A to Z 2024: M is for Microvolunteering

For The A to Z Challenge this year, I am focusing on everyday holidays. Each day there are multiple unusual things to celebrate.  Every day of the challenge I look for an event taking place that day and pair it with the letter of the day.  I have also made up 5 holidays to coincide with the vowel days of the challenge.  At the end of each post I will share a special song of the day for that day's letter.  At the end of the month, these songs will be assembled in a to z keepsake playlist on Spotify.  Every day is a celebration, let's unwrap today's together. 

April 15th is International Micro-volunteering day 

I think the best way to talk about this day is to use FAQ format.  I used to do this quite a bit in the early days of my blog.  The last time I did so was  here back in 2012 when I was blogging about the A t0 Z challenge. .

The FAQS of Life: Micro-volunteering  in Frequently Asked Question Format

Q: Do you know what today is?

A: Yes. 

Q: Are you going to tell me?

A. Perhaps if you asked me, rather than  asked me if I knew.

Q: What is today?

A: It's International Micro-volunteering Day.

Q: Is Micro-volunteering a thing?

A:It must be, if it wasn't, it wouldn't have a holiday.  

Q: When did it become a thing?

A: it's been a thing for almost 20 years.  The term  was first used in the U.K. In 2006 and had migrated to Spain by 2008.

Q: What is Micro-volunteering?

A:This answer is from ot's Days of The Year Page, The idea of micro-volunteering is simple: individuals take convenient, bite-sized actions in support of a good cause and often perform their activities or service from home. 

Q:  How did the day start?

A: Well the day started a minute after 11:59 p.m.   Some people were fast asleep, some were well on their way, others were working 3rd shift jobs, still others, ...

Q: When did International Micro-volunteering Day start.

A:  10 years ago it began when the day was created and promoted by the Help from Home Foundation.

Q: Como se dice International Micro Volunteering Day en Espanol?

A: Día Internacional del Microvoluntariado.

Q: Do you have any suggestions for micro-volunteering?

A: Yes

Q: Are we back to that joke again?

A: Yes

Q: What suggestions do you have for micro-volunteering?

A: I thought you'd never ask. One suggestion is to volunteer doing task that you already know how to do, so there is little to no training involved.  Another is to keep your activities to things that can be done in thirty minute to 2 hour chunks. One examples are to volunteer to read at a school, or day care center, or nursing home.  When my daughter was homeschooled, she would volunteer on a weekly basis for about an hour and a half a week, working at the P.B.I.S (Personal Behavior Incentive System) store at my wife's school.  Children would earn a kind of currency for following the code of the school and then would be able to trade that currency in for prizes.  As a full time substitute teacher, I would imagine there are boundless opportunities for micro-volunteering?

Q: What are some suggestions that could be done from home?

A: My daughters both crochet.  One is in a crochet club.  Some members of her club crochet hats at home  for premature  babies or people having chemo.  People can have baking parties on the holidays and find organizations to donate their creations to.  

 

Q: Do you know why IMVD (International Micro-Volunteering Day) is on April 15th.

A: No, but it is the same day as Tax day here in the U.S. and if I were choosing the day, I would choose April 15th because micro-volunteering is not meant to be taxing.

Q: Did you think of that yourself?

A: Yes, Yes I did. And before you ask yes, that is a Phineas and Ferb referemce.

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I didn't plan this, of course,  but today's song of the day is a frequently asked question of sorts.  The Song is Man or Muppet from The Muppets (2011)

 

M is the 13th letter of the alphabet so my spotify playlist is now half full

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Today was a lot of fun, no question about it.  Micro-volunteering can be fun as well.  In the comments tell me some things that you already know how to do, that might be great as a micro-volunteering opportunity. 

To go to the home of the A to Z challenge click here, to see the 2024 master list of participating blogs click here. Enjoy the 2024 A to Z challenge, and Happy Holidays!

A To Z 2024: J is for Just Married (26 Years Ago)

For The A to Z Challenge this year, I am focusing on everyday holidays. Each day there are multiple unusual things to celebrate.  Every day of the challenge I look for an event taking place that day and pair it with the letter of the day.  I have also made up 5 holidays to coincide with the vowel days of the challenge.  At the end of each post I will share a special song of the day for that day's letter.  At the end of the month, these songs will be assembled in a to z keepsake playlist on Spotify.  Every day is a celebration, let's unwrap today's together. 

