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My Top Five Christmas Party Games
If you love a good end of year party, like I do, then you’re probably the designated Christmas party planner for your office or group of friends. I see you, kindred heart! We’re the Jessica Day’s of this world, and that’s okay! So, obviously, you’ve sent out your invites (weeks in advance, duh, coz that’s how we roll) and your party is obviously a costume party (because what is a party without a theme.) And now you’re looking for a few super fun Christmas Party games and activities to entertain your guests with. I got you girl! Here are some of my favorite Christmas Party games:
Christmas Carols Remix
You’ll need 3 bowls, paper and a pen for this one. One bowl will contain strips of paper with all players’ names on it. Another bowl will contain Christmas song titles. And the last bowl will contain an instruction (i.e. sing the carol in reggae style or act out the carol as if you’re on Broadway). Take turns drawing a name, a carol and an instruction, awarding points for the best performances!
Dirty SantaThis is by far my most favorite of all games! Each guest will be asked to bring along a wrapped gift (it’s safer to give a value limit for the gift). Have the guests stand in a circle, with the gifts in the center of the circle. Each guest will then draw a number from a hat. Right, this is where the fun begins!
Guest number 1 will choose a gift from the pile and unwrap it to show the rest of the crowd. Guest number 2 will now have the opportunity to either take number 1’s gift OR draw a new gift, to unwrap and show the crowd. Guest number 3 will have the choice of 1 and 2’s gifts OR choose a new gift to unwrap and display. The fun starts happening when there is a gift that everyone wants! You may find tit making its rounds – hilarious!
Christmas Music Trivia
Warn your guests that you’ll be doing a Christmas Music Trivia, so that they can brush up on their Christmas tunes! Create your favorite holiday playlist and play the intro of the jams, for the your guests, giving them the opportunity to guess the name of the song and the artist name. You could spice it up by adding interesting trivia questions (multiple choice is better) about the history of the song.
Santa Belly Bust Okay so this one might seem a bit juvenile but it’s tons of fun, I promise. All players must place a large inflated balloon under their shirt, to represent a big Santa belly. Players will keep their hands behind their backs and, on start, must try to bust their gut, without using hands. You could have a prize for the winner, but it’s way more fun to have a “punishment” for the loser!
Christmas Pass the Parcel
This may take a lot more prep on your side, but a Christmas Pass the Parcel is a great corporate game, especially if you want to get to know your co-workers a bit better. Wrap your main prize up with layers and layers of gift wrap/newspaper. In between all the layers, add ‘Truth or Dares’ and questions (such as “What was your favorite thing about this year”) and small gifts. Have your guests pass the parcel, to a Christmas song, and stop the music every now and then so that someone else will get the turn to unwrap a layer.
What are some of your favorite Christmas party games?
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Fun games to play on a road trip with kids
With the school holidays looming, a scenic road trip could be a cool way to keep your young ones entertained. I know, a road trip can seem pretty daunting when you combine the compact space of a back seat with your kid’s extremely large levels of energy. But do not fret, dear friend! Fellow mommy blogger, Amelia, of Suddenly a Mom, has shared some cool road-trip games with us!
Fun road trip games for kids
We’re getting ready for an eight-hour road trip in December, when we head on our annual family camping trip to Yellow Sands, which is just outside East London. With a talkative 10-year old that loves telling the same jokes and expecting the same enthusiasm from us every time we hear it.So, I’ve become the mom that gives her earphones and an iPad and lets her watch movies while I convince myself that they’re educational. But, this year, we’re going to play some games along the way so that we can all pass the time with no mention of “What goes tick-tock-bow-wow?” (It’s a watchdog, by the way).
I Spy
How to play it: Say, “I spy with my little eye something beginning with {choose a letter}” and the rest of the family have to guess what you’ve seen. If your kids are younger, you can choose a colour, rather than a letter.
Why we love it: It helps with her spelling and passes the time really well (especially as you get more creative with the things you can actually see).
Licence Plate Maths
How to play it: Using only the numbers on the licence plate of the car in front of you, try to add, subtract, multiply and divide to get to a certain number (10, 15, 24, whatever). The person that gets the closest to the goal numebr is the winner of each round.
Why we love it: It’s so helpful with maths and out-of-the-box thinking, and it changes all the time (every time a different car is in front of you). I even play this on my own. I’m not ashamed.
Memory Games
How to play it: Start with, “I went to the corner café and I bought a {name one thing that you bought}”. Then, the next person needs to repeat the whole phrase and what you bought, and add another item to the list. Every person that follows needs to repeat the list in the correct order. So, you’ll end up with something like, “I went to the corner café and I bought a coconut, a bottle of water, a puppy, an exhaust pipe, a hotdog, a hairdryer, and balloons.”
