High Diving Horses

Tonight I showed my kids a movie I remember watching many times in my younger days. Wild Hearts Can't be Broken. I remembered this story as one that took place during the depression so put it on my Netflix queue. It arrived the other day. I am not surprised that they loved it. (except for the kissing part "Do we have to watch the kissing parts?) They thought it was a lot of fun and got even more excited when they found out it was a true story.  I even had a book on the shelf that I had picked up at the library about Sonora and her high diving horse. We of course had to read it right that minute.

I really enjoyed reading some more about Sonora in the book. The author's note and the dust jacket filled in a bit more about the story. And after doing a little internet search I found out the movie isn't very accurate (but then when is the movie ever true to the real story).  It is still a fun story to read and watch.

On the dust jacket the author tells how the horses loved jumping so much that when one of them got out of their stall they ran up the ramp and jumped all on its own.  I just don't think we would see an act like that these days. I certainly wouldn't want to do the jumping off of a 40 and sometimes 60 foot tower into a pool of water.

My kids of course then had to do some horse dives.Luckily there tower was only 2 feet high. But they laid out the blue blanket so it could be their pool to land in and took turns being the rider and announcer.

My kids just never seem to have any fun!

We don't do this often, Thank goodness!

The kids were taken on a rare outing. Yesterday their Dad took the three oldest kids to a movie. This is not something we do very often. It is so expensive to go to movies. For the price they paid for their 4 tickets we could have paid for our Netflix for 3 months. Usually we just wait until a movie comes out on DVD. But I thought they should go see this one. They did more than just watch the movie they went to see it in 3D.  I stayed home with a sad, sick, cranky baby.


When they got home they told me all about it. They actually didn't like the 3D aspect of the film. The glasses were uncomfortable. My husband said he could tell the movie was shot with the 3D in mind so I am glad they saw it that way.

As for the story.... my kids said there were scary parts. But they have always thought Zurg in Toy Story 2 was scary too. I guess there is a scene with the toys almost being burned in a fire and my kids didn't handle that too well. They also said there was a bad monkey that clapped his hands and made the other kids do things. But overall they liked the movie. My husband said he still likes Toy Story 2 better but it was a good ending to the story. If of course it is indeed the end. I guess the toys now have a new home so who knows if there will be another sequel.  I guess as long as families keep taking their kids to the movies and buying the toys they will keep making the movies.

So I guess the movie is good. They are still talking about it a day later. Everyone that I know who has seen it has loved it.  I will wait to see it on DVD. It won't be 3D but I am sure it will still be fun. I am told the animation is amazing!

I don't know if we will be doing another movie anytime soon. Maybe just the 1$ Summer morning movies and that is it. The price of tickets to see a movie is outrageous. Or maybe I am just cheep.

What is it about Star Wars?

It started with Legos. When my sister moved across the country her husband gave my boys a box of legos that he didn't want to pack up and take with them. These were a few Star Wars lego figures and some of the ships from the Star Wars movies. The kids have been playing with these legos for months now and slowly learning the names of the different figures that they found in this box. They kept mixing up the numbers and letters of the different "robots", I tired to correct them and say they were droids. They have been asking and asking me to let them see the Star Wars movies. I kept saying they needed to wait until they were older because they might be a bit scary and give them nightmares.



A few weeks ago I took the kids to one of the summer Wednesday morning dollar movies, Kung Fu Panda. Henry had yet to see a movie in a theater and loved watching this one on the big screen. As I was sitting there watching these different animals do Kung fu and battle it out I thought... This is just about a violent and scary as the original Star Wars movie. I went home and talked to my husband about it and ended up putting the First Star Wars movie (episode IV) on my Netfix queue.



My kids were in heaven when I told them that it had arrived in the mail. They quickly cleaned their rooms and put their toys away (this doesn't happen quickly, ever in our house) so they could watch it. I watched it with them, or tired to, I fell asleep through a bit of it, in case it got too scary. The kids loved it, watched it again the next day, and were clamoring for the next one. So again I put the Empire Strikes Back on my queue and the kids loved this one even more. Sophie especially loved Yoda. They boys just love the antics of C-3PO and R2-D2. And of course they knew there was more to the story and wanted to see the next movie too.

