When You Were My Age Giveaway

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Aunt Mo

We’re so excited about our new and updated version of “When You Were My Age Party” that we’re giving away a free copy to one of our subscribers. Just tell us what celebration you might use this party for in the comments section of this blog and we will randomly select one person to receive a free copy on December 1st, 2013.

Our new version of “When You Were My Age” includes a fill in the blank invitation and gives you 37 pages of information for the years 1921- 2010.

This is such a fun program, fashioned after a Bill Cosby Show episode and was called, "When Mom Was my Age." We have done variations of the program for 70th and 80th birthdays and 50th wedding anniversaries. Each time we do "When You Were My Age" everyone is thrilled and excited to be a part of the celebration. Everyone has a part on the program and an opportunity to highlight world events and significant family happenings throughout the life of your loved one.

This is a great way to honor your Grandma or Grandpa on their special birthday or your Dad or Mom on their 50th anniversary. Celebrating a landmark birthday or anniversary is always going to be a lot of work but with this package you’ll be well on your way to saying "We love you" in a very special way.

When You Were My Age

April Fools Pizza Cake

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Aunt Mo

Bake your cakes according to the package directions. Don’t fill your pan any fuller then 1/3 full. You don’t want the cake to go up over the edge of the pan. You’re looking for a large round flat cake.

Frost cake with red frosting. If you are using canned frosting heat for a few seconds in the microwave to make it spread easier.

Grate white chocolate and sprinkle the shredded white chocolate on top of frosting.

Cut circles out of red fruit roll ups for the pepperoni, use a small bottle cap to get the round shape. It’s easier if you cut the fruit roll ups before you remove them from their backing. After you cut your pepperoni, remove the backing and stick them on the pizza.

Make banana peppers by slicing a thin strip of a yellow fruit roll up. Stick the ends of the strip together to make a loop.

To make onions, pineapple and green peppers roll gum drops or gummy candy until flat and cut into small bits.

Make black olives with black gum drips and use a paper punch to make a hole in the middle.

Serve your “pizza” on a pizza pan or a pizza box.

Dutch Oven Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on October 9, 2011 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.

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Preparation:

Cream together shortening, brown sugar, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beat well. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Gently stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls into a Dutch oven. If using a 12" Dutch oven, about 8 cookies will fit at one time. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until light brown. Use 6 coals on bottom, 22 on top. As the coals burn down just add more cooking time or light some more coals part way through. Servings: 3 dozen

Minute to Win it Party

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Aunt Mo

If you’re looking for a fun party idea consider hosting a “Minute to Win it” party. “Minute to Win it” is a low stress, fun way to have a party.
The television version of the game makes hosting a “Minute to Win it” party fairly simple. You can do most of the preparation in advance so on the day of the party there is very little last minute running around.

The first step to planning a “Minute to Win it” party is to select the games or challenges you want to include. Go to the “Minute to Win it” website and search for games by Name, Most Viewed or Most Popular. Use this link to go to the website.

http://www.nbc.com/minute-to-win-it/

After choosing the games download the instructions included on the website. For instance, for our party we played “Hanky Panky”. You find the video of those instructions here-

http://www.nbc.com/minute-to-win-it/how-to/episode-120/hanky-panky/

Using these videos makes explaining the rules of the game easy- you just play the video!

We also downloaded a video clock so that we didn’t need to use a clock or timer- we just started the video.

Having this video timer made the competition fun for everyone- spectators and competitors.

Some of our challenges were held inside for a few we had to mve outside.

My brother, Lee, who organized the “Minute to Win it” competition was very organized so we didn’t have to wait while he found the props he needed. Lee also separated the family into teams, mixing everyone up, not keeping families together. Of course the winning team did get a prize to share.

Fun Pizza Party Twist

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Aunt Mo

To add some suspense to a traditional pizza party divide you family and friends into teams. Give each team a premade pizza crust a jar of pizza sauce and a bag of cheese.

Wrap pizza toppings in gift wrap or newspaper and let each team pick 2 or 3 of the wrapped toppings. These are the toppings that they must use on their pizza.

After all the teams have “decorated” their pizzas and baked them, set them out for everyone to try. Cut pizza in small slices so there are lots of samples.

Below is a list of popular pizza toppings:

MEAT

Pepperoni

Ham

Canadian Bacon

Salami

Proscuitto

Turkey

Beef

Sausage

Bacon

Chorizo

BBQ Chicken

Meatballs

Ground Pork

VEGETABLES

Artichoke Hearts

Bell Peppers

Spinach

Sun Dried Tomatoes

Asparagus

Cauliflower

Red onions

Herbs (Fresh if Available)

Portobello Mushrooms

Kalamata Olives

Leeks

Mushrooms

Corn

Tomatoes

Zucchini

Chili Peppers

Squash

Eggplant

Jalapeno Peppers

Olives

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

Trash or Treasures Family Reunion Game

Posted on May 28, 2011 by Aunt Mo

Trash or Treasures Family Reunion Game

Trash or Treasure is a fun game for your whole family, indoors or outdoors and it can be adapted to all family reunion themes.

