Family Game Night

For most of January and February, I was lost to the world while my mind focused on two things: keeping my family alive and planning Lincolnwood School's Family Game Night.  I am learning that at our school, if you are any sort of involved parent at all, you're going to end up with some kind of PTA job.  I've decided that planning an event is a good job for me.  It's big; it's fun; it consumes my life; and then it's over, and I can get on with my life.  I have done my duty!  

Last year, I helped with the food for the "Wizard of Oz" themed event.  This year, they asked me to be the chairperson in charge of the same "Family Night" event, but this year they wanted it to be a game night.  Like last year, I enjoyed taking on a temporary career (it's fun to play pretend).  I got to be an event planner, a graphic designer, and a dictator.  I must say that all of those roles play to my interests as well as my strengths.  :)  This was the flyer/logo that we based everything on.

I created these "Sticker boards" that the kids could complete throughout the event by participating in games and activities.  When completed, it looked like a Twister board!  I can't tell you how giddy I was the night I realized that those colored circle labels come in the exact colors of Twister!

I was horrible at taking pictures at the event.  But this was the welcome area.

And the welcome table with our balloon smile (opposite of arch).  

The gym, center of food and games.

We served pizza, fruit, veggies, water bottles, and cookies.  Free dinner for the family!

Kids wore the sticker boards around their necks.  When they finished their boards, they got a cool keepsake button as a prize. 

(I love our PTA president who got giddy about buying a button maker!!!)

We had all sorts of games around the perimeter of the gym.  This was Candy Land...

Basically a cake walk, but they got candy as prizes!

Giant Twister

Cornhole

Life Size Angry Birds

Giant Boggle

Name that Tune

Tic Tac Toe

Giant Bowling

Telephone game

Memory with the teacher's faces

While games were going on throughout the school, we had a school-themed Family Feud game show in the auditorium.

Welcome table for the game show

One of our dads was an awesome host while Ben ran the questions on the projector.

The kids had a lot of fun answering questions

And Ellis was delighted to be a contestant!

Overall, it ended up being a really fun night!  It was a great thing for our school families to do right in the dead of winter.  The school felt warm and bright and happy.  I had fun planning the event and working with other parents.  It took at least 80 parent volunteers to make the night happen, and so many people were wonderful to help out.  We really love our school community and feel lucky to be a part of it.

Over the Rainbow Café

The cool thing about my career as a mom is that occasionally, I have the flexibility (and sometimes, the opportunity) to try out a different career for a month or so.  This month, I had the chance to be a bakery owner and a graphic designer.  Yes, this came at the expense of my sanity and the happiness of most members of our household.  But it was really, really fun for me.  And yes, I asked Ben for permission (to make everyone in our family suffer in order for me to play) first!

A few women in our PTA were planning an event called "Family Night: a Celebration of the Arts."  I was interested in helping out with such an event because of its focus on the arts.  And then when I realized that these women were planning to go all out and make it really special, something about me wanted in on the fun.  They chose the theme "follow your yellow brick road," and they planned to have a musical talent show and an art show for the students at the school, all based on a Wizard of Oz theme.  They wanted to also have a "café" with Wizard of Oz-themed treats, but they weren't sure if they could pull it all off.  Themed treats?  Apparently I have a weak spot for stuff like that.  I'm not usually tempted to volunteer for boring PTA assignments, but this one got me.  

And with no further explanation, I bring you . . .

The Over the Rainbow Café!

I had a lot of fun making these "over the rainbow" cookies.  But I tell you, my hand was really tired by the end of all that frosting.  

 I made 150 of them. 

 Here they are all packaged up!

 A small group of volunteers (including Ben and Henry) came to my house and put these packages together.  

 And another team (including my visiting teachers) came and helped me frost 250 cupcakes.  We made three different kinds - these Dorothy cupcakes (red velvet) . . .

 Glinda's "good witch" cupcakes, and the "wicked cupcakes of the west."  We had volunteers donate un-frosted cupcakes, and then we frosted them all to look uniform.  I later got funny comments of people saying, "We knew someone was serious when we saw specific requirements for the color of the cupcake papers, and that they wanted them to be un-frosted."  Yeah, apparently I am a bit overboard on the details...

A bunch of talented people decorated the school with so many cute decorations. 

This was the entrance they made for my café. 

We had kid helpers serving colored Kool-Aid from this stand. 

As you can see, it was in a classroom, so decorating had its challenges. 

 But it was a fun atmosphere.

 The food was all offered free of charge to all guests, so we had to be a little controlling about how to pass it out gradually so everyone could get some.  I may or may not have been a little feisty about warding of little hands reaching out to help themselves.

But I think people forgave me when they got to enjoy their cute, yummy treats!

This is me with my café badge, dealing with the aftermath of the event, which is still taking over our house...

The best part of the whole thing is that 1) Sam decided he wants to have a Wizard of Oz birthday party next month, and 2) We ended up having quite a few treats left over!  So you may see a very similar looking post about a month from now...

Sam was a little confused about this party though.  He was in on every detail and wanted to know all about the cookies, cupcakes, etc.  He also has been planning his own party as we've talked about all of the Wizard of Oz treats.  But he clearly couldn't keep the two parties separated in his mind.  He asked, "So is my birthday at the school?"  We explained several times that his birthday would be at our house, one month later.  Still, after the whole Family Night was over, when Ben was getting him ready for bed, Sam asked, "So is me 3 now?"  Hopefully he'll be excited in a month when we get to have yet another big party with once again, way too much sugar.  Stay tuned...