Friday, February 27, 2009

Penelope (2006)

Penelope (Christina Ricci) is a girl with an interesting problem. Generations before, a young woman was slighted by the son of a wealthy family, and her mother, a witch, cast a spell on the household that the first daughter to be born to that family would have the appearance of a pig. For years, only sons were born into the line, but then one day, Penelope came along. With curly ears and a little snout, she was the fulfillment of the curse, which could only be broken when she found someone to love her for herself.

Her mother became obsessed with getting Penelope a husband and brought in every eligible bachelor she could find. They visited with Penelope through a one-way mirror, and if they hit it off, they would then meet her face-to-face. Inevitably, they would run screaming from the house, sometimes throwing themselves out the window in their attempt to get away. Thus, Penelope lived a very lonely life. This really is a shame—she’s funny, compassionate, intelligent, and doesn’t deserve the reactions she’s getting.

When she meets Max (James McAvoy), Penelope thinks maybe she’s found the guy who will break the curse. He accepts her on every level, but says he can’t marry her. Out of all the young men she’s met, he’s the only one she loved. She runs away and starts a life on her own, tired of being hidden away, and wears a scarf across her nose and mouth so no one will see her snout. In the end, the key to solving her mystery lies in a far different path than what she first thought, and we do get our happily ever after.

This is what I might consider a more mature fairy tale. It does have its share of witches and curses and what-have-you, but it contains a more sophisticated storyline and a few moments of innuendo which children won’t notice, but parents will. While I enjoyed the story, I wished those short moments hadn’t been included, being unnecessary as innuendo generally is.

I also thought Penelope made a much cuter pig than she did a person. When wearing her pig snout, the make-up artists spent more time on her hair, eyes and lips as well. After the curse was broken, they didn’t do much for her overall appearance, and she looked a bit pale and unkempt. Sure, she didn’t have a snout any more, but I would have liked them to continue to show how pretty she really is, snout or no snout.

A cute story, a great romance, and just a couple of “hmmm …” moments, “Penelope” is a PG-rated film that parents will want to preview before showing it to their children, but will probably enjoy it for themselves.

Mini Reviews:

Holiday (1938) What's a dreamer to do when he's being forced into a box? Why, he decides to go on a holiday. That's exactly what Cary Grant's character, Johnny Case, does in this classic film. Engaged to marry the charming Julia Seton, Johnny comes to visit her home, only to learn that he's expected to take over the family business, which he definitely does not want to do. When he meets Linda (Katharine Hepburn) Julia's sister, and realizes that she's a free spirit much like himself, there's nothing to be done but to choose the girl who really understands him. While not quite as enjoyable as "Bringing Up Baby," the other film with these two stars that was released the same year, I did find a lot of merit in this comedic film.

Underdog (2007) This film didn't get much attention at the box office, but my kids and I enjoyed it. Jason Lee is the voice of Underdog, a pooch who was given the ability to communicate with humans after spending some time in a research facility. He can also fly and fight crime (I can think of worse side effects). The scientist responsible for this metamorphosis has an evil plot to gentically alter everyone in the city, and only Underdog can save the day ... after helping to heal the rift between the father and son who own him. We gave this one two paws up, although with moments of mild peril, it might be more suited to older children than younger.

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I Need to Vent

Many of the appliances around our homes depend on air flow in order to work properly. If this air flow gets blocked by lint, dirt, or hair, the appliance doesn’t function like it should and can use too much electricity trying to work, or even become overheated and burn out. I didn’t realize this until I had a microwave literally blow up because of clogged vents. It didn’t cause a huge explosion and throw me across the room like an action film, but it did make a loud “pop” and scared me half to death and I ended up having to replace it.

The following appliances each have a venting system and we should be checking them out regularly.

1. As mentioned, our microwaves. The placement on the vents will vary depending on the make and where the microwave is used—a wall-mounted unit will vent out the front and bottom, where a counter unit will generally vent from the sides.

