Shocking “Bloomers” Game!!

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Aunt Mo

A Game That’s Perfect for the Whole Family

I first played the “Bloomers” game at a family party when I was a teenager and was scared to death. I was so afraid that the music would stop and I would be stuck with the box of “bloomers” that was being passed around. Thirty years later whenever I think about that game I laugh- it was so intense and I was so relieved at the “surprise” ending of the game.

This is a very scary game for boys ages 8- 14. (There is nothing scarier to a boy of this age than women’s underwear) This game is a good game for any party but is especially fitting for a mixed crowd that includes young boys.

Bloomers!

Everyone should sit in a circle. Ask if they know what old fashioned bloomers are. Explain that in the olden days they used to call women’s underwear “bloomers”.

Hold up a box that is neatly wrapped. (In advance, you should have wrapped the box in at least ten different layers of wrapping paper.) Tell your family that inside the box are a pair of bloomers.

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It is IMPORTANT that you use the correct wording- you don’t want to say that there is UNDERWEAR in the box- you just want them to THINK that there is.

Everyone will pass the box around the circle while music is being played. When the music stops the person holding the box must unwrap one layer of wrapping paper.

Start the music again and begin passing the box again. Continue until all of the paper is off the box. The person who removes the last layer of paper must open the box and model the bloomers for everyone to see.

HINT: Be careful how you word your instructions because inside the box is not a pair of old fashion women’s bloomers but a pair (two) bloomers from the garden. The shocked look on the person’s face when he realizes that it’s just “flowers” he is modeling and not “underwear” is a joy to see.

Family Reunion in an Afternoon

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Aunt Mo

You want to have a family reunion but…

You don’t have a 3 day weekend for your family reunion.

You don’t think you can stand listening to Uncle George’s lame jokes for an entire weekend.

You can’t stand the thought of feeding all those hungry people.

Planning all those games and activities is just too overwhelming.

In my family reunion presentations I tell people that ANYTIME you get together with your family can be a family reunion. There are no rules that say you have to spend a certain amount of time with your extended family to make it an “official” reunion.

A typical family reunion will assemble grandparents, aunts and uncles and tons of kids that share the same surname for a meal, some games and activities and maybe even some genealogy discussion and if all you have is a Saturday afternoon in the park then start planning!

Let’s look at a possible schedule for a possible family reunion in an afternoon.

Things to do in advance

Be sure to reserve your location if holding your reunion at a park or hall. Ask family members to bring a sack lunch for the noon meal and make food assignments or ask everyone to bring a potluck dish for the evening meal.

Send out invitations

Include food assignments and items such as swim suits or softball equipment. If you are planning to go swimming, golfing, bowling etc. include how much these activities will cost.

Choose a theme. A family reunion doesn’t have to have a theme to be successful but creating a theme for a family reunion is a great way to interest people and make them more likely to attend. A reunion invitation that invites you to a “Prehistoric” reunion for Brontosaurs burgers is more interesting than an invitation that invites you to a family reunion at “the park”. It also makes things more fun when it comes to being imaginative with food, games, activities, invitations and just about every other aspect of the reunion.

10:30 Registration

Set up a registration table for attendees to receive a name tag and schedule of activities. This is a great time to get family member’s phone numbers, email and home addresses. Provide an activity that family members can participate in while waiting for everyone to arrive. Try a huge game of badminton or volleyball for the teenagers, sugar cookie decorating or a coloring page for the youngsters and printable Older Than Dirt Game for the older generation.

11:00 Ice Breaker getting to know you games.

My favorite ice breaker game is DO YOU LOVE YOUR RELATIVE?

The group sits in a circle with room in the center. The person that is “IT” does not have a chair and stands in the center of the circle. “IT” walks up to one of the people in the circle, points to someone and asks, “_________, do you love your relative?” The individual pointed to can say one of two things:

“Yes I love my relatives (everyone sitting in the circle must move to a new chair)

“No, I don’t love my relatives but I love everyone _____________________.” Fill in the blank with things like- everyone that is wearing green, everyone that likes chocolate, everyone that has a dog or everyone that wears glasses. (Only the people that meet the requirements move to a different chair.)

In both situations, the person that asks the question runs to sit on a chair. The person left standing, without a chair to sit on, is the new “IT”.

Family Reunion Helper has lots of fun Ice Breaker Games. You will need to plan on playing two to three games.

12:00 Sack lunches and family photo

After lunch you will want to take a picture of your family. It doesn’t need to be professional, just a record of who attended the reunion.

