Brief Synopsis (with no spoilers...I promise!): Po, an adult, overweight, lazy male Panda, begrudgingly and mundanely works in his family's noodle restaurant. Secretly, he fantasizes about being a Kung Fu master and is a closet-fan of the infamous Furious Five, made up of the impressive likes of Tigress, Monkey, Praying Mantis, Crane, and Viper, led by their master Shifu (and to be perfectly honest, I'm still a bit baffled about what type of animal he is. Annaleigh thinks some kind of rodent. Harrison is leaning more towards a small fox. If anyone finds out for sure, please let us know). Through a bumbling set of amusing incidents, Po is the unlikely personality chosen to defeat the likes of an angry, vengeful snow leopard, Tai Lung (or something like that). The plot centers around the unlikely hero and his road to self-discovery.
Why we went to see it: Well, when you have this in your life on an everyday basis....
...is there any question that you must go see a movie like this?
Why you MIGHT want to see it: It is a fun, family-friendly flick if there ever was one. Because it was Dreamworks, I figured it could go either way in the crudity department, but this film stays on the straight and narrow. It was even without the cursory reference to flatulence that almost all kid movies contain these days. And it was genuinely funny. I have to admit that I'm a bit of a fan of Jack Black. While I haven't seen all of his films, the ones I have seen always exhibit an adorable, extremely likable kind of humor, which I find refreshing in our days of vulgarity-for-laughs. He is the perfect voice for Po. By the way, did you know that my brother-in-law, Patrick, is a dead-ringer for Jack Black? Look at this...
Patrick (and his lovely wife, Amy):
and Jack Black:
Similiar, eh? Well, he has gotten stopped a time or two. (And is it just me, or does Mr. Black have a very visible booger in his nose?!) Many years ago, Patrick was also mistaken as this guy by a two-year old...
Anyway, enough about my famous-looking brother-in-law. Let's get back to the movie....It seems that the producers went to great lengths to make sure it was a star-studded affair, with other voice talents including Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, and of course, Jackie Chan. The animation is decent too, almost with a 3-D feel at times.
Why you MIGHT NOT want to see it: It is rated PG for sequences of martial arts action, but honestly this surprises me. This movie is no more violent than the Bugs Bunny cartoons that I used to watch on Saturday mornings back in the late 70s. The snow leopard character might be a bit scary for a very small child, and the scene where he escapes from prison is mildly intense, but I would think most children about 5 or 6 and up could handle this just fine. Now, it doesn't just beg to be seen on the big screen, so if you want to save a buck...or twenty...just wait for the DVD. If the movie has a weakness, it's that it's predictable...for adults anyway.
Will you die if you don't see it?: No, but you might as well see it anways.
A good substitute: Well, as far as animated family movies go, I don't think one can compete with Pixar as far as plot goes. Still, this one is much better than the standard Shrek fair we've been bombarded with of late. If it's a martial arts movie you're looking for, then this is the one to see with your family....or just watch the above video of Harrison and his friend performing their extreme form demonstration from the last tournament we attended. They aren't pandas, but they are dressed in black and white.
***A note about Flashback Friday***
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I will not be able to blog for a few days, so I will not be hosting a Flashback Friday this week. If you had a good one, please hold onto it for another week, and I'll get back to you next Friday....or just go ahead and post it on your own if you'd like. I haven't copyrighted it or anything.
I'm sure everyone can recall many times when they have caught one or more of their children up to no good or accidentally making a mess and of course they really don't want to fess up to being the one that did it :) Well that was the case today when L spilled some of her water at lunch time, right in front of all of us I might add *grin*
Me: Did you just spill some of your water? You better wipe it up. L: I didn't do it Me: What do you mean you didn't do it? Who did it? Me: Did a purple fairy do it? L: Yes Me: Was the fairy wearing a fuzzy purple sweater? L: Yeeess
L was grinning now while still pretending that the fairy did it although she just admitted it was her by saying the fairy was wearing HER purple sweater *grin* How's that for some mischievous twisting of the truth!
Grandma and Grandpa are up. One of the first things my Dad said to me was "We need to use your kitchen. We brought strawberries to make jam." They had arrived mid-afternoon, and I was thinking about dinner, so my first thought was "Now?". But it was decided to do it after dinner was cleaned up and the children were in bed.
