family Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Making Time for Mommy

Love, Sleep & Play With Pampers {Giveaway}

July 12, 2013 by Alicia Marie

(Disclosure: I received a set of coupons for posting this but all thoughts are my own.)

Pampers’ new Love, Sleep & Play campaign pays tribute to the millions of ways babies uniquely experience love, sleep and play. Starting today through August 6, parents across North America can visit the Pampers Facebook page to submit photos of their babies experiencing love, sleep or play for the opportunity to be part of a massive celebration event this August.

Here is the picture I’d submit of the boys:

This picture is full of brotherly love. Big brother is playing while little brother is trying to sleep which is funny because that is still the situation today at the ages of 5 and 4.

GIVEAWAY:

One reader will win 2 coupons. One good for a pack of Pampers diapers and the other good for a container of Pampers wipes ($18 value)

HOW TO ENTER:

{Do any or all of the following, leave a separate comment for each you do}

1) Leave a comment telling me what special moment you’d submit to Pampers

2) Share this giveaway on a social network

3) Comment on another one of my posts

4) Follow Pampers on Twitter

5) Follow me on Twitter

Giveaway ends August 1, 2013 at 11:59pm Central time. Must be a US resident, 18 years of age or older to enter.

Filed Under: family, Giveaways Tagged With: brothers, family, giveaway, Pampers

Birthday Celebration 2013 {Pictures}

July 7, 2013 by Alicia Marie 2 Comments

Both of my boys have birthdays in June and my brother has two kids with birthdays in May and July. This year, instead of two or three different parties, we decided to do one family celebration. We wanted to find somewhere that wasn’t too expensive, fun for the 3-6 age range, and that had room for the adults to sit and chat. We decided on Chuck E. Cheese’s. Here are some of my favorite pictures from their party.

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(Disclosure: This is not a compensated post. My mom and dad ended up paying for the kid’s party this year. We are so blessed!)

Filed Under: Birthday Party Ideas, family, Photography

4th of July 2013

July 4, 2013 by Alicia Marie 1 Comment

We spent the morning at a McDonald’s play place so the boys could play while I caught up on some work. After a nap {for everyone!}, the late afternoon was spent outside in our backyard. It was a little chilly but the boys had fun on the slip n’ slide. Once Sinisa got home he grilled some steak for fajitas and after a delicious dinner we headed over to our Church for their 4th of July event. They had music playing, food, and glow in the dark fun for the kids. At 9:30 we watched the fireworks set to music. It was a nice evening. Here are a few of my favorite pictures :)

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How did your family celebrate the 4th of July? I’d love to hear from you :)

Filed Under: family, Fourth of July Tagged With: 4th of July, 4th of July 2013, Fireworks, Fourth of July

Wordless Wednesday: Jacob Turns 5

June 12, 2013 by Alicia Marie 1 Comment

Jacob’s birthday was June 4th. Can’t believe my little boy is 5 years old already! Here are a few pictures :)

Jacob’s birthday treats

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Jacob with one of his gifts. These Imaginext toys are kind of expensive but I found a bunch of used ones cheap and Jacob doesn’t know the difference :)

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Jake is really into cars lately. This was one of his gifts from his Nana. He’d been wanting this set for months.

Filed Under: family, Wordless Wednesday

Summer Is Here!

June 11, 2013 by Alicia Marie Leave a Comment

First day of Summer School & Camp 2013

After a busy Spring it’s an even busier Summer here. The boys are in our school’s extended school year program and in summer camp in the afternoons which all just started yesterday. It was so weird to sit in silence for my entire workday. I missed the giggles of my boys and even their whiny “mommy he did….” moments but I know they are going to have a ton of fun. They would have spent much of the day inside while I worked and this way they can be at the pool, playing with friends at the playground, and going on field trips to exciting places. They are also playing some sports this Summer like they did during Spring.

I have committed to spending weekends completely with them and not working or blogging during that time. As a work at home mom it’s hard for me to pull away since my work is always sitting there and in the online world there is always more I could be doing but my kids come first. They need me and I want to spend this time with them while they still want to spend it with me.

