Make a Family Reunion Box

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Aunt Mo

I have a family reunion box. I started the box because I got tired of getting to the family reunion and finding out that I had forgotten to bring things like tape or scissors.

It seems like my friends and family with trailers have everything stashed behind their trailer doors but I don’t have a trailer- I have a family reunion “box”.

Here’s what I’ve stashed inside my family reunion box: Gloves, rain ponchos, first aid, tarp, all sizes of rope and string, plastic table cloths, collapsible shovel, plastic ware, serving spoons, can opener and rags.

I always keep things like balls of every size (including wiffle and volleyballs), horseshoes, marshmallow blow sticks, Frisbees, blindfolds, dice, huge checkers set, crayons and coloring books just in case we need some extra fun at our reunion.

Inside the family reunion box I have a smaller box with lots of compartments where I keep things like tape, scissors, pens and pencils, markers, over the counter pain medicine, reflector tape, bug spray, sun screen, wet wipes, crayons, thumb tacks, toothpaste, new toothbrush, string, nails, extra lantern supplies, matches and batteries.

I usually have what we need at our family reunion in my box- except for this year- someone needed a stapler. I didn’t have a stapler in my box this year but you can bet I will next year!

Banana Boats

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Aunt Mo

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.

Instructions:

Cut a lengthwise slit in a peeled banana and place it on a sheet of aluminum foil.
Add toppings and stuff into the slit.
Wrap the sheet of foil around the banana and place it in the fire or on a grill for 5- 10 minutes.

Mafia Family Reunion

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Aunt Mo

When it was first suggested that we use “Mafia” as our theme for the Stewart family reunion I was a little apprehensive but after three days of Mafia activities over Labor Day I’ve decided that “Mafia” is just another word for “Family”.

My favorite activity was the marshmallow wars- the longer the game went the more strategic the teams got. I hate to admit I was on the losing team but if the winner is the team that had the most fun it would most certainly be my team!

The “Godfather” of our family got a little help to get around the reunion site.

“Gangster” ball and “Mob” Ball were two favorite activities.

We printed our own Mafia “funny” money. It featured portraits of the Godfather and Godmother.

Family photos with a Mafia twist were snapped as family members entered the “speakeasy” and sat down to a delicious Italian dinner and murder mystery theater.

A picture of the “Family” was taken in our black Mafia shirts.

Look for the all the “Mafia” reunion fun at family reunion helper- Aunt MO will soon be posting everything you need to have your own Mafia themed family reunion so your family can learn how to put “Family First” too.

Aunt MO

Recipe for Ooey Gooey Gax

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Aunt Mo

I was going through some old family reunion papers and found this fun recipe for Ooey Gooey Gax- some people call it “slime”. Kids love Gax/slime and it’s a perfect family reunion craft especially if you’re outside. It’s a great Dinosaur reunion or party craft- just call it swamp goo.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons white glue
2 Tablespoons water
3-4 drops food coloring
1 Tablespoons Borax – usually found in the laundry detergent section of your grocery store
Plastic bag for storing Gax

Directions:

Mix 1 Tablespoon of Borax powder to 1 cup warm water. Stir until all the powder has dissolved. This makes sodium borate.
In a smaller separate bowl, mix 2 Tablespoons glue and 2 Tablespoons water and stir well.
Add 3 drops of food coloring to the glue/water mix and stir.
Add 1 Tablespoon of the sodium borate to the glue/water mixture.
Stir and let sit for a few minutes and then it will be ready to play with.
Place in an airtight container (Bag).

Hints: Don’t leave Gak on fabric, vinyl or wood. Do not eat Gak. Make a batch of Gak before getting to your reunion so you know how it works.

This recipe only makes a small batch.

To make Glow in the Dark Slime: Add several drops of glow-in-the-dark paint during the mixing in stage 1.

Badminton the Unappreciated Sport

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Aunt Mo

Badminton is the official sport of our family. We love it so much that my children gave me a “professional” net for my birthday. (We were tired of the poor quality of nets we purchased from retail stores.)

Badminton has an interesting history dating back to 18th century India where it evolved from two children’s games, battledore and shuttlecock. In these games, a shuttlecock was kept in volley across a line using small rackets.

Recently we held the “Stewart Invitation Badminton Tournament.” My son and I even found a trophy with two “birdies” on it at the local thrift store to use as a prize. Everyone came dressed in their best badminton “uniforms”. We ate dinner and then began the tournament.

Because we had quite a few teams in our so called tournament we played best 2 out of 3 games and only played to 15.

