Cheap Summer Movies in Houston

I love a good movie. While NetFlix is super convenient, there's just something to be said about a movie theater. Luckily, the MarquE on I10 will be hosting the Family Film Festival again this summer, which includes FREE G- and PG-rated movies at 10 am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It's a great treat for families looking for a way to escape the heat. See the image to the right for the movie line up based on date.

Not to be outdone, the new Studio Movie Grill at Town & Country (called City Centre) combines dinner & a movie. The seating is roomier than traditional theatre seats and a waiter/waitress brings a menu and food to your table.

Yesterday, our family went to see "UP" and really enjoyed it. My husband and I agree that we'll be hard pressed to go to a "regular" movie theatre again.

The movie "UP" was entertaining and wove in some positive messages (like don't wait until you have enough money to make your dreams come true. Do it now.) We saw the 3D version so we needed to wear the provided 3D glasses. Little K did not care for that so instead she watched the somewhat blurry show without the 3D glasses. Oh well.

One tip: make sure you grab your credit card at the end of the movie. My husband accidentally grabbed the receipt but not his credit card. Oops! Overall, you'll spend the same amount for admission here as a traditional movie. And the lunch/dinner prices are the same as most restaurants so why not combine the two? Just don't overorder like we did by ordering popcorn snacks AND lunch!

Studio Movie Grill will be featuring the "2009 Summer Movie Series" with $1 kids movies this summer at 11 am Monday - Thursday. Adult tickets are $2. If it's rainy or just too hot, this would be a cool way to have lunch and a movie. The summer line up is on the Web site or you can peak at the graphic posted here. Enjoy!

Until the next nap time...

Great Summer Opportunity for Kids under 15 Years

When I found out about this family-oriented and community-outreach program, I begged for the details. It's called the "Friends For Life Tuck-in Service" at Friends for Life (FFL) and is a cool way to help local animals without having to adopt another one.

This is a weekday 4:30-6 pm program in which young people under 15 and their families "tuck in" the FFL cats for the day including feeding, cleaning and even reading a story to the kitties. FFL has told the cats that they are about to have extended family and they are very excited! From a parents' perspective, this teaches kids the needed responsibilities of caring for pets, charting the tasks completed and even measurement when kids measure the food scoops.

Join Carol and Peggy at the Center on 19th Street in the Heights for the first training Tuesday, June 2, 2009 4:30- 6 pm here at the 19th Street Center at 246 W 19th. All training/tuck in sessions will be held in the same 4:30-6 pm time slot. Each family will receive a manual at training.

FFL will be doing several training evenings in the next few weeks. They want to make sure everyone has plenty of individual attention, so they are limiting each training session to two families at a time. After completing your initial training, FFL welcomes your participation in training new families in the program.

Please take a look at the scheduled training evenings below and email Peggy Clark (peggy@adoptfriends4life.org) to let them know which time slot works best for you and your family. Please also list a 2nd date option as a back-up alternative. They will contact you to confirm your tuck-in appointment.

Week 1:
Tues June 2
Wed June 3
Thurs June 4

Week 2:
Tues June 9
Wed June 10
Thurs June 11