"It's just down-home fun. It's good family fun, and it gets you away from the city. It's my favorite place to be." ~ Brenda Morris
This past weekend was our annual family mini-vacation to "Mole Lake", Wisconsin. It's really Bishop's Lake or Buffalo Lake or something like that, but I didn't know that and for years I called it that. Come to find out last year, my sister in law, Lisa, informs me of this world altering information! How can it be? It's NOT Mole Lake? What? We drive THROUGH Mole Lake? I can't take it. Nor can I change it (nor does she expect me too). :o)
So each year, John's family gathers at James and Lisa's cabin on Mole Lake (Ha) for a long weekend of family fun. We've been doing this for at least 7 or 8 years now. By year two, Lisa decided to give this weekend a theme -- and a carnival was born. James built booths for the carnival games, we had a clown, candy, fair food, etc. It was a hoot and my daughters thought they died and went to heaven (as I'm sure did all of the grandkids). And it snowballed from there. Each year I swear gets better, though I don't know how that could be?!
To date, we have had Summer Family Fun weekend, Around the World weekend, State Fair weekend, Adventurer weekend, Craft weekend, etc. etc. etc. This year our theme was "Game Show" and I think it was the best yet! Each family (5) had to entirely host a game show of their choosing. And let me tell you, these people came out to play!
We had Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, The Price is Right, Family Feud, Minute to Win It, and Match Game. It was so fun (say it with me -- How fun was it?!) that at points in the day, I was crying from laughing so hard! These families did not take this year's theme lightly. We had a homemade chalkboard of sorts, a showcase showdown $1.00 wheel, a panel FULL of celebrities, and on and on. And we did this all outside, in the sun, having fun with 20 other family members that we don't get to see very often. I mean really people...this is the good stuff! We even had commercial breaks, prizes galore, theme songs, and great hosts like Micky Foxvalley since Jeff Foxworthy wasn't available (or from the Fox Valley)!! It was the "best day evvveerrrr"! :o)
I thought I would add a few pictures of the family fun and hope that you find ways to still have fun with your family(s)! If not, just keep reading my blog...I think next year's theme is gonna be............ :o)
Wait a minute. Let me get this straight. You and five other families under the umbrella of your husband's collective relatives had a weekend get together and everyone had fun? FUN as in there were no meltdowns, name calling, lives threatened or marriages ruined? What a concept!
ReplyDeleteHad it been my family we never would have agreed upon what time the games would start, what food would be served during commercial breaks or who would be Phyllis Diller! Perhaps it's the Mole Lake air that makes this weekend so delightful. Perhaps it's the fact that your family knows how to put fun back into family time.