To prepare for summer I made a list of all the free places we can go (including those we have memberships to), put fun community events in my calendar, and made a list of everything the boys and I thought would be fun to do together or places we want to visit. This way I can look at the list and decide what we want to do in the evenings and on the weekends. We also picked up the backyard and pulled out the summer items so we have the slip-n-slide, kiddie pool, sandbox, and sports gear all ready to go for lazy afternoons outside.

What are your plans for the summer? How will you be spending time with your kids? If you need some ideas I have a fun list from last summer of 100 things you can do to enjoy the time with your family :) Find the list here.

Filed Under: family, Summer Tagged With: family, Preschool summer ideas, Summer

Comfort Foods {Recipe & Giveaway}

May 21, 2013 by Alicia Marie

(Disclosure: I received products for review but all thoughts are my own.)

If it were up to me I’d probably eat pasta every day. It’s one of the foods that brings back the most food related memories from childhood. I loved when my mom made lasagna (cheese only, no meat!) and Beef Stroganoff. My dad used egg noodles to make his homemade chicken noodle soup in winter. My favorite food using Creamette® Pasta though is homemade mac & cheese. I remember my grandma making it when I went to visit her years ago and thought it was odd that she added tomatoes to this cheesy pasta dish. It’s my favorite way to eat macaroni & cheese now and I can’t imagine it without tomatoes.

Since having a family of my own, quick pasta dishes have become my new comfort food. I still have the memories of pasta without the time consuming task of making the dishes. One of our favorite ways to have noodles now is to add a red spaghetti sauce to them. I make mine with just veggies but Sinisa likes his with a meat sauce. Here is one of his favorite sauces to make called a Bolognese Sauce.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground pork or ground beef
1 can of mushrooms (pieces)
1 white onion (diced)
1 can of diced tomatoes
olive oil
Italian seasonings

Directions:

Saute the ground meat and use a spatula to break it in tiny pieces
In a separate pan use a small amount of oil and saute your onion and mushrooms.
Add meat to the onions and mushrooms
Simmer for a few minutes over low heat
Add a can of diced tomatoes (don’t drain them)
Add seasonings to taste (Sinisa uses garlic, basil, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper)
Simmer for a few minutes over low heat
Put a generous spoonful over noodles
Sprinkle with shredded cheese (optional)

When it comes to sharing good food and good times with family and friends, nothing makes us feel more at home than comfort food. Creamette® Pasta is proud to have been a part of creating comforting family meals for 100 years and – to honor ten decades of warm memories and mealtime moments – the brand is launching its Comfort Food Recipe and Essay contest.

Through May 30th, Creamette Pasta invites families from the Midwest region to share their favorite comfort food recipe made with Creamette Pasta along with an original essay of 100 words or less explaining their family mealtime memory as it relates to the recipe and what makes it so comforting for a chance to win $10,000. In June 2013, ten semifinalists will be chosen to participate in a nationwide online vote.

You can submit your recipe here: Creamette.NewWorldPasta.Com/100thAnniversary

GIVEAWAY:

One winner will win a delicious prize pack including two boxes of Creamette® Pasta, two Creamette® Pasta recipe cards, one colander and one casserole baking dish.

HOW TO ENTER:

Tell me what your favorite comfort dish made with Creamette Pasta is

Additional Entry:

Share this giveaway on a social network

Giveaway ends June 3, 2013 at 11:59pm Central time. Must be a United States resident 18 years of age or older to enter.

Filed Under: family, Giveaways, Recipes Tagged With: Creamette Pasta, Food Memories, recipe

Silly Glasses {Wordless Wednesday}

March 20, 2013 by Alicia Marie Leave a Comment

Filed Under: family, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: Wordless Wednesday

Bunkbeds! {Wordless Wednesday}

March 13, 2013 by Alicia Marie 3 Comments

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Look how tiny Lucas looks in his new bed! The boys were so excited to pick out their bedding at the store. Jake chose Avengers and Luke chose Spiderman.

