My girls know that Sundays are football days. Our Sundays typically involve grocery shopping, cleaning and laundry, cooking, and, of course, watching football, often with good friends by our side.
However, now with COVID, our Sundays look a little bit different. Instead of spending two hours at the grocery store in the morning, I usually stock up on groceries using Stop & Shop’s pickup service {GENIUS whoever came up with this}, I add masks to our laundry pile, and we hunker down in our cozy house to watch the games with just our family of five and Homegate {tailgating at home}.
Although it’s different, there are a lot of silver linings – I never have to step foot in a grocery store and waste two hours of a family day on shopping, and we get to experience the fun of game day in the comforts of our own home.
Have you ever “Homegated?” To be honest, homegating is OUR JAM. We are homebodies by nature, so this COVID version of tailgating is right up our alley.
I heard of homegating through a partnership that P&G has this year with Stop & Shop, former New England Patriot Troy Brown, and local chef Tiffani Faison to help enhance fans “homegating” experiences through pre-game prep, post-game cleanup, and the fun during the game {get Homegating tips here, including recipes to game day snacks from Chef Tiffani}. 
With the Big Game coming up, I’ve been thinking about how we will make the celebration extra special at home for us and our kids. Here are some ways that I will prep for the Big Game:
- Pick up my Stop & Shop pickup order with all the game day essentials for cooking and clean up {without ever leaving my car}
- Cook a batch of our favorite chili with my girls’ help
- Bake a batch of cupcakes
- Make BINGO cards with football terms and things we may see during the commercials to play during the Big Game {keeps everyone interested and alert to find the items on their cards}
After all of this prep, my kitchen will probably look like a tornado came through and someone will inevitably spill chili on their Vikings jersey, so we’ll spend part of the Big Game doing clean up. With 3 kids, I try to keep a stock of P&G products on hand so that cleanup, especially on game day, is easy. In my arsenal to help with cleanup this year, I picked up Tide free & gentle laundry pods {I love the free & gentle because it doesn’t irritate my infant’s skin}, Cascade dishwasher pods, and Dawn dish spray.
In the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to get my girls involved in helping with cleanup, so I will enlist them to help me load the dishwasher, clean the pots and pans, and put laundry in the washer. Here’s a pro tip that I learned about cleanup from Westchester County Mom owner, Michelle, that I can’t live without now: wear gloves when you wash dishes. Trust me, once you start wearing gloves, you’ll never be able to stop. I dare say that I now enjoy washing dishes!
One of my favorite parts of doing online orders for pickup is that you can shop the sales easier than when you’re in the store. If you’re looking to stock up for the Big Game and want to save a few bucks, Stop & Shop is currently running a “Buy $20, Get Free Pickup, Buy $30, Get Free Delivery” online promotion (from 01/22/21 – 02/08/21) to help you prepare.
One of my favorite parts of doing online orders for pickup is that you can shop the sales easier than when you’re in the store. If you’re looking to stock up for the Big Game and want to save a few bucks, Stop & Shop is currently running a “Buy $20, Get Free Pickup, Buy $30, Get Free Delivery” online promotion (from 01/22/21 – 02/08/21) to help you prepare.To grab this offer, you must make a valid purchase in one transaction online from Stop & Shop and once you make a purchase, the discount will be applied automatically at check out.
Even though this year the Big Game can’t be celebrated with friends, I hope you have fun Homegating with your family. Involve your kids in all the game day prep and cleanup, get creative, and enjoy the moment!