White Elephant Gift

Have everyone bring a “trashy” white elephant gift. These could be a mostly used bar of soap, a comb with missing teeth, tacky old jewelry, a boring movie, an outgrown toy, a broken anything- whatever you consider TRASH. (My Mom once brought a delicious looking box of chocolates but she took a bite out of each candy.)

Treasures

Gather a few packages that contain treasures: These are things that you should provide such as gift certificates, movie pass, candy bar, DVD, homemade cookies, a roll of dimes etc.

Encourage everyone to wrap their gift creatively using fancy gift wrap, aluminum foil, newspaper, comics, wallpaper, brown bags, gift bags or whatever they have on hand.

To play the game everyone should sit in a circle. Pile all of the packages in the center of the circle.

Before beginning the game stress the need to be fast and accurate.

· Have one pair of dice for every five or six players.

· Keep passing dice to the left. Players take turns trying to roll a six – not a combination of dots that add to six on both dice but six dots on one die.

· When they roll a six they may grab one package from the pile and open it; double sixes let them grab two packages to open.

· Dice move around rapidly and before long more than one player is diving for the same package.

· Once all the presents are gone from the center, rolling a six allows them to steal packages from neighbors. The robbing is the favorite and funniest part of the game.

· The “stealing” part of the game should only last a few minutes. Everyone will want to steal the “treasures”!

NOTE: The younger children in your family won’t understand why they got a “trash” present and may be upset. I always have something to trade with them like a dollar store prize or a 2-liter bottle of soda.

Make a Deal at Your Family Reunion

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Aunt Mo

If you have ever seen the television game show, “Let’s Make a Deal” you will probably remember that in the final moments of the show, Monty Hall would say, “I’ll give you $50.00 if you can give me a paper clip (or some other item). The audience member would dig frantically in their purse or pocket to find a paper clip and win that $50.00. Monty would sometimes ask for the strangest items but it seemed that 90% of the time someone would be carrying it around with them. Monty’s strangest “quick” deal was, “I’ll give you $50 for a Hard Boiled Egg.”

This little game can be a fun activity that you repeat throughout your family reunion. Not much preparation is required and you can use it to fill in any lag times in your reunion. Play “Let’s Make a Deal” while you’re waiting for a meal, between acts at your family reunion talent show or even during your reunion dance. Just be sure to assign a “crazy” uncle to play the part of “Monty” for extra entertainment.

One rule you might need to enforce is- the item asked for must be on them or in a purse or bag with them. They may not run off to their tent or car to get the item.

Instead of using real money as prizes buy a bag of small 100 Grand candy bars. Below is our list of items to ask for but I’m sure you’ll come up with some good ones of your own.

Baby Toy
Baby wipe
Ball
Band-Aids
Breath mint
Book
Button
Candy
Chap Stick
Clippers
Comb
Cough drop
Coupon
Dental Floss
Deposit Slip
Diaper
Earrings
Elastic
Floss
Gum
Handkerchief
Lifesaver candy
Lip Stick
Lotion
Pacifier
Paper lip
Pens
Pencils
Pocket Knife
Receipt
Sewing kit
State Quarter
Stickers
Ticket
Toothbrush
Prescription paper
Q-tip

You can also ask for the person with the:
Most Credit Cards
Most Business Cards
Most pennies
Most pictures

Lot’s of famous families have played “Let’s Make a Deal”- the Flintstones with host "Monty Marble, Sanford and Son and the Simpsons. Plan to make this fun game part of your family too.

Aunt MO

“Love is the only game that is not called on account of darkness.”
Thomas Carlyle

Family Reunion Hot Wheel Party

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Aunt Mo

I love to do family reunion presentations to church groups and women’s conferences. At my recent presentation one of the dear grandma’s that attended expressed some concern about doing a three day family reunion and it occurred to me (kind of like one of those “could’ve had a V-8 moments in the commercials)- have I ever mentioned that your reunion doesn’t have to last three days or two or even all day? A family reunion can be a fun afternoon with your family at the park, swimming pool or the family homestead. Any time you can get together as a family is a good thing and counts as a family reunion.

So I thought I’d tell you about a fun party idea for abbreviated family reunion. My family loves to have their own car races- Pinewood Derby or Hot Wheels race.

