Category: family

Ramona and Beezus

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, tweens
Ramona and Beezus promotional poster

 

Remember the “Ramona” books from your growing up years? Well, now fast-forward the year 2010, and we have the “Ramona and Beezus” movie. Don’t be confused by the reversal of the names; it’s based on the book Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary, published first in the 1950’s. 

I am always interested in books I’ve loved that are made into movies, particularly if I can interest my tweenaged daughter, even if it does work in reverse (first comes book; then comes movie for her this time around, whereas for me it was the opposite). 

The movie got pretty good reviews, which doesn’t really matter all that much to us; if we are interested in the movie (or if we just have nothing better to do that day!), we go. Our biggest decision is what, if anything, we are going to get to munch on at the show…if popcorn, then we have the “butter or no butter” argument: she wants it; I say ‘No way!’, or nachos: she has to have all the chips that are shaped like “tacos”, and is not happy if I inadvertently (I swear!) grab one of those for myself. 

We both liked the movie; my daughter liked it so much that she went back to see it a second time. I wasn’t that impressed with the scenes that depicted Ramona’s vivid imaginary escapades; they were more distracting than entertaining  (my daughter does not share this view). 

My favorite part of the movie was actually during the credits, when the cast was dancing to “Say Hey (I Love You)” by Michael Franti…Ramona can boogie! Oh, and the popcorn. Without butter. Sometimes the mother just has to put her foot down. 🙂 

Do you eat at the movies? Do you buy it there or sneak in contraband? What are your favorite movie snacks? 

Pirates! in Kennebunk!

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, tweens
The Pirates Musical

If you want something fun and inexpensive to do, scour your own and adjacent towns for low cost (cheap! cheap!) or free activities to do with the fam. 

Last Thursday night, my husband, daughter and I met at the Kennebunk High School to see a play. I met them after work; they went early, bought the tickets, and then drove over to McD’s for a caramel frappe (omg, so good. Haven’t yet tried one? GO. NOW. They are similar to a DD coolata, but smoother, and cheaper, read: win-win!). 

The show started at 7:30PM, which is late for my 11 year old to be out, but hey…it is summer vacation, and summer vacation is getting shorter by the minute. It ends in August, for gosh-sakes…but I digress. 

Back to the play: “The Pirate Musical!” was written and performed as a fundraiser by a then-high school senior Joey Aaskov at KHS and did so well (shows sold out, according to the Seacoast Online) when it opened last February, that an encore performance was arranged. Well, lucky for us, because it was great.  There was even a makeshift snack bar: a few women were selling large, individually wrapped, homemade chocolate chip cookies (“Mary’s Cookies”) and bottles of water. No napkins though, so make sure you bring your own. 

Also in Kennebunk on Wednesday nights are the Concerts in the Park.  The shows start at 6:30PM and run for about an hour. Next Wednesday the New Legacy Swing Band is performing. Never heard of them? So what? The concerts are free, and Duffy’s (and several other restaurants) and DQ are right across the street. You can go early and have dinner first at Duffy’s, then after go for dessert at DQ. 

The Pirates Musical plays one more show this evening, so if you are free…head on over.

Wells Harbor Concerts

by Karen, posted in family, tweens

Every Saturday in the summer there is a free concert at the Hope Hobbs Gazebo at the Wells Harbor Community Park. It’s free, but Scott Wilcox from this week’s band The Blind Pilots pointed out, nothing in life is really free. They do pass the basket, just like in church, for donations to help defray the cost of the shows. And just like at church, I cough up the guilt money.

But the thing is, it’s well worth it. All of the bands we’ve seen there over the past few years have given performances that ranged from ‘very good’ to ‘great’. They all put on an enthusiastic show, interact with the audience (no matter how big or how small), and have fun.

Speaking of fun…I think that perhaps the bands aren’t having quite as much fun this year as in years prior: they have been mentioning the unwelcome addition of a nest of bees right underneath where the drummer typically sets up. This week the band members had to keep moving to avoid the bees that were flying around their heads during their act (can you say “distracted”??).