Why we love it: It’s really fun hearing what random thing each person would add to the list and coming up with ways to remember them.
Twenty Questions
How to play it: One of you has to decide on a person or thing. The rest of the car can only ask 20 questions to figure out what person or thing you’re thinking of. To add to the intrigue, you can only answer the questions with “yes” or “no”.
Why we love it: It keeps us busy for AGES and it’s fun figuring out the riddle and strategising your questions.
Find the Car
How to play it: Choose one car make (BMW, Hyundai, Toyota, etc…) and keep on the lookout for it on the road. The person that spots the most cars of that make is the winner.
Why we love it: It’s great for a tween that is learning to read and for little ones that can identify the badges. It’s also fun to yell, “TOYOTA” in the accent of your choice. You just did it, didn’t you?
Would You Rather
How to play it: One person asks, “Would you rather…” and comes up with two hypothetical situations. Everyone in the car has to say which they would rather do or be and why. For example, “Would you rather be painted blue for the rest of your life, or only be able to see the colour blue?”
Why we love it: It gets bizarre and hilarious, but also makes us think.
Name Game
How to play it: The first person comes up with the name of an animal, country, colour, food, etc… Then, the next person has to name another thing (in the same category) that starts with the last letter of the one before it. So, for example, if we choose “country” as our category, I could say, “Denmark”, and the person following me would have to come up with a country that starts with the letter “K”.
Why we love it: This game is just the right combination of educational and fun.
Comment below if you have other great ideas for car games to play on long road trips.
Guest post by Amelia Meyer
Amelia is a freelance writer, wife and mom. She is based on the gorgeous Garden Route and blogs at Suddenly a Mom when she’s not ear-deep in projects for clients. She is also an owner, copywriter and editor at Voxate.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VoxateWritingEditing/
Twitter: @mieliepip -
JOHNSONS® Vita-Rich Smoothies for your skin! {Giveaway}
So when it comes to skin care, I’m usually not this dramatic. But you guys, when my friends over at Johnson’s Skincare sent me their new JOHNSONS® Vita-Rich Smoothies range, I pretty much freaked out! I mean, to be honest, everything feels tired this time of the year and my skin was in need of a vita boost. The timing was perfect!
The new JOHNSONS® Vita-Rich Smoothies range captures the power and goodness of Peach and Coconut or Honey and Oats, combined with yoghurt concentrate, to help effectively care for your skin. The range was designed to deliver lasting hydration – I’m talking 48 hours’ worth of moisture. Yep, it’s that good!
I love the creamy formula of both the body wash and the body lotion. And the scents? Oh my goodness! Could they be any yummier?! (Like, seriously, I want to taste them.) You can tell that these products are designed to help you experience a sense of comfort and well-being… what better way to treat yourself, after a long day at the office or, you know, the house. Your own house. Where you live. (It’s a job, yo.)I love the “smoothies” concept. The ‘Indulging’ Coconut & Peach range is my fave. As you know, coconut is a super food and coconut oil helps to prevent dryness and flaking of skin. It also delays the appearance of wrinkles. Peach is a good source of antioxidants and Vitamin C.
The ‘Comforting’ Honey & Oats range is also delicious! As you may know, honey is rich in anti-ageing ingredients and is a great moisturiser. Oats is also a popular health food, and is often used in skincare products to help moisturise, exfoliate and cleanse. Oats is also used to help relieve dry, itchy and irritated skin.
The clever addition of yoghurt was a smart move since this healthy superstar is packed with skin-friendly nutrients that help to regulate sebum that can cause breakouts. It’s also packed with Vitamin B2 that keeps the skin hydrated and protected.
WIN 1 of 2 JOHNSONS® Vita-Rich Smoothies hampers!Guess what! As part of my Christmas Crazy campaign, JOHNSONS® Skincare is giving away 2 delicious Vita-Rich Smoothies hampers to 2 lovely My Spreadsheet Brain readers! Aaaack! I know, I want to cry too. To enter the giveaway, score a point by doing any or both of the following:
- Check out the specially marked post on Instagram and follow instruction given there.
- Check out the specially marked post on Facebook and follow instruction given there.
Don’t worry guys, I won’t make you jump through hoops (or ask you to follow everyone and my mom) in order to enter. Buuut, please know that we will verify each entry, so sticking to the rules is kinda important. Oh and about dem rules, here are some more to take note of:
Terms and conditions
The JOHNSONS® Skincare Christmas Crazy giveaway closes on November 29 at midnight.
