My fellow Americans, history is upon us. It’s an election year. If you have a newborn in the house, it can be like living under a rock for several months. But you can still be in on the fun.
It’s time to throw a debate-watching party to reconnect with your childfree friends. You supply the house and TV, your guests bring the pizza or real food and dessert. Tivo makes this kind of event easier, but it’s not essential.
Here are some games you can play to keep the party lively:
- Baby chooses the (vice) president. Take note of which debater makes your baby more fussy. Vote for the other ticket.
- Mommy bingo. The good folks at Mom’s rising have put together a bingo game. Score when someone mentions a key word for moms. Fun and informative.
- Old school drinking game. For the first McCain/Obama debate we were supposed to do a shot when McCain said “friends” or when Obama said “change” — Anyone know if it’s been updated for the next ones or what the rules are for the Veep Debate?
Upcoming debates are:
> Thursday, Oct 2, 2008: Vice Presidential debate in St. Louis
> Tuesday Oct 7, 2008: Pres. debate in a town hall format Nashville
> Wednesday Oct 15, 2008: Pres. debate on domestic policy
> Tonight, last week’s debate. My house.
Each debate will begin at 9pm eastern, 6pm pacific time and last for 90 minutes on many many channels.
It’s social, it’s political, and it’s no fuss for you. No cooking, no dishes, good times. Go ahead and compost those paper plates and biodegradable corn “plastic” ware.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
love this idea! I’ve included it on the Alpha Mom Reading List.
There are also 2 national non-profit organizations that provide some good election resources for parents: Take Your Kids 2 Vote (http://www.takeyourkids2vote.org/) and Kids Voting USA (http://www.kidsvotingusa.org/)
Based on the first debate, it might be fun to do a shot every time a candidate says some form of the word “fundamental”!
or whenever Palin says maverick or joe six pack.
Bingo idea is hilarious – how about for those who do not like politics turn down the sound on the television and instead play Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.”
We played “palinbingo” for the VP debate – someone had score cards you could print from that website. For the last debate, well, it became clear that whenever someone mentioned “Joe the Plumber” it was time to drink. Frankly, the drinks were coming too fast, so we had to limit it to McCain only!