Family Entertainment on a Budget

We, as so many, are trying to cut back costs everywhere possible. We have cut out as many “luxuries” as possible and accounted for almost every penny that goes out. Have we given up everything from morning lattes to dry cleaning. One area we haven’t sacrificed is our addiction to good movies. Do we buy them? Not anymore. Do we go to the movies? No, on that one too. However, we have become totally enamoured with Netflix . One reason? We don’t have to get organized enough to get the movie back on time - instead we just mail it in when we are done (even if it takes us weeks to get it back). Another reason? For just over ten dollars a month we can watch as many movies as we like, and now Netflix offers a “watch instantly” feature, which means you now have the choice of watching over 10,000 movies on your computer with the click of a button. Now that is what we call bang for the buck.

Happy Father’s Day Dad!

John Adams once said “A desire to be observed, considered, esteemed, praised, beloved, and admired by his fellows is one of the earliest as well as the keenest dispositions discovered in the heart of man. ” Well dad, you are one man that is truly observed, considered, esteemed, praised, beloved and admired by your family and by so many others. Thank you for being such a wonderful model for us all, we hope you enjoy watching a bit about this other model, John Adams. Happy Father’s Day! We love you so much!!!!

Trading a Panda for a Picnic

In our family, we still find it hard to make it to a weekend family movie. Usually what happens is that if something good comes out, we simply wait for it to be released on DVD. And this Father’s Day weekend is no different. With lots of families going to the theater to escape the heat, we are going to give the cinema a miss and instead bond with dad over a nice indoor picnic. However, I was pleased to see that the number #1 in America right now is a kids movie, “Kung Fu Panda,” and it will one that we add to our Blockbuster queue, because we were surprised to see such a glowing review of it from the NY Times.

Fun in the Sun

So June is here (eek) and summer is upon us. Mom’s Favorite has drawn up a list of “must haves” for mom and family to survive the summer and have fun in the sun.

5. Outdoor toys & games

Here are some of Mom’s Favorite outdoor toys, to help burn away some of the hours of those long summer days.

4. Cool clothes & shoes (literally)

These cool slip-on shoes from Robeez have saved us time, hassle, and hot little feet!

3. Water, water, water

Make sure the whole family stays hydrated with water (yes - right from the tap).

2. Hats & Sunglasses

We get a ton of our summer gear from the Gap because they are reasonable, durable, and reliable.

1. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen - for the
whole family!

Some of Mom’s Favorite products include Clinique’s City Block, Murad’s face protection, Coppertone products, and don’t forget the SPF for lips too! Right now you can even get Clinique’s City Block on a Chain!

“Reel Meals”

This mom’s favorite thing to do is stay in for dinner and a movie - and now even NBC has caught on to this. This morning they featured a new chef from the Food Network’s new show “Chic and Easy” - I did think that the pasta and popcorn ideas were reasonable and quick *but definetly needed a bit more veggies.* If you opted for the pasta one night and then the popcorn another you might strike the balance just a bit more. As always let us know your mom’s favorite ideas for “reel meals.”

Saturday Morning Cartoons

I grew up loving Saturdays because I was allowed to watch cartoons in the morning. Nowadays cartoons are on 24/7 and many of them seem to be geared towards adults, not children. So if we do turn the tv on to watch cartoons we always check PBS first. This mom, like so many others, loves PBS, and it is my favorite channel. If no cartoons are on, we simply pop one in the DVD player that we bought directly from PBS.

Inspiration by Subscription

Today I started thinking about the summer (okay, I know it is not here yet!) and I realized that I might need a little bit of inspiration to help fill those long lovely summer days. So I was going to pick up a copy of a popular parenting magazine until I realized that for a few dollars more I could subscribe to this magazine, or another, for the whole year! Call it a late Mother’s Day Gift, but my magazine is now on its way and will be for the next twelve months.

Family Movie Time

Movies

Of course, with a growing family we find ourselves staying in a lot! We love Blockbuster Total Access! This online service has provided my husband and I many “date nights” and “family nights.” One feature we love with Blockbuster Total Accessis the ability to either just pop movies back in the mail at no cost or swap movies that you receive in the mail with those in your local store at no charge. Now that is a deal!

If we do go to a movie theater we look for the first showing (which is usually uncrowded) and we also have found a few “mommy and me” cinemas, which sponsor an early morning showing of films for parents and babies or toddlers.