A Wrinkle in Time: The Movie

We watched the movie last night with the kids...and the kids loved it! Meli was thrilled to point out parts that she remembered from the book. Making the connection was great for her and really got her excited about reading. Colin thought they did a good job on the characters and how the scenes were laid out.

Favorite parts:
Colin - The Mrs. and the different dimensions.
Meli - Mr. Whatsit (in her flying form) and the colorful dimensions.

Disappointments:
Colin - that they left out Aunt Beast. I was disappointed in that, but understood why they may not have went that route.
Meli - that Meg and Calvin did not kiss at the end! Oh, and Aunt Beast!

I highly recommend this movie. It follows the book fairly closely, but does take liberties here and there. I really enjoyed it!

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
     The B Family

What is different about 7?

This past May, our sweet and moody Meli turned 7. I am not sure what it is about this year, but to me it is a big one. When I think of a 6 year old and a 7 year old it is a huge difference. I know there is really not from the actual age of 6 and 7, but it is the first one where I begin to realize they are not my little babies anymore. Well, of course I have started to realize this before the age of 7, but it really comes to fruition. When you say "my 6 year old", it still can sound like they are closer to a toddler than not.

The 7th birthday has been the first hard birthday for both of my kids. The next big one was 10 (with Colin at least). I enjoy the next ages tremendously. There have been stages I have not enjoyed but not any ages. They are all great for different reasons. I am glad for what comes with 7. The kids are able to do more for themselves, read older books (that's a big one for me), and the conversations get even more interesting. I am looking forward to what this year has to bring, but I do feel like I am saying goodbye to an important chapter. One that I will only get to revisit in my memories and writings.

To celebrate Meli's 7th rotation around the sun, here are some of my favorite moments captured on camera.

She was telling the dinosaur to "be good"!

Her first birthday gift from Colin

She loves the ocean so much!

Daddy's Girl

My little blonde

She loves costumes

This is one of my favorite

Sibling love

She loves the snow

My girlie-girl

Tea party!

Halloween is one of her favorite holidays.

Her buddy

She is getting so tall!

     ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
            The B Family

The Kids' Reading Corner: A Wrinkle In Time

The kids and I cannot remember (or should I say agree on) who picked A Wrinkle in Time to read. We rotate who picks our read-aloud book.  I am fairly certain it was Colin (but he picked it because he knew I wanted to read it so we could see the movie), but it could have been me. It totally could have. As the mom, I assumed that my turn was spent - so Meli's pick is next, then Colin, and then me. I am like 75% sure I am getting the short end of the stick here. That is OK, though. I love to read to the kids and they usually pick some good books. I was dreading Meli's pick at first (My Little Pony chapter book about Pinkie Pie) but it is a good read so far.  The whole point is to read to them and mama time, so my turn would have been wisely spent.

OK, so A Wrinkle in Time. This is a book that I should have read as a kid, but never really had an interest. I am not sure why. I think I remember seeing it and the art (to me as a young kid) made it seem more adultish and a harder read. I usually use my picks to choose books that I should have but never read as a kid or my favorites from their age.

This book was a little advanced for Meli's age, but she still listed and picked up on the main parts. Colin picked up on more of the themes within the book. We all loved the book. Colin gave it a 5 (out of 5). For a read aloud book, it was definitely one of the more difficult to read. Partly because I read fast and it used bigger words and more mature sentence structure for a kids book. Also, I am usually sleepy when we are reading. We have 4 of the 5 books in the series and are excited to continue it.

We all loved Charles Wallace. Colin found this character to be so intriguing. Meli liked red-eye man and the different creatures. They both loved Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Whatsit. Meli kept looking at the cover (which is different than the one I remember seeing as a kid) and asking which was which. I did different voices for each, which they always get a kick out of. I think I am improving but it is not my best skill.

This is good practice for me. I have to focus on reading slower, which I am trying to do in my own reading as well.

I am excited to watch the movie with them. Hopefully this weekend, so I will post our thoughts afterwards.


~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
         The B Family

Time Lapse: Mi-Ma's Backyard

Meli was funny with the squirt guns. She mostly just drank out of it.

This past April marked 5 years since we moved back to Oregon. Meli's first time seeing our beautiful state and (in my opinion) finding her home. I think Colin could fit in to either state, but Miss Mae definitely has a PNW (Pacific Northwest) spirit. 

