Countdown to Disney {FFMN--The Little Mermaid}

Last night marked the first of many Friday Family Movie Nights aka FFMN.  I saw this idea on a Disney advice board and loved it.  But like most things, I had to tweek it to make it fit me and my family.  So, the jist of FFMN is that your family sits down together and watches a Disney movie after enjoying a supper that is themed around the movie of the night.  I've got a slew of these nights lined up for our family leading up to "the big trip."  I know several of the rides at "the World" are based on movies, and I want the kids to at least have a clue about what is going on.

My oldest B, at 4 and a half years old, is a total tv junkie.  Or at least he would be if we would let him.  We recently completely cut him off of tv and have seen a huge improvement in his behavior, his play, his imagination, basically his whole life.  So, these FFMNs are a way to slowly add a little bit of "the boob tube" back into his life.  My youngest C, at 21 months, is really not at all interested in tv.  She will glance up at it occasionally but would much rather be plundering a kitchen cabinet or generally destroying another area of the house.  But I still think she will enjoy the time together as a family and dancing to the music.

Now, my oldest is a boy, but like I said, he is a total tv junkie and loves pretty much any Disney movie we have showed him.  (He has declared a couple of them 'scary' but for the most part, he'll watch them all.)  So, we are starting off our FFMN Countdown with The Little Mermaid.  I know it is one of the quintessential Disney princess flicks, but B thinks Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle are hilarious.  Honestly, I love this movie, too.  The characters are a hoot, the music is brilliant, and really, who doesn't think Prince Eric is just the cutest?

But for me, the best part of these FFMNs is getting to channel my creative side and come up with a menu to fit the movie.  And while I did see the idea for these FFMNs here, many of those menus just didn't fit my family's preferences.  So, without furthur adieu, here is the menu:

Peanut Butter and Jellyfish Sandwiches

Sebastian's Crab Salad (for Mommy-not pictured)

Poor Unfortunate Bowls (of Fruit Salad)

Scuttle's Snickerdoodles

My kids LOVE PB&Js, and I have to confess, I really do love that imitation seafood salad that you can find on the salad bars of all those all-you-can-eat buffets.  And I really thought "snickerdoodle" sounded like a name that Scuttle the sea gull would assign to whatever human artifact Ariel questioned him about--just like a snarfblat or dinglehopper.

B has been talking about our fun meal all day today and asking what we are going to eat with our next movie.  He had a blast watching the movie and pretending to be Sebastian!

So there's our family's first FFMN.  Stay tuned for next Friday's movie--Finding Nemo!