to read my blog was an absolute waste of their 4 minutes in that day?  What if people thought I was batshit crazy and a horrible parent for the things I post?  

Are you ready for this?....
I don't care.  

Turning 30, and my Dad being sick, made me realize that life is really short and too much time is wasted worrying about what other people think about you.  I don't really take myself too seriously, if if you take me too serious then that is just a waste of your time.  

My daughter drew pictures of my husband and I the other night and I saw myself more clearly than I have in my past 30 years.  

Mommy: Line though the face making fun of my mustache (By the way, its BLONDE).  

Daddy: Erratic hairs all around his body making fun of his excessive back and body hair.  

Both- Giant heads and chins



Here's the interesting part:  To her, this was a masterpiece and truest depiction of the two people she loves more than anything in the world.  She said we were beautiful! To me, my insecurities were brought to surface by an innocent 3 year old.  

I realized in that moment, that if I could work on seeing myself the way my daughter's see me, and the way God sees me then any negative thoughts I have about myself (or others have about me) are a total waste of precious time.  

I also realized they make Nair for a reason and you better believe I was a the drug store the next day.