Tag: tweens

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? 

Saying goodbye to a friend

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, fitness, good grief, health, tweens

My daughter’s friend delivered some unexpected news last week. Without preamble, she sent a one line email declaring that she was moving. To California. Like, soon. 

Chocolate chip cookies

 

Well. It’s not the first time that one of her close friends have moved away; it’s the third time, actually. It seems to be hitting her in a different way this time, however, which I imagine is due to her developmental stage. She is feeling it more, so of course, I am feeling it more as well. She was visibly sad, and was telling anyone in the family who would listen about how her friend was moving and how much she was going to miss her. 

Then a funny thing happened: as I was busily trying to think of a way to help her to feel better, she was busily figuring it put for herself. This is what she did: 

  1. She took construction paper and crayons and made a book for her friend. The book’s title? “Things I like about (name of friend)”.
  2. She asked me if we could bake some chocolate chip cookies for her friend, having ascertained beforehand that these were her favorite kind of cookies (note: date stamp on photo is incorrect; it’s a new camera and I’ve yet to set the date!).
  3. She obtained her friend’s new phone number in California, and in addition to placing it in a safe place, she made sure I had saved it in my cell phone as a safety measure.
  4. She hunted down a gift bag (purple! purple is her friend’s favorite color!) that was big enough to hold the construction paper book without folding it, the container of cookies, and an “I’m going to miss you!” greeting card, then assembled the gift.

So, she did all of these things just by instinct. She thought she was putting together a nice present for her friend and making sure they could stay in touch. I realized that she was processing her grief, and doing it by instinct, and in a healthy way. 

Then, she put it all aside and went out in the yard to hula hoop for an hour. 

 

Isn’t it amazing how much our children teach us about life (see note about picture date stamp, #2 above)?

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.

Late Summer Wish List

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

Now that summer is underway, I realized that I forgot some of our “must do” activities, not to mention several

that usually make the list but don’t get done (after all, summer is only a few short weeks and getting shorter every year, with kids having to go back to school sometimes in August (what is UP with that, anyway??).

Portland Head Light

So, here are a few more activities to squeeze in if you have time:

  1. Acton Fair runs August 26 through August 29  (consider it a warm up for the larger Fryeburg Fair coming in October). It’s not too large, so you can go in the morning before it gets too hot and the children (and possibly you) get too whiny. Depending you where you live, there are many other fairs over the next several months; find a schedule here: http://www.mainefairs.org/fair_dates.htm
  2. Perkins Cove and Ogunquit Village. There are lots of shops and restaurants in both places; park the car in the middle of both (sorry; most likely you will have to pony up some cash to park, but it’s worth it if you are spending the better part of the day, which you will definitely want to once you arrive) and explore. Once nice thing about Ogunquit, especially with kids in tow, is that there are public restrooms that are (usually) clean and easy to find.
  3. York Beach is another great place to go for a day at the beach. Short Sands Beach is great, again, because if you have kids, you can part once then spend the day. Beach, playground, bathrooms, restaurants, shops (many of which sell excellent fudge!).
  4. Downeast Duck Adventures is on my list every year (like the South Berwick Strawberry Festival) but I never get there.  In the spirit of  ‘write it down, make it  happen’…I’m writing it down. Here’s hoping.
  5. Wells Harbor Concerts run every Saturday night rain (held at the Wells Junior High School) or shine (held at the Wells Harbor Park) and are FREE. Enough of the concerts are both child and adult friendly to make it work for families (hint: bring the BUG SPRAY).
  6. The Wells ChiliFest is an annual event that will be held this year on Saturday, August 28 at the Wells Junior High School. This is a bonus because if it rains (like last year) you can still go and have a good time (hint: bring bottled water, or something to drink; sampling chili works up a thirst).
  7. Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth makes a great day trip; there are walking trails, picnic areas, and beautiful beach roses! Stop at JulChris Cookies for an amazing mid-afternoon treat on your way home.
Beach roses!

