Brave: A Review

Bella and I have been waiting with great anticipation for the release of Brave, Disney and Pixar's first animated movie featuring a female lead. We carved out time to watch it first thing on Friday morning.

And we weren't disappointed.

Merida is fierce and funny. Her mane bright red curls is frizzy and unruly. Her attitude is clearly and undeniable teenaged and determined. Bella was in love from the moment Merida launched herself on a horse and galloped through a forest, shooting bulls-eyes with impeccable aim.

I kept looking over at the heroine in my story -- that little girl who has a wolf heart and a staunch belief in her own power -- to gauge her engagement in the story on the screen. She was hooked. She laughed at the juvenile, slapstick humor. She cried at the tender moments and her heart wrenched when things seemed least hopeful. She was thoroughly in Merida's world.

And I loved the movie, too. I found myself wishing I could have Merida's hair, that I could slice an arrow from 50 feet away, that I could drive a horse through rough, wet terrain to save the day.

Warning: Of course, Brave wasn't without pitfalls. Bella was petrified during the three big bear fight scenes. There are three of them and I've heard many parents say their children simply couldn't handle that level of fear. The movie is rated PG, so it isn't appropriate for children who are sensitive to violence. We wound up with Bella in my lap for the last half of the movie and my girl is pretty tough.

But while the movie wasn't as complex and nuanced as other Pixar films, it was a movie that spoke to my soul, a drink of cool water in an otherwise barren field. Consider the trailers leading up to the movie. We had Wreck-It Ralph, Finding Nemo 3D, Monster University, and La Luna (Pixar short) ... all stories built around male characters.

It's sad that Brave is the only movie in the studio's repertoire that features a strong female as the center of the story. Equally sad is that in some markets, the trailers also featured Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D. Is pop-star porn the best we can do for our girls?

For all the disappointments and unwelcome violence, Brave is still a movie that will land on our shelf at home. Bella does want her own bow and arrow. I am on the hunt for a Merida doll that is true to the movie and not a sexed-up knock-off. And we had an amazing hour and a half together at the theatre.

All this to say: Brave gets three thumbs up from the Miller girls. Let us know what you think about it!

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Bella in love (Giveaway!)

Neither of my children have ever gotten attached to a lovey, despite my best efforts. Javi never even took a pacifier and Bella latches on to some objects but the love for them dies quickly.

Until now. My friend Mindy, who makes the softest and cuddliest loveys ever, found out Bella is starting pre-school this fall and sent her a handmade toddler blanket and pillow set to help make this year special. My plan was to put the set up so it'd be in perfect condition for school. Bella had other plans. She saw the gorgeous, funky pattern and had to have both the pillow and the blanket in her possession.

So began a furious hour of testing out her new must-have item. She rolled herself up in it on the floor and then she wrapped herself up to go cuddle with the Mountain Man. He suggested that we fold it up and put it up in her room and she promptly left him behind to lay by herself with her "ewaphans." And anytime any of us tried to pry her away from it, she cut us the "I will shank you" look. (Can you guess how much I got accomplished that day?!)

A week or so has passed and Bella is still attached at the hip (and shoulders and belly) with her blanket. She spreads it out for tea parties, throws the pillow down anywhere she's decided to lay her head (which includes the bathroom floor, the front porch, and the back of MM's truck), has me clamp it around her neck for a cape, and drags it behind her on her way to the car so she can cover up when she's cold (note: we live in the south, it is never cold). And, of course, there's sleeping -- and she can't do it without her ewephans.


What's really awesome is neither the pillow or the blanket looks worse for wear. In fact, you can't tell we've used them at all.... as evidenced by this little show she put on this afternoon. In an attempt to get out of naptime, she made an elaborate show of making a pallet on the floor for her and one of her monkeys. After 10 minutes of arranging the blanket just right, she snuggled up for all of 15 seconds and then insisted we start over. And you know, perhaps take some time to make a fort or maybe a dress out of her ewephans. (And, no, she did not win this battle. A nap was had.)

All of this to say, I'm really surprised and impressed by how much Bella adores her pillow and blanket. Finally, after all these years, we seem to have a lovey -- and this one she can take with her when she enters the world of pre-school. I get a little weepy knowing it'll smell like home and remind her of laid back summer days at home with her mom and brother.

I'm also really excited because Mindy has agreed to give a pillow and blanket set to one of you guys. How cool is that? I can vouch for the absolutely amazing quality of the construction and softness of the fabric with these sets. They also come in some great fabric choices and shipping is quick. I always order Mindy's loveys for my baby showers or new baby gifts, so I should've known all of this but seeing is believing. I really can't think of anything critical to say about anything she makes!

Anyway, to win a blanket and pillow set, just check out her website -- Cuddles from Home -- and check out the pillow and blanket sets. Come back here and leave a comment saying which fabric you'd like if you won (ours is purple elephants). That's it! For extra entries, you can post about the giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog (one entry each).

Thanks again to Mindy for such a generous offer. You won't be disappointed with her craftwomanship and excellent service!

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Up in the air

In two days, my sweet girl finally gets her kite party. We've only talked about it for ... oh ... two months or so. I've painstakingly planned the small details: the kites in a variety of patterns and designs, the cupcakes which will be smothered in pale blue icing with kite candy on top, the grab bags filled with toys meant to be thrown and flown, and the dress with the adorable kite applique.