Filed Under: family, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: Bunkbeds, Wordless Wednesday

Touchable Skin With NIVEA Lotion

February 10, 2013 by Alicia Marie 3 Comments

When I was a new mom I remember how close I held my children as I rocked them to sleep. I remember putting my finger in their palms and having their little hands close around it. I remember stroking their soft cheeks while I gazed at them, overcome with love for these little humans I had just met.

Touch is important, but not just in infancy. That need for human connection continues throughout our lives. Those hugs that express love. Those pats on the back after a job well done. Walking hand in hand across a street. As humans we all need to feel loved and touch continues to be a main way that this need is fulfilled.

Since I’m not lucky enough to have skin as soft as my children do, I have to rely on lotion to make my hands smooth and touchable. I heard that Sam’s Club had double packs of NIVEA lotion that was specially formulated for very dry skin. I headed to the store with my mom for a little mother-daughter time to wander around Sam’s Club and pick up the lotion. {See my shopping story here}

The 2-pack was perfect for sharing with a loved one. I could use one bottle myself and give one bottle of lotion to my mom.

Upon rubbing the NIVEA lotion into my hands I noticed that it quickly soaked into my skin and made it feel smoother. I think everyone in my family will notice my softer skin. Sinisa will notice it when I put my hand in his and my children will notice it when I rub their backs as they rest on the couch. Everyone benefits when momma has softer skin!

(Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Beiersdorf for NIVEA. #NIVEAmoments #cbias #SocialFabric

Filed Under: Collective Bias, family, Healthy Living Tagged With: connecting touches, NIVEA at Sam’s Club, NIVEA Million Moments of Touch, NIVEA Sam’s Club value, Sam’s Club lotion, Sam’s Club NIVEA moments

Little One In Overalls {Wordless Wednesday}

February 6, 2013 by Alicia Marie 3 Comments

Lucas in overalls as a baby

Filed Under: family, Photography, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: Lucas, picture, Wordless Wednesday

Messy Faces {Wordless Wednesday}

January 23, 2013 by Alicia Marie 2 Comments

These pictures are from 3 years ago. Love their little messy faces!

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Filed Under: family, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: messy eater, Wordless Wednesday

Thanksgiving {Wordless Wednesday}

November 28, 2012 by Alicia Marie 3 Comments

Brothers in their matching outfits

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Cousin Sandwich!!

Filed Under: family, Thanksgiving, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: family, pictures, Thanksgiving, Wordless Wednesday

Creative Opportunities for Reading with Children During the Busy Holiday Season

November 3, 2012 by Alicia Marie 2 Comments

The holidays are fast approaching. Families and friends will come together for food, fun, and festivities. The kids will be excited to have time off from school, and parents will hopefully be able to spend a little more quality time with their children. Somewhere in between all the shopping, sledding, cookie baking, and house preparation for the incoming friends and family, the bookshelf calls.

Reading can be a positive and relaxing outlet, especially in these busy times. You can help create special times with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives whom they may not see often. One great way is by suggesting that the relatives read with the children (either reading to them, have the child read to them, or taking turns). Books can help open up dialogue and sharing that straight questioning never can. New books for this time can be very special. Or have the relative or friend bring along THEIR favorite book.

Setting up a reading corner for quiet time may also be a good idea when the holidays become hectic. Kids can escape all the noise and chaos, and so can the adults. After a while BOTH might grow weary of adult conversation.

Also during the holidays, we seem to become more thankful and aware of the things we have and the people who are in our lives. Just ten minutes of reading a book or two with your child in front of the fireplace or any other cozy spot can become a memory that lasts a lifetime. It could also become a tradition to read a book in that same spot each night.

Reading with your child means so much more to them than the book itself. They see their parent/grandparent/aunt/uncle/cousin taking the time to sit down with them, showing them that they care and want to be there. As each page is turned, a stronger bond forms and memories are made as giggles, jokes, and discussions transpire. Who knows? You may even come up with your own stories to share. So, this holiday season, make sure to take the time to read with the youngest members of the family and build that bond and tradition. Both you and your children/grandchildren will be glad you did.