If you know anything about scouting you know how fun and popular a Pinewood Derby can be. About 10 years ago we had derby at our family reunion. We let anyone that wanted to participate bring a derby car. It could be one that they had made in the past or one that they made just for our derby. We awarded prizes for how the cars looked and how they performed.

We arranged for a man in our local to bring his derby race track and timer for our event. He charged us $20.00. Our reunion was held at a campground and we asked the camp hosts to be the judges at our derby. We invited them to stay for Dutch oven cobbler after the races and I think they really enjoyed being part of things. We gave trophies for the fastest car and also gave out the following awards:

Best Paint Job
Most Colorful
Most Realistic
Most Original
Best Workmanship
Best Funny Car
Coolest Design
Most Unusual

I heard of a family that passed out unfinished Pinewood Derby kits to their family as they arrived at their family reunion. They gave them an hour to put their cars together and make whatever alterations they wanted to their car. When the hour was up they began the race with roughly finished cars.

It was quite surprising to me how excited everyone was about participating in the derby. One of my nephews even had his car professionally painted.

Hot Wheel Car Races

When my brothers and I were little we used to have Hot Wheels races and the tradition continues with our children today. In fact, if any of my nieces and nephews read are reading this blog just remember Aunt MO ALWAYS has the fastest car!! The track we used to use is now orange “vintage” track and you cannot buy it at the store or online. However, you can, always find it on eBay. The most important part of your race is the starter which you see pictured here.

We love to get Hot Wheels cars in our Christmas stocking and then have a “race day” during the holiday. At other times of the year we converge on the local toy store in search of the fastest car rolling them back and forth in their clear containers and checking them for weight. We limit everyone to just two entries in our double elimination tournament.

I’m always on the lookout for Hot Wheel and Nascar type prizes and store them in a box until the next family race day. Notebooks, stickers, candy and even Spaghetti O’s make fun prizes for your race.

One final idea that I have never tried but sure sounds fun is to play a car relay race as a warm up before the big race.

CAR RELAY GAME: Have teams line up and each person in the team has a certain action to do. For instance, the first person in each group is a flat tire and hops on one foot; the second person is a broken steering wheel and runs zig-zag; the third person is a rusty transmission and takes three steps forward and two backwards; the fourth person is stuck in reverse and runs backward; the fifth and sixth people are a car with a trailer – one runs behind the other grabbing on.

The movie “Cars” sure made it easy to find auto type decorations and novelties. Wilton put out a Cars cake pan that was fun and fruit chews and cookies helped complete the party theme.

Gentlemen, start your engines…

Aunt MO

A difference of opinion is what makes horse racing (car racing) and missionaries. Will Rogers

Annual Proclamations and Observances

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Aunt Mo

I just became aware of three official proclamations pertaining to family reunions and thought it was interesting that there are basically three “official” family reunion month.

Make your family reunion official by issuing an official proclamation. You can ask for a proclamation from your city for many reasons including the date of your family reunion. You could ask that the day of your reunion be declared, “Wells Family Reunion Day” or “Stewart” Family Reunion Day.

Use a proclamation to recognize an ancestor or a special family member. Dignitaries are anxious to grant such requests especially if the family has a long history of service in the community. Some communities will even dedicate a week to your special event, cause or industry. Reads more about obtaining an official proclamation for your family reunion here.

Family Reunion Month A Proclamation in 1985 To raise awareness of a growing trend of runaway children and newly formed organizations to help reunite families of runaways the Congress, by House Joint Resolution 64, has designated the period between Mother’s Day, May 12, and Father’s Day, June 16, 1985, as "Family Reunion Month" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this period.

National Family Reunion Month While some commercial enterprises have dubbed August as National Family Reunion Month many social groups including churches observe National Family Reunion Month in the month of July.

Annual Family Reunion Planning Month A family awareness group with a focus on genealogy and traditional family reunion planning established in 2005 named November as "Annual Family Reunion Planning Month". Mark A. Askew, Founder, Legendary Heritage Heirlooms, "Family Reunion Planning Month." (November, annual monthly family reunion awareness observance)

Family Reunion Helper

Your number one source for family reunion organization

Tag Archives: family party ideas

When You Were My Age Giveaway

April Fools Pizza Cake

Dutch Oven Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dutch oven chocolate chip cookies for your family reunion.

Minute to Win it Party

Fun Pizza Party Twist

Mafia Family Reunion

Trash or Treasures Family Reunion Game

Trash or Treasures Family Reunion Game

White Elephant Gift

Treasures

Make a Deal at Your Family Reunion

Lot’s of famous families have played “Let’s Make a Deal”- the Flintstones with host "Monty Marble, Sanford and Son and the Simpsons. Plan to make this fun game part of your family too.

Family Reunion Hot Wheel Party

Annual Proclamations and Observances

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