2. Refrigerators vent out the front, down by the floor. If you remove the grate, you can easily clean out the lint. This vent is very much like the screen on your clothes dryer—if left for a long period of time, the dirt can form a thick mat and reduce your fridge’s efficiency.

3. Furnaces have vented doors across the front, and as you remove the door, you’ll see the furnace filter. Both of these should be cleaned out regularly.

4. Don’t forget your computers! Veritable dust-catchers of doom, computers are notorious for gathering too much dust and then ceasing to function. They must be able to vent off heat and the dust must not build up inside the machine.

5. Hair dryers. Check out the back of your hair dryer—is a fine layer of lint starting to accumulate on the screen? Take a bobby pin or a toothpick and get that cleaned off.

6. Heating and air condition vents also catch a lot of dirt and lint. Over time, the ducts can become blocked as well. Take off the screen and reach back in there with a small brush or hanger, and you might even want to have a duct-cleaning company come out if you've purchased an older home or have lived where you are for several years.

It’s absolutely natural for lint and dirt to build up over time. It’s just part of being mortal and there’s no shame attached to it—we just need to stay on top of it. Yes, it is one more thing to add to a long, long list of household chores we’re already performing, but can extend the life and function of our appliances, and I think we’d all go for that. You may also find that the air you breathe is cleaner as you remember to clear out the vents around you. It's a win-win situation.

YourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more.

And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Torn Apart – Diony George

Torn Apart” is a novelization of the author’s own experiences as a young wife who finds out that her husband has been indulging in pornography. Using the character name of “Alyson,” we go with her as she meets and marries Jared, the man of her dreams, only to discover little things about him as they go along. She didn’t know he’d come home early from his mission for the LDS Church, and she didn’t know he’d been involved with a sister missionary from his area.

Click here to read more ...

Previously Engaged - Elodia Strain

When I reviewed Elodia Strain's breakout novel "The Icing on the Cake,"I was highly entertained. But now, with the sequel "Previously Engaged," I'm absolutely delighted. Strain has taken her talent, which was considerable before, and honed it, creating a story that had me smiling all the way through.

Click here to read more ...

It Made Me Laugh

I took my daughter out for tacos last night. I've been working hard cleaning out our storage unit and also painting my bedroom, and there was no way I was going to make dinner. My husband took the boys to Wendy's (for some reason, they didn't inherit my taco-loving genes). Anyway, we went inside and were seated at a table when an older gentleman, probably in his mid-fifties, came in and ordered, followed shortly by two younger men, probably in their early twenties, both of whom had longer hair.

The older man struck up a conversation, the jist of which was that he too had long hair until he went on his mission, which changed his life, and he realized the error of his ways. The two younger men were very polite and listened to him respectfully, although I could tell they wished he'd just leave them alone. He then asked them if they were going to school or working. They replied that they were working, and he asked where.

"The state liquor store," one of them replied. I almost choked on my drink.

"I never go there," the older man said. His food was now ready and he left. I snuck a peek at the two younger guys. They shrugged and that was the end of it for them. They didn't say anything about him behind his back, which I thought was pretty cool. I mean, when someone "kindly" sets us straight about the error of our ways, how often do we take it in such stride?

I was still struggling to hold in my laughter. My daughter wanted to know what was so funny, and I told her I'd explain it when we got to the car. You see, it had occurred to me that these young men might really have jobs at the liquor store, but they also might have been yanking the older guy's chain. I badly wanted to know. I mean, I really, really, massively wanted to know. But then I realized I had paint all over my clothes and no make-up on and I was covered in dirt (painting + storage unit = unpresentable) so I didn't go over and ask them. Regardless of where they work, their response was perfect.

Of course, I'd like to see every young man serve a mission. But it wasn't even clear if these guys were LDS - that's sort of important to know before you start asking them about mission plans. And everyone has their free agency. Props to those two young men for A) being polite B) taking a stand and C) not railing on the guy as soon as his back was turned. I'm impressed.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Friday, February 20, 2009

Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

Journey to the Center of the Earth” looked fun, but when the DVD came from Netflix, it sat on top of my desk for almost two weeks before I watched it. When I finally did put it in, I wondered why I’d waited for so long. I loved it!