April 11th is Dave and Amy Roller's wedding anniversary.

I was trying to justify not pulling a random holiday from the April 11th list and just writing about my wedding anniversary when I realized there is no justification needed.  The 3rd sentence in the above paragraph says it all, " Every day of the challenge I look for an event taking place that day and pair it with the letter of the day." My anniversary is an event taking place today and my titling the post Just Married (26 years ago), I have, in the words of Paul Hollywood, ticked all the boxes.

Yesterday morning my daughter was getting ready for her writing class at the same time I was getting ready for school.  She went towards the door and then came back saying, she had forgotten her glasses. Before I could stop myself I blurted out the line, "He can't see without his glasses". 

This is a line from the 1991 movie "My Girl".  My son recites this line quite a bit. A, because he like's to make fun of it and B, because it annoys his sisters.  If you've ever been  a brother or a sister you don't need me to say, not necessarily in that order.

As I was driving to work, while ruminating on that film, a memory popped in my head from almost 33 years ago when that film was in theatres.  At the time I was in a long distance relationship, and because it was the winter Holidays we were both in the Chicago area where our families both lived .  

We went to the Woodfield Mall to see the aforementioned film.  After the film I remember telling her on an escalator talking about the film and in that context  said something about wanting to grow old with her, (my girlfriend).  I don't know which direction we were on in the escalator, but things started going downhill after that. Because, shortly after I made that comment to her we were broken up, and I'm not sure but I don't think I even saw her again after that.

I remember going back to my parents house and calling up my best friend and spilling  all the  sordid details.  You ever have a friend you could tell anything, do anything with, share your secrets and keep theirs?  That's what I had with my best friend back in January of 1992.  26 years ago today I married her.

Lots has changed since I saw My Girl with someone who out turned out not to be my girl at all.  Woodfield Mall no longer has movie theatres, My parents no longer live at my boyhood home, I no longer need to use a landline to call my best friend, cause quite often we are together and when were not I just tell my phone to call her.  

But Amy and I are growing old together.  As Rowlf the Dog sang so eloquently in 1979, "The urge was righteous but the face was wrong."  But in my case something better didn't come along, she had been there all along.  

Amy and I love movies.  We watch them, re watch them, quote them, and watch them again.  One movie we enjoy is The Wedding Singer, a movie about friends who fell in love, like us.  In the final scene he confesses his love in a song he wrote called "Grow Old With You."

Songs also play a part of our friendship.  When I was living in Russia, I once wrote her a song about our friendship which is really a love song, we just didn't know it yet.  I wrote her another song and sang it for her as I proposed.  I wrote another song and a choir from our church sang it as we walked down the aisle after we had just been declared man and wife.  

.

Our marriage is not perfect.  A few years ago we read a book together, called "When Sinner's say I do". The basic premise imperfect people cannot have a perfect relationship.  I certainly am not perfect.  She tells me she's not perfect, so I believe her.  She is certainly the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.  This August we will celebrate 34 years of friendship.  Each day I grow older with my dear friend Amy is worthy of a celebration. Not just a celebration, but each day with Amy is a Holiday in itself.  

  *******************************************************************************

Today's song of the day is Jack and Jill Part II by the Gray Havens

I chose the songs for the A to Z playlist this February and March, and just decided today that I was going to write about Amy and Myself for J.  So I didn't really plan a connection between the holiday and the song of the day.  It turns out there is one, but it's very slight.  After Amy and I were married for a couple years, we moved into our first house and preceded to have our 2nd and third child.  During that time we were attending a church that met at Crystal Lake South High School.  I don't know if you've ever attended a church at a  school before.  I have on several occasions.  One thing that happens is all the accoutrements of the school for the most part stay right where they are even on Sunday.  So over the years we saw many homecoming posters and other things on the wall of our "church building".  One such poster was celebrating the fact that one of their seniors had just made it into the top 20 of Season 5 of American Idol.

