Father's Day Archives - Over The Top Mommy

When I was a little girl, I used to go and stay with my grandparents (my dad’s parents) for the weekend, quite often. They were an amazing couple, who were madly in love from the time they married in the late 1940’s to the time they passed away. I LOVED staying at my grandparents’ house for the weekend with my little brother because we always go to go to Bob’s Big Boy for dinner on Friday night and on Saturday night we’d get to stay up late to watch The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and then eat ice cream while watching The Rockford Files! (That was on super late!) There were virtually no rules when we were at my grandparents’ house, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be, right?

One Father’s Day, my brother and I gave my Grandpa an adorable button from Hallmark that read, “A Grandpa is a Friend With Quarters“. It was the perfect gift for him because my Grandpa really DID give us quarters back then. (That was when you could play a video game for just .25!)

It’s been quite a few years since my Grandpa and Grandma passed away. They were the greatest grandpa and grandma we could’ve had! My Grandma survived longer than my Grandpa and after she passed away a few years ago, I helped organize their belongings and I came across “the button”! When I grasped it in my hand, it made me smile and I could remember way back when, getting all of those quarters from him. I stuck it into my purse for later. I had plans for it.

This year, I broke out “the button”. It couldn’t be a more perfect year actually. You see, my own dad enjoys taking my daughter (and her cousins) to this restaurant near our home that has an arcade. While the adults sit and talk over our meals, the kids keep busy making trips between the arcade and our table, to get more quarters from Grandpa. Yep, my dad is the “Go-To Guy” now for quarters. I swear the kids think his supply of quarters is unlimited!

For Father’s Day this year, I took the button to my favorite t-shirt making place, The Shirt Cannery! The girls who work there are always really helpful whenever I go in to have something custom made. First, they had me email a photo of the button to them. Then, they pulled it up on their screen to edit and size it to fit on a t-shirt. Finally, they printed it out on special transfer paper and used their fancy press machine to put it on the t-shirt!

I am so happy about how the t-shirt turned out and I hope my Dad loves it as much as I do. (I know he will) I love the card my daughter made to go with it, too.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad! Thanks for being an amazing Grandpa!

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post.

I don’t know who gets more excited for the release of new family films, me or my daughter? I LOVE to watch kid-friendly movies with Emily, especially because the filmmakers always seem to include so many clever details to capture adults’ interest too. Now the the makers of Coraline and ParaNorman are coming out with another film, The Box Trolls!

How adorable are they? I already know my favorite one is the one with the shoe!

Here’s a synopsis of the film:

A family event movie from the creators of “Coraline” and “ParaNorman” that introduces audiences to a new breed of family – The Boxtrolls, a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they’ve built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge. When the town’s villain, Archibald Snatcher (Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley), comes up with a plot to get rid of the Boxtrolls, Eggs decides to venture above ground, “into the light,” where he meets and teams up with fabulously feisty Winnie (Elle Fanning). Together, they devise a daring plan to save Eggs’ family.