In The Mood

Last night ChellBell and I went to a late night showing of Judy Moody's Not Bummer Summer. By "late night" I mean that the movie started at 8:35 and wrapped at 10. In my defense, it was the latest showing available. On a side note, we were the only people in the theater, which was kind of neat and kind of creepy all at the same time.

The movie is about a red headed girl named Judy Moody who is super-excited about summer and has mapped out ways to get Thrill Points for all the exciting things she has planned for her and her friends. It ends up that her friends already have plans to go away for the summer to do really cool and exotic things, and Judy decides that the race is still on to see who can get the most Thrill Points and have the most exciting summer. Though her plans to do crazy and daring things don't really turn out the way she had planned, with a little help from Big Foot and the ice cream man, Judy's summer turns out perfectly.

I've been feeling bad for ChellBell, wondering if this was going to be a Bummer Summer for her. Don't get me wrong, she is signed up for all kinds of camps and activities this summer along with the ritual sleeping in and occasional I-don't-want-to-get-out-of-my-PJs-today-so-let's-watch-movies-all-day kind of days. But this summer is different for her. First, there is a 3-month old in the house now who can't just hang out at the pool all day like ChellBell is used to doing with the Nanny. Secondly, I just went back to work after maternity leave, so there will be little flexibility or time off for me. Which means no big vacations like we've done in years past.

I don't know about you, but while I was growing up, summers were all about-care free living and adventures, and I want to make sure that, even with a newborn in tow, and even though both Chris and I work, we do things this summer that are adventurous and get ChellBell a Thrill Point or two. At the very least, I want her to have some fun memories from these months off from school. So Chris and I are mapping out a summer plan. That plan includes making the most of our weekends by heading to places close to Dallas like Fort Worth, Dublin, the Hill Country, and Greer Farms for some berry-picking. There are also a ton of things to do right here in our own backyard.

I think that if we are deliberate about making our time count, it will definitely be the NOT Bummer Summer for Chell. (And who knows, we might even sneak in another a late night movie every once in a while...)