This young man, David Radford, would later become part of the folk duo, The Gray Havens along with his wife  Licia.  Like I said it's a slight connection.  The Spotify playlist is big enough now to have a top 10.  

Yes as far as Holidays are concerned, the anniversary of the day I married my best friend is a pretty big one.  Feel free to comment and tell me about your love story if you care to.  

To go to the home of the A to Z challenge click here, to see the 2024 master list of participating blogs click here. Enjoy the 2024 A to Z challenge, and Happy Holidays!

A to Z Roadtrip

The A to Z Road Trip is here. This is a chance to give anyone who wants to regardless of whether they participated in this years A to Z challenge a chance to take a deeper dive into the blogs that did participate.

Here is the link to the road trip.  Here is the spreadsheet of those who are so far entering their blogs into the roadtrip.

Today I picked up a book from my library, a biography of Jim Henson.  In the prologue he describes a  Sesame  Street sketch where a little girl is reciting the alphabet to Kermit.  I reemebering watching this scene as a kid, and again with my kids when I bought the Sesame Street Old School DVD set,  I pulled up the scene from YouTube because it has an a-z vibe to it.  

   

Z is for Zero,

                                                                                

                                                                                Zero Mostel
 

                                                                                Years lived before 1921: Six

                                                                                Years lived after 1921: Fifty Six

When I think of Zero Mostel, I think of Tevye from Fiddler On The Roof. I never saw him on Broadway and he was not in the motion picture version.  However I listened to the Broadway album many times as a kid and now own it on c.d.  He put his stamp on that role more than any other actor ever had.  

 Born Samuel Joel Mostel, he received the moniker Zero when performing  in the New York night club, cafe society because "he was a guy starting with nothing.  

Besides being a night club comic, he worked on the stage, in movies, and on television.  This career was derailed somewhat in the 40's and 50's as he was blacklisted in Hollywood before there even was a blacklist.  In 1952 he was officially blacklisted by the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and called to testify in front of HUAC in 1955.  His testimony is very reminiscent of Jim Carey's character's testimony in The Majestic.  One highlight is when he refers to his former employer 20th Century Fox as 19th Century Fox because of (in his opinion) their antiquated views.

By reading this it is pretty easy to infer that Zero Mostel was a little odd.  So it didn't surprise me that his 3 Tony awards were in odd years.  In 1961 He won best actor in a play for Rhinoceros.  In 1963 he won his first Best Actor in a Musical Tony for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Forum, and In 1965 he won his secon Best Actor in a Musical Tony for his career defining role in Fiddle on the Roof.  

Speaking of Broadway, Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder starred together in Mel Brook's movie The Producers which years later became a Broadway smash.  Mostel and Wilder reunited in the famous Electric Company segment Letter Man with Wilder voicing the title hero and Mostel in the role of the evil Spellbinder.  

Mostel also appeared on Sesame Street and the Muppet Show.  He is the only guest star on The Muppet Show who passed away before their episode could be aired.  Mostel is one of at least 3 of my a to z profiles who hosted The Muppet Show, the other two are Peter Ustinov and Ethel Merman.  Now that the A to Z challenge is over, I may watch all 3 of those episodes on the Disney Plus App with the extra time coming my way. 

So that's it 1921 A to Z has come to an end.  I wonder what anybody might say about it 100 years from now.

A To  Z Extra

Some of my Faavorite Electric Company Segments  at Dave Out Loud. This of course includes Mostel as the Spellbinder. 

   After you've looked at the additional content on my other blogs head back to The A to Z challenge and  continue exploring.  

Peter Ustinov on Disney Plus

Peter Ustinov

Years lived before 1921:Zero.

Years lived after 1921:Eighty-three

Peter Ustinov's acting career extend over 60 years between his first and final movie appearance.  He received two Oscars for best supporting actor in the 1960's.  Today I'd like to focus instead on what we can see of Mr. Ustinov's career on the Disney Plus app.  He stars in the 1968 film Blackbeard's Ghost as Blackbeard the pirate.  He costars in the 1976 Disney film The Treasure of Matecumbe as Dr. Ewing T. Snodgrass. He also appears in one of my favorite Disney cartoons and twice with the Muppets.

