madameblogalot

Narnia exhibit: I was able to visit the traveling Chronicles of Narnia Exhibit with my daughter and nephews. I enjoyed entering the attic, hearing the rain and thunder outside the window. But when the wardrobe doors opened and I saw the snow falling between the fur coats, I teared up! Most of the exhibit was about the Narnia movies, but it was still pretty good and had some interactive features good for the kids. I don’t think I would have paid the normal $25 entrance fee, but getting in with a group rate of $5 was really worth it. Overall, I would say this exhibit was a HIT.

The Crystal Cave: This book by Mary Stewart is the first in an Authurian saga. It is written from Merlin’s perspective and begins with young Merlin telling his story. It is a good escape novel. This book was a HIT for me.

Christmas Story: Although I was leery about seeing this stage version, since we did not like the film version enough to even finish watching it, my daughter’s friend was in it so we attended. It was fun seeing kids we knew and the story overall was silly enough that it kept me laughing. And I like how the “cursing” was treated. No cursing was actually said in this version. Rather funny stand-ins like you hear on old cartoons. Overall, this version of the story was a HIT with me.

Scarlet Pimpernel: I rented the film starring Jane Seymour. I really like her. As I was watching, I began thinking I had seen this one before. Overall, I enjoy the story of this 18th century “Batman”. Sir Percy grates on my nerves at times, but that is the general idea. Even though I fell asleep at the end, I still say this one is a HIT with me.

Grounghog Day: Although this movie has been around a while, this was my first time to see it. I would say this movie is rather stupid and I did not really enjoy it per se, but I did like the discussions it brought about with our kids. So even though the movie was neither a HIT or MISS for me, I would say the experience was a hit!

Among the Hidden: Even though I am in the middle of reading The Hollow Hills (the second part of the Arthur saga) my daughter wanted me to read this book she got for Christmas. It is a young adult story about families allowed to have only two children. It is the story of a third child and how he survives and hopes to find other third children. It too is part of a series. The reading level is easy to read though the premise can prove to be thought provoking. My daughter describes it as sad. Even so, I would say it is a HIT. (I particularly like that there is no bad language in this young adult book!)

Cyborg Chimera: This little book, written by someone becoming more and more famous in more and more places, is an interesting read. It is a book filled with science fiction poems, many which I had read before. I really enjoy reading Avatar, Under Foot, Real Life, and several others. Some, like Unhand Me, make me think immediately of Star Wars. Others, I really enjoy, but am sure that I don’t really “get” the whole meaning (Sphinx-speak, Herr Leibniz. ) There are many poems to enjoy, even if you don’t get them all. And as my daughter says, this intelligent author uses “big words” and she does so very well, many with implications and double meanings. Even if I don’t “get” it all or am unable to fully appreciate the meaning of every poem, this short, easy to read book is a HIT with me (and the inscription is a HIT with my kids!)

We spent this past Monday at a special high school day put on by Texas Christian University. It was a good day and the program was incredible. They have done this for a while and are doing it well and it shows. The kids (my son and his friend) left with a great feeling about TCU and thought it might be an option for them.

The morning started with a free breakfast and trivia game. Then we broke into our groups for campus tours. After that we went to sessions that talk about different aspects of college/TCU life. Then we were fed lunch. Afterward, we toured two dorms. Then the kids chose their prospective majors and toured that department. Last, we were given refreshements before heading out.

The guys wanted to catch the end of basketball practice before heading out. Then we stopped at the bookstore for fan gear, got gas, a hamburger and headed home.

The Monday at TCU is a great program, even if your kid doesn’t know where s/he wants to go to school. It’s a great way to springboard some thought into what area to move in the college search. It is all free, except for any travel expenses you incur. (And any fan gear you buy.) We were given lots of little freebies and even got umbrellas since we spent the day walking in the rain!

There are four more Mondays at TCU if you are interested:

2009 Dates December 7
2010 Dates January 25 ■ March 1 ■ April 26

A couple of weeks ago, we had some fruit salad left after dinner. After sitting in the fridge for a day or two, it was kind of mushy and I knew no one would eat it. I did not want to throw it out. So I put it in the freezer to add to a smoothie.

This afternoon was the perfect time to give it a try. Using some juice, half a frozen banana and the leftover fruit salad, I had a wonderful afternoon snack-fruit salad smoothie!

Today we celebrated my daughter and her friend’s birthday a little late. In March, for her friend’s birthday, my daughter gave her a ticket to Phantom of the Opera. I bought my daughter a ticket for her birthday. So today she, her friend, her friend’s sister and mother and I all got to watch the performance! We went early for lunch at Hard Rock Cafe (my daughter’s present from her friend) and then walked to the theater.

The performance was great! The music, the effects and the actors were all spectacular! I loved the way the stage was decorated like an old opera house. I loved the chandlier. The pyrotechnics were just right. And we loved seeing the phantom up on the catwalk and suspended. Our high cheap seats were just fine!

If you ever get the chance to see the show, GO! even if you can only afford the cheap seats.

Yesterday morning I ran my own half marathon! I have been wanting to do another one since I did my first one in January. My foot injury kept me from being able to do so until recently. I was wanting to find a run to do while my family was gone. That did not work out so I mapped out my own half marathon route! I started at the local YMCA and ran a 13.3 mile loop back. I had my water bottles and some shot blox and a gel pack to keep me going. The night before I hid water bottles along the route to help keep me from running out of water. That worked out great. I was not sure if they would have gotten picked up, but all four were still where I had left them. The first I used to refill the bottles I was carrying on my belt. The second and third I poured over my head! (That felt great!!) The fourth, well, it was close to a trash pile so I left it there. I had hidden all under trees or bushes and the water inside was even still cool which was an added treat. And yesterday was trash day in our area, so there were plenty of receptacles lining the street in which I could deposit my trash! I forgot to check my actual start time, but my run/walk took me right about 2.5 hours. Not too bad. I was happy with it. And I felt great when I was done! I think staying hydrated and running in the cooler morning hours helped (although it was already 79 degrees at 6am!) Today my knee is hurting a bit and my feet are tired and sore, but I really enjoyed the run and would not be averse to doing it again!

