family nights with my babies

I have an older brother and when we were little, we had “family night” one night a week. Many of my childhood memories come from these nights. My parents would take turns with each kid every week so my brother and I got quality alone time with each parent, without the other sibling around. We’d switch the activity each week, too–so one week we’d stay in and play board games or make a craft and the next week we’d go out to an arcade or mini-putting or our “special place.”

I really want to continue that with my own kids and now that Rebecca is here, I think it’s a great time to start! You can certainly tell when Ryan doesn’t feel he’s getting enough attention and when we’re able to tend to each child, everyone is much happier! I definitely need some more alone time with Ryan and Steve needs more alone time with Rebecca…. even if she can’t play board games yet šŸ˜‰

So here are my family night ideas:

~baking a special treat together (Ryan loves to help in the kitchen)
~board games
~craft time
~popcorn and movie night (cuddle time!)
~park or jungle gym/children’s museum type place
~reading our favorite books
~to the ice cream shop!
~going for a walk
~local sports game

Some of those ideas are so simple, but would mean everything to a child. Like I said, those little trips or quiet times with a book, alone with one of my parents, are some of my best memories! I want my kids to have those memories, too <3

And speaking of movie nights–we just had one! I got the new Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3 movie (the Blu-ray combo pack is now out, Sept 18th!) I haven’t seen the first movies so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Ryan saw the DVD cover and shouted, “Look at all those guys!” If you weren’t aware, my son calls EVERYTHING a “guy.” But anyway, he was excited about all the dogs!

beverly hills chihuahua

First of all, you can’t mistake the voice of Papi. George Lopez does a great job! Papi, Chloe, and their 5 little pups move into the Beverly Hills hotel with their owners. Chloe is the new face of the hotel’s ads! They all run into some issues, like when Rosa, their littlest pup, doesn’t want to go to “school” because it’s no fun when you’re small (hey, I can relate, I’m only 5′ 1.5″ lol). They go out of their way to make her feel extra special and they throw her a big fiesta! Complete with a band (and some awesome try-outs).

I totally thought this would just be a movie for Ryan, but I’ll admit I laughed out loud, too. I’m an animal lover and it was just too cute! Props to the animal trainers and those dogs! There are some sweet moments, too, and lots of great messages for kids–like working together, overcoming obstacles, and believing in yourself.

The movie was funny and cute, I’d watch it again, and Ryan enjoyed it (which says a lot for a 2.5 year old). But my favorite part was cuddling on the couch with my best boy and getting some quality time together <3

Oh and I can’t forget the bonus DVD! There was a music video (that Ryan has played over.and.over.and.over lol) and cute behind the scenes stuff, “Hanging with Papi!”

You can buy this for yourself HERE <–there are games there, too. I may or may not have just been distracted for 15 minutes playing the Peanut Butter Challenge.

And don’t miss the TWITTER PARTY! It’s Tuesday, Sept 18th, from 7-8pm EST. Follow #PapiSpeaks andĀ @socialmoms! There will be lots of prizes including Amazon gift cards and, of course, this movie! Go HERE to RSVP and get more details. See ya there! And don’t forget to like them on facebook:

What was your last movie night? Anything I should add to my “family night” activity list?

I was compensated for writing this blog post while participatingĀ in the SocialMoms and Disney blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic,Ā click here.

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