Four Reasons You Should See Sherlock Gnomes

Sherlock Gnomes

If you follow us on social media you would have seen that we had a lot of fun last Saturday morning! We were lucky enough to be invited to a screening of Sherlock Gnomes by our friends the Ed Huck Team. It was such a cute movie that we wanted to give you four reasons to head to the theater and see it yourself!  Rest assured this is a brief review with no spoilers and I can assure you no gnomes were smashed in its creation.

Oh comes HOME!

Thanks to gofobo and Regal Theatres we got a sneak peek of the movie HOME. Such a cute movie. HOME is a DreamWorks Animation, 20th Century Fox production. With a cast full of stars including Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Steve Martin ans Jennifer Lopez how can you go wrong. 

Dinner and a Movie Night at Home with Big Hero 6

Big Hero 6 hit Blu-Ray/DVD today. Jude and Joel were so excited to see it at Target today. I was too because I haven't seen it yet. Grandma, Uncle Mike and Miss Cassy took Jude and Joel to see to movie when it came out. It is one of the first that I have missed seeing with them and they haven't let me live it down. They could hardly wait to watch it. They got in PJ's quickly and I made homemade pizza for dinner and a movie!

What's a Drive-In Mommy?

The kids were asking to go see the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie.  We were debating whether to let them see it because it is rated PG-13.  Our children are very rarely afraid of anything, which is mostly a good thing, so we decided that we would give it a whirl.  Jude had already seen his first big kid movie- Earth to Echo (seen here), but this would be Joel's first people movie.

Movies Under the Stars

Fun was had by all at Crocker Park yesterday night during the playing of The Lego Movie.  What a beautiful night for a movie under the stars. Movies start at dusk which is about 9:15-9:30 pm around these parts. Spaces filled up quickly so it was a good thing we got there early, around 8 pm.  We saw a bunch of wonderful friends as we waited.  We snapped some pics and ate some yummy snacks including a delicious pita pizza from Liquid Planet and a chocolaty brownie and some fudge from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.  

This was not our first viewing of The Lego Movie having seen it during its first run in theaters, however it was still a big hit with this family. The animations are really great and there is a Lego character for everyone to root for.  I think the moral of the story is to take things as they come in life and even though things might not be as perfect as you were planning to build them, maybe things turn out differently for a reason and might even be better in the end.  A great lesson for everyone!

Movies, Fries and Milkshakes

Tonight was mommy and Jude date night.  On the bill was a movie at Crocker Park and then a snack. I had promised Jude his first "big boy" movie experience (i.e. a people movie) when he learned to ride his bike. So what did he pick to see?  Earth to Echo a movie about as Jude put it bikes, phones and friends.

What a great movie for kids.  I know I have seen mixed reviews saying it just steals from ET and Goonies, but kids really won't know or care.  The robot alien is really cute.  It is a movie about friendship and teaches kids the value of standing by your true friends.  It is a touching story about a group of kids trying to savor their last couple of hours together before they must all move away from each other.  The characters are endearing, especially "Munch".  Throughout the movie it tries to show kids that no matter how many miles come between you and the people you love, it won't take away the bond of friendship.

After the movie came snack time.  Off to one of our favorite spots Bspot and Lola Fries and Chocolate Banana Marshmallow Milkshakes.  What a great combo.  If you've never experienced toasted marshmallows on a milkshake you're missing out on one of the tastiest things ever!!!

Our night ended with a quick stroll around Crocker Park to walk off our snacks.  We snapped a few more pics.  We enjoyed the beautiful summer weather.  And as Jude said, we had the "best night ever!!"

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 Full of Food but Lacking in Flavor

The kids and I met our friends Miss Kristin and Aidan at Crocker Park Regal Theater yesterday for a matinee showing of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.  We were all excited about the showing.  We enjoyed the first movie.  In fact we had gotten a copy from the library this week to watch in anticipation of going to see the sequel this weekend. 

Well Cloudy 2 has Flint Lockwood, Sam, Steve and the rest of the gang back in action battling giant living fruits, vegetables and entrees such as an enormous crocodile taco or spider cheeseburger created by the FLDSMDFR (Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator) which creates food from water.  The food is adorable and provides funny humor throughout the movie.  What the movie is lacking however is a strong story line.

