Inside Out

This isn't a movie review. A few weekends ago the boys spent the night at my oldest sister's house. She got them pizza and a few movies to watch. One of the movies was Inside Out. Have you seen it? I haven't, but I've wanted to.

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I feel like it's a movie that should have gotten more hype than it has. 

Forbes said this about the film:

"This latest Pixar film shares many qualities with the third Toy Story chapter, including a beautiful, rich, unexpectedly complex emotional arc that reveals itself slowly and will leave adults with jaws dropped and eyes damp. The film has possibly broader appeal than almost any previous Pixar film, with plenty for the youngest kids to enjoy but a story aimed at a slightly older near-teen and early-teen demographic, as well as more than the usual amount of smart storytelling and humor to appeal to the adults in the room. Indeed, this isn’t a story simply for the children to enjoy in their own way and adults to enjoy separately — it is a film meant to be shared by parents with their children, to bridge a gap between adolescents and adults, more than any animated film I’ve ever seen."

Mica didn't want to see it. He said, "It's for babies." He has in his mind that cartoons are for younger kids. He's pretty selective in what he wants to watch. He's cool with Kung Fu Panda and any anime flick. If I put on most cartoons he doesn't want to watch them.

We convinced Mica that it would be great for him to watch Inside Out. Isaak has been wanting to see it.

They watched it, and guess who loved the movie? Mica did.

Isaak woke up really depressed this morning. He had a dream that the characters from Inside Out were in his brain. They were super nice. They played with him. When he woke up he wished that they were real. It really bothered him.

Isaak has always been our more dramatic child. I never know if he's acting, or serious. He'll cry for 10 minutes. I'll leave him be if it's something crazy that he's crying about. After awhile I'll check on him, and he doesn't even have any tears running down his face. I'm not saying that he wasn't bothered, but he milked a reaction out of us.

It's hard as a parent of a dramatic child to know if the child truly needs more attention, or if they are playing you.

Part of me thinks: 

Kids certainly need to learn to suck it up. Life is too short to let things bother you all the time. I do spend time with my kids, so I shouldn't feel guilty that they get moody at times. Kind of the tough love approach.

Another part of me thinks:

Kids feeling shouldn't be ignored. Isaak has been upset because Mica's in The Student Council, Chess Club, and more. Isaak's too young for a lot of those special things. Mica's an independent player, and always has been. Yes Mica plays with Isaak, but it's minimal. Isaak's face lights up when I play bouncy ball in the hallway. His face is crushed when Travis helps Mica plant seeds that were given to him. Spending time with a kid who is moody will only be positive, and bring us closer together.

Do you have a child that is moody?

'Spiritual Buddha' Antiqued Bronze Bust Sculpture

I love art and art history! Recently I got a 'Spiritual Buddha' Antiqued Bronze Bust Sculpture for my living room from Novica. 

Travis works in bronze, so I have a strong appreciation for the medium. It's what this Buddha is made of. This sculpture is hallowed out, so it isn't super heavy. That makes it easy to move it from one spot to another in our house. 

Size: 

9.75" H x 3.7" W x 3.5" D

Cost:

$52.95, but on sale for $39.99

I feel like it changes it's appearance when the background, or lighting changes. The coloring of the sculpture is slightly different because each one is made by the artist Adi Noviantara. 'Spiritual Buddha' certainly doesn't come out of a factory.

This statue adds a lot to my living room. I have old world looking furniture, so it fits really well. I love the look of it against our red wall!

I love what the Buddha stands for - purity. It makes me feel happy when I look at it.

 About the artist:

It's designed and created by the very talented Adi Noviantara. I love how the artist is given credit. The Buddha comes with a little book that talks about Adi Noviantara's vision when creating this bronze art piece.

'It is my duty to make my children happy and proud of me. I want them to see I am working hard for them, and as best as I can. This gives me a stronger spirit to strive harder. Being a hero for my family is my dream, and in my life time it is more valuable than money. My name is I Nyoman Adi Noviantara, and for me, hard work and commitment are words that motivate me to keep on working hard for my children's lives and offer them a better future.'

I think this is a great buy for anyone, but especially art enthusiasts, or someone searching for global happiness and purity in their life.

Discaimer: I received this statue at a discount for the purpose of this review. The opinions are 100% mine.

Last Call for Basketball

Isaak just finished his last basketball ball practice last weekend. He really loves the game, so I think we'll sign him up for the next class up.

Here he is practicing a lay up.