1:00 Extra Curricular Activity

Arrange in advance for your family to go swimming, bowling, roller skating, hiking or a road rally scavenger hunt. Some families like to split up during this time so people can participate in several activities- some may go golfing while others shop or make a craft. This will be your major activity. For some activities such as boating or visiting an amusement park you may need to schedule more time.

3:00 Theme Activities Craft or Fund Raiser

If you have chosen a theme for your reunion now is the time to do some of those activities. This is also the time to do any fund raising such as an auction or raffle.

4:30 Genealogy Spotlight and Business Meeting

Ask someone that is a good story teller to share an interesting story from your family history. It is very important that this presentation appeal to all family members and includes pictures and props. You may also want to take a few minutes to discuss any family business such as when and where to hold you next reunion.

5:00 Dinner

You may do a potluck dinner, a meal that reflects your reunion theme (dinosaur theme- Brontosaurus Burgers, western theme- chuck wagon beans etc.) Other simple meal ideas are a baked potato or taco bar, grilled burgers or have your favorite pizza place deliver a variety of pizzas. Do not serve dessert at this time.

6:00 Talent Show Free Time

This is the time to let family members share their talents. Play Let’s Make A Deal to keep everyone interested between acts.

7:00 Wrap it Up

Serve dessert and thank everyone for attending your reunion. You will be tired and ready to clean up and go home but some family members will want to hang around and visit. Put them to work helping you clean up.

The Branson Family Reunion web site list five reasons to have a family reunion. One reason it lists is “Tradition”. “Tradition should be a big part of your family. Taking the time to come together and teach (in a fun way) the tradition of your family will keep it alive and strong.” Although planning a reunion can be a lot of work bringing your family together, if only for an afternoon, can be a rewarding way to keep traditions alive.

Aunt MO

Prehistoric, Caveman or Dinosaur Family Reunion

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Aunt Mo

I love this family reunion theme! It’s so flexible- with some minor tweaking your prehistoric reunion can become a dinosaur or caveman party.

A “prehistoic” theme can be the perfect choice for someone celebrating a milestone birthday and adds some good natured fun to your celebration.

One of the first family reunions I ever planned was a dinosaur reunion back in the early 80’s. We made large, plywood dinosaur cut outs to decorate our reunion site. We served Brontosaurs burgers and went on a hike to find giant dinosaur eggs.

To throw the perfect caveman party, you will need to look the part. You can find fun Caveman or Flintstones costumes and accessories at costume store or online. (A good resource for Flintstone costumes is http://www.flintstonecostumes.com/) You can also fashion your own out costumes out of fake fur, and animal-print fabrics. Don’t forget unkempt hair, bare feet, bone necklaces and hair bows, clubs and spears!

With this fun family reunion theme you can plan a Saber Tooth Tiger Cateye hike in the dark or challenge family members to work together to make a prehistoric pipeline. Prehistoric “baseball” is a silly way to enjoy America’s favorite pastime.

A fill in the blank invitation is included along with recipes and ideas for "Good Things to Eat". Don’t forget to print off the dinosaur Bunko score card and the dinosaur trivia printable and leave dinosaur footprints all over your reunion site with the footprint printable pattern. Reunion activities for one day or a weekend of prehistoric family fun!

For $19.95 you can let loose your families’ inner beast with family reunion helper’s Caveman theme package.

Prehistoric Reunion Activities include;

Invitation printables
Dinosaur riddles
Dinosaur Trivia printable Game
Baking Soda Volcano instructions
"Lost World" Obstacle Course
Pet Rock Instructions
Dinosaur cookie decorating
prehistoric baseball
prehistoric pipeline
Dinosaur footprint painting
Dinosaur Bunko
"Good Things to Eat"
children’s games and activities
team building activities
dinosaur egg hunt
fossil painting
Slime recipe
costume helps
Saber Tooth Tiger cateye hike. A night time hike with flashlights.

Family Reunion Campfire Treats

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Aunt Mo

Dutch oven chocolate chip cookies for your family reunion.

If you want to be the post popular person at your family reunion, mix up a batch of these Dutch oven chocolate chip cookies. You may even be able to pull S’more cookers away from the campfire to eat one of these delicious warm cookies.

Cookies baked in a Dutch oven seem to be moister than those cooked in a regular oven. The less air space in a Dutch oven keeps them moist throughout the cooking process. The amount of heat used might need to be adjusted depending on your elevation. Be sure to rotate the oven clockwise and the lid counterclockwise a quarter turn every few minutes to avoid hot spots.

