Friday Night Movies

It could have been a disastrous evening--so many are, these days. The snow/rain/snow/thunder event was insane (why did we move back east?!). I left work at 3:30 to get the girls and my 20 minute drive took an hour and 20 minutes. When we got home I tried to bluster my way into the driveway and got stuck. So I shoveled for an hour: driveway, underneath car, sidewalk, steps, porch. Got the car unstuck by my very own self. Meanwhile the girls watched tv, smacked each other, and yelled out the window to me about being smacked.

But then we walked out in the pretty snow to the Thai restaurant around the corner, had a nice dinner (in our coats because the place was freezing--and I was sweaty from shoveling and got very chilled which was probably the most unpleasant part of the evening), walked all the way to the movie store, happily playing in the snow, came home with more happy snow-walking, and watched our movies. M started one tantrum, but I told her that if she had a tantrum she couldn't watch her movie, and then she and E got into eating snow and all was forgiven.

E - Madagascar. This summer I realized that M's movie phobia had blighted E's life. At 4 1/2 she had never been to a movie theater. So I took her on a special Mommy date to see Madagascar. Since M's movie phobia also prohibits animation (Dumbo almost sent her over the edge, and though she has seen Shrek once at a babysitter's, she refuses to see it again), I have missed digital animation, really all animation since 60s Disney. So Madagascar blew me away visually, even if the story was not exactly earth-shattering. E just loved being at the movies alone with Mommy. And she does a mean rendition of "I Like to Move It Move It." We watched a few scenes and it sure was better than Dora, Blue's Clues, or Strawberry Shortcake, her usual picks.

M - The Muppet Show with Elton John in fine glitter and glasses form. Do I need to say anything more? The Swedish Chef, Pigs in Space, Veterinarian's Hospital, AND "Crocodile Rock" (with a chorus of muppet crocodiles on the "La, la la la la las"), "Benny and the Jets," "Goodbye Yellowbrick Road," AND "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with Elton and Miss Piggy. Someday I'll go on about how much I love Elton John, but for now I'll just say that M and I loved this one. E fell asleep.

Me - Desperate Housewives, Season 1, Disc 2. Once again, I'm behind the curve. I have a thing about series TV. If I know I'm not going to be able to watch every episode, I can't even start. DVDs have saved me. Thanksgiving weekend, my sister and I watched the first four episodes in one shot. I'm not in love, but it's definitely entertaining. What I like best is how meta-TV it is. There's the cul-de-sac/Nicolette Sheridan Knots Landing thing. There's the Marcia Cross/Doug Savant Melrose Place grown up thing. Then there's the Sex and the City gets married and moves to the suburbs thing with Charlotte/Bree, Samantha/Gabrielle, Miranda/Lynette, and Susan/Carrie (I'm sure this has been commentated upon a million times, but, like I said, I'm behind the curve).