Date Day...

... with Miah.

It's been a long time coming, but Miah and I finally got out to the Frozen Ice Palace today!  There were a lot of fun activities, including making a frozen hand print, measuring up with Olaf and Sven, dancing in the snow, and sitting on the Frozen ice throne.

Miah also built a bear (Elsa bear, of course, who else):

And enjoyed some tasty treats:

Love this girl...  It's all about making memories:

L.

Mockingjay Part 1, A Review...

So... last night I settled into a seat in a crowded, but not full, theater, with a lot of pretty funny perfect strangers around me, who did some whistling... and yelling... and gasping.... and watched the premier of Mockingjay, Part 1.  It was a little bit of a different experience for me than the first two films, because I did not have time to re-read the trilogy before I went to see this movie.  This morning, I am trying to determine if that had something to do with the fact that I found Mockingjay, Part 1 to be the best of the three adaptations, so far, hands down.  But I don't really think that was it.

Spoilers to follow...

First, let me say, that content-wise, they got this one right.  I was terribly disappointed when the first two big screen installments took a series that had a grand total of one swear word spread over 1,155 pages and peppered the films with profanities and the misuse of God's name.  I'm not going to get into all of that, again, because if you really want to know what I thought about it, you have probably already read my previous reviews or you can look them up now.  It was mildly surprising, and definitely a welcome change, that they finally decided to cut it out with this movie.  Can we thank new screenwriters for this?  I hope so.  Knowing that they filmed Mockingjay, Part 1 and Mockingjay, Part 2 together, I am hopeful that I'll be able to have the same kind of experience next fall.

They have, again, avoided the addition of any overt sexual stuff in this movie.  I found it interesting how they chose to present Finnick's story of what is essentially human trafficking  during Peeta's rescue.  Not that that's any different from how this happens in the book.  It's not.  But while reading the book, we were not privy to the information about how Peeta was rescued, so it feels as if Finnick's story takes a bit of a back seat to everything else that is going on, simultaneously, on the screen. 

 

Clearly there are some violent scenes.  I don't think anyone would expect anything different, and, in fact, there would be no way to show the horror of civil war without these.  So, some reviewers might give a cautionary warning about the violence, but I am not going to do so, except to remind you that this is not a film for children.  I can't say what age I would recommend for this type of depiction of war.  It's not for my kids (as a reminder, my oldest is 14).

 

But...  I can recommend this movie, without hesitation, to adults.  Well... almost without hesitation.  I did not feel that I could recommend the first two movies, so to recommend this one is, essentially, to recommend that you begin in the middle of the story, without a guarantee that the end will be worth watching...

And now, the storyline.  I felt like this film was far more detail oriented than the others.  The little things matter to me.  For example, they found the right cat to play Buttercup.  I'm not sure, exactly, what to do with the plot hole that is caused by switching cats, but the one I saw yesterday was definitely the right one.  How many of my readers are laughing at me right now?  Never mind.  Don't answer that!

I think they also got most of the one-liners in there that I would have considered essential.  Another re-read, and I may have to recant that statement, but I'm pretty sure I was going to be OK with the movie as long as Finnick said, "I takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart," which he did.

I thought they handled The Hanging Tree amazingly well, although I think non-readers of the series might be a little confused about where this song came from.  I loved the lake.  I wish they'd bothered to use it in the first two films.  And... the pearl.  Again, confusion for non-readers.  Does Peeta even give Katniss the pearl in the second movie?  Because I almost think that's something I found conspicuously missing, and now, here it is.  Little things like this made me feel like, throughout this movie, they were sort of trying to fix the things that were botched in the first two.  I would definitely welcome some commentary on that.

Effie...  here you are in district 13!  I really liked what they did with Effie, although I am still a bit disappointed that Katniss' prep team has been all but missing, throughout.  I understand that you can only develop so many characters, and they have had a lot of characters to develop, and I am just about ready to give up the prep team for this reason, but I am concerned about the missing scene where Katniss finds them chained and mistreated in what is, essentially, a dungeon in District 13.  District 13 was a little too happy, and President Coin was entirely too likeable in this film.  I'm trying to figure out where they're going with that.  Is it for the shock value later?  I'm not sure.

I think they cast the new characters for this movie very well.  Pollux was always a favorite of mine in the books, and he was exactly how I imagined him.  Boggs was fantastic.  It did just occur to me, though, that Katniss doesn't step on his nose in the movie.  I think she should have, but as long as she vomits all over him, next time, we'll call it good.

