Best, Worst, Maybe Tomorrow . . . . .

Every night when I tuck my 6 year old into bed, I lay with him and we talk about his day. We each do something we call Best, Worst, Maybe Tomorrow.

We each tell the best thing about our day.

Then the worst thing about our day.

Lastly, what we wish for Tomorrow.

Example: last night youngest said:

My best part of the day was getting to watch brother and his friend play volleyball when Dad and I went to pick them up.

My worst was when we had to drop off brother's friend, I wanted to play with him more.

Maybe Tomorrow it will be warmer outside.

This is a special time for youngest and me, a lot of times I am very surprised at what the best part of his day was! I encourage you to try this! I know some people do it at the dinner table - and involve the whole family. We've done that before, but with our busy schedule - bedtime works best.

Finally! April 26th!

I have waited a long time for this! Finally, on Saturday, April 26th the Season Premier of Robin Hood will come on! Robin Hood is a BBC America show that I really enjoy. There is no bad language, but things can get a bit steamy with Robin and Marian, so I'd say to watch it before you decide to let your teens view. And if you didn't watch Season 1 - I'm sure Netflix or Blockbuster online have it. Enjoy!

Monday Movie Review - August Rush

Movie Review #15 - August Rush
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard, Robin Williams
Rated: PG for mild violence and language
Type of Movie: Drama
Theater or DVD: DVD
Description: There’s music in the wind and sky. Can you hear it? And there’s hope. Can you feel it? The boy called August Rush can. The music mysteriously draws him, penniless and alone, to New York City in a quest to find – somehow, someway – the parents separated from him years earlier. And along the way he may also find the musical genius hidden within him. Experience the magic of this rhapsodic epic of the heart starring Freddie Highmore (as August), Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard and Robin Williams. "I believe in music the way some people believe in fairy tales," August says. Open your heart and listen. You’ll believe, too.
OK for Kids? 16 and older perhaps
Opinion: I liked this movie, but it is a modern day fairy tale. My problem with fairy tales is that I watched so many of them as a child/teen that when I got to be an "adult" I kind of thought that was how life is really supposed to be - and I was disappointed to find out otherwise. There are a few curse words - He**, pi**, dam*, and the Lord's name in vain. All very unnecessary - and one of the adult figures gets a bit angry towards a child. The movie starts out with premarital sex - implied - not shown. It was a light, fun tale - not realistic at all - but heart-warming just the same. The music is very enjoyable and you'll be clapping at the end. Overall, I'd say OK for you and your hubby to watch - but definetly no kids under 16.
3 stars out of 5

Blog So Much You Die????

This week there was a NY Times article about several bloggers who have recently "blogged till they dropped".
Guess Blogger needs a warning "Blogging may be dangerous for your health"!
OK, blogging friends - take it easy - I haven't even met any of you yet - you can't go dying now!
Now, maybe I have an excuse for not blogging as often as I wish I did - I stayed away for my health!

Great Contest!

Over at The Pumpkin Patch there is a contest for a blog makeover. I so need that! I desperately want a makeover, but choose to use my spare money to buy books to read, review and giveaway here and at Teen Lit Review. So, I'm hoping I win this makeover!

Our Little Getaway . . . . .

After getting home from Great Wolf Lodge, I was tired. HWH could not go with us - so it was just the kids and me. While the two oldest would go off and play on the water slides, I would play with the 6yr. old who wanted to play in the wave pool, the lazy river, kiddie pool land, and the small slides. We drove 4 hours there - played about 5 hours, had dinner, showers and bed.

Our luck, we were on a hall with about 2 bus loads of people who knew each other. Apparently they thought it was a good idea to meet in the hallway and talk and laugh and run and pound and . . . .

About 10pm I complained to the front desk and it got better, for about 10 minutes. I finally fell asleep around 11:30 - was woke up around 3am by the same group - still out in the hall.

I just don't get it!!!! They had no concern or thought for others!? I mean, I would NEVER sit out in a hall talking and laughing. I am always very paranoid to keep my kids quiet when we are in hotel hallways - no matter what time of day. I remember the days of me trying to get babies to nap/sleep in hotel rooms - and try to think of that as we pass through the halls.

Anyways - besides that we had a fabulous time! The kids were good (mostly) and the place was amazing. The perfect cold weather getaway. After we woke up, we played another 5 hours, changed and headed home.

After being together all this time - the drive home was not as peaceful as I had hoped it was. I guess they didn't enjoy the movie they were watching very much because they kept poking and touching each other. Yeah, I took the car, not the SUV - so they were all sitting right next to each other. Learned my lesson!

I was so ready to get home!

But when I got home there were bags to unpack, laundry to do. Kids to bathe. Housework waiting for me. I was just plain old GRUMPY!

As a result I was not nice to HWH.

As I went to sleep that night I was crying. Crying because I did not want to be grumpy. Crying because I felt like a terrible mom and wife for being grumpy. Guilty for feeling grumpy, for not being nice.

I try hard to be nice, positive, up and "on" all the time. Sometimes though I fall apart and what I term "the real me" pops through. I don't know - it's confusing. I don't think I'm nearly as nice as I act - but then again, I am. Being nice doesn't come as naturally to me as I wish it did. If it was easier I'd be way nicer. Though, I think - if you asked most people they would say that I am a nice person.

Anyways - enough rambling. About noon the day after we got back, I was back to normal me. In the groove and doing my thing.

Why You Haven't Seen Any Book Reviews/Giveaways Lately!

I've been reading Teen Lit lately - so I haven't had time to read any of the grown-up books I have to review/give-away!
To tide you over - you can check out some of my recent reviews - and check here and there over the next week for some upcoming give-aways! Happy Reading!

In The Hall of The Dragon King by Stephen R. Lawhead









Bad Connection by Melody Carlson

Spring Break Getaway!

I have been so busy lately, and the kids have done so well in school so far, I have decided to treat them to a surprise!

Wednesday morning I am going to put them in the car, and drive - not telling them where we are going!We will arrive here, at the Great Wolf Lodge - a giant indoor water park! I think they will have tons of fun! Check back soon and I'll give you a review of the place. They have locations all over the country - you may want to give it a try!