Les Mis, Really???

After waiting and waiting to see this movie, I finally saw it last weekend.

I REALLY wanted to love it.

But I didn't.

The stage version is far superior in many ways.  Watching this movie just made me want to watch it on stage again, so I immediately began looking for a stage version on DVD.  (I think I want the 10th anniversary one, since the 25th has a Jonas brother as Marius).

I still cried throughout the whole movie, because, let's face it, when Fantine dies, or on the barricade when they all die, it is just plain sad.

Anne Hathaway, in my opinion, made the movie what it is.

Also, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen were great.

Russell Crowe should NOT have been in this movie, unless it was a silent, non-singing part.

Amanda Seyfried sounded like she was a squeak toy as she attempted to sing the part of Cosette.

Eponine and Marius were acceptable.

I still haven't made up my mind about Hugh Jackman.  I didn't find him spectacular like Anne, nor did I find him horrible, like Russell.  

I just felt like they could have done so much more with this movie, but they decided to go with star power rather than talent.

Next time, stick with talent.

(Recently, I have been introduced to making photo books online, and will be reviewing my usage of the different companies.  I am just waiting to see the final product of one more and then I will write my conclusions.)

Disney!

Yes, I know we came back from Disney a while ago.  

But I finally have time to post about it.

Basically, we had a blast!

We stayed in the Animal Kingdom, and went to every park (except the water parks).

We ate TONS of great food, walked all over, and went on some great ride.

I have to say, the Tower of Terror was my favorite.

The kids preferred Star Tours.  The rode that one about 6 times.

Here are my Disney tips:

Meal Plan - I would do it again.  I am sure there are cheaper ways to eat, but this was just so convenient.  You do end up with A LOT of food. Dessert at every meal.  Even I was sick of dessert.

This time, however, I would schedule the sit down meal as an early lunch.  

We schedule almost all of our sit down meals for dinner, and it seemed to cut into the day when we knew we had to leave at a certain time to make it to our restaurant for our reservation.

So next time, I would have a light breakfast, and early sit-down lunch at 11, and then use the quick service meal for dinner whenever we felt like it.

Also, you have to look for more discrete quick-service places.  The big ones are all pretty much the same (hot dogs, hamburger, chicken nuggets, etc.)

But after some searching, we found a place that made waffle sandwiches, pretzel rolls, and much more interesting food.  So don't be lured into the larger places.

And most places have an option to replace dessert with fruit, so make sure you ask.

Table services places I would go to again:  Akershus in Epcot (not so much for the food, but for the fact that you can see every princess), Coral Reef in Epcot (great food), Whispering Canyon Cafe in Wilderness Resort (this was the biggest surprise for me.  I was more hesitant about this one, but we all had the best time.  Just make sure you ask for ketchup and a refill on your drink.)

Places to avoid: California Grill.  It wasn't bad, but it just wasn't worth it in my opinion.  The views were spectacular, but the food wasn't worth using 2 meal points.  So I would skip this next time.

Parks - The kids were less impressed with Animal Kingdom and Epcot.  We only spent one day at each of those.  But we spent 2 days each at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.  HS is where all the Star Wars stuff is, including Jedi Training, which I would recommend.  But you have to sign up for it as soon as the park opens.  

Rides - Again, Tower of Terror was a favorite among the adults (found in HS).  Mission to Mars in Epcot (the orange version) was pretty intense.  DO NOT go on this if you get motion sickness at all.  The kids enjoyed the green version of it.  Soarin' (at Epcot) was also fun, as was the Rock 'n Rollercoaster (HS), and the Toy Story ride (HS).  We needed to use the Fast Pass for Toy Story, and Tower of Terror.  We should have used it for Soarin', but they didn't have any left.  My son's favorite ride was Space Mountain, always a classic.

