funforkids

 

Yesterday as I watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory I began to wonder what ever happened to each of the children.  I specifically wanted to know what ever became of Veruca because she was a pretty girl and I thought she would probably be most likey to go on to do more acting.  I thought it would be fun to write about the former chld actors and actresses here.  Today I update you on CHARLIE.  I got my information from the Internet Movie Data Base.

      Peter Ostrum  was born on November 1, 1957.      One would think that he would have gone on to do several more pictures but it was just the contrary.  Although Peter Ostrum loved making the film he had no desire to pursue acting.  He did not want to follow in the footsteps of Gene Wilder, he wanted to return to school and be a regular kid.  He was offered a three picture contract after making Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory but he turned it down.  Today, Peter Ostrum is married and the father of two children.  His career?  A veterinarian of large farm animals in upstate New York.  He considered returning to acting when a prized role came up and he tried out for the part of Equus on Broadway which he did not get.

The kids were up bright and early this Thanksgiving morning and ready for family fun.  The only problem is, the family fun does not start at 7 A.M.!  With lots of things that I want and need to do and two boys that are amped up already I turned the television on with the hopes that they would find something great to watch and thus give me a little time to gather my thoughts and to get some things done.  Luckily Thanksgiving day is usually a great day for Holiday movies, marathons, and t.v. specials so I was able to find quite a few great choices.  We began with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (a movie I love) but we ended up changing it because the little guy is afraid of the tunnel scene.  Do you remember that scene?  I was terrified of it too as a child; as Mr Wonka loads everyone onto the boat (just after Augustus Gloop has been lost down the chocolate River) and he begins to sing that eerie haunting song:  “Is it raining? Is it pouring?….”    Chills.  Poor kid–He’ll probably have many nightmares now.  Gene Wilder was amazing in the movie though, and there are so many memorable moments too such as the introduction to the factory where Gene Wilder sings that sweet song.  Second up in the line up was “The March of The Wooden Soldiers”  which was/is also a great movie.  That movie has been played on channel 11 on Thanksgiving day ever since I was a young child.  My brother Michael and I always watched it.  Talk about another crazy but classic film!  If you have never seen the movie you must take time out to see it.  The main characters in the movie  are Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy who become unlikely heroes in this storybook town where everyone in the movie is a fictional character taken from the various fairy tales that we grew up with as children.  Little Bo Peep is being courted by I think it’s Little Boy Blue but he goes by the name of TOM-TOM, but the evil Mr. Barnaby wants her to marry him at all costs.  When he fails to win her, Barnaby kidnaps her to the land of the bogey men (boogie men?) and Stan and Ollie promise to return her safely home.   So why is this considered a holiday movie?  Well, There are huge Wooden Soldiers that were made by accident by Stan and Ollie for Santa Clause and in the end the Wooden Soldiers help to rid the Storybook Village of the Bogey Men and the evil Barnaby.  It really is a great movie.  Unfortunately it is a bit too scary for the little ones.  My five and three year old children liked the movie up until the time the Bogey Men were introduced.    In the end we put on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Tonight we will cuddle up on the couch and watch The Peanuts Thanksgiving special.  I am looking forward to the next few weeks of Christmas classics.

    Don’t you just love the school candy drives and fund raisers that have you hitting-up your friends, families and co-workers for both their money and their pitty.  As a teacher I saw first hand the “BIG SHOW” that the actual companies put on in the school auditorium to get the kids hyped up and ready to go out and make those big sales.  Let me paint you a picture of the company’s sales pitch to your children and mine:

