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Ahhhh. 4th of July. Hope yours rocked despite the sweltering heat wave. The moon was gorgeous and we watched about 4 hours of non-stop DIY fireworks from our back porch. We miss the city's big pyrotechnics of years past, but the neighbors banded together to put on quite a show.
Earlier in the day we hit the free, outdoor archery range near Belmont Harbor and met another father/ 9 year old girl team of shooters. They also have an older 11 year old boy and we exchanged contact info for future play days. The girls hit it off, honed their archery skills and talked about how much they both adored the movie, Brave.As a mom, independence from the coma girls is the best independence day celebration. When I was a 9 year old girl, emulating the popular movie and book princesses meant lying around unconscious as sleeping beauty or snow white, or waiting...imprisoned in a tower, for a prince to come. We all fought over what girl got to play the prince, 'cause then you got to gallop around, climb, roll down hills and adventure while the princess had to lie around immobilized and bored. I'm ecstatic my daughter has mighty archers like Merida and Katniss Everdine to emulate instead. Both are kind, brave, compassionate, independent and brilliant.
We saw Brave last week with 3 generations of our family and everyone from the grandparents down to the kids loved it. The bears are a bit intense for small children or sensitive kids, so if you have one of those, check it out yourself first and see if it's a good fit for your family. Brave should be a mandatory mom/daughter date for girls heading into the snarky tween/teen years.
This Pixar movie has a great story line, gorgeous art work and excellent characters. The accents are playful and fun and the relationship dynamics will resonate with families world wide. We also loved that Merida is the first princess to point out how hard that job actually is. Most little girls think princess equates fancy dresses, a tiara, loads of money, being waited on hand and foot, and getting everything you want. Brave finally shows being a princess entails being educated, wise, refined in manners, and on your best behavior. It's a lot of pressure being an example to your people, and knowing a wrong choice on your part could send your kingdom to war!
Merida, the spunky, fearless heroine of Brave is as endearing as she is stubborn and willful. This movie is a magic filled, action packed romp with an underlying message of reconciliation. Brave is a great reminder that parents can grow and change and learn from and with our children.
We highly recommend Brave!
Check out Disney's main site for Brave tickets, free games, video clips and more right here.
Inspired by the upcoming olympics and the recent rockin' archer girls in the movies? Check out 10 Fearless Female Film Archers from Bust Magazine right here. It's a sweet list, but some are appropriate for older tweens/teens so check the ratings or put your littles down for a slumber party and have a moms' movie night.
Want to get your Chicago girls (and boys) into archery? You can bring your own target and gear and shoot for free outside at Belmont Harbor or join for $30 a year and have access to their targets on site. Our favorite indoor spot is Archery Bow Range. Check the links below for our video feature on an archery birthday party there. They also have workshops and camps.
CHIIL MAMA'S ORIGINAL ARCHERY BOW RANGE VIDEO FEATURE
MIGHTY GIRL BOOKS & REAL KID COMPOUND BOW RECOMMENDATION
ARCHERY BOW RANGE KIDS PHOTO FEATURES
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