Special Events - Since it was the Holiday Season, we were able to do some special events.  This included Mickey's Christmas Party and the Candlelight Processional.  I would do both again.  Our Candlelight Christmas was narrated by Neil Patrick Harris.  The music was great, and it really reminded me that this was Christmas (with it being so warm in FL, I had forgotten all about it).  The fireworks after were also AMAZING.  Mickey's Christmas Party was a little less spectacular, since it was pretty much just being in the park after hours, but they did have a Christmas parade that was great.  I also loved seeing the castle covered in lights.  We tried to watch the fireworks at the party, but we selected the wrong area to watch, and so we only got to see a glimpse of them. 

Other tips - Definitely download the Disney app onto your phone.  That was so helpful in seeing the ride wait times, and finding out when and where all the characters would be.  A quick tip on the characters: the lines to see them were much longer than any ride we waited to see.  Be prepared.  Also, the photopass in convenient, but it costs $165 to purchase the CD (no matter how many pictures are on it).

We did end up buying it (so I could make a photo book for my parents) and the pictures are nice, but if it were just my family, I probably would not do it.  They picture people will also use your camera if you ask them.

Dress Shopping

With the holidays coming up, I have begun my yearly search for the perfect dress for Ciara.

Every year, she gets a new Christmas dress.

Most years, they are pretty fancy: velvet, taffeta, etc.

My absolute favorite dress was a more casual dress.

It was the snowflake dress from Hanna Andersson.

Of course, they don't make it anymore.

(If anyone from Hanna Andersson is reading this, BRING BACK THE SNOWFLAKE DRESS!)

It was a great dress for the holidays.

Since they don't carry it anymore, I am stuck with searching for something new.

During my search, I found myself on etsy.com.

Every dress that I liked was for girls that are 5 years or younger.

Is it just me, or is it impossible to find cute and APPROPRIATE clothes for the 8-11 year old girl?

For some reason, 8 seems to be when clothing makers start to make clothes that just seem a little too mature (or just plain trashy).

My 8 year old is still a little girl, and I will continue to dress her that way.

She still loves for everything to match.

She also still loves dresses.

If anyone can suggest a place to get a cute, casual (and yet still unique) dress, let me know!

I may see if eBay has any of the old snowflake dresses.

The Gifted, and The Money Mouth

Yes, we survived Sandy.

We were very lucky and never lost power, had no trees blow down, and we stayed dry and safe.

My heart goes out to those that were not so lucky.

In other news:

Caden's teacher spoke with me about having him tested for the "gifted" program at school.

I have to say, I am hesitant.

I was in one of those programs, and I honestly don't think it did me any good.

(Nor do I think I qualify for the "Gifted" label.)

I am all for challenging him, keeping him progressing in every way.

But I guess I just shy away from the label.  

Couldn't we just call it something else?

We will just have to wait and see how it goes.

(This is not something that I have talked with the kids about, I figure the less they know, the better.)

And my poor Ciara . . . . 

We saw an orthodontist yesterday.

I knew her teeth were messed up, but I didn't realize how much.

Apparently, to correct her under bite and narrow upper jaw, she gets braces, a palate-expander, and some wonderful headgear that she will have to wear ALL DAY  LONG.

Here is an example of the headgear:

For 2-3 months, she will have to wear this all day long (only to be taken off to eat). 

Then it will be for 12 hours a day, and then only for night. 

I have to say, I was shocked.  

I didn't think ANYONE had to wear headgear anymore.

I know she is nervous about it as well.

We are getting another opinion before we proceed, but I guess it is better to do it now, and get it over with.

I kind of like her crooked little smile.

I will be sad to see it go.

My Mascara Findings

Many of you have been asking about my mascara experiment, so I thought I would share what I have figured out so far.

Here are the contenders:

Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion

Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies

L'Oreal Double Extend

Maybelline Illegal Length

And the last, which I cannot find an image of, is Borghese Mascara which I picked up at Costco.

I guess I should let you all know what I look for in a mascara before I tell you which ones I prefer.

My Mascara Commandments:

Thou shalt wash off easily.  

(I don't do waterproof.  I want all my make up to come off when I wash my face at night.)