My nephews are looking forward to their first trip to Disney World this summer. The excitement is building as many folks who have taken trips to Disney are sharing all their tips with them. We have been excited telling them what parks to see, which to stay longest in, what not to miss and what can be skipped. We all have our favorites that we want to be sure they see!

Since they will be going in the middle of summer, I won’t be surprised if they visit some of the Orlando Waterparks. It will be hot in Florida in June, and I’ve heard that the Disney Parks are a great way to stay cool while having fun! Since I’ve never been to either of the Disney waterparks, I am not sure which one I would recommend to the boys. After a brief look however, I can see that Bizzard Beach looks like it would be a lot of fun for them. It is a “ski resort turned water park”! Here the boys can not only enjoy the thrilling water slides, they can also slide down a mountain on mats, even go through through the Ski Patrol Training Camp. Here they can train on inner tube slides, hanging on to a T-bar, and test their balance walking from iceberg to iceberg on an ice-flow walk. This sounds like an exciting way to cool off in Orlando. And if all of this is too much for my mom and dad, there is always the Lazy River!

Since this park has something for everyone, I think my parents and nephews would enjoy visiting this water park. And finding discount tickets online is even better!

Yesterday turned out to be a perfect Mother’s Day. After church we went to eat at an Italian food restaurant that we had never tried. It wasn’t that great, probably would not go back. But it was nice enough. And I enjoyed the company! Then we came home for a nice long Sunday afternoon nap. After church Sunday night, youth group activities were canceled! My husband and I drove down to the beach to spend some much needed time alone just relaxing. We went to a nice local seafood restaurant and had a good dinner. After we ate, we drove down the island a way to a place where we could pull onto the beach. By then it was dark and most folks had gone home. There was only one other car and we did not bother each other. No kids, no dogs, not even any seagulls! Just the wind and the waves and each other. Watching the moon rise was amazing! It was a gorgeous full moon which reflected brightly on the water. Sitting, watching, walking, talking and sharing our love was the perfect ending to the day.

As our kids have reached the teenage years, it has become increasingly important to us to teach them financial ability and confidence. In teaching kids the basics of handling money, it seems that actually handling money is vital. Letting them make their own spending decisions, teaching them to save up for items and even learning some hard lessons from monetary mistakes can be key to a child’s future financial savvy.

As kids hit the teenage years, this seems like a very important step for them to make as they transition into the adult world. Savings accounts, CDs, checking accounts and debit cards are all things that parents need to help their teens learn to manage.

I know that some of the older teens in our youth group have a Prepaid Visa card. This seems like a good idea for the older teen. The parents can put a certain amount of money into the account and the young adult has to learn to make the money last. The prepaid card allows easy money transfers, email and text account balance alerts and is free from many fees, including activation, transaction and weekly fees. It sounds like something that might be a good way for teens to practice financial know-how while still having some guidance and boundaries set by parents.

Do you remember how hard it was to figure out your future when you feel like you are barely charting the present? I mean, I STILL feel that way! So I know it is hard for the young people who are having to make decisions about their future while they are still trying to figure out what they want to do and if they are capable of doing it. It seems as if school would be a great lab in which to learn this and to find the guidance to do so. But it can become so overwhelming.

My son had to turn in his course selections for next year. It will be his junior year in high school, apparently the most important year. He was having a very hard time deciding just which courses and which level of courses to take. At the junior level, many of the courses which he has been taking as “Pre-AP” courses are only offered as “AP” or standard. This seemed to be a bit too much for him. He sort of switched gears and took another path with his advanced classes.

When we asked him what he would maybe like to study in college, he said “Business”. He has always been money minded and good with his money. Even now he is enjoying going through the Dave Ramsey Financial University Curriculum! So when he found out that he could take some business classes in high school, he seemed to think he would enjoy those and learn something that would help his future. Learning about Business Management, Business Ownership, Business Loans, and even Business Law seemed to be right up his alley. Since these would not be required courses, he listed them as his “alternate classes”. So maybe he will be able to get a chance to explore a little of the business world that interests him. And maybe learning these things now in the time of financial insecurity in our country would be a good lesson. He could learn what things would help to grow a business, what would help it thrive, even in lean times.

I did not know that Debutante Balls were still given for young girls coming of age. But we recently learned that a friend of my son’s is joining with several other girls this summer for just such a party for their “Sweet Sixteen” birthdays. My son was asked to escort his friend to this grand occasion.

This is a very formal affair, one which takes a lot of preparation and commitment on the girls’ parts. Of course, this being “After Six“, the escorts have to wear a tuxedo. The girls are required to wear a formal white gown. But before all this gala can even take place, the students have to commit to several nights of etiquette classes and rehearsals. The girls involved have to write an essay and follow several rules of conduct before being permitted to take place in the ball. They will also be expected to gain a sponsor and write the appropriate Thank You Notes.

I hope all goes well for my son’s friend and that he will be able to be her escort (he will be out of town during the last rehearsal, so we are not sure they will allow him to escort for the occasion.) His friend’s mother said that if he did attend all the classes and such, she would even rent his tux for him!