Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

Hey...my kids DO play real sports... they play seasonally appropriate sports, so yeah, in the WINTER, he plays Wii golf... in the spring and summer, he takes lessons at the golf course...etc...

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

When did you become Ty?

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

not Ty, but use of my quote was a side swipe....

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

Nah, I'd rather have them playing soccer.

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

Anyone seen Up yet? I thought it was awesome, perhaps the best Pixar film yet,* but my kids were maybe less impressed. Another friend told me he and his kids had the same takes.

* I haven't seen the last two.

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

I saw it. I loved it (I especially loved the short film before it). My 8yo loved it. My 4yo was scared much of the time, but also seemed to really like a lot of it.

I wouldn't say it's the best ever. I'd probably give that slot to Wall-E, though it depends in part whether you are talking about for kids or adults.

If by "the last two," you mean Wall-E and Ratatouille, you should see them. I think you would really like them both.

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

I think mine loved it, but when it ended the immediate focus was whether we were going to go swimming.

I really have no good reason for not having seen them yet. The only Pixar movie I don't particularly care for is A Bug's Life.

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

2. I don't have kids, but I own both of those movies on DVD and love them. The only reason we didn't go to see UP this weekend is my boyfriend hates opening weekend crowds. We'll probably see it sometime next week.

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

That's the only one I haven't seen.

I didn't like Cars very much, either. The others I loved, and have enjoyed rewatching many times. (There's nothing like a 2yo obsessed with Finding Nemo, let me tell you that....)

The collection of Pixar shorts is excellent, btw.

Movies
 

My nieces (6 & 8) love Wall-E despite the lack of any mermaids, fairies or princesses.

Not Pixar but another fave of the nieces (and adults) is Ice Age. Ice Age 3 comes out this summer.

Re: Movies
 

My nieces (9 and 4 at the time) and my sister all hated WALL-E in the theater. It is on my all time Top 10 for movies generally. My guess is that the 4 y-o was bored and that fact led to a non-optimal watching experience for all involved when sister and nieces went. Ratatouille was just okay in my opinion. On the non-Pixar front, I saw Bee Story on tv recently and really enjoyed some of the story details from that one. Lots of clever points to keep the adults entertained, I thought.

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

I just finished reading The Hobbit aloud to the wee Slothrop, and he really liked it. I'm not ready to start on The Lord of the Rings with him -- is there another Tolkien that an eight-year-old would enjoy (read aloud)?

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

Try Tolkien's translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Source.

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

Have you already been through The Chronicles of Narnia? I haven't liked any of the other Tolkein books after Hobbit and LOTR but I didn't know about his translation of Green Knight. I've been meaning to read that one.

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

Leaving aside his translations (which I haven't read), there aren't really any finished Tolkien works other than LOTR and The Hobbit that are widely avaialble (that weren't "edited" by his son). And the Hobbit is kind of on its own as being appropriate for the little ones.

I found the Silmarillion interesting, in that it was the background myth underlying LOTR, but it would likely bore the wee Slothrop to tears.

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

I thought The Chronicles of Narnia was really awful when read aloud. It just doesn't have a good rhythm and sound, for some reason.

Ty, I've been reading the Rick Riordan books to Sidd Jr. -- the Lightning Thief, now on Sea of Monsters. He loves them.

It's certainly more modern than the Hobbit (which he also loved), but if the wee one is into that sort of thing he might enjoy it. I wouldn't read it to a kid who isn't in at least 3d grade, though -- not sure which of the Slothrops you're thinking about here.

Another Books-for-kids question
 

I'm looking for a few chapter-books to read to the Siddette. She's 4.5. We just read Fantastic Mr. Fox (the copy I had as a kid), which is really perfect for that age -- short chapters, good story, etc.

The Siddette has a little trouble focusing and concentrating. In contrast to her older brother, who would lay on the couch while I read to him even if the house was burning down (which, of course, could be a problem too). Reading a longer book to her is good for this, I think -- it has helped her to focus on a single story-line. But I don't have any great ideas for our next book.

Thoughts, please!

Re: General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.
 

Songs for Philologists?

I know, not kiddy reading.

Re: Another Books-for-kids question
 

The Droon series was a hit around our place.

Re: Another Books-for-kids question
 

how old before Dahl's stories are right? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory/Matilda/James etc.? I think maybe a bit much for a 5 yo but maybe not.

Re: Another Books-for-kids question
 

There's a Fantastic Mr. Fox movie coming out in November, directed by Wes Anderson (!) with Clooney as the voice of you-know-who. Needless to say, that book was a strong inspiration to the young Atticus Grinch and inspired me to be the rakish, debonaire figure you now all know and love. Keep in mind that others of his species were depicted with less depth and sympathy. TFMF was the antidote to Br'er Fox and Mr. Tod and pretty much every other vulpine this side of Disney's Robin Hood.

I recommend every one of Dahl's chapter books for reading aloud, although a sensitive child might react to the peril of the Vermicious Knids (Great Glass Elevator) or the Cloud-Men (Peach) or what-have-you.

Re: Another Books-for-kids question
 

I love all the Dahl kid-oriented books -- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, James and the Giant Peach, Danny the Champion of the World..... I'm just worried that maybe they'll be too hard for a kid not yet in pre-K.

OTOH -- maybe I should just have at it and see. I could read them to her and her big bro together, perhaps.

