Our Favorite Family Comedies

Looking for a clean family comedy to make you laugh? Try one of our favorites. These movies are all rated G or PG so most are great picks for the whole family. Bring on the popcorn!

We suppose there are people who don’t like the Muppets, but we can’t understand why. The latest two movies are fantastic. The Muppets reunites Kermit and his pals as they try to take back their old theater. Muppets Most Wanted takes our furry friends on a world tour where they find themselves wrapped up in a jewel-heist. The music is super fun, and the writing is terrific. Very quotable. The cameos just keep coming and coming. These movies are great for every age.

The Man Who Knew Too Little

Bill Murray is perfectly cast in The Man Who Knew Too Little about a guy who thinks he’s an actor in a “Theater of Life” role playing event. When he accidently receives a call from a real villain, he jumps right into his role as the hit man. He is completely unaware that everything going on is real. It’s laugh-out-loud funny.

The North Avenue Irregulars

The North Avenue Irregulars is Grandma’s favorite movie and will always be one of ours too. A bunch of church ladies join undercover cops to take down a gambling ring in their town. We promise you won’t be disappointed in this classic Disney movie. So funny!

Also one of our favorite books, Matilda is Roald Dahl’s story of a neglected little girl who also happens to be a genius. It’s a whimsical tale of a good heart finding her place in a sticky world. Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman are hilarious as Matilda’s no-good parents.

That Thing You Do is definitely at the top of our list of favorite comedies. It’s about a small-town band who rises to stardom. It’s a great story with lots of fun music and a really talented cast.

What’s Up Doc is a 1970’s screwball comedy. The accidental mix-up of four identical plaid overnight bags leads to a series of crazy situations. It’s a classic!

A little town in Mexico is being tormented by the evil bandit, El Guapo. They search for heroes to help them. The Three Amigos, silent movie actors, are accidentally recruited and must play their parts for real. Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short are so funny. This film is full of laughs—just delightful!

Every kid has dreams of what he will be as an adult. The Kid follows a 40-year-old man who mysteriously meets his 8-year-old self. Spencer Breslin is the kid and he’s really great. We like how the two characters help each other and learn to appreciate each other. It’s a fun one.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is a silly time-capsule comedy for older tweens and teens. Our boys think it’s so funny. You’ll also learn a tiny bit about some important historical figures- but only a tiny bit.

Another great Bill Murray comedy, Groundhog Day is about a TV weatherman covering the annual Groundhog Day festivities in Punxsutawney, PA. He becomes trapped in a time loop making him relive the day over and over. There are a few dark parts in the middle where he attempts to take his own life, but the overall feel is positive as the main character evolves into a really good guy.

Little Rascals (1994) is a cute comedy about kids getting into all kinds of trouble. It’s true to the original Little Rascals series from bygone days. The group of neighborhood boys create their “He-Man Woman Haters Club”. When one of the boys tries to woo a girl, the club members try to sabotage his crush. Our little kids especially love this movie and quote it often.

Do you have any dog lovers at your house? Hotel for Dogs is a movie about kids who create a rescue dog paradise in an abandoned hotel. The dog accommodations are very imaginative. It’s adorable.

The princess in this movie is super awkward and likable. It’s a fun take on the commoner-turned-royal storyline. Hasn’t every kid dreamed about how they would react if they were suddenly famous? We think The Princess Diaries is pretty funny.

Adam Sandler stars in Bedtime Stories, a creative fantasy comedy with lots of funny scenes. While Uncle Skeeter babysits his niece and nephew, he tells them bedtime stories that miraculously come true the next day. The stories are very imaginative with wild west tales, medieval and futuristic battles, and raining gumballs. Lots of fun!

Want more family-friendly movie lists? Check out all of our favorite movie lists.

6-Foot Tall Party- Celebrate your child growing TALL

Six Foot Party

It’s time for a TALL Party

We have tall genes in our family. We knew our boys would all be taller than six feet as adults. So far, three of them have passed the mark. Our fourth son just turned twelve, so we’ll give him a couple more years.

When our oldest son reached the height of six feet, we decided we should celebrate. We threw a Six-Foot Tall Party for him, inviting our extended family to join in the tall celebration.

Dinner for this party was a lot of fun. I made a six-foot-long sandwich and a six-foot-long banana split!

I worked at Subway as a teenager, so I felt confident I could make my own sandwich. Years later, when we repeated this party for our younger sons, I just ordered six-foot sandwiches from a grocery store deli. That made it a lot easier, but here’s the instructions if you want to make your own.

6-Foot Dinner

I made enough bread dough for six loaves of bread. I rolled out 1/4 of the dough into a large rectangle, then cut it in three long strips. I braided the dough and placed it diagonally on a greased cookie sheet. I made four of these loaves- each just over 18″ long. I let them raise until they reached my desired size, then baked them for 24 minutes. (My regular loaves usually take 30 minutes to bake.)

I made these the day before the party, allowed them to cool, then wrapped them in plastic wrap.

