Movie Recommendation of the Week

Hello there to all who are reading this (all two of you!)

Here are my movie recommendations of the week

All ages:

"Because of Winn Dixie"
2005

This is a story about a young girl, and a community who's lives are changed by a scruffy little mutt of a dog. The kids will love all the mischief that Winn Dixie and Opal get into and the story is heartwarming but not too sappy. It shows that families can be made in all sorts of ways

Ages 10+:

"Young Sherlock Holms"
1985

In this movie we learn what could have happened if Holms and Watson had met in school and set off on an adventure. If your kids like Harry Potter movies they are bound to like this. It does have some dark moments, so if you children frighten easily, beware. The story is complex enough not to bore adults, but it won't fly right over your children's heads

Ages 15+:

"The Breakfast Club"
1985

With school starting next week, I thought I would recommend a movie that still hold true today. The fashions my be outdated, but the premise is not. The is a classic 80's movie and who knows, it may just open a dialog about how the realities of high school never really change.

Adults:

"Cat On A Hot Tin Roof"
1958

Summer is quickly coming to a close and I wanted to add a some extra heat to your lives. This has got to be one of the sexiest movies I have ever seen. Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor are so beautiful you can not take your eyes off of them. The story is based on a play by Tennesee Williams and tells about the complexities of family, marriage, friendship and secrets. There is not of the blatant sexuality that you see in films of today, but the sexual tension between Newman and Taylor will make you want to reach for a glass of sweet tea and put on something more comfortable.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

The Joys of Home Improvement

As human beings we are always trying to improve our surroundings. But it is also in the natural order that things seem to get worse before they get better. Well I am living the worse part right now.

Let's get carpeting we said. Foolish, foolish people. Up until yesterday, we had ceramic tile in the main areas of our home. Because it is a manufactured home, it had settled over the years and tiles had become loose and started to break. So the wheels were put into motion to change the ground that we walked on. Being tired of broken glasses and picture frames, we opted for carpeting.

The contractor arrived yesterday to take out the tiles, grout and backer board. First thing to make me think that I was at the off ramp for the road to hell, the contractor didn't exactly show up on his own. He was supposed to be here at 9:00. When no one had arrived by 11:00 I called, just to make sure that I hadn't heard the dates wrong. When I talked to the receptionist she told me I was mistaken. They weren't scheduled to come until later in the week. She then went to double check her schedule. I stood in my empty living room. Looking into my empty family room and then to all our furniture piled in the dining room and kitchen. She returned to the phone and all she kept saying is "I'm so sorry." Apparently she had looked at the wrong week and sent our contractor away because she thought he didn't have any work. 11:30, our contractor was at our door, tools in hand. Chuck had to work, so it was the kids and I, confined to our bedroom all day. It took him about 4 hours to remove the tiles and then the trouble began. Apparently the people who lived here before us did the tile installation themselves. Instead of the normal number of nails, they put nails every 4-6 inches through the backer board and then an unusual amount of grout under the tiles. By 5:00, our contractor's son arrived with a friend to help. I really didn't know what was going on at first all I knew is that they were having trouble removing the backer board. From the safety of my bedroom I heard "I have a mini jackhammer in my truck." At this point I was frightened. Then the noise began. For 2 hours, they tried to remove the backer board. At 7:00, there was a thick layer of dust on everything in the house, and they were only able to tear up the living room, but there was grout, broken tiles and exposed nails everywhere. They hadn't even started on the family room.

This morning the contractor arrived at 9:30. I went to do school shopping and left Chuck here with the kids. I was supposed to have my carpet in today, but at 4:30 this afternoon, they had just finished removing all the backer board and hopefully tomorrow I can proceed to wash down all my walls, every window and all the objects in my house.

All I can say is this better be *^*%%#^%&^(( worth it!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Time Flies

I was going through pictures today and came across this one of Taylor. She is 4 years old and yet it seems like yesterday. I remember taking it. Not for any particular reason other than she asked me to. I love it because it so perfectly captured who she was and who she still is. Her blue eyes sparkling. A smile ready to turn to a laugh in a heartbeat. That unexplainable glow that just radiates and effects all those around her.
She is 8 now. And there are times that I already see the teenage attitude start to come out, but mostly I still see that face. Always wanting to make others days brighter. Striving to be the best. She dances on clouds, this wonderful little girl. I am so blessed that she came into my life. Her birth saved me. She made me believe I was worth being here. I thank God everyday for sending me her Daddy and in turn bringing Taylor and Dylan into the world.
She will always be this little girl to me. When I look at her at 16, 25, 40, 60. This is the person I know I will see. For my love for her is unconditional. I am so honored that this beautiful human being carries a part of me with her always.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Dylan Dreaming

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Movie Recommendations of the Week

Happy Thursday!

