Family Movie Night: Wreck-It Ralph

Every Saturday we will be sharing with you our ideas for family movie nights. Movie reviews and fun theme night ideas.

Our Super-Cool-Fab Review Team...

Our crack team of expert Movie Reviewers are this week reviewing Wreck-It Ralph.

When Wreck-it Ralph turned up in our Fatso packet this week the kids all went YAY! Wreck-It Ralph! Secretly, I did too. This is one of those kids movies that is clever enough that  grown ups really don't mind watching it at all.
I shouldn't have been surprised that John Lasseter - who is also the creator of Toy Story - had a hand in this one too.
Like Toy Story, this movie is original, funny and clever, with witty dialogue and plenty of tongue in cheek. It is populated by characters who are creatures from video games, and like the Toy Story characters, they think and act like game characters, not humans. Their concerns and worries and struggles are all consistent with being characters in video games. The story has no gaps in logic, the characterisation is superb and the pace is brilliant.
Wreck-It Ralph is action packed and full of laughs, but also there's some deeper truths that can be drawn and tucked away to illustrate a truth in parent-child chats (especially the one where Venellope who thinks herself a glitch, a mistake, discovers that all along she has been deceived and is in fact the star of the game; the one where Ralph learns that his job doesn't define him as a bad guy; he may be "the bad guy" but he's not a BAD GUY.)

It should say a lot that first thing this morning, our tween movie expert "Dash B. Cool" creaked open our bedroom door and whispered, "Can we watch Wreck-It Ralph again in the lounge...?"

It really is one of those movies you can watch over and over...

[source]

Movie Plot Summary: Wreck-It Ralph is the bad guy in his 30 year old arcade game. When the arcade closes each night he goes back to the dump where he lives, alone. His fellow gamesters think that because he is "the bad guy", he is also a bad guy. He is tired of being lonely and sets out to try and prove to people he can be a hero too. He gets into a neighbouring action video game to try and win the "hero's medal", accidentally setting off a chain of events which could be disastrous for every game in the arcade (a virus gets loose thanks to him; he is Wreck-it Ralph after all). In the mess of his crash landing in the game, Sugar Rush, he loses his medal to a "glitch" (Venellope) who is also trying to escape exclusion and isolation by entering a race using the medal as the entry fee. Can Ralph get his medal back and prove he's not really a bad guy? Will Venellope ever get to race and prove she's not just a mistake, a glitch? Will the virus bugs destroy the whole arcade or can Ralph fix something for once?

Ahhh, it might sound confusing, but just watch it. Really. It all makes sense when you're watching it and is loads of fun, for kids and grownups alike.

RATED [PG] but is really more of a [G]. Very sensitive of children might be a little scared by the scenes in the Soldier video game and when the virus gets lose in Sugar Rush.

Here's what our experts have to say about Wreck-It Ralph.

Dash. B. Cool: "Wreck-It Ralph is cool. I like it a lot. It makes me laugh and it has a cool story. I also think it's clever. This is a very cool movie for everyone. Everyone should watch this movie."

Dash scores this movie's "coolness" as: ♥♥♥♥♥

Foxy Fab: "My favourite bit is when the glitch asks: Are you a HOBO??? It's funny. This is a funny movie. I like it a lot cos it makes me laugh and it's not boring at all."

Foxy rates this movie's "fabness" as: ♥♥♥♥♥

Super Scrag: "THIS IS THE BEST MOVIE I HAVE SEEN IN AAAAAGES! I love Wreck-it Ralph. It it the coolest movie ever."

SuperScrag scores this movie's "super-ness" as: ♥♥♥♥♥

..............

All together we wholeheartedly recommend this movie to you for all but the very youngest and most sensitive children. Try it. You will LOVE it!

What are your favourite family movies? Send me an email or leave me a comment with your suggestions so we can check it out and feature it here.

Have a great Weekend!
♥

I Keep Thinking Today is Thursday...

...when clearly it's not. It's Wednesday and I am all out of kilter.
I'm about to crawl back to bed, courtesy of this awful virus I can't get rid of a.k.a last week's lurgy which I thought I'd kicked to the curb only to be revisited with a vengeance.

I went to the doctor yesterday to get some bloods done, thinking all kinds of morbid thoughts after visiting Doctor Google with my symptoms (silly, I know).
Apparently this weird collection of symptoms is actually a virus that's going around.
Nausea, dizziness, fatigue, loss of appetite, numb hands and feet, elevated temperature...
I've had to reschedule umpteen appointments, cancel orders and rely on hubby to do most of my jobs on top of his.
So this is a heads up, cos I hate to think of my blog lying dormant, unloved and empty: I am poorly. In bed. Crook. Normal posting will resume when lurgy has GONE.
In the meantime Mrs Readalot is indulging in some good reads which she will share with you all upon our return to health.
And I have my phone by my bed, so although I'm bedridden I'm still "around" on Facebook and Instagram.
You can find me here...