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Thomas Weck is the author/creator of the Lima Bear Stories. Originally made-up bedtime stories he told his four children, the Lima Bear tales resurfaced when Weck’s son Peter had children. Peter remembered the stories and wanted to have his father write them down so that he could share them with his children. Father and son took it one step further and created Lima Bear Press to produce the stories as books that children (and parents) everywhere can enjoy. The first 4 titles in the planned 12-book series are currently available: The Megasaurus, How Back-Back Got His Name, The Cave Monster, and The Labyrinth. The 5th title, Bully Bean, will be released in April 2013. The books are not only fun and funny with great illustrations; they also have an underlying message such as such as tolerance, honesty, courage, etc.

Filed Under: family, Holidays, Literacy Tagged With: Children's literature, Reading

Pumpkin Patch {Wordless Wednesday}

October 31, 2012 by Alicia Marie Leave a Comment

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Filed Under: Fall, family, Halloween Tagged With: Fall, family, Mom in the pictures, Pumpkin Patch, pumpkins

Beautiful Fall Weather {Wordless Wednesday}

October 24, 2012 by Alicia Marie Leave a Comment

{These pictures are from Fall 2009}

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Filed Under: Fall, family Tagged With: 2009, Fall, Fall Pictures, Mom in the pictures

Happy 4th Birthday, Jacob!

June 4, 2012 by Alicia Marie Leave a Comment

Filed Under: family Tagged With: birthday, Jacob

Cousins {Wordless Wednesday}

April 25, 2012 by Alicia Marie Leave a Comment

Jacob and Lucas with their cousin, Camden, enjoying time together

Filed Under: family, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: cousins, Wordless Wednesday

My Little Pie Makers {Wordless Wednesday}

April 18, 2012 by Alicia Marie Leave a Comment

Jacob and Lucas sharing a chair after helping daddy make a pie. They are both covered in flour. I know the lighting is horrible and it's kind of blurry but I had to share this picture because I love the sweetness of it :)

Filed Under: family, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: brothers, picture

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day {Pictures}

March 18, 2012 by Alicia Marie 2 Comments

Hope everyone is having a fun weekend celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. We’ve been sick here but we tried to get in some fun so we didn’t totally miss the holiday.

Lucas had a photo shoot for Stories Of Autism in the morning and right at the corner was a St. Patrick’s Day parade so we sat to watch some of it.

Sitting with Nana waiting for the St. Patrick's Day parade to start. {Don't you love their matching green shirts?}

The afternoon was spent sleeping {I’m so sick I napped on the boys floor while they napped in their beds} and then relaxing on the couch while watching some of their favorite shows. When daddy came home they went outside and played in their water table. We ended the day with a special trip to McDonald’s to get a Shamrock Shake.

Lucas

Jacob

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How did you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Filed Under: family, St. Patrick's Day Tagged With: Parade, Shamrock Shake, St. Patrick's Day

Sisters {Wordless Wednesday}

March 7, 2012 by Alicia Marie Leave a Comment

I decided to go back in time for this Wordless Wed. I went to the earliest digital pictures I have and found this one from 2005 of my little sister and I. It makes me giggle :)

Filed Under: family, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: sisters, Wordless Wednesday

Sweet 16 {Wordless Wednesday}

February 29, 2012 by Alicia Marie Leave a Comment

My little sister is 16!

Filed Under: family, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: birthday, Happy Birthday, Morgan, Sweet 16

Preschool Sweetheart Event {Wordless Wednesday}

February 22, 2012 by Alicia Marie Leave a Comment

Lucas

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My family

Filed Under: family, Valentine's Day Tagged With: family picture, Preschool event, Sweetheart event

Firetruck Themed Birthday Party

February 21, 2012 by Alicia Marie 6 Comments

My boys’ birthdays are in June. It’s February and I am just now sharing pictures of the great firetruck themed birthday party we had to celebrate Luke’s 2nd and Jake’s 3rd birthdays. What can I say? I’ve been busy. lol. Enjoy these pictures that show the fun of the day :)

Jacob before the party. He was really excited to see everything that had been set up while he napped. He is wearing his “big brother” firetruck shirt and Lucas had a matching one that said “little brother”.