So after dinner we topped strawberries by the seeming millions and made jam. It is my first time making anything but freezer jam, so I learned a lot. I did make freezer jam, as we had more than enough berries for one batch of jam. We had also had strawberry shortcake for dessert.
The children are in swimming lessons these two weeks. Today it was thundering and raining so the kids had a "dry" lesson, coloring and learning safety things. I hope they can swim tomorrow--especially since our town's pool has developed a leak, so I have to drive 15 minutes to the next town for lessons.
I'm toast tonight. I have 12 things already on my list for tomorrow, and that doesn't count the little stuff, so I'd better think about heading to bed.
• Tuesday, July 8, 2008 - Visitors = trip to Oatman
Posted By Kristy
We took a jaunt to Oatman, an old gold mining town. We ate lunch at the cafe, where one of the 'gunfighters' came in to eat and decided to play some tunes on the guitar.He was very good! The walls at the cafe are covered in dollar bills, signed by people from all over the world. The kids signed theirs and stapled it to the wall. Last month, Julia was up there with family and they all signed a dollar and so we put ours underneath that one. Then we went upstairs of the old hotel, to the room that is 'haunted' by Oatie the ghost. We didn't see him, he must have been elsewhere (wink). Then we had to go to Kingman to run some errands so we took the long way. It was a very fun day.
I LOVE this photo of Julianna, taken just a few hours after her birth, of her first bath. And guess what? I don't even get to take credit for it! Kenton took it! He did great, huh?
My family and I live in the United States. Here we celebrate what is known as "July 4th" or "Independence Day". In the mid 1700's, when the USA was still quite young, Americans had found it quite difficult to live under England's rule. A series of significant events led to the signing of the Declaration of Independence that eventually led to freedom from English rule after America won the Revolutionary war. We celebrate Independence Day on July 4th as this was the day that the Continental Congress completed the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. People thus began to celebrate. In Philadelphia, bells rang out and firecrackers were set off. We still celebrate in much the same way to this very day.
I marvel at the fact that we, like our Creator have been endowed with amazing creative abilities!
It's now becoming a tradition in our family to venture to a local amusement park where we are privileged to watch a spectacular display of fire works. Every year they try to out do themselves at Lakemont Park. I must have counted nearly a dozen different colors as they dazzled the evening sky. I couldn't help but to marvel, ponder and entertain various thoughts as we kicked back to watch. I marveled at the fact that we, like our Creator have been endowed with amazing creative abilities. I thought about the skill that is required to set off such a marvelous display of fire works without blowing oneself up in the process, and the ingenuity that is required to create the many colors and patterns. Oh, how we resemble our Maker! I found my mind then began to think about our very thoughts! How precious it is to have the ability to commune with one another, to share a word of encouragement, to plan an event, share a dream or to teach one another! Oh, how precious this truly is! I thought about those whom we have known and loved that have slipped from our realm and view. Those whom we love who have gone on to be fully in the presence of our Lord. I thought about the way they used to share their thoughts with us and the fellowship that we shared with them together on this earth. We human creatures can be a very forgetful bunch!If we don't become pro-active in either recording our thoughts, particularly, of the most vital thoughts on salvation and Jesus Christ the Word, just imagine how easily and quickly how our thoughts about such things can fade away! As a believing Christian, I do not believe that our thoughts vanish altogether when we die, they only vanish from this present earthly life. King David and King Solomon, two very wise men who sought after and loved the Lord provide us with wisdom in this and many others areas of life. The Psalmist admonishes us to put our trust in God and reminds us that in the day that we breathe our last, our thoughts perish. This is how the Amplified reads:
Psalm 146:4 3-Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help. 4-When his breath leaves him, he returns to his earth; in that very day his [previous] thoughts, plans, and purposes perish.
Some theologians interpret verse 4 to mean that we cease to be completely, that our thoughts are gone for good until the resurrection. Hence, the doctrine of "soul-sleep". Still others interpret verse 4 to mean that our thoughts are now no longer accessible by inhabitants still on the earth but our spirits & thoughts will return to God. King Solomon, also quoted from the Amplified Bible provide us with these words of wisdom:
Ecclesiastes 12:7 7-Then shall the dust [out of which God made man's body] return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it.