I’ll be announcing all my Christmas Crazy winners on November 30.
Each winner will be contacted via email and would need to respond within 24 hours, in order to claim the prize. (Since most company’s shut down in December, this kinda is a strict rule, so please do keep your eyes glued to your inbox/my social media, to check if you’re a winner.)
Please note: my Christmas Crazy giveaways are only open to SA residents. -
Our Christmas Tree Night traditions
Christmas Tree Night is the best thing! Yep, as the name suggests, the night is dedicated to unboxing and decorating our Christmas tree. For us it pretty much marks the start of the festive season and, because of that (and mainly because I’m a loony toon), I kinda made a whole event out of it. Whaaat, tis the season to be extra, fa la la la laaa la la la laaaaa! *cough* Right, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, allow me to share all the deets of a typical “Christmas Tree Night” ‘round about these parts. I mean, one does not simply just set up a Christmas tree. There has to be festivities, food and flair! We are making memories, with our kids, after all! Here’s how it all goes down in our neck of the woods:
The tree
Timing is everything! I usually wait until mid-November to set up the tree because one needs atleast a full 30 days with ones Christmas tree. Right? Anyways, I often get a few new ornaments to add to our growing collection of Christmas tree trinkets. Some of our ornaments holds a special memory, like the red beaded cross Chris and I bought while on honeymoon. We sometimes get really into it and hand craft a fresh batch of ornaments (and by sometimes I’m actually talking about literally one time). If you’re that kind of mom (I’m not that kind of mom), you could make it a tradish: each member of the family could create one new tree ornament to add to the tree each year. Such a cool way to create memories.
The musicSo you must know that when I unleash my inner jingle, I jingle all the way, baby! Christmas Tree Night is usually my way of letting the family know that, yep, it’s Christmas carols time! I have quite a collection of Christmas CD’s (totally unashamed about it) and I’m totally convinced that my collection of Christmas music can turn even the Scroogiest of Scrooges into a festive fairy! As you can imagine, Christmas Tree Night is not complete without some of our favorite carols playing in the background.
The food
You guys, Christmas Tree Night wouldn’t be complete without snacks. (But, I mean, is anything complete without snacks? Rhetorical question, the answer is no.) We keep it light and easy because we cannot share our Christmas tree decorating time with food preparation time. Some of our Christmas Tree Night staples include a bunch of family faves that have been passed down from previous Christmas Tree Nights. And that is how tradition is birthed you guys. Our staples include:
Loaded hot dogs. These are the same as normal hot dogs, except we only have it with freshly made relish (well, its tinned tomato and onion, don’t look at me like that Susan) instead of tomato sauce. I call it “loaded” because you can add a bunch of things to the relish and make it as festive as you want. Go wild with the green peppers, bacon bits and fresh garnish. I usually top it all off with cheese.
Fancy crackers and toppings. The kids love this because it makes them feel all special and grown up-y It’s basically Salticracks with adult-y toppings, you guys. Things like muscles and oysters, cream cheeses and tuna mayo.
Cream buns. As you can tell, the trend, for Christmas Tree Night is to make the food as quickly as possible because I don’t want to be slaving away in the kitchen when everyone else is having fun setting up the tree. So guess what, you guys, I feed my kids store bought cream buns and I feel not one ounce of guilt at doing that. Theresit.
Christmas milk. So I came up with this drink and I know it probably won’t, like, win me an award or anything. I call it “Christmas milk” and it’s literally a mix of custard and normal milk, topped with cinnamon. This is my alternative to eggnog and can be served hot or cold. You are literally going to make your custard as normal, but instead of a thicker consistency, keep it as runny and milky as possible without losing the flavor. Top it up with cinnamon and vanilla sticks and ta da. (Yes, I literally just told you how to make drinking custard. Whatevs. It’s Christmas Milk, okay?)
The traditions
When Chris and I started dating, and it was just four of us, we started this little tradition, where we would each make a paper ornament to hang on the tree. Each of us could cut out our own shape and decorate it with glitters and colors. This ornament was special because you had to write down how God had blessed you over the past year, and some of the things you were thankful for. I’ve managed to keep most of these paper ornaments but I’m so terrified that I will lose them!
And that is how the Christmas memory book was birthed. This memory book will only come out on Christmas Tree Night and each person will get a chance to write down their thoughts, or draw a pic, detailing their past year. (No peeping!) The book is then packed away until next year Christmas when we would all take turns to page through the book before adding our new ones.