You can find the recipe we use at our family reunions at
Dutch Oven Cookies

Campfire Éclairs

Our friends the Cutlers, introduced us to “Campfire Éclairs” several years ago and Campfire Éclairs have been a fun family reunion tradition ever since. If you need a break from S’Mores (how could you need a break from S’Mores?) try these delicious Campfire Éclairs at your next family reunion. They’re fun and easy to make. All you need is a large 1 inch dowel, Pillsbury biscuit dough, instant vanilla pudding and a can of chocolate frosting. Read how to do it by following this link.
Campfire Éclairs

Banana Boats

Is your family tired of S’mores and other traditional campfire treats? Tired of S’mores- no never. Well maybe you’re ready for a change? Try some yummy “Banana Boats” cooked over the fire.

Just like S’mores, everyone makes their own. Just set out toppings such as chocolate chips, peanut or butterscotch chips, coconut, chocolate sauce, peanut butter, mini marshmallows, honey, Nutella, and jam. You will also need a banana for everyone and a piece of tin foil. You eat this gooey treat with a spoon. If you have a freezer available top off your banana with a scoop of ice cream for a real banana split.

Follow this link for complete Banana Boat instructions
Banana Boats

Location, Location- What’s Your Favorite Family Reunion Location?

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Aunt Mo

A real estate agent will tell you- location is everything when buying a house and family reunion planners will heartily agree that when planning a reunion- LOCATION is everything!

Tell us about your favorite family reunion location- where is it at and why do you go there?

For many families, returning to a much-loved reunion destination has become an annual tradition. After several years that location may feel more like home than home itself.

Our Favorite Family Reunion Location

We have the greatest little reunion site It’s called Hansen Park in Elwood Utah. It has a huge covered bowery with a kitchen, a fire pit, restrooms and even a baseball diamond and small basketball court.

Someone must have told the good people of Elwood what a treasure they have because they have now made it as difficult as possible to reserve the park and our family has just given up trying to get it- but if you can find a friend that lives in Elwood they may just be able to help you out.

Family Reunion Camping

In the years before Hansen Park and the years after- we have spent many family reunions in group site C and D in Box Elder Campground. It’s a little more like “roughing it” then Hansen Park and the kids get dirtier because there is a lot more dirt. It’s true camping and all of us except the mom’s that have kids that crawl love it. There are lots of picnic tables, restrooms and beautiful shade trees. Parking can sometimes be a challenge but we’ve learned to adapt.

If you’re looking for a campground you can find a list of campgrounds in the US and make reservations at http://www.reserveamerica.com/

Family Reunion at the Lake

In the years that we had access to a boat we held our family reunions at Bear Lake. The water is some of the bluest I’ve ever seen but hold your reunion in June and it will be some of the coldest water you’ve ever jumped in. You can camp at locations such as Rendezvous Beach or rent a condo close by.

If you’re looking for a list of lakes in North America you could use http://www.greatlakesnorthamerica.com/ as a resource.

Of course, if I had unlimited resources I would probably choose a cruise for my favorite family reunion location, but since that isn’t an option, you’ll find my family campin’ out at good ole campsite C and lovin’ every minute of it!

Tell us about your favorite family reunion location

Tell us about your favorite family reunion location- where is it at and why do you go there? It may feel like you’re giving up your favorite fishin’ hole but please share- what works for your family?

Aunt MO

Helpful Hints for Building Your Family Tree

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Aunt Mo

Have you ever thought about your family tree and wondered which branch you fell from? Lots of people want to know more about their ancestry and past, but might not know where to start. The truth of the matter is that there are lots of ways to find out where you came from and what your relatives were like. It is not easy, but it is completely possible.

Interview Grandpa

Talking with your older family relatives, and while you are at it, take down their information as well. While it’s not pleasant to think about these things, it is important to remember that they won’t always be around. Eventually, your children or your grandchildren are going to want to know where they came from as well. Ask your older relatives about their families and history. You can even use a tape recorder to document their thoughts. Can they remember anything about what their parents or grandparents did? At the very least, that will give you a good place to start.

Discover Your Ancestry by Checking Official Records

Remember to hit the records as well. You can find paper records at the library and electronic ones online at ancestry databases. For example, looking up obits can give you a great deal of information about different people, their occupations, and their families.

Check for old news articles that mention family members. You never know when someone did something important. The more research you do, the more there is to learn. Also look around for any old documents that your family may have kept. Are there journals, old year books, property deeds or any other paperwork in the attic from the people who came before you?

