Night Owls & Family Reunions

[toggpine]

I have been pretty bad about staying up to sew at night. I haven't seen too many posts from the night owls and have figured we are all catching a few extra winks!
With the breaks in the rain, we have been able to get outside and get in some early work in the gardens. The fresh air and weeding have helped with the sleep too! Pulling weeds really isn't my favorite thing, but if I can get them early & often it seems there are less of them later in the season. We've been here 10 years and the project list doesn't seem to get any shorter.
I am contemplating having Mom's side of the family over for a 4th of July family reunion here at the farm. My step-son is getting married at the end of August, and he was thinking about having the rehearsal dinner here too. Either one of those events will add to the list of things to be done!

We have hosted large (50+) barbeque events here, so we can handle the food, and I'm contemplating renting a port-a-potty if we do the family thing, as that may be well over 50 people if everyone comes. My question is have any of you planned a family reunion or been to one that worked really well? I am looking for ideas for planning and day-of stuff.

I hope you all are beginning to see some signs of spring, even if it is just the snow & ice melting.

[bubba]

Re: Night Owls & Family Reunions

Roger's family has one every Thanksgiving and again in the summer. However, that said, we are no longer welcome ever since his mom died and he was the executor of the estate. He has one sister who is a meth maggot we thought would cause problems, but didn't and he has a holier than though sister who caused nothing but grief for us, to include stealing things from the house (appliances, weapons, etc....) and accusing me of being a thief. So, by the time she spread rumors all over to her cousins, not only does she not speak to us anymore, but neither do her children or several relatives which I find to be sad.

Anyway, that is not what you wanted to hear. The Thanksgiving get togethers was mostly about eating. The summer ones were fun and games. Ice cream making, face painting, jigsaw puzzles, etc. Oh, and don't forget the soap bubbles! A portapotty is a good idea, two might be better! Ours were always at parks, so that never posed a problem. I'm sure whatever you do you will have fun!

I remembered something we did up at out lake place when Tyler was probably six or seven. His cousin was up there with us. The week before, Roger and I had going around taking pictures of things at the lake and we sent them off on a scavenger hunt w/the pictures as clues. I remember one of the clues was one of the road signs and he had the wherewithal to go ask the secretary if she could tell him how to get there!!! That boy just tickled me to death!! You could also do games from Minute to Win It! Those are always fun!

[ilive2craft2]

Re: Night Owls & Family Reunions

Sounds like a lot of fun, but also a lot of work! We have had several family reunions and one of the funnest was at a cousin's farm - they set up a goofy golf kind of course around the place and we all had a blast trying to out do each other on every hole. Everyone played from Grandma down to her Great Grands. Lots of chatter and giggling!

We started back up that sides family reunions a couple of years ago, but then it fell through last year - a couple months ahead of time, the ones who were leading it wanted me or my sister to take over planning, but I just couldn't do it last year and neither could my sis - she had just had a baby after being on bed rest for 2 months. Things have settled down a bit for me, so I may just start floating an idea or two around.

So ready to get out and play in the dirt, but we still have a very small pile of snow left in our front yard, but most of it is gone, except the big piles in the parking lots, but those are getting smaller every day. I just want some sunshine and a little warmth!

[MayinJerset]

Re: Night Owls & Family Reunions

Wish I could get down in the dirt again as I loved to garden. Even though it was hard work the results were worth it. Over the past few years my gardens have been dug up and plants given away. Whatever we couldn't dig out because of tree roots grows each year and blooms. the daylilies and hostas are spreading all over and do make a nice display.

We haven't had a family reunion on DH's or my side in years. We used to have them every year or so with DH's family here at our house or his sister's in W. VA but as my SIL and I grew older we couldn't handle it. Our adult kids never took up the slack as they would rather go on vacation than do the work. My side of the family all live near each other so reunions aren't necessary and again who will plan it? We do get together with my sisters, brother and their kids for our annual cemetery visit in early December and have lunch afterwards at a restaurant, sort of a mini reunion. I used to do a big Holiday party between Christmas and New Years and a big BBQ in the summer but when I couldn't do it any longer those big get togethers stopped. So good for you for planning one for your family, it is a lot of work but I'm sure everyone will enjoy themselves.