I have seen some reviews that describe this movie as slow moving, a two hour long preview, etc.  In my opinion, the whole franchise would have been better off if they had split every book into two parts or made every movie four hours long (it's not unheard of... consider Lord of the Rings).  The slow moving, detail oriented story is what we all spent hours upon hours reading, isn't it?  Most of what frustrated me in the first two movies, they have corrected here.  Still...  there is no fixing the disconnects, because of what was missing in the other films.  Anybody want to start begging for re-makes of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire?

One last thought.  Haymitch.  Does anybody think they might be intentionally leaving out all of the details of his life, at this point, because there really is a prequel in the works?  To this point, I have seen nothing about this, and as far as I know, I'm the only one asking, but come on...  The story would be amazing...  You would think that with the revenue that would be all but guaranteed this would be floating out there somewhere...

And, that's it.  Go have some lamb stew for lunch, or something.

L.   

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer…

A Movie Review…

Phil and I found ourselves with some unexpected “date time” this afternoon. This is always a blessing, because we do not often have the ability to go out, primarily because it is difficult to find a babysitter for five children… not to mention, expensive. However, we do have friends with whom we make an occasional date trade, and they had some free time this afternoon, so we did as well!

In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to find interesting things to do for dates. We have pretty much become resigned to “dinner and a movie”. As this day approached, we were finding it harder and harder to find a movie. But in the end, we choose Judy Moody, because it was the only option that was not a sequel to some other movie we hadn’t seen and that appeared to check out “clean” (by our standards) at plugged in movie reviews.

Much of what I read ahead of time regarding Judy Moody seemed to compare the film to Ramona and Beezus. I love the latter. But other than the obvious similarity (both films are based on books written for a late elementary, pre-teen audience), I didn’t really think they were going to be all that alike. I was right.

Ramona and Beezus is what I would call a true “family friendly” film. When I say this, I mean that everyone in the family can enjoy it. Although much of the content is written for children, there are adult themes, throughout, that appeal to any real life family that has ever gone through difficult days. All of this, and there are still great daydream scenes that capture the interest of even a wiggly four year old. Ramona and Beezus is a film that I can easily see myself sitting down to watch by myself or with the kids.

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer is a kids’ movie. It is written for pre-teens, and it is my opinion that it appeals to the target group very well. Now, if you have pre-teens who have seen every action flick and have been inundated with nudity and foul language, Judy Moody is probably not going to hold their attention. It is a prudent idea to introduce children to age appropriate material, and I firmly believe that one of the reasons we have so many problems with kids is because they have been forced to “grow up” too quickly. Further, are nudity, excessive violence, and profanity really appropriate for adults? Perhaps forcing them to “grow up” is not quite the right perspective. But we’re doing an excellent job of dumbing them down when they can’t read, have little to no attention span, and can use every four letter word in its correct context by the age of 3…

At any rate, my pre-teens (and my littler guys) will see Judy Moody, and I would imagine there will be a great deal of laughter, even when it isn’t all that funny…

I will watch Judy Moody with them, and I will enjoy it. I cannot, however, imagine going to my DVD shelf and picking it up to watch on a lonely night when everyone else is asleep…

Except for maybe on the day that Grace goes to college…

Because the actress that plays Judy Moody looks a little bit like Grace and acts just like her in several scenes, but the thing that stood out to me the most were that their expressions were almost identical. I almost felt as if I was watching my own child on the big screen for an hour and a half… and the little brother didn’t make a bad Caleb character, either…

So I give Judy Moody two thumbs up for the kids, and I find her to be tolerable for adults, as well. SPOILER ALERT: If nothing else, I laughed relatively hard when the elephant landed on the car…

Lisa

PS It has been a really long time since I saw any move on opening day. That it was Judy Moody must only add to my dorkiness…

Ramona and Beezus...

… A Review. (Spoilers, as always).

Yesterday, Phil and I had an opportunity to go out… almost alone… (Miah is still rather “Mommy dependant”). We decided to take in a movie, and since “The Last Airbender” is already gone from our theater, and we didn’t feel inclined to see the animated, “Despicable Me”, we were left with “Ramona and Beezus”… I have to admit, I was happy, because that’s what I really wanted to see anyway…

And I was not disappointed. At all.