Trevor Anderson’s brother Max disappeared years ago while investigating seismic activity in Iceland. No one knew what really happened to him, and Trevor has continued his brother’s work in his memory but also to try to solve the mystery of the disappearance. When his sister-in-law brings his nephew, Sean, for a visit, she also brings a box of things for Trevor. Max’s copy of the novel “Journey to the Center of the Earth” was in the box, and as Trevor flips it open, he sees notes written in the margins. Max believed the book wasn’t just a fantasy, but rather, the recounting of a true story.

Energized in his search, Trevor decides to go to Iceland. The seismic readings are just the same as they were when Max disappeared, and Trevor doesn’t want to let this opportunity pass him by. In charge of his nephew, he takes Sean along, never realizing that they, too, will end up trapped in the center of the earth.

This movie was fascinating. It had moments of peril as Sean is chased by a dinosaur, their guide is nearly eaten by a carnivorous plant, and they are blown out of a volcano. However, none of these scenes were frightening, per se, but rather, exciting. The language was clean and there was no sex—rather surprising.

Because of the peril mentioned above, I wouldn’t recommend showing the film to young children. But you can watch it with your children ages ten and up—pop some popcorn and have a fun family movie night together.

This film was rated PG.

Mini Reviews:

Second Chorus (1940) – this is a lesser-known Fred Astaire film, and frankly, it’s okay with me that it’s lesser-known. Artie Shaw and his orchestra are the only thing that save the movie from being completely forgettable. We aren’t even treated to very much dancing. If you miss this one, it’s not going to be a big regret in your life.

Chariots of Fire (1981) – my mother told me once that this was the most boring movie she’d ever seen. As it’s considered a modern classic, I decided to give it a whirl. It’s the true story of two men competing in the 1924 Olympics and their personal struggles and triumphs along the way. The problem with the film wasn’t so much that it was boring—it was actually pretty fascinating to see what made these runners tick and how their beliefs shaped their outcomes. I think the problem lay in the editing. There were a lot of unnecessary scenes and a lot of useless dialogue. If a good film editor had gone through and weeded out those things that didn’t lend to plot or characterization, the movie would have been more enjoyable. That said, I do think it’s worth your time. The message is important and I have thought back on it since viewing it.

YourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more.

And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Are You a Perfect Parent?

No one is expected to be perfect when they’re first learning. No one drives a car on the freeway on their first try, or flies a plane, or executes a double layout during a gymnastics meet. Each of these things takes practice and time, and if we can’t speak Russian flawlessly from the start, we shouldn’t feel down on ourselves.

Being a parent is no different. We understand the principles in theory, but putting them into daily practice is another story. We feel our way blindly, trying one thing and then another, finding those methods that work and bumbling our way through those that don’t. And just when we think we’ve got it figured out, we either have another child with a totally different personality, or our child enters a different stage in life and the old tricks and tools don’t work any more. It’s a constant circus.

So if we’re willing to forgive ourselves for not being able to ice skate the first time out, why are we so hard on ourselves as parents? We’ve never done it before. As the classic complaint goes, kids don’t come with instruction manuals. We’re flying by the seat of our pants when it comes to parenting. We will make mistakes, but as long as we are sincerely trying to do our best, it will all work out in the end.

I’m aiming this blog at myself as much as I am my reading audience. This week has been a tough one. My daughter’s hamster is sick and as much as I love my daughter, I can’t and won’t spend over two hundred dollars on x-rays that will only tell us if the current course of treatment will work or not. I’ve done everything I can to help the hamster and to administer the medication. I’ve talked with my daughter about life after death. I’ve done all I can to make the hamster comfortable. And yet, in the back of my mind is that niggling question—“Am I a bad mother for the way I’m handling this?”

