We just had the opportunity to watch Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler, or as my kids call him, “That Happy Gillmore dude.” The kids loved it and my husband thought it was great for the kids, but a bit predictable. I liked that the movie sparked my children’s imaginations.

As a handyman at the hotel his father used to own, Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) spends his days changing light bulbs and competing with the hotel’s smarmy manager (Guy Pearce) for the attention of the new owner’s beautiful, hard-partying daughter, Violet (Theresa Palmer). When his sister Wendy (Courteney Cox) asks Skeeter to babysit her kids for a week while she’s out of town, Skeeter entertains his niece and nephew with elaborate, original bedtime stories that transport them to exotic locales. When he tries to help his family by telling one outlandish tale after another, it’s the kids’ unexpected contributions that turn all of their lives upside down.

A preview: space story

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One of the challenges at My Readable Feast is to find recipes that go with the books or activities. Much to my surprise, people have actually concocted some Pinocchio recipes.

Here are a few:

Geppetto’s Fruit Dip
Cast party recipe from KMR Scripts

Ingredients:

1. 8 oz pkg  cream cheese (softened)
2. ¾ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
3. ¼ cup white sugar
4. 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Mix everything in a bowl until creamy. 
2. Let set in refrigerator an hour or so to let the sugars dissolve.
3. Great with apple slices or spoon on bananas.

Pinocchio’s Artichoke Dip
Cast party recipe from KMR Scripts

Ingredients:

1. 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts — drained and chopped
2. 1 cup (4 oz) grated parmesan cheese
3. 1 cup mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)
4. 1 tomato, chopped sliced green onions (About 6-8.  Use the green parts, too.)

Directions:

1. Mix the artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese and mayonnaise together. 
2. Spoon into a pie plate and bake at 350º for about 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. 
3. Remove from oven and sprinkle the onions and tomatoes on top. 
4. Serve with crackers, chips or hot bread and enjoy!

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My son Nathan just went through his first round of CSAPs. (See my post Working hard or hardly working? Parenting in the time of CSAPs at the Rocky Mountain Moms Blog.)

One of the highlights of the day was to watch Pinocchio when the test was over. Nathan loved Jiminy Cricket, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” and Geppetto and the whale. But the best part, which surely got laughs from the entire class, was discovering that jackass is another word for donkey. Goodness knows, real boys would find that amusing.

Oh the things you learn at school!

A real boy

Disney just release a special 70th anniversary edition of Pinocchio on Blu-ray and DVD that you’ll have to check out. Fully restored, some have complained that the colors are way too bright. Even so, it’s a must have in your record collection, not only because of the movie but for the bonus features.

Watching the movie brings back so many memories of watching it on TV and visiting the ride at Disneyland – one of my favorite things to do when I visit the park.

The DVD comes with many extra features including alternative endings, and you can find games, wallpapers and activity sheets on the Pinocchio Disney website.

Note: when you buy the Blu-Ray version, you get DVD in regular format. If you don’t have a Blu-Ray now, but plan to in the future, this is the way to go. Or you can split costs with a friend who had a Blu-Ray – just don’t fight over the case, OK?

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We are in the middle of science fair planning at school, so when I was watching the movie, Igor I had to laugh. Poor Igor (John Cusack) is obsessed with breaking out of his predestined roll as a hunch-back assistant to evil scientist, Dr. Glickenstein (John Cleese), so he enters a creation in an evil science fair.

I couldn’t agree that mandatory science fairs are evil, but more on that later.

After reanimating a road kill bunny, Igor decides he’s ready for a bigger project, creating a Bride of Frankenstein-type monster (Molly Shannon) called Eva. Unfortunately for him, the town’s science fair is all about making evil monsters, and Eva is a sweet girl who couldn’t hurt a fly.

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With much glee from the kids, we received our copy of Madagascar – Escape 2 Africa, Nathan and Lucie immediately popped the movie into the DVD player. We started to move it, move it as our friends from the first movie – King Julien, Zuba, Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria – prepared to head home to Manhattan in a rickety aircraft piloted by the manic, completely-out-of-their-bird-brains penguin cadre. 

When they crash land in the African savannah, it’s time for a crash course in survival.  Now the four friends far from home must answer a question of the heart when Alex finds his long lost parents, Marty joins a herd of his wild brethren, Gloria finds romance with a hippo Casanova who appreciates her curves, and Melman has one last chance at his truest desire.

With King Julien’s manic musical antics, penguins in labor talks with the local primate union, and the little old lady leading a “Lost” group of tourists, this movie is a hoot. There’s funny stuff for both the kids and the parents that will have the entire family laughing out loud.

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