My wonderful wife, Brandi, works really hard to keep things fun and interesting at home. We both believe that we have to be very creative to make family time fun, engaging, and something our boys look forward to. If we’re not careful we can all end up in separate parts of the house doing our own things or stuck together in the family room just watching t.v. and not interacting.
Once a week Brandi plans a “family fun night” where we have dinner and games built around a theme. Last night was “American Gladiators” night, so sit back and enjoy…
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/1749664]
What are you doing these days to keep your family from getting stuck in a routine?
*For more great family fun night ideas jump over and visit Heather!
Absolute nothing! You guess make me fell totally inadequate
but I have gotten some great ideas as well. Its just applying them thats hard for me.
Love it! Great idea! Where do you come up with all the wonderful ideas?
@Emily Rowe, I’m just really smart like that! Ok, actually my wife comes up with most of it.
Great idea! What great parents you are~
I’m in a different place…4 grown children and their “significant others”. It gets really challenging to keep everyone connected at this stage…I make a yearly schedule of family get-togethers and mail it out in January. The family times are fewer and farther between but we make them really fun!
I stumbled on your blog and love it. Thank you~
That’s something we really need to work on. We often find ourselves in separate areas, all doing our own thing. Thanks for the reminder.
Btw, that’s everything I like in a movie. Lots of action and wanton violence. lol. I kept expecting Clint Eastwood to appear and say, “Go ahead punk, make my day.”
As a step-mother to two children 13 & 17 who we get every other weekend, it is very challenging as I am not very accepted. I find that when they are here they hybernate in the room to come out and eat. I always suggest games, etc, with no response. I finally had to say no eating in the room so we can try to interact. My children are grown with families of their own and they still practice Friday Night Fun Night, movies, games, adventures. What am I doing wrong with my step children and what else can I do to bring and keep the harmony? Do they sense my baggage?
Reading this blog and Brandi’s blog.
Justis the brown guy?????!!!! ROTFL!!!!
I LOVE WOLF!!!!!!!
This video was TOO CUTE – Brandi, you certainly are the BEST MOM… what a great theme. IF I had young’uns…I’d copy every single thing you did! BUT…we have teens…so our “family night” consists of “family meeings”… aka – THERAPY SESSIONS…
Laugh…you’ll be there one day.
“I’m Justice, the brown guy” lol
Your kids crack me up!
I’ll be stocking all of these ideas away for when my husband and I have a family to play with. LOVE the water wings – adds padding and the appearance of “gladiator strength.” How fun.
The gladiator theme was great, but I’m still kinda hung up on the…er…rawness of your steak. Is that still cold in the center? because I’m not sure you actually cooked it. *shudder*
GAGE at 1:50 = Priceless
Brandi’s Face at 2:03 = More than Priceless
p.s. Medium Rare is the ONLY way to go!
Okay, well, we are stuck in a rut at our house. Just this past weekend I was brainstorming themes for family night. I have loved reading about (and now watching) Brandi’s ideas. Y’all have inspired me to not settle for the status quo, but to dig in and make family night fun for everyone!
I love the “I’m dead” scene at the end. He cracks me up!
I love that you used Stone Cold Steve Austin’s theme music…nice touch!
@Joshua Scott, I wondered if anyone would notice? Should have known it would be another pastor!
LOL Pete, I’ll have to take notes from your blogs. P.S. The videos you do, is that all in the software that comes with the camcorder? I’m so inspired to go buy one since reading your blog! Any suggestions would be so appreciated!
let me just add that my kitchen it not usually that messy… promise!
The brown guy rules…
I keep telling my wife we need to do this with our 3 boys…Ok well just gonna have to now..
We did do a ninja warrior day though…try that for a theme..
too cool – can I come over next time?
That is histarical — it also confirms there is an area of my life I am neglecting. Thanks once again for bringing the realisy of the situation to forefront and hitting me upside the head with it.
Oh, man, that sounds awesome. Well, it’s just my wife and me, but we try to keep things from drifting into routine. We sometimes get stuck in the dinner-TV-bed mode where we go from one activity to the next without really engaging each other. I’m pretty spontaneous, so that keeps the randomness going strong. We just started a group Bible Study, which doesn’t sound world-altering, but it gets us out of the house on Monday nights. We’re also big on games. So, in answer to your question, one of my favorite things to do is drive or walk down to the nearby coffee shop on the corner, bring a deck of cards, and beat the snot out of my wife in Phase 10 until they run out of coffee or kick us out.
I’m lovin the gladiator idea. Way to go Mega Mom! We don’t currently designate one night to family fun, but I think that may have to change. Below are a couple of ways we keep things fun and silly at our house.
1. We get a running start from the hallway and then jump and slide on the bean bag while screaming “my bean bag.” Watch out though because you might get clothes lined as the other person is coming in.
2. Dance parties in the living room, with or without the magic microphone.
3. Squashing each other as we play steam roller.
4. Marching through the house while counting (batons and props optional).
5. Jumping off the furniture, of course.
6. Building tents in the living room. No wimpy pop-ups here, we’re going old school and using sheets, blankets, and fans (for the bubble tents). I’ve even been known to take pictures off walls and to use the pull cords of ceiling fans to secure the sheets or to add height. That’s what’s up!
7. Screaming and cheering “clean plater” while waving our arms frantically when someone cleans their plate.
8. Pushing Ariana around the yard and driveway in her Barbie car as fast as I can. Talk about a work-out! The battery for her car went dead and the replacement battery I bought off Amazon was the wrong size. I think she likes me pushing her better anyways because with the battery she can only go a wimpy 2mph.
What? Brandi didn’t wear a Crush wig and own the place? She has SO much more self-control than I do.
