Movie Monday 3/31

Finally got our power back! It was out most of the day today, due to high winds, but came back on just barely in time for me to make dinner (my older son and I were starving because we had to make do with a cold lunch and are eating a restricted diet right now - so much for those yummy Chinese leftovers!)

We went away this weekend for a mini getaway - it was the only 48 hours we had with all four of us alone together until summer! Crazy, right? That's the hectic schedule that's been causing me so much stress lately. So, we squeezed in a little vacation to St. Michael's, a lovely little town on Maryland's Eastern shore, about two hours from here. We stayed at a fabulous inn (something we couldn't afford in the on-season!) out on a point of land, surrounded by water on three sides.

Unfortunately, it was dark and rainy the entire weekend! We had that gorgeous view and couldn't see much beyond the raucous waves of the bay. To make matters worse, my youngest son came down with a sinus infection and bronchitis before we left town on Friday, and I had to run him all over, squeeze in a doctor's appointment, and get him started on antibiotics. So, he felt awful on Saturday...and so did I, probably from all the stress and running around Friday! We made the best of it, though - hunkered down in our nice room, rented a video from the nearest Redbox, and watched it on my son's laptop. We also managed some great meals, a little bit of walking around town, and some fun card games in the evening. Not quite what we'd had planned, but it was still time spent alone together with no distractions.

The movie we watched was Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, the second movie in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, based on a popular series of middle-grade books by Rick Riordan. We all listened to this book on audio together on a road trip many years ago, but none of us remembered much about it, except my oldest son who has an incredible memory for books! The basic idea behind the series is that Greek Gods are alive and well in the 21st century. They sometimes get together with humans, creating "half-bloods," kids who are half-human and half-God. These kids are in danger from mythic monsters, so they stay at Camp Half-Blood, an area that's protected by a powerful magic (I think it's out on Long Island if I remember the books correctly). In this second book/movie, the protective barrier has been breached, putting all the campers at risk, and it is up to Percy and his friends, Grover (a satyr) and Annabeth (daughter of Athena), to find the mythical Golden Fleece and fix the barrier. Like the first movie, it's got nonstop action, lots of mythical creatures, and a good sense of humor. My older son was annoyed that the story sometimes veered significantly from the plot of the book, but all in all, it was a fun bit of entertainment on a rainy sick day. It's rated PG, so it's a good family movie to watch with somewhat younger kids (though probably a bit scary for the under-8 crowd).

Have you seen any good movies lately?