1. shopping
2. gifts
3. party supplies

METRO PARENT’S
1
E
201
E
FR
GROWN-UP
GAME NIGHT
6 SENSATIONAL
GAMES FOR A
GOOD TIME WITH
FRIENDS
PLUS
T-SHIRT
NECKLACES,
CANDY-GRAM
FAVORS AND
MORE!
BIRTHDAY
PARTY ON A
BUDGET
STRETCH YOUR DOLLAR WITH THESE TIPS,
TRICKS AND WALLET-FRIENDLY THEMES
FAMILY REUNION HOW-TO
YOUR GUIDE TO GETTING EVERYONE TOGETHER
2 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 3
Inside
18
Birthday Party on a Budget
Stretch your dollar with these tips,
tricks and wallet-friendly themes
22
Family Reunion How-To
26
The $20 Party Challenge
28
Grown-Up Game Night
Your guide to getting everyone
together
Two Metro Parent interns hit
downtown Ferndale for party
supplies. What did they find?
6 sensational games for a good
time with friends
18
Departments
Editor’s Note
6
Action-Packed Parties
Confetti
8
Fabulous Idea Contest Winners,
Flashback Favors and Making
Popsicles in No Time
Food
12
Peeps Sushi
Favors
14 Candy-grams
Fun
30
T-Shirt Necklaces
4 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
14
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 5
Editor’s Note
By Julia Elliott
Parties need more
than a place
“There’s a party in my tummy. So yummy.
So yummy. There’s a party in my tummy.
So yummy. So yummy.”
A
s I’m wrapping up this issue of Party Book, this little Yo
Gabba Gabba ditty is running through my head (thank you,
Kim Kovelle). If you haven’t seen this annoyingly addictive
song on the show, let me give you a quick synopsis: One of the
characters named Brobee (a big, doltish, loose-limbed monster)
shows kids the importance of good nutrition (especially eating
your veggies) by singing this song as he noshes on his wellbalanced lunch. The show flips between Brobee gobbling down
his food while he sings about the alleged “party in his tummy”
and the cartoon-faced foods dancing up and down – thrilled
to be in said tummy, the supposed hot spot of Brobee’s greenstriped body (Think: Studio 54 circa 1978).
OK – it’s goofy and cute and it gets its healthy-eating message
across to kids. But the thing that nags at me is that there isn’t
much going on in Brobee’s belly to constitute much of a party. I
just look at those little green beans and carrot spears and think,
“Boy, aren’t you easily pleased?”
Because, as we all know, one of the most important ingredients
to a party – whether it’s for kids or grown-ups – is that you have
things to do. And, in this summer edition of Party Book, we
offer plenty of ideas for adding some action to your next party.
Whether it’s a grown-up get-together (see page 28) that takes
on a board game twist or you’re planning a family reunion (see
page 22) or searching for some low-cost birthday bash ideas (see
page 18), we’ve got you covered. And don’t forget, we’re always
looking for some of your fabulous ideas. You can enter to win a
$25 Amazon.com gift card. Check out the winners for this issue on
page 10. Both moms understand that activities are essential for a
successful party.
Sorry, Brobee’s belly, but your digestive enzyme action just
doesn’t cut it.
ADMINISTRATIVE
PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER • Alyssa R. Martina,
[email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT/ ADVERTISING DIRECTOR • Alexis Bourkoulas,
[email protected]
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER • Ruth Robbins,
[email protected]
CONTROLLER • Melissa McCrimmon,
[email protected]
ACCOUNTING CLERK • Jacklene Johnson,
[email protected]
OFFICE MANAGER • Tracy Connelly,
[email protected]
EDITORIAL
MANAGING EDITOR • Julia Elliott,
[email protected]
ASSOCIATE EDITOR • Kim Kovelle,
[email protected]
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT • Stacey Mourtos,
[email protected]
EDITORIAL INTERNS • Abbey Green, Meagan Lutey,
Emily Morman
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS • Kristen J. Gough,
Lynne Meredith Schreiber
DESIGN
CREATIVE DIRECTOR • Jose Zamudio,
[email protected]
GRAPHIC DESIGNER • Kelly Buren,
[email protected]
DESIGN INTERNS • Karen Timmermann, Chuck Vroom
PRINTERS • Printwell, Taylor, Mich.
ADVERTISING/MARKETING
SALES DIRECTOR • Alexis Bourkoulas,
[email protected]
MULTIMEDIA SALES SPECIALIST • Linda Holland,
[email protected]
MULTIMEDIA SALES SPECIALIST • Lisa Rudy,
[email protected]
ACCOUNT MANAGERS
Joanne Levine, [email protected]
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Ruth Robbins, [email protected]
EVENTS
EVENTS DIRECTOR • Lisa Grace,
[email protected]
ASSISTANT EVENTS COORDINATOR •
Marina Acovska, [email protected]
HOW TO REACH US
22041 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, MI 48220-2520
PHONE • 248-398-3400 FAX • 248-399-4215
EMAIL • [email protected]
WEB • MetroParent.com
For distribution requests, email [email protected] or fax us at
248-399-4215. Party Book is published once a year by Metro Parent Publishing
Group. Articles and advertisements in Party Book do not necessarily reflect the
opinion of the magazine. We do not assume responsibility for statements made by
advertisers or editorial contributors. The acceptance of advertising by Metro Parent
does not constitute an endorsement of the products, services or information being
advertised. We do not knowingly present any product or service which is fraudulent
or misleading. ©2011 Metro Parent Publishing Group. No portion of this publication
may be reproduced in any way without written permission of the publisher.