Let me begin by saying that although this particular film was 100% acceptable to me as something I will show my children… soon… really soon… it was really not a kids’ movie. Ramona was adorable, and her antics will certainly keep the kids’ attention. There are also some valuable life lessons for siblings that I hope won’t be lost on my kids… especially my oldest two… But as an adult… and as an adult who has experienced some of the situations that ran through the plot of this movie… simply put, I loved it.

Ramona and Beezus is a comedy… as was evident to me by the fact that there were some scenes that were so ridiculously funny I really had to consciously stop myself from laughing long after everyone else in the theater was done. It is a comedy for real people… with real families… and real kids. It was funny, because I could see it happening to me, and it’s always funnier when other people’s kids get stuck upside-down on the monkey bars… or make tiaras out of burrs… or tie-dye the neighbors’ vehicle.

But in a lot of ways, Ramona and Beezus was a drama, too. A drama for real people… with real families… and real kids. I can’t say that I cried (which is saying a lot… pregnancy hormones must finally be out of my body some four months later), but I can say that I related to the ups and downs of the Quimby family. I related to the big things… but I related to the small things, too… And I had to stop and wonder why it really is funnier when a baby dumps food on her head than when a 3rd grader does… and if I would yell at my child if she fell through the living room ceiling.

I loved that Ramona took the worst school picture ever… and that someone always either had Roberta in a baby carrier or was toting the baby monitor… and that Beezus compassionately helped her sister through the death of a loved pet, even after Ramona had just set the kitchen on fire and ruined Beezus’ love life… on speakerphone! I loved that we could revisit music from the early 90s and that plastic gumball machine rings have sentimental value. And I even loved that we leave the Quimby family with a new addition, a ziplock bag full of toothpaste, a stack of bills, and two part time jobs… and they’re happier than they were when we found them.

So stop reading this, already, and get out and go see this movie! It’s rare that such a gem is found anymore in the land of sticky floors and hundred dollar popcorn!

Lisa

PS For those of you who use plugged in movie reviews or know that I use plugged in and rely heavily on their reviews to determine what we will see, I have to make a couple of notes. The primary reason I didn’t feel comfortable taking the kids to see “Ramona and Beezus” without first previewing it was the “spiritual content” section of plugged in’s review. Having now seen the film, myself, I can say that I honestly felt like everything mentioned here was very childishly appropriate (from ancient burial grounds to cats with 9 lives). I also initially had some concern about Ramona’s reference to Jesus (after reading the review) only to find that it was not only perfectly contextual, but in fact endearing…

"The Princess And The Frog"...

... My take.

It's actually been kind of funny to watch and listen to the reviews rolling in about, "The Princess and the Frog". My hope was that I would read the review at www.pluggedinonline.com, find that it was unquestionably squeaky clean, and have a "girls night out" with Grace shortly thereafter. Not so on the plugged in review, so instead I got a date night with my husband, which is rare and always very welcome! We stuffed ourselves silly at Texas Road House and then headed to the theater to see if the alleged voo-doo and spiritual themes were really as bad as they sounded... And here's what we thought... (Spoilers throughout, so really don't read this if you don't want to know)...

First of all, I was a little concerned about the return to 2-D animation. I was afraid that it would make the quality of the film sub par to recent shows. However, this concern was very quickly dissipated (within the first minute of the movie), because the 2-D animation was, in fact, breathtaking! It was a return to classic Disney in which the fairy tale reigned supreme as entertainment. Visually, I was just as "wowed" as I was when I first saw Aladdin in the theater (17 years ago) with the new 3-D animation that blew me away...

I have to admit, I was also initially a little disappointed with the storyline. Here Disney takes their first animated African American leading lady ever and: #1 She'd not even a princess, #2 They set her in New Orleans, and #3 They turn her into a frog for the majority of the film. Somehow that didn't sit real well with me. Again, however, the story telling ended up being masterful... one of the best stories that Disney has produced in a long time... just amazing, really...

"The Shadowman" (main villain) was undoubtedly very evil. The use of voo-doo practices (including taking blood from the victim to create a spell and calling dead spirits) was quite authentic and frankly frightening (especially for young children). But it wasn't over the top, because the difference between good and evil was so stark. In fact, I was highly impressed by just how evil the Shadowman was, because it presented the opportunity to talk with children about the choices they make and how very important it is to avoid evil. I might make a comparison here to "Sleeping Beauty", in which Maleficent (classic Disney villain if ever there was one) invokes "all the powers of Hell" and is then defeated by the "Sword of Truth". Intense? Yes. Appropriate for small children? Absolutely not! A fantastic teaching tool for older children? You bet. In the end, the Shadowman meets his demise when the spirits pull him into the grave (pretty accurate when you mess with that kind of "magic"). But again, not for little kids...

