52 in 52 for April

We failed. I am afraid we did reach our movie watching goal this month. Boy, has it been busy! My husband has been working his hind end off and evenings just aren't the same without him. Thankfully, things are slowing down and May will offer more family time opportunities.

I think we've learned though that even if it doesn't slow down, we're going to have to hold it down and not let a week go by without connecting. Time is short and they'll all move out before we know it. Obviously, movie watching isn't our real goal here, but family time is crucial and we need more margin. 

Here are the two movies we did manage to squeeze in. 

1. Muppets in Space

This was a favorite when the boys were younger. The girls barely remembered it and it is now a favorite for them. This is one of those movies that you just never get too old for. The cool teens and the old parents laughed through it all, even though we've seen it a dozen times.

2.  The Sandlot


I wouldn't have shared this movie with them if the girls were any younger than they are now. Even at 8 and 10, we said plenty of "Oh! We don't say that!" The language wasn't terrible, but it was there. The 's' word was said several times. There was plenty of name calling, as well. Also, one scene involves a boy faking a drowning so that the lifeguard will give him mouth to mouth resuscitation. He said that he'd had a crush on her for years and took the opportunity to kiss her. Obviously it was a "We don't do that!" moment, but it was also obvious that we would never do that anyway. It's more of a running family joke that we have to state it when watching anything. The part that was actually awkward was the introduction to that scene when the boys were ogling the lifeguard. It might sound terrible now that I've shared the bad points, especially if your children are younger, but it really is a great movie that we all enjoyed. It's the origin of the catchphrase, "You're killin' me, Smalls!" which you've no doubt heard and will find yourself saying for weeks.

We have more movies on our list, but few are striking our fancy lately. I'd love to hear suggestions for some other family movies for us to try. Please share your favorites!