Travis got 4 tickets to see a college level basketball game at Creighton. I said, "Instead of us all going, why don't you ask if Elijah and Tyson can go with you and Isaak?" Elijah is my nephew that's Isaak's age. He loves basketball! I knew Tyson my Brother-in-law would like to go to.

They went, and had a lot of fun! Creighton lost, but it was still fun for them.

Isaak is ready to play real games he tells me. The class he was in was to learn what basketball is all about.

Are your kids into any sports? 

Working Class Lab Coat Size 8-10 Review

My boys have a Science Fair every year at school. I thought this Working Class Lab Coat Size 8-10 would be great to review.

Size it Up:

The lab coats are sized a bit larger, to give room to grow and to wear over heavy clothing, so make sure to check the measurements before buying. They sell lab coats for ages 2-3, 4-6, 6-8 and 8-10. I wish they made one more size up.

I was wondering if it would be too small for Mica that's 10, and just right for Isaak that's 7. Sure enough I was right. I do have to say that my boys are fairly tall for their ages. Do you see how the sleeves look on Mica? They are pretty short. The coat was tight on him to. He took his shirt off to put it on. Since it's for such a wide gap in age, I'd suggest making sleeves that can fold once. Then the sleeves can be long for tall kids, or just right folded up on shorter kids. 

Mica's determined that he wants to wear this lab coat to the Science Fair. I'm pretty sure Isaak will win this fight. The coat fits him better.

Here Isaak is pretending he's a Mad Scientist: 

Fabric: 

• 65% Polyester
• 35% Cotton 
• Imported 
• 3/4 Length Lab Coat
• Long-Sleeved
• Wrinkle-Resistant 
• Button Up Front Closure
• Small Chest Pocket 
• Two Lower Front Pockets 

Pocket Sized Field Guide Booklet:

• Contains a Glossary of Scientific Terms 
• Word Search
• Introduction to the Scientific Method Used to Manufacture the Coats

Overall I think the Working Class Lab Coat is fun. My kids have always loved to role play. They're little actors. I think this will be fun for the Science Fair. 

Disclaimer: I received product mentioned for free in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

WW: Thurgood Marshall {Linky}

Mica had to dress up as Thurgood Marshall for a Black History play.

He told us that he needed a grey wig, and a grey mustache the night before the play. It was the same day I ran around to go to the doctor and pharmacy because Isaak had Strep Throat. I said to Mica, "I'm only going to get you what we can find here at the pharmacy. Next time let me know stuff like this a week before you need it. Not the night before."

We looked. Of course they didn't have grey hairspray. I said, "You can be a young Thurgood Marshall, and have black hair. He reluctantly said, "Ok."

When we got home, and Mica said, "Oh I need back rimmed glasses to." I asked, "What happened to your black rimmed glasses you had from before?" He said, "Isaak broke them!"

A light bulb went off: I can paint all this on him. We tested it out the night before. Then Travis painted it on the day of. He forgot to take pictures. Mica's hair was all slicked back, painted back, and I even put highlights of grey in it with the face make-up.

These are after school pictures when his hair wasn't what it was before school. By the way he had a robe to wear at school. His glasses aren't perfect, but it's what we as parents could do at the last minute. Mica was happy. His teacher and classmates got a good giggle out of his painted on glasses and mustache.

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Mica must feel some kind of connection with Thurgood Marshall. He picked him to color last year for art. 

 

Pearl Chalcedony Citrine Earrings 'Radiant Love' Review

I really love the color red-orange. It's my favorite!

I received for a discount Pearl Chalcedony Citrine Earrings 'Radiant Love' to review. Novica has never disappointed me. I love these earrings like all their other products I own!

It came in a beautiful bag. I've said this before, the items that come from Novica make excellent gifts. The whole package is put together well with a lot of thought!

Novica has a little book that comes with their merchandise as well. This one tells of the Peridot & Silver Necklace 'Chennai Promise' as well as a little bit about the artist: Shanker.

The Book Says:

By Nareerat: To create my jewelry, I like to sit in the middle of the materials – colorful stones and pearls in many shapes... Nature is a reference for my designs. 

