"Anything" Night

Back when our girls were young and my husband, Russell, would travel for long periods of time, I instituted something called "Anything" Night. The girls would select a favorite movie such as Mary Poppins or The Wizard of Oz. I would spread a picnic blanket out onto the family room floor, we would set the "table" with pretty dishes and glasses. The girls could then pick anything they wanted for dinner. Most times it was breakfast for dinner. The "anything" could be cereal, which it often was, or waffles, which it often was too. I would pour them a special drink like a fairy cocktail made of orange juice and cranberry juice. If we had soda in the house, which was rare, the girls would get a root beer or possibly a Shirley Temple. Then, the fun began. I would act out the movie they chose and do all the voices and parts and the three of us would laugh and laugh. We had such fun!

You see, Dear Readers, their daddy, my husband, adored my dinner theatre but did not like breakfast for dinner. My husband did not like cereal for dinner or eat waffles in general. These foods at dinner seemed so extravagant and special. Some rules for "Anything" Night were firmly in place, come on, it was not complete mayhem! Sugary cereals such as fruity loops or peanut buttery squares were not allowed, the girls were not barbarians after all! Waffles eaten with pure maple syrup don't count as sugary anything and some form of fruit was always involved. The main ingredient of our "Anything" Nights was fun, always. We three girls carried on with our "Anything" Nights until their daddy no longer went on long business trips and look back on those nights with great fondness. We still talk about "Anything" Night and just how special those times were to us.

Did you ever have an "Anything" Night with your family? What did you eat? Please share your favorite dinner experiences in the comments section.

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