No time to blog...

Essentially, this is a test. I've not blogged in years. Instead, I've posted random photos on social media. Is it worth blogging? At times, it seems easier to post a photo - they do convey a story. But sometimes words help reveal what's behind the photo. I may try starting this thing up again. Let's see if I show up sooner than 6 years later.

Movie magic for families at the Phoenix Film Festival April 6

You love movies and have always talked about going to a film festival, maybe even the Phoenix Film Festival. It is in your backyard. But with kids? Well, there's a cool opportunity for movie-loving families coming up on Saturday, April 6.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. you and your family can enjoy Kids’ Day. The day is aimed at families with children ages 5 to 12, so they can experience the festival. Young attendees can select from a series of hands-on activity stations focusing on different aspects of film production and geared to various age and ability levels.

Among the activities: Coloring black-line reproductions of the festival poster for little ones; acting and creating short films for older kids; creating a musical soundtrack to a fun film for all ages; and writing a script "Mad Lib" style at the screenwriting station.

Stations, I'm told, are age-appropriate and run the full gamut of the film-making process. Families are also invited to view family-friendly film screenings that morning and afternoon. "Babe" will play at 1:05 p.m. on April 6.

More info on the Phoenix Film Festival, which runs April 4-11, www.phoenixfilmfestival.com.

Cavalia's Odysseo Free Ticket Deal

If you haven't gone to this beautiful horse spectacular and wanted to go, several shows have been added through Feb. 10. Best of all, there's a special deal aimed at families, too.

The special promotion is ideal for large families or two or more families. Who doesn't enjoy going with friends? The deal: Buy 5 Tickets, Get 5 Tickets Free!

The show has been getting rave reviews since it opened on Dec. 19. Check out my review.

Learn more on how to get your free tickets, with purchase, here.

Cavalia's Odysseo in Scottsdale through Jan. 13

I love seeing beautifully choreographed shows. It's one reason I love going to Vegas - tons of beautiful costumes, soothing music, amazing acrobatics, etc.

Lucky for me, I got a chance to preview Cavalia's new show, Odysseo. I only saw select scenes, and it's gorgeous.

Odysseo features equestrian arts and acrobatics on a high-tech theatrical stage that includes a working carousel and an 80,000-gallon lake. I'll let some pictures show you what to expect.

My daughter's mouth was agape almost the entire preview. Many amazing riding tricks, gorgeous costumes and athleticism. The set was beautiful. Now the big screen could be amazing, but at times the video seemed too grainy. Still, you felt transported to a beautiful place.

This obviously isn't for everyone. The music is mellow, and if you don't like horses or acrobatics, well... But if you like theatrical experiences, this was a beautiful one.

Ticket prices range from $29.50-$149.50. The theater, under a huge 10-story white tent, is cozy. Even those cheaper, high-up seats aren't that far away from the action. That's good news if ticket costs are an issue. Taking a family can be expensive, especially if you go for a VIP package. But if you are looking for a memory rather than a gadget for Christmas, this could be a nice family outing. Click link for Cavalia's Odysseo show info & tickets.

Drillmaster me fails every time

I chose to quit a very full-time job a few months ago partly so I could be on top of my son's school work. High school grades matter, and my fear is my inattention because of work would mean he'd never go to college. Crazy? Maybe. It's my fear.

So I've been on top of him this past quarter. He gets work done, hating every moment. At least it seems that way. He especially loves when I ask, "Can you explain this to me?" and "Where's your work?" This means writing more sentences or showing how he solves math problems. Short answers don't seem good in high school, and right answers don't mean you get points. Work matters. He looks at me incredulously every time. "But it's the right answer!"

His grades, sadly, are just marginally better than when I was working and glancing to see if he was doing homework. Why? Well, he still doesn't show work. Grr! And he doesn't always turn in homework. What!? Yes, all that frustration over doing it, and yet sometimes he doesn't turn it in. That baffles me. Why do it if you don't get a grade for it? Maybe a good night's sleep makes him forget the crazy mom puts him through to get homework done.

He's a teen. I know they aren't always organized. I'm hoping it gets better. Drillmaster me isn't exactly working.

Why I loved watching 'Ruby Sparks' with my tween

When I had the chance to preview Ruby Sparks before the movie was released, already I was thinking how great it would be to take my 12-year-old daughter to see this R-rated movie. Sure, there were a few "unconfortable-for-a-parent" discussions. But, I just knew our conversation about the movie would be awesome. It'd be the kind that helps a mom figure out how a daughter views relationships. This was a must. At least it was for me. :)

I decided to wait for the DVD, which came out Oct. 30. Ruby Sparks is now one of my daughter's favorite movies. She's put it on her Christmas list, since I only had the DVD on loan. Seriously.

The movie is R-rated for the adult situations and language. There's talk about sex, some profanity (including many F-words, but not as many as some cable shows) and a scene where some characters share a joint. These aren't things that I shy away from discussing with her. These are situations she will encounter in life. Better she get my thoughts on it than sneak in a movie and take her friend's opinions as the only truth.

If you've not heard of this movie, do check out the trailer:

My daughter and I spoke about ideal relationships, writing, controlling people, changing people, imperfection, etc. We spent a lot of time talking about Calvin's decision to rewrite his character, and how what he thought he wanted wasn't always really what he intended, as well as consequences of someone having the upper hand in a relationship. We're still taking about the movie, a week later.

