march madness fun for the whole family

Dan loves March Madness.  In fact, it is his favorite “sports” time of the year.  A couple years ago, he got me more interested in the games by having me fill out a bracket.  My competitive side came out and I watched  just to see if my picks were doing well or not.  (I even had the games on when he wasn’t home!  Mission accomplished.  Go Dan!)

Now as the kids are getting older, we are ready for some March Madness family fun.  Yesterday at lunch, Dan gave the kid’s this little speech.  Imagine two kids (4 & 6), innocently eating their lunch and a 6’5″ man hovering over the table talking like a coach to his little team.

We are going to have the most intense family competition and it all starts Thursday.  64 teams.  Only one winner.  Basketball.  Lots of it. You get to fill out a bracket and pick which teams you think will win. The person with the most correct picks in the end gets to choose where we go out for dinner.  Are you in?  Can you handle it?

I began asking the kids where they would want to go for dinner if they won.  My daughter was unsure at first.  My son confidently and loudly replied, “Maggianos!”

After another moment of thought, Sweet Girl had her dinner selection.  “I want to go to . . . Akershus.”  Well, if you’re not sure what she is talking about (or even what language she is speaking), she is talking about the dining with the Princesses at the Royal Banquet Hall . . . in Epcot’s Norway . . . in Disney World . . . in Florida . . . a very expensive flight away.

(I think I dreamed last night of trying to find a cheap way to get her to Akershus, staying only one night at Disney World, finding super inexpensive air…)

In the end, she decided on Denny’s.  My kids are enthralled with the fact that they are open 24 hours a day.

March Madness Fun for the Whole Family:

If you would like to start a family bracket, watch the games together and discover who is best at picking the winning teams, head over to ESPN or CBS Sports.

You can fill out a bracket alone.  But if you want one of the sites to determine your family’s points for you, go to their page to start a group.  You will need to create an account and have an email address for each person in your family.

Next, determine a fun prize for the person with the most points.  Then, enjoy the games!  I will be making some yummy snacks and treats on game nights.  But most of all, I am looking forward to having family fun together with something that my husband loves.

 Happy March Madness!