So that’s my late summer addendum. Hope you try something from this or the prior list.  Have any of you made up any lists of your own for this summer?

women of note

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

my daughter and i went to see Women of Note in Kennebunk on Mother’s Day, as we have for the past several years in a row. we appreciate that this free concert is given year after year, hosted by the Atria and open to the public. The concert lasts about an hour and there are hors d’hoevres provided afterward, to which my eleven year old especially looks forward (because for us, it is so often ‘all about the food’!) :).

her favorite song is “mr sandman” and so far, she has never been disappointed. they perform it every time we’ve seen them. we also love it when they incorporate props into the songs. they tease each other mercilessly which makes the show even more fun to watch.

Women of Note also have performed as part of the Wells Harbor Summer Concert series in recent years at the Wells Harbor Park.

if you ever have the opportunity to see them, go! you’ll be happy that you did! it’s so nice to know that your tween may enjoy listening to music and seeing a show that you will also enjoy! and there isn’t one jonas brother in the bunch!

potholes

by Karen, posted in family

after the last big bout of rain we had (reference post: oh, the rain!), my neighbors and i were the lucky recipients of a deep hole in our street that stretched halfway across one lane. the (city?) truck kindly came out to place an orange cone on the spot and left. said orange cone became an object of target practice by many of the passing (too fast!) vehicles in the days hence.

for weeks, several times per week, the truck containing a worker or two came out to look at the hole. they stood. they looked. they got back in their truck and left. what were they doing? one might ask. “ayuh; hole’s still thay-ah.”

so i wished for them to fix it, and finally one day when they came out, they did do some work. they dug up the culvert and replaced it. then they filled it all in with dirt. then they left. there was now a wider band of unpaved road that stretched across both lanes of traffic. this band of dirt very quickly became riddled with (you guessed it!) holes, some of which were deep. worse, we didn’t even have our orange cone to warn the (too-fast!) drivers of what they were about to encounter. also, they closed the street to do this, and the school bus couldn’t return our children to us (this entailed LOTS of drama and urgent cell phone calling of parents).

lesson 1: be careful what you wish for.

lesson 2: drive slowly down windy side streets in maine in the spring. you never know what you may find…

summer camps, part two

by Karen, posted in education, family, fitness, tweens

or…what to do with the tweens in the summer.

there are lots of fun camps in southern maine for the kids to attend. whether your main focus is their enjoyment or your child care needs, there are plenty of options. here are a few:

1. for your aspiring actors: ogunquit playhouse runs a summer theater camp for kids ages 5 through 18.  this will be my daughter’s 3rd year attending and she has loved it every year. http://www.ogunquitplayhouse.org/childrens-theatre/comingsoon

2. for some variety: York County Community College in Wells runs a College for Kids program for kids 7-14. they have pared the offerings down in the past few years (alas, no more magic camp), but my daughter as well as some of her friends have attended (adventure camp) and enjoyed them in the past.  http://www.yccc.edu/cebs/college_for_kids.htm

3. for your horseback riding kids: Lyman Hill Farm runs a horse riding camp for kids age 4-14 for all skill levels. This is a fun camp with caring counselors that runs rain or shine (the riding area is enclosed). they still have some spots left in most weeks as of today’s posting.  http://lymanhillfarm.com/

4. if you have a child that learns differently, you may consider a summer school program through your child’s school. if your child has an IEP, ask about ESY; this would be the time to bring this up if you are interested in this option. here’s a website with more information about this topic: http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/esy.index.htm

5. Wells Parks and Recreation for kids entering K-grade 6. i have no first hand experience with the summer camps but i do with many of their school year programs, which are excellent. most communities have a parks department that you may want to investigate. hint: i’ve been told that the summer camps fill up fast…http://www.wellstown.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B9BC8EF4A-0E1C-491C-B0B3-D9F15EE2BCBA%7D

any other good ideas for camps in southern maine?

any of you brave enough to send your tween to overnight (gasp!) summer camp?

summer day camps, part one

by Karen, posted in family, fitness, tweens

5 reasons to send your tween to summer camp

1.they will not be calling you at work every 10 minutes with the latest update on their loose tooth

2. they won’t be fighting with their brothers/sisters/peers  (within your earshot, anyway)

3. you will be forced to be very efficient with the decisions about “what’s for lunch?” ; that will be dealt with the night before (as in: bag lunch). (added bonus: there will be no occasions of  “can we go to dairy queen/maine diner/east/duffy’s/seacoast pizza for lunch?”)