If you go:

  1. Consider bringing along a can of bug spray; you will most likely be annoyed at some point by either mosquitos, no-seeums, or both. It doesn’t really dissuade the bugs much, but it can be helpful to feel like you are fighting back.
  2. Wear sneakers and socks instead of flip-flops or sandals, which can get quite full of (you guessed it) sand (it is the harbor, after all).
  3. You might feel like dancing to the music. Go ahead. Almost always people do.
  4. Wells is a small town;  you (or your kids) will most likely see people who you know. Enjoy their company.
  5. It can be fun to bring along a picnic for supper.
  6. There are benches to sit on, but do yourself a favor and bring a cushion, or a folded towel or blanket to sit on. You’re welcome.
  7. Some people bring folding chairs. There is plenty of room for them if you prefer your own chair to the bench.
  8. The sun can be very strong as it sets, so a pair of sunglasses and/or a hat or baseball cap can be helpful.
  9. It can also get pretty chilly there, so to bringing a light sweater, jacket, or sweatshirt is often a good idea.
  10. Sometimes there is a canteen truck selling food and drink, and sometimes the ice cream truck stops by, but more often than not, neither shows up, so you may want to bring some water or something else to drink or snack on.

Next week, on Saturday, July 24th, the band is The Corona Brothers. You can pick up a schedule for the rest of the summer at the show. If it rains, the shows are held at the Wells Jr. High School on Rt. 1.

One more thing: don’t be put off if you are unfamiliar with the band that’s playing…we have gone to many of the concerts having no idea what to expect and (with only one exception) my tween and I have had a great time and were glad we went.

Grazing date night

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, italian, restaurants

For our wedding anniversary this year we had some big plans to eat out at a nice Italian restaurant near our home. We had been talking about it for several days, but when the time came to get ready to go, we hesitated. “I’m not that hungry”, my husband said. “We don’t have to eat big tonight,” he added. We don’t? Hmmmm….radical concept.

Jimmy the Greek’s on Saco Avenue, Old Orchard Beach was our first stop on our newly revised anniversary “we don’t have to eat big” itinerary. We ordered a Grecian Calzone, which contains sausage, spinach, garlic, feta, and mozzarella…and it is enormous. I was extremely grateful that we’d decided to split it instead of each ordering our own! It was excellent; I’d definitely order it again.

Next, we drove down to the beach and walked around, visiting the shops. We walked around for about an hour when we first got there. We bought some jelly beans from the candy store (pomegranate and cinnamon) and a couple of fruit slices (for b) and a piece of snickers fudge (for me).

Then, we sampled pistachio and banana pudding gelato at Dolce (something or other) Caffe, which were fine. Next, we went to get pier fries (don’t ask me from whom. I was in such a hurry to buy them that once I recognized the storefront, I didn’t stop to catch the name of the place but we go to the same one every year). Ah, pier fries. . .no further words are needed.

So, even though I’d been really looking forward to that annual  Chicken Braccioletinne at Varano’s, what we did (and ate!) instead was actually much better, and just perfect.

How do you celebrate your wedding anniversary?

Despicable Me, the movie

by Karen, posted in family, tweens

I took my daughter to see “Despicable me”  this past weekend and we both loved it. It’s no “Toy Story 3“, but definitely is worth the price of admission (so to speak). 

Promotional Poster

The main character, Gru, is played by Steve Carell, and he becomes a dad after he adopts 3 orphaned girls for bad-deed-doing purposes. He plays the role as a kind of  “anti-dad”…for example, he says out loud the things that some parents may find themselves thinking at the end of a long hard day of work and child rearing, but would never actually say to their children. 

Gru does say these thoughts he’s thinking.  Out loud. There is no censor. Pay attention to the scene when finally, after they beg him night after night, he relents and reads the girls a bedtime story; it’s hilarious. 

Be careful though; make sure you employ your own censor if you are watching the movie with your tween. You wouldn’t want to embarrass her by laughing out loud inappropriately (read: when none of the other parents are laughing) at a movie moment that particularly resonates with you, as I inadvertently did. Okay, more than once. 

It was worth it though. It’s one of those funny movies that manages to move you as well.  Definitely worth seeing at the theater (read: do not wait for dvd for this one).

Backyard date

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family

Maybe you leave for work very early in the morning, and return home late in the evening…and maybe you have a significant other that you would like to have date-time with, at least once in a while! What do you do?

