Every summer, I host an event at my house for the parents I know called "The SWAP." It started out over at Libbygirl's house, but it got big and popular really quickly, so we moved it to my house, which still wasn't enough space. So it kind of takes over my house... :-)
It works like this: Parents bring over all the kid-related stuff that their munchkins have grown out of or don't play any more and I set it up like a giant garage sale in my garage. Except nothing is for sale. Everything is free. At the same time, we have a potluck. MacTroll and I buy some pizza and everyone else brings side dishes, desserts, drinks, etc., and we all hang out, eat, and fill up our cars. At the end the left over clothes are taken to Headstart in Urbana. And the left over toys are taken to Goodwill. The books are donated to the Tolono Library (or Libbygirl might take them to Prairie School in Urbana since Mr. Libby operates their book cart).
It's a lot of work to set up, but I totally love doing it. I also love having all the families at my house for a few hours. As the kids grow up, we see less and less of each other. They all go to different schools or are enrolled in different after-school activities. But they totally still remember each other and they like to get together. And the truth is, once upon a time, I used to see these parents two to three times a week. Now I'm lucky if I get to see them once a month. So it's totally nice to have them over and catch up.
And this year, we'll have our new patio, so I hope it doesn't rain!
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