Friday, November 5, 2010

Movie Review Friday

Happy Friday Everyone!

Before I go to sleep at night, I think about the next day's blog post.  Last night was a no-brainer.  Immediately after we finished our "Family Movie Night", I knew that I had to do a post on my new Pixar favorite, "Toy Story 3."


I understand that I am a little behind on this one, but Peanut was too little for us to go see it in the theater when it was playing.  We decided to wait until it came out on DVD.

Before I talk about this movie, I just want to mention what we had for dinner, because I am going to share a quick recipe at the end of this post.  Peanut's Dad has his top 5 or 6 dinner favorites that he will suggest every time I ask him what he wants for dinner.  In fact, if he could have tacos every single day, he would.  BUT, no tacos last night.  We had one of his other favorites...burgers and fries.  I do not wish to mislead you or pick on Peanut's Dad here, because I love burgers and fries too.  Lately, I have been cutting my own "fries" into wedges and "frying" them in the oven.  (Recipe at the end of this post.)

Peanut's Dad has drill this weekend (he is a Senior Chief in the Navy), so we planned for a "Family Movie Night" after dinner.

I will admit, I have always been a Pixar fan, almost any of their movies are loved in this household.  I actually thought that maybe since it was the THIRD ONE, it wouldn't be as good as the first.  Movie trilogies are like that...SOMETIMES.  Not this time.  I. LOVED. IT.

There are many reasons why I loved this movie.  I understand that I need to be careful with what I type, in case one of my readers have not seen it yet. (NO SPOILERS IN THIS BLOG)

I absolutely loved each and every one of the new characters...especially these two...


Barbie and Ken in this movie are not quite what I had in my childhood mind, but their personalities and behaviors are SO FITTING, especially watching this as an adult.  I'm still laughing...

I already told myself that this should not be a lengthy post, so I will not gush and carry on about ALL of the aspects that I loved...but I really saw some strong examples of great life lessons we all should be practicing.

LOYALTY:  These toys are friends, such close friends that they are like family.  They stick together and have each others' backs.  This is an element missing in many families today.  It's a very powerful example for our children.  To feel like you're important and you belong is key to a healthy life.  I will ALWAYS be there for my children and they will ALWAYS feel that they belong in this family.

ANTI-BULLYING:  This is a tough one to talk about, because it will give away the story line.  Let me just say that one of the new characters shows clear traits of a bully and I applaud Pixar for showing a zero-tolerance for bullying in the other characters.

LOVE:  This goes hand-in-hand with loyalty, but many, many times throughout the movie, you get a true sense of how the characters (toys and human "owners") love each other so much that they would do anything for each other, even if that means being as unselfish as possible.

RESPECT:  There is an instance where the toys are put into a different situation and they are not treated with care and respect.  I believe that any child that sees this movie will put some thought into treating their own toys, along with the property of others, a little better.  I also believe that this important lesson will carry over into how our children treat others as they grow older.

Okay, enough of that.  Please see the movie.  Watch it with your children, watch it with your spouse.  We will watch it many, many times in the "Peanut" household.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jaime "Peanut's Mom"

P.S. As promised...the recipe for oven-fried potato wedges...(By the way, MUCH HEALTHIER than regular french fries!!!)

Ingredients:

Potatoes (Use 2-3 potatoes per person)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Wash potatoes and slice into 8 wedges each.

Spread wedges onto cookie sheet. 

Drizzle with approximately 1/2 cup of olive oil.

Season with salt and pepper. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes and then flip wedges and bake for another 15-20 minutes* until golden brown.

*BAKE TIME CAN BE ADJUSTED FOR CRISPINESS.



ENJOY!!! =)

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for posting recipe ideas. I tried these this afternoon and my boys really liked them. I will be watching for more.
    -Myra

    ReplyDelete