For all you working folks out there, one more day until freedom. For those of us who stay at home with munchkins and who's husbands work a really screwed up schedule, we don't know half the time what day it is. Could be Sunday. Could be two weeks from Tuesday. Who the heck knows. As you can probably tell I can't wait for school to start, if for no other reason than to bring some sense of time structure and scheduling into my life.

Well.....anyway.....Every Thursday, I will be giving some movie recommendations. Why Thursdays you maybe asking. Well I was a projectionist for about 6 years, and Thursdays were the build and tear downs for the theater. That would mean I got to stay up till all hours of the morning screening movies to make sure that I built them correctly. Every once in a while there would be a disaster, but most of the times, Thursday night/Friday morning were spent watching some good movies and also some really horrible ones (The Stupids. It lived up to its name, let me tell you.) I love movies. I loved working at the theater and being in the booth. And I can be a little bit of a movie snob at times. But I also appreciate all different kinds of film.

Last summer my husband (whom I met after I hired him as a projectionist) found a wonderful deal on a home projection system. Because it is so expensive to see movies in the theater now, not to mention that people have no consideration when watching a film in public, we wait for the movies to come out on DVD. Not a long wait anymore, but there is some lag time. Because of this we are going back and revisiting old favorites and discovering new gems. It has been great being able to show our kids special films from the past.

So that being said, every Thursday, I will be giving recommendations for movie nights. I'll break it down into age groups for everyone. I hope that they are helpful and maybe you will get reacquainted with some great films that have been forgotten.

For the whole family:

"The Music Man"
1962

This classic musical stars Robert Preston, Shirley Jones and Buddy Hackett. The songs are catchy, the story funny. This is a personal favorite of mine and my son Dylan. He started watching this when he was 3 and could quickly sing all the song and has started to copy the dancing. We recently went to Disneyland and on Mainstreet USA, they were playing "The Wells Fargo Wagon", and it made me feel like I was transported to River City, Iowa. Remember parents, go into it with an open mind if you've never seen it. As I tell my kids, just because it is old or black and white doesn't mean it isn't great. Usually those things are better.

For 10 years old +:

"The Goonies"

1985

Set in a small coast town in Oregon, this story of adventure, friendship and acceptance is wonderful entertainment for kids. And if parents are around my age, it might just bring back some great memories. My kids have already seen this, but there are a few adult references, (most went right over their heads) and there is some violence.


For 15 years old + :

"The Poseidon Adventure"
1972

Many have call this the ultimate disaster movie. Why shouldn't it be. Made in the hayday of the genre, this all star cast includes Gene Hackman, Shelley Winters, Ernest Borgnine and Roddy McDowell. While the remake was ok, there is nothing like the original. Teenagers will be probably more mortified at the fashion than the boat capsizing, and the special effects are nothing compared to what they have now, but this movie as a whole is wonderful and just a great popcorn flick.

For the Grown Ups:

"The Best Years of Our Lives"
1946

I recently saw this movie for the first time and it has become one of my all time favorites. It is the story of what happens to soliders after they come home from war. Their families have learned to go on without them, and now they have to try to fit back into a world that they don't know anymore and at the same time move past the hell that they just came out of. Though it is set in the time following WWII, it is still so relevant today. This movie has stayed with me and I am so glad that I took the time and saw this execeptional film.


I hope that you will take these suggestions and consider them on your next trip to the video store or when making requests online. Let me know what you think of these films. I would love to have any and all feed back. Have fun and eat some popcorn for me!

Feeling Nostalgic

I went into the grocery store today, and as I was waiting to check out, my eyes went to the magazines above the belt where my food was at a stand still while a manager did a second override. I noticed, no TV Guide. So I leaned and looked at the magazine stand beside me. No TV Guide. I finally did see one the next lane over. There it was. It was blending in. Same size as the 15 other magazines there. "Fall Preview" it said in big letters above a pouting Dr. Meredith Grey. All of a sudden, a wave of sadness came over me. I remember when the fall preview of TV Guide was an event. My mom would buy it and I would spend hours, looking at the new shows that would be starting in the fall. Planning out my evenings. Oh and the Saturday Morning Cartoon section was my favorite. They perfectly laid out what would make an 8 year old get out of bed early on a non school day.

Now there really are no television seasons. One runs into the next. With all the cable shows, there is too much to watch. There was a time last fall when 3 show I enjoyed were all on at the same time. Now, thanks to the Internet, there really is no need for the conventional way of watching TV. Kids can watch cartoons anytime they want. Not like us. When I was a kid there was maybe one hour after school and you had to rely on Saturday mornings to get your Scooby Doo fix. It is convenient, I will admit that. You miss something, there is no waiting for reruns, but jump online and keep up. But I miss those Tuesday nights of Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. Laying on the floor with my feet propped up on the wall. A hot bowl of stove popped popcorn beside me. And the whole family setting down together and laughing at Richie and Fonzie dressed as girls not to get caught in Mary Beth's dorm room. Or later, painting my nails and watching Rosanne and realizing, "Boy these people are a lot like my parents."