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The cake table

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The cake (made by Renee of Caketastic)

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Appetizers- “fire” colored fruits and veggies

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The little firefighters loved playing in the water

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For a craft they decorated firetrucks

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Firetruck vehicles and firefighters were available for the kids to play with

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I got this board (from Oriental Trading) for the kids to get their pictures taken

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This firefighter themed Brio set kept the kids busy (and Grandpa too)

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I got a firetruck bubble blower and some games for outdoor fun

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Time to blow out the candles!

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The boys thought the cake was delicious!

To eat we grilled HOT dogs and enjoyed WATERmelon to keep with the “fire” theme. We also had a firetruck pinata and other firetruck themed decorations. For party favors we gave each child a firefighter hat and a bag of treats and firetruck themed items.

It was a great party and everyone had a lot of fun! :)

Filed Under: Birthday Party Ideas, family Tagged With: Birthday Party Ideas, Firetruck birthday cake, Firetruck Themed Birthday Party

Do you live in a Chicago suburb and are looking for places to take your kids to do some fun Christmas things? I have some ideas:

BASS PRO SHOPS (Bolingbrook and Gurnee)

BOLINGBROOK PROMENADE (Bolingbrook)

Symphony in light shows every evening from 5-9pm until December 31st. Find more information on the Bolingbrook Promenade here.

BROOKFIELD ZOO (Brookfield)

Chicagoland’s largest light festival takes place at Brookfield Zoo. There are lots of lights, animated light displays, a laser light show, music and entertainment. Find out more information here.

CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDENS (Glencoe)

Take a magical adventure to a winter wonderland of twinkling lights and holiday beauty at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Outside, 750,000 lights sparkle and welcome you and your family to the Garden’s wonderland. Inside the Regenstein Center, a 10,000-square-foot exhibition of miniature trains winds through more than 80 miniature Chicago-area landmarks. In addition to the Wonderland Express exhibition there will be decorated trees, a gingerbread village display, and a wreath display and sale. Find out more information here.

MORTON ARBORETUM (Lisle)

A holiday favorite returns! The “Enchanted Railroad” rolls through with model trains of different colors and styles. One train even has a tiny camera on board so visitors can see what it would be like to ride along! Nine trains operate via remote-controlled interlocked signals, allowing them to cross tracks safely, and two trolleys that reverse direction automatically. Bring the kids and spend 30 minutes or more “ooo-ing” and “ahh-ing” at the toy trains. Find out more details here.

LEGOLAND DISCOVERY CENTER (Schaumburg)

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Chicago invites you to celebrate the season during Holly Jolly Holidays. Festive decorations will deck the halls of the Center throughout the month of December. Guests will also enjoy special seasonal games, group builds and plenty or LEGO-tastic holiday fun! Find out more information here.

CUNEO MANSION & GARDENS (Vernon Hills)

The Drive Thru Holiday Light Show presented by the Village of Vernon Hills in cooperation with the Cuneo Mansion and Gardens is held annually on the magnificent grounds of the Cuneo Mansion and Gardens. The event opens Friday November 25, 2011 and runs thru December 31, 2011. Find out more information here.

COSLEY ZOO (Wheaton)

20,000 twinkling lights and spectacular displays transform Cosley Zoo into a fairy tale winter wonderland from Thanksgiving Friday through the end of December. The lights come on at 3p.m. and the zoo closes at 9p.m. Visit the animals and purchase your Christmas tree, wreath, and holiday gifts! FREE to the public! Find out more information here.

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Make sure to visit Kidgrade to get more ideas of where to head for family fun in the Chicago area!