Here is Sophie's drawing of R2-D2 which has been given a place of honor in a frame and now sits in the boy's room

So again the mail man brought us a red envelope which Henry couldn't wait to open. Before I could even stop him he had ripped open the envelope and was looking at the disk. He said "Princess Leah doesn't have much clothes on". I had forgotten how scantily clad Leah is during one of the scenes in Return of the Jedi. I didn't go into detail about why Leah is almost naked but just said that they would find out when they watched the movie. I am glad that scene doesn't last too long and boys were more interested in Jaba and what animals he was eating than in Princess Leah. When the movie ended they talked about the little live teddy bears (Ewoks) and all the funny things they did.

Sophie has really enjoyed the library book we found that is all about the different droids. We have endless pictures of them scattered about the house.

So now the kids have watch these three Star Wars Movies. They know there are three more and that they explain how Anikan Skywalker becomes Darth Vadar. I personally have only seen each of the prequels only once and don't remember being that impressed with them. They seemed very flashy and full of computer generated characters and lots of special effects. A little light on story if I remember right. The kids are pretty happy with the three they have seen but most of the books and such that they find at the library talk about characters and events that happen in these first three movies. They even found Episode I on the shelf of children's movies. I don't know why I am so leary of these first three Star Wars movies. They are rated PG just like the 3 I have already shown the kids but.... maybe it is because I am not as familiar with them. What do you think? Are the first three any worse, violent and such, as the original three?

For now they are content to build lego ships, read books about Star Wars, and draw lots of pictures of their favorite characters. There are a few light saber battles too, Ian is always Luke Skywalker and Henry is always Darth Vader.

I have never been that excited about Star Wars. Growing up, I remember watching the movies but can't say they were ones that I needed to see over and over again. My brother did have a few of the Star Wars figures and if I remember right an Empire Strikes Back Beach towel (funny the things your remember!). I know when I went to college there were Star Wars parties where they would watch the original three movies back to back. For some reason they are a classic for us to share with our kids. My kids sure loved these and are a bit Star Wars crazy at the moment. But I know before long they will move onto something else. So far we haven't had any bad dreams and I don't see an increase in violence around the house. (My boys have always had battles, either they were vikings, knights or Kung Fu fighters).

So I gave in with Star Wars. I still wonder if almost 4 years old is a little young for such movies. But it is hard to let some kids watch and not let the others.

I am still holding off on Harry Potter movies and books though. I look forward to reading these with the kids and watching the movies. I told Sophie when she was 11 we would read the books. The early books would be fine I am sure but the later books are a lot more scary and I don't think she would understand them yet anyway.

I guess Star Wars will have to do for now.

Liberty's Kids

At the Library this morning we picked up a great series to go along with out studies about the Revolutionary War. Liberty's Kids has proved to be a hit. Sophie was skeptical at first. But after the first episode, which was about the Boston Tea Party, she begged to watch the next one. After that second episode we left for a bit to go take a swim but on the drive back home the kids begged for another episode. Since it is hot I agreed they could if we first did some math. Sophie quickly completed it without having to be prodded. And the kids, all three of them, are all glued to the set watching the next episode. As I have watched it along with them I thought it was a fun introduction to all the people and happenings from the time period. Sophie especially got excited when the kids take a trip to Williamsburg which is where Felicity lives.

I know there are many people that don't watch any movies or don't have their kids watch any television. But I love movies too much. In moderation I think they can be used to reinforce things already studied. We usually try to read about the subject before viewing a documentary or read the book before watching movies based on books.

Borrowers

We have officially finished The Borrowers Series by Mary Norton. It has taken us about 3 months to read all 5 books. But we only read a chapter or two each night before bed. I mostly read the books to Sophie but Ian would sometimes listen. He also knows the stories because we found a movie version at the library that closely follows the books. There is also a sequel, which follows the rest of the books, but it isn't at our library. I had thought I would just buy it but it is only on VHS and not DVD. We have also watched a more recent borrowers movie but it doesn't follow the books at all. Just some of the names of the characters are the same. My kids still liked it.

