Everything I Know about Game Night I learned from Having a Game night (Sponsored & Sweepstakes)

My family game night is sponsored by Wii U. How U will play next! Click here for a chance to win a Wii U™ Deluxe Set and $5,000 to take your family on vacation.

For this last post I thought I'd list a quick recap of all the things I learned hosting my first ever family game night (day) mainly because lists are extremely pinnable (is that a word? My blogger spell-check doesn't think so. Pinable? Nope. Pinnible? Def not) and I actually feel like I can offer some sage-ish advice on low-maintenance party planning.

So here goes:

A List for Lazy/Busy Families Who Want to Host a Family Game Night but Feel UGH SO OVERWHELMING TOO MUCH TO DEAL WITH, UGH. 

1. When in doubt, let the kids take over: When taking on this post campaign I was a little on the nervous side because I am NOT a party planner. I suck at this stuff. I get overwhelmed and hide-in-a-corner(y) unlike my kids who LOVE to help and LOVE to get involved and were pumped beyond belief when I relinquished all control and let them plan the thing. Everybody wins!

2. Let the kids take over even when you're not in doubt: It is highly impossible for a human person NOT to love a party planned by a child/children. Streamers and scotch tape c/o children > fancy and impressive c/o adults. 

3.  Go Easy on the Eats: The build your own frozen pizza thing turned out to be kind of totally genius. Not that it had a choice (there was no back-up plan) but I was pleasantly surprised with how much everyone loved it. Twas cost effective, super fun and easy easy easy. Highly recommended. Also those Gluten Free pizzas at TJs are DELICIOUS. ED: I like them better than the regular gluten-y ones. 

4. Channel Chuck E Cheese: I haven't been to Chuck E Cheese in twenty years HOWEVER I will never ever forget the feel of tickets. TICKETS! I still get all riled up thinking about what a badass I was at ski ball and what an even BADDER ASS I was when I strutted up to the ticket counter and redeemed 789798723981372891789 of them for a plastic spider ring. YEAH, I WON THIS SPIDER RING, WHUT. And apparently, my kids feel the same way about tickets because collecting tickets became a game in of itself and by the end of the evening, everyone was wearing tickets like accessories, using them as jump ropes and redeeming them for everything from dollar store purchases to empty toilet paper rolls. (Tickets have since become our household currency of choice.)

5. Get the Hell Out of Dodge:  Halfway through game night we all went for a walk... because too much sitting is bad for the bod and four generations need to stretch their legs and get some fresh air. So that is what we did and everyone had a lovely time, especially Revi, who if you follow me on Instagram you'll know, is obsessed with the security signs in my neighbors' front yards. Love at first site.  

6. Send Everyone Home with Party Favors: And by party favors, I mean good memories. Sure, we bought a bunch of weird stuff at the dollar store for parting gifts, but does anyone really care about goodie bags? In my short tenure as a party planner I've learned this: parties don't have to be full of attractive place settings and decorations and swag bags to be fun. Quite possibly the opposite, actually. The most fun parties I've ever attended were always the most haphazard.

... So cut yourself some slack. You can still be a hostess with the mostess with the least...est. It is GAME night, after all. Buy some bevvies, make some guac, let the kids go crazy at the dollar store and enjoy you some family time. It's the most important kind of time that exists.

Fable as my dad

my dad as my dad

"Parties should not be civilized. They should be crazy and weird and messy and full of stains and laughter." - ancient party proverb.

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You have until December 22nd to pin your "family game night" images for a chance to win 5k and a WiiU c/o Federated Media. (Thanks, FM!) For more information on the sweepstakes go here. Good luck to all and much love!

GGC