       The stage of the auditorium is full of those fabulous prizes; you know the ones:  The huge boom-box, the pin mall machine, The Ipod Shuffle, The karaoke machine with flashing lights and other huge valuable prizes.  Then unseen to our children’s adorable little eyes are the cheap less than a dollar prizes that each seller gets as long as they sell at least $15 or so of their merchandise.   The amped up man pics up the microphone and says:  HEY KIDS!!!  A hush falls over the crowd but still a few kids can be heard saying:  “I WANT THE…”  All settle down and he begins his speech.  The pep talk usually begins with something like this:  “What do you think of all these prizes up here?”  ROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR goes the crowd of excited children.   “What if I told you that you could win one of these great prizes today?”  YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH! proclaim our kids.  “You could win one these great prizes by becoming salespeople for our company’s great products.”  The spokesperson then begins to tell the kids about the various prizes and how everyone will win a prize for selling just one item.  The kids are also told that they should not go door to door because it is dangerous and that they should have a family member help them.  “ASK your PARENTS to take the envelope to work and sell it for you.  ASK your parents to call Auntie Jennie and Uncle Bob and have them do some early holiday shopping.”  After all is said and done, the kids are released from the auditorium with envelope in hand and ready to sell a ketchup lollipop to a woman in a white dress.  They come home to us with the great news that WE “have to take the envelope to EVERYONE we know and sell a zillion things so they can get the limited edition Mercedes which although was not on stage is available to the one who sells a trillion dollars worth of candy and/or wrapping paper.”  Of course I exaggerate –a little.  Being the wonderful parents we are, we want our children to get a great prize so we look at the contents of the envelope and see that once again the prices for the items are higher than they should be and that the level of the prizes are completely unrealistic.  Most of the items are worth 90 percent less than the amount of items the kids actually sell.  However, we do our best to sell at least $25 to $35 worth of the stuff so that the kids get at least the second level prize which  is the choice of  three things:  Cheap, paper-thin bingo cards with cardboard chips, a pen with a fuzzy head and google eyes, or the package of mini midget markers that last about a week.   This year we managed to sell $230 worth of wrapping paper, jewelry and candy and my son’s prize was a square color change alarm clock which is adorable really—but not even worth $5.  Don’t you just love it. 

 

A while back my husband and I decided we were going to reward the boys with a toy that they had been asking for.  We promised them that if they were “very good” all week, that on Saturday Daddy would buy the toy on the way home from work.  That Saturday my husband called me from Target and informed me that they didn’t have the toy that they wanted.  He checked a second store and they didn’t have it either.  Not wanting to spend a day looking EVERYWHERE under the sun he and I decided that he should just buy them something else so they wouldn’t be too disappointed.  He hung up the phone and I left him to pick out a replacement.  A few minutes later he runs an idea by me:  How about I buy them the Hulk fists?   “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?” I said.  “They already have the Star Wars light sabers that we hid because they get crazy and carried away with them–now you want to bring big fists into the house?”  “Yeah, you are right.  I guess I will get them these Power Rangers figures instead,” he said.   The kids were disappointed that the toy that they originally wanted wasn’t found, but they were content enough to enjoy the Power Rangers until we could get the toy a few weeks later.  Fast Forward to a few weeks later when I began working in the city.  My husband decided to take the boys to the store to pick up some things we needed and while there he purchased them another toy each.  I called him from work to check in and to see how the day was going and he informed me that they had a great day, they had lunch and went shopping.  When I got home from work the boys were excited to have me home and anxious to show me their new toys.  Lo and Behold they pointed toward the top of the entertainment center where (far out of their reach)  the HULK Fists that I had warned my husband about a while back were strategically placed.  They had already been taken away because the boys were getting too wild with them—-What a huge surprise.  I took them down so that the kids could show them to me.  The fists were bigger than my three year old’s head!  The boys put them on and began to punch the hands at the couch.  With each punch you heard the sayings:  “DONT MAKE ME ANGRY–YOU WON’T LIKE ME WHEN I’M ANGRY!”   and “HULK SMASH!”.    I knew instantly that they were just as I had said:  bad news.   The boys quickly  began to throw punches at one another and at my husband.  The fun quickly escalated and soon someone was crying.   I suppose I could have taken the high road as I rocked the wounded child.  I could have said nothing at all…… but instead I said proudly:  “I TOLD YOU SO!”  Every now and then the boys remember that we have them (and the Star Wars light sabers too) and we take them out of hiding so that they can play with them.  Things usually end with someone crying or with mommy yelling:  “You guys are playing too rough” and me taking them away, but I still like to give them the benefit of the doubt and let them try to play without the threat of maming or rendering one another unconscious.   

