Category Archives: Entertainment & Recreation

ALL things fun!

Oh, Bother!

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Yes, it’s true; Trina has her Elvis and I have my Pooh Bear. I do love classic Winnie the Pooh quotes (I’ve attached a few for you here) but I have to admit that I’m not the only one. My entire family and I tend to curse in ‘Pooh’.

“Oh, bother!”, “Stuff and fluff!” and “Silly old Bear” are common phrases used in our house as a response to just about everything –stubbing one’s toe, messing up, or having a bad hair day.

But I say “Tiddely Pom” and “Ha!” to anyone who doesn’t understand the power of Pooh in life’s critical moments! Perhaps there’s a better way of expressing oneself but –as Pooh has said himself, “perhaps there isn’t”.

And really, I think Pooh would approve of my family’s unorthodox expletives. After all, it was Pooh who pointed out that “It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?” (or oh bother, stuff and fluff, tiddely pom and ha!).

 It could be worse; we could be cursing in ‘Spongebob’;

“Oh, Barnacle”

“Holy Shrimp!”

“Tartar Sauce!”

However, despite the fact that these expletives don’t have the wisdom of a Pooh, they are short, easy words. And a couple of them could describe lunch… ;)

~ Micheline

My Favourite Pooh Bear

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Once in a while Micheline likes to post a Pooh –a Winnie-the-Pooh illustration and quote on our Facebook Page. They remind me of how much I enjoyed reading Winnie to my own boys when they were little.

Not the Disney books. I’m talking about my husband’s 1957 hardcover, The World of Pooh, a compilation of Winnie the Pooh and House at Pooh Corner. Because as delightful as the Disney books are they tend to be abridged, leaving out one of my favourite components of the stories –the dialogue and interaction between Christopher Robin and the story’s narrator.

The original The World of Pooh begins with a delightful introduction by the narrator followed by “CHAPTER I IN WHICH We Are Introduced to Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees, and the Stories Begin”:

Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.

When Pooh gets to the bottom of the stairs Christopher Robin introduces him to the narrator and asks the narrator to tell Edward Bear, aka Winnie-the-Pooh, stories about himself (Because then it’s a real story and not just a remembering).

So begins the story most of us are familiar with, in which Pooh rolls around in mud to disguise himself as “a small black cloud in a blue sky”, and floats up to a bee hive using a balloon. Eventually Christopher Robin has to shoot him down.  This is where most revised versions of the story ends.

But in the original story, the chapter ends like this:

“I didn’t hurt him when I shot him, did I?”

 “Not a bit.”

 He nodded and went out, and in a moment I heard Winnie-the-Pooh –bump, bump, bump—going up the stairs behind him.So the next time you want to read Winnie the Pooh to your child, consider picking up the original Winnie the Pooh or House at Pooh Corner and settle in for a real treat. :)

~Trina

 

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s…

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I was 7 years old the first time I saw Christopher Reeves play Superman. With clean rosy cheeks, warm pajamas, sleeping bags and a big bag of popcorn we rolled into the drive-in theatre.  My Dad unhooked the speaker from the post, attached it onto the window and sound boomed forth. From the back seat my younger brother and I watched with unwavering attention while Superman battled Lex Luther to save the universe. I am pretty sure both of us were fast asleep by the time we got home but I dreamed about Superman for weeks after that!

I know life is not all about entertainment but I will say that this is one of my fondest childhood memories. We must admit that we are partially shaped by our entertainment experiences. At times it can even be called upon to define who we are – that is – we can be known as a Country Buff, a Bookworm, a Metal Head, a Trekkie, a Gamer, etc.

In some ways we are what we watch, read, and play.

After sharing all of that, my biggest concern is that there are still folks out there old enough to remember drive-in theatres right along with me – ha ha! ;)

Happy Monday,

Micheline

Ender’s Fair Game (for Teens and Adults)

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I hate when I don’t have a book to read. You know, when none of yer favourite authors have anything new out and you’ve already picked up no less than three book duds (written by untried authors of course).

That’s when I hit the bookshelf. Today I dusted off Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. This is another book that I read when Will was a baby. I used to read whenever he took his naps. Probably should’ve been cleaning house, folding laundry or –hello—napping too, but if I have a chance to read, I tend to take it.

Ender’s Game takes place in the future. Humans have survived a horrific alien war 70 years previously. Ender, an unusually gifted child is sent to Battle School in space where he and other gifted kids his age are being prepped for future invasion. That’s the by-line without the spoiler. The book’s well written, fast-paced, imaginative and man oh man, what a spoiler!!

