Movie Review: The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle

Movie Title: The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Rated PG. I was reluctant to watch this movie because I heard it wasn't very good. And true to what I heard it wasn't very good. It wasn't even okay. It was boring. I cringed while watching it. I'd rather clean the cupboards than have to watch this movie again. To be honest I never liked the cartoon Rocky and Bullwinkle. But still this movie was absolutely mind-numbingly dull. It was totally unexciting. I don’t recommend renting it.
Fearless Leader and two of his Russian cohorts, Boris and Natasha, turn from cartoon characters to actual people. They try to kill cartoon characters Rocky and Bullwinkle, a squirrel and a moose. Fearless leader wants to take over the government and he wants the American people to vote for him as their leader. With the help of a female FBI agent, Rocky and Bullwinkle make a pitch to the American people to vote for who they want.

Science Day- Why a Cut Swells

Why does a cut swell? The swelling is a reaction to the cut. When the cut occurs the surface of the skin gets inflamed (swells). What it's doing is telling the body to begin clotting and start the healing process. Some plants can help our skin. American Indians used healing plants in their everyday lives. Even today extracts from plants, like aloe vera, are touted in cosmetic products as beneficial.

If your child is NOT allergic to aloe vera you can do the following experiment. Buy a small aloe vera plant if you don’t have one. At a time when your child gets a tiny scrap try this: Wash the scrap with antibacterial soap and water. Cut off a leave of the aloe vera plant. Cut through, showing the soft middle. Put this exposed aloe on scrap. Aloe has a natural substance called salicylates which is why aloe is known to be anti-inflammatory and used as a pain relief treatment. Does your child think the aloe helped with the pain? Did the aloe aid in healing?

Book Review: Doggone Dogs!

Another great picture book written by Karen Beaumont. “Doggone Dogs!” Pictures by David Catrow. A very funny dog book. The pictures are excellent! The story is about ten naughty dogs who don’t obey. They run to the park and get into trouble. It wasn’t clear to me if they’re going to obedience school in the park or not, but as the dogs are running around the dog trainer quits. Little kids who love dogs should like this book.

Candied Almond Recipe: Dessert to make with Teenager

Candied Almond Recipe for Parents/Grandparents to bake with a teenager. The ingredients get hot so this is a cooking project to do with your teen, NOT your young child. But younger siblings will like the end result.
Ingredients you will need:
2 cups of almonds
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter
1 and ½ tablespoons cinnamon

You will also need:
Saucepan
Big spoon
2 cookie sheets
Non-stick cooking spray or butter for cookie sheet
Metal spaghetti spoon (spoon with holes in it)
Metal spatula
Plate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread almonds out on cookie sheet.
Place in oven.
Bake for 15 minutes depending on your oven. Watch almonds so they don’t burn. Flip them over every so often so they roast on both sides.
In saucepan put honey and butter. Melt them on medium heat. When melted, reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 2 ½ minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add roasted almonds to saucepan. Stir occasionally for 2 ½ minutes.
Spray other cookie sheet with cooking spray or rub butter on it.
With metal spaghetti spoon transfer almonds to sprayed or buttered cookie sheet.
Now add cinnamon and sugar to saucepan. Stir then carefully add almonds again to saucepan. Stir more.
After cinnamon and sugar is evenly coated on almonds place them back on oiled cookie sheet. Put in broiler for several seconds so sugar can caramelize.
With metal spatula take almonds off cookie sheet and put on plate. Let cool!
Do not let children under three have nuts. They can choke. Watch your older child (age three to five) eat the almonds to make sure they don’t choke on them.

Movie Review; The Last Unicorn

Movie Title: The Last Unicorn. Animation film. Rated G. This is a film for kids who like unicorns. My niece when she was little really liked this movie. It's not a funny film, but as an adult it's watchable if you have to watch it with a child. The cute unicorn might have something to do with it. But it's not the best animation.
Plot: A unicorn searches for her siblings. A wizard turns her into a maiden. As fantasy life would have it a prince meets her and falls madly in love with her. But she's a unicorn. Not the best animation.

