Crystal Canary

Hiya Kidz,

Have you had a chance to watch “Mary Poppins” and “Nanny McPhee” yet? Which of them would you want for a nanny or a teacher?

Nanny McPhee comes back again in the video “Nanny McPhee Returns.” This time is long ago, but not as long as long, long ago. In World War II England a farmer’s wife is having a hard time taking care of her three children, their two spoiled city cousins, a not-nice brother-in-law and the farm while her husband is a soldier fighting in the war.

Guess who comes to the rescue ad helps magically to tame the children who are being naughty and she take a hand in helping with the household chores? Yes, it’s Nanny McPhee and she teaches the five children important lessons and she oversees everyone’s ability to grow up in Nanny’s usual no-nonsense way of hers. She even keeps the uncle from selling the farm.

I head even grownups like this video. The kids learn how to share, stop fighting, help one another, have courage and “have faith.” They also learn that gambling is bad, that borrowing clothes without asking is inconsiderate and that sometimes other people have harder lives and so they shouldn’t complain.

I think the kids finally understood the lessons Nanny McPhee taught when the piglets escaped from their sty. The kids had to work altogether to recover the family’s most valued assets or risk losing everything their father had worked to make before he went to war.

Again in the end like in the last movie Nanny McPhee told the children that when they want her but don’t need her, she must go. And when they don’t need her, she goes. I hope she comes back in another movie.

See You All,

Chrystal

Hiya Kidz,

Wow, writing about Mary Poppins made me think of Nanny McPhee, another nanny, who outwardly looks nothing like Mary Poppins.

Nanny McPhee has way of making children behave that are much more effective than a time-out.

This story takes place a long, long time ago. The father, Mr. Brown, has seven children and his wife has died. He is trying to do his job while taking care of the children, who are very, very naughty. They have run off 17 nannies. Their father finds Nanny McPhee to help out.

Nanny McPhee is a strange-looking woman with a large nose, protruding teeth and pock-marked skin, but it doesn’t take the children long to realize that she has magic powers that she isn’t afraid to use to get the children to behave.

But the children have more things to worry about than saying “please” and listening to adults. Mr. Brown has an Aunt Adelaide who tells him that he has one month to get married or she will take away one of the children and take away Mr. Brown’s inheritance.

There is a nice woman that the children like, but Mr. Brown is too shy around her. Meanwhile, the children realize that Nanny McPhee can help them as they learn to use her talents to become nicer children. And there is something else, the better they behave, the less frightening Nanny McPhee looks.

Will Mr. Brown lose his inheritance? You’ll have to watch the video and see.

See You All,

Chrystal

Hiya Kidz,

It’s a little late for me to collect autographs from Mary Poppins, but I just love this video. It’s considered one of the best Walt Disney personally supervised.

The story takes place a long, long time ago in Great Britain where the Banks family are having trouble keeping a nanny. Oh, this reminds me of two more videos, the ones with Nanny McPhee. I’ll tell you about them later.The Banks father works in a bank of all things and the mother is trying to get women the vote. What, did you know that there was a time women could not vote?

Anyway the two children decide to write their own advertisement for a nanny, one with a little kindness and imagination. Mary Poppins answers their ad by parachuting from the sky using her umbrella. The children are enchanted. The next day they meet an old friend of Mary’s Bert and they all have adventures together.

Mr. Banks is pleased that his children are better behaved, but he doesn’t like the stories he thinks they are making up. To give them a taste of reality he takes them to his bank; but a series of disasters happen and Mr. Banks gets fired. It looks like Mary Poppins is going to be fired, too; however, since she is magic, all her mistakes lead to a happy ending.

If you love to sing along with the music, there is a special video that has sing-along words across the bottom. I just love doing that. My favorite song is “Chim-chim-in-ey.”

See You All,

Chrystal

Hiya Kidz,

I am Crystal Canary and I just love collecting autographs, watching videos and singing with the Rockabyes.

You will never believe who I got autographs from recently. The new video “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2” DVD set was set to come out and there was a “before party” to celebrate it. I was amazed that I got an invitation. Then when I went to the party, I got both Papi and Chloe’s autographs. I was so excited. Then all the guests got to see the movie before it came out.

I was so glad that Papi and Chloe get married and have five adorable pups: four are girls, named Pep, Lala, Ali and Rosa, and one boy they name Papi Jr. These cuties keep getting into trouble, just like most little brothers and sisters.

Then the family moves from Beverly Hills to where their human Sam lives in a very different part of town. The dogs have to help Sam’s parents save their home so Papi and Chloe decide to enter the Beverly Hills Dog Show. It is very sad, but lots of people are having the same trouble as Sam’s parents. I wish we could hold dog shows to help everyone out.

The dog show part of the movie is the best part. It’s like a real beauty pageant with talent competitions all the way to a bathing suit competition. I was rolling in the aisles. It was so funny. Other party guests agreed that it was a two-paws-up great film.

If you don’t have the DVD yet, you’re going to love “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2” as much as you liked “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.”

See you all,

Crystal