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MNHQ

Talk to Cadbury’s about your family nights in and you could win a £200 Love2Shop voucher NOW CLOSED

599 replies

AngelieMumsnet · 02/10/2015 09:32

Cadbury’s Marvellous Smashables have asked us to find out how you get the whole family together for a cosy night in.

Here’s what they say, "New Cadbury’s Marvellous Smashables are a fun way for all the family to get involved, so we’d love to hear from Mumsnetters about how they encourage the whole family to enjoy a family night in."

So, what do you do to ensure your busy family spends time together? Do you make sure everyone's favourite meal - or dessert - is on the menu? Perhaps there's a TV show that's guaranteed to gather you all in one place? Or do you use more direct tactics like bribery?! Maybe you cut off supply to the wifi or have made the lounge or kitchen an irresistably cosy place to congregate?

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 Love2Shop voucher!

Thanks
MNHQ

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Talk to Cadbury’s about your family nights in and you could win a £200 Love2Shop voucher NOW CLOSED
OP posts:
bigsnugglebunny · 08/10/2015 18:14

We snuggle up, pj's on - quilts down from the bedrooms and watch films. Usually a mix of old Disney, superhero films and classics like Back to the Future or Indianna Jones. We tend to nibble cheese, crackers, grapes, popcorn or choccie - depending on the mood.

asuwere · 08/10/2015 18:18

My DC love a movie night, curtains closed, lights off, pj's on, usually a big blanket. Either fresh popcorn or a slushy each :)

tracy68 · 08/10/2015 18:18

promises of a little buffet with all their favourites then dish of chocolate whilst watching a movie. Usually a Disney for me and the youngest and Horror for the oldest with their dad

melissa198430 · 08/10/2015 18:24

Ours is every Friday DVD and takeaway nights always followed by chocolate!..we all love Friday night's always a great start to the weekend!! Smile

Loula117 · 08/10/2015 18:25

We like to have a 'family' programme which we all watch together, much as we did when I was a little girl, as I have fond memories of watching 'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe' and similar programmes on a Sunday evening with my sister and parents. We had been watching 'Atlantis' and were quite upset when it got cancelled, and recently GBBO has been our choice. Dinner is early, pyjamas are put on and Cadbury's Wispa hot chocolate is made. We used to eat homemade pizza on the sofas, but finally getting new ones has put paid to that!

ChippyMinton · 08/10/2015 18:29

Most Sunday nights find us rounding up family and any waifs and strays in need of a roast dinner round the table. The more the merrier! Then we gravitate to the comfy chairs to watch Countryfile or the Strictly results and share a favourite pudding such as trifle or apple pie & custard.

Avebury · 08/10/2015 18:34

Board games nights - no phones allowed!

Sariward · 08/10/2015 18:35

Sofa time! TV programme on that everyone likes/wants to watch. Pjs on. Sweets and chocolates. Lots of fun chat. Copious cups of tea.

Tiredstressed · 08/10/2015 18:40

At the moment, a perfect night in is where the toddler is fast asleep in her cot, the baby is finally full and asleep in his Moses basket and DH and I get to have some tasty dinner in front of the television. Not a wild life but with two children under 2, a bit of peace is all we can hope for!

startover · 08/10/2015 18:40

At the weekend always like to get the family together for one night let them choose a favourite takeaway , which can cause much debate amongst teenagers !! Then all get pjs or onesies on and watch something on tv together or choose a film we can all agree on . Then later might have popcorn and snacks the problem is teenagers always want to stay up later then me

tishfish · 08/10/2015 18:42

We call it a 'family film night' bribe our older child off the computer with a chocolate treat and choose a film we all like, current favourites are Percy Jackson and sea of monsters or Harry Potter.

glenthebattleostrich · 08/10/2015 18:47

We play board games on a Sunday afternoon. We have cheese, biscuits and sweets.

Sometimes we do a movie afternoon with popcorn, fizzy drinks and a blanket on the sofa.

DD and I often do craft afternoons at the kitchen table with a big bowl of sweets.

lindsey077 · 08/10/2015 18:52

Nachos with all the toppings followed by a tub of Ben and jerrys with five spoons, we all put a movie on a slip of paper and whichever gets drawn is the one we watch.

MrsS1980 · 08/10/2015 18:53

We love fajita Fridays followed by early pyjamas and a Dvd with sweets, popcorn or chocolate. When my family (Dm, DF, DBs and DSILs ) get together we have dinner and then play games.

luciferswench · 08/10/2015 18:53

Autumn/winter saturday nights in are the best - we have tea get pjs on then get the snacks ready to settle down with popcorn and chocolate to watch Dr Who.
Sometimes we'll get a takeaway before hand. But Dr Who nights are sacred in our house no visitors who'll chat through it are allowed.

