Family hang: a guide to a last-minute get together with adults and kids that isn’t boring

By Jennifer Brandt Heilbron

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With three boys ranging in age from 8 to 18 (who play baseball around the clock) it’s become crystal clear that our social life centers around them. After a long day at the field, we almost always find ourselves saying to a teammates’ parents, “What are you guys up to?” Which is essentially code for: "We have no life, and clearly neither do you. What do you say we merge our unhinged and Yeti-cooler’d-out worlds, and get together for dinner at one of our houses… who has wine?”

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As the Lady in Chief of bleachers-based moms, the last-minute family hang is old hat to me now. Here are my top tips for hosting multiple families—straight from a day at a dusty field—that won’t stress you out, break the bank, or leave a mess (worse than the one your family created before you left for said dusty field).

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1. Make delivery services your friend

Someday my kids are going to ask, “What was the thing you enjoyed the most while watching our games?” And I will tell them the honest truth, “Sure, your home run was great, but using lulls in the game to place my grocery orders was what kept me alive.” Truly, I take great pride in my multitasking skills, and one of the ways I can actually attend just about all of my kids’ various games is that I outsource! And sometimes, I outsource WHILE I’m at the game! If I know that we have a family coming over immediately after a game, I make sure that everything we need is at my door and ready to go when we walk in. 

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2. Keep it simple

These last minute hangs are not the time to remember you have 4 lbs of frozen chicken breasts that you can defrost and turn into a taco bar. Tonight is all about delivery city. Keep it simple with food that will feed famished kids and exhausted parents. Think one size fits all food like pizza or BBQ - restaurants that offer family size options are great. If you insist on cooking, have simple things like bags of pasta and pre-cooked meatballs that just need a quick reheat ready. I also like to keep popsicles or ice cream sandwiches handy for times when the kids have friends over and I don’t feel like making each and every one their own ice cream bowl. Popsicles or any individually wrapped dessert makes clean up easy. Speaking of which….

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3. Paper plates + plastic cups

Listen, busy weekends require disposable items. In an effort to make my life easy, I invest in bulk items that are also biodegradable, so I feel less guilty about plastic cups and plates getting tossed left and right. Also, is it weird that I think the bamboo disposable paper plates look chic? Don’t answer that.

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4. Roblox and Rummikub

I believe that screen time and video games are entirely an individual choice for each parent, and can evolve and change depending on circumstances. For instance, we are a no device/tablet family (for the kids, not us. We’re addicted…) during the week. But on the weekends and especially when we have these last minute get-togethers, we do allow for video games—on the condition that it’s something EVERYONE can play. We don’t want anyone to feel left out and we certainly don’t want kids buried on a tablet. If video games are not your jam, come up with a fun movie that you can throw on for all the kids while the adults play a game in the other room like Rummikub (my personal favorite).

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5. Travel with clothes to change into

You? You’ll be coming from the field and be a hot mess. Your kids? They’ll be sweaty and dirty. I always feel bad heading to someone’s house post game with my kids in dusty baseball pants. Because I never know where we might end up, I usually pack a bag with a change of clothes for my kids, and sometimes pajamas so we can go straight home and into bed after the hang. I always bring Crocs or Uggs, so they don’t trek their muddy cleats into someone’s house. Also, I like to throw in a bathing suit, in case we go somewhere where there is a pool or hot tub. Speaking of which…

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7. Get the pool toys out

I live in Los Angeles, so winter doesn’t exist. If you live in a warmer climate like me, pools are a great way to keep the kids entertained (and bathed?) after a long game. If you’re in a colder climate, consider indoor games like a non-beer pong that can be played on a large table (or if you like chaos, indoor hide and seek). But if you’re at my house, my room, closet, office, kitchen, and basically everywhere is off limits. Aren’t I fun?!

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What I’ve realized over the years is that sometimes the best memories come from those unplanned, impromptu, and unexpected moments… The kind that aren’t perfectly curated and researched to the tee (I like to save those “make everyone crazy with my perfectionism” moments for family vacations). When you have an opportunity to lean into your village and take a deep, collective sigh with your parental counterparts, life is a little easier and fun, baseball dust and all. 

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Jennifer Brandt Heilbron is a Los Angeles-based writer, comedian, and "that mom" that screams too loudly at the baseball field. Jennifer lives in a frat house with her husband, three sons, and her (also) male labradoodle Willie.