Family Reunions- a Great Genealogy Resource

Perhaps the most information rich place to add branches to your family tree is your family reunion, especially those reunions that include extended family and branches of your family tree. You can even get children involved in building your family tree by using Family Reunion Helper’s “Super Sleuth” Challenge which guides children through the process of discovering their family history.

Consider having a family history or genealogy “church” during your reunion, a time where the family gathers together to learn about their ancestors. Make sure presentations are done creatively and with enthusiasm to keep the attention of the younger members of your family. Some fun ideas for your family history church can be found at Family Reunion Helper.

Keep Accurate Genealogy Records

When you have all of the raw information in front of you, don’t forget to record it. It is easy to get distracted by minutiae. Take a moment to write down what you learned, whether it is in a notebook or in a series of files online. Remember that you are also doing this for posterity, and the more effectively you archive your own efforts, the more likely it will be that your work is going to be useful for the people who come after you.

Rewards from Building Your Family Tree

Building a family tree takes time, patience and work, but anyone who has delved into the history of their family knows that, the more information they discover about their ancestors, the more real these people become, and the more fascinating. Building your family tree is a wonderful way to join the past with the present and by learning about ones ancestors, it helps us understand ourselves, our heritage and the roots and branches of our family tree.

Saddle Up For an Easter Egg Hunt on Horseback

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Aunt Mo

Our Stewart family’s horseback Easter egg hunt has become a tradition that we have celebrated for the past seven years, ever since we moved to Bear River City. Easter is one of my favorite holidays and horses are my favorite animal, so it just seemed natural to put them together.

I tell my adult children, “I don’t care if I have to share you on Christmas and Thanksgiving, but I want you for the Saturday before Easter.” And they come, sometimes bringing friends or other family members. Each year it seems our family changes and grows and we plan our Easter egg hunt around those changes.

To make things more fair for the inexperienced and younger riders, Uncle Steven and I hide the eggs according to color. Each rider has a different color or style of egg. For instance, last year we had basketball eggs for Kory, purple eggs for Megan, football eggs for Ryan, chicken shaped eggs for Brynna, pink eggs for Janie, and so forth.

We’ve been collecting eggs for years, and since we ask everyone to leave their eggs and just take the candy home, we have quite a collection. Assigning each rider their own color makes it possible for us to hide the eggs according to the rider’s ability. Uncle Steven especially likes to hide eggs in unusual places- like hanging them from tree branches.

A few of our family members are experienced riders and we love hiding their eggs in difficult locations- over ditches, in trees, through gates and around obstacles such as wood piles and water hazards. For our lower level riders, we have a rule that you have to be touching some part of your horse when you pick up an egg. This makes it possible for riders with less experience to get off their horse to get an egg.

Last year we added “jumbo” sized eggs to the hunt and they sure made things more challenging and interesting .

After the riders find their designated colored eggs, they are allowed to hunt for the prized golden eggs, which hold items like movie tickets, gift certificates and money.

This is the most exciting part of the hunt, as riders become a little more daring and often find themselves racing for the same golden egg as another rider.

Last year we had more little ones, so we did a hunt for them before the adult riding hunt began. We have to work the hunt around the weather, so it usually begins at about 11:00. Following the hunt, we usually play with the horses, give them their annual vaccinations and worm them, eat barbecue and potato salad and play badminton.

This year we add a new son-in-law and grandson to the mix so we’ll need two more colors of eggs and two more chairs at our Easter table. And as our family continues to grow and change, so will our Easter Egg hunt.

As for our horses, they aren’t too fond peanut butter eggs or jelly beans but they do receive their own prizes in the form of carrots, apples and other treats.

Aunt MO

Rules of Chocolate Easter Eggs

If you get melted chocolate all over your hands, you’re eating it too slowly.

If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.

Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

Game Night!

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Aunt Mo

Invite tons of your friends or family to a “game night”! Begin by setting up game stations. Let your guests choose a game they would like to play and when everyone has made their game choice set a timer for 15 minutes and let the fun begin. When the timer dings everyone rotates to a new game whether they have finished the game they have been playing or not.

This is a great way to mix up family members at your family reunion and help them to get to know each other a little better.

According to a Hasbro press release, a 1999 article in Psychology Today asserted that you can learn more about someone by playing a game than going on 10 dates. And you can learn more about yourself by playing a game than you can from several therapy sessions.

You can make signs to help your guests easily find the game they would like to play.

