Family Fun Night Revived

Famliy fun night, ah yes disney movies, pizza and or McD's on a friday night. Here's the deal. I got a new job last year after getting layed off due to budget cuts in the Xerox corporation, the new job was a minor miracle in the biggest economic crash and burn since the great depression. That said the only shift availble at the time was 2nd shift. It sucks!!! I've got two grade school children and I have been forced into being a weekend parent just by my work schedule. Of course i can see them for a rushed hour before the get on the bus but otherwise its saturday and sunday. So friday family fun night got boxed up and put away. My husband is able to be home with the kids since after school but after a year of over compensating by taking the kids to movies and taking turns with my kids for some mom kid time. But I stilled wanted to spend more time as a family.

Now, I love to cook and bake I even do the occational cake for family and friends including a few weddings. I'm not afraid to try new things but the kids and my dear hubby are a bit more fussy. No peppers, no onion and forget this I love like squash and steamed broccoli. I decided a couple of weeks ago that we as a family are changing family fun night to saturdays with a new twist

Every weekend we are having a themed dinner party for just us 4. We started two weeks ago with Scandinavian heriatge night of Lefse and riced potatoes with meatballs. Its an old family tradition. Bye the bye we have a real woodfire cook stove in the kitchen of our 1880's farmhouse that's been in my DH's family since his how ever many greats grandfather came here from Norway. We make lefsa on the woodstove in great big sheets. Incase someone actually reads this blog lefsa is sort of like a tortillia, only made with potatoes. My son hates potatoes, but loves lefsa go figure kids tastes are weird.

Last weekend we a fantastic Harry Potter dinner party, I'll post pics tomorrow, we had Snake Stromboli, Jelly (from book 1 the Sorcer's Stone in the book the welcome feast includes Jelly known to us yanks as jello) we made bat droppings (pretzel bites dipped in chocolate) We dressed in costume my 10 yr old son makes a great harry potter with his dark hair, green eyes, and glasses. My daughter was of course Hermoine and they had costume wands. The had 'magic' duals and played one of our Hogwarts games.

I had a HP collection mania a couple of years ago and aquired several toys, action figures and other assorted toys so for decoration we used stuff we already had including a Trevor the frog, Norbert the Dragon, The Burrow (the Weasly home), and a Hogwarts castle with the magic trio, Hagrid, and of coure Dumbledore. Even though I had a bitch of cold that day we all had fun and Harry Potter night was a resounding success. Next up Super Bowl Sunday! Football Cookies, Jello Helmets and touchdown pickle rolls. I have die hard football fan in my son he even did his homework with out the obligitory whineing. The weekend is off to a pretty good start! Next week it's France night, but I think we will avoid any snails. ewww!