Inventor Chester V is the villain of the film with his right hand ape Barb. As villains go Chester is nothing to right home about.  He does however provide for learning opportunities about what true friends really are, and how to treat friends.  Chester refers to Barb throughout the movie as a "monkey" completely indifferent to the fact she is really an ape and this upsets her.  Chester also tries to get Flint to stray from his true friends to get him to help with his master plan. 

The cutest character by far is a lovable strawberry Sam aptly names Barry.  But even Barry can't make up for the fact that the story strays and stutters before coming to a predicable conclusion.  Am I sorry that I spent money to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 in the theater? Well no.  It was an hour and 35 minutes of pleasantly delectably foodimals.  Will we be bringing the movie home on dvd or blueray?  Probably not worth the money.  

Mega Laughs Matinee with Despicable Me 2

So Steve has been out of town all week which leaves me and the boys to our own devices. We muddle along pretty good most of the time. Usually something breaks, this time it was the drain stopper in the upstairs bathroom sink. But by and by we do pretty good on our own.

When daddy goes out of town I usually pick one day for a mommy and sons moment. This time it was a movie matinee. So yesterday afternoon we all pack up in the car and headed to the theater. They had seen the preview for Despicable Me 2 during the previews for Monsters University and had been asking to go ever since.

So what can I say about Despicable Me 2 other than it's a great family movie. The kids and I loved it! It had the whole theater laughing. It tells the story of Gru (voice by Steve Carell) and his girls Margo, Agnes and Edith and the his delightfully mighty minions. In the movie Gru gets himself back in the game, as he puts it, this time fighting a super villain with his new partner Lucy of the Anti Villain League.

As with most family movies there are lessons to be learned along the way. Despicable Me 2 has kids learning these lessons in a comical way even parents will enjoy. Tied in with a cute love story and a group of girls that want a mom of their own it is an excellent summer flick!

So daddy comes home today. The boys are chomping at the bit to give him all the details of the weeks activities. I'm sure Despicable Me 2 will be high on their list of must tells!

Fabulously Busy Weekend

So this was a crazy busy fun weekend. Friday night we were scheduled to go to a Lake County Captains game. But the radar showed a lot of rain, so we went to plan B- the movies. Well we had a great time at the movies (apparently we would have also had a great time at the baseball game since it never rained.

So Friday night Uncle Mike and his girlfriend joined us for dinner and a movie. We went to Crocker Park and had a blast. Dinner was Liquid Planet. They have great smoothies, pitas, salads, rice bowls and more. If you haven't been you definitely should give them a try. It is a nice light and healthy way to do dinner in the summer.

So for the movie we had to do Monsters University. The kids have been talking about it since they saw the movie trailer. The movie didn't disappoint.  Sulley and Mike were as cute as ever in their roles. There are some great lessons about friendship, working hard and honesty mixed in with some hilariously funny monster amusement.

Saturday was another event filled day. Jude had swimming lessons in the morning. Then after a quick stop at Costco and lunch Steve took the boys to the St. Bernadette Festival for some rides and games. They both came home with a "super fast" race car (until they both lost their engines by bedtime). After a short nap we decided to try round two with a Lake County Captains game. The rain held off- thank goodness! We had a yummy dinner and ice cream. The kids got to run with Skipper on the field and then after another sad loss by the Captains, we saw a great post game fireworks show.

We started Sunday at church. We then had to get ready for the WECPTA babysitting coop picnic. For those of you that our unaware of what a babysitting coop is, let me tell you they are great. It is basically a group of parents that get together and create a coupon system where by you exchange coupons for babysitting time. Well the Novaks were hosting the picnic this year. We had a great turn out. Jude and Joel had some meltdowns along the way. They are just not used to that many people in out house at once. Joel at least found a friend at the end, Jude not so much. But either way it was a learning experience of things we must work on.

The kids were back at Creative Playrooms this morning. Mom got a necessary breather. We need to gear up for the Fourth!  Stay tuned for more Novak Family fun to come!