One Woman's Trash is Another Woman's Treasure:  Hosting a Mom's Trading Night by Kimberly Danger

If you’re a mom, chances are you have some junk laying around your house. With kids also comes the constant influx of toys, clothes, and knick-knacks that are used momentarily and cast aside never to be seen again. Hosting a Trading Night is a fun way to get together with other moms (sans children) and also to clear your closet of unwanted items. There is a fun way to divvy up the treasures, and everyone goes home with something new and fun.

Here’s How It Works:
Invite anywhere from 8-15 of your friends to come. The ideal number is around 10. Too few people and there isn‘t enough ‘stuff‘ to choose from; too many and the game takes too long. Instruct each person to bring FIVE individual items or bundles of items that they no longer want, but that someone else might find useful. Suggested items are: gently used kids' clothing, a cookbook, newer fiction/parenting books, a bundle of recent magazines, home decor items, unwanted VHS/DVD/CDs, toys, etc. You get the picture. Everyone must bring EXACTLY five items/bundles in order for this to work. To make things even easier, have moms bring an appetizer to share and also the beverage of their choice.

Here’s The Game:
You’ll Need: 6 Dice, an egg-timer or other timekeeping device

1. Pile all of the trading items on the center of the table

2. Guests take turns shaking all six of the dice. The goal is to get three of a kind or more. If the player doesn’t get at least three of a kind, the dice move to the next player. When someone gets magic number, she selects an item from the trading table (or makes a steal) and play moves to the next player. Play continues until all of the items have been distributed.

3. Making a steal: A player may ‘steal’ an item from another player. The player from whom the item was stolen then chooses another item from the trading table and play moves on. Once an item is ‘stolen’ three times it is declared out of play and may not be stolen again.

4. Once all the items have been distributed, the game moves on to the trade portion. Set the timer for 5-10 minutes (whatever you determine). Each player may roll for the chance to make a trade, or can pass if she likes what she has. If she rolls the dice and get three of a kind or better, she MUST trade with someone. She picks one item from another player, and they get to select an item of hers.