Radiant Love: Beautiful and colorful, gemstones cluster in exquisitely feminine earrings. Nareerat knots peridot and pearls on silken strands with citrine, quartz and orange chalcedony. They hang from silver wires. .925 Sterling silver hooks

About the Artist:

Nareerat Tansuwansophon is the designer, but you can call her Lek. She was born into a Catholic family in Trang province, in southern Thailand. Her mother passed away after she was born. She is the youngest child of six siblings and have three brothers and two sisters. Her family members are merchants. Her house was next to the church so she did many activities at the church. Her family believed in God, just as she does. In 1982, after she graduated from grade nine, she moved to Bangkok. There she was a secretarial major at the Convert of the Holy Infant Jesus School, where she studied for three years. Then she worked as a buyer at a foreign trading agency until 1992 when an enamel company asked her to work in their marketing department. She thought it was a good opportunity so she worked there for three years before she quit to get married. Her hobby is origami, folding papers into many shapes. In 1996, her first daughter was born. She named her Ice. While she was pregnant, she spent all of my time doing origami. It made me get better and appreciate art. After she had some time off for being pregnant, she went back to work for another three years until she had cute twin sons in 2000. They are H and OAT. She quit working again when she had the twins and devoted all my time to them. When she moved to a new house about a year later, she was so bored. She wanted to have her own small business so she looked for products at the big Bangkok market she liked several kinds of jewelry so she bought some of them to sell at her sister's shop. The feedback was great, so she decided to design her own jewelry in 2004.

She prefers to design and craft the jewelry herself. She wanted to make something different from what one would find in the market. She she bought a book about making jewelry and the processes. She started from the beginning. It was so hard before she finished and it took her a long time to make the first piece. When she knew the basics and the process, she started to design by herself. She tried for a long time until she got better. Finally, in September of 2005, she opened her own small shop.

Many companies do not give the artist very much support. Not Novica. They always support the artist. 

These earrings are so captivating!

Features:

• They are made in Thailand
• Sterling silver
• Cultured Pearl
• Peridot
• Citrine
• Chalcedony
• Dyed Quartz
• Glass
• Hook Earrings
• Cost: $39.95, but on sale for $17.09

Measurements:

• 1.6" L x 0.6" W

I love this. The colors stand out. They are warm, and inviting. The green compliments the red. Such a beautiful design!

Disclaimer: I received product mentioned at a discount in exchange for a review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Question of the Month

Once a month, a bunch of us take part in a bloghop called Question of the Month. It's where we answer a question... of the month.

This month's question is "Have you ever met a hero/idol/major influence? How did it go?"

I haven't met anyone face to face, close enough to have a conversation with.

I have met some celebs from a distance.

Back in 2000 Danny Glover spoke at my grad school graduation. He's a better actor, than he is a public speaker. I also wouldn't say that he's someone I idolize.

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Back in 1999 they filmed A Legend of Bagger Vance in Savannah, Georgia (where I went to school). I was hoping to meet Will Smith, or Matt Damon. Nope. I really only got to see the child actors in the film, and Robert Redford - who was the director of the movie. 

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I'd have to say that I like the singers I've seen on stage: Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, and Ani DiFranco. I loved and related to many of their lyrics. Did I mention that I used to get made fun of because I liked girl singers? Some people joked that I was a lesbian. So what if I was? If I was a guy and liked guy singers, would that make me gay? So silly! Anyhow I like watching live performers! Tori Amos played 2 pianos at once. How cool!

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So no I haven't talked face to face with anyone famous. Yes I've been up close to see famous people live. What about you?

Castile Soap - Unscented Review

I love cleaning with things that do not have a ton of chemicals added!

I just got Castile Soap to review. Yep I'm using it to clean with! 

Castile Soap has been around so long. That's why I trust it so much. I've used the bar version to make my own laundry soap. It works!

TriNova's Castile Soap liquid form works as well. You do need to dilute it down with water to use it.

Last week I dropped my 1 cup measuring cup that had my sauce for my stir fry in it. It had turmeric in the sauce. I was worried our floor that Travis just put in not too long ago would be yellow for awhile. After picking up all the glass pieces we could see, I decided to try out the Castile Soap.

The Floor Cleaner: 

1/2 cup TriNova's Castile Soap, drops of peppermint essential oil to 3 gallons of mop water and cleaned the floor.

Bam it was clean!

I decided to try a recipe on the back of the TriNova's Castile Soap to see how well I'd like their All Purpose Cleaner:

1/4 cup soap added to 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. I added drops of lemon essential oil.

Bam it cleaned under and around my toilet really well! I want to point out that it's not sudsy. I wasn't making a mess to clean.

Other things you can try:

• For Clean Dishes: 1:10 in hot water.