                                                                        

Ustinov provided the voice for Prince John

Robin Hood 1973

Ustinov and Fozzie The Bear tell a joke

S1 E 12 The Muppet Show

Peter and Miss Piggy

Great Muppet Caper 1981

The episode of the Muppet Show that features Ustinov is definitely worth watching.  Ustinov plays a number of diverse characters and does very many different accents even doing a pretty good Kermit impression at the end of the show.  Kermit also sings "It's not easy being green" in this episode which was his signature song before the Rainbow Connection from The Muppet movie.

For more A to Z challenge click here.

M is for Merman

         Ethel Merman

"The Undisputed First Lady of The Musical Comedy Stage"

                                    Years lived before 1921: Thirteen

                                    Years lived after 1921: Sixty-three 

                                                    

If I was struggling for a Z in this years A to Z challenge I may have been able to get away with Merman as she was born Ethel Zimmerman and removed the "zim" from it when she went into show business. Merman who studied to be a stenographer found that for her , there was no business like show business, which became her signature tune.  Merman is best known for her Broadway performances in Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy and Hello Dolly.  

 

Annie Oakley

Sharpshooting star Of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show

                                         Years lived before 1921: Sixty-one

                                         Years lived after 1921: Five

"There's no Business like Showbusiness" Merman's signature song was from "Annie Get Your Gun" which is a musical about the life of Annie Oakley. Born Phoebe Ann Mosley in 1860 the 6 of 9 children to a Quaker family in rural Ohio.  She learned to hunt and trap at an early age out of necessity due to their family's poverty. Annie was a skilled shooter and was known locally for her expertise with a gun.  She met her future Frank Butler  husband, a travelling sharpshooter  when she was beat him in a shooting match.  He began courting her after his defeat and they were married in 1882 and joined Buffalo Bills Wild West Show in 1885.

A TO Z Easter Eggs

A To  Z Extra

Ethel Merman 28 years of "There's No Business Like Show Business" at Dave Out Loud. A rousing video splicing multiple performances of Merman's signature song including an appearance on The Muppet Show. 

   After you've looked at the additional content on my other blogs head back to The A to Z challenge and  continue exploring. .  

                                                    

Ethel Merman 28 years of "There's No Business Like Show Business"

Danny Boy

Six Word Stattler Day

 AS IN MUPPETS

Unlike them, I love the Muppets

For more Six Word Saturday Click here. 

Leave a comment  on this post for a chance to win a set of state quarters. Click here for more details. 



Muppets Statler y Waldorf, a photo by hablandodelasunto3 on Flickr.

The Muppets: A Review

Thanks Swimming!

I love t-shirts and would love to have one that says "I brake for symmetry".

I am always looking for book ends to catalog my life .  One such moment of symmetry appeared to me when our family was picking up my oldest niece in South Bend to bring her back to the Chicago area for Thanksgiving.  I invited our niece to go swimming with us in our hotel.  This was on Tuesday, two days before Thanksgiving.  I realized that my younger sister had invited our niece as well as our family to go swimming with her 2 days after Thanksgiving.  So I', thinking swimming, Thanksgiving, swimming and it came to me, Thankswimming.

Here's A Recap . . .

Thankswimming Day 1

 

Then after drying off,

leaving the hotel,

inspecting the dorm,

Catching The Muppet Premiere,

 

Eating,

and waiting

for the tryptophan to kick in.

We were ready for . . .

 Thankswimming Day 2

This summer, my older kids started going off the diving board.  The problem was, every time I tried to take a picture of them, I would get this . . .

and then this . . .

This year, no doubt due to the miracle that is Thankswimming, I got this . . .

and this . . .



and even this . . .

All this  while Puppy paddled.

In short Thankswimming

made a big splash!

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Today's featured HSBA category is Best Homemaking or Recipes Blog.  This years winner, The Happy Lil' Homemaker seems to have a lot of great recipes like the one I saw today fro Spritz Cookies.  I was surprised that they didn't have any Thankswimming recipes.  Although this  Sample Post does look delectable.