Fun With Hasbro Games

September 4, 2011 by Alicia Marie Leave a Comment

Courtesy of Hasbro Games:

We’re kicking off the month of September with some exciting news! To help you and your family prepare for National Family Game Night on Wednesday, September 28, we’re launching the first-ever GREAT GAMES TRADE-IN! And to make room for brand spankin’ new games, we’ve teamed up with Recyclebank to help families across the country responsibly dispose of their old, worn-out!

GREAT GAMES TRADE-IN

Is your game of Sorry! looking, well, a little sorry? Or maybe the Cavity Sam in your game of Operation looks like he needs to take a trip to the ER. Whether you’re missing some money in your Monopoly game or letter tiles from the Scrabble game, it may be time to replace that worn and well-loved game with a brand new one. Luckily for you and your family, the Great Games Trade-In is here to make recycling and upgrading games as easy as can be! Throughout the month of September, visit FamilyGameNight.com to print up to $83 in coupons, as well as prepaid shipping labels to easily recycle your old games. You’ll learn how to recycle your old, worn-out games with Recyclebank to make plenty of room in your freshly cleaned game closet for brand spankin’ new games! The 22 Great Games Trade-In coupon offers can be redeemed at mass merchandise retailers nationwide through October 9. And with all of these savings, you’ll even have extra spending money for treats and decorations for your big National Family Game Night celebration!

NATIONAL FAMILY GAME NIGHT

Want to put those brand new games from the Great Games Trade-In to use? National Family Game Night is the perfect occasion! On September 28, we invite you to join families across the nation to unplug and unwind as you spend quality time together playing a new game. Between the pressures and demands of work, school and activities, it can be hard to find time to reconnect as a family. Hasbro wants to help everyone in America create this special and important time, and is supplying great savings on new games to ensure this year’s National Family Game Night is a success in every home!

GAME CLOSET ORGANIZATION TIPS

All you really need for a successful Family Game Night are good friends and family and your favorite games! But if getting to your games or finding the one everyone is dying to play is derailing the fun in your house, it might be time for a game closet makeover. Alison Deyette, a lifestyle expert and author of the blog “Ali on the Go,” shares a few tips to ensure you’re prepared for Family Game Night fun time and time again.

1. Store Games in an Easily Accessible Location: Keep all your games in one place, such as a closet or storage ottoman. If you don’t have the closet space for a designated area for family games, consider storing your games near the TV in an ottoman with a lift-off top, or in a large trunk or storage bin. That way, it’s easy to get to a game when the family is looking for something to do together, or when your favorite show is over.

2. Assign Shelves in the Game Closet: Designate each shelf in the family game closet for a particular game category. With separate shelves for word games, party games and active games without a box, everyone knows where each game goes and clean up is quick and easy! Consider keeping games for the little ones on lower shelves so they can grab them on their own for spontaneous play at any time.

3. Store Games Side by Side: To ensure games are easy to see and grab from the shelf, store board game boxes side by side vertically, similarly to books on a bookshelf. This way, every game is easily accessible and you don’t have to worry about trying to pry one game from the middle or bottom of a stack.

4. Find a Place for Small Game Pieces: Want to ensure you never lose those Scrabble tiles or Monopoly houses again? Use plastic tote boxes to store smaller playing items like these, as well as dice, timers and pawns. You can also use a fishing tackle box to keep all the tiny pieces separated and safe between Family Game Nights.

5. Create a Binder to Store Game Directions: Place the directions from each game in a clear sheet protector. Alphabetize the sheets by the name of the game so directions are easy to find when you need a reminder about who goes first in The Game of Life or how much money each player starts with in Monopoly.

6. Find Time in Your Busy Schedule for Family Game Night: Plan ahead to make sure you’re completely organized before everyone sits down at the table for Family Game Night. Make all of the treats the day before and place everything in personalized goodie bags to ensure each guest is accounted for. Also, determine which games you’re going to play ahead of time and set everything out the night before to increase everyone’s excitement for the big night!

(Disclosure: This is NOT a compensated post, I just wanted to share it.)

Filed Under: family Tagged With: Family Game Night, family time, game trade in, Hasbro, Hasbro Games, Recyclebank

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