Board game suggestions for your game night party:

Monopoly
Clue
Cranium
Life
Jenga
Sorry
Candy Land
Shoots and Ladders
Scrabble
Apples to Apples
After rotating through four games (approximately one hour of game playing time) have everyone come together to play one giant group game. Some game suggestions are:

Trivial Pursuit
Bingo

Taboo
Pictionary
Outburst
Trash or Treasures

Scattergories
Minute to Win it

For refreshments, set up a fun candy station that guests can help themselves to during their game playing or ask everyone to bring a treat to share.

You must invent your own games and teach us old ones how to play.
Nikki Giovanni

Unusual Family Reunion Souvenirs

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Aunt Mo

An Alternative to the Family Reunion T Shirt

Don’t get me wrong- I love family reunion t-shirts but when we planned our “Survivor “ family reunion I wanted to find an unusual reunion souvenir for family members to take home with them as a remembrance of our fun reunion. We had done t-shirts for years and years and I was looking for something that would be different.

Then I remembered that one of my students, Lizzy, had given all my music students that sang at the Olympics a wooden Utah pin. I was so impressed with the detail of the pins that I asked her about them and was surprised to find that her family had a business that made cool laser products.

CountryLazer Cutting and Engraving

The name of Lizzy’s families’ business is CountryLazer and they are Utah’s leading supplier of custom laser cutting & engraving wood, acrylic, glass, mat, leather, and other products. They have been creating customized gifts and laser engraved products for over 30 years.

CountryLazer would be happy to help you with your family reunion design. They try to keep pricing around 1- 2 dollars- less expensive then the traditional t-shirt.

I love their cute pioneer wagon kit that could be assembled at your heritage reunion and would serve as a reunion craft and memento.

CountryLazer has a wide variety of designs for name tags, hat pins, wooden boxes, toys, awards, plaques, picture frames, scouting memorabilia, and Christmas gifts.

Design Your Own Family Reunion Souvenir

They will also work with you to create a completely unique product that shows your individual style or your company’s commitment to excellence. They can engrave your logo, graphic, or custom message on almost any material to make your product look more personal and professional.

So if you’re looking for a new way to remember your family reunion check out countrylazer.com.

Aunt MO

We do not remember days; we remember moments. ~Cesare Pavese, The Burning Brand

We Want Your Family Reunion Photos!

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Aunt Mo

We’ve all got them- those great family reunion photos where you, by either luck or skill, capture the perfect family reunion moment. Well, now you can use those photos to receive $5.00 off any family reunion theme package and a chance to win a FREE familyreunionhelper.com theme package.

Submit Your Family Reunion Photo for $5.00 Off

Just for submitting your favorite photo you will receive $5.00 off any reunion theme package. (Does not apply to “Pipe Chimes” or “When You Were My Age” packages.)

Family Reunion Helper Photo Contest Rules

Photo must be of 2 or more people at a family reunion or party.

Include- name of the family reunion, descendants of, date and location the photo was taken.

Photos do not need to be recent, they can be old photos from a family reunion photo album.

You must be a family reunion helper subscriber. Subscribe to familyreunionhelper

So go on, take your best shot and email it to auntmo@familyreunionhelper.com
for your $5.00 off coupon code and your chance to win a free family reunion helper theme package.

Aunt Mo

A Game That’s Perfect for the Whole Family

Bloomers!

You want to have a family reunion but…

Send out invitations

10:30 Registration

11:00 Ice Breaker getting to know you games.

12:00 Sack lunches and family photo

1:00 Extra Curricular Activity

3:00 Theme Activities Craft or Fund Raiser

4:30 Genealogy Spotlight and Business Meeting

5:00 Dinner

6:00 Talent Show Free Time

7:00 Wrap it Up

Dutch oven chocolate chip cookies for your family reunion.

Campfire Éclairs

Banana Boats

Tell us about your favorite family reunion location- where is it at and why do you go there?

Our Favorite Family Reunion Location

Family Reunion Camping

Family Reunion at the Lake

Tell us about your favorite family reunion location

Interview Grandpa

Discover Your Ancestry by Checking Official Records

Family Reunions- a Great Genealogy Resource

Keep Accurate Genealogy Records

Rewards from Building Your Family Tree

Board game suggestions for your game night party:

An Alternative to the Family Reunion T Shirt

CountryLazer Cutting and Engraving

Design Your Own Family Reunion Souvenir

Submit Your Family Reunion Photo for $5.00 Off

Family Reunion Helper Photo Contest Rules

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