There is also a good "witch doctor" of sorts, Mama Odie. In reality, she does little more magic than to look into a pot of Cajun gumbo and show Tiana and Naveen the importance of deciphering between their wants and their needs. She is about as "evil" as Grandmother Willow (Pocahontas) and looks a great deal like her, too. I was not disturbed by the role she played in the story.

Of great concern to some other reviewers has been the spiritual message that is conveyed by fervent wishing on a star. Uh... I kind of had to laugh about this. I mean, I did, indeed, pay careful attention to this theme, since other reviewers had found it so inappropriate, but my feeling on this particular point is that if you can't wish upon a star anymore, you really can't appreciate Disney magic. Further, directing the wishing (or even praying) heavenward seemed to make a meaningful parallel to the power that God holds. And I'm not saying that the star in the story was in any way worshipped as God. I'm just saying that it made for a reasonable comparison when discussing the importance of prayer with children.

Ironically (and let me take a step away from the review for just a minute), Grace asked me the other day if wishing on a star really works. And I told her that sometimes what we wish for comes true, and sometimes it doesn't. I told her that if she really felt strongly about something she desires that she should pray about it. And she told me that she does (which I knew) and even gave me the example of how hard she has been praying for a baby sister for years. I told her that when we pray, God will answer those prayers according to what He wants for us, and when we wish, some of those things come true, too, because that's what He wanted. And in the end, Grace let me know that she was going to keep praying... and that she was going to keep wishing on stars, too. And I told her that that's OK... I mean, what else could I say? I cry when the wishes music plays at Disney World, and I still believe in fairies...

But back to the review...

Overall, I felt that the lessons taught were phenomenal! Hard work is important... but it's not everything... What you want might not really be what you need... And personal sacrifice is worthwhile when it helps a friend...

When I take my children to see a movie, I want it to mean something. I am not interested in sitting them in front of an hour and a half of meaningless drivel that they do not understand to keep them quiet for a while. And I am certainly not interested in showing them something far beyond their understanding and losing the opportunity to view the film in a fresh, educational, inspiring way when they are old enough to take something from it. I also don't care to scare them half to death. For these reasons, "The Princess and the Frog" is a "big kid movie" at this house. I am pretty sure that Seth and Grace are ready to grasp the themes and discuss the meaning behind what I saw tonight. They may get to see the movie in the theater, or we may wait until it comes out on DVD. Caleb and Ian can wait. There's no sense "wasting" a good movie before it's time...

Lisa

"Up"...

Seth and I went to the theater tonight. It was the first time Seth has ever been to the movie theater. He is almost 9 years old. This is proof that children can survive without constant exposure to media...

At any rate, I had been wanting to find a movie to take him to, because I took Grace to see "Kit Kittridge" and Caleb to see "Horton Hears a Who", but nothing had come out in recent months that I thought Seth would enjoy (except Earth which never came to our theater and only stayed in neighboring theaters for one week... we missed it).

"Up" looked rather intriguing to me, and after reading the review at plugged in, I felt that it would be worthwhile. I only read the review for possible negative content as not to spoil the movie for myself. If you haven't seen "Up" yet, you might not want to read this review, as there will be spoilers. My final assessment, though, is that it was an awesome movie... but probably not for anybody under 5 (intensity). Caleb, who is 5, will not be seeing it for a couple of years, and it would have been way too much for Ian.

Well... anyway... we arrived early and bought our tickets and popcorn (gosh, popcorn is expensive stuff). We chose good seats that were far enough away from the teenage population that we greeted politely but did not want to sit with. Ah... the joys of small town life! I love those kids, but this was my time out with Seth!

We sat through what seemed like hours of previews (OK... it was probably 20 minutes) and then the movie began... well... almost. The Pixar short actually began. I thought it was funny, but some people might be offended, because the clouds were creating babies, and I guess that might make them a little bit like God.

I was not prepared for the emotional impact of this movie. For crying out loud (and I did) it was a cartoon. Any adult who has been close to a parent or grandparent whom they have watched lose a spouse and go through the grieving process will undoubtedly shed tears multiple times. However, this theme was so tactfully handled that I'm not sure that Seth really understood it even at his age. It was definitely geared for adult comprehension.

