Recently, my oldest son was invited to a sledding birthday party, which I thought was a great way to celebrate and yet, I don’t know if would have never thought of doing that if google didn’t prompt me. My younger son also received an invitation to party. Except his included only a date and time, everything else was TBD. I loved it. That entirely and completely vague, yet hopeful and welcoming invitation seemed like the perfect etiquette of 2022.
So, in the spirit of getting creative with hosting gatherings, I thought I would share the details of a recent event we had at our home that was lots of fun and might be something your family would enjoy.
After hearing my son mention playing freeze tag with friends a few times, I thought about a freeze tag party in the backyard and wondered if there was any way I could add a fun, wintery spin to the game. Well, a short google search brought me to purchasing the Ultimate Freeze Tag Game off of Amazon.
We invited a few families we know over and set the tone for an outdoor party. I ordered pizza, cookies, and made a big pot of hot chocolate. I planned to put out applesauce pouches and carrots, but was short on the carrots but fortunately, my neighbor offered me hers.
And when I thought about that, I wondered if any of you ever borrow an ingredient from a neighbor? I grew up going up to my grandmother’s every time we ran out of something, she lived about a mile away. It could have been milk, eggs, butter, or a spice but she always had it. I honestly can’t remember the last time I asked a neighbor if they something since I was a child. Maybe we asked because she was my grandmother, but whatever happened to asking your neighbor for a cup of sugar? Sometimes I think we have become so independent, we forget it’s ok to ask for a cup of sugar, a stick of butter, or a bag of carrots when we need it. I think it’s more than ok. I think we connect over that cup of sugar or bag of carrots. But anyways…
The kids arrived in their snow pants and coats, hats and gloves and they took over the backyard. As the afternoon turned to early evening, we had our backyard lights on and I had borrowed another from my parents and together, they lit up the whole backyard.
Now, the ultimate freeze tag game is meant to be played where one team searches for five different colored glow-in-the-dark gems while the other team tries to freeze those players.
How it worked at our house was it started with two teams but quickly turned into the parents hiding the gems and the kids searching for them. It became more of a scavenger hunt than it did a game of freeze tag. But sometimes the best games are when they use their imaginations and no one is crying. And they seemed to be really enjoying it! I suspect that had we not have taken a break for food, they would have kept going with their search for the precious missing stones.
A quick break to eat pizza, cookies, and sip hot cocoa, and within minutes, they were giggling and joking with each other, goofing around and…spilling stuff all over. But not in a disrespectful way, in a way that kids do when they are just having belly laughing fun. It was so fun to watch these kids bundled up in their winter attire sitting there chatting and making each other laugh. And the best part was because it was an outdoor party, I didn’t care at all about the spills, I was able to relax and enjoy them enjoying themselves rather than buzz around trying to clean up.
After they finished eating, they headed to the backyard to play a game of football and being near Buffalo Bills territory, I heard several times, “Ok, I’m Josh Allen now!” Standing on my back deck it felt like what I had envisioned my children’s childhood to be, a big group of kids playing a backyard game and working it out themselves while their parents stood on the deck and caught up. Many of them helping me juggle hosting while I had a toddler who just woke up from a nap and a four year old who was playing a game of his own, entitled, “Lock Mom Out Of The House.” Unfortunately for him, mom always has a key.
When my husband got home later that evening, everyone had left but the sense of community had not. My kids and their dad enjoyed the after party, playing in the backyard and then coming in for a buffet of pizza and cookies, with a side of hot cocoa. When my son came in at the end of the night, he was covered in mud. Streaks of mud across his forehead, stuck to his snow pants, and sweat dripping down his face. He looked at me and sat at the kitchen table drinking two glasses of water, insisting he was so thirsty from the three touchdowns he scored that night. For a brief second, it felt like I got a glimpse at what my six year old might be like at sixteen.
Two years ago, that party most certainly would have been inside. I would have worried more about how clean my house was. I probably would have fussed more over the food and we probably would have had more dishes to clean. The mud from outside would have been tracked in and our toys would have been tracked throughout house. Yet even with the prep and the mess, I do wholeheartedly miss those days in many ways. But I also like our new way of hosting gatherings. Getting outside, keeping them simpler, and having more time to connect.
If you are looking for a fun icebreaker to start a fun filled night with family or friends, I highly recommend a game of freeze tag with hidden gems. I’m starting to wonder if we put together a tailgate next weekend as we head into the play-offs using freeze tag as a warm-up…
While I hope you enjoy reading my posts, kindly be advised that the words in this article are not medical advice and I cannot guarantee that they will work for you or your family. They are my reflections on parenting my three boys, based on my own personal background and experiences. Always reach out to your own health professionals for any questions or concerns. Please read my full disclosure at the bottom of this site for more information. Very sincerely, Mamma P.