Christmas Tree Night is the perfect time to start a new tradition with your kids. How about creating your own ornaments or hanging up special baubles, that represent each member of the family. There are so many fabulous ideas online! Find a few that works for you and your family.
The outfitsI love, love, love the concept of Christmas inspired pajamas, you guys! In fact, I’m totally eyeing some pajamas that I had spotted over on The Milk Memoirs. Christmas Tree Night is a great time to give your kids brand new jammies… I don’t know, wearing something new just increases the excitement somehow. And, I mean, who doesn’t love a cute pair of festive themed pajamas? But hey, if you’re a spreadsheet brain (like me) and you have a lot of children to clothe (also like me), don’t feel bad if you’d rather get, you know, normal pajamas instead. (And by “normal” I mean, jammies that are inexpensive and not themed, so they get more wear out of it.) For my kids, just the whole concept of new jammies is enough exhilaration for them! It’s one of the things that I’m adding to my Christmas Tree Night box, for sure! Btw, Santa hats are a must!
The memories
So you want to be taking all the pics and all the videos, to document all these great memories that you’re making with your family. But, truth be told you guys, I tried to find some decent pics of our previous Christmas Tree Nights and the ones I could find were either too blurry or too dark. When it comes to Christmas Tree Night, we just don’t have time to take pics and videos – there is too much going on! But, still, try to do it, you guys. I promise I’ll try too.
The activitiesSo once you’ve snacked and set up the tree and done all of your traditions, a great way to end the night is with some family games. Games like charades is a really fun and easy way to get some laughs going and you don’t need a board. If games are not your family’s thing, how about ending the night off with a Christmas movie. To be honest, chances are your little ones will be so exhausted after all the fun and excitement that they won’t make it through the movie. (Thank you and you’re welcome).
So tell me, friends, do you also have a Christmas Tree Night? What are some of your traditions?
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How to react when someone laughs at you
So the other day, I was hanging around, minding my own business when I noticed someone making fun out of me behind my back. You guys, it shocked me so much that I had no words. And this is coming from someone who talks in her sleep. It shocked me because, firstly, hello we completed our schooling many, many years ago. What playground is this and who on earth decided we’re going to be 12 again? Secondly, why behind my back? Why not to my face? And lastly, the thing that they were gossiping about is actually such a heart sore topic for me right now; I could not even believe that someone would tease me about it.
Okay, so for those of you who have actually seen me in real life (yes, people, I’m not a robot, I actually do exist in reality), you’ll notice that I walk with a limp. The limp has always been slight and unnoticeable, but over the past few years it has become a lot more prominent. The reason why I limp is because my one leg is shorter than the other. This is due to the fact that my positioning, while I was in my momma’s womb, wasn’t normal at all. My one leg was bent under the other, in utero. This then caused the left leg to not grow at the same rate as the right leg.
Now, guys, let me tell ya, I’ve lived a pretty normal life up until this point. I feel like laughing as I’m typing this, because seriously this long leg/short leg situation did not affect my childhood at all. Like, it was a non-issue.
And then, a few years ago, I started getting a pain in my left hip. The hip pain I could deal with. But it was soon preceded by these mind numbing headaches that I swear was birthed out of the pit of hell. These throbbing headaches are so intense that it makes me nauseous and causes blurry vision. When I’m having an episode, the only way I get relief is by lying down on a flat surface (try explaining that to a suspicious husband who thinks I’m trying to pawn the kids off on him all the time) or by resting my head against something (which is not ideal in an office setting or when you’re on a stage, if you know what I mean.)
One day, after a particularly bad migraine, my chiropractor informed me that the many years of having one leg shorter than the other has had an affect on my spine. My spine is now bent (basically leaning to one side) which is not normal. This is the reason why I have permanent tension in my back and neck and, yep, it explains the mind numbing headaches.The solution? A splint in my shoe. This would be fine, except that over the past few years, the difference in length between my two legs have grown from like, 1 cm to about 4 cm. So the gap is considerably big right now. The splint would be very noticeable and probably very uncomfortable. I would also only be able to wear certain types of shoes etc.
Okay so why am I telling you all of this? I mean, besides for the fact that oversharing is kinda what I do around here. Well, the other day I caught someone making fun out of my limp, you guys. It was so ugly… they just laughed and laughed and mimicked their little minds away and I just sat there shocked, pretending not to see. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know how to stand up for myself. The comfortable Luchae would be like, “Uhhh, are you trying to mimic me, coz you’re doing a pretty terrible job, here let me show you how to do it.” But the uncomfortable, shocked, hurt me, just sat and looked, you guys. Like a child. On the playground. Being bullied. I felt like I was being bullied.
