After I shared it on the app, Woy responded, “He sleeps like Marty McFly!” I laughed. FireDad laughed. Last night we actually remembered to Google a picture of Marty McFly sleeping for comparison.

Oh man. That’s funny stuff. My very own Marty McFly.

The truth is that my kids sleep in increasingly strange positions. While they were sharing a full size air mattress on our visit, LittleBrother was pulling the McFly as his brother turned sideways in bed with his feet in his brother’s face. And they didn’t care, notice or move. Usually I have to move BigBrother back to his pillow because he’s in the crack next to the wall, halfway down the bed or upside down. They both still sleep with their butts in the air on occasion as they did when they were babies old enough to roll over. They roll into the wall. I take pictures… with flash. And they never wake up.

It must be awesome to be able to sleep like that…

Helloooo, McFly! is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

I mean, I don’t hate him as a person; I’ve never met the guy. I’m sure he’s a kind, gentle soul. But unlike the majority of the females I have come in contact with, I do not find him “hot” or “smokin’ hot” or “sexy” or anything remotely attractive. I usually want to give him a bath, a shave and a haircut. To be fair to Depp, I kind of have a type of man I am attracted to, and it never involves long hair, guyliner or scruffy facial hair.

As such, I cannot bring myself to watch movies that include Johnny Depp. I have not seen: any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (an aside: I am also not attracted to Orlando Bloom), his Sweeney Todd, his remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, his Alice in Wonderland, the whole movie of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Sleepy Hollow, and really, so on. In fact, the only movie that Johnny Depp has been in that I have watched in its entirety is Edward Scissorhands. I don’t dislike that movie, but I certainly haven’t watched it again. I hear he’s a great actor, but I just don’t seem to find interest in his movies. (Or, really, most movies. I’ve also never seen a single Clint Eastwood movie — much to my husband’s dismay — and he isn’t a scruffy dude.)

Why am I telling you this?

Because I’m going to see a Johnny Depp movie this weekend. Fortunately for me, I won’t have to look at him.

I’m taking the boys to see Rango tomorrow afternoon. I’m mainly doing so because we’ll be in the tail end of a 36 hour shift, and occupying the boys for two solid hours seems like a good parenting decision on my part. Also, I have a crazy hankering for movie popcorn.

A good friend asked me if I wanted to go as we got ready for Hip Hop Cardio the other evening. I told her of my Johnny Depp aversion and she looked at me like I had two heads. But then I realized that FireDad would be pulling that 36, and I would likely be crazy by Saturday afternoon, seeing as how the forecast accurately called for rain, rain and more rain. So, I said yes. And now we’re going. Because when it comes down to it, making my kids happy matters to me. (And it sure is much easier to swallow when we have movie passes that we got as a Christmas gift.)

We don’t go to the movies often — with the kids or without. It’s a special treat. I think we’re deserving of a special treat this weekend. Despite a glimpse of spring a couple of weeks ago, it’s been rather cold and awfully rainy; floodlike, if you will. We are kind of on each others’ nerves. And I don’t just mean that the boys are annoyed with one another. All four of us are fighting off that If Spring Doesn’t Get Here Quickly And We Have To Spend One More Day Inside We Might Spontaneously Combust fever that is reportedly going around many households right now. I think we need an afternoon of childlike laughter, movie-made-escape and general relaxation.

And that popcorn.

Confession: I Hate Johnny Depp is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

“Okay, but don’t get ElastiGirl hair.”

Uh, noted.

Last year, I came home from a particularly nice salon experience. BigBrother was going through a phase of Nothing-But-The-Incredibles, a strange and brief departure from his first love of Toy Story. I walked in the door from that salon experience and he said, “Mommy! You have ElastiGirl hair!”

Then he laughed, so I’m not quite sure it was a compliment.

It’s kind of true though. The somewhere-around-chin-length bob is a flattering cut on me, whether I wear it curly (its natural state) or straight (a completely unnatural state that most curly-headed people try to achieve unless it’s mid-August). I admitted to FireDad after BigBrother’s comment that my hair did resemble that of ElastiGirl. It was a running joke for awhile.