The Muppets

It starts when we're young. A show off at school. Making faces at friends. You're a clown and a fool. Doing prat falls and bird calls and bad imitations. Ignoring your homework. Now that's dedication. You look in the mirror. You're getting standing ovations.

You're burning with hope. You're building up steam what was once juvenilish is grown up and stylish. You're close to your dream. Then somebody out there loves you. Stands up and hollers for more. You've got a home at the magic store.

The Magic Store from The Muppet Movie (1979)


I believe in the way back machine.

So when I decided to write a review of The Muppets, I went back to 1979 when The Muppet Movie came out. I even had to go back a few years earlier to Saturday Afternoons/Evenings at 6:30 when I would watch first runs of The Muppet Show.

This is good, I have gone 4 paragraphs without a rant or an aside. When it comes to discussing Muppet Films this is a huge step for me. So before I go any further let me just clear the air and take my pet peeve for a quick walk . . .

Sometimes in conversations with people about movies I will mention that The Muppet Movie is my 2nd favorite film of all time. They will often politely ask which Muppet Movie. After taking my blood pressure meds, I will inform them that there is only 1 Muppet Movie.

Sure there are several films that have Muppet in the title. They are, in order of release: The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets in Space and The Muppets. 7 Muppet films only one The Muppet Movie.


Now that there are 7 films there is a muppet film one for each day of the week. If they do an 8th then we will simply need a new day of the week. I have been pushing hard for Kermit's Day for years so I say bring it on.

Okay the italics have ended that means I can get back to my review. Back to my way back machine train of thought. For me, watching the Muppet Show was like having a home at the magic store. The Muppet Movie gave a back story that not only captured that magical experience but expanded it. In the Muppet Show the muppets home was the stage they performed on. In The Muppet Movie, the world became their stage. Singing in swamps, peddling bikes, riding in Studebakers and buses we saw the muppets in a way we never imagined.

More than 30 years has passed and the world has changed in ways we never imagined. In 1979 a laptop was the tray table you used on airplanes. In 1979, if you wanted to connect to a computer from your home you needed a modem and a monitor. Yet here I am in my house typing this review on a laptop with a wireless connection to the Internet.

With all the many technological wonders of the last 3 decades, It is easy to think that Kermit and other marionette puppets have become a museum piece. This is literally the case as I discovered from my trip to the Smithsonian last year.

The Muppets, in a sense is an exploration of this thought process. Is there a place in the world of today for the inspirational and muppetational?

The film is about relationships It is a story about brothers different as different can be, yet also the same. It is a story about love lost and found. The film also is about quests. The quest for finding your place in the world. The quest to bring the Muppets back together. The quest to save the Muppet Theatre.

The theatre is an analogy to all things muppets. It is the magic store. As the movie continues the viewer comes to realize that the theatre is not the transcending point of the Muppets. Their reality is. My wife has a saying, she says: I like movies about real things, like the muppets.

Putting aside my wife's very tenuous grip on reality for a moment, let's just say that she's right.

The Muppets is a successful movie because it is steeped in reality. Sure, muppets aren't people. Dog's aren't people, but they're real. In the reality of The Muppets, muppets are real and interact with others who treat them like they are real. This gives an authenticity to their world even when we can see their strings. Another successful part of the muppet franchise are the cameos. The Muppets does not disappoint on this score. Mickey Rooney and Jack Black are my favorites.

Speaking of score, there are some fine musical numbers in The Muppets. There are several songs that are performed by 2 sets of characters. I really enjoyed the way they were able to intertwine multiple character and plot points in the same song.

Another standard muppet fare was what I will call muppet zaniness and The Muppets had this in spades. They also bring back some of these zany jokes later in the movie with great comic success. There are some great homages to both The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie and while it is not 100% necessary to have a muppet background to see the movie it does greatly enhance your enjoyment.

The Muppets is a great movie and works on a number of levels. It is fun for the whole family. It's not the best muppet film ever, nor is it the worst. What is the best muppet film of all time? The Muppet Movie, of course. The worst? Also a no brainer, The Muppets Take Manhattan. So where does The Muppets come in? I would say definitely in the top 4. I'd have to watch it again to be certain.