Today my kids are busy acting out the story. Sophie of course is Arrietty. Ian decided he was Spiller (that way he could carry his plastic dagger around with him.) And they couldn't decide if Henry should be Peagreen or Timmus. I personally think he is more like Timmus then Peagreen. But I think they just like saying Peagreen better. They have piled up pillows and blankets to make forts for the borrowers to hide in and they seem to be running around a lot. Sometime I am forced to be Homily and at other times I have been Miss Menzies or even Mrs. Driver. I am glad they have such great imaginations, and that they play so well together. They don't always so it is refreshing for today.


Of course we aren't done with Mary Norton yet. Sophie wants me to read Bedknob and Broomstick by the same author next. Evidently she has been reading it already and it doesn't follow the movie at all.

Le Ballon Rouge

Yesterday afternoon I went and got the mail. I was excited to find two bright red envelopes there. I was right in the middle of a mini series and needed the next disk so I could finish the story. Somehow neither of those red Netflix envelopes contained the last disk that I was expecting. This happens from time to time. I don't check my netflix queue for awhile, things get shuffled around, or my husband puts a few things on there that I don't expect. For what ever reason they, netflix, sent me two other movies that were on my queue. Sometime movies just creap up to the top of my queue that I had added years ago and had forgotten about. Well one of these movies that I didn't expect came yesterday.
The Red Balloon is a film I vividly remember watching in school as a child. That bright red balloon following a boy all through the streets of Paris is hard for a person to forget. In a humanities senior seminar class on film that I took in college I got to watch it again. It really is a work of art.
I put it on yesterday afternoon for my kids to watch. They loved seeing the red balloon dance around the windows of the school almost seeming to peek in to try to find the boy. They appreciated that the boy took such good care of the balloon when walking home in the rain.He made sure the balloon was under an umbrella.
They giggled when the balloon seemed to play games and tease the boy and he would scold it.

They all wanted to try flying with the huge bunch of balloons like the boy does at the end.
If you haven't seen this film before see if you can find it somewhere. My kids loved it!

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Over the weekend my children were introduced to new movie.This movie was put on while we were over at my sister's house inorder to keep the kids from destroying her home or traumatizing her cats. They quickly settled onto the couch and were quietly watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks. They didn't quite get to finish it before we left so they asked if they could borrow it. We took it home and finished it the next day. They have now watched it three times. They only get one movie a day so they have watched nothing else except this for days. It is always so fun to hear them totally bursting out laughing. They love the soccer game scene. What kids wouldn't love the elephant blasting the ball across the court with his trunk only to be smacked back by a gorilla goalie hanging from the goal post.

Sophie was very excited to find out that the story that this movie is based on is written by Mary Norton, the author of the Borrowers books which we have been enjoying and are almost finished with. She has already requested that we get the book the next time we go to the library. For now she is content just to sing the songs. They sure catch on to those things quickly. It doesn't help that I sing the songs along with her, I guess. I know the movie well from my childhood.

A Holiday

It is Martin Luther King Day and my husband didn't have to go to work. Sophie of course claimed that because it was a holiday we didn't have to do any school. As I went to the gym this morning, I passed the elementary school and it was closed. So I guess we too could have a day off of school.

It is also raining, which isn't the most exciting for a holiday, so my husband decided to take Sophie and Ian to see the new Veggie tales movie.
This was Sophie's 2nd movie ever and Ian's first. We knew Henry wouldn't be able to sit through it so I stayed with him while they all went to see the show. Not having seen it myself I can't tell you much about it. But the kids came home all excited about it and said that it was great. Even my Husband said it was very clever and like all veggie tales movies, taught a great moral, Faith, prayer and trusting in God. It looks like I will have to put it on the netflix queue so we can watch it again once it is out on DVD.

Sophie then decided she had to have even more of Dad's attention so she asked him to help her play Civilization. She claimed it was for School is she was the greeks this time. I thought we weren't doing school today?

I also decided to rearrange the furniture in the boy's room. I have been meaning to move the bunk beds because they have been right under the heat vent. Ian has had a very nice cozy bed but the heat doesn't distribute through the room well. He got it all. So now everything is shifted and the boys are thrilled with the new arrangement. Change is good!