6 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 7
Party bits and pieces
Confetti
By Stacey Mourtos and Kim Kovelle
Pop! Dessert in no time
Seven minutes. That’s all it takes to whip up delish frozen
treats for your kid’s hot-weather shebang. With Quick Pop
Maker, the debut product from Zoku, customizable pops are a
breeze. Kids toss in their choice of yogurt, juice, fruit, pudding
and ice cream. A few minutes in the freezer and voila! The
maker has three molds, and can be used to make up to nine
pops before the entire kit needs to be re-frozen (that takes
about 24 hours). Includes durable reusable pop sticks with
drip guards. Tip: Buy old-school wooden Popsicle sticks and
pre-make a batch. About $50. www.zokuhome.com.
Flashback favors
F
R
Remember
slap bracelets? How ’bout Trolls? Share
rretro flair in those goody bags with some of our
Gimme, Gimme! blog finds. SLAPlets are an updated
G
vversion of those snap wristlets. Unlike the ’80s originals,
tthese silicon-covered updates are softer and more
sstylish. Each $6 SLAPlet comes with three cool slideon SLAPlinx. Or choose Kachooz: Channeling crazyo
haired Trolls, these goofy furry pencil toppers are fun
h
llittle take-homes. Snag a four-pack for about $10.
MetroParent.com/GimmeGimme.
M
8 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
Our
Advertisers
Are the
Life
of the
‘Party’!
Show them your support
and be sure to tell them you
saw their ad in Party Book.
Keep the ‘Party’ going.
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 9
Party bits and pieces
Confetti
By Stacey Mourtos and Kim Kovelle
Tigers baseball fan
dream party
Fabulous
Ideas!
Local moms Katie Olesky and Heather
Gratwick both dazzled us with their fun
party concepts – and they each won $25
as a result! Want to be like them? Just
enter our Fabulous Idea contest at
MetroParent.com.
Webkinz Tea Party
We had a Webkinz tea party/sleep over! Each
girl brought her favorite Webkinz. We did a
craft, decorating tea party hats for the ‘kinz and
kids alike. Then we had a fashion show. I had hit
garage sales and thrift stores, picking up doll
clothes, trim, jewelry, etc. The girls were given
a theme (beach, school, sports) and they had to
dress their Webkinz and parade them down the
runway (coffee table). Then we piled high some
25 of my daughter’s Webkinz. The girls studied
them, then some were taken away and they had
to figure out which ones. Another game was
“Find the Webkinz.” Finally, the girls were given
the small Lil’ Kinz as party favors to take home!
– Heather Gratwick, Canton
10 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
Did you know you can attend a regular home season
Tigers game in the skyline section for only $5? And a kids’
meal deal at the ballpark is also only $5? Even better – or
cheaper – you can bring your own unopened snacks and
drinks in the stadium. Plus, Sundays are kids’ days, which
means kids under the age of 14 receive a free gift, can
ride the Tiger carousel and baseball Ferris wheel for free
and, after the game, run the bases. So, late last summer,
we threw the most amazing ultimate Tiger-fan party for
our 8- and 10-year-old boys. Our boys and 14 of their lucky
friends attended. Each kid had an official meal and got
a door prize. We packed tons of water, juice boxes and
snacks from home and for a very tight budget: $200 for
all tickets and food at stadium, and $30 for all snacks and
drinks. Our boys had the most amazing and memorable
party ever! With so little spent on the food and tickets, we
had enough left over for a limo ride ($120 round trip) to
and from the game – and a special birthday scoreboard
message ($65).
– Katie Olesky, Roseville
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 11
Food
By Kim Kovelle
Peeps
The mighty marshmallow
treat gets made-over for an
Asian-inspired party treat
A
Sushi?
s a kid, Grace Kang loved nuked ham-and-cheese rollups. No wonder the SeriousEats.
com “editor of photograzing,” a 23-year-old from Long Island, would go on to
jumpstart what’s become a web sensation: Peepshi – candy sushi featuring Rice
Krispies Treats, Fruit by the Foot and, of course, Peeps, the quintessential marshmallow treat!
Ingredients
6 Peeps per roll, 1 Peep per nigiri • 1 Box Rice Krispies Treats • 1 box Fruit by the Foot
Bright Idea
WATCH A STEP-BY-STEP
DEMONSTRATION
See snazzy Peepshi take shape as
associate editor Kim Kovelle walks you
through the step-by-step instructions
in MetroParent.com’s DIY video. Go to
the Multimedia tab of MetroParent.com
to check it out.
Make the roll
1. Slice off roughly 3/16-inch slices, lengthwise,
from a Rice Krispies Treat.
2. “Execute six Peeps of your color choice by
decapitation,” Kang instructs. (Classic chicks
work nicely.) Slice off a little excess “neck,”
just in case.
3. Snip a piece of Fruit by the Foot a bit longer
than the Rice Krispies Treat slice.
4. Flatten and elongate the Rice Krispies Treat
slice slightly, and form into a hollow circle
around your finger. If it breaks, just mold it
back together.
5. Tuck a Peep head into the top of the Rice
Krispies Treat cylinder, using a toothpick or
knife tip to get it snug.
6. Wrap the Fruit by the Foot around each roll,
nipping and folding a bit for a clean look.
Make the nigiri
1. Cut a Rice Krispies Treat
in half (if using a full
Peep, you can keep the
treat intact).
2. Using bunny Peeps, from
the base of the ears,
shear off both sides.
3. Measure a length of Fruit
by the Foot that’ll wrap
around the treat and the
Peep. Cut it in half with
kitchen scissors.
4. Wrap the Fruit by the
Foot around the Peep
and treat, securing on the
bottom.
– Kim Kovelle is associate
editor of Metro Parent.
12 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 13
Favors
By Kristen J. Gough
Candy-
CODED
W
F
F
O
D
N
E
S
hat’s a party without candy? But not just for munching! Use the names of your child’s
favorites to include in treat bags to give to guests to take home.
