FMF: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Rated G  - 91 min -  Released 1996

For those of you unfamiliar with the story  (at least in the movie) The Hunchback tells the tale of a young disfigured man confined to a bell tower by the evil Judge Frollo.  Quasimodo, the hunchback, yearns to break free and essentially live without fear amongst everyone else in the world.  Quasimodo gets the help of a beautiful gypsy girl named Esmeralda, who is an outcast herself, and the two become an unlikely duo with one passion: break free from Frollo's oppression.


I've never read the classic novel, so I'm not about to compare this movie with the book, but the movie standing alone is absolutely excellent.  There is adventure, love, tension, humor, and a great array of songs.  We all know that most Disney movies include some songs, but this film is jam packed.  My husband and I joke that this movie can easily be translated to a Broadway musical targeted towards adults.   The humor in this movie mainly comes from the three stone gargoyles that are perched on the bell tower with Quasimodo.  You may recognize Jason Alexander as the voice over for the portly gargoyle named Hugo.  And just as with everything else Alexander embraces, he's hysterical.

The love story in this film is rather sad because you want Quasimodo to get the girl, but in the end looks win out: as seen when Esmeralda falls for her knight in shining armor, Phoebus. This is especially upsetting because Quasimodo is pure in heart throughout the movie, as opposed to the charming Phoebus, who eventually does indeed get the girl. But of course like most American movies the ending is cheerful and you don't feel quite as bad for Quasimodo because he does win the hearts of the citizens of Notre Dame.  Furthermore, the thematic development throughout the story is equally compelling.  The themes explore the realms of the semantics of monstrosity, man's inner conflict with his conscience, and man's conflict with society.

Now as for questionable content (here is where the tension in the story lies), there is one song in particular that sticks out in my mind because it clearly deals with lust of the flesh and is somewhat frightening to watch.  The song is sung by Judge Frollo (played by Tony Jay who does a fantastic job), who  is evil through and through and is just plain scary to look at.  He sings "Hell Fire" which goes "hell fire, hell fire, choose me or you will burn!" It is based on his  inner struggle regarding his passion for Esmeralda.  He says if she does not choose to be with him then he will burn her at the stake; I'd say that's pretty creepy and would call for some major marriage counseling or psychotherapy.  In the midst of that song the flames start surrounding him like he is in the depths of hell itself.  And his hideous countenance is still burned on my cerebral cortex--not awesome; well it is because it was emotionally appealing, but this scene would certainly be scary for children under six.

Due to storyline, the song "Hell Fire", and Frollo's creepy face, I'd say an appropriate viewing age for The Hunchback would be 6 years old. 

Overall Rating: 9.5 out 10

10 Reasons I Support Breastfeeding & 10 Tips

Keep in mind everything in this post is based on personal experience, but personal experience is something you won't find in most books. Also, there are certainly many more than just 10 reasons and 10 tips pertaining to breastfeeding, these are just a mere few.

Here are a list of reasons why I support breastfeeding and encourage others to do so:

1.  You save a lot of time & money since you are not always running to the store to buy formula.

2. Your milk is readily available to baby anywhere and anytime, which is especially useful during those 3 am feedings.

3. Your milk is the perfect food for your baby by helping build immunities and reducing their risk of certain allergies.

4. Breastfeeding helps reduce the size of your uterus faster and helps reduce your weight significantly by burning 500 calories a day.

5. Breastfeeding encourages strong bonding between you and your baby.  This is where Judah and I had our first real conversation.

6.  Breastfeeding is a good reason to "get away" and get some alone time with your baby if you need a break from a crowd.

7.  Breastfeeding may reduce the risk of breast cancer, cervical cancer, type 2 diabetes, as well as other various health problems.

8. Breastfeeding may reduce the risk of getting pregnant again because of lowered estrogen levels,  but do be sure and use another form of birth control if you are not intending on getting pregnant in the near future.

9. Breastfeeding has been linked with a reduced risk of childhood obesity as well as risk for Vitamin E deficiency, and anemia.

10. Breastfed baby's spit up does not stain and their diapers are significantly less odorous.


 Here are some tips that I have compiled based on my personal experiences with breastfeeding:

1. Get a good rocker. You'll be nursing a lot and you want to be comfortable.

2. Get a cover that goes around your neck. It helps keep you securely covered with a fidgeting baby.

3. Invest in quality nursing pads.  No one wants to leak or see leaking.

4. Use a cream like Lansinoh to heal and protect sore nipples.  It really works wonders and you don't need to worry about wiping it off before nursing.

5. Be sure to eat your extra 500 calories to produce sufficient breast milk because believe it or not you will be more hungry than when you were pregnant.

6. Invest in a good quality breast pump like Medela Pump in Style if you need to relieve yourself from engorgement, store breast milk for when you may be separated from baby, or are planning to work and still breastfeed.

7. Invest in a Boppy Pillow.  This makes breastfeeding much more comfortable especially when your little one is a newborn and has many great uses as baby gets older.

