Sneak Preview

WE GOT SOME GOLDEN TICKETS: We were in a really neat store, Blue Highway Games, on Queen Anne around 3:30 this afternoon picking up a gift for someone, and as we were checking out, I spied on the counter a couple of free passes to a preview screening of "Wreck-It Ralph," a Disney movie that premieres Nov. 2.

Be still CJ's heart.


He has been talking about the movie for well over a year. The story takes place inside arcade games, mostly after quarter-plugging customers have gone home for the night. The title character, Wreck-It Ralph, lives in the game Fix-It, Felix Jr. Every day, all day, Ralph is the bad guy, and every night, he goes home alone, to the dump, while all the other game's characters celebrate Felix Jr.'s heroics. Ralph finally gets sick of his lot in life and tries to mix things up a bit, with disastrous - and often hilarious - results.


I was immediately excited at the prospect of scoring the passes (four free tickets to a first run 3D movie would run our family around $60!), but then a little panicked when I saw they were for TONIGHT at 7 p.m. And the guy working the counter said if we were interested in going, we needed to go super early, as the promoter gives out way more passes than there are seats.

I called the theater and asked what time they recommend we arrive, and was told 5 p.m. Then, I quickly called Christian to see if we could swing it. The plan fell into place, and so there we were camping out in line on the fourth floor of Pacific Place outside the AMC theater. It is where we'd call home for the next two hours.

It really wasn't bad, because we had stacks of books to read, a bathroom nearby, and it was warm and dry and there were lots of friendly people in line.

We were also surprised when Radio Disney reps showed up and started giving away "Wreck-It Ralph" and other Disney swag. The kids scored bags full of stickers, coloring books, and more. They each got temporary Wreck-It Ralph tattoos, too.

And once inside the theater, Radio Disney had a mini game show going. CJ and Annabelle were invited to play a Wreck-It Ralph puzzle game against another brother sister team. Disney being Disney, they were all winners, and each got neat t-shirts for their troubles.

And then, finally, it was movie time! Fortunately, "Wreck-It Ralph" was entirely worth the wait.

The movie is visually stunning - you feel like you really are immersed in the colorful world of the video game characters, especially in Sugar Rush, a racing game with Japanese arcade console and Candyland inspirations.

The story was engaging and the voice actors were spot on. We laughed, we gasped, and a couple of tears were shed. Even the soundtrack was fantastic. I'm so glad we went.

Upon reflection afterward, CJ gave it a 10 out of 10 without hesitation. "That. Was. AWESOME!" Annabelle pronounced just before going to bed.

HUNT AND GATHER: Another day, another fabric store - and more hunting for Halloween costume stuff.

Annabelle has decided she will be a pony for Halloween. But not just any pony. She wants to be a My Little Pony. Specifically, Pinkie Pie, her favorite pony. So somehow we have to transform her into this. ...

I told her straight off she is not going to look just like the image above - that we'd be going more for our spin on Pinkie Pie. An interpretation, if you will.

We started at Value Village to see how much we could get without having to go the fabric store route.

We did pretty well there. We scored a couple of long, bright pink wigs that we can use for the mane and tail. And we got shoes, pants and a white shirt for CJ's Gangnam style outfit (leaving only the blazer and bow tie to score).

At the fabric store we found a jumpsuit pattern we're going to modify into a MLP, and some fabric for CJ's blazer. LOTS of sewing ahead for MPA.

MELODIOUS: On the way to the library to return the book before it was overdue, the kids read "Mozart Finds a Melody."  According to the publisher's Web site, it's based on a true story about Mozart and his beloved starling, and how his pet's singing inspired a famous concerto.

This evening, I found some theme unit plans  on Homeschoolshare.com that would go nicely with the book.