FTC Disclosure: As an ambassador for Central Arkansas McDonald’s, I receive compensation for posts that mention McDonald’s. However, I always share my genuine thoughts with you guys and have no plans to change that. 🙂
The older Christian gets, the more I want to make sure I am helping to create good memories for him. I am also becoming more and more focused on establishing fun and meaningful traditions. With those two goals in mind, I’ve decided to have at least one day each month set aside as a “Family Fun Day”.
Our Family Fun Days generally consist of food and (of course) fun.
For food, one of our go-to spots is McDonald’s. It’s quick, tasty, and affordable. But, more than that, Christian loves it and gets excited every single time we go. Between the Happy Meals and the Play Place, he thinks it is pretty awesome.
Here is Christian having fun during one of our McDonald’s playdates.
He almost always gets a cheeseburger Happy Meal, though he will sometimes go for Chicken McNuggets instead. I get whatever is calling my name that day. Some days I want something light and healthy, so I grab a salad. Other days, I want something indulgent, so I grab a Grand Mac. I also really love their chicken sandwiches, whether they are grilled or crispy. We also both love their shakes, smoothies, sundaes, and the McFlurry. On Family Fun Day, I let him get whatever sweet treat he wants.
This time he got a Cheeseburger Happy Meal, while I opted for the Crispy Chicken Maple Bacon Dijon sandwich on an artisan roll. So good! We also got Shamrock Shakes to go. As you can see, he was pretty dang pleased. If you will allow me to be cheesy for a second, I think he puts the “happy” in Happy Meal. *ba dum ching*
This past Thursday, we had a mini Family Fun Day. I say “mini” because it didn’t start until 7pm. At 7, we were standing in line for the Rhea Lana Half Price early bird sale. Rhea Lana is an amazing children’s consignment sale that we attend twice a year. Once in Spring and once in Fall. I use it to stock up on clothes, books, shoes, and sometimes toys/games for Christian. The prices are generally unbeatable – especially during the half-price sale, which is my favorite part.
Usually, I try to leave Christian home so I can shop, but this time I brought him with me so that he could have some say in the clothes I bought. I have to say, he is an easy person to please in that sense. He is super picky when it comes to food. With clothes, not so much! The t hings he did insist on, though, were any shirts that had Minions, Mario, or superheroes on them. I love that he is still such a kid! We even scored this cool McDonald’s tie. How random is that? It’s like someone left it there just for us. 😊
After paying for our Rhea Lana haul (man, I LOVE saving money), we headed to the next part of our Family Fun Day- an early screening of Beauty & the Beast. We were both super excited about it! It has always been one of my favorite Disney movies. As a lover of books, I could really relate to Belle. I STILL think that the Beast’s library is a life goal, lol! (I laugh, but I’m dead serious – I want that library, yall). Christian also loves the original. We have it on VHS. (Yes, we still watch things on the VCR- kicking it old school style).
I really loved the movie! They did a wonderful job of translating the cartoon into a live-action feature without losing the whimsy. They also added some very touching elements to both main characters’ back stories. So touching, in fact, that Christian cried…twice. And not “tears-slowly-rolling-down-the-face” crying. I’m talking full-on sobbing. He is his mother’s child, lol. But that’s how you know he was invested in what was going on and that the acting was believable. I also loved that the cast was so diverse. Overall, I will definitely buy the movie when it comes out on DVD. That’s the highest praise that I can give. 😊
After the movie ended, we went straight home and went to bed because we have homeschool co-op from 11-3 on Fridays and we needed to get some rest before then. Ironically enough, we were actually on time that week. If you know us, you know that is a major achievement. I feel like people should have clapped when we walked in. Lol!
I’m looking forward to our next Family Fun Day. It’s actually coming up really soon! On April 1st, we will be attending the second annual Springfest in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is a free, family fun event that is being hosted right on the banks of the Arkansas River in downtown Little Rock. There will be activities for kids, food trucks, arts and crafts, a dog parade, and more. I haven’t yet decided if we will bring Luna Lovegood (our black Labrador) with us. She’s never made a long trip in the car before and we live about an hour away.
McDonald’s is one of the sponsors. They will have a tent set up and will be handing out free McDonald’s swag. Ronald McDonald will be there to take pictures with the kids (Christian thinks Ronald is the best, so he is excited about that). They will also have a McDonald’s food truck that will be giving out free samples of their smoothies.
If you’re going to be in the area on April 1st, put this event on your calendar. It will be lots of fun! Maybe we’ll run into each other. If you see us, be sure to say hi! And don’t forget to stop by the McDonald’s tent and food truck for some free goodies! Click here to learn more about the second annual Springfest.
Let’s chat!
What is your favorite family fun day activity? Let me know in the comments below.
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