Happy 2017!

Ready or Not here comes 2017!

I hope you had a good holiday.

Chris and I enjoyed this movie, Lion, starring Nicole Kidman over the holiday.



I also loved the Star Wars Rogue 1 movie, which surprised me.
The characters were excellent,
and it might be my favorite of all of the Star Wars movies.

I'm listening to this new song from John Mayer over and over again,
called Love on the Weekend.



I tried making this breakfast casserole.
I loved it.

Today the kids start school again. Hooray! Christmas was fun,

but I'm glad to get the house back again.

Today I'm calendaring, and making a to-do list.

I don't know if I will get the house back again,

though, because come this weekend.

We will have a new dog.

Our 1st dog.

After a lot of thought and decision,

our family has decided to try life with a dog.

This could be our best or worst decision.

We will have to let time and experience decide.

Lindy needs a running partner,

my 3 boys need an active playmate,

and Sadie needs a pet to snuggle

and to love.

Chris grew up with dogs, he's content to give it a Go!

I did not grow up with dogs, so this is a labor of love for my family.

We will be getting a Brittany puppy that is about 9-10 weeks old.

Wish me and all of us LUCK!

(The one we are getting is a boy that is sitting on top of the army blanket.)

Thanksgiving Family TV Time

There are a couple of great shows coming up to watch on Thanksgiving Night as a family.

PBS is showing a new movie of Anne of Green Gables.
Check your local listings for the time.



BYUTV is showing a 1 hour movie called Winter Thaw based on Leo Tolstoy's short story called, "Martin the Cobbler".  It looks excellent!
The movie will be shown on Thanksgiving night as well.
You can watch the trailer on Facebook.

Happy TV Watching!

The Ben Carson Story

Elder Callister related some of Ben Carson's story in the last General Conference.
It's a wonderful talk on parenting.

In the same week, that I happened to listen to Elder Callister's talk,
I happened upon Ben's story in a movie on netflix.

It's a great movie, and worth watching.
A very inspiring true story.
It's good for older kids and maybe a FHE lesson,
on the importance of education, even against great adversity and challenges.

January is almost over

I'm actually sad January is coming to a quick close.
I still need time to unwind from the Fall and the holidays.

Along comes February, with another holiday, and plans for Spring and Summer are calling me.
Our calendar is quickly filling up again. All good things, I suppose.

Every time I try to embrace the quiet, and take a relaxed approach to a day or a weekend -
my kids never seem to need that relaxed approach.
When I want to relax they want to watch tv,

for a long time, because I want to relax for a long time.
When I want to stay home and kick back, they get bored in an hour and the fighting begins.

So with careful balance, we fill the calendar with activities and to-do's to keep our active kids
engaged in good things.  But, the balance is always hard to find, with so many different needs and wants in our family.
In the thick of it all, it feels like I get it wrong half the time.

That's ok, we'll just keep trying.

Have you watched any good movies or tv shows recently?

You liking Downton Abby this season? How about Sherlock?

I just enjoyed watching the movies Captain Phillips, and Jack Reacher.

A great, great movie!

This is the true story movie about 2 LDS missionaries kidnapped,
and held for ransom in Russia in 1998.

The real Elder Probst (not the actor in the movie), was in our ward a couple years ago.
We know him personally and his family. His story is amazing.
The movie was so well done, a must see.

We just saw it last night. I think it's appropriate for kids 10+.
There is a little violence, and I can't recall any swearing.

The mormon message is inspiring, a testimony builder for each of us.
It will still inspire you and your children to serve missions.
I loved it!

Netflix Delights!

Here are some recent things we've enjoyed as a family on netflix:

Nacho Libre the movie, with Jack Black.

We were all laughing hysterically at times watching this movie.

"It's debessst!"

Old Mr. Bean episodes.

I've never seen my boys laugh so loud when they watch Mr. Bean

They also loved watching him perform at the Olympics opening ceremonies.

Mythbusters

My kids love this tv show.

They conduct science experiments  and do special effects to prove myths wrong or right.