To brainstorm different ideas, browse the candy section at the grocery store or
party-supply store that often has harder-to-find sweets. Putting together the card message
you’ll pair with the candy is easy: Print it out on cardstock paper and tape it to the candy, or
punch a hole somewhere in the candy wrapper and attach the message using ribbon.
Or make candy the theme! For decorations, string candies like lollipops together and hang
them around the room. Or make candy-bouquet centerpieces: Buy colored plastic planting
pots and put pieces of Styrofoam at the bottom. Attach candy bars to bamboo-stick
skewers and insert them into the foam, so that they’ll stay up. Cover the
foam with plastic wrap and fill the pot with the candies, so guests can take
samples of the candy “soil” during the party. Weave the candy theme into
your cake by chopping up pieces to put in the batter or in frosting.
With a bit of creativity, you and your child are bound to come up with
more than a few candy “coded” ideas. Get the creative juices flowing:
Twizzlers: We twisted and shouted to
celebrate Evan’s special day.
PEZ Dispensers: We dispensed
some fun at Jacob’s 11th birthday.
Laffy Taffy: We couldn’t stop
laughing at Zack’s 11th birthday party.
Swedish Fish: Things got a little
fishy at Adam’s pool party. Thanks
for swimming with us!
Shockers: Shocked that Annie’s a
year older?! We were too.
Gummy Bears: Our party would have
been un-BEAR-able without you!
Now & Laters: Now that the party is
over, we hope to see you later!
Lemon Drops: Thanks for “dropping”
by to celebrate Lily’s birthday.
Dum Dum Pops: We had a blast
acting like Dum-Dums at Rachel’s
eighth birthday party.
Pop Rocks: We rocked the house at
Jennie’s 10th birthday bash.
14 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
Good & Plenty: We had plenty of
fun and good times at Paul’s sixth
birthday.
Starbursts: Things were bursting
with fun at Julie’s party. We couldn’t
have done it without you.
Warheads Sour Candies: Blow your
mind at Jack’s party? Keep the fun
going with this treat.
Baby Ruth: She’s not a baby
anymore – Lila’s finally turning eight
this year. Thanks for celebrating
with us.
Almond Joy: Thanks for bringing
a little joy to Amanda’s seventh
birthday.
Snickers: Don’t snicker! Logan really
is going to be 10 this year!
Mounds: Jackson had MOUNDS of
fun at the party. Thanks for coming!
– Kristen J. Gough is a mother of
three and former Detroiter who now
lives in Cleveland.
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 15
16 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
SPOTLIGHT ON PARTIES SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Party
Hardy!
Check out Metro Parent’s
Party Planner Directory.
Fun clowns. Cool venues.
Tasty treats. It’s in there!
Visit the 'LUHFWRULHV section
of 0HWUR3DUHQWFRP.
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 17
BirthdayBASH
RQD%XGJHW
Who says you have to blow a bunch of cash for an
awesome kids birthday party? Here are tried-andtrue tips to throw your child a kick-butt celebration
on the cheap.
BY LYNNE MEREDITH SCHREIBER
18 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
K
ids’ birthday parties are the one time
every year we make our little ones
feel like kings and queens for a day.
They are opportunities beyond the
everyday when we can show our love through
celebration, creativity and a gathering of
friends and family.
They can also cost a fortune. Very quickly,
birthday party costs escalate, creating a
budget line item in a family’s expenditures
close to monthly utility or entertainment
costs.
When my son Shaya asked for a bowling
party to celebrate his fifth birthday, he also
said he wanted a bowling ball cake – a 3-D
round cake that looks just like a bowling ball,
with pink frosting. I picked up the phone
and called my friend who makes fantastic
three-dimensional cakes out of her home.
She excitedly said yes, she could do it, and
even throw in some bowling pin-shaped cake
details, too – for $175.
While I know my friend spends countless
hours making gorgeous cakes, and I want to
support her in her new business, I couldn’t
justify spending as much on a fifth birthday
cake as some wedding cakes cost. I figured
I’d go to Costco, order the sheet cake that
everyone loves and ask them to decorate the
top with a picture of a bowling ball. Not quite
what my little boy wants, but good enough.
“There is a middle ground between Costco
and fancy cakes,” my friend Helayne Kaplan
said. And out poured idea after idea for a
fabulous fifth bowling birthday – on a budget.
Among her suggestions: Make pink cupcakes
and display them with a bowling ball I could
make out of papier mache. Buy a bowling ball
from Meijer and set it behind the cake. Or
make my own bowling ball cake.
I scoured the Internet and ended up
ordering – for $12 – a pan that bakes a ball
shape in two halves – to stack on top of one
another and make the three-dimensional
dream cake my little boy wanted. I also found
candles shaped as a bowling ball and pins
($2), bowling pin flashlights (12 for $5.99),
bowling lollipops (12 for $2.50) and bowling
pin water bottles (12 for $8.95).
With a little creativity, it doesn’t have to
cost a fortune to fulfill your child’s birthday
theme dream. Kids don’t care if their party
is an all-out circus (literally) or a homegrown
affair – as long as they have fun with their
friends and feel special.
“Any budget party can be fun,” says
Kaplan. “It’s really all in the details. That’s
what makes it special.”
Here are local moms’ best tips for creating
fabulous pint-sized birthday parties on a
budget we all can live with.
FREQUENT THE
DOLLAR STORE
“I do a lot of dollar store shopping, and
Michaels’ dollar section, for everything
from decorations to party favors,” says
Jennifer Jasgur, a self-professed “birthday
party queen.” The Birmingham mom loves
throwing parties for her daughters, Baila,
3, and Simone, 2 – and she does it without
breaking the bank.
“The last party I had I did a woodland fairy
theme,” Jasgur says. “We had six-foot-tall
papier-mache trees. I get a lot of ideas by
going online and making things myself.”
You don’t have to be an amateur
Michelangelo to pull it off, either. “You’d
be surprised how creative you can be,” says
Jasgur. “Half of the fun is doing it. Kids’
birthday parties are about kids having a good
time. And if the cake isn’t perfect, who cares?