The objective of badminton is simple, that is to hit the shuttle over the net so that it lands in your opponent’s court before it can be returned.

You can hit the shuttle fast, slow, high, flat or low. You can smash it with maximum power or “dink” it gently over the net.

Badminton would be a fun game to set up at your next family reunion and have a tournament that is ongoing during your reunion. Put up a bracket and make teams responsible for playing each other. If you have a large family make it a single elimination tournament. Play the championship game at the end of your reunion.

Why Badminton? Anyone can play, almost anyone. At our tournament we had players from 6 to 60, pregnant players, and players with chronic illnesses. We had players that would dive for the birdie and players that had to step over the line to serve. But no matter what the skill level everyone had fun- at least until the sun went down and it got dark. Guess the next thing I need for my badminton court is- lights!

Aunt MO

Planning for Food Allergies at Your Family Reunion

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Aunt Mo

Ten ideas for “accommodating” those with food allergies at your family reunion or party

Allergies to gluten, eggs, milk, seeds, nuts, peanuts, and more make it impossible to eat "normal" family reunion food. In our family we deal with life threatening food allergies every time we get together for a family reunion or party. Below is a list of things we have found make a difference when planning family reunion food around food allergies:

As the family reunion chairman make sure you know about any food allergies or other food restrictions.
As a family member with allergies be specific when you let the reunion food committee know about your allergies. Don’t just say “gluten-free crackers,” but suggest a brand and where to purchase it. No one is going to be as concerned about food allergies as you are. They may not consider some things that you feel are obvious so speak up.
If you are planning a potluck meal for your family reunion make a note of food allergies in your family. For instance you could add, “Please remember, no nuts” (Be specific) on your invitation.
Some meal ideas that make dealing with food allergies at your family reunion a little easier is salad, taco or potato bars. Family members with allergies can take only those foods that are safe for them. See Aunt Mo’s blog on “Belly Up To The Bar” for more food bar ideas. However if the food allergy is life threatening you must be aware of cross-contact when eating at buffets or food bars.
If you have food allergies, it is often safest to bring your own food. Instead of planning meals around the entire family consider doing some meals “on your own”.
Offer to bring safe food so that you know there will be something there that you can eat.
If you’re on the food committee consider keeping the original boxes and packages for food you’ve used so that parents can read the packages for themselves. Even though you may think you’ve taken all the precautions only those with experience will know for sure.
If you are on the food committee for your family reunion don’t let those with allergies feel like a burden or annoyance. Let them know that you are want them to be safe and enjoy the reunion food just like everyone else.

My sister-in-law, Lisa, has a couple of children with food allergies. Over the years she has developed her own ways of coping with food allergies at family reunions and parties. Lisa added her own suggestions to the list I made:

Often food is given as prizes and treats at family reunions. Lisa suggests bringing your own bag of treats. Make sure the treats for those with allergies are “cool” treats like Pop Rocks or fruit snacks.
Lisa also carries fast to fix food for her children like cereal, instant oatmeal, Cup of Noodles and instant mashed potatoes for when surprise situations arise.

Lisa says, “It’s nice when people make an acceptation for my kids but I don’t plan on it or expect it.” When talking about her daughter’s sensitivity to dairy she says, “It’s my job to take care of it and I plan ahead for unforeseen situations.”

One of my nieces, McKell, is a vegetarian and we accommodate that at our family reunions by reserving a serving of Dutch oven potatoes before we add the bacon etc. She loves vegies and we always make sure there are several choices for her. McKell’s uncles like to tease her about her food choices but in the end they all respect her and work to make sure she can eat with the family.

When it come to food allergies any food allergy can be life-threatening. As the Aunt to several children with food allergies, I try to be a meticulous label- reader and remove all nut- containing foods when I’m in charge of the food at a family reunion or party but honestly, I’m never going to be as good at identifying problem foods as Lisa or her children. Lisa has taught her children to accept some responsibility for the food they eat. They have learned to ask questions before they eat foods that may be a problem for them.

Sometimes those with food allergies have apologized for being a problem and for the extra work it takes to accommodate them. Honestly, ensuring safety for family members is not being "accommodating", it is being responsible and loving- and that’s what families do!

More Cousin Party Ideas

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Aunt Mo

Cousin parties or camps provide a great chance for all of the cousins to spend time with each other and is a wonderful way for those long-distance cousins to get together with one another and nurture those relationships. The younger cousins begin to look up to the older ones and the older ones take on a protective nature.