• To Protect Plants: 1 Tbs soap in 1 quart of water with a dash of cayenne to discourage bugs. 

• To Sterilize Fruits and Vegetables: 1 Tsp in a bowl of water to remove pesticides and residue. 

• For Soft and Smooth Skin: One small squirt applied to a washcloth or wet hands. *I'll be using this when the boys go to their outdoor camp.

• Use it as a natural glass cleaner. It will make your glassware, mirrors, and windows streak-free.

It really can be used to clean anything! I love that a little bit goes a long way! You get 32 ounces, but it's diluted down with water every time.


It's not very expensive: $34.97, but on sale for $17.97.

Have you used Castile Soap before?

Disclaimer: I received product mentioned for free in exchange for a review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Sleep Talker

When Isaak was sick with Strep Throat he had nightmares. It kind of trickled into when he started feeling better a few times. I think he's back to normal now.

Isaak woke up crying one night. I took him to the bathroom, told him it was just a dream, and tucked him back in. I think that time he had a dream that someone was trying to poke his eyes out. Scary indeed.

After that Isaak started crying again. Travis went in there, he talked to him awhile, and came out saying, "That is creepy! I've never experienced talking with someone that looks awake, but is still sleeping! That's just not right!"

I said, "Oh he's like me." Travis looked at me like I was crazy. I said, "Travis I used to be like that...my sister would have full blown conversations with me. Then the next day she'd ask me about our conversation, and I didn't remember any of it."

What Isaak and I have experienced with looking awake, but still dreaming isn't quite the same as night terrors. Mica had night terrors before. Mica would just scream cry, but would not say a word. Isaak on the other hand will talk with you like he gets what you are saying, but starts talking like he's in his dream at the same time.

Is Sleep Talking bad for you?

I found a great article here that goes over sleep talking. Studies show that it's not bad for you. Often times kids outgrow it. I did for the most part. It's not healthy if it's on going, but if it's a once in awhile thing, it's not a big deal.

Often times sleep talking occurs when there's a stress in someones life. Stress doesn't have to be something that happens at school, or in the family. It can be from getting sick, or not getting enough sleep.

Should you wake up a sleep talker?

It depends. If it bothers someone that shares a room with sleep talker, they can try to wake them. While that may work for some people, usually waking them only encourages them to talk more. It gives the sleeper more to talk about.

I sort of remember talking in my sleep at times. The real world mixes with the dream world. Just like you remember your dreams at times, and forget them other times, the same goes for sleep talking. Sometimes I'd make sense to the real world, while other times I'd make no sense at all because I was in my dreamland.

Is sleep talking treatable?

Just try and take care of the stress in the sleep talker's life. Have good sleep habits: Go to bed on time, wake up at a similar time everyday, and if you're a sleep talking adult lay off alcoholic drinks right before bed.

When do you worry about a sleep talker?

You only need to worry if it's consistent. A serial nocturnal conversationalist would be a concern.

I'm still going to let Isaak's pediatrician's office know that he's talked in his sleep. Just in case there's a sleep apnea problem.

Have you been around someone that talks in their sleep?

Peridot & Silver Necklace 'Chennai Promise'

I really love the colors red-orange and green. The prettiest green is the same color at the stone Peridot.

I received for a discount Peridot & Silver Necklace 'Chennai Promise to review. It's nothing like what I own already. I have to say that I love it!

It came in a beautiful bag. I've said this before, the items that come from Novica make excellent gifts. The whole package is put together well with a lot of thought!

Novica has a little book that comes with their merchandise as well. This one tells of the Peridot & Silver Necklace 'Chennai Promise' as well as a little bit about the artist: Shanker.

The Book Says:

By Shanker: I started designing and crafting sterling silver jewelry and slowly, with the help of family and friends, I was able to establish myself in the field. 

Chennai Promise: Surrounded by luminous sterling silver, peridot glows with the verdant promise of nature's fortunes. Shanker creates the extravagant design of the necklace featuring a sleek snake chain.

I just love how Novica supports different artists!

The necklace is so pretty!

Features:

• They are made in India
• Sterling silver and peridot
• High polish finish
• Snake chain
• Spring ring clasp
• Cost: $75.95, but on sale for $39.99

Measurements:

• Chain: 15.75" L
• Chain Width: 1mm
• Pendant: 1.4" L x 0.6" W x 0.2" D

I love this. It's so different from anything I have already.

Disclaimer: I received product mentioned at a discount in exchange for a review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.