10 things every family reunion planner needs in her arsenal

Here’s my list of top ten tools I need to pull off a family reunion:

1. Divider Sticky Notes 60 Ruled Notes- I am an organization freak and these are perfect for keeping everything organized. They are like regular sticky notes but they have a tab that makes everything easier to find. They are very helpful when  organizing your registration binder. You can find them at Amazon following the  link below.

2. Tape- every size and every type.  Be sure and include Duct tape.

3. Jumbo paper clips– It seems that every time I try to clip together a group of paper they get all messed up. The clips come off and I end up with a bigger mess than if I had just stacked them .  I found these jumbo paper clips a couple of years ago and I use them for everything.  They may seem  pricey but after you’ve used them I think you’ll agree with me- it’s a screaming deal!

4. Ziploc bags– These bags go a long way to keeping me organized and I’m not talking about food.  I use Ziploc bags to keep office supplies, game pieces, personal grooming supplies and a host of other items grouped together.   For me, they have to be the bags with  the zipper that slides across the top- they are faster to close and I know for sure that they are sealed. I like to put groups of items such as pencils and markers in smaller quart size bags and use gallon sized bags for larger items such as props for a game, items for a costume or all the tape variations I’ve collected.

5. Sharpie markers– more than one.  I usually keep at least one Sharpie in my  pocket at all times during a family reunion.  A Sharpie for me and one or two to loan out.

6. A Laminator– I was so surprised to learn that I could buy a laminator for less than $20.00 and although they are  pretty slow I  love not gathering up all my signs, name tags and table toppers to take to the copy store for laminating . With this inexpensive laminator you can laminate documents up to 9 inches wide and it warms up and is ready to use in about 5 minutes. I still take my large jobs to the copy store but there are so many times I need to laminate a few items and this product has really saved me tons of time and trips to the store.   Don’t forget the laminating pouches also available at Amazon.

7. Cell phone– You might think that’s a  pretty obvious choice but when it comes to planning a family reunion it a cellphone is the perfect place to store your lists. Just a take a  photo of the agreement for the  rental site and you’ve got it at your fingertips when you need to show your reservation.  Take a photo of your t-shirt order, family list, agenda and rules and instructions and you won’t have to run off to grab your files- they’ll be  right there in the  palm of your  hand. (Not to mention all the phone numbers you’ll have handy)

8. Storage containers– I usually use Rubbermaid containers but paper boxes will work as well.  I use one box or container for each day and time period.  For instance- Saturday morning, Saturday evening and Saturday morning. As I prepare and pack for the reunion Ii I put everything I need for that time period  in its  box.    At the reunion location I organize the containers according to the day and time when their contents will be needed.  This saves me from having to dig through a jumble of boxes and bags.

9. Camera– I need my own personal  camera, preferably one that fits in my pocket. (If your phone takes good pictures that may be all you need.)  I don’t like to rely on others to take pictures of the reunion so I like to have my own  camera to take pictures whenever or wherever I want.  I like to document many aspects of the reunion for my blogs and reunion theme packages and with my personal camera I’m sure  to get just the shot I’m  looking for.

10. Emergency items– I’m talking about “fun” emergencies.  If you have the following items you always have a fun game or activity if something doesn’t go quite right or if you  have time to fill:  A ball, 2 large dice and a deck of cards.

I prefer a playground ball that you can kick, jumbo dice and a regular deck of  playing cards.  You might also want  to include sidewalk chalk, colored markers, Frisbees and a rope for group jumping games.