Re: Another Books-for-kids question
 

there are levels to them- matilda migth be tough for her, but chocolate factory is pretty basic- then at 8 or so, the perfect topper being his autobios, Boy and Flying Solo, which you each MUST read to your kids- and Boy goes a long way to explaining the hateful adults that infest each of his stories-

Re: Another Books-for-kids question
 

I don't think I read Matilda.

My son had trouble getting into Chocolate Factory a few years ago, because it does start slow. He'd like it now, but my daughter will have a greater problem I think.

I think I may start with Giant Peach.

Re: Another Books-for-kids question
 

Are you kidding? The part where {spoiler alert} Charlie's dad loses his poverty wage job through redundancies at the toothpaste cap factory is the very best part!

The great thing about that book is that it's the only "perfectly miserable ordinary kid discovers he's a _________ (wizard, alien with magic powers, princess)" story that every frustrated kid wants to fantasize that isn't an accident of birth, but a result of patience and Boy Scout honesty. It makes kids believe that they can be made special through something other than mistaken parentage.

Re: Another Books-for-kids question
 

Oh, I agree completely. It's a wonderful book and I read it many times as a kid. And I think he'd love the book now. It was just too much at age 4-5.

Re: Another Books-for-kids question
 

Richard Scarry has a big story book, with a title that is something along the lines of Richard Scarry's Big Book of Stories, that has short stories that Princess loved as a girl about Siddette's age. It was also a winner with the Monster.

Re: Another Books-for-kids question
 

There's a similar discussion going on over at Edge of the American West right now.

ETA: I think that the first Ingells Wilder book, Little House in the Big Woods is probably appropriate for age level. I devoured the whole series shortly after discovering it.

Re: Another Books-for-kids question
 

Recently tried Big Woods with our youngest, who is almost 5. She was bored with it (and it was coming after James and the Giant Peach, which she dug and paid attention to). We've also had success with My Father's Dragon, Wizard of Oz, and Charlotte's Web.

Kid Movie Question
 

Going to take the nieces (6 and almost 9) to the movies tomorrow. A quick look gives me the following options:

Up (3D or regular)
Ice Age 3 (ditto)
G-Force (ditto)
Night at the Museum

I've been wanting to see Ice Age because I liked the first 2. One of the nieces saw it at a kid bday party but is willing to see it again. Haven't heard anything about the G-Force one.

If you've seen any of these, is it worth seeing in 3D even if it means driving farther to a theater that has it in 3D?

Am I missing anything?

Re: Kid Movie Question
 

I've seen Up (3D) and Night at the Museum (IMAX at the Museum of Natural History here in Houston). Up was lovely in 3D, and I was really impressed with how it added depth to the movie without being overwhelming or headachy. I don't know necessarily if the 3Dness added anything to the experience, but I remember thinking that it wasn't all that bad at all.

I saw the first half hour or so on IMAX of the Harry Potter & THBP in 3D (on IMAX) also, and that had a lot more "pop out at you" effects. I was sort of glad when the movie switched over to regular format. The previews for both Ice Age and G-Force aired before UP, and they seemed like movies specifically created for this new 3D experience. Lots of rodents flying around directly at the viewer's head. I expect kids rather like it a lot, though I'm not sure I would have handled it very well.

Had Night at the Museum been playing anywhere else, I probably would have just waited to see it at home. But it was sort of fun to wander around our own museum first and then watch the movie. I thought that the first one was better done, and Hank Azaria bugged the shit out of me. But Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart was awesome. Hillary Swank has some sassy shoes to fill.

Re: Kid Movie Question
 

take them to see Whatever Works, let them learn about creepy older guys chasing young women. it's timely. I mean, the one is only a few years outside of Woody's dating sweet spot.

Re: Kid Movie Question
 

See Up. The rest is crap, IMHO based on the previews and reviews alone. (Ice Age 3 is maybe just borderline crap.)

3D is not essential, I think. I saw it in 3D. Siddette didn't like the glasses and so left them off (even though it made the movie blurry). She still talks about the movie all the time.

Re: Kid Movie Question
 

Roger Ebert hates 3D with the passion of a thousand burning nuns and will always prefer the 2D projection of the same movie. His main point is that a conventional 2D movie, properly shot and (just as importantly) properly projected is a much more immersive experience than 3D. He has me convinced, but I haven't seen any of the new-gen 3D movies to compare, and I suspect few people go from a 3D showing to a 2D one to gain a perspective (ha!).

Re: Kid Movie Question
 

I saw Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D last summer and thought the 3D added some fun to an otherwise so-so movie. With animation, it seems like it should be interesting.

Re: Kid Movie Question
 

My 7 and 4 years olds both loved Up and G-Force in 3-D. Haven't seen the other 2.

I think it's worth it to upgrade to the 3-D showing. The effects are fun, and the kids get really in to it.

Re: Kid Movie Question
 

Up is wonderful and in 3-D is really cool. There is a sad element to it though. If the kids are prone to be maudlin, it may take some of the fun away. If they can accept that sometimes life is sad and move on, they will enjoy it.

Re: Kid Movie Question
 

I bet you're cute when you get weepy at movies.

Re: Kid Movie Question
 

What about when the aunt is prone to be maudlin? :eek:

Re: Kid Movie Question
 

I think you can handle it. The part that is sad is also very sweet, and extremely well done.