They Get Me Every Time...

Tonight M and I watched the movie Up. It hasn't been in the rotation as of late (Finding Nemo, I love you but I cannot watch you for the one millionth time!) so I was excited when she wanted to watch one of her old favorites. But I know that every time I watch it, I need to keep a tissue handy, as in the "life of Ellie and Carl" montage there is a moment that gets me every time. Watch this, if you haven't seen it before. 

This scene gets me every time. EVERY TIME! I have seen this movie approximately 15 times, but it is one of the few scenes in movies that brings me to tears no matter how many times I haves seen it. Ellie and Carl are so happy together, and they have built this exciting life, and find out they are pregnant, and she is devastated she loses the baby, and she is depressed and Carl doesn't know what to do...and the music! Sweet Fancy Moses, the music! It is just movie perfection. 

The King of scenes from movies that make me bawl is this one (which I just watched before writing this post and went through 2 tissues): 

If this doesn't make you cry, you might be a Cyborg. This scene is seriously the most emotionally gut wrenching scene of any movie ever, for me. It just makes me think about if this was to ever happen to Hubs and I - and I cannot stop the waterworks! They are obviously still so in love, but he was gone for so long, and she never gave up hope, but she had to move on, because there were no leads, and now she has a family with Mr. Big, and he is a dentist so he has that going for him, but Tom still has the pocket watch with her photo in it, that he looked at every day on the island and basically kept alive his will to live...OMG tears!!! And when she gets in the car like she is going to run away, but she knows she can't...booooo hooooo!!!

And then of course there is the final 10 minutes of Toy Story 3. I will never forget watching this in the movie theater and not being able to catch my breath I was bawling so hard. Such story telling magic! I seriously thought the toys were going to meet their end in the fiery furnace at the dump! And then this brilliant ending happens (yes, this music is not from the original, but from Lost - couldn't find the real clip): 

When Andy's mother comes in the room and realizes that he is leaving and says that she always wants to be with him, and then Woody goes with the toys to Bonnie's, and Andy doesn't want to hand Woody over to Bonnie, and then the toys are all on the front stoop with their new owner and they cut to Andy about to drive away - ARGGHHH!!! I can't help but tear up now just thinking about it, and I have seen this movie 100 times! 

The score in each of these scenes is what ultimately makes them such moving emotional clips. The rise and fall of the music at just the right place - it just grabs your heart and gives it a squeeze - which ultimately makes your eyes water and burn. 

Sometimes you just need a good cry, and that is where all these scenes come into play for me. Although the number one tear jerker for me is The Impossible, the movie about the tsunami. I saw it in a movie theater and literally went through two little packets of tissues, and walked out at the end with my eyes ridiculously swollen and red. I recommend everyone see that movie once - it is truly an incredible piece of work - one that I don't think I will ever be able to watch again (much like Shindler's List). 

I think I need to go watch Anchorman or something now - Panda Watch! 

We are lovers, not fighters, in this house

M came up to me the other day, with her hands in a chokehold on her own neck, and said "mom can you do this to me?" I looked at her, horrified, and said "absolutely not! What are you doing? Where did you learn that?" and she said, "it's what Mr. Incredible does to Mirage in the Incredibles movie."

Of course it is. She doesn't realize that what Mr. Incredible was trying to do was inflict pain upon Mirage in a fit of rage, she just thinks it is something that one character in a movie was doing to another.

The same day she approached me saying, "mom, can you punch me in the face the way Elastigirl does to that bad guy? Like this?" as she mimicked being punched in the face and falling over.

Maybe this is a sign we have been watching the Incredibles too much lately (but damn it is the best Pixar movie! Besides Brave, and the Toy Story series of course...they are all so good!) or maybe I have to pay more attention to what my almost 4 year old is watching.

Both times that she asked me to reenact a fight scene I explained to her that what she saw in the movie was not how we act in real life. That in this house, we love each other, we don't fight with each other, and we never, ever, ever hit each other. Which is totally the truth - we are a very kissy/huggy family.

I will happily indulge M once a day and "marry" her. She puts on a veil (a piece of tulle from my
studio) under a tiara, and holds a silk flower in her hand while she lays one on me for about 10 seconds and then says "we're married!" I have M kiss her sister as often as I possibly can (which ends up being about twice a day because most times she just says "no thanks!" and runs in the opposite directly.)

It is important to me that my kids grow up in a household full of love and affection. My husband and I kiss each other in front of the kids (or "get married" as M calls it). I want my kids to know that their parents are happy, and truly love each other and aren't afraid to show it, much like my parents did when I was growing up (and they are about to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary). We often have family hugs and everyone kisses each other before bed. I don't leave the girls' rooms at nap or bed time with telling them I love them, and having them tell me they love me (well, with Val it is just me saying it of course).

I have so ingrained this lovey-dovey-ness into M that we will be out and about and she will just give me a big hug and kiss and say "I love you mom! Give me a kiss!" What mom doesn't want to hear that from her child?

I know it won't always be like this. I know that somewhere, not to far, down the line the girls will fight with each other, probably physically, just like my brother and I did when we were young. I won't like it, but of course will be ok with it because it is par for the course - they just better kiss and make-up after their battles because in this house we are lovers, not fighters, as MJ so elegantly put it.