And be certain, I will watch it again. I've got a home at the magic store.

Six Words: Green With Envy Trailer

My wife and I are big Muppet Fans. Especially we love KTF. But we love all of them. Kermit even attended our wedding. He was draped over the piano. Today Kermit and company are the subject of my six word Saturday submission.

Here are my 6 . . .

Not Easy Being Green With Envy

It seems there's a new rom-com out with Amy Adams and Jason Segel. I really liked her in Julie and Julia. Now while Julia Child did live in France for a while she wasn't exactly a frog. SO what does that have to do Muppets?

View the trailer to find out.





.

Yes it was just an ingenious bit of stunt publicity. Green With Envy isn't a real film. The Muppets is coming in Thanksgiving and Green With Envy was just an elaborate way to get the message out. Cinema Blend blew up the GWE poster to reveal a very special guest lurking in the trees.

And if that wasn't all Disney put out a second trailer today to spoof the Hangover II movie which came out this weekend. Now I hadn't even heard of the hangover until like 2 weeks ago but the Muppet Trailer is epic.

For me the best part of the trailer is the fake names of publications in the fake reviews. My favorite: This Week Monthly.

Well That's my 6 words disguised as a Muppet Plug or vice versa. For More Six Word Saturday show your face or at least your browser @ http://www.showmyface.com/

Next Time: Sunday's Cool

COH # 279 Top 10 Film Edition.

Hello and welcome to Carnival of Homeschooling #279.

The theme of this week's carnival is movies. Specifically my 10 favorite movies. As I list each of my favorite films from 10th to the first, I will give a mini explanation of why each film made my list and a pertinent quote from each film. I have also asked many of you to participate by sharing some of your favorite or least favorite films.

I asked some of you to share a film that you have seen recently that you have really liked. Catherine Taylor of Petticoat Government says that a good movie she has watched in the past 3 month's is the Bollywood film, Jab We Met. A recent movie I have really enjoyed is the Disney film Tangled. In my opinion the Disney cartoon musicals have gone down a notch since the period that gave us Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin & The Lion King. Tangled is a film worthy to be mentioned with the best of that list. I mention Catherine because her COH submission this week was some musings she had about Tangled. I hope you all enjoy Rapunzel, Unschooler.


This week I asked my daughter, bunny girl aka reader rabbit, to write whether a book that she has been putting daily chapter summaries of in her blog, Bookworms & Bunnies would make a good movie or not. Her response is Ereth's Birthday, The Movie?

Now it's time to get started with my top 10. Before we do, here's The Queen of Carrots from Introducing the World who says "It's a TV show, not a movie, but here's how *Lost* inspired my teaching". Here she is with John Locke Teaches Handwriting.


# 10 The Princess Bride (1987)


I say: "This movie has it all . . . romance, fantasy, action, and laugh after laugh after laugh. Buy two copies so they don't wear out as quickly."


And I Quote: "When I was your age, television was called books." - Grandfather (Peter Falk)

Speaking of which, Read Aloud Dad shares The 3 most important words when reading aloud and they are not "As You Wish!"



As You Wish, it turns out is engraved on our next contributor's wedding ring. Yep Cristina of Home Spun Juggling is a TPB fan as well. Like Read Aloud Dad she also talks about the educational aspect of the relationship between performer and audience. Here she is with Educational Showmanship.

# 9 Miss Potter (2006)


I say: "This biopic of Beatrix Potter was an instant classic in our house. Beautifully filmed, expertly written and excellently acted throughout; without a doubt, Zellweger's finest portrayal."

And I Quote: There's something delicious about writing those first few words of a story. You can never quite tell where they will take you. - Beatrix Potter (Renee Zellweger)

Beatrix Potter spent her summers in the country with her family and those summers were foundational for many of the stories she would later write. This summer Annie Peters of Learn at Every Turn, who says Amelie (2001) is one of her favorite films, will be doing foundational things with her children. She writes about it in Homeschooling During Summer.

Beatrix Potter illustrated her books. Speaking of art, Pamela of Blah, Blah, Blog, posts about Art in El Paso, part of her family's southwestern adventure.