I get a little more proud when I know I’ve
done it on a budget.”
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
Use a roll of plastic table covering from the
party store (which costs $9 for a huge roll) for
ceiling swag, tablecloth and bows to dress up
the chairs – and you’ll have more left for the
next party, says Jasgur.
Instead of spending $10 or more per kid to
bowl, play laser tag or go glow-golfing, make
something as the party activity – decorating
cupcakes, for example, or making tie-dye
shirts or the T-shirt necklaces featured in Party
Book’s Fun department on page 30.
Better yet, when your child requests an
expensive destination for her party, suggest
that she limit the guest list to her three or
four favorite friends. Whether it’s a spa party
at Sweet & Sassy or an outing to the movies
and the pizza shop, taking a few friends is
an affordable way to celebrate while doing
something out of the ordinary.
Note to parents: As kids get older, it’s easy
to justify limiting the birthday party guest list.
All-out birthday parties start to wane by the
time kids hit third or fourth grade – and are
mostly phased out by middle school.
A great way to cut down on costs is to hold
your party between meals – 1-3 p.m., say, or
3-5 p.m. That way, you’ll provide a yummy
mid-afternoon snack but not have to go allout and feed hungry kids (and the parents
who hang around) during meal time.
At-home birthday party ideas
Arts and Crafts Party: Gather the art supplies you already have and make
stations with projects kids can rotate among. Use pasta, pony beads or
cereal for a beading activity, let them paint, make homemade play dough,
or create collages from items they find in the yard.
do French-braiding, one room for manicures, one room for a little makeup,
one room for a wash-off tattoo,” she says. “They all look beautiful for cake
and ice cream. For favors, get little cosmetic bags at the dollar store and
have the birthday girl personalize and decorate one for each guest.”
Birthday Sweet Shop: Let little cooks bake and decorate cookies, cupcakes
or make their own ice cream sundaes. If you want to make it healthy, lead
them in making pizza or fruit kebobs: Buy inexpensive small cookie cutters
and let the kids make shapes out of watermelon and cantaloupe.
Scavenger Hunt: Arrange the kids in teams of three, already designated
before they arrive, Kaplan suggests. Each team has to figure out a puzzle in
order to find the next clue. For example, unscramble a list of five words –
and those words make a sentence that tells you where to find the next clue.”
Kaplan arranged a driving scavenger hunt when her kids were older; one
clue was Dunkin’ Donuts, and she worked it out with the store manager to
provide the next clue – plus a free doughnut to each kid.
Spa Day Birthday: Ask a few moms or teen girls to help and make each
room in your house into a different spa treatment, advises Helayne Kaplan, a
Bloomfield Hills mother of three college-age kids. “One room have a mom
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 19
BASH
RQD%XGJHW
HAVE PARTIES AT HOME
At-home birthday parties require more
parental blood, sweat and tears than simply
handing your Visa to the guy at the bowling
alley – but that investment of time and
effort can be money you keep in the bank.
Sleepovers are common at-home birthday
favorites – and you can’t possibly invite the
whole class.
If you’re not eager to have kids overtake
your home for 12 hours, try an un-sleepover
– kids bring sleeping bags and come in
pajamas, play a few games, watch a movie,
have popcorn and then go home before it
gets too late.
POO-POO TO PARTY
FAVORS
“One of my biggest pet peeves is gift
bags,” says Nicole Rothenberg, Huntington
Woods mom of Ethan, 5 and Natalie 3 1/2.
“They come home and everything breaks, or I
throw most of it away. It’s a waste and they’re
expensive!”
Rothenberg prefers a creative favor, like
a bucket of sidewalk chalk (dollar aisle at
Michaels!) or packages of make-it-yourself
puppets she found at the Gibraltar Trade
Center and bought for Ethan’s last birthday
party.
Jasgur sets up a candy bar for favors at her
daughters’ parties. “I buy cheap things like
jelly beans and put them in a vase. I decorate
a jar and it looks nicer than a simple bowl.”
For the next birthday, Jasgur is doing a
bake-shop theme – and the favor becomes
the activity. She bought aprons inexpensively
online and the kids will decorate them at the
party and take them home.
Other moneysaving tips
• Keep the guest list to a minimum.
• Make your own birthday cake or cupcakes.
(Use a mix!)
• Use sheets for table covers.
• Make a centerpiece of fresh or homemade
tissue paper flowers.
• Scatter candy, confetti, sequins or buttons on
the table for a decorative touch.
• Make a party banner from poster board,
markers and with photos of your child.
20 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
Creative lowcost themes
Games Party: All those board games collecting
dust in the closet or playroom can finally be put to
good use! Create game stations with a parent or
teenage babysitter at each station to organize the
kids and run things. For older kids, divide guests
into groups and have them create their own game!
Don’t forget oldie-but-goodies Simon Says and
Follow the Leader.
Tea Party Dress-up: Using play tea sets, invite little
girls to dress up in fancy clothes and host a small tea
party gathering. (Ideal party size: 4-6 girls.) They can
bring a favorite doll as a guest, too. Play traditional
parlor games and serve small tea sandwiches or
little cookies. Collect dress-up gowns, gloves, hats
and shoes for the girls to play dress up with.
Sports Party: Who says you have to spring for a
formal fieldhouse? Use your own yard – and all the
balls, bats and rollerblades you can collect – to
make your very own sports party. Host relay races in
the backyard or at a park. Make an obstacle course
out of lawn furniture, boxes and bicycles. Prizes and
favors can be collector cards and sports drinks.
Treasure Hunt: Use a large shoebox or small toy
chest; spray-paint it gold or cover in shiny foil wrap.
Hide “treasures” – they can be goody bag items as
simple as pencils or a bottle of bubbles – in tissue
paper or packing peanuts and blindfold each guest
as they search for their treasure.
