Family Friday- Movie Night!!

If I can keep from taking my kids to the movies, I do.  I hate sitting in a movie theater.  Like seriously HATE it!!   Why do I want to over pay to sit in a seat that 1,000 other people have sat in?  God knows what they did in that seat!! (I might be a slight germophobe.)  I can't sit still for that long and worst of all- I HATE LISTENING TO PEOPLE EAT!!  Especially popcorn. It seems like any movie I go to has the guy that just won the "Loudest Eater Award."  So there's really no point in going to the movies with me. 
But I do enjoy a good family movie night.  My favorite time is around the holidays.  We have the fire place roaring, surround sound is booming and we have no where to be the next day.  With the kids getting older, our movie night doesn't have to be a cartoon.  It can actually be something we all might enjoy.  I think the kids get more excited about a movie at home than they do if we take them to the theatre.  It doesn't take much to make us happy.  Here's some tips to make your family movie night a great one!

1.  Break the Rules!  Cook dinner just as you usually would.  But instead of eating at the table, create a nice little dining area on the coffee table where you will be watching the movie.  Make sure your dinner is movie night friendly.  We do soups if it is cold.  If the weather is warmer, we do nachos, quesadillas, hamburgers.  Usually something that does not require silverware.  Bring plenty of napkins or paper towels.  Then you can either pause the movie or wait until the end to put away the dishes.

2.  Close the curtains and lower the lights to give that movie theater feel.  We usually leave a couple of small lamps on if we are having dinner and a movie.  The kids love when I turn off all the lights and close the curtains.

3.  If you have surround sound, use it!  Don't just utilize it during sporting events.  That will achieve the movie theatre feel even more.

4.  Keep candy and snacks close by.  Just recently I moved a cabinet (that used to be our old kitchen island) into our living room.  My next trip to Costco will include buying candy bars and other movie snacks to stock that cabinet.  Keeping snacks in close reach will allow us to not miss a moment of the movie.  Buy a small popcorn machine to stash in the corner for quick refills of the popcorn bucket.

Most of these seem pretty obvious but I am sure I am missing something too.  The point of movie night is to keep it casual and comfortable.  You've all had a long week and deserve some family time.

Hugs y'all,
Melissa

Fun Friday- Spring Break Fun

 

Snow's on the ground here but spring break is just around the corner.  Kids will be out for a week.  Most are sure to utter the words "I'm bored" by Tuesday afternoon.  Video games and TV can only keep them entertained for so long.  I don't know about you but, I am not too crazy about my kids playing video games all day.  I also know my son is not someone who is known for his cleaning and organizing skills.  He's 8 and a pack rat!  No mom I know wants to spend all week cleaning and organizing with her kids home.  I've come up with a few ideas to keep your little ones busy during their spring break.

1.  Petting zoos: Perfect for getting kiddos out of the house.  Educational and fun is a great mix.  Last spring break we took our kids to the East Texas Gator Farm.  Obviously, not all of it is a petting zoo.  They have lizards and snakes inside that the visitors can handle.  There was even a young alligator people could hold.  

2.  Movies:  I know they are pricey by the time you buy tickets and food.  But you could have same experience at home.  Buy movie theater candy and popcorn at the dollar store, shut the curtains & kick back on the couch.  Boom!  Instant movie experience.  My kids love to do that.  If you are feeling retro, check a drive-in movie theater.  

3.  Board Game Day:  Pull those old games that are collecting dust.  Have each child pick their favorite game.  Everyone gets to choose a game which cuts down on the arguing.  Or teach your kids how to play game.  Maybe your little one have never played memory or go fish.  Maybe the big kids have never played Monopoly or Scrabble.  

4.  Themed Days: Give each day a theme.  For example, have an ocean day.  Have fish sticks for lunch or goldfish crackers for a snack.  Read a book about ocean animals.  Make an ocean craft.  Another fun idea is make your theme a book like "Brown Bear, Brown Bear."  Eat bear shaped cookies for snack; make a craft.  Talk about where each of the animal might live.  For older kids, use countries as your theme.  If you chose Italy, eat Italian food for lunch/dinner.  Learn some simple words or saying in Italian.  Have your kids do a mini research project and find one fun fact about the country so they can teach the family over dinner.

5.  Parks, libraries or museums:  Some are free; some are not.  But it gets the kids out of the house!

Most importantly, make memories with your little ones.  They won't be little for long!

Hugs y'all,

Melissa- The Lone Star Ginger