 

luv from

P.S. the freesias in the picture are from my garden to cheer me up and remind me that Spring is indeed coming, any day now...

Grateful for School Mornings (Even on Monday)

Monday is always a good day to force myself to be grateful. After the relatively relaxed pace of  the weekend, Monday mornings can often be a shock to the system. Especially if you are feeling seasick and under-the-weather, as I have been lately.

This morning as the Monday routine kicked in, I found myself being naturally grateful for my kids' growing independence, and their ability to pitch in an help get themselves ready in the mornings.

Every school morning used to be torture and I must have tried umpteen different clever ways to try and eliminate the stress and yelling. Nothing worked long term - until I finally stopped trying to do it all for them and got them to take responsibility for themselves.

[Dash with self made lunchbox from a couple of years ago]

We now have it down to an art - the kids make their own school lunches. They dress themselves. Sometimes they get their own breakfast. And increasingly, they are even getting themselves out the door and off to school on their scooters, leaving me waving from the doorstep.

I know that probably sounds shocking to many of you, especially given that my youngest is only five.

But here's the thing: He has a big brother and sister. They are looking out for him and showing him the ropes. In the process everyone benefits.

[no recent lunchbox-making photos are available. Here's Miss fab in 2011]

The older kids have been making their lunchboxes for ages now. I have a special basket in my room full of "Lunchbox only" snacks to which they add fruit, yoghurt and a sandwich. The only lunchbox I was making was Scrag's - since he is only five after all.

But Scrag doesn't want to be left out of the lunch-making action. He wants to be a big boy too and do his own lunchbox. Sometimes he even wants to make it the night before. 

Since he's so keen to be independent (and I'm all for encouraging that), now he does the snacks and I just make the sandwich.

He's learning independence and taking responsibility for himself. I've got a keen independent little lad who doesn't need his mummy to do it all for him. Celia Lashlie would be so proud!!

[....and it's a 2011 photo again. Really need to take more pictures...]

Now with the warmer weather and bright spring days on the increase, they even occasionally all scooter together.

One, two, three little ducks all in a row. Scooters and helmets. Big brother (Year Six)  Dash calling, "I'll go in front, Scrag you come in the middle, Fab you come behind Scrag to make sure he's safe..."

As I wave and blow kisses from the front porch, I can't tell you how full my heart feels to watch my kids working as a team. To see the big kids surrounding and leading their little brother. To watch them all take responsibility.

I've noticed there's been less fighting and squabbling lately. I'm not sure what to put that down to, but long may it last. Sure they still get mad at each other, but it's just less scrappy somehow.

I'm loving this new stage of kids who are finding their feet, taking responsibility and gaining independence. It's good for them, and it's good for me. It makes me feel very grateful...

I'm grateful for:

The kids learning to take responsibility for themselves, practising on the little things, gaining skills and confidence that *they can do it* - it's setting them up for the future, which is gaining on us every day.




The kids looking out for each other and developing their friendships with each other. If anything ever happens to me and Mr G, they will have each other. they are learning how to support each other now, in the little everyday things. It warms my heart.

Grateful for scooters, Road Safety lessons learnt by heart and teamwork.

Grateful for mornings with no shouting, kids out the door on time or early almost everyday and waaaay less stress. Such a nicer way to start the day. And the week.

Grateful (again and always) for SPRING!




Now it's your turn: What are YOU grateful for today? (Leave a comment, or use the hashtag on Instagram/Twitter and/or link up a blog post in the linky)

Join in with The Grateful Project
Use #thegratefulproject hashtag on Instagram and your "Gratefuls" will show up here automagically...

Use the #thegratefulproject hashtag to join us on instagram (and twitter)... or you can share your gratefuls in the comments section. There's even a button so you can let others know you're joining in...

<div class="The Grateful Project" style="width: 230px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="http://www.greatfun4kidsblog.com/search/label/The%20Grateful%20Project" > <img src="http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy162/donnasimone/thegratefulprojectbutton_zpsf9af8ea6.jpg" alt="Greatfun4kids" width="230"/> </a> </div>

Gratefully Yours,

Around the Web We Go...