Curious George

My kids LOVE this show.

All my kids from the 11 yr old to the 2 yr old.

If it's on, they all gather together and watch several episodes.

The truth is I like this little monkey too.

Classic Sesame Street episodes.

The ones I watched as a kid-better than the newer ones today.

Worth Seeing

Chris and I had a rare opportunity to see a movie in a theatre last weekend.

We had to choose between Les Mis, Lincoln, Skyfall, or The Impossible

If you could pick only 1, which one would you pick?

Ultimately, we chose The Impossible.

I'm so glad we did.

It is movie making at it's best,

and it's a true story.

You'll be unprepared for how you will feel during the movie.

But, you will FEEL and it will be intense.

It's not for small children or the faint of heart.

I admit it. . .

I loved how it ended, and I love this song. . .LOVE!

A Thousand Years, by Christina Perri

the dot and the red balloon

Here is a new favorite children's book of mine.

the dot by Peter H. Reynolds

It's a great little book for building confidence,

and a little story about art for kids.

Check it out at your library, you won't be disappointed.

Did you watch this movie as a kid?

The Red Balloon

I just found it on netflix.

It's also on youtube.

It's the cutest little movie about a little boy and a red balloon.

I watched it several times as a child in school.

I remember it quite vividly.

I just watched and enjoyed it with my kids.

Even my older ones got a kick out of it.

Music, A Movie, and A Talk

I've hit the repeat button on these 3 songs recently:

The lyrics don't have any particular meaning to me, I just love how they sound.

That, Adele, what a voice.

Love Comes Tumbling Down by Matt Nathanson

Someone Like You by Adele

Every Teardrop is a Waterfall by ColdPlay

The new Jane Eyre movie.

They got it right.

Really loved it.

There is a great scene in the movie when

Mr. Rochester is talking and getting to know Jane.

He is talking too poetically and intensely.

She tells him, honestly, something like, "I don't know what you are talking about."

He asks "Do I frighten you?"

She responds, "No, I just don't like nonsense."

It's so great, makes me laugh just thinking about it.

Did you hear Pres. Uchtdorf's talk yet?

From the Relief Society Broadcast last Saturday?

It is another classic.

So great, really great.

Pres. Uchtdorf did it again. He does it every time.

Just what we all needed to hear.

People are talking about his Forget Me Not 5 Flower message, 

but I loved the Golden Ticket message even more.

Be happy now, eat and enjoy your chocolate, don't worry so much about the golden ticket.

You'll have to listen to the talk to know what I'm talking about.

A couple of things I've recently enjoyed

I loved this movie!

Over the last few months, I've been able to listen

 to Conversations on the Mormon Channel.

I have enjoyed them a lot.

I have gained some wise insight for parenting and raising families.

I've listened to some of my favorite people and church leaders.

It is more personal than a general conference talk.

Surfing

This is a random, random post.

I was born in Southern California.
The first 12 years of my life were in the Sunny LA area.
We went to the beach frequently, or so I remember.
I have many happy memories of the beach.
I love the beach, the ocean, the sand, the sun, the sounds of the waves, etc.
I also love watching surfing. I think it is an amazing art form.
I've never tried it, I know I wouldn't be good at it.
But I love to watch surfing.

I like to watch surfing movies too. This is one of my favorites:

I think it would be cool to set up a flat screen tv on a wall in my house and run continuous surfing movies on that screen as a picture and decor in my house.


Today in the news they announced that a world famous surfer Andy Irons died.
He was only 32, his wife Lyndie, was pregnant with their 1st baby due in Dec.
I felt sad. They think he died from catching a mosquito virus from a surfing event in the Caribbean.

That's the end of my random, random post.

Rock Band Camp

Lindy did horse camp this summer. The boys, Kyle & Tate did Rock Band Camp.
They went every day for a week for a couple of hours.
They played electric guitar, drums, tamborine, stomped to the beat, and sang loudly into a mic.
They learned the songs, "We Will Rock You" and "I love Rock and Roll"

I took some photos. The lighting was very bad in the room. As usual my photography at a child's performance is awful. I should learn my lesson to put the camera down and just listen and watch them perform.