My sweet, sweet boy

Good ol' Facebook provided me with a little walk down memory lane of that first month back home. What a fantastically, sweet time with my kiddos.  I was fortunate to be home with the kids for a few years before going back to work and I am so grateful for that period. I am so glad to be back to work now, but it was perfect timing to have that before school started and to help adjust to a new life.

That first summer, we spent a lot of time outside in MiMa's yard. Sprinklers was Meli's favorite thing. 

As the kids seem to be aging at such a rapid pace, I have been loving the memories from those first few years. We all have adapted to being in a new state. I think Colin took the longest since he had more bonds with East Coast family. Meli was not quite 2.

We also lived a block away from one of the local schools, which was a perfect place to take the kids. The air rocket launcher was an enormous hit!

Meli turned 7 this month, and I feel like it is closing a chapter. More about that in a future post. Mama is being emotional this month!

Mr. Popper's Penguins Musical

 
On Sunday morning, I decided to take the kids to Eugene and attend a show at the Hult Center. One of the books on my reading list for the kids is Mr. Popper’s Penguins. I enjoyed this book as a kid and was glad that there was a movie we could watch afterwards too. As a bonus, I came across a poster at a coffee shop during my traveling for work for the musical.

I thought that this could be a fantastic way to get Meli excited for the book. Plus, she had not attended a show yet. She has been begging me to take her to a ballet. This was a cheaper way to see how she would do during a show.

The kids and I got dressed up, grabbed our copy of the book, and headed out for a mom/kid date night. Meli took one of her penguin stuffies with her as well. I did not realize how many she had! It was hard to decide which one got to join her. 

I had a blast with the kids. It was fun to get dressed up and go on a mom date. Colin had been to a ballet there a few years ago. Meli  thought the balconies were so cool. I told her next time we would have to get tickets up there. Then Colin started thinking about earthquakes and how that would not be the best seat. I was wondering why he was randomly asking me the likelihood of earthquakes to occur in Oregon. Then I noticed that he was staring at the balconies. 

Meli did an excellent job! The only issue we had was some visibility for her and I due to the family in front of us and Meli crying when the penguins were sad.

She has a tendency to get really attached to animals in films. As a result of that she gets really emotional if they are sad or being mistreated. Similar to her reaction when watching Pete's Dragon. Thankfully she still ended up loving the show.

It normally takes a lot for me to get irritated at people, but the family in front of us did not need much time. I can understand the cuteness of matching hairdo’s (for a mom and two daughters)…well I do not exactly understand the attraction, but at least it is not normally something I would dwell on.

So, not only was one of her girls talking throughout the play (which I can understand, I have a talker myself - although I tell mine to be quiet), but all of the girls wanted to sit in an adult's lap. (Again, totally get it). So, the adult moved in front of Meli, then put her daughter in her lap. The three of them had these really big buns (or maybe it is a knot) on the tippy top of their heads. I am thinking there was something inside the buns to make them bigger, because the size of them was not natural for the girls' ages. It seriously added another 4 inches to their heads. Well, maybe 3. With her sitting in her lap that did not provide a lot of options for viewing with their heads next to each other. So, Meli got in my lap (I did check behind me to see if we would block anyone's view). It felt like the mom kept leaning over to her side. So, then we had to lean over. Not an ideal situation, but not the end of the world.

OK, sorry for the venting session. In spite of all of this it was still a very enjoyable show. It actually was fantastic! I was not sure how it was going to be with two people that were the puppet masters on stage. They did a wonderful job of being an extension of the puppet and not just another body on stage. It actually ended up being one of my favorite parts. Huge kudos to the crew. Amazing job!! The music was great, the penguins were awesome, and they even got crowd involvement at the end.

Until next time! Keep singing!

Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
 The B Family

The Kids' Reading Corner: Wonder

The kids and I recently finished the book, Wonder, by R.J. Palacio. I highly recommend this book! It was a great read for being done out loud. My 4^th grader thought it was a wonderful combination of funny and sad. The book has an honest approach to bullying and how we react as a society to difference. I liked the glimpse it provided on how someone being perceived as different understands the situation. I learned with regards to when people want to try and be considerate of the person’s feelings, that can also be painful. Still seeing the reaction.  Kids see/understand way more than adults give them credit for.

I thought it spoke volumes on the book that my son had this as his requested storytime choice. His teacher read this book to their class this year and we went to the movie as a field trip. He enjoyed it so much that he wanted to hear it again. Plus, he thought that I would really enjoy it.

I really like the voice of the characters. It is told by Auggie, his sister (Via), her boyfriend, and Jack (Auggie’s friend). I think another friend may have a section as well. I love when an author will have different characters describe the same situation.  

