Good clean Fun!

Today is so different from when I was growing up. That sounds like it was a long time ago but I was a 90’s kid. We played outside til the street lights came on and even then, we didn’t want to go in. We didn’t have all the distractions and issues that kids have today. It’s ashame they have so many things to face. I grew up in Virginia Beach, so we lived in neighborhoods. My son has grown up in the country. I came up with an idea for him to have some social interaction since there aren’t any close neighbors with children his age. I try to have his friends come over once a month.

To keep things interesting, I always come up with a theme for the party/sleepover. I figure it’s a win-win! It provides them with a safe place to hangout with age appropriate activities, creates a social environment, budget friendly and it allows me to make special memories with my son and his friends. Not to mention I love having a house full of children. It takes me a lot of time and effort to make it all happen but it is worth every second of it!

I start by searching pinterest and the internet based on the nearby holiday or theme I have selected. I look for food ideas, individual and team building activities, movies, places to go etc. The boys always look forward to what I have planned next. They know I will have at least one special activity up my sleeve.

My top favorite activity so far, was the chopped junior competition. The boys love food and competition, so it was a perfect activity! People thought I was crazy to let 5 boys have complete run of my kitchen. That was not even my concern, I was just thinking about how cool it would be to see the teamwork and creativity. I split them into two teams, so it was a little different than the traditional chopped rules. They had an appetizer, main course and dessert round. The best 2 out of 3 dishes won!

Coming up with the mystery basket ingredients was a lot of fun! I tried to make it hard but also keep it as cheap as possible, since I figured they would potentially make some inedible dishes. However, each team had an adult to help provide a little assistance. I set up everything I could possibly think of in the kitchen, like spices, utensils, things to cook in/on, plating options etc. They even had use of the grill and deep fryer outside.

The appetizer round consisted of Ramen noodles, an Italian hero sub, gorgonzola cheese and Black bean and corn salsa.

The main course consisted of half a pork loin, pickled beets, cream of mushroom soup, pineapple and I threw in wonton wrappers last minute.

The dessert round consisted of twinkies, nutella, Graham crackers and pretzels. There were no picutres of the dessert round because they bombed that round. I think they were getting tired. The entire activity took about 6 hours. They had to cook and clean up between rounds. All in all it was a great day and I was proud of each and every one of them for their creativity. If you have little foodies or chefs in your home, this is a perfect activity for them!

Enjoy more pictures below!