Posted by Kristen McLane on May 17th, 2008 in Film/Television
I’ve been tagged by Adam to list my top ten favorite movies. Here it goes. In no particular order:
Pride & Prejudice - Some swear by the BBC version but I love the chemistry between the characters played by Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Bennet) and Matthew Macfadyen (Mr. Darcy).
Little Miss Sunshine - I’ve never cried so hard (from laughing).
Juno - So many great moments.
Chocolat - Not sure if it’s the movie or the memory. I have fond memories of seeing this chick flick back in the day when I lived in Chicago. I had a gift card to the theater and my friend and I spared no expense pigging out on junk food on our girl’s day out.
The Bourne Trilogy - I can’t resist a good action film.
An Affair to Remember and/or Sleepless in Seattle
Sabrina (The original.)
Once - Not the greatest movie of all time but I love the story behind the making of this film. The songs are hard to get out of your head. According to Adam I’m a sucker for indie films.
E.T. - I know this probably makes me a dork but this was the first movie I ever saw in a movie theater.
Hotel Rwanda - Not the best choice for a date night but a “must see” movie. Unforgettable.
Bonus: Top 3 favorite films that every little girl should see…
I won’t be spending much time on the computer today but I thought I’d check in. I actually slept in this morning until 7:30. I would have slept longer if it had not been for Paul blowing a whistle in his bedroom which is above mine. Oh well, it was time to get up any anyway. Between two soccer games (9am & 1:30 - Don’t you just love how the games are spaced out?), projects to finish around the house and Married Life tonight, it’s going to be a busy day. I’m probably going to miss Romeo’s 3rd Annual Victorian Festival. I wouldn’t mind checking out a demonstration at the Clyde Craig Blacksmith Museum. The Blacksmith Museum is on our street but we’ve never been. It is only open for special occasions. And if we have time, I’m sure the kids would get a kick out of a trolley or carriage ride through town.
I stayed up later than usual last night watching the movie P.S. I Love You. I was disappointed because the novel written by Cecelia Ahern is so much better. Speaking of movies, I’ve been tagged by Adam to list my top 10 favorite films. More on that later. After enduring one too many romantic comedies, Adam has threatened to hijack my Netflix queue with I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Blades of Glory (I’m not even going to honor those movies with a link).
I’m more in the mood for books right now than movies. Not that I have time for leisurely pursuits like reading (did you not read that first paragraph?). For the second time in three months I got the date mixed up for my book club. Both times I had a babysitter scheduled and both times I didn’t realize until the morning of the alleged book club meeting. My real book club meeting is on Wednesday.
Speaking of Wednesday, I’m looking forward to next week not just because I really do have book club but because Megan has two special events at school. Field Day is Tuesday and the first grade trip to the zoo is Thursday. I volunteered to help all day at Field Day but I’m not going to the zoo. Siblings aren’t allowed and I just didn’t feel like it would be fair to tell Paul that he had to hang out with a babysitter all day while I played at the zoo with Megan.
My giveaway to win a $50.00 Gift Certificate to Swimsuits For All ends on Tuesday (May 20th). Get in on the fun and enter here. I wish I could enter. Who wouldn’t want a brand new swimsuit?
Posted by Kristen McLane on May 16th, 2008 in Fitness, Giveaways
I found a fun contest today in bloggy world. The prize is a Wii console plus a Wii Fit from Three Kid Circus (contest ends tonight). If you read my blog regularly then you are sick of hearing me talk about how much I want this. To enter this contest I must blog about my embarrassing fitness purchases. I’m not even sure if I qualify to blog about fitness right now being that I’ve just polished off the last of the Keebler Rainbow Chip Deluxe cookies in the pantry. Hopefully my confession just goes to show how much I need to win!
I’m relieved to say that haven’t embarrassed myself too much by actually purchasing any crazy equipment (I try to stay away from watching home shopping programs and infomercials). The goofiest thing I ever bought was a 10 Minute Solutions Dance DVD. It was highly rated and is probably a great DVD but for one small problem - I have zero rhythm or coordination. My four year old can clap along to music better than I can. Seriously, those of you who know me are laughing because you know it’s true. After “failing” the beginner level several times I finally admitted defeat and gave my DVD away to someone who would actually be able to benefit from the routine. I learned my lesson and from now on I stay away from any DVD with the word “dance” in the title.
Lately I’ve had cherries on my mind. A little background about Romeo may be helpful. Romeo is situated in orchard-ville. There are literally dozens of orchards within a twenty minute drive from my home. The orchards are so much a part of Romeo’s history that our claim to fame is the Michigan Peach Festival held every Labor Day weekend - a tradition which started in 1931.
A few summers ago I began a family tradition of picking cherries at Coon Creek Orchards with my sister. (Last year was special because our mom and grandma tagged along.) I’d like to say that after filling our buckets my sister and I go home and fix homemade cherry pies (for our husbands of course). The truth is that between two adults and six hungry children only a handful of cherries actually make it that far.
