Too Scary or Too Soft?

The Hoos has been complaining about the nightly viewings of Tinkerbell. I saved it to the DVR a couple of months ago and it has become required viewing as part of the bedtime ritual. LP still loves it.

Fortuitously, I received a copy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the mail Monday. I was stoked for some new entertainment. I couldn't wait to tell LP when I picked her up from school. I also thought it would be good to show her that Snow White was more than just one of the princesses on her Pull-Ups or a type of Barbie. We watched a few minutes during dinner, but LP requested that I turn it off right around the time that the Hunter considered killing Snow White as per the Queen's demands.

When we put the movie on again before bed (at LP's request), I skipped ahead to Snow White's first encounter with all of the lovely little animals in the woods. From there on LP was transfixed. When I returned to the living room after putting AK to sleep, LP caught me up, "The little men think it is their house, but it is Snow White's house! And they didn't want to wash their hands!" We had to promise we would watch more of the movie tomorrow in order to get her to bed. Of course, we haven't gotten to the part where the evil queen shows up disguised as a crone bearing an apple. I am a little concerned at how LP will react to that scene, but I think (hope?) a lot of the scary parts go over her head.

Admittedly, it has been a while since I watched Snow White. And it is kind of scary. Back in the day (it came out in 1937) I have to imagine that kids were so excited to see a movie that they were more willing to tolerate parts that were frightening. Or, maybe they were made of tougher stuff. Also, the art of movie-making has changed. Nowadays it is all about action and capturing a kid's attention for the duration of the film. Snow White tells the story at a more measured pace.

So, what do you think? Were kids better equipped to handle scary stories back in the day? A friend recently commented on some characters in Dumbo being less than pleasant and we all know how things worked out for Bambi's mom...

By the way, the art of animation has come a long way in the last seven decades! While the DVD pack I got comes with both DVD and Blu-Ray versions of the movie, we don't have Blu-Ray (which apparently is quite high-def and awesome - in addition to being kid proof; key since LP inserted our DVD and it skipped because she smeared cheese on it), although I can't really see how any high-definition would actually improve the quality, since the original movie animation doesn't have a lot of detail. Snow White doesn't really have a chin and is sort of blobby. Then again, maybe the scary parts are more palatable because Snow White doesn't look realistic - the way characters in more modern animated films might.

Check it out for yourself (the DVD/Blu-Ray pack comes out today) and let me know what you think - too scary for a three-year old? Or do you have any memories to share of being frightened by a seemingly benign Disney classic?

As I am sure you are well aware, the DVD did not magically arrive at my home - it was sent to me by One2OneMarketing to review.

Outstanding Questions

In the last few days I have been asked some parenting questions. Not the "Dear Abby" kind, because lord knows I am no advice columnist, but on a more personal level.

The other day a colleague with two daughters similar in age to LP and AK asked me, "Honestly, isn't it so much harder than you thought it would be?"

Not really. But mostly because I didn't put any expectations on the job. I just wanted to be an awesome wife and mother. When my kids are trying or difficult or thriving and fabulous I remind myself, "This is what I signed up for." Being a mom means taking the good with the bad. It means glowing in a brilliant move made by your progeny and shielding them from the flames of others (and focusing your own on them) when they do something unacceptable.

When I am not complaining about my daughters, and even when I am, I love them. I always wanted to have children and be a mom and I often feel like the luckiest person on the planet (okay, maybe not on Monday). Which leads me to the second question:

Are you going to go for three?

I have been blessed with two happy, healthy little girls. Munchkins that are now getting really good at playing together and entertaining one another. I can see the end in sight for diapers. With each classroom promotion at day care, I see my bills decrease. Our family fits perfectly into my CRV and there is even room for me in between the car seats if need be (the same can't be said for the Hoos' Accord unfortunately). Sure we are outgrowing our house, but everyone has their own bedroom.

I am also worried about pushing our luck. AK was born with a knot in her umbilical cord. In the delivery room, when we asked the doctors what that could mean, they said, "Nothing. Now. It is good luck." Only recently did I learn just how lucky we were.

I am not closing the door on having another child. But it is a complicated decision that we are not yet ready to answer.

And, to respond to a final question, NO! we do not feel like we "need to try for a boy."

Look into Your Crystal Ball

Okay, I am now a little bit less than three weeks away from my due date. Fortunately, it is still not too late to have a guessing game about when Bun will arrive.

Post your guess in the comments section and the winner will receive a pack of Days Ago digital day counters. If you correctly guess the day and the gender I will throw in Margarita Mama: Mocktails for Moms to Be, a pretty nifty book of cool alcohol-free drink recipes that you don't have to be a mom or pregnant to enjoy!

The only catch - you may not get your prize for a few weeks after Bun's arrival.

Some clues:

• My due date is June 2nd
• LP was born May 28th, three days after her due date
• The baby is in the proper position
• I was 1-2cm dilated and 60% effaced at my 36 week doctor's appointment
• No change in dilation at my 37 week appointment

What Would You Do?

We live in the suburbs. Our house is on the corner of two very nice leafy green streets lined with families.

The view outside my kitchen window is a street that runs along the side of the house. About twice a week a kid from up the street comes and stands opposite my kitchen window and waits. He is probably 15 or 16. After a few minutes a car drives up, same car every time, and a covert exchange is made through the car window.

We have hedges that line the side of the house that provide privacy, as do the people across the street from us, which is probably why the kids chose this spot to make their transaction: the "purchaser" is hidden from his family. Occasionally the kids see me watching them through the window. I stare them down.

Anyway, what do you recommend we do? Do we call the police and ask them to step up patrols? Do we call when we see the kid standing there waiting? We don't want to ruin any one's life or give them a permanent police record, but I don't really want my kids to see drug deals (which I think it is pretty obvious this is) .

Born in a Barn

I was not entirely forthcoming yesterday when I wrote about pregnancy. I do know a lot of women that are pregnant, but I did not count myself in that group. I am just about 15 weeks pregnant with our second child. We are thrilled that LP will be a big sister next June.

When I was pregnant with LP we called her "Bump" since we didn't know her gender and thought it would be odd to keeping changing pronouns or say "it". This baby will also remain gender-unknown until birth so s/he will go by the name of Bun. As in "I have a bun in the oven".

One thing we hear much more frequently this time around is "was this planned?". The first time someone asked me I was astounded by how rude the question was. My mother and the Hoos agreed. We figured maybe this individual was an exception. But then friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances started asking. They ask me, they ask the Hoos, they ask our parents. Not every person, but at least five or six.

To me this sounds like "So, did the rubber break? Did you forget to take your pill one day last month? Do you know how birth control works?"

A. If I didn't know how birth control works, I would have been pregnant a long time ago.
B. This is none of your business. If it was not planned why would I tell random people?

Am I overly-sensitive?

An Ethical Dilemma

LP and I just got back from running errands. Our second stop was at Carter's where I bought long-sleeve white onesies which I found to be indispensable last fall/winter.

Everything went fine until I went to check out. The 4-pack of onesies cost $12. I just happened to have a ten and two ones in my wallet so I decided to pay in cash. I handed it to the older woman that was ringing me up. While I waited for my receipt, I watched her open the register, pretend to put the cash in and pocket my $12! I know it was my cash because I had one of those new pink $10 bills. I accepted the receipt and saw her pocket the cash as I walked away.

I was incredulous. I had no idea what to do. So, I walked out. And I called the Hoos and told him. He said "Well, did you tell someone?". My response, "Yeah, you." My thinking is that this is none of my business. Maybe there were extenuating circumstances that I was unaware of?

What would you do?