The lurgy is abating round here, thank goodness, and I am back online.
Although, with the help of my delightful smartphone, it's as if I never left.
While I languished on the couch I was able to keep abreast of online conversations and controversy, and even find a few internet gems.

First up and forefront in my mind is this strangely contradictory story about posting kids pics to Facebook. My blog friend Lisa at All in a Daze alerted us to this story and it kinda got me thinking. Not that I agree with the author at all. No. She is extreme and paranoid, refusing to post even a single picture of her daughter on her facebook account in case face recognition should one day come back to haunt her, yet (paradoxically) actually chose her daughter's name via Google - based on whether there was a domain and gmail account available. AND she illustrated the post with a picture of a small child in the bath (obviously not her own child, but I wonder whose?)
Go figure.
It's an interesting discussion don't you think?
How much is too much? How much caution verges into paranoia? How much photo sharing invades our kids' privacy? And as bloggers, where is the line between over-sharing and keeping it real?

For myself, I am trying to walk the path of common sense.
I gave my kids aliases on my blog, right from the start. I tell stories and keep it real, but don't do it in a way that will embarrass my kids. I don't share the parts of their stories that aren't mine to tell.
On FaceBook, I only accept friends on my personal page that I actually know, or have a meaningful connection to, I set my privacy to "friends only", and I never turn on geolocation on Instagram or anywhere else. I figure that's enough? Without being paranoid?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on it all... How much is too much? And how much is enough? Where do you draw the line?
(Meanwhile another blog friend, Monique from Mogslee & Tiger wrote this response)

[source]

On a similar vein, in another part of the blogosphere, some fine writing managed to stir up controversy without even trying to....
A friend shared the link on FB, to a post by "Mrs Hall", an open letter post to teenage girls called "FYI: If you're a Teenage Girl..." about putting sexualised images of themselves online and how as a family they would filter those girls out. I loved the post... but then came the comments. Mrs Hall had posted some photos of her sons at the beach... and oh the backlash. The accusations of double standards was vicious and overwhelming!

Mrs Hall, whose usual readership is "19 faithful readers" responded to the criticism with humility and grace, handling this backlash with much aplomb. She has now removed the offending photos of her sons in their board shorts...
This post again got me thinking. I admire Mrs Hall's stand and the way their family sets high standards of accountability for their kids around social media... but it also made me cringe at the nastiness and eagerness to judge and jump on a bandwagon by the hundreds of people who commented.
This is one aspect of social media which I abhor. The freedom some people seem to have to pour vitriol on others, and the way once this gains momentum, a tidalwave of abuse is heaped upon an unsuspecting writer. Kind of makes me glad none of my posts have ever gone viral - I doubt I would be able to handle such an outpouring of judgement and criticism in the way Mrs Hall did.

How about you? Have you seen this occurring in social media, where people jump on a negative bandwagon?

Now, away from all that controversy, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Meg, who has recently begun a blog to document her family's overseas adventures as they live and travel around the world. Her blog is "Awake and Dreaming" and already I love it. Meg has only been blogging for a couple of week, but she is a natural blogger; she is drawing me into her adventures with wit and humour. At the moment they are in the Phillippines and Meg's latest post is a heart wrenching one. I'd like to share that post with you today...



So there you go. A round up of what's caught my attention on the interwebs lately, good, bad and ugly.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on it all....!

 

Lurgy

There are now three of us in our house "down with the dreaded lurgy" - me, Mr G and Dash.
(a.k.a. sick;  a.k.a. poorly; a.k.a. miserable)

I don't even want to be on the computer (now you KNOW I'm sick)... but I have so much to do!
I really want to get on with making angels in Photoshop for my revised book... I've been starting to get enquiries from people about it recently, I guess as we draw closer to Christmas.
There was a *sniff* from a maybe interested publisher... but haven't heard anything for a couple of weeks now.
Heigh Ho.
I will persist with Blurb, much as I HATE their exhorbitant shipping costs. Needs must. Better than nothing and all that.

*cough*

Yeah, I really should get off this contraption and get cosy somewhere. Curl up with a book. I've been ploughing through books lately; read a few gooduns. I feel a Mrs Readalot post coming on...

[source]

So *cough* I'm off to bed. I've replied to my urgent emails, done my urgent design jobs and put off what i can til next week.

If I'm not blogging much this week, now you know why...
*cough*

Introducing My Talented & Beautiful Niece, Jasmine

It would seem that we only produce geniuses in our family. Remember my dancer nephew Joel? He's now off in San Francisco at the Lines Ballet School, thanks in part to the support of you, my blog readers.