My oldest son has been begging me to see the Star Wars movies. Upon his turning ten, I told him he could watch them, but I’d be on hand to fast forward any parts I thought were too violent for him. Last night we watched the third film, and I had every intention of blipping over the fight scene between Obi Wan and Anakin—falling into lava is sort of gruesome. But it’s been a while since I saw the movie and I forgot about the fight between Palpatine and Windu. That was a bit freaky and my son had nightmares. Um … yeah. I felt terrible. It’s my job to protect him and I was a little slow on the blip button.

Down the road, I’m sure I’ll make even more mistakes. As my children get older, the mistakes will probably be bigger just as their problems become bigger. I might even (accidentally) shoot my daughter’s first boyfriend if he gets a little too carried away with his goodnight kiss on the front porch. But as we make mistakes, we become wiser, and we learn the things we need in order to keep from repeating those mistakes. I’ll be more vigilant with movies from now on. As long as we make God a partner in our parenting, and consistently seek the best for our children, we will do a good job and we have no reason to beat ourselves up for not being perfect the first time around. And by the time my youngest is old enough to start having issues, I’ll be a total pro. Right?

YourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more.

And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Kathi Oram Peterson Goes on Virtual Book Tour

We've often been told to liken the scriptures unto ourselves, and we all like to get into a good book. What would you do if you suddenly found yourself in the middle of one of your favorite stories, and in the Book of Mormon, no less?

New author Kathi Oram Peterson examines this idea in her book, "The Forgotten Warrior," released this year by Covenant Communications. When her character, Syd, finds herself transported back in time, we go along too and see all the trouble and adventure she can get herself into.

Kathi is touring the Internet from now until March 14th to spread the word about her novel, which is the first in a projected series. I invite you to visit her blog and check out the links on her sidebar, and follow along with the tour. While you're there, be sure to read the information about her Stripling Warrior contest. A young person in your life deserves to be nominated for this award, and possibly win a pretty cool prize!

Join me here again on March 14th for a wrap-up of the tour and for my own review of this adventure-filled new novel, "The Forgotten Warrior."

Friday, February 13, 2009

Valor Authors' Blogs

Jenni James

Running Forward, Abel Keogh

A Writer's Ramblings, Karen E. Hoover

Daron D. Fraley

Michele Ashman Bell

Scribbled Scraps, Kimberly Job

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff

Queen of the Clan, Danyelle Ferguson

Parsons' Posts, Lynn Parsons

Gordon Ryan Author Chat, Gordon Ryan

Writing Resource and Book Review Blogs

Day to Day with Valor Publishing

Deliciously Clean Reads

Framed and Booked

LDS Publisher

LDS Readers

LDS Writers Blogck

Real World Bookcase


Six LDS Writers and a Frog

The Ink Ladies

Two Kids and Tired Book Reviews

Family and Friends

Our Place

The Bennett Family

The Bloodhound

Wow ... that's a pretty short list. :) I do have other family and friends - they just all fit in the other categories, too.

Bloggy Friends' Links

Away From it All

Beautiful Bodacious Babbling Blogger Babes

Because Nice Matters

Chilly's World

Cranberry Corner

Crazy Bloggin' Canuck

Dapoppins

Inksplasher

Kashkawan

Life's a Picture

Lords of the Manor

Lynne's Little Corner of the World

mind-muffins

Mommy, What's for Dinner?

Over the Backyard Fence

Queen of Chaos

Rosehaven Cottage

Russell's Ruminations

Temporary? Insanity

The Dance

The Keiser Family

Twas Brillig

VioletLady at Home

Wanderer in a Strange Land

Where, Oh, Where Has My Mind Gone Today?

LDStorymaker Blogs

Bookmom Musings

Chocolate Daydreams

Crusty Old Broads

Dream a Little Dream with Me

Farworld

Ferran Clan

From Where I Sit

Heather Justesen

Janet Kay Jensen

Janette Rallison

Jeri's Journal

Jewel's World

Kathi's Writing Nook

Life on the Funny Farm

Linda Adams, Author

Liz Says

Long Way Home

Loralee Evans, Author

Marcia Mickelson

Miller's Musings

Musings from Old Paradise

My Paige

Nancy Campbell Allen

Not Entirely British

Now and Here

Rachel's Ramblings

Rebecca Talley Writes

Seriously ...