There are so few "prime time" show now that I can sit down and watch with my family. I just looked at tomorrow at 8:00 pm. We won't count the Olympics, because that only comes around once every 2 years, but on ABC, CBS, Fox and CW, here is what my family has to choose from: Ugly Betty, Big Brother 10, Football, and Smallville. Now if we were more sports people, football would be great. My husband won't watch Ugly Betty and some of the content is too strong for my kids. How do you explain to a 5 year old, "Yeah that pretty lady used to be his brother."? Then there is Big Brother. Forget that. I wouldn't let my kids watch that until they were at least in high school and even then, I would like to shelter them for a while that people like that are out in the world. That leaves Smallville. Now we have watched some Smallville. I have watched all the episode, and really like the show, but my kids watch a mommy censored version of the show. There are some episodes that are too violent and some that are too suggestive. But I guess that is the closest we are going to come.
Now mind you I am as far from a prude as they come, but I guess I must just be getting old. Maybe somewhere some TV executives will be able to come up with a show that isn't going to prematurely age our children and at the same time, parents can enjoy and not wish that someone would sew their eyelids shut. I really don't think that's too much to ask.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Tuesday Morning

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Well school is only 2 weeks away and like most parents out there, I am one excited puppy! Taylor has been so bored, and as she is starting the 3rd grade, she is an old pro at this. Dylan is less enthusiastic. He is a very theatrical little guy, and of course he is putting all his skills to good use. "No one will like me"..."The teacher will yell at me"... and my favorite "They'll lock me in a cage." I just hope that last statement isn't some kind of foreshadowing I need to worry about.

Dylan is sick today. He had a very busy weekend and when he pushes it too hard and doesn't get enough sleep, we have days like today. I truly don't think there is anything worse than when your kids are sick. He looks so small. He'll be fine after he gets more sleep, but it is still not fun.

Well as you can all tell by my profile picture, I have a weight problem. It is something I am working on, but haven't made any progress. I thought I had been heavy all my life, but I recently found a picture of when I was in college, and I wasn't heavy then. Mind you I wasn't one of those stick figured, I had a grape and now I'm full, kind of girls, but I wasn't anywhere near where I am now.

But you see, it ultimately wasn't me telling me I was fat, it was the voice of someone I trusted. My mother. I haven't had a relationship with my parents in almost 8 years now. It is a long story that I will explain at a later time, but I have come to a realization, in trying to figure out my screwed up relationship with my parents. I realize that my weight has been a way of saying to her "Oh yeah, you think I'm fat now. Just you wait and see." She told me she was embarrassed to be seen with me, because of my weight. And that was 70lbs ago. I am so tired of having her voice in my head. I think I am finally ready to stop caring about what they thought or think of me. I have to care what I think of me. I've spent 35 years trying to make other people happy. I need to make myself happy.

It is about to rain here. Thus the major introspection. But I love the rain. Everything gets a chance to come clean. I think that is needed every once in a while. Don't you?

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself!

Hello all you faceless masses, sitting at your computers, aimlessly searching for something to amuse you other than cats doing backflips into fish tanks.

My name is Dana. I am a 35, almost 36 year old stay at home mother of an 8 year old girl named Taylor, and a 5 year old boy named Dylan. I have a third "child" if you will. I married him 11 years ago. Chuck is his name and saving lives is his game. He is a paramedic you see.

As for me, other than the above, I am lost and stuck at the same time. We live out in rural Oregon. Chuck works 40 minutes away and we have one car. So I am stuck here in this house for days on end with children, whom I love, by the way, but at times I just want to lock in their rooms for a couple of hours to give me a second to breath. That is the stuck part.

The lost part of my equation is that, because I was an idiot in my twenties and partied the short time I was in college, instead of studying, I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. Meaning I am about 15 years behind schedule. Dylan will be starting school this year, but only half days, so I have this year to find direction. Lets just say that I am holding onto that magic compass from the "Pirate" movies and have no idea what I want, so the needle is spinning in circles so fast it is making me dizzy.

Add to all this that even though my husband saves actual human beings, he only makes $15.00 an hour. So we are barely scrapping by and he is having to get a second job. I can't work right now, because all I could get is some "you want fries with that" job and all that would do is pay daycare, if we were lucky. And to quote Ferris Bueller "It still wouldn't change the fact that I don't have a car."

So I thought that I would start this blog. Maybe challenge myself intellectually a little. Get things off my chest and hopefully get that compass arrow to slow down somewhat.

I plan on ranting about politics, current evens, movies, pop culture and life in general. And of course there will be plenty about my children and husband. So for now thank you for reading and talk to you all tomorrow.

Sunday, August 17, 2008