How good is this book? Well, it won both the Hugo and Nebula awards and, speaking as a school board trustee, I was thrilled when I learned this is one of the novel studies for grade nine in our district. Oh yeah…forgot to mention it’s actually a teen novel. At least that’s what it’s rated.

Me? I’ve recommended it to practically every adult I know. And my thirteen-year-old son (yup, same kid I should have been napping with) devoured it. I think he’s reading the sequel now, Speaker for the Dead…

Oh, and Enders Game is currently being made into a movie (November 2013 release date). I’m really excited. Not just because I know it’s gonna rock, but because I know Will’s gonna actually allow himself to be seen with his mom in public for this one. :)

Just to whet yer whistle, (and since there is no “official” trailer yet) here are links to two of my favourite fan-made movie trailers:

HOWTOGEEK – FAN TRAILER

VIMEO – FAN TRAILER

~ Trina

How to draw a Dragon #2

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Hannah here, my Mom told me that this month’s posts were supposed to be about entertainment… but I’m back to do another dragon drawing tutorial! (You can check out my first dragon drawing tutorial here > How to Draw a Dragon.) For me, drawing is entertaining but don’t worry I’ll also attach a link with info about my absolute favorite drawing books below because Mom says books qualify under ENTERTAINMENT – hee hee! ;) )

I’ve done something a bit more difficult than my last tutorial, just to change things up.


Step 1: Draw a faint out line, or sketch of your dragon’s head and jaw, if you aren’t
happy with the shape you can always re-draw it, after all you just started!

Step 2: Add in a bit of detail and shape to your dragon’s head, as in the placement of the eye, nostril, horns, spikes, teeth, tongue and several scale placements. I’ve also added the extra skin stretched between his top and bottom jaw.

Step 3: More detail such as extra scale placements, spikes on the lower jaw, feathers and whiskers on the lower jaw as well help add a bit of fun stuff. Draw in a few fun designs on the top jaw and add in more scales. Try to size them, from larger to smaller and eventually fill in all the space with the extra little scales.

Step 4: Now we’re filling in all that extra space on his head and neck, let’s fill ‘er in!!
Define the eye a bit more, fill in the extra spikes and scales along his head, and on the lower jaw, upper jaw and around the eye and nostril. Along what’s visible of his neck add some creative scales and fun shapes. Define the tongue, and horns a little bit.

Step 5: The fun detail is next! Using your pencil, darken a lot and define the tip of the
nose, along the top jaw and the bottom jaw. We’ll start shading and detailing this area
first and work our way back. Add crease lines in his extra skin flap, and do a bit of
shading on his tongue to make it stand out. Only add light shading to the teeth, as they
were probably white. Shade in the details on the top jaw, and the spikes on the lower.
Add some fun lines on the feathers and whiskers on the bottom jaw to make them seem
less hard than the scales around them.

Step 6: Next, from the nostril up to just beyond the eye fill in all those scales, large to
small. With the bigger ones do a bit of shading and cross hatching, later add only the
tiniest little bit of shading on the smallest scales so that they are defined from one another
and the bigger scales. If you shade the spikes around the dragon’s eye we’ll lose it.
Maybe to a bit of cross hatching there too to add texture but still have the eye stand out.

Step 7: Start from where we left off behind the eye and the edge of the jaw start to add
shading and detail here too. For the horns add textures such as stripes, shading, and lines. This helps make the horn stand out from the rest of the body. Also where the body meets the horn try and define them so that you can tell which part is which. For the rest of the lower jaw shade in the rest of the spikes and fill them completely in.

Step 8: The final and completely finishing step; colour in the scales on your dragon’s
neck, add more stripes, designs, cross hatching, texture and shading. I suggest not adding as much shading on the neck as the other parts, but you still can. I’ve more coloured them fully in, darkened the edges and then added the cross hatching to fill it in.

I was first inspired to draw dragons when I saw the art of Neondragon. She has created three ‘How to Draw’ books, one is fantasy creatures, one with people and elves and the third is strictly dragons. I’ve bought all three, and I constantly use them for inspiration. Check out her site here > NEONDRAGON and have a peek through her gallery > NEONDRAGON GALLERY.
I’ve also attached a few of her illustrations here below.

Happy dragon drawing, Hannah :)

Underlander not Over-rated

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To me, there’s nothing more entertaining than a good book. And one of the things I love about summer is that I can lie out on the sundeck (beach, pool, camper…) and read. Another great thing about summer is that I have more time to read since (in theory at least) I have my summers off.