So it has been quite a holiday. It feels like we got a few things done.
No school though. Just as Sophie wished.

Oh.. and Happy Birthday Auntie Kewan

The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's

Today we went grocery shopping and our supermarket just happens to be in the same shopping center as a Blockbuster. I don't think I have been in a Blockbuster for years. We Netflix and love it! I have been carrying around a gift card to Blockbuster for about 2 years in my wallet. I don't know what possessed me but today we went in and looked for a movie not to rent but to buy. We don't buy movies very often usually we just borrow everything from the library or Netflix. So we went in and looked at the new DVD's to buy. I took the kids over to the kids section and they weren't really that excited about anything. Henry saw a Thomas the Tank Engine movie. Ian saw some Land Before Time DVD's. Sophie didn't see anything that really interested her but was going to settle on the Curious George movie. I was almost ready to walk out of the store and put that gift card back in my wallet and save it for another year or two, when I would remember it was there and go into a Blockbuster again. But when we were about to walk out we spotted the new Veggie Tales video, The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's. My kids quickly decided that that was the movie they just had to have. So we payed the man and took it home.

My kids have had an on again, off again love for Veggie Tales movies. Sophie loved them when she was really small but wouldn't watch them for years because they were "baby movies". Recently we have been watching them again. The kids have been picking them out to borrow from the library. We will go week after week borrowing them and then go weeks without. But when you see a new one that you haven't seen you just have to see it. I think we have now seen just about all of them. They really are creative stories and songs.

This Wizzard of Ha's is the newest one and we hadn't even heard of it yet. Sophie got all excited about it since it is of course the Wizard of OZ story and she was on an Oz kick a year ago. We read through about 9 of the Oz books last year and she talks about them still. We may be ready to revisit the land of Oz soon. The kids are at this moment glued to the TV, watching their new movie. It must be good since the kids aren't even bouncing around on the bed like they usually do when viewing a movie.

So whomever gave us a Blockbuster gift card 2 years or so ago, Thanks!

Top Ten Tuesday - Kids movies

Sophie had her ear tubes put in this morning. She did great! The doctor said everything went as planned and that we should let her relax the rest of the day. She is a bit woozy still. So we turned on her favorite movie and let the kids sit and watch a movie. This doesn't happen all that often. Maybe once a week do the kids watch a full length movie. We do watch our half hour of Signing Time or Bob the Builder most afternoons but a whole movie is a treat. I thought today I would share some of my kids favorite films. These are the ones that we watch over and over again.

1. Alice in Wonderland - This is Sophie's absolute favorite film. It is currently playing in the background as I type.

2. Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 - My kids love these films. Sophie can tell you the name of and the composer for each of the songs. We even have the soundtracks so we listen to them all the time and the kids tell me what would be happening during that song in the film.

3. Toy Story 1 & 2 - Ian's favorite films. He loves Buzz and Woody and even has a Woody doll that sleeps with him.

4. The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, and Cars - Can we just say we love Pixar films.

5. The Sword in the Stone - My boys love this one. Knights and swords are always good to entertain boys. Sophie loves the parts where Merlin and Arther turn into fish, squirrls and birds.

6. Mary Poppins - What kid wouldn't love this film. Great songs and fun story. A little long so we tend not to finish it in one go.

7. Winnie the Pooh - this was the first Disney film we ever bought and Sophie used to watch it a lot. Ian loved it for awhile and now Henry picks it. This is one we usually watch in the car when traveling to Grandma's house.

8. Sound of Music - We don't usually watch this one in one sitting but my kids love the music. This is another one that we have the soundtrack for and listen to quite often. The kids usually just want to see the songs and skip the rest.

9. Singing in the Rain - This is one of the films I have introduced to the kids recently and I think we should get the soundtrack for. I have caught Ian "Singing in the Rain" while in the shower. I have been trying to introduce some of the old musicals to the kids. I grew up watching them. Plus I don't want my kids to turn their noses up at old movies. I love the classics.

10. Spy Kids - Sophie saw this film when we were on our cruise. They showed it in the kid zone one day. We happened to own it. We must have found it very cheep a few years ago. So now she watches this one. I don't really care for the sequels but the first one is good.