And then it dawned on me. This person actually has no idea what they are talking about. And this isn’t me being vague – they literally have not asked me about the limp at all!
If they had asked, they would know that the headaches (due to the short leg/limp) is the reason why I go quiet sometimes. It’s the reason why I don’t always participate in physical activities. It’s the reason why I don’t wear high heels often and can’t stand for long periods of time.
But they did not ask. And so they were misinformed. Humor me as I use the word “misinformed”. I have to, you see. Because no one can be that hurtful on purpose, right?It would mean that they also laugh at little kids who have down syndrome and people in wheel chairs and those who have an eye condition or a speech impediment. I just HAVE to believe that this is not the case… that these people are not really that mean/ignorant/easily amused. They probably just need a little bit of knowledge and information to help them understand my situation. Right?
Be that as it may, going through this experience reminded me that their reaction to my pain is not a reflection of ME, it’s a reflection of, well, who they are. So there’s that. Take it as you want. But more than anything, it reminded me just how ignorant I am when I mock someone else for their pain, without fully understanding their story.
My Hubstopher told me to call them out on it. But I didn’t want to. I mean, I am not a victim, and I wasn’t about to give something this ugly a pedestal. But now, in hindsight, I wonder if I should have. So here’s where you come in, friends. Please share your opinions and thoughts below, I would love to hear it.
Have you ever felt personally victimized? Can you relate? What would you have done in my situation?
Disclaimer: I do believe that God can heal my leg and I am fully expectant for a miracle.
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Oh baby! Nattou plushies are the best Christmas gifts
I remember my baby’s first Christmas. Well, mainly because it was like, last year. But that’s not the point. The point is that I desperately wanted to get my little boy a really meaningful gift that he would treasure for years to come. Something that was baby safe, but not, you know, boring. I’m sentimental and cool like that. And so I ended up getting him a plushie. I call it a “lovey” and I appreciate that I can leave it behind with him, when I’m not around. A really stunning plush toy is a great way to offer your baby some form of comfort in your absence. This is why I love, love, love the new range of Nattou plush toys!
You guys, these gorgeous new characters are just so beautiful… and practical! I fell inlove with the 24cm, 100% polyester plushies, sweetly named Lea Snow Leopard, Adele Elephant and Loulou Panda. They were designed to be baby’s first companion – exactly what I had been looking for – something that would serve as a play thing and a source of comfort.
Adele Elephant has to be my favourite you guys – and that was not an easy decision to make! With super cute pink accents, this bow bedecked cuddly is pretty much what I want for Christmas. But like, for myself.
For Jojo, it’s a toss-up between Loulou Panda and Lea Snow Leopard. Both are dressed to the nines in shades of blue and I simply love their colour palates! I mean, seriously, these plushies are such classic pieces, I can see my kids holding on to them for years to come! And that’s because the Nattou cuddly toys are created with fabrics and materials that are selected for durability, softness and safety.
Rest assured that the design of every Nattou toy – the fabrics, cutting, sowing and even the finishing – has all been meticulously checked, to make sure it meets European safety standards. Yep, this plushie can handle your toddlers tantrums, and then some!I actually appreciate that Nattou puts so much effort into designing soft toys that address the parents concerns. Their products are colourful, engaging and durable enough to accompany your little one, as baby explores the world.
Prima Baby has made these plushies available at Hamleys, Takealot and Kids Emporium for R249.99.
WIN 1 of 3 NATTOU PLUSHIES!But hey, friends, as part of my Christmas Crazy campaign, Prima Baby is giving away 3 plushies to 3 lucky readers! Aaaack! I mean, talk about perfect timing, you guys! To enter the giveaway, score a point by doing any or both of the following:
- Check out the specially marked post on Instagram and follow instruction given there.
- Check out the specially marked post on Facebook and follow instruction given there.
Don’t worry guys, I won’t make you jump through hoops (or ask you to follow everyone and my mom) in order to enter. Buuut, please know that we will verify each entry, so sticking to the rules is kinda important. Oh and about dem rules, here are some more to take note of:
Terms and conditions
The Nattou Christmas Crazy giveaway closes on November 29 at midnight.
I’ll be announcing all my Christmas Crazy winners on November 30.
Each winner will be contacted via email and would need to respond within 24 hours, in order to claim the prize. (Since most company’s shut down in December, this kinda is a strict rule, so please do keep your eyes glued to your inbox/my social media, to check if you’re a winner.)
