Family Themed Parties: Harry Potter
Our family, similar to many after the pandemic, tends to stay inside more than venturing out. We work from home, one of our children does schooling from home and now we’ve fallen into the area of Summer Vacation. Where the kids are always home 100% of the time.
Since we don’t have the ability, or the funds, to take family outings every weekend. We decided to start something fun for the kids each Saturday that we could do from the comfort of our own home.
Family parties seem to be the answer. This is not a time where we are inviting everyone we know within our bloodline to our home or anything like that. It’s a day where all of us get together and bond over creating fun snacks, dinner, decorations and choosing themes. Everyone gets to play a part in some way, and we get to have a good time while doing it.
This week, we choose a Harry Potter Themed party. The kids were over the moon for this idea and couldn’t wait to get started. Let's go over what everyone did to contribute to the evening:
Derrek made our family dinner: Due to our hectic schedules, we are unable to eat together as a family for every meal at the dinner table. Saturdays are our days to do this and connect as a family. The choice for this particular dinner was Slytherin Spaghetti! It was a crowd pleaser.
The two older boys did the decorating: Our living room has a couch that has
interchangeable parts. This makes it easy for us to set up a theater-like space in the living room for the family. The boys found all of the Harry Potter blankets (and some other favorite blankets) to go into the living room. They set up the tables so that everyone had a place to put drinks and grab snacks.
Lillian and I created the desserts: Lillian was so excited to create the spooky cookies all on her own! This was a big step for the 6-year-old in the kitchen and she’s already talking about what she wants to make for the next party.
Because I am gluten intolerant, all of the scrumptious snack foods we created were gluten free.
When everything was completed and it was time to start the movie, you can see the big smiles in this photo below.
This was the best part of the whole event for me and Derrek. Our little ones all smiling and preparing for a fun themed movie night with us.
It’s amazing how something that was a mere cost of only $20 ended up being such an entertaining experience for them.
The following day, we went around the house and asked each person (including me) what they would like to have for a theme party next. Here were the results:
Derrek: Small Soldiers (Memorial Day)
Samuel: Mario
Hunter: Lord of the Rings
Lillian: Inside out
Leo: Bluey
Kayla: George of the Jungle
Which one would you choose?
Making memories with your family does not need to be expensive and stressful. It can be a collective process from start to finish where you all can come together to create lasting memories. If you’re looking for connections like this while you’re at home, sit with your family and talk about what all of you would enjoy and make a plan. You may be surprised at what you can do.
🧡Shine Bright, Kayla