Apparently BigBrother is over The Incredibles, despite occasionally sporting some Mr. Incredible underwear. And apparently I am not supposed to sport the hairstyle any longer. Yes, I realize I’m taking fashion advice from a four-and-a-half year old. But he knows his stuff better than I do. Maybe he reads She’s Still Got It when he’s supposed to be playing Zoodles. I don’t know. I mean, it’s not a secret I have no fashion sense. Even Sassymonkey is on my case about it. Which, by the way, I’m not trying skinny jeans. Can’t make me.

I had a lovely salon experience today. The general ambiance of my salon is one of happy chatter, some of which I participate in and some of which I quietly smile at as it bounces around the room. My stylist laughed at how much my hair had grown in two months and commented again on how thick it is. (It’s ridiculously thick.) She turned my hair from a crazy, frizzy, over-grown, no-shaped mess to a sleek, stylish new version of me without sweaty hair on my neck. She’s my new hero.

I got home from the salon and asked BigBrother what he thought.

“Well, it’s not ElastiGirl hair.”

“No, it’s not. Whose hair is it then?”

“Well, Mommy. It’s your hair, you silly head.”

That it is. Kind of a Reverse ElastiGirl… which sounds… kinky. I think I’ll be sticking with this style for awhile.

Hair, Hair, HairHairHair is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

We finally got to see Toy Story 3 yesterday. I say finally because we’ve been excited about the release since it was announced last year. We waited three days to see it due to a desire to avoid the crowds of which there were many with an opening day total of $41 million. My whole family loved the movie. No doubt about it.

There are some reasons why this movie worked even though sequels can sometimes flop.

1. The movie is genuine. While Disney has a long history of sequels that fall flat, this movie could stand alone. At the same time, the writers pull just enough from the previous movies as they would with any other trilogy type series. Toys who are no longer a part of Andy’s room are mentioned. There is a wonderful flashback scene from Andy’s Mom’s camcorder. You feel like you know the characters. But, at the same time, the movie stands on its own. The new characters are just as well-written and well-voiced as ones from the past. If your children had not been able to watch the original movies due to Disney placing them in the vault in preparation for the release of this one, they wouldn’t be too confused as to what is happening on screen.

2. It’s funny for kids and it’s funny for adults. Like most cartoon feature films, jokes have been written into the movie to make those accompanying the kids to the theater laugh a little. Even more so, most of the funny stuff is funny no matter your age. Spanish-mode Buzz’s dance? That’s funny whether you’re three or thirty-three or fifty-three. It’s also incredible animation. In fact, my husband says that whoever thought up the idea for Spanish-mode Buzz should be given some kind of award. The hilarity that ensues is simply fantastic. Mr. Potato Head has to take on various shapes during a few scenes in the movie and those are amusing to say the least.

3. The parents care about the characters already. I was a teenager when the first Toy Story was released but, like many of those my age, I had a younger sibling who was all about Buzz and Woody. I fell in love with those characters back in the day when cartoons were supposedly beneath me. In college, I took my then-boyfriend’s cousins to the theater to see Toy Story 2. One of the first feature films I bought for my children was Toy Story, followed shortly behind by the second movie. I wanted them to love the characters. And they did. For a year and a half, we struggled to find toys. The boys actually have my brother’s original Buzz Lightyear from back in the day. BigBrother’s teachers occasionally passed on toys that their children had outgrown. And then, as the end of the year approached in 2009, they began gearing up for the release of Toy Story 3. And the toys were everywhere. (See the next point.) When it came down to it, as an adult who loved these characters, I cared what happened to them as Andy was going off to college. I cared about Andy. I simply had to go to the theater, something we rarely do, and see the end result for myself.

4. Clever, all-encompassing marketing. Toy Story 3 is everywhere. On the front of Ritz crackers, Nutrigrain bars and Sara Lee bread. Fruit snacks and cereals. There are two separate iPhone apps, a two different Wii games and a great Disney website full of games just right for the intended age range. They even made the Avon catalog, notorious for ignoring that there children who might not want to wear pink cupcake shirts. There’s an Aflac commercial. Both Disney and ABC Family ran marathons of the original movies, including the not-well-known straight-to-VHS Buzz Lightyear movie, this past weekend. While mostly overwhelming and somewhat annoying, the marketing has been effective.