Unless we are battling on the dance floor during our dance parties...that is another story!

My Problem with Princesses

Growing up I was neither a tom-boy nor a girly-girl. I fell somewhere in the middle - I played sports and loved to do physical activities, but I also loved to play dress up and make music videos with my friends. I loved all things arts and crafts, I loved to wrestle with my brother (I had some sweet leg lock moves) and to dance and listen to music. Because Disney was such a big part of my childhood, I of course knew all of the princesses - Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty were pretty much all we had at that point. But more often I could be found acting out scenes from Grease or copying Michael Jackson's dance moves in front of the TV.

When The Little Mermaid came out in 1989, I was 10 going on 11, and I loved it just as much as any other girl my age did. I knew all the words to the movie and the music right away...same goes for Beauty and the Beast three years later. I wasn't obsessed with the movies: I wasn't dressing up like a princess or having my mom buy me Ariel merchandise, but maybe that is because of my age when these movies came out (and because movies weren't as commercialized as they are today.)

Now I feel like everywhere you go all of the merchandise for girls is all princess all the time!! Everything is about dressing up as a princess, putting on make-up like a princess, watching princess movies, reading princess books - everything is pink and glittery. But what kind of message is this sending our girls of today?

At Disney World the princess merchandise is so shoved in your face it is ridiculous. These parents spend an average of $160 a kid to get them a princess costume, and have their hair done up like "a princess"- but it ends up looking like a bad white trash prom do. Almost every store you go in you see Princess dresses, and wigs and wands and shoes and accessories...and of course all the girls want it! Where are the Jessie the Cowgirl (from Toy Story) costumes? Now she is someone I would love my daughter to dress up as - strong willed, intelligent, opinionated...but more on her later.

Let me get to my point and break this whole princess thing down for you...starting with Ariel of The Little Mermaid. 

Just recently (after our last Disney trip where she saw the Little Mermaid show) my daughter has been asking to "watch Ariel on the TV." She had never seen the movie, but has seen the DVD lying around the house, and now finally recognizes her red flowing hair and 1/2 fish body. So I gave in the other night and turned it on for her to watch. I don't think I have seen it all the way through for many years, so I was totally picking up on different things than I used to. Here is my take on this movie, as a 33 year old mother of one two year old daughter (with one in the oven - sex unknown):

Ariel, a spoiled, selfish 16 year old brat, falls "in love" with a person of a different species after seeing (not communication with) him for a total of 3 minutes. When her father finds out he, rightfully, punishes her and tells her she can't see him, but she decides to sell her soul to a witch, thus giving up ever seeing her father, sisters and loved ones ever again just to be with this person she has seen for 3 minutes. And did I mention she is 16 years old???? All works out in the end, and she marries (at 16) this total stranger, thus giving up her life with her family for all eternity. 

You've Got a Friend in Me

I was always one of those judgmental people who couldn't understand why people let their young kids watch TV. Then I became a parent and quickly changed my tune, as TV became a good distraction for M when I was out of entertaining ideas. She watches a bit in the morning when my husband is feeding her breakfast, and one episode of something with her before-bed milk. Well, that was until I introduced her to Toy Story 3. 

About a month ago, on a cold rainy day, when we had already gone through our list of indoor activities (twice) I plopped her down on the couch with me and put in the Toy Story 3 DVD (I debated whether or not to start on 1 & 2 first, because she would want the backstory right? :). About one minute in she was introduced to Sheriff Woody...and he quickly became the love of her life. Whenever he was in danger, or in a toy-related predicament, M would place her hands on her cheeks and say "oh no wuudeeee!"

Multiple times she climbed off the couch, scooted over to the tv and stared up at the screen and said "mama mama, wuudeee, mama, oh no wuudeee!" And the first time we watched it she sat through almost the entire thing. The next day we walk in the living room and she looks up at me and says "wuudee?" and we haven't watched much of else since. 

I have the movie on my iPad, on my iPhone, on my computer...and we have watched it multiple times on all three, in addition to the television. She will go around the house saying "Wuudeee? Wuudee?" and I will have to find some sort of electronic device for her to see her boyfriend on. 

My mom thinks it is so cute that she even bought her a true to life Woody doll (as in the same size as the one in the movies - 16 inches). She screamed with joy when she got it home, but as soon as it came out of the box she was terrified of it, and now it sits perched on a shelf in her playroom. She knows it is there and admires it from afar by giving it a "hi wuudee!" when we are doing our laps around the house. We also have Woody wipes and all sorts of Woody books that she reads over and over and over. 

When she is upset, I can just say "Do you want to go see Woody?" and she is all smiles and "OK!"

I remember hearing stories from friends about their kids watching the move Cars ten times a day. I thought that was insanity! My kid will never watch the same move over and over! And here we are, with Toy Story 3 on repeat.

I haven't come to the point where I am annoyed by it just yet (so close though) as it is such a fabulous movie. The last 20 minutes make me cry every time I watch it, even though I know exactly what is to come for the fabulous cast of plastic characters. It, and the other 2 Toy Story movies, have made me take better care of toys in general (because I know they come alive when I am not looking)...and led me to ask the pooch what hijinks the toys get up to on a nightly basis. So far she has no report for me. 

Do your kids have a movie or TV show they like to watch over and over and over and over?