Now I want to introduce you to my gorgeous and clever niece, Jasmine and ask for your support again.
I hope you'll be suitably impressed with her talent, and place your vote for her at the AMP People's Choice Awards.

Jasmine is hoping to make it into University to study and be trained in design. Obviously study doesn't come cheap, and being the eldest of eight kids Jazz is going to need some outside help with tuition fees.

Sharing her genius here on my blog is one of the best ways I can offer this lovely girl my support.





Here's what Jazz has to say:

The reason I not only want, but need this scholarship, is because I am from a small town and the eldest child of eight children hoping to go off to Massey University in Wellington next year to pursue my dreams of becoming a world class internationally recognised designer.  

I'm hoping to use this scholarship to help me pay for my course at the College of Creative Arts. I am someone who hasn't had the money to buy expensive equipment and resources, so I have made the most of what I've had, and I know that if I was awarded a scholarship such as this, it would not go to waste.  

It would absolutely change my life forever and allow me to not only continue with my art, but to develop my skills further, have greater accessibility to resources I could not otherwise afford and  to step out into a bigger and better world.  

This is the link to my profile :)  

I do digital art, pencil drawings, oil paintings, water colour and acrylic paintings. I have done a few commissions involving digital portraits of people's children to help me set myself up for next year too. 

P.S . The AMP Peoples Choice Scholarship is a $10,000 scholarship awarded to the person who gets the most votes. The applicant writes up a profile to show off what their "thing" is and then everyone votes for the person they support or the person whose profile they like :)

Today I have crawled off my sick bed to switch on my computer and put this request out there: If you haven't already voted in the AMP People's Choice Awards, would you please click the link and vote for Jazz?
THANKYOU, in advance, kind sir, kind madam, for helping a young artist fulfill her potential and realise her dream.

VOTE FOR JASMINE

Here's just *some* of her work...

if you haven't already...

VOTE FOR JASMINE

(thankyou!)

♥

Grateful for Spring etc

Today is the second day of Spring in our part of the world... and it's a perfect example of what spring days should be. Clear, bright, warm. There are actual birds chirping.
I love spring. It's so full of hope, expectation. The world starts shrugging off grey and putting on colour.
Sunny Spring days are the best. No humidity (or humidity hair), no sunburn... just sunshine, warmth and hope.
Today also happens to be the 13th anniversary of our Engagement. Thirteen years ago today Mr G summoned up his courage, took a deep breath and asked me to marry him on Karekare beach at sunset. O Fateful Day. Where would I be now if I hadn't said yes? I'd be poorer in every way.

Yesterday was also Father's Day (usually accompanied by much stress but this time, happily happy).
The kids and I went shopping (ugh) on a Saturday (double ugh) and come home with their purchases declaring: "This is going to be Dad's best Father's Day EVER... aye mum?"
You know what? I think it was.
Mainly because the kids were so into it. And there was no squabbling or whingeing (which is really just what every parents wants isn't it?)

At church the kids took over the service, and Miss Fab was assistant to the MC. Hilarious.
My spotlight lovin little girl also took over the kitchen two days in a row and made pancakes (the shake-in-a-bottle kind). Who doesn't like pancakes?
Of course there was plenty of smoke and pancake splatter all over every surface, but don't you love a kid who tries?
Anywhoo, today I have a rather epic headache (brought on on Saturday from all the noise at the mall, lulled momentarily by the arrival of spring, returned with a vengeance upon the arrival of Monday)... so i am going to get off the computer and go find a sunny spring corner to chillax in, while I can.

Here's my grateful list:

Grateful for spring. And sunshine.






Grateful for kids who know how to show their love and appreciation

Grateful for budding chefs, and pancake breakfasts

Grateful for Good Fathers. the kind that stick around, even when the going gets rough at times.

Grateful (again) for SPRING!




Now it's your turn: What are YOU grateful for today? (Leave a comment, or use the hashtag on Instagram/Twitter and/or link up a blog post in the linky)

Join in with The Grateful Project
Use #thegratefulproject hashtag on Instagram and your "Gratefuls" will show up here automagically...

Use the #thegratefulproject hashtag to join us on instagram (and twitter)... or you can share your gratefuls in the comments section. There's even a button so you can let others know you're joining in...

<div class="The Grateful Project" style="width: 230px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="http://www.greatfun4kidsblog.com/search/label/The%20Grateful%20Project" > <img src="http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy162/donnasimone/thegratefulprojectbutton_zpsf9af8ea6.jpg" alt="Greatfun4kids" width="230"/> </a> </div>

Gratefully Yours,