GO WITH THE SEASONS
Having birthday parties outdoors keeps
costs down and makes parties extra fun. In
summer, parks are free (though many require
reservations for covered pavilion use), as are
playgrounds. “It’s good activity and exercise
for the kids and not just filled with junk,” says
Rothenberg.
Kids love nature walks, mini-hikes and
outdoor scavenger hunts, too. A party at
a local petting farm, or going canoeing or
kayaking at a Metropark, are other low-cost
options – and you can provide ice cream
treats or barbecue if your party includes a
meal.
In fall, take the party to the cider mill or
apple orchard: Let the kids pick apples to
take home. Even in the winter, an outdoor
party can be a great way to get some fresh
air and sunshine. Take the kids sledding at a
local hill, then warm up with hot chocolate
and home-baked treats.
– Lynne Meredith Schreiber is a Southfield
mom, writer and entrepreneur.
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 21
Ultimate
Family Reunion
Planning Guide
7 questions to ask before planning
your family reunion
BY KRISTEN J. GOUGH
F
rom karaoke nights featuring your crazy
Aunt Betty to board game marathons
for cousins, family reunions can create
lasting memories and bonds between
relatives. So start planning your perfect family
get-together by reviewing this guide.
1. Who will you invite?
A. Nearby family
B. Immediate family and close relatives
C. As many relatives as you can think of
22 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
Figuring out whether you want just
immediate family to attend or whether you
plan on asking relatives from around the
country – or even the world – will help you
shape other decisions about your reunion,
like the time of year and even the location.
The larger your gathering, the more time
you’ll need to pull it together. For example,
popular family reunion spots can fill up
months – even years – in advance especially
during busy times of the year.
2. Where do you want
to have the reunion?
Outdoor camping or wilderness resort
Your home
Destination location
There are so many options when it comes
to choosing the place for your event. While it
might be less expensive to plan the gathering
at your home, with relatives bunking in with
you, this can create headaches when it comes
to finding a place for everyone to sleep, not
to mention feeding everyone three meals a
day. But if you have a small group, this might
be your best bet.
Camping reunions tend to be popular
because it’s less expensive to rent the
facilities than putting everyone up in a
hotel. But, even more important, they have
built-in activities – building fires, going on
hikes, sleeping under the stars. If your family
likes the outdoors, Michigan has plenty of
campsites to choose from. Renting cottages
is a happy medium between hotels and
campsites. After all, if you are camping,
you’ll need to pack equipment and gear for
everyone, whereas many cottages come with
all the linens and supplies on hand.
Family-friendly hot-spots like Orlando’s
Disney World, Busch Gardens, Cedar Point,
may pack a “wow” factor for family members,
but depending on the number of people
attending, coordinating your event at one of
these locations can get pricey since family
members may need to buy airline tickets,
lodging and food once they arrive. Also,
keep in mind that the destination itself might
become the focus of the gathering instead of
spending time with family.
3. What time of year do
you want to have the
reunion?
Summer months
Around a holiday
Whenever you can get everyone
together
Summer tends to offer the most options
when it comes to choosing dates. That’s
an advantage and a drawback. Family
members might have more time off that they
can devote to a reunion vacation, and kids
don’t have school. But that means popular
destinations fill up quickly, especially over
holiday weekends. Plus, during the summer,
your kids might be involved in camps or other
activities. Bottom line: There’s no perfect
time for a reunion that will fit in everyone’s
schedules. The best way to ensure the most
people can attend is to plan far enough in
advance, so you can reserve the destination
and time you want.
At Chimney Corners, a popular 300-acre
vintage resort on Crystal Lake in Benzie
County, guests reserve cabins for family
reunions as much as three years ahead of
time, explains Becky Ogilvie, who has worked
there for 14 years. “We have some families
who’ve been coming here for more than 50
years. It’s a tradition,” says Ogilvie. Some
families will make their reservations for the
following year when they check out for the
current one. “May, June and late August
we have the most availability.” But she also
suggests families consider a reunion in the
fall, when the leaves are out and the resorts
are less busy.
4. How long will it be?
An afternoon
A weekend
A week
All-day or evening reunions may make
it easier for family members to attend,
especially if they’re nearby. But those who’ve
traveled farther to get to the reunion may
want a longer stay to make the most out of
their trip. For instance, if you decide to go
camping in Silver Lake over the weekend and
you have relatives coming in from California,
you might want to offer to have them stay
over at your home for a few days before or
after the official event, or you might want to
point out other activities nearby that they can
go to after the family reunion ends. Generally,
resorts offer long weekend or one-week
reservations for family reunions.
Silver Lake Sand Dunes
Family reunion
gan
destinations in Michigan
We asked our Metro Parent Facebook fans to tell us about some of their favorite
family reunion destinations in the state. Here’s where a few of them are going …
Silver Lake Sand Dunes
www.thinkdunes.com
Families love spending time among the 2,000
acres of dunes located near Mears on Lake
Michigan, where you can either splash in the
waves at the beach or rent a buggy for some offroading adventure.
Traverse City
www.traversecity.com
With beaches, sailing, hiking and plenty
of outdoor and indoor activities available,
families like to plan reunions in this picturesque
destination.
Irish Hills
i
www.brooklynmi.com
Just southwest of Ann Arbor, Irish Hills packs 50
lakes in this rural outlet known for its hospitality.
Huron-Clinton Metroparks
www.metroparks.com
Don’t forget about southeast Michigan’s
Metroparks, which offer camping, lodging and
recreational activities for families closer to home.
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 23
Ultimate
Family Reunion
5. What kind of budget
do you have for the
reunion?
