Summer plans

Summer break is finally upon us! I'm sure things will change, but for now I plan to follow the fun schedule you can see all over Pinterest.

1) Make something Monday - do a craft, plant something, bake together, etc.

2) Take a Trip Tuesday - go somewhere new and fun!

3) Wet and Wild Wednesday - kiddie pools, water balloon fights, squirt guns, you get the idea.

4) Thoughtful Thursday - do something kind for someone.

5) Fun Friday - This is kind of a free for all, but it can be a special activity, or no chores and reading time, pizza for dinner, etc.

This plan may have to be flexible. My son has behavior coaching four days a week, so we will have to work our schedule around or with them. Being out and about in the community is one of the things we are targeting for him this summer, so I'm guessing they will come with us on some of our field trips.

I also plan on having the kids read at least 20 minutes every day and do some worksheets so they don't fall behind. Like the mean mom that I am. :)

I will let you all know how it goes!

Free Comic Book Day!

Being a geeky family, we have our big events every year. Renaissance festival, Phoenix Comicfest, FanFest, the release of every Marvel or Star Wars movie, etc.  And the one we look forward to at the beginning of every May is Free Comic Book Day.

For those of you who don’t know, it is the first Saturday of every May, when comic publishers release special editions of comics for retailers to give away for free at the event. The goal is to get people interested in comics series they may not have read yet, and to step foot in a comic store and hopefully buy some stuff.

We were extra excited this year because rather than having to drive 30 minutes to a shop in a neighboring town, a comic shop opened up this year in our community. Surprise Comics did an amazing job with the event!

My family tried to get there early so we could see a wider selection of the free issues before they were gone. Getting everyone up and out the door on a Saturday morning proved to be challenging, but we got there about a half hour after the store opened.

We were greeted by someone handing out raffle tickets. They did a drawing on the hour throughout the day and posted the winning tickets on Facebook throughout the day in case customers had already left the store. Prizes included posters and figurines. Sadly, we did not win! Maybe next time.

Besides the free comic books, the shop had a lot of items on sale. There were several boxes of books for only $5 each, but my husband and I couldn’t browse for long because our kids were eager to get to the free stuff.  There was a table set up near the back of the store with all the free issues.

One of the things we love about free comic book day is the wide variety of content that can appeal to the various tastes of my family. We were each allowed to pick two comics, and all of us came home with something different:

• Chris – The Amazing Spiderman and Overwatch
• Me – Terry Moore’s Strangers in Paradise and Marvel’s Rising
• Superboy – Pokemon and The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Boo – Dr. Who and Star Wars
• Tink – Invader Zim and Miraculous Adventures

Once we grabbed our free books, the kids got their faces painted. Superboy became Spiderman and Tink got a lovely unicorn on her forehead. Boo opted not to be painted due to sensory issues (he doesn’t like stuff on his face).

There were comic book artists on hand demonstrating how they do their work, which was fascinating or Tink since she wants to be an artist.

We also wanted to buy stuff to support our local shop, so the kids picked out some Lego minifigures and Chris got some too for his desk at work (he’s the cool guy with the Super Saiyan Goku minifig at his workstation now).

On the way out of the store, they handed each of us a back-issue of comics they wanted to clear out of their inventory. So, we walked away with three free books.

Businesses around the store were also taking advantage of the traffic – the insurance agency next store was giving away free hot dogs, juice boxes and candy. My kids thought it was the best day ever.

Every store has different activities surrounding Free Comic Book day. One of the events we attended in Glendale last year had a mini-convention, with artists showing off and selling their works, as well as vendors selling their creations. Many shops have cosplayers who dress as super heroes on hand to meet and greet with the kids. My brother’s comic book shop in Michigan had an amazing Wonder Woman to greet guests.

I hope this rundown of Free Comic Book Day inspires you to bring your kids next year! It’s a great free event to take your kiddos.

Starting my annual MoviePass subscription

I signed up for an annual subscription to MoviePass for my birthday. Why? Because I love movies and having one is a nice excuse to treat myself to one from time and time.

For those of you not familiar to the program, you buy a monthly, quarterly or annual pass (depending on what types of deals they are offering when you sign up) and you can see a movie every day. You cannot see more than one movie in a day, and you can not see repeat movies.

My therapist asked me during a session what I like to do for fun. I have a special needs child and haven’t done a great job on emotional self-care lately, AKA finding time for myself to unwind. Since going to movies by myself when my husband can be home with the kids or they are in school is a great way to spend two hours in which no one can talk to me, she encouraged me to do this more.

I’ve only gone to four movies with the pass so far. Check in has bee very easy and I have experienced no problems. I’ve also seen movies I wouldn’t have spent the time or money to see in the theater, but have enjoyed just the same.

I don’t know if the business model of MoviePass is sustainable over a long period of time, so I’m going to see as many movies as possible in the next year or for as long as I can. I need to see at least 15 movies to break even on my cost – no problem.

So overall, I call the plan a win. I will update more as things progress!

The "A Quiet Place" Experience

The year was 1995. It was a sweltering summer day in our small town, which was celebrating its annual peach festival. In the middle of the day, 15-year-old me and probably half the town were seeking sanctuary in the air-conditioned theater. It was so packed that people were standing in the back (probably against fire code, but no one cared).

The movie was Apollo 13. Not one of the biggest blockbusters in history, but I will never forget the experience of watching it in that packed theater. Because in those moments when those astronauts were re-entering Earth’s orbit and had lost communication with NASA, we all waited with baited breath. When the voice finally sounded over their radio, the entire theater burst into thunderous cheers.

It was unlike anything I had ever experienced in a movie theater. To me, those unique shared moments of an audience are what makes certain films cement in our memories forever.

You know what I’m talking about.

