Cousins Galore…And BINGO! (A Winning Combination)

A highlight of our Indy grandgirl’s “GrandCamp” week in Iowa had to be the overnight slumber party with their four Iowa cousins. And  And that overnight stay even included some rousing games of BINGO…a treat for all of them!

Another highlight of any overnight at our house is Peepaw’s popcorn. He has a real popcorn machine sitting on the bar in our family room and all of the grandkids love to watch as the corn begins to spill out of the popper inside the glass case.

Peepaw’s Rule? No popcorn for anybody until all kids have had their shower or bath, and everyone is wearing their pajamas! (Bribery can be a very good tool.)

After Peepaw’s popcorn treat…it was time to brush seven little mouths full of teeth and head off to BED. (And I use the term “bed” loosely! These kids are happy with a pile of pillows and blankets.)

It’s amazing how fast those seven kids settle down and fall asleep, but they play so hard when they’re together I guess it’s really not so amazing after all.

When morning came (early-of course!) It was time for one of Meemaw’s breakfast feasts. On this day it was…PANCAKES.

LOTS of pancakes!

The talk around our table often centers around a topic near and dear to the hearts of ALL of our grandkids…BINGO! it’s become one of their favorite activities at Meemaw and Peepaw’s house. The kids rushed through breakfast and quickly helped to clear the table to get ready for the big event.

Several years ago we started the bingo tradition, and I had no idea what a big deal it would become. Here is how Meemaw and Peepaw’s Bingo works:

Long before the kids arrive, I make multiple trips to thrift stores and dollar stores where I pick up very inexpensive toys, puzzles, stickers, scented pens, mirrors, books and trinkets. Items that would appeal to a wide range of ages, since our grandkids range from age eleven down to four. I stockpile those inexpensive items in a bag in the closet until the big bingo day arrives. On this Bingo Day I selected Little Bro and Sis to arrange those items on the table while the other kids were banned from the dining room. (The anticipation is epic and suspense is almost palpable!) 🙂

On a side note…the portraits on the wall behind the kids? Those are MY grandparents. And I’m sure they would approve of the fun and laughter that was about to take place around that table. And our dining room table with five leaves? That belonged to Peepaw’s grandparents. So it’s truly a family affair filled with living history at our house!

When all the prizes are arranged, the rest of the gang is invited to come in and have a seat and the games begin. But before Peepaw begins to call the bingo numbers, the kids spend a few minutes inspecting and discussing the “loot” in front of them. They gaze longingly at those amazing prizes up for grabs. (You would seriously think those trinkets were worth millions when you hear how those precious kids discuss their first choice, should they be the lucky game winner!)

I am always amazed by some of the selections made by the winners of those bingo games. I had purchased some Christmas coffee mugs and I added them to the prizes on the table. I doubted that ANYONE would pick those items, but I assumed if anyone chose the cups it would be one of the girls. I thought they might use it on their desks to hold pencils or hair bows. But guess what? The two littlest boys selected those mugs as their first choices! (Live and learn Meemaw…and ditch those boy-girl stereotypes!!) 

Full disclosure…Peepaw sometimes “stacks the deck” to ensure that every child wins an equal number of times. (Kids…cover your eyes and forget that last sentence if you’re reading this post!) And after the fun and games were over, our Iowa kids gathered up their prizes and tooth brushes and overnight bags and headed for home. (They had made previous plans with other friends for that afternoon, but their parents agreed to bring them back to join the rest of us for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants later.) 

That evening we all met at The Vine Tavern and Eatery in downtown Iowa City…and I must say our grandkids make me very proud when we take them all out to eat. The older kids take such good care of the younger ones, and they all use their inside voices. It’s a pleasure to dine out with ALL of them!

The Vine was the unanimous choice for dinner that night for two reasons.

WINGS…and FRIES! Our entire family can agree on THAT menu.

I actually lost track of how many baskets of wings our gang consumed!

We simply told our server to keep ’em coming! Basket after basket. The Vine wings and fries are the stuff of dreams. Trust Meemaw on this one.

And after that nonstop stream of overflowing food baskets? This was the result…

So…after bellies were full and a after our full day of fun we gave a huge group “Cousin Hug” outside the restaurant, and our Iowa family headed back to their home. 

And because it was such a beautiful evening we piled our Indy girls into the car and took a quick drive through Iowa City’s City Park.

This drive brought back so many memories for me since Peepaw and I spent countless evenings just like this one at that park when our boys were little. You see, City Park is the location of the ball diamonds where our boy’s love affair with baseball took root. More memories…really GOOD ones for me.

We made one more stop on our GrandCamp tour that evening. We took the girls to see the dorm where their mom lived when she first arrived at the University of Iowa.

It was really heartwarming to hear the questions those girls asked about dorm life. And their mom had even shared which window was hers “way back” those many years ago. It was fun to count over and up to figure out which room was hers! 

What an amazing, fun-filled day for all of us, but our First Annual GrandCamp week was FAR from over. And this old Meemaw had more adventures planned. 

But first…a good night’s sleep for three tired little girls. (In REAL BEDS this time!)