Please note: my Christmas Crazy giveaways are only open to SA residents. -
Best End of Year Party Themes
If there’s one thing that I love more than Christmas itself, it has to be end of year parties. I love a good festive party! And I especially love that tis the season to wear costume (fa la la la laa?). Yes, I know, not everyone is up for a good ol’ costume party. But the joys of the festive season is that you can theme your end of year party however you want, Susan, and it’ll STILL be rad! Not convinced? Well, here are a bunch of seriously cool end of year party themes:
Formal Tops, Crazy Bottoms
If you’re looking to go crazy but, you know, not all the way crazy, how about a formal tops and crazy bottoms party. So what this means is that the dress code of the event is to wear something formal and classy as the top half of your outfit, and something totally wack as the bottom half. This is especially fun as a corporate end of year function… I mean, who wouldn’t love to see Martha from Accounting let out her wild side, in some crazy bottoms?Silly Hats
Okay, maybe Martha is not keen about revealing her ankles. Fine. How about a silly hat party? Yes, Martha, you can wear your sweater set… provided you pair it with a fun hat! This party theme is perfect for our more conservative counterparts.
Ugly Sweaters
So in America they usually host Ugly Christmas Sweater parties where guests are encouraged to come donning their most hideous or funny Christmas jerseys. Fortunately for us we have the most glorious weather during the festive season. So how about an “ugly t-shirt” party? Wear your most ridiculous Christmas t-shirt or hey, get creative and make one! Special prizes for the most creative t-shirts.White Christmas
Throw a glamorous winter wonderland inspired White Christmas party, where guests are asked to come wearing all white attire. You could go crazy with the snow-bedecked décor, magical lights and white draping. Add a touch of class with a Christmas jazz band or saxophonist.Santa Party
Invite your guests to a Santa Party, where everyone is dressed up in his or her own rendition of Santa garb. Make sure to play all the Santa-related games (pin the gift on the Santa?) and sing along to your favorite Santa inspired songs!
Christmas Costume Party
Come dressed as festive as you dare to the Christmas Costume Party. Yep, this means, all greens and reds, tinsels and bows! Go Christmas crazy with this one! (Tip: Offering prizes for the best dressed or most elaborate outfit always encourages people to go the extra mile)Christmas Mystery
Much like a “murder mystery party”, throw a Christmas Mystery party that is centered around a Christmas story line. Each guest will receive their characters name, proposed attire and some information about their role in the mystery. Upon arrival, guests are required to be in character for the whole night, as the Christmas Mystery story is unraveled. This will take a bit more effort on your side, as the narrator and director of the mystery. There are bunch of cool story lines available online.Once Upon a Time
I love the idea of a storybook themed party, where guests are encouraged to come dressed as a character of their favorite storybook. The list of costume ideas, for this one, is endless! (Disney, Pixar etc)So there you have it, some of my favorite end of year party themes! Let me know what you guys will be going with this year!
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Birthday parties: Let the kids play!
I get it, parents of the world. I get it. We want to give our kids the very best! Fair enough. But seriously, when I started planning Kari’s party I knew that it was not going to be a Pinterest-Fest. I had too much going on and the girl kept inviting more and more people to the party! She had a very specific guest list, you guys, so diva. She also insisted that we have an “Anna and Elsa” party. (Yes, Frozen. Sigh.) Anyways, so my strategy for the party was this: let the kids play, man! I mean, seriously, they don’t care about your perfect sugar cookies and matching tee-pee tent. They want to eat a lot of sweets and play until they fall asleep (you’re welcome, mom). And that’s what they did! Here’s the low down:
Venue: Bubbly Kids
We hosted the party at Bubbly Kids – an educare and kids party venue, located in Morningside, Port Elizabeth. The Bubbly Kids event venue offers you a large grassy area (for playtime), and even a pool and braai facilities. My favorite thing about the party venue is that you can literally just pay to hire the place (R1000, for two hours, which includes kids tables and chairs) and that’s it. No other costs! You can literally bring whatever else you’d like to have at your kids party. No special vendors that you HAVE to use and no little hidden fees that you HAVE to pay. I also liked that the venue has an old school jungle gym, to help build those muscles and develop hand-eye-coordination.As an educare, I really like the Bubbly Kids Educare ethos: learning through play. Their trained educators make learning fun for your little one. The classes are colorful and inviting and the setting is relaxed and homely. I mean, isn’t that every parents dream – to send your little one to a playschool/educare that feels like home away from home, right? They daycare caters for kids aged 1 to 4 years old and is open from 06h30 to 07h30. You can learn more about Bubbly Kids on their Facebook page.