If our thoughts and plans on this present earth cease when we enter eternity, how important should it be that we actively record our thoughts for our friends and loved ones? How often do we even give thought to our heavenly home? As brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, heaven should be uppermost in our thoughts, for it is there that our Heavenly Father resides. Allow yourself, if only for a moment to consider your great grandchildren. Will they remember you? Will they even have the chance to meet you this side of heaven? Unmarried? Well, how about your siblings? Your nieces and nephews? There is a way to reach beyond our small scope and even past the small amount of time that we have here to touch future generations for Jesus Christ! We are given MANY creative talents for this very reason! To glorify God and to reach BEYOND ourselves. Remember what James wrote; " Faith Without Works is Dead".
Prayerfully consider how you can reach out and share the Gospel, even in the future!
Recently, I was given the opportunity to review the Clean N' Flip books, brought to us by the great ladies at Trigger Memory Systems (creators of Times Tales). Let me just say that THESE THINGS ARE GREAT! If you've never seen them, allow me to tell you a bit about them.
First off, we have the Zone Cleaning for Kids book. This little flip-chart style book is a step-by-step guide to show kids how to clean the 3 main rooms in your house - the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. It is divided into different sections - one section for each room. Each section includes a page of blank lines for Mom to fill in various responsibilities, a "day of the week" job list (which is also a fill-in-the-blank style page), and step-by-step job responsibilities (including pictures). The best thing about this book is that the pages are laminated, so that you can use the book with dry-erase markers. Kids always love checking things off, so there are check-boxes built right into the book that they can check off as they complete tasks. The book is reusable, over and over again. Oh, and it even comes with the dry-erase marker; so as soon as you receive this one, you can get right to work assigning chores to your children that they will easily understand.
Next is the Bedroom Cleaing for Kids flip book. This book, though it doesn't have the same dry-erase feature as the Zone Cleaning book, is every bit as fun and effective, if not more so. This book takes a child through a step-by-step process of cleaning their bedroom. Now, I don't know about your house, but at my house, cleaning the bedroom is an overwhelming and daunting task - one that even I tend to put off until absolutely necessary. This book definitely follows the premise "a place for everything and everything in its place". The steps are easy, systematic, and actually make cleaning the bedroom seem much less like a chore and more like fun. There is even a page at the end of the book for Mom to fill in personal, day-of-the-week bedroom cleaning tasks; which, if performed daily, should make cleaning the bedroom a snap!
Lastly, we have the Laundry for Kids flip chart book. I'm not sure, but this one might be my favorite! It's not the laminated, dry-erase book like the Zone Cleaning, and the illustrations are in simple black & white; but the steps are so simple and straightforward that I think I could hand this book to my 8-year-old-never-done-laundry-before-daughter and expect her to do the laundry and do it well. My favorite step is #7 - the step that my kids seem to have the most problem with - actually putting the laundry away! I'm glad they included that last step in the book.
Heidi says: I must say that I was very excited to receive these books! My 14-year-old daughter was not so excited! I showed them to her and immediately her nose turned up. You know why that is, don't you? It's because she knew that Mom meant business, and her life wasn't going to be so easy anymore! Let me tell you that, since receiving these books, she has really stepped up the plate as far as helping out around the house. She's done several loads of laundry now, and does it without complaining. She helps in the "zone areas" also. We have yet to tackle the bedroom cleaning booklet - but I just know we're going to have a HUGE success with that one also.
If you struggle to get your kids to do chores, I would highly encourage the purchase of these little flip-chart books. By clicking on the banner at the top of my blog, you can read more about them, read what others have said about them, and purchase them (individually, or as a complete set of 3). I'm sure you won't be disappointed! Not only will these books help your children to complete these tasks; but, in the long run, you'll see a boost in their self-esteem and their organizational skills. Here at my house, these books aren't going to get too far out of our sight!
Wow! Monica over at homespunhearts is giving away a Land's End gift card for 120.00-NOW that would get you some great clothes or bathing suits. They have some really nice bathing suits, if you read further down on Monica's blog you will see where she talks about her suit-make sure you check over there and enter the contest-you have nothing to lose!
