Moms need a monthly night out with their friends to relax and recharge, but a Bunco game or discussion of Mitch Albom’s latest book can become too routine. Try these ideas to transform your night out from run-of-the-mill to remarkable.
Mall scavenger hunt. Create a list of things to find in the mall, like a price tag for $12.99 or a couple holding hands. Use your phone to snap pictures of the items on the list within a set timeframe. Want more challenge? Expand the list with things to bring back, such as a perfume sample.
All About Me night. Ask everyone to bring a baby picture of herself, and see if you can identify your friends. Bring your wedding albums, and play a neighborhood version of TLC’s Four Weddings. Ask your friends to list (anonymously!) three things they don’t think you know about them, and try to guess who is who.
Project party. Have guests bring their unfinished projects like scrapbooks or Sunday School crafts to work on for the evening. It is much easier to finish projects while surrounded by good friends and conversation.
Volunteer night. Find a place that needs several helping hands, like a Ronald McDonald House, a food pantry or an animal shelter. Ask everyone to bring something to help the chosen cause, like towels for the animals or canned goods for the food pantry.
Pinterest party. Choose three seasonal crafts from Pinterest, and set up stations with all the supplies and a finished sample. Divide your friends into three groups, and rotate to complete the project at the each table.
It’s New to Me night. What do you do when you are tired of your old clothes or knick knacks? Instead of saving them for the garage sale that never happens, why not exchange them with your friends? For every item you bring, you can take one home. Donate any leftovers to charity.
See page 2 for six more fun ideas!
Bean bags or bocce. Enjoy the evening outdoors playing bocce (a game similar to horseshoes that uses balls) or enjoying a bean-bag toss. Round out the evening with a potluck BBQ dinner.
Wine tasting. Ask each friend to bring her favorite bottle of wine, and host a blind tasting. Pour your guests a tasting from each bottle. Have them rate each wine on a 1 to 10 scale. After the tasting is done, ask for a show of hands to determine the most popular wine and reveal the labels.
Create-a-Meal night. Choose a few family-friendly recipes for the slow cooker, and spend the night chopping, bagging and laughing with friends. Take home some new recipes for your family to try on a night when you are too busy to cook.
Pajama party. Ask the girls to come over in their pajamas and play games like Twister and Truth or Dare, or sing karaoke. Break out the 80’s tunes and have a dance party in the kitchen. Order a pizza, and make plenty of popcorn. End the night with a chick flick.
Favorite Things party. We all have our favorite things — a Starbucks latte, scented lotion or a bottle of wine. At this party, everyone brings three of the same favorite thing, with $10 per item as a good price point. Assign each item a number, and have each guest pull three numbers to determine which things she takes home.
Cocktails and cards. Ante up, ladies! Set up a few tables, pull out the cards and play Texas Hold ‘Em. To make the night more fun, have Tex-Mex food and margaritas. If poker is not your thing but you still want to gamble, LCR (which stands for left, center, right) is an easy dice game that a large group can play.
Pam Molnar is a freelance writer and mother of three.