Paris Hilton is about to become my new best friend forever.  I have been asked to write a weekly blog about the young lady by a website called Content Quake.  When I received the invitation I thought:  OF ALL OF THE PEOPLE IN THE SPOTLIGHT, THEY HAD TO CHOOSE HER!!??  WHY????  For about a week I thought about it and thought about, and thought about it some more.  I don’t even like her.  I don’t follow her life at all.  Now Jennifer Anniston would interest me, Lauren Conrad–ABSOLUTELY, Reese Witherspoon–yes, just about any girl in Hollywood would tickle my fancy–Paris just doesn’t interest me.   Do I really want to write about her a few times a week?   In the end, I decided to take the assignment.  I thought about how if I were working for a newspaper or a magazine I would be asked to write for and about people that I may not like.  I would receive assignments I might be completely against and that I would have to learn to write about them objectively.  The truth is, I would be giving up a very good writing opportunity simply because I don’t like the subject I was given and that would be stupid.  Therefore, from now on, Paris will be my new best friend to blog about.    I hope you will all stop in from time to time to read all about Paris’s escapades.

I clicked on a Today.com article today thinking I would be reading something worthy of my time and my penny and although the article/statement wasn’t anything I really disagreed with, I found myself sorry that I happened upon the site.  I did however, find something offensive in the profile. Everyone has their opinion and I like to listen to varied voices from all over the world.  I usually keep my opinion to myself if I don’t agree with a writer because I do support the freedom of speech element, but I just can’t shake this one off.  I will not give a title for the article nor will I announce it’s author because I really don’t want to send him any other traffic, but I will say this:  We are in the midst of some very sick people when they proudly announce that they kill babies.  I am sure it was his way of announcing that he is pro-choice, but I find his choice of words disgusting not only as a mother, but as a human being.  WHO ANNOUNCES THIS PROUDLY?    I also don’t see why this person needs to announce his choice of sexual orientation either.  Most people don’t feel the need to announce in their profile the particular sex partner they like nor the positions they enjoy.  I thought there were some rules about appropriateness governing the posts here.  I am upset that this guy hasn’t been flagged.  Most of the writers here at Today are wonderful, educated, kind, well intentioned people who don’t want to read about someone bragging that they “kill babies”.   It is a sad day when freedom of speech gives someone the license to speak hatefully.  I am in no way anti gay, I am not prejudice toward any race, color, creed or religion.  I don’t even hate the writer.  I feel sorry for the author.  I feel sorry for him because he apparently feels that he has been treated poorly and is angry with much of the world.  He apparently feels misunderstood and is angry that the world is not changing fast enough or in a way that suits his lifestyle.  The answer, however, is not to announce that you will fight with violence and murder babies.  This will only be met with more opposition and perpetuate the stereotypes that he longs to overthrow. The world needs us to throw our arms around one another and lift one another up, not tear each other down.  The minute we ALL realize that, is the moment that the world will truly change.  I pray for that day.  I pray for this man.

 Hi all,  A friend of mine passed this foward on to me and I thought it was a great statement on life.  I hope you will read it and pass the link on to someone (hopefully many someones) that are “keepers” to you.  

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress; lawn mower in his hand, and dish-towel in hers. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there’d always be more.

But then my mother died, and on that clear summer’s night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn’t any more. Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away…never to return. So… While we have it… it’s best we love it… And care for it…. And fix it when it’s broken….. And heal it when it’s sick.

This is true… For marriage…. And old cars…. And children with bad report cards….. Dogs and cats with bad hips…. And aging parents.. .. And grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.

Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things20that make life important, like people we know who are special…. And so, we keep them close!

I received this from someone who thinks I am a ‘keeper’, so I’ve sent it to the people I think of in the same way.. Now it’s your turn to send this to those people that are “keepers” in your life. Send it back to the person that sent it to you if they too are a keeper. Good friends are like stars…. You don’t always see them, but you know they are always there.