Yesterday we went to see the movie Kit Kittredge: American Girl.Although I’m not a huge fan of cute kiddie movies I found this one to be both entertaining and well made.From the previews I had seen I thought it might be a “Nancy Drew” type spin off, but I was mistaken.Starring Abigail Breslin as Kit, Julie Ormand and Chris O’Donnell as her parents and the other characters also played by well know actor and actresses, the talented cast took us back to a different time in history.I was taken by the period costumes and the wonderful settings. In one of the scenes there was a quilt on the bed just like one that I had when I was a little girl that had been made from old coats by my grandmother. (Wish I still had it)
The story is supposed to be about a young girl trying to get her stories published in the newspaper, but the underlying messages stood out more in my mind.Friendship, family values, and compassion were shown throughout the movie.I found the characters to be fun and believable as you watched them transform. I especially liked Julie Ormand’s portrayal of Kit’s mother.I also learned a little bit about the “hobo jungle” that I had not known.I was pleased by the movie’s portrayal of the depression and how it seemed to capture aspects of that time simply, but not overwhelming the young viewer with the grimness of it.Although this may not be a ‘deep’ film, I thought it was worth the trip.I have not seen the other American Girl movies, but if this one is an indication of their quality, I may have to.I can see the potential of a steppingstone in elementary history study.
(Their expressions are not because of their movie experience. It was the sun. LOL)
Are you homeschooling ... anyway? Very few of us, if any, escape the tragedies and other disappointments of life. In the summer of 2004, we experienced a tragedy of our own with the death of our pre-born baby. It was a devastating blow, but that year we homeschooled ... anyway. We were blessed with another little one, but were soon face to face with my husband's cancer diagnosis (multiple myeloma) in early 2006. And like we did 3 years ago, we are still homeschooling...anyway. If you need support, encouragement, or just want to know what "a day in the life" is like for another family who chooses to continue homeschooling in spite of difficulties, stick around! I'm glad you're here, and that I can be here, too, to share the ups and downs (even the days when I feel like I'm skidding sideways) of our homeschooling family: Dad, Mom, two teenagers, a preteen, and a toddler. Any typos I will blame on Bethany, who likes to smack the keyboard while I'm holding her and trying to type one-handed. ;-)
I couldn't help but to marvel, ponder and entertain various thoughts as we kicked back to watch. I marveled at the fact that we, like our Creator have been endowed with amazing creative abilities. I thought about the skill that is required to set off such a marvelous display of fire works without blowing oneself up in the process, and the ingenuity that is required to create the many colors and patterns. Oh, how we resemble our Maker! I found my mind then began to think about our very thoughts! 
First off, we have the Zone Cleaning for Kids book. This little flip-chart style book is a step-by-step guide to show kids how to clean the 3 main rooms in your house - the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. It is divided into different sections - one section for each room. Each section includes a page of blank lines for Mom to fill in various responsibilities, a "day of the week" job list (which is also a fill-in-the-blank style page), and step-by-step job responsibilities (including pictures). The best thing about this book is that the pages are laminated, so that you can use the book with dry-erase markers. Kids always love checking things off, so there are check-boxes built right into the book that they can check off as they complete tasks. The book is reusable, over and over again. Oh, and it even comes with the dry-erase marker; so as soon as you receive this one, you can get right to work assigning chores to your children that they will easily understand.
Next is the Bedroom Cleaing for Kids flip book. This book, though it doesn't have the same dry-erase feature as the Zone Cleaning book, is every bit as fun and effective, if not more so. This book takes a child through a step-by-step process of cleaning their bedroom. Now, I don't know about your house, but at my house, cleaning the bedroom is an overwhelming and daunting task - one that even I tend to put off until absolutely necessary. This book definitely follows the premise "a place for everything and everything in its place". The steps are easy, systematic, and actually make cleaning the bedroom seem much less like a chore and more like fun. There is even a page at the end of the book for Mom to fill in personal, day-of-the-week bedroom cleaning tasks; which, if performed daily, should make cleaning the bedroom a snap!
Lastly, we have the Laundry for Kids flip chart book. I'm not sure, but this one might be my favorite! It's not the laminated, dry-erase book like the Zone Cleaning, and the illustrations are in simple black & white; but the steps are so simple and straightforward that I think I could hand this book to my 8-year-old-never-done-laundry-before-daughter and expect her to do the laundry and do it well. My favorite step is #7 - the step that my kids seem to have the most problem with - actually putting the laundry away! I'm glad they included that last step in the book.