I loved Brewer’s squeals during the joust. What a doll he is! Gage, you were hungry like the Wolf, dude. And Jett, you owned the Gauntlet, just like Justice.
Dude that’s so rock and roll.
peace|dewde
I needed this…
Thank you!
Your boys are cute!
I love making up crazy off the wall games with my boys (Hailey’s not old enough to play). The other night we played the “Tickle the Belly” game. I chased them around the house tickling their bellies if I caught them. Their play tent was their base so they were safe there, it was great fun with a lot of laughter!
That video is so funny! Seriously a great way to start my day!
Just reading you guys comments reminds me how blessed I am to have my family!
That video is too cute! I love hearing Brewer’s little laugh! And Pete, your steak just made my stomach growl…medium rare is the only way to go.
That was so much fun!!!
@Pete… dude that was not medium rare. That was moooing.
@Brandi… forget the messy kitchen – you can come decorate my house anytime! (and thanks Pete for panning slowly so I could get a good look at the decorations)
Now, changing up my routine? I suppose I could pet my dog with my left hand instead of my right hand when we’re laying on the couch just to keep it interesting around here…
sara
http://gitzengirl.blogspot.com
My boys loved watching that video. Titus kissed the screen. I guess we may have to have a family night soon where gladiators are involved.
You know Pete…I loved when you told the boys to “fight.”
Strangely, I never remember my mother and father having to tell my brother and me to do that! Seems they were always yelling for us to STOP fighting…
Times sure have changed!
Too cute! The girls loved it! Brewer’s laugh as Jett falls is wonderful – we watched it over and over.
We try to do “family runs” when we have the opportunity. We’ll pack a lunch and run to a local park. Nate runs with Maddie in the stroller, Alex bikes, and I run. We play at the park, eat lunch, and then run home. It’s great because not only do we get a workout in, but we’ve spent time together outdoors – teaching them healthy habits!
So stinkin’ cool it’s not funny! Fun!
That is so stinkin’ cool!
You have an amazing family.
Hi Pete,
One night (and now you know why) there are no manners…just kids being kids and having a blast! Even my wife patticipates…and does have fun! I think it’s definitley more fun for us guys though. There has been even “food fights” to break out, controled of course, but it’s a blast! Barbarian night is not pizza, or hot dogs, etc… We usually have spagetti, or mashed potatoes and gravy, etc… It has to be messy!! 
The only rule for Barbarian night that my wife has is that Dad cleans up…it’s well worth it though! With your house full of boys…they’ll have a ball!! I’ll be anxious to see the video soon on your blog 
“Long-time reader, first-time replyer” …had to comment on this one though! We’ve got a great family tradition that you should ad to the Wilson household! It’s called “Barbarian Night” Once a month (or we try) we eat dinner with no utensils, no napkins, shirts not required, and possibly bodily noises may be heard and that’s okay
Thanks for your blog…it’s always fun, interesting, or encouraging…or even both!! I look forward to seeing what’s happening in your world – daily reader of withoutwax.
Thanks again – Anxious to hear about your Barbarian night – enjoy the mess. I did a blog post on mine…Making a mess, and Making Memories!
@Rick Glass, Brilliant. I love it.
we have family blogging night.
what?
I loved the Stone Cold Theme music.
Seeing videos like this make me want to be a Dad.
Thanks for sharing.
The kids are great! LOVED the giggles. and LOVED watching them beat the crap out of each other – but seriously need some more of mega-mom in the vid!
OK…Obviously inadequate parenting here in my world….this is a cool idea.
To keep from getting bored…hmmm…there are a lot of activities in and around the house, especially those that are goofy……
family night might be on the horizon though…like it.
Hey Pete – love the Family Nights and the extra ideas from your commenters. All of us want to be creative and fun with our families…sometimes our brains just need a spark. Although with one girl and another on the way, I don’t expect many Gladiator Nights. Perhaps some tea parties and things like that.
Sooo cute…well, since we only have one girl we cant get it goin Gladiator style…although if my husband has anything to do with it Im sure we will have an American Gladiator night…Ellie has watched it with him…bring on the red meat!
i am inadequate, as the other guy said…. BUT every once in a while the wife makes me watch intervention or john and kate plus 8.
nah we to play hide and seek from the dog too. that’s killer. she’s a pit bull/rottweiler so she’s kind of scary when she finds us. doesn’t mean to be… it’s just who God made her to be. holler pete!
That ROCKS! . . .
I wanna come play! How fun!
We also do family fun nights. I have named them: Widney Wednesday, as that is our last name and the day we have our fun nights. We moved to Chicago, from Tulsa, in April. I am now a full-time stay@home mom, for the first time since having kids. We have no family here. It was important for me to help ease the transition for our 5 yr old and 2 yr old. Widney Wednesday is something the kids look forward to. It is something I look forward to, as I know we will spend time together as a family, building memories and making our family unit stronger.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THE VIDEO FAMILY NIGHT!
My favorite moment… “Are you ready for GLADIATOR NIGHT!!!” “NO” Ha so classic!
I loved the games and the great idea of padding them. So fun! H
I’ve been following Heather and her family nights for a while. I can’t wait til we can enjoy family nights with our girls — they are only 6 months old now. Looks like you all had a wonderful time, you have a gorgeous family. I loved it when the one little guy laughed during the sword fight, what a precious laugh.
That is the most contagious laugh. My favorite part is when you said “Yea, Fight!” Spoken like a true father of boys!
My boys are 30 and 22 and i certainly miss this sort of fun with them! One lives in NYC and the other in Birmingham. Treasure these moments!!
not sure if this was addressed, but WHERE did you guys get those blow up swords? My house of boys needs those somethin bad.