Some possible questions, should you watch with your tween or teen:

-What are the pros and cons of being able to control another person's behavior? Might it be fun for a while or plain wrong?

-If you could, would you want to control how others act around you? On the flip side, how would you feel if someone could control you?

-How did it make you feel when Calvin started purposefully controlling Ruby?

-Have you thought about how you wish you could change other people (friends, family)? Has this film changed your mind about that?

-Can relationships ever reach perfection for either person? Explain.

-Would you end the movie in the same way?

Here's hoping there is a good deal on the DVD in the next few weeks. Mom, here, may just give in to this Christmas request. :)

Cheers!

Tips for enjoying Universal Studios Hollywood

We've been to Universal Studios four or five times now. We went twice in Orlando and two or three times in Hollywood. Is it terrible if I can't remember? We've gone every couple of years since our daughter turned 3.

We recommend it if you have at least school age children. While there are fun things for preschoolers, you will enjoy the park more if your child is old enough to ride the attractions.

According to the Universal Studios website: The Transformers and Simpsons rides require being 40 inches tall; Jurassic Park has a minimum height of 42 inches; and the Mummy ride requires riders to be 48 inches tall. Shows can be quite entertaining for all, and several attractions — Shrek 4D, Terminator 2: 3D and Studio Tour (including King Kong 360 3-D) — allow you to just sit and watch.

Here's how we made the most of our day and a half at the park. Since we've gone before, we knew what we wanted to see and do (the new stuff and the cool stuff — all personal preferences).

We started by buying tickets at Costco. Offers vary from store to store, but we found 2-day passes for $64 each. The ticket allows you to use your second day within 90 days of the first use; and the first use has to take place before Dec. 31, 2012. Since we don't plan to return until maybe 2014 (we want the kids to be old enough to be part of a studio audience), we opted to go two consecutive days.

However, if we thought we'd go more often, we would have opted for the Universal Studios deal of the moment: Buy a day at the park and enjoy the rest of 2012 and 2013 for free. Blackout days do apply. This is a great deal if you are a regular traveler to the LA-area.

We then started looking for hotels in the area. We didn't want to spend a ton of time stuck in traffic. Seems being stuck in traffic adds to everyone's stress, and we start the day in a bad mood. That's not what we wanted. But the hotels within walking distance of the park seemed pricey, so I started looking on priceline.com and Hotwire.com. I could see the possibility of a much lower rate, but no guarantee I'd get the hotel I wanted. So then I called one of the hotels — the one that I saw had a complimentary continental breakfast and snacks service in the evening. This could be a huge food savings unless the food wasn't what we wanted to eat.

I let the reservation agent know the lowest rate I saw, and if she could get me something close. She ended up telling me of a deal where the first night is full price, but the second is 40 percent off. The savings was $100 off, so I booked it.

I hoped the food would help cut out dining out bill, and it did. The evening snacks ended up including complimentary wine and beer, and the sampling of food was good. For breakfast, I had two ham croissants with a side of cinnamon oatmeal and Starbucks coffee. My son went to town on pastries. My daughter loved the cereal and fruit. We were all satisfied and only needed to snack at the park before dinner.

As for the evening snacks, there weren't tons, but there was a nice spread of cheeses, veggies and finger foods. Did I mention the free beer and wine? The selection was limited, but the wine and beer were rather nice touches after a long day out.

At the park, we didn't have to deal with shuttles or parking since it was a 5-10 minute walk. Tickets in hand, we only had to stand in the entry line.

We started the day on the lower lot to make sure we hit the Transformers: The Ride 3D. This was one of the new attractions since we last went. We then hit Revenge of the Mummy and Jurassic Park the Ride, both old favorites. Lines were short since it was a Monday, so we did a few repeats.

Then we headed to the upper lot. Happens the Simpson's Ride always seemed to have a 25- to 35-minute wait, so we hopped in. You're entertained by show clips, so the wait doesn't feel as long. We then did the Studio Tour — another attraction with long waits because of the King Kong 360 3-D experience. Very cool! You feel as though you are in the middle of the jungle with Kong and the T-Rex he fights. Another bonus of the tour: Jimmy Fallon offers some funny commentary via video.

We wanted to see House of Horrors, but it was closed. We'll need to return another time for that. Then we made time for the shows we've enjoyed in the past, including Shrek 4D, Special Effects Stage and Terminator 2: 3D. We skipped Waterworld and Animal Actors. Our kids aren't into the kiddie play areas anymore, so the splash pads and foam balls at the Curious George and Dinoplay areas were ignored. They are a lot of fun for all ages, though.

Day Two: We made sure to repeat the four rides we enjoyed most: Studio Tour, Transformers, Mummy and Jurassic Park. We also made time to take a few photos with characters.

Oh, we did hit one big glitch, which could have wrecked the day. Our studio tour was cut short because of a water line break. As we were escorted off the backlot, we paid attention to the daily password given to jump to the front of the

line on the Transformers ride. We also asked (super nicely) to jump the line when we returned to the studio tour. The employee allowed it (I suppose he could have said no), so we got to ride in the front car for the first time. I have to say I like car 3 or 4 best. Don't recall being in car 2.

We left feeling like we got to do everything we wanted. We grabbed a bite before our 6-hour drive home. We also lucked out not having to pay more than $4.49 for a gallon of gas.

Tip: Gas up in Quartzsite, Ariz. Once you hit California, gas shoots up in price. When we went, it was about 75 cents a gallon more.

Cheers!