I'm not saying standing in an office supply store line with a hundred other cranky parents for forty-five minutes to spend an entire paycheck on a stapler isn't fun. But there are smarter solutions that don't make you want to stab someone with a ballpoint pen.
This year, we bought all of our school supplies (everything you see in this photo) for under $20. Look, if being a cheapskate is wrong, I don't want to be right.
You can read about how we did it by clicking over here.
You may have seen me mention this on Facebook, but for those of you who haven't seen INSIDE OUT, go see it now. Better yet, go see it now, at the El Capitan Theatre. You'll be filled with joy and not sadness, fear, anger or disgust. (If that last sentence makes no sense to you, you need to go see the movie to see what I'm talking about.) Another thing is, this movie is like having a peek inside your teenager's brain. Sure it's kind of scary in there, but in the end it all makes sense.
To be honest, I was kind of done with animated films. After years and years of seeing them, once my girls got older it was kind of a relief not to have to run out and see the latest kids movie matinee – now movie night is the four of us heading out to see an R-rated flick, which is fine by me. But I'd heard so many great things about INSIDE OUT and since the main character is a tween who is a bundle of emotions and giving her parents a run for their money, I thought it would be like seeing a documentary of my life and I was right.
From Pixar:
Do you ever look at someone and wonder what is going on inside their head? Disney•Pixar’s original new film “Inside Out” ventures inside the mind to find out.
Based in Headquarters, the control center inside 11-year-old Riley’s mind, five Emotions are hard at work, led by lighthearted optimist Joy (voice of Amy Poehler), whose mission is to make sure Riley stays happy. Fear (voice of Bill Hader) heads up safety, Anger (voice of Lewis Black) ensures all is fair and Disgust (voice of Mindy Kaling) prevents Riley from getting poisoned—both physically and socially. Sadness (voice of Phyllis Smith) isn’t exactly sure what her role is, and frankly, neither is anyone else.
When Riley's family relocates to a scary new city, the Emotions are on the job, eager to help guide her through the difficult transition. But when Joy and Sadness are inadvertently swept into the far reaches of Riley’s mind—taking some of her core memories with them—Fear, Anger and Disgust are left reluctantly in charge. Joy and Sadness must venture through unfamiliar places—Long Term Memory, Imagination Land, Abstract Thought and Dream Productions—in a desperate effort to get back to Headquarters, and Riley.
Also, the only place you should see INSIDE OUT is at the El Capitan Theatre – they have a spectacular stage show called "Music of Light" that uses brand-new 3D technology that allows the live performers to interact with a 3D background. Seriously, the kid sitting next to me dropped his popcorn because he thought something was coming at him out of the screen. (Poor thing. I gave him some of mine.) Check it out:
INSIDE OUT will only be playing at the El Capitan through August 19, and is your only chance to experience "Music of Light" so hurry up and get your tickets here. They also have some other fun activities offered along with the movie, like this Dave & Busters combo. Do they know the inside of a teen's brain or what?
INSIDE OUT is playing at the El Capitan Theatre through August 19. You can buy tickets on their website or call 1-800-DISNEY6.
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