What I Read Wednesdays: The Lucky One

I used to write a separate blog about what I read, but it got to be too much to keep up with. Instead, I added a page to this blog for my reading list, but as I add to the list, I find myself wanting to tell you all about each book, whether good or bad! I wasn't sure how I wanted it to fit into my blog, so I took my queue's from other bloggers that I follow.

I recently started Movie Mondays here at Musings of a Cul-de-sac Mom. Nikki at Chef-in-Training has a feature called Tuesday Talent Show.  Mandy at Sugar Bee Crafts has a weekly blog feature called What I Wear Wednesdays. Pocket Full of Pink has Friday Frolics. I like the alliteration of the names of these features. I also like that it gives bloggers something to write about every week on a certain day. Unfortunately, no day of the week goes with reading, or books, or anything along those lines. So I decided to go with What I Read Wednesdays. It's not perfect, but it will work!

First up: The Lucky One by Nicolas Sparks,

I devoured the Hunger Games over the holidays like my kids tore into their presents on Christmas morning. The books consumed me, and I am now waiting not-so-patiently for the movie to come out next month.While I wait, I've decided to read other books that have been made into movies.

A few weeks ago I went to the theater to see One for the Money. One of the previews that they showed was for The Lucky One, based on Nicolas Sparks' book. The preview was sexy and alluring, and made me want to read the book. I came home from the movies and immediately downloaded the ebook onto my Nook. I read it in a day and a half. I was pulled into the story from the very beginning and had a hard time putting it down.

A little bit about the story:
A deployed soldier finds a picture of a beautiful woman that he carries with him everywhere. It becomes his good luck charm, winning him money at the poker table and saving his life when his fellow soldiers aren't so lucky. He decides that he has to meet her, so he travels on foot with his dog, all the way from Colorado to North Carolina. He starts working at her Grandmother's kennel and they form a bond. He also forms a bond with her son, who has a hard time connecting with his father.

Without giving the everything away, the ex-husband causes trouble and alienates the son. Their relationship is in jeopardy, but there is a catastrophe that brings them back together.

Overall, I loved the book, and would highly recommend it. It was fast moving and engaging. The characters were believable, and so were their struggles. The only downfall?  There was a lot of heat between the main characters, but no descriptive love scene. Judging by the trailer, the movie will make up for that oversight!

Have you read this book? Did you like it as much as I did? I'd love it if you would share your comments below!



Next up: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, and Divergence by Veronica Roth.

Movie Mondays - Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Welcome to the first edition of Movie Mondays! For some background on this new blog feature please see my initial Movie Mondays post. Please note that I do not profess to have great movie knowledge and will only be reviewing movies based on their entertainment value.

I went to the movies today with my husband, our three boys (ages 3, 8 and 10) and on of their friends (age 9), to see Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. It was the first movie that I watched with the intent of reviewing it afterward. It didn't really change the way I watched the movie, but I kind of wish I had brought a notebook or something to write a few reminders in. Ah well, live and learn!

Overview
Sean (Josh Hutcherson), the boy from Journey to the Center of the Earth, has moved to a new town with his mom and step father (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson). He's less than thrilled with the move and his new family, and he's rebelling, until he gets a distress call from his grandfather. He can't break the code from his grandfather's message without the help of his step-father Hank. Together they break the code and figure out the coordinates of the island where his grandfather is. Hank convinces his wife to let him take Sean on a trip to find his grandfather, in the spirit of male bonding. The problem is that the island doesn't exist on any map, and they can only find one guy willing to bring them there, for a pretty penny! Fortunately for Sean, the captain has a beautiful daughter (Vanessa Hudgens from High School Musical Fame) who tags along.

The four passengers survive the stormiest section of the ocean, and find themselves stranded on the Mysterious Island without an exit strategy. They quickly make their way inland and realize that what should be small is large (ants and bees), and what should be large is small (elephants), as described in the book The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. They find Sean's grandfather (Michael Caine) and rely on his knowledge and skill to navigate the island and it's non-human inhabitants. Hank's Navy training proves invaluable, and the group is able to make their way to Captain Nemo's Nautilus before sinking with the island.

Review
Everyone in our party enjoyed this movie. My youngest son, who is 3, didn't get a lot of the humor, but he stayed attentive to the movie, which is more than I can say for a lot of movies. He wasn't even afraid of the scary giant iguana-like creature that chases and torments the characters.

The 4 other boys (including my husband) liked the slightly crude jokes and the light humor. Their favorite part of the movie was when the iguana-like creature was chasing them and Vanessa Hudgens' character said, "I hope he doesn't like Polynesian food!" and her father responds, "I hope he doesn't like food with poop in their pants!" It was fitting for the situation, and I laughed too, but it was especially funny to the boys.