5. It’s Toy Story. Plain and simple. Unless the writers really screwed up or they made a complete departure from the storyline like they did with “The Outer Space Movie,” as my sons call it, Toy Story 3 wasn’t going to fail. Toy Story is more than a movie. Buzz Lightyear is more than a space ranger. Woody is more than a Sheriff cowboy. Jessie is more than a cowgirl with bright red hair. Rex is more than a wussy dinosaur. Hamm is more than a big pink pig with a smart mouth. Mr. Potato Head is more than a spud with an grumpy attitude. They are our old friends, come back to play.

As you can tell, I loved the movie. My husband loved the movie. More over, my children adored the movie. They sat quietly, completely absorbed through all but one scene of the movie. During a particularly scary section, BigBrother yelled at the screen in hopes of achieving the outcome he desired. Otherwise, they were completely quiet, something that is a rarity around these parts. The best part about Toy Story 3 is that it did not meet my expectations; it exceeded my expectations.

I have a feeling that the kids will likely be seeing the movie again in the theater with grandparents. I’m hopeful that the DVD will be released before their birthdays in November or, if not then, by Christmas. It will probably be another movie in which I buy two copies in case anything happens to the original. That’s how much we loved it.

All that said, I was weepy for a majority of the movie thinking of what we might someday do with all of our Toy Story toys when our boys head to college. For now, we will play with them until their arms need sewn back on and their colors have faded and the memories are forever imprinted in our minds. These toys are our friends and Toy Story 3 reminded me of the fact that these days won’t last forever.

Let’s play.

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[Disclosure: Amazon links are through the Amazon Associates program.]

Why Toy Story 3 Works is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Because it gave away the story.

I went home and read through the book I got for BigBrother. It was your typical level 2 type reader: short sentences and easy words. I had figured it was like some of the other movie based readers we have in our library; instead of telling the full story of the movie that it either told a sub-story or a completely different story all together. Not this one.

I now know the full story of Toy Story 3. More than the trailer gives away.

But I won’t spoil it for you. Just like I didn’t spoil it for the boys. Because I took it away. BigBrother is mad. I mean, who could blame him? I gave him something he loved twice over: a book about Toy Story. And then I took it back. FireDad supported this venture though he feels equally Scrooge-like. We have made promises to read the book the night we get home from seeing the movie on June 18th. He doesn’t care. He’s mad.

I’m mad, too.

When it comes to the new Toy Story movie, marketers are in heaven. Not only do they know that kids are in love with the movie and characters (and expensive toys) but parents like me have also been in love with the movie for years. We’re equally excited about the next chapter in the toys’ journey. We want to buy the toys. We want to buy the books. And the games. And to catch the movie on opening day. We want to share our love of the movie with our children. And marketers know that. The toys are everywhere right now. Taunting us. And it’s working. I get it. I understand. Really, I do.

But could we leave the spoilers out of it until the movie is released?

Put the rocket ship sprinkler in the store. And the movie editions of Connect 4, Buckaroo, Memory and Operation (!). Please, pretty please, release the Buzz, Woody and Jessie costumes for Mr. Potato Head. If you could drop the price on Buzz and Woody themselves, I’d be thrilled. I think perhaps that bubbles and boogie boards are slight overkill but I’m okay with all of those things. Just stop putting out things with spoilers until after we’ve seen the movie. Pretty please?

Or I may have to make BigBrother and LittleBrother laser you. And nobody wants that, now do they?

Toy Story Merchandise Spoiler Warning is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Firehouse Dog

The movie itself was cute. The story revolves around a superstar dog who falls out of a plane and is believed to have died. He lived, of course, and adopts a failing firehouse as his new home. By helping rescue another firefighter and generally being a great dog, he catches the eyes of the local media. They end up not closing down the firehouse and everyone is happy! Except for the arsonist on the loose. And the dog’s real owner who eventually tracks him down. Drama ensues for the last twenty minutes while you wait and wonder if the firebug will be caught and the dog will get to stay with the right people. Obviously, being a child’s movie, the ending is happy. But there are some moments of tense anxiety!

BigBrother was mostly enthralled by the movie. He sat with his eyes glued to the screen for a majority of the movie. He got bored with any person-to-person conversation that didn’t involve the dog doing something in the background. He didn’t quite care about the conversations between the dad (the Captain of the fire station) and the son (the main character of the movie). But, man, he loved the dog. LittleBrother liked the dog enough but cared even less about conversation. Which is mostly okay because there were a few words and phrases that made me cringe. One, “I suck,” was repeated a few times followed by “suck” over and over. I think I may have coughed. There was no outright cussing but they did use some words that we simply don’t in this house.