The one thing that seems to be important to the success of a cousins party or camp is that NO parents are allowed. Thanks to Lisa and Annette for sharing the following cousin party ideas.

Grandma and Grandpa Hale have a cousins Christmas party every year. It is always on a Saturday afternoon in December. They invite all grade school age children. The kids who move out of grade school that year come back as the helper. They are great helpers and take their job seriously. No grown ups are allowed. Grandma Hale been doing her cousins party for many years and she suggests that it works much better without any parents.

Some of their cousin party traditional activities include:
* a craft
*play the candy bar game http://familyreunionhelper.com/blog/2011/06/candy-bar-game-for-your-family-reunion/
*Decorate Grandma and Grandpa’s Christmas tree
*They go out for pizza
* They go to the theater, watch the dollar movie and see Santa or stay home and watch a movie if the party falls on a weekend that Santa is not visiting.
*White elephant gift exchange – They play the game where you can choose a new present or steal some one else’s http://familyreunionhelper.com/blog/2011/04/ten-ideas-for-your-family-reunion-part-2/
* Sleep over for one night
*They go to church – Two aunts come before church and have a beauty shop to do all the girls hair.
*They have a family night lesson – given by one of the older children who come prepared.
*They eat dinner and go home
Hint for parents of the cousins- Grandma and Grandpa are tired. Parents come on time!

The Parson family has a “Cousins Camp” that lasts an entire week. The cousins come prepared to go swimming and fishing at the beach. They eat watermelon and hotdogs and when they get back to Grandma’s house after the beach they make homemade ice cream while everyone showers. One of their traditional activities is to play hide and seek and Annie I Over.

The Parson family have a special “workshop”day where they the cousins rotate from station to station learning new things. One year Grandma and Grandpa had a neighbor come teach the cousins how to play tennis, then the girls rotated to the fingernail painting station and boys rotated to the bird house building station. The last station was decorating sugar cookies. One year the cousins all made decorative stepping stones that have become a lasting treasure in Grandma’s flower garden.

When everyone is tucked into their sleeping bags at night Grandpa tells stories until the cousins reluctantly fall asleep.

Whether an afternoon, one night sleepover or a week long camp consider planning a cousin’s party with your family. It’s a fun way to have a family reunion with the very best part of your family.

Cousins Party Ideas

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Aunt Mo

About 25 years ago I invited all of my nieces and nephew to a cousin’s party at our house. They came in the afternoon, slept over and went home after breakfast the next day.

The two activities we did that those now grown cousins still remember were the pudding painting and swinging in the rope swing.

In talking to other daring moms I found that the one thing that cousins parties seem to have in common is that there are NO Mom’s or Dad’s allowed. It’s just the cool aunt and uncle hosting the party that get to hang out with the kids.

If you’re considering hosting a cousin’s party consider adopting some of the fun ideas my friend, Jana, did at her party this year. This is part one of a 3 part article so be sure and check back for more cousin party ideas. Take it away Jana…

Every year I have a cousin party at my house. All my nieces & nephews come over for a day of fun, and building relationships with my kids, and their other cousins. I look for a kid’s movie that is coming out in the summer, and base my party on that theme.

This year was a ‘cars’ party. We all meet at the movie theatre (since we live in 3 different cities) for an early matinee. We watched Cars 2, then we were off to my house. My sister in law helped drive some of the kids out to my house after the movie, then she made paracord bracelets with each of them while I got the t-shirts ready to tie dye.

By the time the bracelets were done, I was ready to start tie dying shirts with each of the kids (10 of them). We got the shirts done, took a quick picture before my 2 year old nephew left, and ate pizza for dinner. My one requirement for the cousin party is that the parents have to go out on a date that night (hey, I’m a free babysitter- they have to take advantage of that!)

Then we had a food fight (I know this doesn’t go with Cars, but it’s all Ryan wanted for his birthday, and since it rained all of May, we did it in July) I gave each child a tray with instant potatoes, and they had to create a potato sculpture, Then we went to the swimming pool filled with noodles, and the kids had to try and sit on balloons to pop them. After that, they filled their tray with the noodles, and then a whole bunch of old produce we got from the grocery store. We set up some boundaries so that food wasn’t all over the entire yard, and started the food fight. Lots of fun!!

After that we went out front to the ‘car wash’ to get cleaned off. I had made it out of pvc pipe and literally looked like a car wash. By then it was 9:00 and everyone went in, got on their jammies, and went to bed. The next morning my husband made his ‘famous’ pancakes and then everyone went home.

