The LEGO Movie 2 : The Second Part! #AwesomeWeek

If you have a little one there is no doubt about it that they are full on lego fans. I really never met a child who isn't. My youngest is currently upset that we are going to Disney instead of Lego Land for his birthday. The obsession is so real in this house! If there aren't legos all over the floors, then they are playing a LEGO video game on the XBOX.

When The LEGO Movie came out it was the only thing we were allowed to watch, ever. I believe we went about three times to see in theatres, and it was a no brainer that the movie was going to be played over a million times. I didn't mind just one bit because I absolutely LOVED Emmet. Now the second part is coming to theatres and we are no doubt going to see it about five times until we can get our hands on that DVD.

THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART is coming to theaters on February 8th and everything is AWESOME!

To celebrate the opening of the film, Warner Bros. is creating a fun interactive experience for fans of the film to enjoy.  This activation will feature a large scale recreation of a "Mini Room" featured in THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART in which visitors can sit next to our favorite Lego hero Emmet and take photos that are truly Instagram worthy.

This "Mini Room" will be coming to New York on February 9th and 10th at The Oculus.  The "Mini Room" will be located on the ground floor in The Oculus on those dates.

We are so excited to go to take a photo with our friend Emmet, and I am sure your little one will be too!!

Here are some great interactive games available for the film that your kids and followers might enjoy: 

 Queen Watevra Wanabi Game / http://queenwatevrawanabigame.thelegomovie.com/

General Mayhem Attacks Game / http://generalmayhemattacksgame.thelegomovie.com/

Film's Website: http://www.thelegomovie.com/

THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART opens nationwide on February 8th. Tickets for this highly anticipated sequel will go on sale starting this Friday, January 25th as part of #AwesomeWeek.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLEGOMovie/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheLEGOMovie \

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelegomovie/ 

Hashtag: #TheLEGOMovie2 / #AwesomeWeek 

Books I LOVED in 2018!

This year I want to write more about things I love. So I think its safe to say that if you know anything at all about me you know I am absolutely obsessed with reading and with collecting books. All my life it has been something I have been extremely passionate about. I believe it is honestly the most amazing gift I could ever get from anyone, and that is the reason why I have so many books just on my shelf that have yet to be read. So many books, and so little time. Yet I still find myself going up and down the Barnes and Noble aisles, grabbing up books I do not know when I will even get the chance to read. Its a habit I really can't stop, and wont ever apologize for. Everything about literature makes me happy, so whatever makes you happy I always feel you should keep in your life no matter what. Many consider me a book hoarder, but my life wouldn't be the same without all my book stacks around my room. They bring character to my room, and I wouldn't want it any other way. I will be the lady who lives in her books, and I am so content with that.

I am a mom though, a working mom at that, that just started school again .... so my time is super limited. I read to and from work, and when I cant get shut eye thanks to insomnia I crack open a book again, but thats kind of rare. I try my best to get at least 20 minutes of reading in every day but it does not always go as planned when the boys decide that its a great day to be on their very worst behavior. I had a goal to read 12 books in the year of 2018, one book for every month, and I am so sad to say that I didn't even make it close to that goal. I read only 6 books all year! SIX! I am legit disappointed in myself, and I have decided that for 2019 I am going to work harder to reach that 12 book goal again. Let's hope this works this time around.

But -- luckily for you I did read, and I would like to share with you guys my top four favorite reads for 2018. The ones that gave me that book hangover feeling, that character attachments situation, and just all in all gave me the feels for real. I will list them below and give you my reason for why I chose it as a favorite. Hope all my book lovers will enjoy this!

1.  Room By Emma Donoghue

2. Finding One by Vaughn Dabney

3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

4. In The Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero

They are all my favorite reads for ALL different reasons. Lets start off with Room. I got very invested in these characters, the mom, the little boy. I felt for them, and my heart ached reading about it. But the thrill of knowing what would happen next was great. I was just rooting for them the whole way through the book and when you truly care for your characters in a book I believe that's a true sign that you are going to love the book. 

Finding One is more of a self help kind of book and I have plenty of those - not because I have confidence issues or whatever but because I believe everyone in the world no matter how "perfect" your life is going always needs some kind of pick me up. A book that will tell them all these great things and help them manifest through these personal yet inspirational lines. Personal growth is an amazing thing to acknowledge and I really believe this is the best book for just that. It is also such an easy read, no big words, no weird messages, simple and straight up and I literally read it in one day. Highlighted it like there was no tomorrow! 