Everyone will pay their own way
Grandparents will foot the bill for the
lodging while each family covers other
expenses
You’ll ask for money as it comes up
Ah, the money question. While it may seem
uncomfortable to discuss budgets openly
with family, it’s important to establish who’s
paying for what to avoid any confusion or
hurt feelings. The budget might not be as
important for a smaller gathering – or an allday event at the park. But if you’re traveling
to a resort or even a campsite, you’ll need
to figure out how much each person must
contribute to the costs and when they’ll pay
for it. Anticipate the questions that might
come up and possible solutions before you
propose the budge.
Say you’re going to Traverse City and
your family lives in Royal Oak, but you have
relatives flying in from Kansas to attend.
Since the faraway relatives had to pay airline
costs, should they still pay the same amount
as everyone else for the campsite? Your
brother has been unemployed for several
months while other family members are fully
employed, should you ask others to help
contribute to a “group family reunion fund”?
You might call around to different potential
family reunion locations to compare costs.
For example, at Chimney Corners, Ogilvie
says she gets calls all the time from families
who explain what their budget is and then
ask what they can get for it. “I help them
figure out how many cottages they’ll need
and explain what we have available on the
property,” says Ogilvie. The cottages come
fully equipped with pots and pans, so families
can cook for themselves. But during the
summer months, guests receive food credits
to use on property with their weekly rentals.
Activities like paddle boats, tennis and fire
pits are available at no additional cost.
“So for a full week, with 32 people, you’d
need two cottages, which would be around
$7,000, but would also include a $450 food
credit.” Each person then would pay around
$218.75 for his or her stay.
Again, figuring out who pays what is a
conversation that should happen before
you pay your bill because resorts don’t
tend to divide it up for you like a waiter at a
restaurant might.
6. Who will be involved
in coordinating?
You’ll pick two to three relatives to
help you make key decisions
You’ll ask each person involved to
share their ideas as you go
You’ll do it all!
Planning a family reunion doesn’t take that
much time and effort, right? Not quite. Again,
the answer to this question depends on how
long you plan to meet and where you’ll be
planning your get-together. Be sure to set
aside time to put the event together. You
might divide up some of the reunion tasks like
activities or food. Consider using technology
to make your job easier. You could set up a
Facebook Group page, a blog or even an
email group list to better coordinate the
event with family members.
7. What kind of
activities will you have
during the reunion?
You’ll ask different relatives to come
up with activities on certain days
You’ll select from activities offered at
the resort where you’ll be going
You’ll figure it out once everyone is
there
Sure, you don’t want to over-plan family
reunion activities, but you also don’t want to
leave everything so open that people keep
asking, “What do you want to do?” and
getting the response, “I don’t know, what do
24 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
you want to do?”
The campsite or resort where you’re
staying may already have activities for you
to chose from that are either available as
part of your lodging cost or for an additional
fee. Along with reviewing those options
(or having a family member be in charge of
figuring out what’s available in the area), you
can also assign different family members
a day, or parts of the day, to come up with
activities. Say your family reunion lasts four
days and you have four siblings with their
families attending, along with your parents
and grandparents. Maybe you can ask each
sibling to come up with activities for a day
and then ask parents and grandparents to
come up with nightly activities
Again, this doesn’t have to be elaborate
or down to the minute. But having a general
idea of what everyone will be doing may
guarantee some memorable moments.
– Kristen J. Gough is a mother of three and
former Detroiter who now lives in Cleveland.
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 25
$20
26 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
Birthday Party
Challenge
The mission: Take $20 and make it stretch far
enough to throw a kid’s birthday party for six.
It should include decorations and an activity.
Just add cake.
BY MEAGAN LUTEY AND EMILY MORMAN
THE SUBJECTS: Two intrepid Metro Parent
interns
THE LOCATION: Downtown Ferndale
T
hrowing a tropical-themed birthday
party for $20 – can it be done? You
bet! We shopped downtown Ferndale
stores and found great deals and steals that’ll
bring the tropics to your backyard while you
celebrate your child’s big day. Take a look at
our budget-friendly luau for your child and
five friends. You – and your wallet – will be
doing the hula by the time you’re done.
DECORATIONS
Liven up your home with decor perfect for
brightening up both interior and exterior. A
colorful 32-inch Hanging Parrot Decoration
will exude a summery theme adorning your
wall or door. The parrot, which could be a
popular theme thanks to the hit film Rio, has
joints at different points along its length, so
it can fold up neatly for easy storage. If a
parrot is not your style, Dollar Castle carries
an assortment of hanging decorations (and a
hanging parrot can’t do all the decorating!).
Unique Streamers are great for adding
splashes of color along the walls.
ACTIVITY
Even if you’re nowhere near the ocean,
kids can still get wet and have fun. Fill these
Unique Balloons with water for a water
balloon fight. For a more toned-down game,
have kids stand across from a partner and
toss a water balloon back and forth to each
other. With each toss, tell them to take a step
backward. The pair who manages to throw
their balloon back and forth the farthest
without breaking it wins. Keep the water
balloons in a Party Bucket until it’s time for
the fun to begin. If you find that you have
extra balloons, blow them up and use them
by the front door to help guests find the
party.
Let your pint-sized party guests show
off their creative side with giant Good Old
Values Sidewalk Chalk. Chalk keeps the
kids entertained for hours, and it’s very
easy on your wallet. Let the games begin
with hopscotch, tic-tac-toe and hangman,
or draw a playing field for Four Square if a
basketball-sized bouncy ball is available.
The possibilities are endless. Chalk is fun
for all kids ages 3 and up, and is one oldfashioned activity kids will continue to enjoy
for years to come.
When the guests come inside after
exhausting themselves with outdoor fun,
what better way to let them cool down
and keep the party going than with crafts?