KP86 · 08/10/2015 18:53

Our family 'nights' in are more like morning snuggles with DS17m, DH and me, all cuddly in Mum and Dad's bed, watching cartoons on the weekend. Perfect way to start a relaxing day :)

Once the little one has gone to bed at night, DH and I love love love to browse Netflix for a cheesy movie we haven't seen for years and snuggle on the couch for a giggle together. Accompanied of course by a glass of wine and yummy dessert!

FlopIsMyParentingGuru · 08/10/2015 18:54

We have a family film night. We eat together first and then have pudding in front of a film together in pyjamas. Not completely original but it's a good time together that I enjoy as well as the kids

TiddlesUpATree · 08/10/2015 18:57

Our boys are small (ds1 is 3 and ds2 is 4 months) so we have living room picnic on the floor, often fish and chips, followed by a treat which is usually something ds1 has baked.

FranksBobot · 08/10/2015 18:58

Family nights in our house involve us all gathering around a good old Disney film or if it's November/December it has to be a family festive favourite! If we aren't in the mood for a film, we dust off monopoly (our local version of course!) and battle it out. Dd1 and DP are uber competitive so if they start to argue, family trivial pursuit comes out instead! I recently got the Harry Potter question set for my birthday so will be playing that one soon! We always order in a takeaway and have popcorn & chocolate for snacks and if it's cold outside hot chocolate to drink. DD2 is only a baby so doesn't participate much at the minute but we can't wait for her to get older and join in. We try and have one family night a fortnight but it's not always possible as life can get super busy especially with a baby! Once a month is our bare minimum!!

MeDented · 08/10/2015 19:01

Family meal all round the table, including older siblings that don't live at home, followed by lots of teasing and laughing. Also movie nights with lots of sweeties and popcorn

Tonkatol · 08/10/2015 19:01

I am really lucky because, although my four children vary in age from 20 down to 9, they are all close. To encourage everyone to settle down and spend the evening together (usually a Saturday night), I cook a meal that everyone will enjoy, such as fajitas and make it a treat to let everyone sit in the lounge and eat together. We usually choose a programme that everyone will enjoy, such as Britain's Got Talent and then we have the three girls cuddled up on the sofa (usually under a fleece blanket), my husband and son on the sofa and I get the recliner. We usually buy a couple of bags of chocolate (Wispa Bites and Giant Buttons are current favourites) and share them between us and the kids are allowed to share a bottle of lemonade as a special treat.

CharleyDavidson · 08/10/2015 19:02

We used to have an amazing curved sofa with recliners at both ends when the dds were younger. We bought the matching footstool that fitted perfectly in the gap between the recliners so that all 4 of us could cosy up to watch a film/TV with our feet up.

Some cadbury chocs (especially those heroes tubs that you get on offer for £5) would go down a treat too. Or hot choc. Or pringles. :)

bugsyburge · 08/10/2015 19:06

We make a den....mattress on the floor, sheets hanging from the ceiling & lots & lots of blankets & pillows. We crack out the snacks ( sweets, chocolates and crisps), turn off smart devices and snug together & watch a box set. DH & I used to do this when we were students & stay up watching hours and hours of box sets. DD is only 19 months & demands PeppaPig. We get to watch what we want when she nods off!!

lisanorfolk · 08/10/2015 19:11

If we plan a family night together we always take a trip to the supermarket first to buy snacks, drinks and find a film that everyone will enjoy which can be difficult sometimes with a 7 and 14 year old , we then come home and have a light buffet dinner before settling our 13 week old for the night then we all snuggle on the sofa at around 8pm with snacks and drinks laid out on the coffee table, it's a late night for my daughter on movie night so we always do it at the weekend

CarisseCreations · 08/10/2015 19:12

As a Mummy of a 3 year old and a 4 year old, it can be quite challenging trying to balance sibling squabbles and wind down time! On a Saturday night when Daddy isn't at work we can all have family time. The Kids help to make dinner then we all sit down to eat it together. After around 6pm We get our snuggliest pyjamas on and turn our sitting room into a giant pillow fort! We scatter all the sofa cushions on the floor as well as our pillows and duvets from the beds! The whole floor is COVERED like you are walking on a giant marshmallow! And talking of sweets, pudding is a selection of goodies and share bags on the table (including all the best Cadbury's) Wink Then it's Tickle fights, T.V and Togetherness