The rest of the year can be challenging because I hate putting a good book down. Nowadays, things (like feeding my family) can get a bit delayed if I’m not disciplined. When my boys were younger it was okay to spend the odd day reading. If the house was a bit messy or dinner a little late all was forgiven because I’d been reading with the kids.During these good ol’ days one of Will and my favourite book series was The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins (author of the hugely successful Hunger Games trilogy, which we’ve both also devoured).

Will and I read the first book, Gregor the Overlander, together five or six years ago when Will was in grade two and we loved it. We quickly went through all five books, both of us looking forward to our reading time together each night (and anytime we could steal a few moments to read together during the day).

The story takes place in an underground land of giant cockroaches, fly-able bats, violet-eyed humans and human-sized rats located beneath New York City.

The story’s hero is eleven-year-old Gregor and its heart is two-year-old Boots. Together they stumble upon a “passageway” to this strange land and that’s when the adventures begin.

As the plot develops so do the characters as they take the reader on a noble quest involving courage, sacrifice, friendships, loyalties and sheer tenacity. I love that this book is smart, funny and adventurous. Above all, I love that it is well written!

But don’t take my word for it, check out some of the reviews for this critically acclaimed novel, winner of the 2003 Kirkus Reviews Editors Choice, and listed on the New York Library’s 100 Books for Reading and Sharing list. Then go to your own library (or bookstore etc.), sign out a copy and enjoy it with your pre-teen.

Then check out the following scholastic website link for trivia, online games, and a Q & A with Suzanne Collins. :) The Underland Chronicles

~ Trina

In Search of Entertainment

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One of my daughter’s closest friends came from out of town to stay with us this week and we had BIG plans – big ENTERTAINING plans! And then… my husband got sick, my son got sick and even the weather played it’s cards against us… sigh…

I felt bad for the girls because being stuck at home during the summer isn’t always fun… And although they have had each other I knew they were probably a little disappointed. So yesterday we left our sickies behind (poor fellas :( ) while the girls and I went in search of some summer fun.

In case you don’t know, my family and I live in Creston, BC. It is a small rural farming community but, in my biased opinion, it is one of prettiest places on earth!  And, as we also discovered yesterday, it is full of entertaining treasures!

First stop: The Blueberry Patch!This sweet little cafe/bakery/candy shop/u-pick farm is amazing! I love stopping here at least once each year and it was fun to share it with Hannah’s friend, Tanner!While I drooled over the scenery and fruit outside – the girls drooled over the candy inside! Ha ha!However, I managed to get them outside for a few minutes. :) Second Stop: A little downtown Creston shopping. ;) There are a few really cute shops in town and although I didn’t get pictures of them all it was super fun for the girls to wander through them. Third Stop – ICE CREAM! Buffalo Trails Coffee Shop has opened a retro little Creamery right next door to their cafe. This was our first visit but I think we’ll be back!Mmmmmm… good!The day ended with dropping the girls off at the Tivoli Theatre to watch, Ice Age – Continental Drift. I stayed home to take care of my sick boys so I won’t be able to write a review on this movie for ya – but maybe – just maybe… Hannah will write it for me?! (Hint hint) ;)

~ Micheline

BRAVE

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It seems that Disney/Pixar has finally perfected the image of the strong independent Princess in their new animated film, Brave.  Why do I say that?  Well… this time she doesn’t actually have a PRINCE!

Don’t misunderstand – there are princes in this story but none of them are equal to this enigmatic Princess.  Part way into the film Princess Merida is fed up with watching her very “unsuitable” suitors compete for her hand, so, she sneaks into the archery competition herself and proclaims, “I am Merida, and I’ll be shooting for my own hand!”.  And much to the chagrin of her parents – she wins!

I am embarrassed to admit that this was the first movie my kids and I have ever seen in 3D whew – pretty exciting stuff for our little rural town!  (Which also explains why I’m quite behind the times in writing about this movie too… hah!  Things take a bit longer to get to our wee theatre.) ;)   Seriously though… delightful movie!  Plenty of scenes to make you and your children giggle and the story-line especially pleased me.  It was entirely unexpected – I’m applauding Disney/Pixar for taking a little of the predictability out of their newest fairy tale.

~ Micheline :)

SnowWhite & The Huntsman

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Hey, it’s Hannah again, I thought I’d just share a bit about a song and a movie, both of which I really like . . .