Gone Girl -- now Im sure by now you have seen the movie, and when I was reading the book I didn't even know there was a movie in the works! This book is just a book you can't put down, like the kind of book that you WANT to stay up past your bedtime because it leaves you hanging every minute, and you just can't seem to figure out what is really going to happen next. Its intense - NOT a feel good book with a happy ending....so if that bothers you I don't suggest but that is exactly why I loved it so much. It was raw, and a bit violent, just down right gritty. Let me tell you though - before this book I was not a fan of thriller books, I had no taste for them, but this one changed my mind about the genre all together, and it is all I have been able to buy since. So thank you Gillian Flynn because she really opened my eyes to genre I believed I disliked without giving it a real shot!

Lastly, we have In The Country We Love. I originally got this book because I was a OITNB fan, and I loved me some Maritza, of course. So I thought hey why not. Plus Diane Guerrero is just amazing in all ways possible. I love watching her interviews, and following her on social media outlets. So I had a feeling I would really enjoy her book. It was very interesting because it is one of the first books in a long time that I was able to really feel like the author was me, was talking about me, was feeling the same as me. My parents came to the US illegally, and fought for years to become citizens, and I am beyond blessed that we did not have to go through the crazy situation that Diane's family had to go through, and be divided. But there were many times when I was scared of that reality as a young child so I really felt it when she was explaining all the times before when she thought it might happen. I loved getting a feel of her life before she made it on Netflix. She was a young Latina girl out in the big city, going hard so that she could change her life around, and hopefully her family too! I loved everything about this book because it goes deep, and teaches you a lot that I did not know about immigration laws and rights. It was such a great read, and I really don't like celebrity memoirs but this one didn't even feel like I was reading a memoir of a celebrity, it felt like I was reading about a normal person, just like me and you and that is what made it so good!

-- Go pick one up, or all of them - and thank me later <3 

Doggy Cookies/ A Dogs Way Home!

A Dogs Way Home is a heartfelt family adventure movie for the whole family. The little ones to the adults will love every second of it, and enjoy the journey of a dog who just wants to find her way back home. We are so excited to see it in theaters on January 11th!!!

I hope you guys really enjoyed our last activity - Paint Night where we tried our best to draw out the trailer poster for the movie. It was so much fun, so we decided another would be awesome. This was one was sweet, and involved our favorite thing ever - COOKIES!

We were sent fun dog shaped cookies of bones, paws, and pups and we got to make some yummy sweets to have after dinner. Now I don't know about your boys but mine love to get messy, and create. So they loved making the dough and cutting out these fun shapes. Heres the ingredients and directions! We added Chocolate Chips to ours, just because! Add something to yours to make it a little more of your liking too!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (226g)

• 1 cup sugar (200g)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract**

• 1 large egg

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (315g)

• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Sugar Cookie Frosting

• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted (375g)

• 3-4 Tablespoons milk

• 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Gel food coloring optional

• Additional candies and sprinkles

Instructions:

Sugar Cookies

Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl and use an electric hand mixer) and beat until creamy and well-combined.Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until completely combined.In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.Gradually add dry ingredients into wet until completely combined.Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and transfer approximately half of the dough onto the wrap (dough will be quite sticky at this point, that's OK!).Cover with clear wrap and mold into a disk.  Repeat with remaining cookie dough in another piece of cling wrap.  Transfer dough to refrigerator and chill for at least 2-3 hours
Once dough has finished chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.Generously dust a clean surface with flour and deposit one chilled cookie dough disk onto the surface.  Lightly flour the dough and roll out to 1/8" (for thinner, crispier cookies) or 1/4" (for thicker, softer cookies).  Continue to add flour as needed both on top of and beneath the dough so that it doesn't stick.Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and use a spatula to transfer shapes to prepared baking sheet.4 Bake on 350F (175C) for 9-10 minutes , or until edges just begin to turn lightly golden brown.

Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet before moving.

Keep uneaten cookies sealed in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Our end result was so delicious, and the boys had a blast. They couldn't wait to chow down. I have to admit I ate about 2 ..or 6. Whose counting though right?