Food:
We got some snacks for the parents and hotdogs for the kids. I did not fork out a wad of cash on a designer cake, because seriously. (That’s my reason: seriously) Instead, we had a really pretty (easy to make, but don’t look at me for the recipe you guys, I don’t bake) rainbow cake, that Kari simply loved. The cool Frozen party bags added an element of charm to the kiddies table. These were made by JustEllaBella. It was so funny to see the kids sling these bags over their arm, as they jump on the jumping castle (can’t leave the sweeties behind). But yes, it once again reminded me that the kids are not looking for designer-what-what. They want to play.
Activities:
Besides for the outdoorsy stuff (jungle gym, jumping castle, painted street with cars and bikes to zoom around in, balls etc) we also had an art section, where they could color-in their favorite Frozen pic. I think the highlight, though, was when Anna made an appearance. You guys, I thought Kari was going to cry! Well, I most definitely wanted to cry. The kids then ended up taking selfies with Anna – they were in awe. Best moment ever! If ever you’re going with a character themed party, I highly suggest you do something like this. The kids could not stop talking about Elsa. One little boy said “Wow, I can’t believe Elsa came all the way from Arendelle, to Kari’s party.”At the end of the day, Kari fell asleep telling us what an amazing party she had. Mission accomplished! And I didn’t even have to bust out my inner Pinterest-mom! Winning at life.
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Christmas Crazy: I blame my family for Christmas
I blame my family for Christmas. Most of my childhood memories are centered around the festive season and you guys, this explains a lot about why I’m Christmas Crazy! I mean, growing up, Christmas was always been the BEST time of the year.
I grew up with a bunch of sweet Christmas traditions,that made it really hard to hate the season, if you know what I mean.When I was younger, Christmas usually meant new clothes (right down to the undies, yo), fresh hair, going to church in the morning and coming home to open presents and enjoy family time. In our neighborhood, the kids would go from house to house, to knock on doors and wish aunty-so-and-so a happy Christmas, with the hopes that you’d score a 50c from her. We were always loaded on Christmas day… with coins AND with food. In typical brown people style, the food was always overly excessive… 5 different types of meats, enough salads to start a Spur salad bar, and a fine selection of main courses that would rival even the best buffet restaurants. Oh and when you’re done with your seconds and thirds, there are atleast six desserts to choose from.
My grandmother would set up trestle tables in her living room – for the aunties and uncles of course. The kids would have their own table… and we didn’t mind at all. I mean, we were too busy comparing outfits and Christmas gifts and funny stories. Grandma’s Christmas tree was always the biggest and our eyes would go wide with amazement, as we spotted dozens of gifts under it. Ahh those were the times when aunties and uncles could afford to buy gifts for every single child in the family. These special gifts were placed under Grandma’s tree and, to be honest, they probably were the highlight of the day. Because, hello, you get your presents at home, and then you get even more presents at your grandmother’s house. Double score!
So yes, Christmas has always been the best time for me. I think it’s just because I love presents and food so much. Agree to disagree. Anyways, because of this, I’ve really enjoyed getting into it with my kids, as they grow older. I usually go all Christmas Crazy on the blog too.
And that’s where you come in friends. Is there something specific you’d like to read about, during this festive season? Maybe you’re looking for gift ideas for your mother in law, or perhaps you’d like a super easy Christmas cake recipe. (hmmm caaaake)… Or perhaps, like me, you just have no questions at all, you simply love this season and you want to read all about how much I love it too. Hey, that’s a blog post right there!
Fill me in, guys! Simply drop me a comment below and then keep your eyes peeled to this space as I begin to roll out the cool Christmas competitions and festive blog posts over the next few weeks!
This post was originally published in 2018 and was edited in 2020.
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#dateyourspouse without leaving your house
If you’re married with kids, like I am, #dateyourspouse comes with its own set of challenges. I mean, for starters, who has the time to do these things? Secondly, after the many post-salary debit orders, we’re looking at each other like, are we really going to spend more money on taking each other out to a fancy dinner when we can eat at home? But more than that, most nights we’re just tired, man! Like, even right now, I’m tired. And honestly, sometimes just the thought of getting all dolled up to see each other in a different building, is tiring.
Yes, I know, this is simply the spreadsheet brain talking. And yes, friend, I know, we kinda do need to make the effort to spend quality time with our spouses. It’s so important to have that moment of intimacy where you only have eyes for each other. I mean, real talk, when last have you sincerely enjoyed being together? Alone. And no, sleeping doesn’t count.