If there was anything corny about "Up", it was the talking dogs. I love Disney, but the talking dogs have been done to death. I'm not sure how the plot could have developed as it did without them, and in the end I was good with it, but in the first talking dog scene I thought to myself that the whole film was going to go South. (I realize that I should have been prepared for the talking dogs, but here's the thing... we don't get any television channels, so I never saw any of the previews). In fact, "Up" did not go South but developed plot lines that I never saw coming.

It is rare to find yourself cheering on an old man who is moving his house across the continent powered by helium balloons... But if you see "Up", you will. I have to admit that I was terribly disappointed when the house fell to, what we assume is, it's demise. But even this is "redeemed" at the end of the film when the camera pans to Paradise Falls and there sits the little house (which really represents all of Ellie's hopes and dreams from the beginning), unscathed, and seemingly unbeknown to Carl who steers the Spirit of Adventure home. But I think he must surely know that "she" is safe...

I have great hope that Disney is moving toward it's next great era. In my opinion, the last great era was 1989-1996 (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame). I realize that most people feel as if Hunchback killed the momentum. However, it is here that I will admit that The Hunchback of Notre Dame is my favorite Disney film of all time. And I also think it has to be noted that Disney has always gone in streaks of great movie eras and not so great spans. But with "Bolt", (which I also loved) "Up", the upcoming "The Princess and the Frog" (which I am just praying will be a squeaky clean entertainment option with a decent plot) and the rumored "Toy Story 3" and "Rapunzel", I hope we've hit the next great run!

From a kid's point of view, Seth loved "Up", as well. He probably didn't really understand why Mommy was sniffling through the smiles, but Russell the Wilderness Scout pretty much represents every little boy's dream to conquer the great outdoors (among other things), and Kevin the Mama bird... well, we all want Kevin to make it home!

Can't wait until it hits DVD. This one is a keeper...

Lisa

One More Hot Date...

It was Caleb's turn tonight...

First, let me say, that he played pretty hard to get. When I told him we were going to have a date night, he was just horrified, saying, "Mommy, I'm not old enough to date," and then, "Mommy, I can't date with you... you already dated with Daddy!" I finally convinced him that it was OK for us to have a Mommy/Caleb "date night" and what that meant was that we were going to go do something special together, but yes... he is too young to date until his 42nd birthday, and no... Mommy would not date anyone but Daddy... and him... and Seth... and Ian...

Finally we were off to Thomas the Tank Engine Live: A Circus Comes to Town! We had to drive over an hour to get there, and Caleb actually took a nap, which was a good thing since the show had such a late start time. When we were less than five minutes from our destination it occurred to me that I had absolutely no cash on me and that it was going to cost us to park and that the parking lot attendant probably wasn't going to take my credit card...

We pulled over at the mall and I actually paid for an ATM transaction... the second time I've done this since moving here, and I think the second or third time I've done this in my life. I felt kind of irritated with myself. We hopped back into the van and headed straight for the Island of Sodor...

I think Caleb was actually more enamoured with the spinning, light up toy that I bought him... and with the huge bag of popcorn that we could not even manage to consume completely than he was with the show. Don't get me wrong, he had a fantastic time, and it was completely worth it. I just found it hilarious that I actually had to encourage Thomas' biggest fan on a couple of occasions to focus on the stage!

As far as what I thought? Well... I was looking at the number of ticket stubs we've collected over the past 18 months, and it's something like ridiculous... When you are almost 30 years old, every stage show starts to look the same (except at Disney, of course... Disney is magic...). At any rate, I loved being there, because this was for Caleb. I loved taking him out and just enjoying a night together. But dinner afterward (Cheddar's, yum) was probably a bigger highlight for me than Thomas... Still, here's a few pics. of the adventure:

And a quick video clip at the end of the show:



We got home around 11:30... Definitely after curfew...

Lisa

Goin' On Dates...

... with my kids is a lot of fun!

Seth and I had a "date day" today. Originally I had planned to take him to the Children's Museum and also to a place called Kiln Creations, where he could paint pottery or melt glass or whatever. Seth is really into art. However, we were having such a great time at the Children's Museum (which we had never been to before) that when I asked him if he wanted to leave around 3:00, he looked at me as if I had just sprouted a third eye. We stayed there all day, instead, and I'll save the rest for another day!

It is not all that often that I get to go out with Seth, alone, anymore. This child who I enjoyed countless walks and days in the park with during his first year of life is getting so big! I honestly can't say where the time goes, but it goes too fast.