# 8 Marty -1955> I say: "Quite possibly the best screen romance I have ever seen. Ernest Borgnine is uncanny as an aging single butcher looking for his place in life."

And I Quote: You don't like her. My mother don't like her. She's a dog. And I'm a fat, ugly man. Well, all I know is I had a good time last night. I'm gonna have a good time tonight. If we have enough good times together, I'm gonna get down on my knees. I'm gonna beg that girl to marry me. If we make a party on New Year's, I got a date for that party. You don't like her? That's too bad. - Marty Pilletti (Ernest Borgnine)

Margot Keyes of Learning Beyond the Book presents Terrariums. She says her favorite films are those in the Lord of the Ring Trilogy.



Sarah presents Titanic Unit Study (revisited) posted at Small World. She says: "Our newly revised unit study on the Titanic, includes a link to our field trip to the Titanic Museum"

#7 Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)


I say "This is the best adventure movie I have ever seen! Errol Flynn gives an amazing performance in this quintessential swashbuckler. This movie has it all, action, comedy, romance pathos and the best musical score I have ever heard."

And I Quote: Now, this forest is wide. It can shelter and clothe and feed a band of good, determined men - good swordsmen, good archers, good fighters. Men, if you're willing to fight for our people, I want you! Are you with me? - Robin Hood (Errol Flynn)

Speaking of Action movies, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the favorite movies of our next contributor. Here is Alicia Arnold of Daily Creativity with Encouraging a sense of play
builds creativity skills for life.

Lisa presents Extraordinary Living posted at Golden Grasses.

# 6 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)


I say: ""The perfect fish out of water comedy. Stewart is fantastic as an honorary senator who accidentally stumbles on corruption."

And I Quote: Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books, Miss Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say: I'm free to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't, I can, and my children will. Boys ought to grow up remembering that. - Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart)

Mr. Smith isn't the only one who goes to Washington. Robin Phillips recently went and now presents Your Library of Congress and Homeschooling: History and So Much More posted at Crack the Egg.

Her post reminded me of our families special adventure at the Library of Congress last year. Me and the two bigs went into a special meeting with a children's literature specialist and we saw this one of a kind manuscript from children's author Jame's Marshall.































Meanwhile back at the Carnival, Aneri Kärkkäinen of Cats Meow shares why she takes care of her daughter in Why I Take Care of My Own Daughter.

Nebby talks about a kind of field trip she likes in Children's Museum Alternative: Something Positive posted at Letters from Nebby.

# 5 Chariots of Fire (1981)


I say: "Excellent story of two runners in the 1924 Olympic Games. Understated Epic showing the dichotomy of faith and self determination."

And I Quote: You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. . . .

. . . I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race. - Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson)

One of the movies two featured characters, Eric Little became a missionary to China after his olympic success. Our next article comes fromMichelle Sweeney of Yours Faithfully who began her daughters education by teaching her @ home while living in China. One of her least favorite movies is my #10 favorite, Princess Bride. She, like my wife and possibly 3 other people on the planet don't understand all the hype. But don't judge her until you've walked a mile in her cardboard sandals.

Happy Elf Mom of Homeschool and Etc. has found that chess can cost you practically nothing, which makes it the perfect homeschool elective. In Homeschool Chess Lessons, she discusses some nearly-free resources for teaching the game. She also says that a movie she has watched and enjoyed recently is Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) , A chess movie, naturally!


# 4 Cassablanca (1942)


I say: "This movie is worthy of all the hype. Intrigue, romance, a deep cynicism and a fierce patriotism woven together amid great star performances from Bogart and Bergman."

And I Quote: And what if you track down these men and kill them, what if you killed all of us? From every corner of Europe, hundreds, thousands would rise up to take our places. Even Nazis can't kill that fast. - Victor Laszlo (Paul Henried)

Nancy of Sage Parnassus doesn't just "loaf " around home educating all day as she illustrates quite nicely in Hominus Vis - The Strength of Man.

Mary Arnold presents Three Reasons To Attend Your State Homeschool Convention This Year! - Blogs - Parent Community and Forum posted at Parent Community and Forum.
Enjoy!

