Summer Movie Festival.....Monsters, Inc.

We did another Summer movie night and had a blast with one of our favorites, Monsters, Inc.  If you haven't seen the movie it is really a sweet look at how most children at one time or another have feared the "monster" hidden in the closet.  Instead, in this Pixar film, the creators take a humourous look at the Monster perspective and they are actually the ones scared of the human child.  Mike Wazowski and James Sully work at Monsters Inc. and are the number one team on the "Scare board".  Monstropolis is the name of the city where all the monsters reside and they have to make energy by scaring children and containing their screams in canisters.  It is only after they come in contact with a human child, Boo, that they realize they no longer need to be fearful of humans.  Also, Sully discovers how to save the city when he realizes Boo's laughter produces 10x more energy than her screams.

After we watched the movie, we talked to our kids about fear.  Did you know that research shows, only about 8% of what we fear is legitimate in our lives?  Also, 40% of what we tend to worry about will statistically never happen to us personally.  I relate to Steve Martin's line from Father of the Bride, "You worry about her meeting the wrong kind of guy....., then you stop worrying about her meeting the wrong guy, and you worry about her meeting the right guy.  That's the greatest fear of all, because, then you lose her."

This is a fearful world that we live in and ultimately, we are not in control.  My dad just recently returned from Africa.  While visiting, he had a very poisonous snake run over his feet during lunch.  In response to this, the kids wanted to study snakes more in depth in our homeschool.  I am amazed at the fact that the anti-venom medicine for snake bites has a little bit of the snake's venom.  They milk it straight from the irritated, poisonous snake.  How would you like to have that job?  It might be a stretch but I can't help and think about in my joy, I might have a little bit of fear but ultimately, the joy in my life is the "anti-venom" to my fears.  In Psalm 126:2, those who returned from Babylonian exile declared "our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy."  One of the verses that I am teaching to my kids is 2 Timothy 1:7  "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."  May we replace our fears with joy!

Here's a few pictures of our Monsters, Inc.

Report to your laugh floor stations.....

No party is complete without cupcakes....Mike and Sully inspired.

My husband was quite happy with his carving ability.

Our doors......Boo's door with the flowers.

"George" proudly displays his name badge.

My little Monsters, Inc. worker with his laugh canister.

"Abominable" eating a Sully cupcake.

My ideas for the party decorations and the food were Pinterest inspired as well as Spoonful.com. 

Have a Monster Laugh on us....a joke for you.  "The doctor says to the patient, 'what seems to be the trouble?', raising his arm the patient says 'it hurts when I do this', the doctor says, 'don't do that'."