One of Megan’s class assignments this week was to give an oral report on a newspaper article. We found an article called, “Having summer fun with cherries.” In the article were two cherry recipes from the California Cherry Advisory Board. One was for Fresh Cherry Bing Lemonade and I’ll leave you with the other.
Bing Cherry Thumbprint Cookies
Makes 2-3 dozen
Cherry Jam
1 pound fresh California Bing cherries, washed and pitted (about 2 cups)
1/8 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup sugar
Cookie Dough
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2 cups flour
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350º.
For jam: Combine cherries and water in a small pot and simmer over low heat until fruit is tender, about 10 minutes. Add lemon juice, zest, and sugar and stir gently until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly for 10 minutes, stirring on occasion, until thick and syrupy. Pour into a shallow bowl and cool, or alternately refrigerate until jam is set. This can be made a day ahead.
For cookies: Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla or almond extract. Add flour and mix until just combined. Form dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using your thumb, make an impression in the center of each ball. Fill each cookie with cherry jam making sure each has a cherry in the center. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the dough is set and lightly browned on bottom. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
Note: For more uniform cookies, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before forming into balls.
Yesterday I took Paul to see Rosco’s Reading Can Be Fun show at the library. Rosco The Clown is a local icon. He has been clowning around Macomb County for over twenty five years to support literacy in partnership with Macomb Literacy Partners. The goal of the show is to increase literacy in the next generation of readers. After the show all the children get to pick out a free book (thanks to donations).
Between Megan and Paul this must have been my fourth or fifth show. The routine is great - it is super hokey but the kids eat it up. The jokes never change (why mess with a good thing) but as much as I want to groan and roll my eyes I can’t help but to giggle. (I’ve learned that if I don’t like it then I have to fake it because Rosco will call out parents who aren’t participating. I’d much rather be faking the chicken dance from my seat than being forced by a clown to dance in front of a packed room. Believe me, you don’t want to see me dance!)
Bottom line is that my kids look forward to Rosco. I’m all about supporting literacy and making reading fun even if I have to squirm in my seat for an hour. Rosco gets two thumbs up! If you live in Macomb County, MI and you have children six and under then I recommend attending a show.
Last week I removed the training wheels from Megan’s bicycle. According to Megan she is the last student in first grade to learn how to ride on two wheels. I was a clueless as to how to begin instructing Megan. One friend offered up the suggestion to begin on the grass (softer landing spot). Great idea except that pushing a bike through grass takes a lot more effort. I tried bringing Megan out to the sidewalk and keeping a hand behind her seat to steady her. It worked but I felt like I was still too in control of the movements. How was Megan going to get a sense of balance if I was the one doing all the work?
I finally took to my computer (trusty old google search) and found the solution that worked for us. The suggestion was to lower a child’s bike seat so that the child’s feet could touch the ground. Then find a grassy hill and have the child practice controlling the descent to the bottom. As the child becomes more confident and gets a feel for their center of balance, she should transition from keeping her feet close to the ground to pedaling.
I took Megan to the back yard and positioned her on a slight incline. She practiced going down the hill several times with her feet near the ground. She had the power to stop herself any time that she wanted. Eventually she graduated to putting her feet on the pedals. At first I was keeping a hand on her bike to steady it. Within a day Megan was coasting down the hill while pedaling. The expression on her face as she realized that she was balancing on her own was priceless.
We still have some work to do. Megan doesn’t feel comfortable riding on the sidewalk by herself. I have a feeling that it won’t be a long time from now.
Yesterday was Megan’s birthday. She turned seven. Every year I can’t help but to reflect on years past. Megan’s birth story was memorable beginning with the fact that she was supposed to be a boy. She continues to surprise and amaze Adam and I as we navigate this crazy thing called parenting.
When Megan was a baby I started daydreaming about a special gift that I could give her when she was older. I’ve always thought it would be fun to collect charms that would represent who Megan is and preserve significant events or milestones in her life. I’ve brainstormed a few ideas over the years - the hard part would be narrowing these down otherwise this bracelet is going to weigh a ton!
Name and birth date
Emerald - birthstone
Pearl - Megan means “pearl”
Chicago - birth city
Dalmation dog - beloved stuffed animal
Shells - we collect them when we go to the beach
Zoo - favorite outings were to the zoo
Book - loved books (still does)
“Purple” - obsession with all things purple
“Pink” - the new purple
Butterfly
School
Game - i.e. Candyland or other favorite game
Cherries - Annual family trip to the cherry orchards
Matrioshka doll - Megan has a collection of nesting dolls from Ukraine and Russia
Soccer
Bunnies
Kittens
Tooth/Tooth Fairy
Webkinz
Baptism
Bicycle - learning to ride without training wheels
Friendship - a reminder of past & present friendships
“Mommy, do you know what they just said on t.v.? They said for moms to enjoy flowers and candy on Mother’s Day. Mommy, do you know what enjoy flowers means? That means you have to eat them. Isn’t that silly mommy?”
A few summers ago I began a family tradition of picking cherries at 
Yesterday I took Paul to see Rosco’s 