Somewhere North of the Rainbow


Stayin' Alive with Stacy

Sundial in the Shade

Tangled Words and Dreams

The Dashner Dude

The Lyon's Tale

Traci Abramson


Writer in the Cranberry Tower


Writer in the Pines

Writer Friends

90,000 Words of Delusion

A Future for Tomorrow

A Writer's Eyes

An Adventure in Writing and Life

Autumn Ables

Betsy Brannon Green

Bob's Blog

C. L. Beck

Cheri Chelsey

Confessions of a Life-long Bookworm

Crane-ium

Davis Bigelow

Day Dreamer

DIVA on the Run

Dreams of Quill and Ink

Fifteen Minutes of Delusion

Forethought and Purpose

Girl in a Whirl

Hearts and Hands

Inking Cap

Melissa J. Cunningham

Mistress of Fantasy

Mother's Daze

Musings from an LDS Writing Mom

My Life in a Laptop

Nichole's Musings

Notes from Jennie's Desk

On a Grahampage

Pink Ink

Queen of the Clan

Rachelle Writes

Shanna's Ramblings

Taffy's Candy

Teaching Special Spirits

The Camp Cook in Your Backyard

The Last Word

The Write Blocks

Think Dream Inspire

Wendword

Write Bravely

Writer in Berlin

Writings and Musings of Paul West

Igor (2008)

I loved it, I loved it not. I loved it …

Igor
has a hysterical premise. We travel to Malaria, where once everything was beautiful and happy, but then the land was visited by dark clouds that obscured the sunlight and caused all the crops to fail. The people were on the brink of starvation when their king hit upon a brilliant plan. They should create evil inventions to leash upon the world, and then charge the world a fee not to release the inventions. In this way, the people have been able to keep their economy solvent. There are dozens of evil scientists in Malaria, each with their own Igor, and each with the dream of creating the very best evil invention of that year.

But there’s one Igor who forgot to obey the rules. You see, an Igor is supposed to be stupid, unable to form full sentences, and completely subservient to his master. But this Igor (voiced by John Cusack) is an inventor himself, and he has hit upon a way to create life. When his master is accidentally killed in a laboratory explosion, Igor decides to continue on with his own experiments, and see if he can come up with the most evil invention ever—a huge people-killing monster.

The dialogue is hysterical, the one-liners are great (“I went to college,” Igor says. “I got my ‘Yes, Master’ degree.”) the premise is awesome … but here’s the rub. It’s not for children. There’s some swearing throughout, the dress worn by the villainess leaves nothing to the imagination, and there’s some violence that I think is too much for younger viewers. But for an older audience, it’s a riot. I leave it to you to be the judge, as always, but I personally feel best about recommending it to an audience aged ten and up, and not at all if language is a concern.

(This film is rated PG.)

YourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more.

And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The Positive Power of Prepackaged Produce

I’m not one that gets along well with lettuce. It wilts when it sees me coming. I never have the patience to sit and tear it into little pieces, which, according to Julia and Wolfgang and Paula and all those people who don’t have lettuce issues, keeps it from turning brown. But I can't get it the right size, so I chop it, and it goes brown. Turns out all those people knew what they were talking about. Probably why they have their own cooking shows and I don’t.

I also don’t have a lot of patience with washing lettuce. You can wash it while it’s still in leaf form—but if you’re not careful (this would be me) you create sort of a ski slope with the leaf. The water hits it and sends it flying off the end and down the front of the unlucky person who is holding said lettuce leaf. If you tear (or chop) it up before you rinse it, you get a lot of water hidden in between all those little pieces, and it’s nearly impossible to fully drain it out. Then you put in your croutons, which are supposed to be crunchy, and they find all the little bits of water you couldn’t find, and then you get soggy croutons in your salad. Deeeelicious (she says sarcastically).