There were a lot of cheesy one-liners in this movie, but overall I thought it was well done. It had a wholesome message and it was nice to see a film with the family that we didn't have to worry about violence, sex, foul language, etc. It wasn't had to look at the Rock either, even if we did have to explain 'pec popping' to our 8 year old.

Overall I'd give this movie 2 thumbs up for family fun!

What I Liked

• I love The Rock in family movies. He is believable, and has great comedic timing.  He's also easy on the eyes! 
• Josh Hutcherson is a boy-next-door looking actor who plays an awkward teen really well.
• The movie sparked conversations with the boys about the books that the plot line relied on: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island, both by Jules Verne. I think my 8 year old is going to read them first. If he likes them, his 10 year old brother probably will too. Anything that encourages reading of the classics is okay in my book!

Did you see this movie yet? Did you see it with kids? Did you like it? Tell me what you think in the comments section!

Movie Mondays

I watch a lot of movies - kids' movies, family movies, chick-flicks, action movies, sci-fi and fantasy movies...you get the point.  I love to watch movies in the theater and at home, but given the opportunity, I will always choose the theater.  There is something about sitting in the dark with a bunch of strangers in front of a giant screen that is oddly appealing to me. I will even go to the movies by myself if there is no one available to go with me! As long as I have a large Diet Coke and snack, I'm happy!

One of the things that I do before I go to any movie is check the reviews. I don't typically care what the critics have said because they use a totally different set of criteria than I do to decide if a movie is worth seeing or not. I'm not looking for Oscar winning performances in every movie that I see. I don't necessarily care if there is a big name actor as the lead character (although it usually helps get me there), and I don't care if the movie will ever win an award. I only care that I will have a good time watching it. So I don't look to the critics, I look to other movie-goers!

Before any movie, I'll check the Fandango app on my phone to see what other reviewers have said. As long as it didn't bomb with other reviewers, I'll usually go see the movie to make my own decision about it. If I have any doubts, or if the movie has been out for a while, I will ask around to see if anyone I know has been to see said movie. If they have, and they give it a good review, I'll usually go see it. I have only been burned a few times by this method, most recently for The Muppets movie. I heard from several people that it was good, but my family and I didn't care for it.  In fact, I was ready to leave after the opening scene!

After I see a movie, I love to talk about it with the people that I saw it with, or other people who have seen it. Sometimes there isn't much to discuss beyond whether or not someone liked it, but usually there is a sequel or a book to compare it to, or you can compare an actor's performance to another movie that he/she has been in. I love a movie that makes me think beyond the scope of the film (if it's appropriate). I also love a movie that keeps me in suspense throughout the movie.

I figured that if I like to hear others' reviews about movies before I see them, and I like to discuss them afterward, there just might be a few other people out there who would enjoy the same thing! So I've decided to add a new feature to my blog - Movie Mondays! It gives me an excuse to go to the movies (or rent one) every week, in order to have something to write about (but shhhh...don't tell my hubby that's why I'm doing it).

The plan is to give you my  candid feedback unbridled opinion, along with feedback from those who went to the movie with me (my kids for a kids' movie,  my husband for a date night movie, my BFF for a chic flick, etc.). I'll also make some comparisons and maybe even a Cul-de-sac Mom rating. I hope I'll get some interaction in the comments section each week from those who have seen the same movie!

First up -  Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. I'll be posting tomorrow!

Lunch at Chili's - On Weight Watchers

Today is Valentine's Day, but I don't expect to have a fancy and/or romantic dinner with my husband. We have 3 kids and Valentine's Day is on a Tuesday. It's just not practical for us to go out alone. What is practical is a lunch date with our 3 year old son. So that's what we did. I met my husband at Chili's yesterday for our "date." I was craving the sweet and spicy chicken entree that I had the last time we went there.

I figured the sweet and spicy chicken was a pretty good option for Weight Watchers. It's grilled chicken with broccoli and rice...AND it's one of the "lighter" choices, which means under 750 calories and 25g of fat. I ordered and ate the whole thing before looking up the nutrition information. Thanks to my iPhone and the WW calculator I figured out that the meal I thought would be 10-12 points+ was actually 18 points. 18 points for grilled chicken, broccoli and rice?! Well...I guess there was a very sweet glaze, probably made with oil...and the rice has a ton of carbs...but the portions aren't huge, and the broccoli isn't drenched in butter, so I just thought it would healthier. Good thing I had cheese and a banana for breakfast because now I only have 7 points left for the rest of the day!