Well, the situation demands creativity on the part of the couple, no question. Tonight, what we’re doing is date night on the deck. I’m at work all day, but my husband is going to get things ready for us for when I get home.

Steps to readying your backyard for a date in the summer:

  1. Use a leaf blower to blow the dirt off your back deck/porch/stoop. No leaf blower? Get a broom!
  2. Spray some Cutter Backyard Bug Control well in advance of your time outdoors. Nothing will make you more miserable, ruin the mood, (and drive you back inside faster) than getting swarmed by mosquitos.
  3. Light some Off! bug candles. Couldn’t hurt.
  4. Place some cut flowers from your backyard (daisies work, or sweet peas) into a milk bottle (for the daisies) or a drinking glass (for the sweet peas) and place them on the table that you hopefully have out there, or the railing, or just next to you on the steps.
  5. If you haven’t had dinner yet, cook out or have the working spouse pick up something (pizza? chinese?) on the way home. Did you eat dinner already? Share a dessert.
  6. If it’s still enough light out, take a walk around the block, or around your yard. Do a little light gardening (if you like that sort of thing). Those blueberries (unfortunately) won’t pick themselves.

Hopefully your kids will be in bed already (hint: don’t let them see you preparing; don’t tell them about it ahead of time. Good luck getting them to go to bed if you do!).

Don’t stay up too late!

The best birthday cake ever

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, italian
Italian Rum Cake with peaches and strawberries with whipped cream frosting
The best birthday cake ever!

So, why am I still talking about (and eating!) birthday cake in July when my birthday was in May? Because my brother and I are Irish (and Italian!) twins, born just 13 months apart…and where there are birthdays, there must be cake!

Besides having our birthdays at the end of warm weather months, another thing we have in common is this: we both LOVE Italian Rum Cake, especially if it’s made by La Cascia’s Bakery in Burlington, MA. Alas, our respective family members do not. We therefore typically do not indulge ourselves with our favorite cake on our birthdays in the interest of the family as a whole. It’s not that much fun eating your birthday cake while the rest of the family (who really wanted ice cream cake/chocolate cake with vanilla frosting/yellow cake with chocolate frosting/chocolate cake with marshmallow frosting like his girlfriend’s mother used to make 25 years ago…) looks on, having no cake at all. Or worse, having a bite of your beloved Italian Rum Cake and barely making it to the kitchen barrel in time to spit it out, saying, “Eeeeeewwwwww! This cake is gross!”

The upside of this though is that we get to have our favorite birthday cake for breakfast every day until it’s gone. 🙂

If you are in the neighborhood and just stop by LaCascia’s for an Italian Rum Cake, they will usually have a few made up ahead of time, one of which you could take home. These have strawberries in the filling of pastry cream and chocolate pastry cream, frosted with buttercream; slivered almonds are arranged around the outside of it. This cake is very, very good.

If you have time to plan and order ahead, however, you can have your cake made the way you want it; you can have the birthday cake of (my brother’s and) my youth. The way we wanted it was with peaches and strawberries in the filling, and whipped cream frosting, hold the almonds. Not that we don’t like almonds, but our dad never wanted nuts on anything since he had a great deal of trouble eating them. This cake is amazingly excellent.

Enjoy!

Garden update

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, gardening, health

The garden is looking so great so far this year (excuse me while I knock on wood). Again, I congratulate my self on holding back a few blueberries and strawberries long enough to take a picture before devouring them all!

blueberries and strawberries from the garden early june

In addition to these, the blackberries and raspberries are looking great, and should be able to harvest some of those soon.

The cherry tree has plenty of cherries, but most are way up high and, since this tree is now about 12 feet tall, the birds are reaping the harvest for themselves (not motivated to put up a ladder yet to gather those). Also, due to dealing with the pests that were trying to destroy the tree, we are concerned about sudden death following consumption of said cherries…better to wait for next year (so far, there have not been any avian corpses unexpectedly falling from the sky, thankfully).

The tomato plants all look well, and one of the 11 even has 3 tomatoes on it already! I’m guessing it’s the early girl; the stake with the name of the tomato  got buried during planting and I haven’t yet found it.

