We have a weekly family movie night here with the kids. It’s a tradition we started several months ago… and one we hope to continue until they’re long into high school or college. (Hey, I’m optimistic, OK?)
My husband and I are huge movie fans and it’s so much fun to share that love with the kids.
But most importantly, it just gives us a perfect excuse for a relaxed evening together as a family. And it’s one we look forward to every single week.
This month it’s been especially important for us to remember to slow down from all the usual holiday hustle and bustle and just relax together for some quality family time.
Our weekly movie nights are almost always paired with something easy, because who wants to be relegated to the kitchen during family fun night? (Not I, said Mom. Not I, said Dad.) And so we instituted an easy dinner rule. One that involves little to no preparation and virtually no clean-up. This usually ends up being a pizza picnic in the living room as we watch a kid-friendly flick.
But this week we decided to try something a little different. We picked up a family size lasagna from Stouffer’s, along with some delicious Texas Toast garlic bread. And since there was a little peelie coupon on the specially-marked Ice Age packages of Stouffer’s family-size lasagna, we were able to pick up a stand-up bag of candy from Nestle as a special treat during the movie. With the coupon, we got the candy for free! Woot! Check out our full shopping trip here.
We grabbed all the makings for a fun, family dinner and a movie.
Since Ice Age: Continental Drift just hit the shelves last week, we knew that would be our movie of choice. We saw it with the kids in the theater and they loved it. They’d be so excited to watch it again at home.
To be honest, I wasn’t totally sure how the lasagna would go over with the kids. They’ve only recently been introduced to anything with tomato sauce (welcome to my world, friends) and they’ve only tried lasagna (3 bites, to be exact) once before.
What happened when we served the five-cheese lasagna from Stouffers? Well, they ate EVERY bite. Every last bite on their plates, people! My husband and I watched in amazement. I had a feeling that the garlic bread from New York Texas Toast would be a hit and it definitely was. Dinner was a total success! And the family size lasagna was large enough that it fed all four of us, with leftovers to spare. That’s a win anytime, but especially during the busy week before Christmas!
As we settled in for one of our favorite flicks from this summer, Ice Age Continental Drift, we surprised the kids with the Nestle candy to snack on.
This was the perfect, quiet prelude to what’s sure to be a couple weeks of busy (but fun!) family gatherings with the entire extended family.
Be sure to follow Manny, Diego, Sid, Scrat and the rest of the gang on their crazy adventures over on Twitter and Facebook.
Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and NESTLE #CBias #SocialFabric As always, all opinions are my own.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
YUM to the lasagna! I need to try the family size option! What a fun movie night, I am hoping too I can get it to last through high school, haha!
I don’t think we’re wrong to expect that our high schoolers will someday still want our family movie night, right? Ha ha!
Oh, yum! Being pregnant I am taking this holiday season a little slower and easier. My kids are dying to see Ice Age, too! Sounds like the perfect family evening for any time of year. Thanks for sharing.
Ice Age 4 was fun… all their favorite characters *and* pirates!
I think Stouffers is actually a really great way to usher them into the world of lasagna, and your little movie set-up makes me want to watch too!
Next time we’ll invite you over!
You’re right… it was so exciting to see them gobble up every last bite of something new. Thumbs up to Stouffers!
What a fun way to relax at home!
Definitely our favorite way to relax together.
What a delicious and fun evening! I love that last picture, it’s such a neat angle with your tree and everyone, even the dog, watching the movie. It really captures the moment.
Thanks, Tesa! Our dog was especially enthralled with Scrat. Squirrel! (Kidding!)
Sounds like a wonderful evening with family, great food, and a fun movie!
It was a great time. Maybe weekly movie nights should turn into twice-weekly movie nights. Hmm… I might be on to something there. Thanks for stopping by!
My girls loved this movie! Seems like you had a great family night!
Yay!!! I love when they like new foods
And we loved that movie!