The fire scenes were a little intense. They didn’t seem to bother either of the boys and, really, they were absolutely enthralled during the fire scenes. BigBrother, who understood the premise of the movie, didn’t seem overly concerned when the boy was trapped in the burning building. I don’t know if he thought the dog and/or the dad would save him but he didn’t get anxious. (You know, like I did.) Perhaps it’s because they’re so used to the concepts and discussions of fire. I don’t know but, as a warning, there are some tense moments with the fire scenes. As a side warning: the movie also deals with the concept of death though no characters in the movie actively die. The death issues are from the past and involve the child’s mother and uncle.

All in all, fire family movie night was a success. I don’t think we’ll be watching Backdraft with them for a few years (understatement) but it was nice to include a little bit of firefighting in a family evening. I should note that FireDad rolled his eyes many times at the movie but was a good sport about the whole thing. Sometimes that’s what being a family is all about!

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[Disclosure: The movie belongs to the library. The links are through Amazon Associates.]

(Fire) Family Movie Night: Firehouse Dog is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Last night my crazy friend Mandy (@fouragainsttwo) and our other friend (@outnumberedmom) stood in line (with Mandy’s mom and two of her guests) for the New Moon premiere. I should start out by saying that I still haven’t watched the first movie (due to a broken DVD player and the mental incapacity to remember that I can watch DVDs on all of our computers). I should next state that out of all four books, New Moon was my least favorite. By least favorite, of course, I do mean that I loathed it with all of my being. On top of not being vampiric enough and stinking of wet dog, the second book contained Meyer’s worst attempts at writing (in my opinion). I just hated every single page of it. Except, you know, when Edward was around. I digress.

I’ll admit to having a nice evening into early morning. We ate at the Olive Garden, got kicked out of Starbucks (why do they close at 9:30 on a weeknight?), found out that Kohl’s is currently open until 11:00pm due to the holidays, purchased things we didn’t need and then made our way to stand in line. Mandy made us goodie bags with Twilight candies, calendars, the New Moon soundtrack and other things that made me feel even dorkier than usual as I found myself far too excited over teenage movie stuff. Alas, we were not the only adults in line. In fact, one of my Facebook friends, upon reading my status when I returned home from the movie adventure at 3:24 IN THE MORNING said this, and I quote:

Were the Cougars as bad at your showing as they were at mine?! They were worse than the teenagers.

There was a WINNEBAGO full of them in the parking lot!

I laughed. Out loud. There were quite a few “Twilight Moms,” as an article in our local newspaper put it yesterday. The crowd was comprised of a lot more teenagers than I expected (didn’t they have school today?) but the “cougars” were out in full force. I do suppose that our group qualified as such. Great.

As for the crowd, they weren’t too obnoxious while we were waiting though I do admit to thinking that anyone who left their water/pop/juice bottle and other assorted pieces of trash on the floor needs to be taught a thing or two about manners. In the theater, there was the initial squeal of delight when Edward, the vampire everyone seems to adore, came on screen. A similar gasp of approval came when Jacob, the werewolf, was first seen and, of course, again when he took off his shirt. I still maintain that his head is too small for his body and shoulder span and do not see the attraction. I prefer my men to be thin and rather pale. (Have you seen FireDad? I mean, honestly.) Also, head proportion is key.

The movie? Oh yes, we were there to see the movie and not just experience the crowds and stay up way, way past my bedtime. I liked the movie. Hush now, don’t judge or flog me. I liked the movie more than the book, which is something I rarely say as I almost always hate book-to-movie adaptations. This is the rare exception as I so thoroughly hated the book that the movie simply had to be an improvement. It was greatly improved in the fact that it flowed better and didn’t drag on as unnecessarily as the book did. There were bits of annoyances for me, however, including the very awful sparkle-and-dazzle effect for when the vampires hit sunlight. It’s worse than a 1980′s special effect. Very bad. Some of the acting was annoying. I love Bella but if I had to listen to her breathe one more time I was going to laugh out loud.