What is Tate doing?

Then on Friday night, at the end of Rock Band camp week, as a family we watched:

I can't say it's all that family friendly of a movie. Some swear words.

I had seen it before a long time ago, just not with my kids.

But, we all got a kick out of it.

I like Jack Black.

More Movies!

If you like Hugh Grant a must see.

He is the same character that he always is.

 I never tire of him, though.

I don't even think he's acting.

 I liked this.

Really Great, Great Mystery.

Just like reading a good book.

Great foreign film

A good lesson for all of us.

Mom - If you haven't already, add these movies to your list too:

God Grew Tired of Us

The Visitor

Lars and the Real Girl

Departures (Japanese Foreign Film)

I've seen some movies!

Lucky me has been able to see some movies.

We rented this. Surprisingly good, interesting.

Another rental. Good story, wanted to know more about Nelson Mandella. Slept through parts of it.

Loved This! Saw it in the theatre.

For those of you who feel like we've lost Tom, he's back.

Another rental, a little silly, not a must see.

Loved watching this with the kids. We rented it for a family movie night. Very fun for the whole family.

Loved, loved, loved. I took all 4 kids by myself. They all sat through the whole movie,

I didn't even have to bribe them with popcorn or candy.

Some reviews & parents say it's a little dark, but I thought it was the same as all the others.

Syd from the 1st movie still scares me.

Eclipse!

I went to the midnight showing of Eclipse the 3rd Twilight movie!
The movie was great, just great! It was fun to be with the enthusiastic crowd.
I hadn't ever seen a Twilight movie at the midnight showing, I thought it was fun.

I would love to tell you all about different scenes that I loved.  This movie, I didn't remember from reading the book, covered a lot of interesting details and explanations for the whole series.
I don't want to spoil anything for those still waiting to see it.
I will tell you about a particular scene in the movie that they handled, I thought, amazingly well. Teaching us all about morals & chastity on the BIG screen.  What movie ever, ever does that anymore?
I was so impressed. Edward's words were great in that scene.
I appreciate Stephanie Meyer all the more just in watching that scene.
Fantastic! Really Great!

Go see it, if you're a fan.  You will feel good.

There is also a new book out about a character named Bree who is a newborn vampire
in the 3rd book and movie.

Emma & Lucy

I watched this movie about a year ago, and really enjoyed it.

It left me wanting to know more about Emma. 

I found this book at Deseret Book. Emma and Lucy by Gracia M. Jones.
The author is directly related to Joesph & Emma Smith.

I enjoyed the book. It would be a quick, easy read for summer. It is fun to know more about these ladies.  I like learning about them, because when my life gets hard or I feel like complaining, I think of them. They endured so much and I quiet my complaints better.
I think we all experience Emma and Lucy moments in our lives.

"Since we are told in the Book of Mormon to liken the scriptures unto ourselves, isn't it reasonable that we might benefit by doing the same with the history of Emma and Lucy? I sincerely believe that through becoming better acquainted with the high and low moments in the lives of the Prophet's mother and his wife, we will find hidden strength for the challenges we face. . .Living as we are now in a world of uncertainty, it behooves each of us to ponder how Lucy managed to build a unified, loving, family while surrounded with every obstacle one can imagine, and to explore Emma's example of loyalty to her spouse and enduring compassion for the Saints."

-Gracia M. Jones

Everybody's Fine

I enjoyed this movie. It is a slow one, but I could follow along without getting bored. It made me think. I like when movies do that. I wondered how I could be a better parent. It doesn't solve life's mysteries. Robert DeNiro's character at the end of the movie says, "I don't know what I've learned."
But, my time was well spent watching the movie.

*Robert's character has a string of fowl language in a scene. To be fair in warning.

More movies

All of these movies were just okay. You could skip renting them, really.

Planet 51 is a good family rental, though.