8. Relax when you are nursing and make sure you are not tense or frustrated from an outside situation because baby will definitely sense it and may not cooperate as easily.

9. Don't be afraid to nurse in public. You need to feed your baby and you can't be confined to your house forever.

10. Most importantly don't give up, it absolutely takes time. It was a good 2-3 weeks before I felt confident.


Breastfeeding Websites:
Breast Milk Storage
Benefits of Breastfeeding for You and Baby
Breastfeeding: Health Benefits for Mother and Baby
Breastfeeding.com
Breastfeeding Benefits

Family Movie Fridays

My husband Timm and I watch a lot of movies together.  I suppose it is part of our bonding time, believe it or not, and it also helps us to preview movies before we one day allow Judah to watch films.  

Inspired by our time together, I decided I would dedicate my Friday blog posts to reviewing movies in my humble opinion with a Christian parents' perspective; I'll be giving my age suggestions, noting questionable content, and providing an overall rating.  Most movies will be in the G and PG range and very few in the PG-13. (I love Twilight, what can I say. *shrug*)  So, be sure and check that out starting this week!  The first movie up for review will be The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Six Months of Pure Joy

Today Judah is 6 months old.  The time has absolutely flown and has been a joy even through the sleepless nights, sicknesses, mistakes, and the countless times when we would bring him to the doctor's office for the littlest things.  He has gone from a baby who was nearly premature to a baby who is gaining knowledge, strength, and plenty of weight.  Being a parent is a blessing from God and is the biggest responsibility  and challenge I have ever had to deal with, but no doubt the best.  It has been an adventure from the very first night and still is because once Timm and I think we got something right, Judah throws us a curve ball and we need to rethink everything again.  The saying "you seem to get a new baby every 3 weeks" is definitely holding true, but one thing that hasn't changed is the pure joy he brings to the hearts of his grandparents, church friends, and especially his parents. 

Happy 6 Month Birthday Judah!

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Month 4

Month 5

Month 6

A Snapshot of Our Snapshots

Moments after Judah's debut to the world.

July 4, 2010.  Judah was just 2 weeks old.

Mom's got a new do and Judah got a new pair of cheeks.

Many more family portraits to come of course!

What's a Partridge? What's a Pear Tree?

I suppose from the title of this blog you expected somewhat of a Christmas theme and you're right! I have been enjoying greatly the Relient K Christmas Album Let It Snow Baby...Let it Reindeer. Clever title huh?
I love those guys. I highly recommend listening to it this Christmas season if you want to get away from listening to the same stuff on the radio and listen to all your favorite classics with a Relient K twist.
I personally enjoy listening to their version of the 12 Days of Christmas, it makes me laugh every time. My little boy Judah and I have been listening to that CD all week and he absolutely loves it when I sing it to him. He's the best!

As for Relient K, their Christmas album is not the only good stuff they have out there; they are a great Christian pop punk band and I highly recommend them. Relient K is definitely my favorite band.


Since this is a Christmas themed blog post I might mention that Judah and I got to give Judah's buddy, Josiah, a new toy this week in the spirit of giving. Now Josiah has been Judah's buddy since before they were born since their mommies are buddies too. They were born only four days apart; I guess they wanted to hang out really bad or something. Anyway, it seemed that Josiah really liked his new toy since he was bouncing in it like crazy. The cutest part of it all was that Judah was in his jumperoo right next to Josiah and as one of them would jump the other would seem to respond by jumping back; their first form of communication with one another.

Now this is our first Christmas with Judah out of the womb and it has been a very fun time picking out presents for the little guy. Its also exciting to wait in anticipation to see all the wonderful gifts he will get to lovingly receive. One item we got for Judah was a set of blocks from a very cool company called Melissa & Doug Educational Toys for Children. If you have little ones I recommend shopping this site if you wish to get away from main stream toys and want to get back to the classics that actually do good for your children's brains rather than just entertain them with flashing lights and sounds.

It really is amazing the things that kids and babies are interested in that are not actual toys, for example, Judah is now mesmerized by anything that twists or spins including a particular bumbershoot (umbrella) ornament on our Christmas tree. Whenever I spin the ornament between my fingers he stops everything and just stares with his mouth open. Another toy he likes to watch spin is his butterfly that hangs from his exersaucer, it is a great distraction to keep him occupied when I eat my lunch while sitting on the little kitchen stool next to him. Anyway, Christmas is nearly just a week away and I still haven't gotten everything together yet and am still waiting for stuff to arrive in the mail so hopefully it comes soon. From the Freitas Family to everyone we know, we would like to wish everyone a safe and very Merry Christmas!

New Things Judah Loves...

Waterbottles for chewing, mouthing, gumming, and marveling at.









Baby Einstein Jumperoos for strengthening his legs, practicing his reaching, and most of all just looking cute.









Rolling over. When he feels like it of course.













...and Track Suits, simply for the irony of it.