At any rate, Seth and I left around 8:00am and headed for Indy. The Children's Museum is so much easier to find than the zoo, and you know you're in for a good time when you pull up to an enormous building that has dinosaurs busting through the walls! Seth did, indeed, come face to face with a dinosaur later in our day, but not before I was eaten by a dragon. I honestly tried to convince Seth that he should be eaten, as it is family tradition, but he was adamant that it was my turn. He told me that he was not going to be eaten by anything, today! This is the point at which (with much fear and trepidation... this was worse than being consumed by the dragon) I put my $800.00 camera into the hands of my 8 year old. He did just fine:

We really enjoyed both the Lego Castle exhibit (which is gone now and was one of the main reasons that we had to go on the weekend we did) and Dinosphere. It was seriously cool when it started "raining" in the prehistoric world!

We traveled through the ocean, which was a hit for Seth since he got to climb into and through several submarines, and we browsed the train exhibit, which was nice but would probably be more intriguing to Caleb... and Daddy... The Egyptian tomb went over about as well as the one at Busch Gardens. A trip to the pyramids is not in the works for this family, although I would enjoy exploring them, myself.

Fireworks of glass was definitely a favorite. I think that Seth enjoyed creating with the plastic pieces that looked like the glass, but I was simply intrigued by the glass structure, itself. Seth also liked running up and down the ramp so I could snap some pics of him with the glass!

Lunch was not such a hit... I think I paid like $3.00 for a cookie! But... alas... this day was about Seth, and not about me, and the truth is, I will never be able to afford to pay $3.00 for cookies for everyone, so on individual date days with Mom, you get what you want! I wanted water... and that's what I had...

Speaking of which, the water tower clock was incredible! I am very glad that Seth agreed, because I really wanted to watch the hour change, and he acquiesced... twice! We are probably the only two people in the world who found it interesting enough to stand and watch the thing for a total of 15-20 minutes over the course of the day, but that's alright... we're just cool like that!

After lunch we took a quick spin through the Super Hero exhibit (another exhibit that is now gone). I really thought that Seth would like this, but he most certainly did not. I think this is largely due to the fact that he has not been exposed to most of these "heroes", because the trash they put out about them now is not really the kind of thing that I want my kids to associate with what makes a hero. Seth probably thought that I was subjecting him to something terribly inappropriate based on the fact that we have not really allowed Spiderman in our house. That said, if anyone feels the need to send me a gift, I would love the 1990s Spiderman cartoon series on DVD. I think it's high time that Seth was introduced to that Spiderman, and let's face it, I used to rush home from work (this is after I was married) in order to catch every episode, myself!

Next, we spent an entire hour in The Power of Children: Making a Difference exhibit. I doubt that we will be able to spend that much time when we take everyone, but I really appreciate that Seth loves to read every sign, because that gave me time to do the same! Personally, I felt that this was the most powerful exhibit in the building, although I can see how it might be "boring" for smaller kids.

We then proceeded to ask if we could take a quick walk through Playscape (the preschool area), because I wanted to check it out for future visits. I think the staff person was going to tell us no until we ran into a friend from the church I attended in High School who was working at the museum! Thanks to Kathy, we got to see what is available for Caleb and Ian, and it is always fun to catch up with someone you have not seen in 10 years! Having connections is a good thing!

We enjoyed Story Avenue quickly (we were running out of time), although I would love to sit and listen to every story in the future, and then we headed to Science Works. This was another favorite stop for Seth even before we actually crossed the threshold! I have a quick video clip of him playing the rhythm sticks here. He loved the water tables and the construction site, as well (see pics above):



We also had a great time running through the mirror maze, although it is a bit disorienting!



We swung by the museum store for souvenirs (magnets for me and an airplane construction book for Seth), and then we were on our way! We ate dinner at Chili's and desert at Dairy Queen and called it a day... a very good day...

Lisa

I Now Return You To My Regularly Scheduled Life...

You know... I guess there's a first time for everything. Yesterday, Phil and I went to the movies together for the first time ever. Uh... yeah... deadpan to the audience. But really... I'm not kidding...

I could probably go into the whole story, but I think I won't.. at least just yet.