But it's all been hypothetical and mind-strewn until today. The doorbell just rang and on the porch there sat a box full of the cutest kite-shaped cookies! You can tell I've been planning this a long time because the baker of these gorgeous sweet treats is none other than Cristin of Sneaky Sweet. You may have heard of her back when Amy hosted a giveaway. (Go look at the delicious butterfly cookies Amy received!)

Cristin was so patient with me as I hemmed and hawed about what I wanted, in what color, and when I wanted the goodies to arrive. Not only did she walk me through the process, she made sure the cookies arrived in plenty of time for the party and packaged them so well that not a single cookie so much as cracked during the shipping. And look at the sweet ribbons!

I can't wait to see Bella's face light up when she sees a cookie with her very own name on it! I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures of her little friends gobbling up their kite cookies as they fly kites and run wild at the park on Saturday.

Thanks again, Cristin! I'm so pleased with your service and talent -- you'll be hearing from me again!

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Fun with puzzles

My baby girl turned three years old while we camped among a thick smog of pollen. We spent most of our time outside, but Saturday night was rough for us, so I broke out my last surprise: the puzzle.

As I suspected, she was immediately transfixed by it. She dumped the blocks out of the wooden case and asked Javi to help her "build a pig." After the pig, she wanted the chicken and then the sheep. She'd sing Old MacDonald and make animal sounds while watching Javi or me work through each picture cube by cube.

That's right. She watched us. Unfortunately, I was a little too ambitious with this one. Bella loves puzzles and will spend an hour piecing together the six 24-piece flat ones. I just knew she'd love doing the cube one, too; however, it's just too difficult for my just-turned-three year old.

You know who loved it? Our friend's six-year-old nephew. He sat down with a look of extreme concentration and deftly turned and adjusted and worked his way from one corner to the next. The first time was difficult for him, but after I showed him how to get his outline together, the rest was easy. I definitely think this is a great puzzle for the 4-6 year old age group.

That's not to say that Bella hasn't had fun with it. She loves finding the colors I ask her to search for and she's made an X, a robot, a train, and a snake out of the cubes. She also enjoys dumping the cubes so that she can put them back the way she wants. I actually think this is a step in the right direction. Once she's comfortable with the cubes and commits the colors and patterns to memory, I think she'll be more patient and willing to take the time to figure it out.

While I'm happy with the puzzle on the whole, it's not as perfect as I thought it'd be. For example, in addition to being a little age inappropriate, there's no way to look at a picture of the puzzle as you're putting it together -- which makes it even harder for little minds and fingers. It also doesn't have a closing case, so I'm worried the blocks will get lost. I'm surprised Melissa & Doug didn't think these things through, considering the high quality and thoughtfulness I've come to expect from the company.

We'll be adding this puzzle to our puzzle basket, even though it's not as perfect as I thought it'd be. You can add it to yours, too. CSN stores have agreed to send this puzzle to one of my readers (and their shipping is super fast). Here's how to win it:

1. Go look at all the cool stuff they offer for kids.

2. Come back here and leave a comment telling me what you like best.

3. Follow my blog.

4. Spread the word (with a link back here) about this giveaway via your blog, Twitter, or Facebook. Leave an additional comment letting me know which you did. You can use this if you aren't sure what to say: "Free and educational? Count me in! @millermix and CSN are giving away a Melissa & Doug farm cube puzzle. Enter at http://bit.ly/a5LxMP"

5. Earn additional entries by hitting all three (just make sure you leave a separate comment for each).

This giveaway will end at 10 pm on Monday, April 12. Thanks to CSN for allowing me to share the fun!

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Review: The Little Giant of Aberdeen County

Ever read a book that you could've written?

Well, you could've written it if a ghost writer climbed into your brain and captured the essence of who you are and what you think and how the pictures form and never procrastinated and had a really great vocabularly.

Because if you've ever read that book, then you'd know how I felt when I read "The Little Giant of Aberdeen County" this weekend. I checked it out on a whim because it's a 7-day book and I loved the title and cover design and because, as a student of Fred Chapell, I love the magic realism of folk story telling. The content did not disappoint.

Truly Plaice is a larger-than-life figure in a small, sleepy town that neither encourages or accepts differences. Despite a long string of personal tragedies (Truly's mother died while giving birth to her) and a world that contained no respite, Truly develops into a character of strength (physical and emotional) who creates a world for herself by relying on her own wits and willpower.

I could give away the story -- tell you about her perfect sister who the town idolizes or about her drunkard father or about how her body grows and grows and grows ... until it doesn't -- but I want you to read it. Now. Go get this book and devour it in a few sittings like I did. Feast on sentences like "Robert Morgan never liked a thing in his life unless he got to take the first bite out of it, and he never let a thing go, either, until it was chewed all the way down to skin and bone."

I had moments where I was catapulted out of the story by the narrative voice. Truly is our fascinating narrator, but she is also omnipresent. She tells us the story of her own childhood in amazing language, but then tells us what people across town are doing and thinking, as well. How does she know? It's a bit jarring, but then you accept it and move on.

Also, it contains some plot elements that some will not like. For instance, there's naturopathic healing that waltzes straight over to the dark side (some call it witchcraft, but there's no magic involved) and a relatively important character doesn't stick to his gender. But I think it's all written so well that even those who'd decry the book for its "values" will get over it.

Added bonus: I wanted to know more about author Tiffany Baker, so I went to her website. And read this. Is that not the best, most accurate, bio for a working, writing mom ever?

Please go to your nearest library to check out this book, or download it for your kindle (if you live in a beautiful reading fantasy land), or buy it to read and then donate it to your local library for the rest of us. And then come back here and tell me what you think!

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