4. they (probably) don’t have jobs, and you (probably) do…maybe even one that you’d like to keep…so, what else are they going to do? unless, of course, your children are blessed with loving, involved, local grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.

5. you can only play so many rounds of uno/war/operation before your patience starts to wear thin…

do any of you have some other reasons to add to this list?

here’s a link with some more information about summer camps for your kids: http://www.summercamp.org/index.html

jumping

by Karen, posted in family, fitness, health, no fear, tweens, yoga

i was at my regular saturday morning yoga class and the teacher taught us a short ashtanga (http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/1366) sequence that involved jumping. one of the women said something like, “kids do it all the time, but how often do adults get to jump in real life? never!”.  i was thinking, “i do! i was jumping just the other day!” i had, in fact, just been jumping two days prior. i was sitting in my cubicle at work and suddenly realized i had been sitting for a couple of hours straight and needed to get up and move…i have a programmed alert in my outlook calendar that pops up every hour, prompting me to “GET UP!!”, but i must have inadvertently clicked on ‘dismiss’ instead of ‘snooze’ earlier in the day. so i stood up, and surprised my fellow cube mates (not to mention myself) by starting to jump up and down. i don’t know where it came from, but it was like the jumping just spontaneously sprang forth from my body, without my prior knowledge or consent. once i started, though, i realized that it felt good and i continued for several more seconds before self-consciousness gained the upper hand and i stopped.

reasons to jump:

1. it’s fun!

2. if you own a trampoline, you can get your money’s worth!

3. if you have a jump rope (come to think of it, i do), you can get your money’s worth!

4. it’s good cardio!

actually, speaking of cardio, money can be raised by jumping. my daughter recently participated in a jump-a-thon  (for the american heart association) at her school and raised $55.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2360

how long has it been since you jumped up and down just for the fun of it? 🙂

happy easter

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

one of my favorite holidays growing up was easter. my father loved easter, and always went out of his way to make it fun for us. we had the requisite easter baskets, usually one of the prepackaged, pre-filled ones from the closest department store (we were a family of 4 kids born in 6 years, after all), but i always loved mine. the best part of the day was the easter egg hunt. dad would fill the plastic easter eggs with small change and “hide” them around the house (my father was disabled and not-so-agile, so most of the eggs were at about waist level, in plain sight). we would race around until we had found them all.

this year is the first that neither of my kids believe in the easter bunny anymore. here’s the funny thing about that though: they both still expect baskets and booty from the fictional bunny. as a mother, i certainly don’t want to disappoint them, but this year i wanted to focus on “less is more” and so i scaled things back some. instead of large, overstuffed baskets, i made them easter bunny bags to hold their candy (http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/holiday-ideas/easter-table-decorations), an idea i got from Good Housekeeping Magazine. they were easy to make, and more importantly, they were quick, since it was 10pm on easter eve before i got to actually assemble said bunnies. the other good thing about these little bunnies is that they form an enclosed space within which the contents must conform; no candy or toys spilling out over the tops and the sides…another reminder for me not to go “over the top” with filling them.  i did, of course, fill the plastic eggs with small change for the egg hunt. even though the morning will be rushed, with us getting ready to drive an hour and a half to have dinner with family out-of-state, and the older child getting ready to go to work, we will have our traditional egg hunt.

i would not want to miss that opportunity to honor my dad. 🙂

what easter rituals does your family have? are they carried over from your childhood?