Take Time to Do Something Special with your Child

Put aside one day to make a special dinner with your child. Have them decide on the menu, go grocery shopping with you, and help cook the meal. To make things extra special, have them set the table with the good china or a dinner pattern they like.

Arts and Craft Project with Photos

Present idea for Grandma and Grandpa: Find twelve pictures of your child from different stages in their life with and without Grandma/Grandpa. Make a calendar from these photos. Some computer programs make such calendars. Otherwise take the pictures to a specialty store where they can be made into a calendar. Another idea- You can take one or two of the photos and take it to a place where they can copy the picture(s) on a mug. I've seen small stands at the mall that do this. Next time you're at the mall ask the information station about such stands.

Your child can also make a pretend picture clock with 12 photos. Have your child cut out their face in 12 pictures (starting from baby to age now). Glue them in a circle around a paper plate or a round piece of cardboard. Then in the middle of the plate draw a fake hour and minute hand, each pointing to a photo.

Parenting Tip: Easier Clean Up

Do your kids use lots of dishes, making cleaning a hassle for you? Than with a permanent marker write each child’s name on a cup. (Or put masking tape on a cup and write their name on that.) They are to use this cup all day long. They can rinse it out if need be. Since this cuts down on the amount of dishes you have to wash you’re helping the environment. To cut down on the amount of plates and bowls used, have a matching color for each child. Cindy gets a pink bowl and plate. Billy blue. Kathy yellow. You can do this with cups too. So instead of a child reaching for a new bowl every time they have a snack or a new cup for water, they reuse their bowl or cup.

Book Review: No Sleep For The Sheep!

“No Sleep For The Sheep!” by Karen Beaumont. Pictures by Jackie Urbanovic. A very cute picture book! The story is about a sheep who is trying to get some sleep in a barn. A new barn animal keeps coming in and waking the sheep up. The sheep tells each animal one by one to go to sleep. A very tired sheep sleeps in the next morning. The pictures are well done and match the story perfectly.

Parenting Tip

Baby sign language. I was told it’s easier to teach a baby a hand signal for something than how to say the word for it. My sister-in-law taught her baby a sign for “more” even though he couldn’t say it. She started knocking her (knuckled) fists together to show him “more,” as in do you want more food? More play time? More books to be read? I saw him do it himself when he indeed wanted more. In fact, it started looking as if he was arguing with her in sign language. Once he wanted more books and kept doing the “more” sign even though she told him it was time to go to sleep.

Movie Review: Road to Utopia

Movie Title: Road to Utopia. One of the Hope and Crosby Road Trip movies. Comedy. Family movie.
My nephew and I loved this movie! I've seen Road to Utopia over and over and I'm never bored. Vaudeville isn't working out for Chester (Bob Hope) and Duke (Bing Crosby). They head for colder pastures in Alaska. On the way there they get mixed up with two ruffians, Sperry and McGurk. The pair have on them a stolen gold mine map. To dodge authorities, Hope and Crosby pose as Sperry and McGurk. They soon learn there's more to these bad men than they thought. The town is scared stiff of them. They have the worst reputations around. This movie is Hope and Crosby at their best. And finally Hope gets Lamour in the end. However, Crosby still bests him in the very end. I highly recommend this movie for families with kids age ten and older.

Last Dog Days of Summer Dog Tip

Do you hate it when your kids yell at the dog when you're on the phone or eating dinner? Well here's good news, dogs can learn sign language for commands. Get a book on it or make up your own sign language. My dog knows the hand stop sign for stop. Palm down for sit. Palm upwards to get up. Two palms way down for lie down. One finger over the mouth for Shh! And other non-verbal commands. I’ve been told dogs can learn sign language easier than verbal commands.

Arts and Craft Project

Decorate a wooden bookcase or toy box.
Items needed: Wrapping paper with designs (footballs/teacups/cats/dogs/gnomes…) Scissors. Glue stick. Small can of Polyurethane. Paint brush.

Have your child cut out designs from wrapping paper. Next have them glue designs where they want them on the shelf or toy box. Let dry. In ventilated area (meaning do project outside or open all windows in room) you the parent brush Polyurethane over designs or over whole top of shelf/toy box. Let dry in ventilated.