Well, we tried to be all spontaneous on Friday night. It had been weeks since our last date night and it was starting to show. My darling Hubstopher decided that we would go away for the evening. A staycation date of sorts, if you will. He arranged babysitters, got me to pack my bag, dropped the kids off and then… insert cricket sounds here… we ended up not going anywhere! A bunch of different things popped up (including the fact that the staycation venue was a couple of hours away and we needed to be back home at a certain time the next morning… it was just not going to work out).Anyways, we ended up driving back home, contemplating on whether we should rather have our date night at a local eatery. Until we got home and realized that… hey look, we’re at home, and there are no children here! And that’s how ‘date your spouse without leaving your house’ was born. And we didn’t even plan for it to rhyme, that just happened all by itself.
We got into our jammies (because pajamas are cool, okay?), took out some pens and paper to play a couple of “pen and paper” games and scrolled through the Uber Eats app to order in some food. You guys, Uber Eats seriously saved the day. I mean, once you’ve typed in your location, the app shows you a list of Uber Eats affiliated restaurants near you. We ordered and hit “track” to keep tabs on the preparation and delivery of our meal. Now, if you’re following me on Insta, you’ll know that we hit a snag with the Uber Eats app the last time. But guys, honestly we tried it out a few more times after that and it has been smooth sailing. In fact, it took us about 20 minutes from ordered to delivered, this time around. And the delivery fee is only R10! You can download the Uber Eats app from the iStore or Play Store.
Now, if you’re like us, and you are totally okay with spending your date night taking an uninterrupted nap, all cuddled up, then more power to you. Sleep is a currency when you have kids. But, if you’re planning a “date your spouse without leaving the house” night and you’re looking for fun activities to do at home (because, seriously, married people often forget how to enjoy being alone together), I’ve listed a few “pen and paper” game ideas below.
And yes, Margaret, I know what you’re thinking… Luchae, seriously, I’m alone with my spouse, I’d rather be playing a different type of game if you know what I mean. Well, firstly, yes I do know what you mean. And secondly, calm down Margeret, this is a family blog! But yes girl, I hear your heart. And my answer is this: you know what you guys are in to. Maybe you enjoy listening to good music, or perhaps you’d prefer watching a movie together, or spending the evening in deep conversation. Whatever your jam, make sure your cellphone is on silent and all of your attention is on your spouse!
Rewards Jar
Hubstopher and I enjoy playing little pen and paper games. It started when we were courting (back in the day), we always had this fun, competitive vibe between the two of us. Now that we’re married, we sometimes give each other cute little rewards for winning. (i.e. a back rub to the one who wins the next round etc). If you’re looking to add an element of marital fun to your games night, create a rewards jar by filling a jar with slips of paper, detailing various types of rewards the winner of each round could choose from. I mean, make it as romantic or steamy as you wish. You could even have a more thoughtful rewards jar (if that’s the direction you want the night to go in) by filling the jar with conversation starters, instead.
Fun games to play on your “date a spouse without leaving your house” night: - Dots and Boxes
You begin the game by drawing a grid of dots. With each of you using a different colored pen/pencil, take turns to draw lines between the dots – one line per player, per turn. The goal is to complete a box and to prevent your opponent from doing so. Don’t forget to put your initial in each box that you’ve completed.
- Hangman
Player one draws gallows, with an empty rope and blanks for each letter of a word, below it. The other player has to guess the missing letters of the word. Each incorrect guess with result in another part of the “hangmans” body to appear (head, arms, legs, torso etc) If the player guesses the entire word, before the hangman is completed, the player wins. If not, the player who chose the word, wins.
- Tic-Tac-Toe
This one is more commonly known as ‘XO’. Take turns filling grids of two vertical and two horizontal lines, with X or O, as each player takes his/her turn. Your goal is to be the first to have three marks in a row (horizontally, vertically or diagonally).
- Pen and Paper Pictionary
This one is just like normal Pictionary, except that you would have to write down your categories on strips of paper and user a timer to make it more interesting.
- Categories
I have fond childhood memories playing this game. We called it “Girl, Boy” – a bit of a duh name if I think about it now. The easy explanation is this: simply choose five to ten categories, and write them at the top of your page. (Each player will have their own page). The most common categories we played with are: girl, boy, fruit, vegetable, animal, place, colour. At the beginning of each round, a letter of the alphabet is decided on (you can figure out how you’d like to do that – we simply wrote all the letters of the alphabet on a separate page and took turns blindly choosing a letter). The goal of each round is to list atleast one item, under each category, starting with that letter. Oh btw, you only have 60 seconds to do this! (eg. If the letter chosen was ‘A’, then you could write down ‘apple’ under fruit). Give a point for each unique answer and half a point for every common answer (i.e. if more than one person wrote apple, you would get half a point each).
So what do you think about a stay at home date?
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