Crafts are an inexpensive way to keep kids
amused. Pick up a Foam Letter for each
child’s first initial and fun accessories to
decorate them, such as colorful and sparkly
Darice Pom-Poms and Trisonic Glitter Glue
Sticks to attach the decorations. The glitter
glue sticks we found were the hot glue gun
variety, but if you’re buying for younger kids
and don’t want to handle the hot glue gun,
squeezable glitter glue bottles are a safe
ADD
IT
ALL
UP
Cupcake Station
Dollar Castle
alternative for little hands.
FOOD EMBELLISHMENTS
You definitely can’t leave food out of the
equation when planning a party. Annie’s
Homegrown Organic Chocolate Chipper
Chewy Yet Crispy Granola Bars are a
yummy, nutritious snack to tide hungry kids
over until the main dish is served. These
granola bars come seven to a box and are
loaded with organic toasted oats and brown
rice and chocolate chips, so they’ll keep
party-goers satisfied and healthy.
If you’re serving cake, add a little sparkle
with these Bakery Crafts Glitter Candles.
This 12-count package of glittery candles
gives cakes or cupcakes a little extra pizzazz
as the birthday child makes a wish upon
them. For a fun and tropical touch, stick
Unique Parasols in your drinks, fruit or even
cupcakes. The bright colors are eye-catching
in this 10-count pack. Just make sure to keep
the pointy ends away from the little ones!
– Meagan Lutey is a journalism student
at Madonna University; Emily Morman is a
journalism student at Wayne State University.
Glitter Candles (12 ct.)
Sidewalk Chalk (12 ct.)
Streamers
Foam Letters (6)
Pom Pom Decorations
Party Bucket
Parasols (10 ct.)
Balloons (15 ct.)
Glitter Glue
Hanging Parrot Decoration
Natural Food Patch Granola Bars (7 ct.)
$1.58
$1.06
$1.06
$6.36
$1.06
$1.06
$1.06
$1.06
$1.06
$1.06
$3.49
$19.91 ($0.09 under budget)
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 27
Hosting a Grown-Up
Game Night
Game-playing fun isn’t reserved for kids. Adults
can have a blast too with a good old-fashioned
game night for grown-ups. Check out these
classics and comers for a super party sans rugrats.
BY EMILY MORMAN AND MEAGAN LUTEY
I
f you’re like most parents, you’ve played
your fair share of kids’ games like
Candyland and Hungry Hungry Hippos. But
who says games are just for the little ones?
Mom and dad have plenty of entertaining
options when it comes to hosting an adult
game night with their own friends.
There are “a lot of really good board
games out right now,” says Liz Sullivan, coowner of Vault of Midnight in Ann Arbor.
From board and card games to electronic
handhelds, the possibilities for fun are rich.
Next time you want to enjoy some quality
time with friends, consider hosting a game
night at home. Break out the snacks and
revisit old favorites, or try a brand-new game.
We consulted area toy stores to see which
games are the most popular among adults to
help get you started. Just remember: It’s not
whether you win or lose – it’s how much fun
you have playing the game.
28 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
ADVENTURE GAMES
Have you ever wished you could get away
to your own private island? You can in The
Settlers of Catan, a fantasy-strategy board
game where expanding your colony is the
No. 1 priority.
While setting up the hexagonal game
board, players create the island’s landscape
by assembling different terrain tiles, like
forests, fields and mountains; random
assembly ensures a different island, and thus
a new adventure, every time. Each type of tile
corresponds to resource cards that players
collect during the game to build settlements
and roads. For every settlement a player
creates, he earns one victory point. The first
to earn 10 points walks away victorious.
The Settlers of Catan is for two to four
players, and the estimated playing time is
60-90 minutes.
For those who wish to take their adventure
to the next level, other versions allow players
to embark on various missions. Take to the
high seas in the Catan: Seafarers Game
Expansion pack, share the fun with more
friends in The Settlers of Catan: 5 & 6 Player
Extension, fight alongside knights in the
Catan: Cities & Knights Game Expansion
pack and journey with a caravan in the Catan:
Traders & Barbarians Expansion pack.
Still searching for a quest? Puerto Rico is
a new adventure every time with its many
possibilities for strategic game play! Players
own a plantation and can build structures to
ultimately become the most profitable player.
“Puerto Rico is a slightly more advanced
version of Settlers of Catan,” says Emily
Milton of Tree Town Toys in Ann Arbor.
In this game of skill, players can choose
from among seven different character roles
– from prospector to mayor – and use tactics
to achieve success. Puerto Rico is appropriate
for three to five players with a typical game
time of 90 to 150 minutes.
Bright Idea
GAME-NIGHT GRUB
GAMES OF STRATEGY
Take a rollicking railroad trip with Ticket to
Ride, a thrilling board game in which players
attempt to build the longest railway across
the United States while fulfilling the route on
their destination tickets.
“Ticket to Ride is a train game where you
have destinations, and you’re trying to get
to these destinations by collecting cards,”
says Milton. Stages of play include the United
States, Europe and Germany.
Players use colorful train pieces and Train
Car cards to add to their collection of rail
routes and connect various cities via the
railway system.
Use strategy to cut your pathway through
America and leave your opponents in the
dust. The more routes one connects, the
greater the number of points you earn.
This game is recommended for two to five
players, and typically lasts between 30 and 60
minutes. Online play and expansion packs are
available for the truly dedicated gamer.
Sharon Plumley of Mudpuddles, another
Ann Arbor toy store, says she has received
“more phone calls for that game than any
other game” in the last six to eight months.
Following the train game trend is Mexican
Train, a strategic dominoes game that is
entertaining for all ages. Players attempt to
be the first to use all their dominos to build a
train to win the game.
“You can play with a 5-year-old, you can
play with a 90-year-old, and it doesn’t take
forever to play,” says Ellen Durand of Village
Toy Company in Grosse Pointe.
Players may also build more than one train
or play a rival’s stalled train – but players
should be careful not to be railroaded! This
game is recommended for two to six players.
CARD GAMES
the next level. When players successfully
kill a monster, they win its coveted treasure.