On the night of the party, I lay them side by side on a table. I trimmed off the ends (except for the two on the far ends) and pushed them together so they appeared to be one six-foot loaf. I filled them with sandwich fixin’s and it was the freshest, yummiest six footer I’ve ever tasted!

We made our six-foot-long banana split in a rain gutter. Plastic rain gutters are very inexpensive at Lowe’s or Home Depot- less than $10. I scrubbed it clean and it made a perfect 6-foot long bowl for our ice cream. This is surely against health code, but lots of fun!

6-foot long ice cream sundae at the Tall Party

6-Foot Party Activities

When the guests arrived, we measured all of them on our growth chart. We need to know how tall everyone is at a Tall Party.

We included markings for a few famous people, including the tallest man and woman to ever live. Tallest woman: Zeng Jinlian of China (8′ 1 3/4”) Tallest man: Robert Wadlow (8′ 11.1”)

Growth Chart

Our first activity was a slam dunk contest in the driveway. We used a mini trampoline for the contest. Be careful if you decide to do this. Our little tramp’s legs fell off after a dozen dunks. Oops! An alternative idea would be to play the basketball game of HORSE but spell SIX instead.

Next we played volleyball, which is a tall person’s game but is also great for all sizes of people.

The next activity was a game we call “Line Up”. In this game, you divide your group into two teams. The person in charge then calls out a sorting category and the teams race to be the first group lined up in the proper order.

Lined up in order by darkest to lightest hair color

Lined up in order of favorite Star Wars character’s height. Chewbacca to R2-D2!

Here are a few examples of sorting categories: Height (tallest to shortest), Age (oldest to youngest), Hair length, Shoe size, fingernail length, birth date by month- not year (January to December), number of times you’ve been to Disneyland, your favorite Star Wars character by height, your favorite sport alphabetically. You can think of all kinds of things! Make the list and give it to the caller. He then begins each line-up race by saying something like, “Think of your favorite food. What letter does that food begin with? Now line up alphabetically A to Z.) Fun!

Tall People Game- Describe and guess the famous tall people!

Our last game was one we call the “30 Second Game”. Again, we divided our group into two teams. Previously, I had printed a long list of famous people (and a few neighbors and friends) who are over 6’0″ tall. I cut up the list so there was one name on each slip of paper and put the names in a bowl. The teams took turns having one person give clues to their team. Their goal was to get their team to guess as many names as they could in thirty seconds. Teams took turns, trading the clue giver each time, until the bowl was empty. Here’s my list: Tall People List

Sixlets are a great party favor for a Tall Party — Sixlets are a perfect party favor for a 6-Foot Tall Party

Everyone took home a party favor: a long pack of Sixlets! Hooray for tall people!

Check out more great party ideas on our website!

Parties for Little Kids Ages 3-7

Parties for Big Kids Ages 8-12

Parties for Teens

Celebrate Father’s Day with Hotel Dad

Welcome to Hotel Dad!

Do you want to do something really special for your dad for Father’s Day? Here’s a great idea. Turn your house into a grand hotel. We called ours “Hotel Dad”.

We wanted our gift to be a surprise, so we built it on the Friday before Father’s Day. Then, when Dad came home from work, he was escorted to the front door and inside Hotel Dad. Our five kids really loved playing their numerous rolls as hotel employees. That’s what made the night (and morning) a real hit. They donned classy costumes and made it very fun for themselves and their dad.

Here are the rooms and amenities our hotel offered:

Lobby

When Dad first arrived, he checked in at the front desk in our living room and received the key to his room. The kids played the parts of hotel clerk and porters. The porters had luggage (already packed with Dad’s pajamas and toothbrush) waiting at the front desk.

Restaurant

We turned our kitchen into the hotel restaurant. We named it Mama’s Bistro and served one of dad’s favorite meals by candlelight. The kids served as waiters and busboys for the meal. The kids also helped by setting the table, preparing some of the food, and making the menu.

Spa & Wellness Center

Later in the evening, the living room was transformed into a spa. The kids were the spa employees. Our dad’s spa experience started with a foot soak (in a bucket of warm water), followed by a foot rub, back massage, and head scratch (all performed simultaneously by our enthusiastic employees.)

Guest Rooms

We put paper numbers on all of the bedroom doors so Dad could find his room. In the room, we put a chocolate on his pillow, a card with the room service menu, and a bucket of ice with a bottle of sparkling cider.

Bathroom

We didn’t change the bathroom much. We just added a little travel-sized bottle of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion to the shower.

Room Service

We left a card on Dad’s pillow with the Room Service menu. He could order whatever he wanted any time during the evening. Our room service options included, ice cream, root beer floats, popcorn, and licorice.

Concierge Desk

Our concierge offered a few pamphlets with optional activities. (Our teenage son made the list and served as the concierge.) He had three movie options and information about nearby tennis courts, hikes, museums, and theaters. Our dad opted for the movie but you could add whatever your dad might like most.

Breakfast

Our kids think a hotel is second-rate if it doesn’t serve waffles for breakfast. –So that was the grand finale for Hotel Dad… waffles!

Happy Fathers Day!