I was with a friend a while ago and we were just sort of sitting around, and she decided to show me a song on YouTube by one of her favourite singers. I said okay, and she brought it up for me. I couldn’t believe it! The song was amazing, the singer was amazing! :D

In the background, behind the singer there was an entire choir, and a whole group of musicians as well. They had violins, cellos, trumpets, the whole sha-bang. But as the music started so did scenes from a new movie that was out in theatres, “Snow White and the Huntsman.”

The song fit so well with the scenes, the song was called, “Breath of Life” by: Florence + the Machine. She had been asked to make a song for the movie. I loved it so much I watched the video, then re-watched it, and re-watched it, (I swear I broke the repeat button) and eventually bought the song on iTunes! :)

My Mom wondered why I liked the song so much, and I showed her the video, after it was over she said, “We should watch that movie!” So we looked up on the internet if it was out, and the very next evening we were sitting in the theatre waiting for “Snow White and the Huntsman” to begin. I was so excited! After watching that music video fifty times I was finally going to find out what the movie was about!

It was a really really good movie. I loved the action, the fight scenes, the creatures, and the dwarves!! The storyline was great, and the evil queen was actually pretty cool. The huntsman was really good with an axe, and Snow White learned a bit about fighting from him.

At the end credits they played, “Breath of Life”. . . I actually started to sing a long! :) If it weren’t for that song I would never have gotten to see the movie, it was actually the song that inspired Mom and I to go. And I’m so glad we did!!

You can watch the music video and movie trailer at the link I attached above. Who knows? Maybe after watching it you may want to see the movie too, I say go for it!! I would re-watch it again if I “had” to.  ;)

~ Hannah

P.S. Please check out my other previous posts here in this category > By Kids for Kids

Miscellaneous Camper Comforts

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This blog should wrap things up. It’s everything that didn’t fit under any specific category or that I forgot to include elsewhere –like forgetting to mention that it’s a good idea to have skid-proof liners on the bottom of yer cupboards and closets so stuff doesn’t slide around as much.

For the camper:

Fold-up table –we put this outside the camper so that we can keep things like moist wipes, beach towels, foot towel, 20 litre water container, drinking cups, sunscreen, and bug spray handy.

Large, flat, plastic washbasin–big enough for you to stand in. I fill it with soap and water and put it outside the camper, on a mat, with a towel nearby. Anyone with dirty feet washes and dries them before entering the camper.

Shoe mat –we always have runners as well as crocs or sandals and they all usually have some degree of sand or dirt on the soles. The shoe mat collects this so I don’t have to spend all my time sweeping out the camper. After all, I hate sleeping with sand in my sheets.

Flashlight and extra batteries –I have extra batteries for everything in the camper that uses them.

Maps –while technology is great, a good old-fashioned map is great to have on hand just in case technology fails you.

Citronella candles, wasp traps, fly swatter etc.

Solar lights and lanterns

For the campers:

Earplugs and sleep mask–it can be noisy with a bunch of snoring guys at close quarters. It can also get light out pretty early. These ensure I get my beauty rest.

Glow sticks –these are not only fun for kids to wear at night, they allow you to keep track of yer kidlets in the dark.

Extra clothes –I’ve found that it’s good to have a few extras of the essentials on hand (yes even for Dad) as sometimes the boys forget to pack these things. When I can I like to stock the stuff that’s too old, ripped or stained to allow out in public but that is still functional enough to “do the job” camping.

These items include an extra pair of pants (I like to pack yoga pants for comfy evenings by the fire but jeans, sweats or khakis work too), shorts, t-shirt, warm sweater or hoodie, socks, underwear and pj bottoms (for the boys –I never forget my pjs…).

Swimsuits –it’s disappointing to find you’ve forgotten yours. Even if you remembered to pack one, an extra swimsuit never hurts.

Sunglasses, hats, sandals, runners

 Small sewing kit –make sure it includes needles, thread, extra buttons and safety pins.

You’ll also need some basic tools just in case. My husband insists on being responsible for this as well as any of the maintenance items we need so I can’t provide you with a trusted list here. Instead, I’ve included the following website link: RV STUFF

Whew! I think we’re done…now we can concentrate on entertainment… Hope you enjoy camping this summer! :)

~ Trina

P.S. If you would like this list on paper and in your hot little hands please click the little share box below to print off this post! Oh and don’t forget to check out all my previous camping posts > CAMPER COMFORTS!