Plan a Monkey-Themed Family Day

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The other night as I waited to tuck Kennedy into bed, I reminded her that the stall tactics are not appreciated. The ongoing “Can I go get a drink of water?” “I need to plug in my iPad.” and “I forgot to kiss Dad goodnight.” excuses were getting a bit old. She responded with a heavy heart “Did you ever think maybe I don’t like going to bed?” A conversation ensued which involved the fact that bedtime is the time I sit down and have conversations with the girls without interruption of anyone or anything else. She said she likes it when I do that and delays going to bed to extend that quality time.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the sentiment and look forward to it each night. But it broke my heart to have to tell her that I am available during the day also yet they usually opt to watch videos, play on their electronic devices or text/FaceTime one of their friends. Scott and I both make time to play games with them, go to the movies and watch our favorite shows and movies at home.  It got me thinking that maybe every once in a while we need to make family time a little glitzier. Like have a theme night for dinner and activities.

How about a monkey-themed day?

I’m not sure what a monkey would enjoy for dinner (banana pancakes, maybe?), but we have some monkey-friendly snacks like Peanut Butter and Honey Banana Salad, Banana and Fruit Bar Salad or Hazelnut Banana Tortillas. Plan ahead and put together a menu that gets everyone swinging with excitement.

Next up, set aside some time for monkey-friendly board games. There are a number of games available that could fit the theme included Bananagrams, Monkeys Up, Too Many Monkeys and Monkey Beach. Even Coconuts Duo is all about monkeys!

If your family is anything like ours, some downtime with a movie or TV show is always a plus. Monkey Up is a new movie that fits perfectly into the theme! It stars Crystal the Monkey who you might recognize from We Bought a Zoo and Night at the Museum.

“Meet Monty — a precocious actor, spokesperson and… a talking Capuchin Monkey! He’s the face of the energy drink, ‘Monkey Up,’ but he dreams of becoming the first award-winning monkey movie star. When the greedy owner of Monkey Up has other plans for Monty, the chase is on! He escapes with the help of his new family, the Andrews, and his hilarious primate siblings, Mort, Mooner, and Melody in an uproarious chase that proves Monty really is the ‘fast and the furriest’. Together they help Monty discover that fame and fortune come and go, but family is forever!”

The movie is from Air Bud Entertainment, the creators of Air Bud and the “Buddies” movies so I figured this one would be equally as clean and cute. With a screener code in hand, I asked the girls if they wanted some quality time watching the movie together.

And I was right. Monkey Up is a family-friendly movie with a clean story about a monkey who no longer wants to act in commercials pitching products that he doesn’t like. Instead, he runs away to the big city to convince a producer to let him audition for an upcoming movie. When he wasn’t allowed to try out for the part, he took temporary refuge in a toy store, hiding out in an adorable dollhouse.

  

Any guesses what happened next? The dollhouse was delivered to the home of a young girl, her brother and their parents. Monty manages to win over their hearts by helping each of them conquer a personal dilemma. The dad, who quit his job to write a book, was struggling. Monty stepped in. The daughter and son each took advice from Monty as well. All the while, Monty is trying to be discovered for his own talents. Wondering how all THAT turned out? You’ll have to watch the movie.

Monkey Up is showing in AMC theaters from now until January 31st and is currently available for digital download. Looking for a permanent copy for your movie library? You can purchase Monkey Up on DVD and Blu-Ray on February 2, 2016. Be sure to enter below to win a copy of Monkey Up for your collection!

There are so many clean ways to entertain the monkeys in your family and all it takes is a little planning. If you prefer to diversify your day with the movie and some educational games, check out this list of 25 games for learning. Stay updated from Air Bud Entertainment on Facebook and keep up with the latest Monkey Up news on Twitter.

What unique ways do you find to connect with your kids?

Monkey Up DVD Giveaway