Smurfs Movie?

Yes it's true - I just read that Columbia Pictures and Sony are getting ready to make a Smurfs movie. I guess it was inevitable; its becoming a common thing to take children's television shows from the 80's and turn them into movies (Transformers anyone?) Some of these turn out pretty good but others, like G.I. Joe, are destined for the discount DVD bin.

I have to say that I am seriously looking forward to Spike Jonze's Where The Wild Things Are. I'm not sure it's going to be 'kid friendly' but being as how I don't have kids ... I don't really care, adult friendly works for me. I'm so glad they went with live-action on this one and the puppets from Jim Henson Creature Shop are going to be amazing.

Another one I'm looking forward to is Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. The original Disney version was my absolute favorite movie as a kid. I've seen every subsequent version that I've been able to get my hands on (and there are MANY). I even own "The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll" as well as "Lewis Carroll, Photographer" (a fabulous gift from my sister!); both of which I recommend to any Alice fans. "Still She Haunts Me" is another great book about the relationship between Charles Dodgson and the real life Alice; its a bit disturbing but definitely intriguing. But back to the movie - I'm a little nervous about Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter only because his Willy Wonka was so horrific, but I have faith that they will pull it off in the end.

So which television shows or books from your childhood would you like to see remade into big screen movies and who would you cast or have direct?

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The Amazing Bento

What was your favorite subject in grade school? Most kids would say recess, which is nothing if not honest. But what about lunch?

Lunch was the shit people.

Each August, the day my sister and I went to the store to pick out our new lunch boxes was simultaneously the most exciting and most stressful day of my life (yes, my anxiety disorder started at a young age - but I digress) The lunch box had to be super cool, but not the most popular thing because then every other kid would have it too. It had to be original. And it could not be too babyish - I mean as eight year olds we all still watched The Smurfs but we weren't going to admit it to each other and walking through the class with a public announcement that you did was social suicide. I can still remember the purple Mickey & Minnie Mouse gem that was the shining star of my third grade existence. But imagine if your parents sent you off with one of these boxes -> I mean the colors are cute enough but seriously ... L-A-M-E. But these little boxes hold a secret; a secret that would instantly make you the King or Queen of the lunch room and the envy of the entire student body. These are Bento boxes. Have you heard of Bento? If not, wiki defines it as "a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. [...] Although bento is readily available in many places throughout Japan [...],it is still common for Japanese homemakers to spend considerable time and energy producing an appealing boxed lunch." But even from this definition you cannot appreciate the magic that is - Bento. Imagine now, that you opened that innocent looking box to reveal this ...

I discovered Bento several months ago on 'adventures in bento making'. I was instantly amazed. She makes one of these almost everyday. Sometimes for herself and sometimes for her husband but often for her children. Some of my favorites are the ones which were inspired by the tv show LOST. I have posted a few below but you must go visit her site and check out the gallery for yourself.

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On the down side, as an eight year old I would probably rather die than eat the amount of broccoli that she includes in these things but at least I would die as the kid with the coolest lunch.

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OMG Herself The Elf!

This is a bit indulgent I know but after my Picture Pages flashback it got me thinking about other great 80's fashions, fads and tv shows that I miss. That's way too much for one post so this one is just going to be a reminder of some of the greatest toys we had in the 80's...

I think we all remember the biggies ... He-Man & She-Ra, Smurfs, California Raisins, Popples, Rainbow Bright, Light Brite (personal fav), Teddy Ruxbin, Care Bears etc. but you may have forgotten about these...

MAD BALLS

SEA WEES

(I'm pretty sure these came with sponges and their tails would change color with cold water)

WRINKLES DOGS

(Did we really ever think these were cute?)

SWEET SECRETS

(You probably remember Polly-Pocket but what about these??)

MY PET MONSTER

(Proof that you could pretty much slap some hot-pink on anything and kids would want it in the 80's)

PILLOW PEOPLE
(I don't remember this one - seems a bit violent to me - I'm pretty sure mine involved some sort of zebra print)

WUZZLES

(These were a poor-man's Care Bear but I definitely had one ... what does that say about me?)

PUR-TENDERS

(What's with the obession over animals with an identity crisis?)

POOCHIE

POGO-BALL

(There were some serious throw-downs on the playground blacktop over these)

HERSELF THE ELF!

(This one is mostly for my sister's sake - does anyone else remember her?)

POCKET ROCKERS

(Who needs an I-Pod when you have one of these??)

I could go on and on - its probably gotten a bit obnoxious already. Anyone remember more?

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The Back Yard "Before"

As promised I have finally uploaded some pictures (well .... one picture) of my back yard "before" the transformation. There are a few key items that I wanted to point out in fear that you would miss the best bits.

A: This is a lovely example of the overgrown madness that was left by the previous owners. This was originally one half of a matching set until ...

B: The second half fell over under its own weight.

C: These are some super cute flower pots generously purchased by my mother-in-law on her last visit from Holland. She and my husband took a trip to Home Depot one day while I was at work and I came home to a pansy delight in the back yard. It was great - but as previously mentioned we are lazy people and it didn't last long. Notice the total lack of flora currently in the cute pots.

D: We purchased these hedge clippers during our first spring in the house - if only we had used them we might not have been in this mess.

E: Can you believe we recycle? GO EARTH!! :)

F: This DRUM can is my husband's main contribution to the outside decore. Notice the rust (perhaps he thinks this makes it an "antique").

SIDE NOTE: While adding the labels to my photo I was overwhelmed with the most amazing feeling that I was just like Bill Cosby in Picture Pages. If only I had the magic musical pen it would have been an 80's dream come true! (The addition of some slouch socks and a slap braclet would have sent me over the top!)

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