Mumsnet users share their tips for easy evenings with Sky Store and The Incredibles

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Evenings can sometimes feel like they’re over before they’ve even begun. With this in mind, Sky Store would like to hear your tips for making your evenings easy - so that you still have the time to sit down as a family and enjoy a good movie night in together.

Here’s what Sky Store has to say: “This week we are celebrating the release of the most anticipated animated sequel of all time – Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles 2 in Sky Store, so you can create your perfect movie night in with your family tonight.

With Sky Store evenings are incredibly easy! You can download this family favourite straight to your TV at the touch of a button, so it’s ready to watch as soon as the kids get home.”

What tips do you have for an easy evening? Maybe you meal prep so you spend less time on cooking? Do you have tips for getting your children ready for bed in record time? Have you discovered the secret to making the kids tidy up after themselves? Perhaps you watch new films at home instead of taking a trip to the cinema?

All who post below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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Early tea and then a nice relaxing bath for all 3 DC including hair wash etc then into PJ'S while me and DH have a chat in the kitchen and catch up. No small screens allowed and the DC will likely play or draw, then we will choose a nice film and chill until DC bedtime.

Another slow cooker vote. Especially nice as the cold evenings draw in, so soups, stews etc. After homework is done, we like to play good old fashioned Ludo or watch a film whilst eating popcorn. and drinking hot chocolate.

Friday night is film night in our house and we all work towards this because we enjoy it. Dinner is pre planned so itready on time, we all get showered and into our comfies and then it’s the start of the film. We all sit on the sofa together, there is a bathroom and snack break halfway through and then it’s off to bed for all. A great way to start the week end.

An easy family tea that they all like. I do something like spaghetti and meatballs as can be prepped in advance and also freezes well. Bath teeth brushing and pjs after tea and then at the weekend if not too tired a film for ddd. Ds usually put to bed at usual time as too young to join in with film night!

preprepped food and a schedule x

Fridays are our favourite evening - we ditch doing any homework and have pizza for tea. So quick and easy - shove it in the oven and forget about it. We let munchkin stay up a bit later in the hope of a bit of a lie in on Saturday (though it rarely works lol)

Use a slow cooker and batch cook to save time and money. An occasional take away goes down a treat.

Don't bath the kids every night, where possible do it during the day (has never been a 'relaxing' activity for my kids). They don't want to finish their tea? Don't make them. They'll eat it if they're hungry.

Minimise pointless conflict by adapting rule as the children get older- nothing fritters away an evening like a stand-off with a young teen over changing out of school uniform, or trying to micro-manage homework when a child feels they are old enough to manage their own time. Instead set boundaries based on outcomes - clean uniform to be worn every day, which means dirty uniform needs to be in the washing basket by 4.30pm, for example.

Set aside an evening a week for family movies/games with everyone choosing on a rota. Sounds cheesy, but actually works really well with teenagers, who will claim to be joining in ironically but will secretly love the opportunity to subject you to their choice of film/activity, and it's a great way to get everyone in one place chatting outside of mealtimes.

Meal prep, slow cooker and pressure cooker physically save the most time -

But doing something engaging/productive with that extra time is what really makes it feel like you've had some real 'evening time' - so a board game or sitting down together to watch a specific programme, rather than just channel surfing etc.

Oven food or takeaway for an easy meal prep, my partner works odd shifts so a lot of the time straight after school it's just me and DS. He does homework while I prep tea whilst multi-tasking the cleaning up. Homework straight after school otherwise it's a battle to get it started. Xbox time for half an hour then tea, bath and chill time. Weekends are when the bulk of the bigger cleaning jobs get done. Cinema is a rare occurrence as we have Sky Cinema and streaming devices so there's always something we can agree on for family movie nights.

Another slow cooker vote! The kids love a sausage casserole, and dead easy! A dishwasher also helps and then get the kids out for the day so less mess in the house to clean

I batch cook and meal plan so I don’t waste time thinking about what to cook. We all eat together at the table, then I wash up while DD has a bath then it’s time for a cuddle on the sofa watching tv before bed. We sometimes watch a film on a weekend, we don’t go to the cinema too much due to the expense of it.

Meal planning and batch cooking.
I love the satisfaction of knowing what we are eating for the week and knowing it’s mostly prepared and ready to take out of the freezer.

Just here for the tips!

I'm here for the tips too! But early baths/shower gets everyone ready to watch the same thing together!

Preparation!
Slow cooker is great but I’ve got a pressure cooker, you can cook from frozen if needed!
Get organised! Know what needs doing.
Talk - mainly to the kids so they know what to expect, no big dramas.

We enjoy home made pizzas (topped by the kids choices!), popcorn and a film. Tonight, we’re having one of the Wimpy Kid films!

We tag team evenings - I sort dinner, husband baths kids, I do stories, either of us can put them to bed. That's if we're both in - if one of us is out (usually more than once a week between work and other stuff) it's harder work for me at least - I'm sure they behave better for their dad!

I make a big dinner sometimes then save some for tea makes it easier in the evenings.

Love a cosy night out, especially in this weather!
If it's at the weekend - I'll cook something warming & comforting during the day which we can dish out easily at teatime. If it's in the week, we'll have something quick & easy as both at work so no time to cook! Chicken dippers & salad in toasted pittas - reasonably healthy, tasty & quick!
We agree on a family film we can all enjoy - not worth the bother of listening to LO moan if it's our choice! :) Turn the lights off, stick a candle on & snuggle up. Bliss!

Does going to my parents so they can indulge my 2year old’s insatiable curiosity count?!

I will never win a mother of the year award for this, but if I need an easy evening - with no terrible-two tantrums - I will give in to my son's requests to watch a short cartoon together before bath time. I also try to batch cook and freeze wherever possible to have quick dinners available for evenings where we are short on time!

We enjoy reading together and compromise on food choices

prep early! pizza is the go to in our house!

Slow cooker meal! Done before work, minimal duties cleaning etc when home with everyone pitching in & aim to relax by a certain time- no matter what’s been done or not. There needs to be at least one day where you aren’t frantically running around!