One of the eggplant seedlings had aphids and some other unpleasant looking bug on it, but my husband found them early and immediately sprayed it with the insecticide soap, and it looks okay now. Keeping my fingers crossed for this one. The other 2 eggplants seem unaffected.

The zucchini and yellow squash plants all have teeny tiny squashes growing. The bell peppers, beets, potatoes, pumpkins all look good. The melons look iffy, as they have for the past 2 years that we have (unsuccessfully) tried to grow them.

The herbs are all doing well.  The basil we planted from seed is sprouting, and the large leaf Italian Basil plants are still alive, green (not yellow, not black) and look healthy. Last year’s pineapple sage may even have reseeded; will be keeping an eye on the 2 little seedlings nearby.

We are still harvesting last years lettuce, and this year’s crop is growing very well.

How are your gardens doing? What are you growing this year?

Toy Story 3

by Karen, posted in family, good grief, tweens
Promotional Movie Poster for TOY STORY 3

When I take my daughter to see a (kids) movie, my expectations are generally quite low. I find this to be an effective strategy in maximizing any potential enjoyment of said movie, as well as to minimize any potential boredom (my other strategy is to bring my knitting and a book light; I can knit half a hat in the time it takes to yawn through a less than engaging movie!).  

Enter Toy Story 3, however, and all bets are off. I mean, this is a movie with which I have a history. I have a tweenage daughter, but have I mentioned that I also have a teenage son?  

The original Toy Story movie was released in 2005, when my son was just 6 years old. We were already quite fond of many of Disney’s movies, so seeing Toy Story was a given. Well, we both loved it. So, we had the Woody and Buzz Lightyear figures; we had the Potato Heads, first the Mr., and later on, the Mrs. (it could be that it was as much for my enjoyment as it was for his!). Life was good.  

Many years passed, as of course they will, and now my son is 18 years old. He is in college. He is in the process of creating his own life (read: without parents hovering over his shoulder). To paraphrase Matt from the Matty in the Morning Radio Show, did I really need to see this right now? The boy in the movie giving away all of his toys and leaving home? “I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t breathe,” he said. Okay, so…I can relate. Big time.  

My husband and I went to see this movie together (this did make me notice the strange lack of a male parent in these movies), and we both agreed that it was excellent, moving, and poignant…and difficult to watch. We were overwhelmed.  

So, are you the parent of a teenager who is leaving/has recently left the nest? If you are on the fence about seeing Toy Story 3, may I nudge off of it, in the direction of seeing the movie? You must not miss this. Go. Bring any remaining off-spring you have around the house. They will enjoy no less, albeit on a different level.  

Oh, and bring Kleenex.

Date night

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, fitness, no fear

After 19 years of marriage plus 2 more of courtship, I’ve learned something new about my husband: he’s ambidextrous.

How did I learn this? I stepped out of my comfort zone for an hour. Way out, actually. My idea of a night out is dinner, maybe a drive to or walk on the beach, ice cream, maybe a movie. So, when my husband mentioned that he used to like to shoot pool and did I know that there were two pool halls not far from where we live, a little warning bell went off…I mean, sure; I’d seen pool tables. We even had one when I was growing up. You know, in the dining room. Under the plywood. It majored as our dining room table. Oh oh, I thought.

Well, in the spirit of  “do the thing you think you cannot do” (a la Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote) I decided that I “must” do it. So I kept my reservations to myself…well mostly. I did ask my husband this: “What if we get there and I decide that I don’t want to go in?” to which he (graciously, and smartly) replied, “Then we won’t go in!”.

Which was exactly what happened at the first place we visited. I looked around at the building exterior, and with quip about it’s bad feng shui, declined to enter. Bill said, “No problem!” …and so on to the next stop.

Old Port Billiards on Fore Street was the next stop. I was not put off by the exterior this time, so in we went. There was a woman tending the bar and six pool tables.  I glanced at the menu and noticed right away that they had brownie sundaes, so then I knew everything would be okay (see? even when on an outing to play pool, it’s really all about the food! 🙂 )

No one was renting a table yet, so we were the first, but within an hour, all but one table was rented by two others by couples like us, and 2 others by groups of (male) friends.

We played for an hour and had a great time. And I found out that after 21 years, it’s not too late for me to try new things (and that I don’t know everything about my husband!).