Waiting in line at midnight to see The Phantom Menace, and the entire crowd screaming when the scrolling words and music played. A brand-new Star Wars movie!

Watching the Blair Witch Project, which launched the whole “found footage” style of movies, and some people not knowing yet that it wasn’t real. (Look, I was 18 and my small town didn’t have great internet.)

I haven’t felt that special theater viewing feeling in a long time, until I went to see A Quiet Place a few weeks ago. For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, it’s set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans are hunted by monsters that can only detect you through sound.

Most of the film is completely silent. The main family, which already knew sign language for their deaf daughter, has built their entire world about remaining as quiet as possible. The hushed mood of the movie, which sent anyone into a panic whenever even the smallest sound was made, carried into the viewers in the audience.

Whenever someone crinkled their snack wrappers or munched on popcorn, all the others would jump and treat that person to a glare.

Because the film was so quiet, you felt the terror the family felt at each noise. You saw sound hazards that could be made in every new scene. Would that hose break and water noise fill the air? An exposed nail – you know someone is going to step on it ad scream. And how in the world are they going to keep their new baby quiet?

With each moment, you sink more and more into the movie’s world and it is brilliant.

A Quiet Place is a good movie for many reasons. John Krasinski and Emily Blunt knocked it out of the park with their acting. And I didn’t know ahead of time that John actually directed the movie. The kids were phenomenal, and the themes of hope, survival, family and parenting were beautifully done.

But it was the feeling of comradery I had with complete strangers when we walked out of the dark theater into the noisy hubbub of the theater lobby that makes this film a great experience. We felt like we had survived…something…together.

A Quiet Place will be out of the theaters soon, and you can watch it when it’s available at home. But if you have the chance, I hope instead you take the time to be afraid of noise with a room full of strangers.

Back to blogging

Well, here I am blogging again. I went through and deleted my old posts because it had been so long, and I wanted to start anew.

I will be blogging about a variety of things, including being geeky mom. There are so many topics I will explore from our crazy life, such as adoption, foster care, special needs parenting, freelance writing, marriage, geek culture, faith, etc.

A little about me:

My husband and I have been married for more than 10 years. He works in the information technology industry and also plays on the worship team at our church. Hubby is slightly addicted to World of Warcraft and will only go to superhero or Star Wars movies with me (not that I’m complaining because I love those too).

I’m a freelance writer. Last year, I stepped down from a regular job, so I could be more available for some extra care one of my kiddos needed. It was quite the leap of faith but has been very rewarding so far. Plus, I’m totally in my pajamas right now.

About four years ago we adopted three amazing kids from foster care. Superboy is obsessed with Minecraft, Boo loves dinosaurs and pretty much anything scientific that he can get his hands on and Tink alternates between wanting to be a superhero or a princess.

Our boys have some special needs, especially Boo, and I’m sure I will blog about from time to time.

We are a super-geeky family. We don’t do sports, but we go to renaissance festivals and comic book conventions instead. We may not shoot hoops, but we have epic lightsaber and wooden sword battles. And lots and lots of Nerf wars (wear protective head gear upon entering our home). We can’t tell you who played in the Superbowl, but we can tell you which Hogwarts house we’re in. I’m Ravenclaw, in case you were wondering.

Thanks for coming along with me as I share our adventures and struggles!

A trip to the jungle

A movie about kids being sucked into a video game? Sounds like the coolest plot possible to my 8yo son. So, one day during winter break, we dropped his younger siblings into the Playcenter at Harkins for some mommy-son movie time.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is out on digital and Blu-ray this month, so I thought I would share my thoughts on the film.

I resented the idea of this movie at first. I mean, why does the classic need to be updated? I loved the original movie. I went into the theater prepared to be annoyed, with the “I’m only here for my kid” attitude.

Truth be told, though, I enjoyed this movie more than I expected. I had several laugh out loud moments, especially if you are familiar with gaming at all.

More importantly, Superboy, my 8yo son, thought it was the funniest movie ever made. So, does it really matter if I’m mad that they remade the classic? They did not take away from the original (even made a few references to it) and it connects with kids from this generation.

We will laugh forever about the “cake weakness.” It’s like the two of us have our own inside joke now.

The cast was amazing and hilarious, specifically The Rock, Kevin Hart and Jack Black. I was excited to see Karen Gillan since I’m a big Doctor Who fan, and I was pleasantly surprised that Colin Hanks showed up toward the end. I’ve loved him since his Roswell days (that show is rebooting this fall, but that’s a blog for another day).

I really liked the concept of these teens having to go into another type of body than they usually were and learn more about themselves in the process. The adult actors did a hilarious job with this. I particularly identified with the nerdy girl who was suddenly the sexy female fighter character. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.

This movie is rated PG-13, so proceed with caution. Every kid is different and what content they can handle varies. My 8yo was fine, but I wouldn’t take my 7yo. There are some swear words, and the latter still hasn’t mastered the art of not repeating everything he hears. Loudly. In public.

There is some penis humor, because Jack Black’s character is a teenage girl stuck in a man’s body, but many of those jokes went way over my kid’s head.

Before I decide if I should take my oldest to a PG-13 movie I haven’t seen yet, I check out the parental guide on IMDB, where they break down everything that gave it that rating. I review it all and make my decision, and sometimes mentally prepare myself for any questions that may arise from the scene.

I find this easier than the random questions that kids throw at me out of the blue, like that time my 5yo asked me where babies come from while waiting in the lobby at church.

Bottom line, this movie was better than my expectations. Was it perfect? No. Is it my all time favorite movie? No. But is it my son’s. Yep. For now, at least.

And the good news for him is there is already talk of a sequel.

Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle is available on digital download March 6 and Blu-Ray March 20.