This action-packed comedy about a mischievous alien quickly became a family favorite. The story takes place on a tropical Hawaiian Island and tells a heartwarming retelling of ‘The Ugly Duckling’.

Since it’s my husband’s birthday next week, he got to choose the movie for movie night. His favorite happens to be the out of this world adventure of ‘Lilo and Stitch’. When I asked him what made this movie his favorite, he replied “The Elvis music and the Hawaiian setting”. So not only did our kids enjoy the movie, they were entertained with Brandon singing and dancing like he was the King of Rock & Roll. He told them about his dream to always visit Hawaii and finally had his wish come true when we traveled there for our honeymoon.

I wanted to make a spin on the peanut butter sandwich Lilo makes for Pudge, cause we needed the weather to cooperate for our hula dancing. I found a recipe for Elvis’s favorite sandwich and it happens to use peanut butter! The kids loved the fried Peanut Butter Banana Sandwiches even better than the usual PB&J. I’ll definitely be making them again.

Some of our favorite memories of Hawaii involved swimming in the ocean with sea turtles, diving off cliffs (Brandon is the dare-devil, NOT ME), and going to an authentic luau. It was so amazing to watch the locals, dig up the Imu that they had prepared hours ago and carve it for dinner. Mmm, that was some good pork! They served purple sweet potatoes, Poi, fresh coconut and pineapple, Guava cake, and so much more.

I tried to replicate the luau for movie night dinner. I made kalua pork, cubed purple sweet potatoes, green beans, and grilled pineapple for dessert. Neither of my kids are big meat eaters, but they couldn’t get enough of that pork! I found several recipes for it on Pinterest, but they all seem to have the same secret ingredient; pork shoulder, Pink Salt, and liquid smoke. I threw it all together in a crock pot and the aroma made our tummy’s growl ALL DAY! The purple sweet potatoes were another fun treat. They are so pretty to the eye and equally delicious! They are hard to find though. Our local chain grocery store carries purple fingerling potatoes, but I found the purple SWEET potatoes only at Wegmans. I prepared them like I would normal sweet potatoes; cubed, drizzled with oil and honey, a tsp of cinnamon and dash of salt and pepper. Then roasted in the oven, until tender.

We had a few souvenirs tucked away from our honeymoon and brought them out for the occasion. Brandon wore his Hawaiian shirt, Charlie Beth wore a flower headpiece, Gideon and I wore leis.

I know a lot of people may think that movie nights just involve putting in a movie and plopping on the couch, but it’s so much more for us. The whole family gets involved in the kitchen, they help prepare the meal and place decorations. We play games or make crafts that pertain to the movie. Then, we pile on the couch, no phones, and enjoy everyone’s company. We reminisce about our own adventures or experiences and talk about dreams that we to achieve. Ohana means family, and I hope our kids grow up knowing that we’ll always love them and family means everything.

Hope you enjoyed following along for our weekly movie night! I would love to know how you add magic to your ‘Lilo and Stitch’ Movie Night! Comment below or tag @amagicalkingdomcalledhome on Facebook or Instagram to share your movie night!

TTFN, Esther

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