# 3 Ordinary People (1980)



I say: "Redford's directorial debut is possibly best film of my generation. Hutton, Hirsch, Moore, and Sutherland have breakout performances. This film works because it is so real!"

And I Quote : Happy! Ward, you tell me the meaning of happy. But first you better make sure your kids are good and safe, that they haven't fallen of a horse, been hit by a car, or drown in that swimming pool you're so proud of! - Beth Jarrett (Mary Tyler Moore)

Mental health is one of the key issues of Ordinary People. Sherry of Large Family Mothering talks about maintaining hers in Homeschooling Sanity. Sherry, a big fan of Ben Hur (1959), says this as an introduction: After raising 6 of our 15 children, I thought it might be helpful to share what I have learned through research (and trial and error) about homeschooling methods for the large family.

Linda Dobson presents Why Do So Many Parents Think They Can’t Homeschool Their Children? posted at PARENT AT THE HELM. Perhaps they feel they have to be A Miracle Worker, which by the way is Linda's favorite film.

# 2 The Muppet Movie (1979)

I say "The question is not why is this on my list, it is why is it not on yours? This is pure entertainment fun for the whole family. Mel Brooks is hilarious in mad scientist cameo."

And I Quote: [to audience] I hope you appreciate that I'm doing all my own stunts. - Kermit The Frog (Himself)

After something muppetational, you may need something motivational . So, Nancy Flanders shares 10 steps to succesfully homeschool your special needs child at Parenting Squad.

Jamie presents The Future of Homeschooling posted at Faith and a Full House... She says homeschoolig is huge, but what about our future?

That's a good questin Jamie. But the better question would be: What is my favorite movie of all time?

And my # 1 favorite movie of all time . . .

It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

I say "Simply put the best film of all time. Definitely worth watching anytime of the year. Capra and Stewart at their finest."

And I Quote: Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. - George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart)

Barbara Frank presents Preparing Our Kids for a Challenging Future, Part 4: College is a Tool, Not a Goal posted at Barbara Frank. She says "The idea that every homeschooled young person can and should go to college makes no sense in light of the changes in our economy." She also adds that One of her favorite movies of all time is The Talk of the Town (1942),which features Jimmy Stewart's Mr. Smith/s co-star Jean Arthur.

Susan Ryan, who hosted last week's Carnival and likes the movie To Kill A Mockingbird (1962 ), presents Science Observation Opportunities for Kids and Other Interested Parties posted at Corn and Oil.

I made some changes to my top 10 list in preparation for this carnival. In order to fit in Marty, Miss Potter and Robin Hood, I had to remove 3 movies that had been in my top 10 for a long time. This means Singing In the Rain (1952) fell to # 11. It was agonizing to take it out. It is one of Read Aloud Dad's favorites as well. (It must be a Dad thing.) I like it because it is the best studio musical ever. It has a perfect blend of music, comedy, dancing and romance.

Misty presents Free High School Math and everything else you ever wanted to learn posted at Homeschool Bytes. She says her kids enoying meshing Khan University's free math videos with their daily math lessons. She says it's an amazing resource.

In a virtual tie with Singing in the Rain would be The Sound of Music (1965). This movie is so good it would work without the songs. The production is lavish but also very accessible. Hands down best film adaptation of a Broadway work.


Also dropping out from the top 10 is Braveheart (1995). The story of William Wallace is beautifully rendered and has an evocative score. It's amazing how an Australian can make my Irish/German heart embrace a zeal for Scottish patriotism.

I'd like to thank everyone who particiapted in this week's carnival. I would like to especially thank the Cate Family @ Why Homeschool for doing such a great job week in and week out of supporting the revolving host of the carnival. They also provide us with our last post of the carnival entited Homeschooling and Foster Care Part I. Janine writes about some of the issues of doing foster care and homeschooling.

Several of the participants this week, including the Cates are nominees in The Circle of Mom's Top 25 Homeschooling Blogs contest. You can vote or even add your own blog by clicking on the link. For this carnival I have created a special blog roll for all this week's participants. Hang around, or stop by again and check out some of these great blogs.

Next weeks carnival will be held at Dewey's Treehouse. For more info on how to submit an article click here, or submit through blog carnival.