I don’t want you to think I’m totally domestically challenged. I do have my strengths and weaknesses. And it turns out that lettuce is just one of those things that I have no talent for. I bet you didn’t know that produce was something that took talent—well, it does, and I’m living proof of that.

So, my solution? Prepackaged lettuce.

Thanks to modern technology, we can not only get our iceberg and Romaine in prewashed, precut (or torn) and pretossed baggies, but we can get spring lettuce mixes, Caesar mixes, spinach salad mixes—and, for you brave souls, coleslaw. It’s amazing the many different varieties they have available. Many people do recommend rinsing the lettuce again before use. This causes me angst, but I'm learning to deal.

Ordinarily, I stay away from prepackaged anything. It always costs more and for just the slightest bit more effort on my part, I can save a dollar or two every day. But not when it comes to lettuce. Lettuce laughs at me. It points its little curly leaves in my direction and lets out a very un-producelike guffaw. I can’t stand the mockery. I’m buying a bag.

YourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more.

And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Lemon Tart – Josi Kilpack

I love cozy mysteries, and a culinary cozy mystery is especially delicious—except when they get so bogged down in the description of just how the egg whites were folded into the melted chocolate, you lose the thread of the story. “Lemon Tart” by Josi Kilpack takes all the things I love about a culinary cozy: the mystery, the quirky characters, the clean storyline, and the recipes—and keeps it in balance, without overwhelming us with the dicing of carrots or the selection of the perfect pork roast.

Click here to read more ...

Monday, February 09, 2009

Whitney Finalists Announced!


I'm so excited - it's Whitney Awards time! Go here to check out all the nominees. This list represents a whole lot of hard work, creativity, and determination. I've already read several of them and I can tell you, it's going to be hard to choose - they're all so deserving.

The Awards will be presented at the Whitney Award gala dinner following the LDStorymakers Writers Conference this April 25th at the Provo Marriott. If you're interested in attending, I promise, you'll have a wonderful time!

The Mystic Cipher - Dennis L. Mangrum

Carver Nash, former military hero, wants to live a quiet life on his Marion, Utah, farm. He's ready to put his public life aside and just be a farmer. One day while digging post holes on his property, he uncovers a metal box, and just seconds later, is nearly shot by a sniper's bullet.

When his good friend and neighbor Rylan Edison sees the box, a whole mystery comes tumbling out. They now have evidence that the fabled Rhoades Mine, subject of much speculation about the lives of the early Saints, does in fact exist. Rylan is a historian and badly wants to locate the mine. Carver badly wants to keep the press off his land. They decide to solve the mystery quietly, with one exception - Rylan calls his daughter, Cass, to come help them out.

Click here to read more, and an interview with the author.

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Counting the Cost - Liz Adair

I have a confession to make—when I first picked up “Counting the Cost,” I had a hard time getting into it. There were some typos, a lot of characters, a lot of details, a lot of back story, and I was getting lost. I set it down and came back to it last night. This time I was able to catch the kite’s tail of the story and stayed up until 3 am, finishing it in one sitting.

Click here to read more ...

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Teaching Our Daughters to be Women

Last week, I shared my thoughts on teaching our sons to be men. Today, I'd like to talk about the other side of the equation, teaching our daughters to be women.

There was a time in our history, and that place is now in many cultures of the world, where women were perceived as property rather than as people. Over the years, women have made strides in the arenas of politics, business, and in the way society views them, but there are still some myths that abound. These myths detract from a woman's true worth and true purpose. These myths include:

1. A woman must be subservient to her husband.

2. A woman must hide her intelligence if she wants to get a husband.

3. A woman who wants to get ahead in business or politics must act like a man.

4. The best way for a woman to get attention is to dress immodestly and act silly.

With all the strides forward that have taken place for women over the last century, these myths push us back to where we started. We can claim women's lib all we want, but as long as these false beliefs continue to circulate, women never will attain the sense of fulfillment they desire. I suggest that as we raise our young women, we incorporate the following teachings:

1. A woman's true beauty is not dependent on her size, hair color, or how much skin she is showing. Beauty comes from strength of character.