We saw "Fireproof", which was very good. Now, let me be honest... I don't think I was totally sold on this movie from the promos, previews, etc. They kind of gave me the impression that it might be a whole bunch of sappy, evangelical garbage that sort of made me want to puke. I realize I am playing with fire here (pun intended). If you consider yourself "evangelical", we can talk. I'm probably not making fun of you at all. You'd just have to understand where I'm coming from. At any rate, while there were a few scenes that explained Christianity from a slightly different perspective than I would have, it was overall NOT garbage... in fact, it was great.

If you are going to see Fireproof, and I think everybody should, and you don't want to read any spoilers, than stop reading now.

Really... I'm going to ruin the movie for you, so don't read anymore if you haven't seen this yet.

Last chance to turn back... Here come the spoilers...

I was amazingly impressed with the intensity of the fire/rescue scenes. Seriously, I was totally enthralled and a little bit panicked!

I was equally impressed with the way this movie covered the struggles that Caleb and Katherine had with unfaithfulness and how real and how hard those struggles can be.

The Love Dare was, unquestionably, both very difficult and very effective. But in the end, it was obvious that both husband and wife must commit to the relationship to really make it work, and that having Christ as the very foundation of marriage is necessary in order to really understand love. That said, if there was any downside to this it was that we all have to realize that while Christ is our guide... our Lord... our King... He certainly never promises that we will never struggle again once we have accepted Him (which the movie didn't say, but it did give a very "everything is blissfully happy now" ending, and although we certainly experience moments of this, there are also times when we will struggle to even be content and to grasp the peace that was so sought after in the character's lives (and of course in our lives as well).

Still... how refreshing to watch something that, if it errors at all, errors on the side of wholesomeness. The message was powerful... and true I might add... Can't ask for a whole lot more than that.

Now... I also have to admit that "Fireproof" was not even the only movie I took in this weekend (go figure)! On Sunday afternoon, I went with a group of girls to see '"High School Musical 3". And if you haven't seen it... and if you've read all the reviews that say it's only mildly entertaining for nine year olds... well... you can't believe every review you read!

I loved High School Musical. I loved High School Musical 2 (though maybe just slightly less than the first one). And, I loved High School Musical 3! It, like it's predecessors, is squeaky clean, and it's really not nearly as corny as you might guess... for a Disney film (which I am rather partial to)...

Spoilers forthcoming...

Again... last chance to close your browser...

Here we go...

If there is one aspect of HSM3 that I enjoyed less than the others, it was the music. And you might think that's pretty important for a musical! That said, there were a couple of numbers that I absolutely loved, so it certainly wasn't all bad. In fact, none of it was really bad. Some of the musical arrangements just lacked the umph of the previous installments.

HSM3 endeared my to Mrs. Darbis, believe it or not. That was a surprise, no doubt.

I was, perhaps, a little disappointed in Sharpay's role in this film, as she really is my favorite character. However, I loved what they did with Ryan (continuing to build his character from the second movie), and I also loved where the story line went with Kelsey. Troy and Gabriella's story was, of course, dominant, and I was pretty impressed with the depth of it.

Throughout the movie, a whole new class of characters is introduced, and I really hope this does not mean what it inevitably does... High School Musical will not be the same if Disney attempts to make a fourth movie with an all new cast. I think they should quit while they're ahead... and maybe attempt, instead, to make a reunion movie five years down the road...

Overall, I think everyone should see this movie (and the first two). I think they're great. However, if you're going to see them, you have to check the cynicism that craves crappy movies at the door, because you won't get that with HSM... and, really... why would you want it?

Lisa

This Week's "Mis"adventures...

This is not the first time I sat down to write this post...

Or the second...

Or the third...

The week has flown by, and it has been busy.

On Monday, I loaded the kids in the van and set off on an all day long Easter candy sale adventure. Unfortunately (or actually maybe it was fortunate), I didn't find a whole lot of what I was looking for, because a lot of retailers have gotten wise to people like me in recent years, and they begin discounting their Easter stuff the week before Easter.

After dragging the kids in and out and through some dozen or so stores, I decided to do something that no mom should ever do... alone. I took them to Chuck-E-Cheese. We ate some pizza (Which, by the way, I'm not real fond of Chuck-E-Cheese pizza. It kind of tastes like cardboard...), and played some games. My favorite part was that there is a new photo attraction. We spent lots of tokens on it and ended up with these:
Then I dragged the kids through several more stores, including Bath and Body Works, where they mopped the floors with their rear ends, because they were now too tired to walk...

Eventually, we got home.