Thou shalt not undo the curling that I have done with my eyelash curler.  

(I have noticed that many mascaras make my lashes go completely straight after I have just spent time making them nice and curly with my curler.)

Thou shalt not clump and give me tarantula eyes.

(You know, when your lashes are so thick and clumped together that they resemble the legs of a tarantula.)

Thou shalt not give me raccoon eyes.

(Pretty self-explanatory)

I will start with the worst:

L'Oreal Double Extend

My biggest complaint with this is that is was clumpy.  And it completely straightened my lashes.  I threw this one away after 3 tries.

Maybelline Volum' Express

Nothing special here.  It did wash off easily, but didn't do much for my lashes, except make them straight.  I haven't thrown this away yet, but I probably will soon.  I also did not enjoy the shape of the brush.

Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion

I really enjoy the brush on this mascara.  It seemed to actually get all of my lashes coated.  The mascara didn't clump, but I don't feel like it made my lashes stand out in any way.

Maybelline Illegal Length

I do like the lengthening capabilities of this mascara.  It was not clumpy, and did not make my lashes completely straight.  I do NOT like the brush on this one.  It is an awkward shape.

I had actually been combining the Illegal Length with the Lash Blast and I did like that combo, but that defeats the purpose of the drugstore mascara.  

If I have to purchase 2 of them, I may as well purchase just one of a better brand for about the same price.

That is when I found the Borghese at Costco (2 tubes for around $12).

I have only tried it once, and so far it is my favorite.

I will have to use it a few more times before I can give a definitive result.

But so far, that is the winner.

Baking to the Oldies

I really enjoy baking.

I think the reason I enjoy baking is because I LOVE eating the things I bake.

(and almost everything I bake has some form of chocolate in it).

This is not what I made yesterday, but it was the only picture of some of my baked goods that I have here on my computer.

I have noticed that I have some rituals while baking, one of them being music.

(Just as a side note, the kids are usually not in the house while I am baking)

My Pandora station, while baking, is always set to Will Smith Radio.

For some reason, old school rap really gets me in the baking mood.

Yesterday, I heard "Summertime", "Gangsta's Paradise", "Can I Get A . . . ", some Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and LL Cool J.  

Does anyone else feel that baking and early 90's rap go hand in hand?

No?

It's just me?

Children Are Not Stamps

I have blogged about this before, but it has been brought to my attention again, so I felt the need to address it again.

Yes, I am a Mormon.

And, yes, I have only 2 children.

I can hear all the gasps of surprise:

 (What?  Only 2?  You  must not be a very good Mormon if you only have 2 kids.)

Or perhaps you feel bad for me, think that I may have had infertility issues.

No, the 2 kids were by choice.

(However, since we have not tried for a third, I have no idea if we could even have another.  Perhaps there are infertility issues and I just don't know about them.)

Do I not like children?

I actually love them, ESPECIALLY babies.  

Adore them. 

Can't get enough of them.

So why just 2?

This has been a decision that my husband and I made together.

(With a lot of prayer involved)

In the church that I belong to, it is very easy to feel inadequate with my small family.

Sitting in church on Sunday surrounded by families with 5 or 6 young kids (and more), reading blogs that are full of pictures of smiling, usually blonde, families with 6, 7, 8 kids.

It usually doesn't bother me, basically because I know that these families did not choose to have all those kids just to make me feel inadequate.  

I assume they (the husband and wife) talked and prayed about it like my husband and I did.

But when I hear people say that it is our job (as wives) to have as many kids as possible, I get kind of upset.

NO, that is NOT my job.

I am not a baby machine.

And my uterus is not a clown car.

My job is to raise the babies that come into my home in righteousness.

Any idiot can make a baby (and let's face it, a LOT of idiots do), but it takes a lot more to RAISE that baby.

The title of this post comes from this talk.  

"Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps."

I do find children cute (especially my own), and it has been hard to realize that cuteness is not a good enough reason (for me, at least) to have more.