Keep Reading!

Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
 The B Family

It Happens to the Best of Us

"There are only two kinds of people in the world: the Irish and those who wish they were". - Irish Saying


I am fairly certain that I googled a few weeks ago what day St. Patrick's Day would fall on. I may have failed to look at the year, but it said Sunday. I swear. I am not sure the reasons that occurred to make me not look at my calendar on my phone or computer - but there was one. I am sure of it.

I made plans to have my mom come over on Sunday for a big Irish feast. This is one of my favorite holidays to cook for. We even invited friends over for the occasion. The whole time they were probably thinking we were just planning for a different day due to conflicts, but no I just had the wrong day. The whole week, I was thinking Saturday was the 16th. I am constantly in my work calendar, so it is amazing that I did not notice. I must have been really tired that week and busy.

Colin had a birthday party on the 16th, which I confirmed on the 17th (thinking it was the 16th). So, we missed this poor girl's birthday. I felt horrible. Then at Colin's game on Saturday morning, I noticed a lot of green and jokes of pinching. I turned to Will and said what is the date today. Low and behold it was the 17th.

Now it is not a big deal not to celebrate it on the actual day. The holiday is celebrated the whole weekend and it is not even so much the holiday specifically, but that we love celebrating our heritage and traditions. I imagine people in Ireland think it is overkill and annoying. I will admit we do have the kids plan and set traps for the leprechaun, but it is a good way for them to use their creativity and strategic thinking.

I made sure we did some things on Saturday, after I discovered my goof. We went ahead with our big feast on Sunday. It turned out to be so much fun and delicious! My mom got to meet some of our new friends and I got to make dinner for her. A lot of the time she comes up to babysit and I realized that I do not cook for her very often. I cannot have my family thinking that my cooking skills are the same as when I was a teenager and early 20's when I had no interest in it.

Hope everyone had a wonderful time celebrating a wonderful culture filled with beautiful traditions.

"A good friend is like a four-leaf clover. Hard to find and lucky to have" Irish Proverb


Cheers to being Irish!

Love, Hugs & Kisses ~ The B Family

Kids' Canvas: A Pot of Gold Watercolors

Usually throughout the month, the kids and I can squeeze in a few different art projects. Most often with Meli. Colin will join for at least one, especially if it has to do with a holiday. This year for St. Patrick's Day, we did a pot of gold.

We were short on time, so I used some big magnets we had to trace the pot of gold and three-leaf clovers. The kids used color crayons to color them in. Then, we went over them with watercolor.

Meli also traced a Fluttershy

Colin also drew a Link from Zelda. He traced the outline from a magnet.

Until next time...Happy Creating!

 Love, Hugs & Kisses ~ The B Family

Charlie's First Year

In February, we celebrated Charlie being in our lives for a year. Our little guy has brought so much change and love to our home. The kids think of Charlie as a younger brother. He provides the typical ups and downs of a younger sibling. He takes their toys and shoes. He repeatedly bugs them when he wants to play.

Will has gone from extremely anti-dogs to a major dog-lover. He even shows the kids puppy videos and likes them! Charlie and Will are buddies. It is adorable to see. This has made me so happy, being a huge dog person. I love the cuteness. I did not think I could fall more in love with him!

I am so glad that Charlie was the one out of the litter that stole my heart. With his diagnoses of Addison’s disease, I am glad that he ended up with a family that could provide for his medical needs. He seems to be doing well and adjusting to the prednisone and monthly shots.

Happy first year in the B Family!

Until Next Time...

Love, Hugs & Kisses ~ The B Family

Reliving My Youth

Colin is playing basketball this year and I could not be more thrilled! Basketball was one of my favorites sports growing up. I forgot how much I enjoyed the sport. I love taking him to his practices and games. We have been trying to make it out to his school to play each weekend. This has been great for me to get in better shape. I am working out without really thinking about it! Bonus!

I did experience my own funny mom moment. Or maybe more of a “I am getting older” one. I was going to show Colin how to do a lay-up. Right before I did it, I realized that I have not done this in probably 15 years. So, I said to myself a quick, “please do not let me fall on my…” Thankfully, I did not. Pride intact.

I am loving this opportunity to bond with Colin. We now have books and basketball. I even created a GoodReads account for him to track his reading. I love my little book nerd and basketball player!

Until next time... Keep Playing!

Love, Hugs &  Kisses ~ The B Family