All in all, I had a thrilling time. I still don’t see what my one friend sees in Jacob but I love her all the same. Mandy owes me some coffee and a nap for dragging us out. (Just kidding, I think.) All that said, I really don’t think I’ll be making the midnight premiere for Eclipse. I might go see it in the theater but on a Tuesday afternoon when swooning teenagers are in school or still sleeping (as I think it’s planned as a summer release). I’m still tired as I write this at 2:17pm. I’m just grumpy because I’m sure the teens that were in attendance last night are up-and-at-em today while I feel like I got hit by a truck. Cougar, maybe, but I’d allow Edward Cullen to bite my neck if it meant I never again felt this old and tired and would never need sleep again.

You can read Mandy’s thoughts on the whole event here. But really, she owes me coffee.

I Love My Friends Even if One is Team Jacob is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

The Secret Garden

Little Women

Anne of Green Gables

The No-Cry Potty Training Solution

Lifegivers

The Girls Who Went Away

I chose to re-read My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult last week for a number of reasons. It remains one of my favorite books (despite not being overly impressed with some of her other novels). I read it back when it was first released and I have loved the drama, the concepts presents and the twist at the end. I loved getting involved with the book. But I had forgotten some things over the years and so I decided to sit down with the book once again since the movie was released in theaters today.

I had forgotten that the husband in the book was a firefighter. To be fair, as I read this book before FireDad was hired on the department (remember, he got hired just after we were married), I wasn’t really indoctrinated into the fire life just yet. Reading it this time, I found myself nodding my head at some of the mentions of fire life. You know, except for the part where Brian, the father, has Anna, the daughter asking for medical emancipation from her parents, move into the fire department with him. Sorry. Not going to happen in real life.

I had forgotten the questions the book made me ask, back before I was parenting these two boys. I asked them aloud this time, involving FireDad in my internal back-and-forth, whether we would ever consider bringing another child into our lives to save one of the boys. (Not that I can carry another child.) Or, even without that, would we force one of our existing children to donate anything to another if the child in question had reservations or simply didn’t want to do it. We had some interesting discussions, the two of us, as I quickly devoured the pages in the book once more.

There were quotes in the book that struck me this time around, ones that maybe I thought of last time but I was in a different place. I dog-eared the pages of my book this time around (yes, I’m that reader) and have considered each of them deeply. One quote, a paragraph, spoke to me deeply.

It would have been better, of course, if Luisa, had been in her own room, as her mother expected. But kids don’t always stay where they’re supposed to. You turn around and find her not in the bedroom but hiding in a closet; you turn around and she’s not three but thirteen. Parenting is really just a matter of tracking, of hoping your kids to not get so far ahead you can no longer see their next moves.

I mean, isn’t that true? That, combined with a trio of sentence just down the page from the above set of truths really blew me away.

I became a firefighter because I wanted to save people. But I should have been more specific. I should have named names.

Ah, yes.

–

I’ll be honest, I’m not thrilled about the book being turned into a movie. I rarely (and I do mean rarely) like the movie more than the book. In fact, more often than not, I hate the movie because it is so rarely a true representation of the written word. This movie, so far, is no different. As an example, the mother in the book is a brunette. Cameron Diaz, my least favorite actress on today’s scene, is not a brunette. Nor do I feel she will be able to do this part justice despite the rave reviews she is getting from critics. (I also rarely agree with the critics, mind you.)

When you combine my dislike of the actress portraying the mother with the fact that THEY CHANGED THE ENDING, well, I find little room for hope. The ending of this book makes the book. The ending of this story makes the story. Without this ending, the way that it is written, the book would still be well-written and intriguing. But it wouldn’t push you to that brink, to question everything you just read, to question life as it is. It wouldn’t make you catch your breath, shake your fist at God and generally dissolve into a puddle of tears. If you change the ending, you change the book. And while Picoult was very gracious in her USA Today interview about the change of ending, had it been me, I would have said something like, “I wash my hands of it.” And then I would have spat at the ground.

I’m nothing if not dramatic, no?

I will likely wait until the movie comes out on DVD before subjecting myself to what I imagine to be two hours of drinding my teeth every time Cameron Diaz opens her mouth. I will try to avoid spoilers of the changed ending but, knowing the internet, someone will offer one when I am least expecting it, hiding it behind a click of something else entirely. I will see the movie because I am a glutton for punishment, a book lover who will want to see if, in the end, they did one of her favorites justice on the Silver Screen. But I fear the results, of course.