As far as the candy goes, I am feeling a little bit like Frog and Toad. If you haven't read the story, you should. The candy is packed away in a box and all taped up, and I hope I can leave it there, because I would really hate to have to throw it outside for it to meet the same fate that Frog and Toad's cookies met...

On Tuesday, I did something that I have not done in almost 13 years...

I went to the movies...

You see, Caleb kind of has this thing for elephants, and after reading the review at plugged-in, I decided that "Horton Hears A Who" was worth a look...
Caleb and I left the house a little early, since we didn't know where the movie theater was. Upon arriving, we were pleasantly surprised to see signs advertising that it was free popcorn night! I got Caleb out and, of course, marched him up to the movie poster, where we took a picture. We then went up to the window and saw another sign that was not nearly so exciting... Tell me, why would any business... located in the United States... in the year 2008... be "unable" to accept debit or credit cards? Now, seriously, I should have a t-shirt that says, "wearer does not carry more than $10.00 cash"... because, really, I don't. After going through my wallet... and my purse... and my pockets... I was able to come up with $6.00. If you have been to the theater more recently than me, you know that wasn't enough to get us both in. So... I ran Caleb back through the parking lot, and all the while he's saying, "So, mommy, are we not going to see Horton now?" And I'm reassuring, "No, Caleb, we're going to see Horton. But we have to go home first and borrow some cash from Seth!" Seth is the only person in our family who ever has cash.

As we drove home, Caleb looked kind of worried, but I didn't really have time to think about it. Phil met me at the door with a twenty, and I ran back out to the car. Now Caleb really looked concerned. I announced, "I have the cash!" and Caleb just stared at me and said, "I don't see any cats!" No wonder the child was upset. He had no idea where we were going to get "cats" to pay for the movie... hehehe...

We got back to the theater, took a parking spot a bit further away than before, bought our tickets, got our free popcorn with extra butter, and settled in for 25 minutes of previews, during which time Caleb kept saying, "I don't think this is the Horton movie"... When the movie finally did begin, I am pretty sure Caleb never caught on that the part about the Whos was the same movie as the part about Horton. At any rate, he had a good time and kept saying, "That was fun... that was fun..." as we left.

I am pretty sure he will want to go back to, "the white building that looks like a church and has big TVs", so I hope something decent plays again in the next decade...
I was quite impressed by the movie, itself. There were a couple of jokes aimed at adults that I could have done without, but they were subtle enough that kids wouldn't really catch on. There was one slur against homeschooling early on that kind of ticked me off, but I'll get over it. And the musical number at the end... well... if you grew up in the 80s, you'll probably gag. There's the negative side...

On the other hand, there were a couple of times when I actually felt teary eyed (yes, at a Dr. Suess film) and said to myself, "this is phenomenal". There were several allusions to faith that would be fantastic conversation starters for older kids, and the main message from the original "Horton Hears A Who" remained in tact... "A person's a person, no matter how small". I also liked that they included the main idea from "Horton Hatches the Egg": "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant, an elephant's faithful one-hundred percent!"

It was really good for me and Caleb to have a date night. I like to do things with my kids one-on-one when I can, but it gets tricky sometimes. In April, I'm taking Seth and Grace to a live, musical rendition of "Flat Stanley". I can't wait to report on that...

Thursday was Phil's off day, and we were going to go grocery shopping, but none of us felt very well. Instead, we stayed home, took the day off of school (which we can afford to do, since we didn't schedule a "Spring break"), and watched Duck Tales.

The quote of the day, from Friday, came from myself. It was, "I don't homeschool him," said when Phil said he needed five volunteers, while holding up four fingers... We had a good FNF. Jay did an awesome job, although I'm now wondering if playing leap frog in the cold, night, air is such a great idea... I was severely tired at the end and literally counted down the seconds for the last minute...

Yesterday we had the much anticipated pizza eating contest at Cicis. I am proud to say that I didn't eat much. Phil... however... well, I'll let him tell you about it if he so chooses... I took lots of pictures, but I think Phil has my camera at the moment, and if I don't post this now, it might be another week!

And now, here I am today. I have almost completely lost my voice. I actually attempted to lead the call to worship and to participate in a drama at church today, even though I have little more than a whisper. My kids always like it when I lose my voice, because then I can't yell at them... hehehe... Funny, they are still yelling at me! :) Oh, wait... they're not yelling at me after all... They just always talk that loud...

I am hoping to get a nap in, this afternoon, before it's back to church...

Ah... life is good...

Lisa