Movie Review: Les Miserables

Magnificent.

Beautiful.

Heart-wrenching.

Those are the words I would use to describe Les Miserables. I went into the movie knowing hardly anything about the play/book/movie. Truth be told I bought the book a month ago, read 5 pages, wasn't intrigued and haven't picked it up since. BUT, I knew I wanted to see the movie because I love musicals, France and Anne Hathaway.

Les Miserables tells the story of Jean Valjean in 19th century France. He is on the run from policeman, Javert after he breaks parole for stealing a loaf of bread. Jean Valjean meets one of his ex-factory workers turned prostitute Fantine and promises her he will take care of her daughter Cosette. This decision changes both of their lives forever.

Les Miserables has an all-star cast! It was full of amazing actors with even better voices than expected. I'm sure most of you have heard that this movie was shot with the actors singing LIVE. Unlike most musicals where the actors record the songs months ahead, these actors were singing live!!! I could not get over it. It was amazing.

Hugh Jackman played Jean Valjean and was so brilliant and enduring. I am 100% sure he will be nominated for an Oscar for his role. Every scene he was in, he absolutely captivated the screen. He is such a stellar performer.

Anne Hathaway played Fantine and her scene singing "I Dreamed a Dream" was probably my favorite scene of the movie. Her passion during the song brought tears to my eyes. I could go on and on about her performance! If you aren't a musical person, watching her will turn you into a musical lover! She was so dedicated to her role, she cut her hair super short and lost 25 pounds. The scene where her hair is being cut was also live and obviously they had to do it in ONE TAKE and make sure she brought out all of the emotion- and boy did she!!!

Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Boham Carter played Thenardier and Madame Thenardier and they were definitely their for comic relief. I am a big HBC fan and was so happy to see she was in this movie. I think she is brilliant in period films.

Amanda Seyfried played Cosette and her performance was good as well. I knew she could sing from seeing "Mamma Mia", and she definitely delievered as well!

I went with my mother-in-law to see this and we could not stop gushing about how much we enjoyed it! I definitely recommend it for a fun girls day out!

What I learned teaching pre-school

Hello everyone! I am officially a MRS. now :) I will blog alllll about the wedding soon, so stay tuned!

All summer I had the amazing opportunity to teach some wonderful kids at a pre-school. It was a great chance to get some teaching experience and I definitely learned some things along the way. I can now say that I feel very confident in having children. I heightened my skills on how to feed, burp and rock to sleep kids ranging in ages 4 months to 5 years. I also learned some new things....such as...

1. Apple juice and milk are the drinks of choice...DON'T EVER ask a 3 year old if they would rather have water. The answer is always no.

2. Finger "painting" with shaving cream can quiet a classroom of 3 year olds in a nano-second.

3. When playing with Play-Doh, EVERYONE wants you (the teacher) to make them a snake. And it better be the longest and best snake, or else...
(Side Note: All play-doh in a pre-school eventually becomes brown)

4. Turning on music to dance is the most exciting part of the day. "Wheels on the Bus" was not a favorite in my class...we were all about "Get Up Get Up" or "Itsy Bitsy Spider"

5. During outside time, the popsicles are the best part. Also everyone has their opinion on what color they want so make sure to bring an assortment of colors outside.

And last but not least....

6. Lightening McQueen is King and Dora the Exploror is Queen. (McQueen is King...ya thats confusing haha)

These two rule.

See you soon for some posts about the best day of my life!

Marriage...explained by kids

When Clint and I first got engaged his parents gave us this cute little paper full of these hilarious quotes that kids said. I wanted to share it with everyone as we dive into WEDDING WEEK!

How do you decide who to marry?

-You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports and she should keep the chips and dip coming.   -Alan, age 10

-No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry, God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.  -Kristen, age 10

What is the right age to get married?

-Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.  -Camille, age 10

How can a stranger tell if two people are married?

-You might have to guess, based on if they are yelling at the same kids.  -Derrick, age 8

What do you think your mom and dad have in common?

-Both don't want any more kids.  -Lori, age 8

What do most people do on a date?

-Dates are for having fun and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.   -Lynnette, age 8

-On the first date they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them to a second date.  -Martin, age 10

When is it okay to kiss someone?

-When they're rich.   -Pam, age 7

-The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.   -Curt, age 7

-The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.   -Howard, age 8

Is it better to be single or married?

-It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.  -Anita, age 9

How would the world be different if people didn't get married?

-There sure would be a lot of kids to explain.  -Kelvin, age 8

AND THE BEST....

How would you make a marriage work?

-Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a dump truck.   -Ricky, age 10