2. Women can be successful in any arena without acting masculine to achieve it. They are not wimps and should not feel the need to deny the gentler sides of their gender to "prove" they can hack it in the world.

3. Women were given tremendous talents by our Heavenly Father for the purposes of enriching their own lives and the lives of those around them. They should not sacrifice the use of those gifts for any reason. While their schedules might revolve around motherhood or school for now, they should not deny those stirrings of creativity when they crop up. They should act out on them as they're able, and their husbands should support them in developing those talents and abilities.

4. God's plan for His children revolves around husbands and wives working together as a unit. Women play an absolutely crucial role in the plan of salvation, and they should work hard to gain a testimony of the key role they play and their worth in our Heavenly Father's eyes, a worth that goes beyond anything we can possibly imagine.

If I could somehow wave a magic wand and instill in my daughter all I want her to know, I would make her realize that being a daughter of God is quite simply the most beautiful, wonderful, desirous thing in creation. I would zap into her all the self-esteem and confidence I could, I would help her understand her true place in the kingdom, and I would cast out all her fear and feelings of inadequacy. But I can't do that. These are things she must gain for herself. But I can tell her every day of our Heavenly Father's love for her and the potential she carries within her, and I can try to live my life in such a way that she realizes that womanhood is noble, empowering, and yet also gracious and gentle.

Fathers, I wish to close with a note to you. Your influence on your daughter's life is more than you might ever realize. The way you interact with your daughter will determine the kind of husband she chooses later, and it will affect her own self-image. Treat your daughters like princesses, because they are, but also treat them with respect, as women of strength, because they are. Your positive influence is the key factor in determining how they will approach marriage, motherhood, and their own morality. Be men of faith and live up to your priesthood oaths, and encourage your daughters to seek out boyfriends who do the same. You can be the hero in your daughter's life.

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Tinker Bell (2009)

I've never met a little girl who didn't like fairies, so when Disney announced they were making a movie entirely devoted to Tinker Bell, I knew they were in for a sure fire hit. And of course all the clothes and dolls and toys that go along with it - man, I wish I was in the children's entertainment industry!

"Tinker Bell" was an enjoyable film. We begin by learning how a fairy is born - when a child laughs, the sound of that laughter is carried on a breeze to Pixie Hollow, where it grows into a fairy. That fairy is then given a test to determine his or her special talent. They are shown symbols of the different talents they might possess, and when they feel an attachment to one of the symbols, they know that is the field they should pursue. When Tinker Bell comes to Pixie Hollow, she is attracted to the stone hammer, which glows at her approach. She is proclaimed to be a tinker and is shown her new home.

She's content at first with her assignment, fixing things that break and creating bowls and spoons for use in the hollow, but soon she notices that the nature fairies are getting ready for spring. They will fly to the mainland and paint the sky beautiful springtime shades, they'll cause the flowers to bloom, and they'll wake the earth from the dead of winter. Suddenly, Tinker Bell's lowly placement in life seems too much to bear, and she begs to trade assignments.

In her eagerness to be more important, she causes a lot of havoc and destruction, but by embracing her tinker skills, she is able to rectify her mistakes and she realizes that every fairy has his or her own special place for a reason.

This movie was mild, with no real peril or conflict. You can enjoy it with your very young children, although some parents might find themselves nodding off from time to time. Rated G.


Mini Reviews:

"Next" -- I recently enjoyed this Nicholas Cage thriller about a man who can see two minutes into the future and is asked by the FBI to help locate an atomic bomb. Some language and some violence, it's a little intense for kids, but put them to bed and enjoy the movie with your honey. Rated PG-13.

"Under the Greenwood Tree" -- really has nothing to do with a tree at all. This period piece is centered around Fancy Day, a young woman who has moved into a village where young women are scarce. Not surprisingly, she receives three offers of marriage before the movie's end, but she must choose her own heart. There were some nice heart-fluttery scenes in this one, and yes, the characters actually do kiss, unlike some period pieces I won't mention. This film was unrated.