So at first I was really irritated that I didn't research the nutrition information before I went today. I hadn't expected my meal to cost me more than half of my points from my daily points bank. Then I had an idea. I decided to look up my favorite meal at Chili's, which I would have eaten if I hadn't been on Weight Watchers.  Had I eaten the Buffalo Chicken Ranch Sandwich and french fries I would have used 37 points! That's 10 more than my daily allowance, and it doesn't include the extra ranch that I usually dip my sandwich into, and the honey mustard that I would dip my fries in.

So in retrospect, I guess the 18 point meal that I had wasn't all that bad! I wouldn't eat it every day, but it was worth it for a special Valentine's Day treat. Now if I can stay away from the sugar cookies that I'm making for my kids today, I'll be all set!

We're Going To Disney World Again!

We just booked our 5th trip as a family to Walt Disney World. I am so excited! This time we'll be going with a friend of mine (who I've known since 7th grade) and her family. Together we will be a party of 10, which makes us a "Grand Gathering" in Disney speak. We'll have 4 adults and the 6 kids will range in age from 2.5 to 14 - 5 boys, one girl (the oldest). We're staying at Port Orleans Riverside for 6 nights in mid-October. We bought the dining plan (as we always do) and saved 30% on our rooms. Because my husband is our unofficial Disney Planner, we will be booking our restaurant reservations exactly 190 days before we arrive - the earliest you can make reservations if you have purchased a vacation package (10 days before the general public). We plan to eat at some of our favorites like Chef Mickey's (the kids' favorite) and The Garden Grill (one of my favorites). We'll be there for my birthday again this year, and the plan is to go to Fulton's Crab House without the kids on my actual birthday. It will be our first time going there, and I have high expectations!  I know we won't be disappointed!

What do you like to do when you go to Disney? Do you stay on property? Do you have a timeshare? Do you visit other theme parks while you're in Florida or do you keep the focus on Disney?

I thought this would be a good time to look back at the first 4 Disney trips we took. Please feel free to share your experiences in the comment section! (WARNING: LOTS OF PICTURES AHEAD)

Our First Night in Disney World 2007

September 2007: The first time we went to Disney World the boys were 4 and 6 years old (the baby wasn't born yet). We stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort on property and loved our entire stay...minus the rain. We went during the last week of September and it rained. every.single.day. Fortunately, the rain was short lived each day, so we would just put on our rain ponchos and keep going! It was such a magical trip, especially for our 4 year old who still thought the characters were real!

The boys got to be guest conductors on the Disney World Railroad 

They participated in the Jr. Chef class at the Land Pavilion in Epcot

Our youngest was invited to join the Main St. band performance!

We got lots of autographs and met LOTS of characters

In addition to all of the magic that Disney normally has to offer, we experienced Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party for the first time, and it was a blast! We've made it part of our trip every time we've been in October since.

Our little Harry Potter

Remy (Ratatouille) wasn't ready to wake up from his nap yet!

All in all, the trip was more than we could have hoped for. We fell in love with Walt Disney World, and couldn't wait to go back!

December 2008/January 2009: Our second trip to Disney World was for the week of New Year's. We went with my husband's brother and his family, and we also brought my teenage cousin with us. The boys were 4 months, 5 and 7. Their cousins were 1, 5, 7, 15 and 16. We got there a day or two before New Year's Eve and we stayed a few days past New Year's Day. We stayed in the suites at the All Star Music Hotel - one of the value level resorts. It was so nice to have a separate bedroom and 2 full bathrooms! We also had a small kitchenette which came in handy to wash bottles and store food for the kids!

The parks were insanely crowded that week and we will probably never go that time of year again, but I am happy that we had the chance to see the fireworks on New Year's Eve over Cinderella's castle at least once.

The Hubby and our youngest son watching the fireworks 12-31-08

The best part of going to Disney for New Years was being able to see the parks all decorated for Christmas. They have special parades and every inch of the parks is Christmas-y! The Osborne Family of Lights is one of my favorite Christmas things in Disney World. It's at Hollywood Studios and they play loud Christmas music and have fake snow flying. It's great!

 The Osborne Family Street of Lights in Hollywood Studios

I also really enjoy Cinderella's castle all decked out in lights! The colors change and it is such a beautiful sight!

The castle draped in color changing lights

On New Year's Eve my cousin turned 15, and it was really cool to see her treated like a princess everywhere we went. She wore her birthday button everywhere, and got a lot of attention from cast members. Even Santa wished her Happy Birthday during the parade!

My cousin being "punished" at 50's Prime Time Diner for putting her elbows on the table.
We had so much fun! 

