I happened to catch Ocean’s Thirteen the other night on HBO and ended up staying up half the night.  I am a huge fan of the Ocean Trilogy, and this movie does not disappoint at all.  Basically, the boys shut down the venture of a backstabbing hotelier (Al Pacino) because the guy double-crossed the Reuben (Elliott Gould).  By the boys, I mean George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon, Elliott Gould, Don Cheadle, Shabao Qin, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Bernie Mac, and Carl Reiner.  Without giving too much away, I want to say that Ocean’s Thirteen is more like Ocean’s Eleven.  It has the fast pace needed to keep your attention yet you know the guys won’t be looking for jobs in San Francisco. They should be set for a while again.

One of the greatest kid’s franchises out there has to be Sesame Street and their book A Perfect Picnic does not disappoint. It is short, so it keeps even the littlest ones attention.  It is about a picnic that all the Sesame Street characters were trying to enjoy and all the things that go wrong!  However, even though lots of things happened that should have ruined their picnic, they are still happy and together in the end.  The illustrations in this book are awesome.  The story is also written in verse, so that 2nd and 4th lines on each page rhyme.  It’s just an overall good kids book.

One of the few things that I have ever bought for my kids and got a ton of use out of is my Braun Thermoscan thermometer. I love this thermometer that I actually bought one to stay at both grandmas’ houses. It is so easy to use that Madison can take her own temperature (and she often does too!). All you have to do it hit the on switch which is right below the screen. When turned on, the screen will show —F (or the last temperature you took). Now, it’s time to take temperatures. Your next step is to put the thermometer in the ear and hit the button on top of it labeled Start. You will see a green light blink and in less than 3 seconds you have your temperature. Now, if you have a screaming child, the light also stays on when its done so you can tell. It is seriously that easy. I hate doing rectal temperatures, so this was a heaven sent. It is so easy to use, and you need that when you have a screaming baby on your hands. I love that it tells me the last temperature I took also. When you are stressing when your kids are sick, you often can’t remember if the temp has gone up or down. This is a nice reminder. Its amazing to see how far thermometers have come since I was a little; I wouldn’t be too surprised if they start coming out with their own video cards!

I am not ready to let Madison (my 4 year old) use a real fishing pole yet. Right now, I envision many hospital trips if she had one. However, we have several magnetic fishing pole sets, and they are awesome. Basically, she goes fishing in my living room almost on a daily basis. She spends several hours catching her fish and then throwing them out back on the floor. Will (my one year old) likes to get involved in the game too. He either plays with the fish or tries to pretend to be the fish and grab the end of the string. The ball pit we have is a boat so it ties in quite nicely. The only thing we are missing is one of those gps tracking devices for fish. I really need to get a picture of her sitting in that boat with her pole. It is super cute.

I highly recommend a magnetic pole until you are comfortable that your children won’t cause serious damage with a real one. I don’t think Madison is ready this summer either for a real one. However, she is completely happy with the magnetic fishing poles and we’ll keep her using those until she is ready.

Devil’s Advocate is one my favorite all time movies. This movie is about the choices we make and how they can effect every aspect of our lives. It is amazing how something as simple as buying cabinet knobs can change the outcome of someone’s life, but it is true. Devil’s Advocate has an all star cast with Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves, and Charlize Theron. The story is about Keanu Reeves and the choices he has to make in his life. We are able to see that every choice has a consequence — some consequence worse than others. It is a great “what if” story. Without giving too much away, Al Pacino play Satan aka lawyer John Milton. I love the hat tip to the English poet who authored Paradise Lost (the poem detailed Satan’s fall from heaven as well as Adam & Eve’s fall from the Garden of Eden). This is rated R and definitely should not be watched with little ones around. However, once you get them to bed, enjoy!