The Game Plan

I took my daughter to see The Game Plan. It turned out to be a pretty cute show. We both enjoyed the movie. There were not many objectionable words, and some would even say there were none. There was one bit about bathroom humor, but it was not over done. Overall the show was very cute, mild and fun. We enjoyed our time and left the theater happy with the movie. The little girl, Madison Pettis, was very cute and really had a great on screen personality. I've never seen "The Rock" in anything before. He did an allright job of playing the "new" dad. I also liked his rendition of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"

Renaissance Festival

The Texas Renaissance Festival season is upon us again. Each fall you can travel back to the Middle Ages and experience what life was like in the days of castles, knights and ladies. And for two weekdays each year, the festival is open for School Days. This is a wonderful learning experience for the kids, without all the more raucous behavior seen on the weekends. The festival is geared toward the kids and is filled with the sights and sounds of Medieval Times.




We attended yesterday for a wonderful day of jousting, sword play and merriment all straight out of the middle ages. As soon as we walked in the gate, we were met by the Sheriff of Nottingham. My nephew had on a FBI sweater and the Sheriff asked him if he would come help him with a "little problem" he was having-as he discreetly pointed out Robin Hood and his Merry men.



Top on our list were attending sword school and the jousting tournament. Both of these were highlights on all of our lists. As we went along we got to see artillery demonstrations, meet the court jester, talk with knights and visit the executioners block. One of our group even met William Shakespeare, who did some time traveling to be at the Ren Fair during King Henry VIII's heyday.



My nephews drew much attention from the folks from the middle ages dressed in their knight costumes . Many asked them how the Crusades were going. My youngest nephew was dressed in the same colors as the Spanish knight (who was defeated in the jousting tournament by the English knight.)




As the actors are all adept at staying in character, we had a great day learning about the Medieval Times just by "living" them for the day. We all left with wonderful memories of our day traveling back to the Middle Ages.

cooking together

I like to cook as much as possible and I think it's great when my kids help me. I let my son start at about three years old, doing things like stirring and breaking spaghetti noodles. My six year old nephew helps me out a lot in the kitchen. He likes to do anything he can. Just yesterday I needed to stand at the stove to do a continuous stirring sauce, so he whipped the heavy cream we needed for a dessert all by himself until I could come give him a hand. He says that as soon as he is tall enough, he will be able to help me do everything in the kitchen.

Act It Out

When my kids were young, one of their favorite activities was acting out stories with which they were familiar. At times, when I tired of reading these favorite stories "just one more time", we would put a new spin on it by acting it out. We acted out many bible stories, movies and favorite books. Some of our favorites included David and Goliath, The Walls of Jericho and The Fox and the Hound. This is a great activity for young kids as it helps them to comprehend the story, it helps them to internalize it, and it helps them to communicate it back. These are all skills they will need later and will help them become better students and communicators.

TGIF

Everyone is glad when Friday rolls around. With my son now in public school, we are even more glad to see it. This is the only day he does not have basketball (yet) and he gets out of school at the "normal" time. We have decided to make it a tradition to celebrate Friday by picking him up at school and heading to the local Sonic for a cold drink. We are all happy to relax for a few minutes and celebrate our time together.

Weighty Issues

It seems as if everywhere we look these days, we will find talk of obesity and weight control. I think it is important to broach this subject with our children, whether they appear to have a weight problem or not. Because it is an issue that we are all constantly bombarded with, it is wise to discuss the healthy ways to take care of weight with our kids. Of course, a healthy lifestyle is the best way to prevent obesity. For those who do need some help with their weight problem, it is a good idea to share with our children, especially as they reach those middle and teen years, all the methods folks use to control their weight-from bulimia to obesity surgery. We can then be the ones to share the healthy ways to approach this issue instead of letting the media have the last say on such a topic.

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Into the Fray

As you may or may not know, we have made a major transition in our family’s lifestyle this year. My son is going to public school and every day is still a heart ache for me in some ways. It is so hard for me to watch him walk into the doors of that "sacred place of learning". My heart is in my throat when I think about all that he must face there each day.

We have long been in the habit of reading the bible together as a family. We are still doing that, though it is rather tricky to get all of us together these days. But my husband and I have determined to send our son off with a word from the bible and a daily prayer of protection and guidance for him. We have been reading a bit of Proverbs to him each day before school. We all get up early and spend just a few minutes reading some of those words of wisdom to get him started on his day. Then we say a short prayer together.

For those who do not believe in the words of the bible, reading words of inspiration or motivation could provide a great start to your child’s day. Sharing stories of people who have succeeded or overcome or have been through hard times; reading quotes or poems or words of wisdom from any source you deem important. These words will be a tie between you and your child and will hopefully give them some thoughts and insights to hang onto as they daily enter the fray.

Joe Scruggs

Even though my kids are big, my family is looking forward to re-living the past next month. On November 8, we will head to a neighboring town to hear Joe Scruggs in concert. We saw him about ten years ago. He is a wonderful singer of children's songs and we loved his music for a long time (still do!) My big kids are willing to go in order to introduce their cousins to Joe's music. We have ten tickets and are planning on having a great time, though I know my kids will likely be the only teens in the house!