First Grade–what a wonderful time in young child’s life.  So many new friends, so many new experiences, so many new things to learn.  I love that my son is growing up.  He is reading books all by himself, it no longer takes an hour and a half for him to write a sentence as it did in kindergarten, and he actually realizes that there are consequences for doing the wrong things and tries to do the right thing–most of the time.  There are a few things that he has learned since his entrance into first grade, however, that I know his teacher has not been responsible for teaching him.  Here is a list of the wonderful things he has learned from his classmates  (some of which are a bit off the mark, but what do you expect from a first grader):

Wet toilet paper thrown up high and hard enough will stick to the ceiling.

Hannah Montana is now a Hottie rather than a nice country girl.

Raw and Smack Down should now replace Noggin and PBS KIDS =( 

Playdates have now been labeled “hanging out with my peeps”

When you are finished with a juice box or juice bag you can use the straw to blow it back up and then jump on it to make a loud pop!

Ketchup packets are also very fun to pounce on.

John Cena is a hero  (yes, I probably spelled it incorrectly and proud of it!)

Everyone sings and dances their way through HS like Troy and Gabriella.

There are boy toys and girl toys and boys should only play boy things and girls should only play girl things.  Except for Power Rangers–then its okay for the girl to be the pink one and the yellow one.

It is very easy to make someone cry–you just have to tell them they can’t play with you.

Being the class clown makes your friends laugh–and that’s cool.

If one of his classmates says to do something, he should do it.

If one of his classmates says they have something or are getting something, he should have it/get it too.

If one of his classmates says something is true, it must be true.  For example “James says God is not Real, and Jesus is not a king, and that he is going to be a police officer and shoot me someday….oh and he also has a real mystic ranger morpher that can change him into a real ranger.”  TRUE STORY!   

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST–MY LEAST FAVORITE LESSON THAT HE HAS LEARNED:

It’s not cool to kiss your mom goodbye at the gate (when your friends are looking).

I must say, first grade is a bit upsetting to mommy.  =(

 Madagascar 2–Nov. 7th 2008!

 Great news:  Madagascar 2 is soon to be released (NOVEMBER 7, 2008).  If you are like me, you loved the first one.   The Billboard has the shipwrecked cast of animals all locked in an embrace and reads:  Still together, still lost.  When we last saw the cast in 2005, Marty, Alex, Melman, Gloria, and the penguins, were all loading themselves back onto a ship with the hopes of getting off that crazy island and heading back to Manhattan.  According to my sources, the sequel will take the friends via plane to Africa where they will meet up with some of Alex the Lion’s family.  Back for more adventure will be the original cast:  Ben Stiller (as Alex the Lion), Chris Rock (love him as Marty the Zebra), Jada Pinkett Smith (as Gloria the Hippo) and David Schwimmer (as the lovable hypochondriac Giraffe).  Also back for more adventure are Sacha Baron Cohen (as Julien the Ring-Tailed Lemur), Cedric the Entertainer (as Maurice the Aye-aye), and Andy Richter (As Mort the Pygmy Mouse Lemur).  New to the crew will be:  Zachary Gordon (as Baby Melman), Thomas Stanley (as Baby Marty), Bernie Mac (as Alex’s Dad Zuba), Sherri Shepherd (as Florrie, Alex’s Mom) and Alec Baldwin (as Makunga, the rival of Alex’s dad).  The four penguins will also return (Skipper, Kowalski, Private , and Rico) as will Mason the Chimpanzee.  Will. I. Am. will also join the crew in Africa as he plays a character named Moto Moto.  So many big names, so many great actors and actresses, I am almost more excited than my kids to see it.   

     According to the early info that I have found on line, the plot is this:  The original cast finds themselves in Africa and they come into contact with species of their own kind for the first time—the wild versions of themselves.  While they uncover their ancestry they quickly realize just how different they are as a result from being raised in “the concrete jungle” of the New York City Zoo as opposed to their counterparts who have been raised in the heart of Africa.  Apparently the movie is filled with long-lost relatives, “romantic rivals” and “scheming hunters.”  I am sure in the end, the friends will be trying to ESCAPE from AFRICA and return to good old NYC.  

     Keep in mind that Hans Zimmer and will. i. am are responsible for the film’s soundtrack too—I bet it will be great!  This looks like it will be a good one for the kids and for mom and dad too.     The film is rated PG for some “mild crude humor”.