I've also noticed fewer Night Owls posting at night so if everyone is getting a good night sleep that's good. Probably with most of the snow and bad weather gone many of us are getting out and doing more everyday and that's helping us to sleep longer or all through the night.

[EnumclawGramma]

Re: Night Owls & Family Reunions

We had a family reunion with DH's family a couple years ago. There are at least 50 plus small kids. They came from Boston to Oregon to my home in Enumclaw. Each local branch hosted one day. We did Friday. It was a BLAST! Also I was able to have at least 6 stay with me because I had the largest home, with the most beds. I loved it. It turned out that our day was the warmest day of the weekend.

We did BBQ and later in the evening had a bonfire where my son Joshua and his ex-wife (but still a valuable member of our family!) played guitar and sang for us. It was a wonderful evening! I would do it again without hesitation.

I love planning big events like this because it gets you busy doing things you need to get done.

[turena65]

Re: Night Owls & Family Reunions

Oh goodness... gotta try this again, my last post disappeared into oblivion...

My DHs family has a reunion every year, always the second week/weekend in July. It is usually a Thurs-Saturday. He is the oldest of seven kids and our oldest son is the oldest of 44 grandkids, so we are quite a crew! My DH's parents started it 20 years ago because the kids/grandkids are so spread out that it was a way to get everyone together. It's always held in the field behind grma and grpa's house, but we always rent a port-a-potty. They have a giant army-type tent we all used to sleep in, but now it's just used by all the kids and the parents either bring their own tents, rv, or sleep up at the grandparents house.

Each family is assigned a meal... prepare, serve, cleanup, etc. It's usually breakfast or dinner, lunch is on your own. We all bring our own coolers full of snacks and drinks, as it IS July in Idaho, sol it's HOT! The last meal is a BBQ that everyone helps out with, bringing salads or desserts, and it's always held after the family auction. The auction is so fun because everyone brings things they have made or donated over the course of the year, doesn't matter what, and the proceeds go to paying for the port-a-potty, food, paper products, and any other expenses. After the BBQ, everyone stays to help take things down and clean up the area. Many hands make for light work!

My DH is usually in charge of games. Some favorite ones we have done over the years are kid-friendly versions of Survivor, Fear Factor, Minute-to-Win It, Iron Chef, that sort of thing... always with fun prizes at the end. Even the losers get fun consolation prizes. We always video tape the games because we enjoy watching them each year and watching how much the kids have grown. Often they will rent something fun like a big bounce house, a blow up water slide or something like that to keep the kids occupied. We always have a big covered area with tables and chairs always set up, along with a hand-washing station. The main thing everyone wants to do is sit around and visit, and play card-type games, which usually goes on for hours and hours! We always have a lot of fun and it's fun catching up with everyone's families. We have always lived the farthest away from everyone and can't get together with family, so for our kids, it was a way to get to know their cousins and enjoy being around family for a change.

Google ideas for family reunion games and you can find some fun things to do with your family... You will have a GREAT time! A lot of work, but totally worth it in the end.

[BobW]

Re: Night Owls & Family Reunions

Unfortunately about the only time our families (mom or dad's) get together is for funerals. My dads family really never had reunions, my moms family had regular ones until my grandmother and uncle passed away. They were the ones who got everyone together.

[bubba]

Re: Night Owls & Family Reunions

I just remembered something else they did one summer. My mother in law came from a large family, eleven kids (only one set of twins) and one year, they took an old black and white photo of them when they were young adults and had each sibling choose a color for their family and made tshirts. They had the photo on front and then the siblings name on back. We never wore ours because we were not there and also because they were road crew orange!!! But, it is a neat idea.

[toggpine]

Re: Night Owls & Family Reunions

Thanks for all of the ideas!

This would be a one-day thing as most of the family lives within an hours drive with a few out-lyers. There are two state parks a few miles away if they wanted to make a weekend of it and camp there.

I figure if I'm going to do this I had better start planning now. Any more ideas are certainly welcome!