Making the Kid Cry

We recently decided to watch a classic by the name of "Where the Red Fern Grows" with our two boys. We were both pretty excited to introduce a movie based on literature to our kids. I think 50% of the family is finally done with "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" which is just fun to request because the kids call it "Cloudyballs". The best part of watching a scary movie you've already seen is watching it with someone who is seeing it for the first time. You can't wait to see their reactions to your favorite parts.
In the event of a drama, I think it's the same. This may be a confession, or it may have you nodding your head in agreement but my husband and I both knew the movie would be sad, we both knew it had the potential to make our 8-year-old cry, and we both could not wait till that part came. It seems pretty messed up when I put it that way but I think, deep down, we like to use these types of movies as opportunities to see what kind of kids we have. I truly wanted to know the level of compassion my kid would have for this kid who lost one dog to tragedy and the other dog to a broken heart. Movies like E.T. can tell a lot about sensitivity, compassion, attachment and how a child values relationships. So, of course, our son ended up crying at the end, during the montage of the dogs who had passed (this is the Dave Matthews version of the movie, by the way). And, of course, we felt like big jerks for letting it happen. But in the end, we also gained an opportunity to talk about what the boy would do next, how he would deal with it, and how we would deal with the loss of our pet if it ever came. It sure beats bringing down the conversation over dinner in a random fashion. Anyhow, my poll of the week is related to this post. Vote on it if you like. If you think of any other movies that can be used to open up converstations with children, comment below. I just picked the first five that came to mind. Don't laugh!

Love,
Marthaaaa!

Welcome!!

Hi! Thanks for visiting my bliggity blog. This is my first one ever and I have no idea what the heck I'm doin'. A while back I started a small newsletter called "The Conversation Piece" and over the course of a year the "Piece" began to grow. Being a stay-at-home mom running a home daycare I found it hard to keep up with publishing the newsletter. Well thanks to the speed of technology, I can sit here while my infant chews on my sleeve for five minutes and VOILA I can produce a lot more information for families than I used to. I'm seeing about getting the band back together - meaning the band of writers and artists who contributed to the original newsletter. I hope you enjoy some of our archives as I get them posted. I'm going to beg them for some new stuff here pretty soon.

Get With It

So every so often I linger back to this old blog of mine and read the old stuff. I'm not embarrassed to say I crack myself up. Especially my entry on going to the grocery store without a pen. That was an adventure I'm proud to say I have not repeated since. It's been a long time since I've written an entry yet there have been plenty of opportunities to share my nutso stories that you can probably relate to. I'm getting with the times and finally figuring out how to link up blog with facebook with twitter with the toilet seat handle and the garage door opener. If I can sync them together, I think I'll save a lot more time.
My current status in life is married with two boys - 8 and 4. What an adventure. I am happy to say that the family has agreed on a having a girl soon. We just have to search the internet, find one that needs a home, build a fence and we're set! Wait, maybe the fence should come first.
Hopefully I'm back for a while. The creative juices have always been flowing, it's just time to look behind the old marinades and condiments, pull the juice out, check the expiration date, and pour the juice out. The great part is that, even if the juice is old, I can pour it on the page and it's still relevant. Just watch for chunks!

Love Marthaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!