But if the monster comes out on top, the
player “dies” and loses all of his or her
loot. The first player to reach the 10th level
wins. Ten different card games and more
than 20 expansion packs ensure adults will
never grow bored with this small-but-mighty
entertainment powerhouse.
The fun continues with Apples to Apples,
a hilarious comparison card game that’s
all about nouns and adjectives. Players
hold noun cards – anything from “Marilyn
Monroe” to “farts” – and take turn drawing
an adjective card, such as “sexy.” All the
players, except for the one who drew the
adjective card, then play a noun that they
think is most representative of that adjective
or so outlandishly opposite that it might
get chosen for being funny. The player who
picked the adjective card gets to decide.
The player of the noun card chosen then
gets to keep the adjective card. The player
with the most adjective cards when everyone
decides to call it a game, wins. This game’s
fun is limited only by the imaginations of the
players.
DICE
Described as a “combination of Yahtzee
and poker” by Debbie Vail, co-owner of
Adventures in Toys in Birmingham, Yamslam
is a dice game sure to entertain everyone’s
inner gambler.
The objective is simple: Earn the highest
score at the end of the game.
Each player has up to three rolls of the five
dice to achieve one of eight combinations for
points. For example, to roll a large straight
for 50 points, players must achieve five dice in
sequence, similar to a straight in poker. After
the initial throw, players decide which dice
No game night would be complete without
some snacks, but forget the tired chips and
dips. Instead, get a couple of recipes inspired
by a few of our game recommendations –
Apples to Apples and Mexican Train. Visit the
Food section of MetroParent.com.
to keep and which to throw again. If a player
manages to make a combination of dice for
points, he or she takes the corresponding
point chip. If a player is lucky enough to roll a
Yamslam – all five dice showing the same face
– he or she takes a chip of choice.
Sound too easy? The catch is that there
are only four corresponding chips to
combinations of dice rolls, meaning that
a large straight, for example, can only be
rolled four times for points. Players try to roll
the best combinations of dice before the
corresponding chips are claimed by others.
This one-to-four player game ends when
all chips are removed from the board, and the
person with the highest score wins.
Another nice feature of Yamslam is that
play is self-contained; players roll the dice
inside the game’s box and stack point chips
along the sides, making it an easy game to
play on the couch or in a confined area.
For those who wish to do a little gambling,
but can’t afford to fly to Vegas, Yamslam
offers the perfect alternative for an adult
night in.
– Emily Morman is a journalism student at
Wayne State University; Meagan Lutey is a
journalism student at Madonna University.
Despite its name, there’s nothing mini
about Munchkin when it comes to fun.
Players may wear the Boots of Butt-Kicking
while wielding the Chainsaw of Bloody
Disembowelment to defeat the dreaded
Drooling Slime in this quirky game of battle
and treasure-collecting.
Sullivan of Vault of Midnight says the game
is a fun parody of Dungeons & Dragons – and
that she would “definitely” recommend it.
In this three-to-six player game, each
player starts as a Level 1 human (“with no
class,” the directions quip). Cards in front
of the player then describe each player’s
race (human, elf, dwarf or “halfling”) and
class (warrior, wizard, thief or cleric). Players
may use Item cards, such as the Mace of
Sharpness, to aid them in their quest to kill
monsters, dodge curses and advance to
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 29
Fun
By Kim Kovelle
T-SHIRT
NECKLACE
G
irly. Vintage. Baseball. Whatever a girl’s style,
there’s a T-shirt to fit it. And as for those
misshapen, baggy tops she wouldn’t be caught
dead in? Well, with a few snips, tugs and twists, those
can become one of her go-to grabs, too! We trolled the
blogosphere and scored an easy DIY necklace made
from repurposed old T’s. It’s the perfect take-home craft
for a tween/teen girly party.
Braided Scarf
Crafter Connie Yu goes ga-ga for “crafting, hot dogs
and soft furry animals” – and her blog, This Old Dress,
is a fun ode to her faves. The Canadian teacher has a
knack for transforming T-shirts into neckwear, too. Try
this simple project for funky flair!
Bright Idea
GET A STEP-BY-STEP
DEMONSTRATION
Create fine fabric jewelry in a jiff!
See how easy it is when associate
editor Kim Kovelle demos this DIY
T-shirt necklace, plus a bonus style,
in one of MetroParent.com’s DIY
videos. Go to the Multimedia tab of
MetroParent.com to check it out.
Stuff
1-2 adult XL T-shirts (no side seams), washed and dried • Fabric scissors • Fabric paint (optional)
How-to
1. Lay the T flat and cut off the bottom hem and top portion (i.e., straight across under the
armpits). Spatter the material with paint, if desired, and let dry.
2. Cut 1/2- to 1-inch strips along the width of the fabric, creating loops. Don’t worry if the
edges are jagged. Eyeballing is cool; just aim for roughly the same width. At least 13 strips
is plenty.
3. Gently tug along the length of the strips to curl the edges under. Try to stretch each loop
evenly.
4. Holding all strips, cut through at one point – so you have long strands of cotton instead of
circular loops. Set one spare strand aside.
5. Find something heavy, like a table. Use a leg to anchor the strands (for the braiding).
Leave about a foot of free-flow “excess” hanging off the end.
6. Divide strands into three (roughly) equal sections. Braid down the length of the fabric,
leaving another foot of excess at the end. Note: Go slow and do small sections at a time,
brushing out the loose strands – they’re prone to tangling.
7. Gently remove the “anchor” and tie the two ends together with the “spare” strand you
set aside. Wrap it around several times and double-knot to secure.
8. Feather out the loose strands and cut random pieces shorter for a layered look!
– Kim Kovelle is associate editor of Metro Parent.
30 PartyBook • 2011 || MetroParent.com
MetroParent.com || 2011 • PartyBook 31