My 7 yr. old niece - the only little girl in our group- after getting the full treatment at the Bibbidi  Bobbidi Boutique

My cousin having a birthday meal at Cinderella's Castle

The oldest cousins 

Our youngest was kissed by Snow White :)

October 2010:  We went to Sea World in May 2010 and felt really weird going to Orlando without visiting Disney World. I ended up making our reservations for our 3rd trip to Disney on the way home from our long weekend at Sea World. We weren't even an hour outside of Orlando when I made the phone reservations on my cell phone! 

We went by ourselves this time, and the boys were 2, 7 and 9. It was the last time we would go when we wouldn't have to pay for our youngest, and our oldest would still be considered a child. We stayed at the All Star Sports Resort. We had such a good experience with our last value level hotel, we decided to try it again. We requested a "preferred" room so we were closer to the main building and the buses, and I'm glad we did. We were close to the pool and didn't have to walk far when we got back to the hotel at night (usually carrying a sleeping 2 year old).

Every day (morning and night) the boys had to play in the x's and o's outside our building

All 5 of us

Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party. Yes, my oldest went  as Harry Potter  again.
The youngest went as Mickey Mouse, but he didn't keep his ears on!

Our first time seeing Daisy in the park.
The baby was afraid of the characters the entire trip, but loved waving to them from afar.

He kept asking for "more candy" and they ALWAYS gave him more!

This was a great trip. We were a little disappointed that the youngest was afraid to meet the characters until the last day when we went to Ohana at the Polynesian Resort. We thought he was going to be more like his brother was at 4 years old. Since he wasn't, we decided to plan our next family trip for when he turns 4. That trip will be this October!

May 2011:  We were supposed to go to Paris for our 10 year anniversary, but it didn't pan out, so we decided to go to Disney without the kids! It was such a good idea, and we really enjoyed ourselves. We went during the Flower and Garden Expo, so there was so much to see around the parks, especially in Epcot. We were also there for the Pixar weekend, which would have been awesome for the boys to experience. I wrote about that trip in  2011 Year in Review: Our Anniversary.  Here are just a few of the pictures from that trip. Everything was so beautiful!!!

May 2011

So with all that we've done, and all that we have planned, I am super stoked about our next trip! It will be nice to have our friends there with us, and the baby will be 4 by the time we go, which will make it easier than last time! Maybe I'll tweet while I'm there this time...updates in real time! :)

Anybody else going to Disney World this year?

Get Your Children to Do Chores Without Being Nagged!

My oldest boys are 8 and 10. They have been asking for a while if they can earn an allowance. Every time they ask, I tell them the same thing. "When you do the things you are supposed to do, regularly and without constant reminders, you can then do extra things to earn money." I don't believe in paying kids to do the everyday things that they need to do. Being a part of a family means you take care of your own things and help out with a few other things. I don't get paid to make dinner, or do the laundry, so why should my kids get paid to pick up after themselves?  I've been trying for a long time to come up with a way to put them in control of their chores without increasing the burden on me to keep track and/or nag. Here is what I came up with.

Everyday, Monday through Friday, they can earn one "token" for doing the things that are required of them daily, such as hanging up their book bags, putting their shoes away, putting their dirty clothes in the hamper, hanging up wet towels after a shower, etc. I haven't decided what I'm going to use for a token yet, but it will be something visual, like a marble, a poker chip or a ping pong ball. They'll each be placed in a can/jar that the boys have decorated.  At the end of the school week, they can count up the tokens that they have earned and that will be the number of dollars that they can earn by doing other things.

To make it easy I will post the daily requirements where they can both see them. They will be able to refer to it as many times as necessary to make sure they're doing what they need to to earn the token. I won't give them constant reminders, and I won't nag. If they don't do it, they don't get a token. Simple as that!

On the weekends, they will have a list of chores/duties that they can do and each one will have a payout assigned to it. Since nobody likes to pick up the dog poop in the back yard, that one will probably be worth $5 (the max amount they can earn). Something easier like wiping the counter in the bathroom with a Clorox wipe, will probably only earn $1. I'm still working on all of the things that I want to put on the list, but I plan to include things that will make my life easier like: changing the sheets on your bed, windexing the sliding glass door, cleaning toilets, helping make dinner, setting the dinner table, clearing the dinner dishes, etc. The payout values will be based on how much it helps me, and how often I think they'll choose it. If they don't earn the entire amount by the end of the weekend, they lose their chance. Tokens won't roll over to the next week.

I'm very hopeful that it works as well as I think it will. The boys are excited and my husband is even on board! Next week will be our first week, so I'll let you know how it goes!

Have you tried anything similar to this? Did it work? What would you change?