"Impromptu" is inspired by the true story of the love affair between female author George Sand and the composer Chopin. The characters are often depicted as living tortured lives, trying to figure out how to cope with the immense amount of talent they've been given. Their choices aren't always the most moral and this is depicted to some extent within the film, but I found it fairly historically accurate (as these things go) and I appreciated the look into the lives of these immensely gifted people. This film was rated PG-13.


YourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more.

And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Pet Peeves about American Idol

It may surprise you to discover that I have any pet peeves about American Idol. After all, it's one of my favorite shows and I watch it religiously. I thought I'd have to do without this year, but then I was led toward www.ch131.com and my world has come back into focus.

But yes, there are some things that bother me about the show. Because I'm not known for keeping my mouth shut on any topic whatsoever, I shall now share them with you.

1. Contestants who say, "If you'd just give me a chance!" They've actually been given several chances. Randy, Kara,Paula and Simon aren't their first audition - they have to sing a snippet when they sign in so the producers know what to do with them. And if they make it to Hollywood, they've sung for the judges a number of times. It's not fair for them to bellyache and complain that they weren't given a chance. They were given a chance, and if they didn't make it to the next round, it's because they goofed up or can't sing. (Also in this category are contestants who claim they didn't get enough camera time and that's why they didn't make it through ... as if the judges are even aware of who's getting camera time at this point in the show.)

2. Female contestants who feel that their bodies or their cuteness should see them through the entire way. Case in point, Bikini Girl. Her attitude was beyond belief. She had no respect for anyone on the show, she mouthed off at the (female) judges, (female) contestants, and spent her time flirting with anything male that moved, including smooching Ryan a bit beyond the normal "I'm so happy, let me smooch you" sort of smooching. I don't blame the female judges one bit for having issues with her. And at the end, when she decided not to rehearse with her group on group day and then showed up right before it was time to perform, her excuse for not doing better? She had been wearing high heels all day and was exhausted because she has scoliosis. Well, I have scoliosis. In fact, I have double scoliosis. (I'll take your spinal deformation and raise you one.) I happen to know for a fact that persons with scoliosis had better not be doing any such thing as wearing high heels for longer than, oh, an hour at a time. If she wore them all day, well, of course she's going to be in pain! No brainer. She knew better before she ever did it. She threw away her chances because she wanted to be cute. That's what it all came down to.

3. Contestants who blame others for their failure. Bikini Girl wasn't the only one in her group that messed up. Rose was freaked out that they'd tank because of Bikini Girl, but Rose forgot her lyrics. You can't blame that on a single other person but yourself. Your group might be off key, and they might hate your guts and they might even trip you as you're walking on stage, but if you forget your lyrics, that's on you. Don't even try to pass that off on someone else.

4. Contestants who insult the judges when things aren't going their way. The four judges are professionals in the industry. You may not like what they have to say, but to tell them they don't know what they're talking about ... is just dumb.

5. Contestants who forget they're on television and that what they say and do will be replayed over and over again. Let's say you auditioned and it went badly and you freaked out and cussed and acted like a shrew and kicked over a few garbage cans. Now let's say a year has gone by, and you'd like to audition again. You're calm now, you've seen the error of your ways, and you think you've got a good chance this time around. You walk in, and the producers pounce on you. "It's that crazy person from last year!" and they dig up all the footage of you and your little manic episode. You may not ever be able to live that down, even though you no longer feel that way. And even if you don't go back to American Idol, how will your public display of wacko-ness affect every other thing you do, the rest of your life? If you interview for a job, and the guy behind the desk is a fan of AI, he's going to remember you. And he's going to ask you to leave. You cannot freak out on national television and act like a whiny bear and not expect there to be consequences.

So there you have it - some of the things I dislike about the show. These are all things the contestants could change and I hope they do - they're only hurting themselves when they act this way. They need to be looking down the road and taking responsibility for their actions now, recognizing that their future careers will be largely shaped by the things caught on tape. Right now they're being judged on their singing. But when the vote goes out to America, it does turn into a popularity contest, and if you've ticked off America, bye bye to you.
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