- Thank you to Sony Pictures for sending us all the fun movie promo products. Now go and check out the movie #ADogsWayHome in theaters Friday, January 11th!!!!

Family Paint Night/ A Dogs Way Home!

Lately all the boys want is a dog! I honestly do not know where that came from but they have been asking for one, after years of being so scared of dogs. Unfortunately momma over here is allergic to most dogs, and that just can't be possible right now.  Tomorrow, however, we are going to go see an early screening of the movie A Dogs Way Home by Sony Pictures. I am very excited to see the movie, as I have read the book and with tears in my eyes I absolutely loved it... so I am 110% sure their will be waterworks tomorrow at the theatre. It will also most definitely get them to want a dog even more. So basically - wish me luck on all sides here!

Here is a synopsis of the movie:

"Finding Bella" takes us on the journey of a dog trying to get back to her owner. Bryce Dallas Howard, the voice of Bella, shares the story of how Shelby the dog was rescued and goes on a journey of her own. Discover Shelby's epic adventure as she finds her forever home and new life purpose as a therapy dog.

We were asked to do some super fun activities to celebrate the anticipated movie coming to theaters, and we had a great time doing so. We decided we would have a super fun family art night where we would try our very best to get artsy and paint out the promotional poster for the movie. It was so much fun, and I must add the boys did pretty awesome. They kept saying how cute the doggy is, and it was impossible for them to make the dog look so perfect and cute in their paintings because he was "perfect" but I believe they did awesome either way.

We put up the posters next to us so we could see it while painting, and got all the colors ready that were necessary to draw out the red converse, and the cute brown doggy inside of it. They were both so proud of their paintings at the end too!



The movie will be in theaters for all of you to go see it on January 11th 2019! It might even make you go out and get a puppy or two!

Looking forward.

2018 was very unexpected, and in many instances made me come out of my comfort zones. For a while I thought I really knew what I wanted for my life, but God has a funny way of reminding you that His plan is above anything. None the less His plan for my life is truly unfolding bit by bit and I am enjoying it, as much as its been hard and sometimes uncomfortable for me.

I was blessed many times in 2018, but of course like every year there was hardships and difficult situations that made me question myself, my faith, my life in all. Yet I used those hardships as a ladder to get to where I needed to reach.

2018 tested my patience more than any year in the past. And I thought I would have none at all left for 2019, but I am growing and with growth comes better response and empathy. It reminded me of how strong I am alone, but that I was not built to be and do things alone so I must allow people in, ask for help, and be grateful that I do not have to do it all alone. It reminded me that I deserve peace of mind, and sometimes treating myself is what is necessary for my very own sanity. In 2018 I re found my love for literature, writing, learning, and teaching. I am a creator in many aspects and when I am able to create I flourish and my confidence shows. I believe that 2018 for me was the year of re birth in so many ways. I was able to really come back to myself, and the person I knew before children. I was able to go out again, and enjoy myself without talking about my children the whole time. I was able to enjoy some drinks that turned into more drinks at another bar, and to a diner after for some late night food indulgences, and no mommy guilt at the end of the night to taunt me. I believe this to be a huge deal, and I know that I can find myself again fully in 2019, yet still be a kick ass mom at the same damn time. Who would have thought that was even possible huh?


I am ready for all that 2019 has in store for me, and I know that God has multiple blessings lined up for me in this new year. I know that I will still have my bad days, and my down days, and my tough days where I just wont know what to do or feel - but none the less my God has yet to fail me and pick me up out of those situations, better and stronger. So just like that I am taking on a new year with my boys.


Thank you to all of my family friends, and  loyal followers who have been down right amazing during this year of blogging. All the beautiful messages I get on the regular and the support I receive every time I post a new posting leaves me to believe that this is totally one of my callings. Connecting with moms from near and far, and just talking about our motherhood struggles and sharing situations that connect us and help us feel a little less alone. I love you all for showing me that what I am doing here on this platform is far more than just typing on a computer screen. This year I want to be more of an open book with you guys, and less sponsored post, less event coverages, but much MORE of the raw and un cut life of motherhood for me. I am looking into rebranding for the new year, a new name, a new look, and more writing from my heart and soul. I hope to continue to see you all during this new year, new chapter.