Just as I sat in fear of the end of the book during my re-read. And I knew what was coming. I prefer it that way, really.

Why I Re-Read the Book My Sister’s Keeper is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

For the youngest set, there are some great board books available with a firefighing theme. Fire Truck by Peter Sis is a great little book. The little boy imagines that he is the fire truck which made me smile as he shares a first name with my brother who wanted to be a fire truck when he grew up. Touch and Feel: Fire Engine is like any of the other Touch & Feel books. It’s simple, leaves room for other conversation and provides texture for the child to explore. While we own the previous two books, we do not own My Big Rescue Book though we do own another in the My Big Board Book series. If it’s like the other books, it will provide lots of new words for your little one to learn, lots of real-life pictures and hours of exploration.

For those children who can handle paper pages, the following books that we own are big favorites with BigBrother. Big Frank’s Fire Truck by Leslie McGuire has been a long time favorite, actually. The book tells the story of Big Frank from when he shows up for his shift at the fire department and takes readers through his busy day. In includes checking trucks, meals, naps (ahem, FireDad), an accident to which they respond and, of course, a big fire. At the end of the book, Big Frank goes home to his kids the next morning. BigBrother just loved that part. Flashing Fire Engines by Tony Mitton is a recent addition to our fire truck library. (We’re probably going to get the rest of his books as well.) It’s a quick read which makes it perfect for the ten thousand readings we’ve been through in the past month.

Perfect for Christmas (but one that we don’t own yet because I forget about it every year until after I’ve chosen our Christmas Eve book) is Firefighter’s Night Before Christmas by Kimbra Cutlip. Part of the Night Before Christmas series, it apparently chronicles Santa’s arrival at the fire house and a fire at a furniture store. I really need to remember to buy this for next Christmas Eve!

As for movies for the younger set: Elmo Visits the Firehouse might drive you insane if you can’t stand Elmo’s voice but the kids seem to love it. (Yes, we own it. Of course we do.) And Fire Monsters, while it may sound scary, is a great addition to your fire truck video library. It shows kids the training process to be a firefighter. Lots of sirens and a gruff sounding chief but BigBrother loves when I borrow it from the library (I should really buy it, no?).

And now, books and movies for the adult crowd.

If the firefighter for whom you are purchasing a gift is like the one living under this roof, chances are they might be a history dork buff. While Fires And Fire-Fighters; A History Of Modern Fire-Fighting With A Review Of Its Development From Earliest Times sounds a little bit dry to me, my guess is that a history-buff-slash-firefighter would find it very interesting. The description says that the book actually includes early books which are no longer in print and, as such hard to find, in one, modern book. Very cool, if you ask me. (But I’m also a dork.) Firefighters: Their Lives in Their Own Words by Dennis Smith sounds like a positive but realistic book about fire life from the mouths of those living that life. (In fact, now I want this book.)

For those of you who are purchasing a gift for a Christian firefighter, grab up a copy of The Firefighter’s Bible. I got this for FireDad two Christmases ago. It’s a beautiful, leather-bound edition with the Maltese Cross stamped in gold on the front. It’s very nice.

As far as movies go, there are, of course, the classics. Backdraft is one that is watched in our house about once a season. (Though we don’t own the 2-disc anniversary edition!) (Also? Just writing this makes me want to go watch it.) If you haven’t yet seen Ladder 49, you also need to add it to your fire movie library. Though, once again, have your tissues ready. I swear. Someone needs to make a happy firefighter movie. Seriously.

Also? If your firefighter is a fan of Backdraft, consider grabbing the audio CD so they can play the music and feel like a hero even when walking around the house. Right? Win. (And, yes, we own it. I swear. What? It’s good music!)

All this week Stop, Drop & Blog will be bringing you gift ideas for the firefighters or fire truck loving children in your lives! And while I said today would be our last day, I have an extra special surprise for tomorrow. Be sure to tune in!

2008 Firefighter Related Gifts: Books & Movies is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

1. African Plains Jigsaw Puzzle by Melissa & Doug. BigBrother started with Melissa & Doug’s wooden jigsaw puzzles earlier this year when we gave him the dinosaur one as his starting preschool gift. He still needs help but he really enjoys putting these together. As an added bonus, when LittleBrother grabs one and chews, it doesn’t melt in his mouth like cardboard pieces!