I do try to make sure there is down time for the kids to just play together- jump on the trampoline, swing, play tag, etc. Last year the theme was magic. We saw The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, played a magic hat game, and ate a magic cake (it was black & white, and then turned colored). For the finale everyone had to perform a magic trick. They had to practice it and have it mastered at home first. It was so much fun to see all these little kids do magic tricks!

Thanks, Jana, for sharing your great ideas. In our next installment we’ll hear how the Hale family runs their cousin’s parties.

Aunt MO

Potatoes-in-a-Bag

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Aunt Mo

A Delicious Idea From My Nephew, Brayden, for Your Family Reunion

Sometimes I get in a rut- I forget that some people don’t pack up and head for the mountains when they plan a family reunion or family gathering- instead they head for the BEACH! And it was to the beach we went for a fun family party with my brother and his family.

We packed up the surf boards, sunscreen and mashed potatoes- yes, MASHED POTATOES! “Potatoes in a bag” is a fun and easy tradition Uncle Brett and Aunt Lisa have implemented in their family and would be a yummy idea for your family reunion no matter what location you choose.

Most of the prep for “Potatoes in a bag” was done at home. Everyone measured 1/2 cup potato flakes in a plastic baggie and added their favorite “mix-ins” to give their bag of potatoes their own special flavor.

At the beach, Uncle Brett heated up the water in his portable heater. When the water was hot we added 1 cup to our bag of potatoes and squished it up in the bag until it was well mixed and creamy. The potatoes were delish! The beach was chilly and wet, and the hot potatoes were a welcome treat.

Directions: Mix 1/2 cup of potato flakes with 1 cup boiling water. Stir until blended. Add your favorite mix-ins: salt, dry ranch Salad dressing, dry onion soup mix, Butter Buds, dried parsley flakes, beef jerky pieces, diced cheese stick and a beef stick. For thinner potatoes, add more water; for thicker, add more flakes.

If you’ve done eggs in a bag at your family reunion I think you’ll have fun with this idea. Set out all the ingredients and mix-ins and let your family create their own delicious mashed potatoes. Your bigger eaters may want to use 1 cup of potato flakes with 2 cups of water.

Thanks, Brayden, for a delicious family reunion idea!

Aunt MO

NOTE: Whenever you add boiling water to your baggie, always use heavy-duty or freezer zip lock bags. Although there have been no claims of injury or illness, Ziploc® states their baggies are not intended to be used at high temperatures, so use at your own risk.

S’mores in a Non-Traditional Way

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Aunt Mo

I couldn’t believe that my brother gave my Mom the assignment to do S’mores for our Wells family reunion. Not that there is anything wrong with my Mom, she makes delicious S’mores, but we were having our family reunion at a condo in Park City, Utah and Park City is known for it’s amazing skiing not fire pits and marshmallow sticks.

But I wasn’t in charge of the family reunion this year and I decided that I shouldn’t say anything and so I just kept my mouth shut and waited to see what would happen. (My brothers are laughing as they read this.)

When I saw how my Mom set everything up I was very impressed. We got out the barbeque grill and then she arranged all the S’more making supplies on a plastic covered card table.

We used wood skewers for making Shiskabobs.

Mom thought of everything- marshmallows, chocolate and crackers. She even remembered the “Peeps” for roasted Peeps.

So thanks to my Mom’s organization and creative thinking, the Wells family had S’mores at our family reunion.

The lesson I learned from my Mom, and my brother too, is that even though tradition is a great thing, don’t hesitate to think “outside the box” and try old traditions in a new way.

And while your eating your S’mores try listening to the S’more song- Catchy S’more Song for a little “non-traditional” fun.

Aunt MO

Family Reunion Helper

Your number one source for family reunion organization

Make a Family Reunion Box

Banana Boats

Mafia Family Reunion

Recipe for Ooey Gooey Gax

I was going through some old family reunion papers and found this fun recipe for Ooey Gooey Gax- some people call it “slime”. Kids love Gax/slime and it’s a perfect family reunion craft especially if you’re outside. It’s a great Dinosaur reunion or party craft- just call it swamp goo.

Badminton the Unappreciated Sport

Badminton is the official sport of our family. We love it so much that my children gave me a “professional” net for my birthday. (We were tired of the poor quality of nets we purchased from retail stores.)

Planning for Food Allergies at Your Family Reunion

Ten ideas for “accommodating” those with food allergies at your family reunion or party

More Cousin Party Ideas

Cousins Party Ideas

Potatoes-in-a-Bag

S’mores in a Non-Traditional Way

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