2. Brown Bear-Panda Bear, What Do You See? Game. We thought this would be a good way to go since he likes the book, is good with his colors and is starting to enjoy playing games with us.

3. Food Groups toy food by Melissa & Doug. What? Your three year old boy doesn’t have a kitchen? Why not? My boys love playing with their kitchen set. We’re trying to build up their food sets and love that this set came with little wooden bins, healthy options that BigBrother will recognize from the four food groups and the fact that, once again, as they’re wooden, LittleBrother can’t eat them whole. Win!

4. Toy Story DVD. While I’m sure BigBrother won’t quickly neglect his love of Disney Pixar Cars, he has shown an interest in Buzz Lightyear and, as such, the movie Toy Story. He’s gotten to see it once or twice at my parents’ house and owns two pair of Buzz Lightyear underwear as well as a hand-me-down set of pajamas. This is one gift I don’t know if he’ll love as much as some others but I think it will go over well in the end.

5. Books! I Love Hugs, Underwear!, How Do Dinosaurs Go To School?, and Flashing Fire Engines are all in his “book gift bag.” To be fair, I ordered all of these from his Scholastic book orders and got them for a very reduced price. (WIN!) I read through each of them on my own before putting them in the bag. I think he’ll like them but, of course, I’ll have to let you know after we read through each together. He’s always been a book lover and he knows what he likes and what he doesn’t! Reasons for each pick? I want BigBrother to hug me. Underwear is funny. He is falling in love with dinosaurs. And we’re a fire family, of course! A fire book is always a must!

6. Disney Pixar Car’s Mack Truck Transporter with the three “bad” cars. (The link will take you to the one with McQueen, Chick Hicks and Leakless.) This was the first thing BigBrother asked to receive for his birthday. Ever. In the history of birthdays. He’s just now understanding that a birthday means that you get presents and, as such, he has been asking us, frequently, for MACK. I found the one with the three not-so-nice cars from the beginning of the movie. He should love the addition of those three cars to his growing set of Cars cars. I’m so excited to watch his face light up as he opens this present.

7. Molly the Train who is part of the Take Along Thomas line. BigBrother already has a whole slew of Take Along trains and hadn’t been asking for new ones for quite some time. As such, this is not one present that made my initial birthday list and was only one of two last-minute add-ons as I began my shopping. Right before I made all of our purchases, he started asking for Molly. Apparently one of the videos we borrowed from the library featured a Molly storyline and he’s been hooked. When asked what he is getting for his birthday, he now says “Mack and Molly!” Any of the Take Along Thomas line trains would be a great purchase for your three-year-old!

8. And a pair of Thomas the Train sneakers in size 9. No link available. They are velcro, which will be easy for him to maneuver. They are white and navy blue. I chose these sneakers over others because I don’t like overly dark sneakers. While Walmart had a pair of fire truck shoes, they were black and red and we just don’t “do” that here!

BigBrother will also have a Lightning McQueen cake (which he asked for), McQueen cake plates and some family over to the house to open presents the day before his birthday. Yes, the poor child is getting cheated out of a big-big birthday party due to the fact that LittleBrother is getting the typical (and necessary!) big first birthday party. Next year? They’ll both be cheated and share a party. Such is life!

I expect Mack and Molly to be the two favorite presents. The books, of course, and the movie will probably, in the long run, receive the most use. The shoes will hopefully last until summer barring yet another growth spurt. The game should be great fun for us to continue learning with one another (and I expect that he will want to read his Brown Bear, Brown Bear book a bit more). I have instructed grandparents and family/friends to buy: pajamas, non-noisy toys and some clothes. He isn’t really in the need for clothes (except for pajamas) but new clothes are always welcome.

In the end, I’m excited about this birthday. He finally is catching onto the concept. When asked, he tells you that he will be three on his birthday. I’m kind of worried, of course, as I told him he couldn’t have Mack until his birthday in November. I neglected to say the date. And so when he goes to school this coming Tuesday and they tell him that the month is now November, I fully expect him to come home and say, “IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!”

Almost, buddy. Almost!

Do you have any suggestions for a three-year-old boy? Let me know as I’m finalizing that Christmas list!

Three Year Old (Boy) Birthday Buying Guide is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.