Chitown And All Around

Freshman Year

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 03:57:00 +0000

I wish my son knew how much he means to me. How desperately I want to give him the world. How I never want him to suffer EVER. This parenting thing is hard. We all know this and we are all told this the moment the child is born. I knew the high school years were going to be tough. I just didn't realize I'd be so detached from my baby. I feel like we're in such different worlds as much as I try to talk to him and build the trust as much as I could over the years. I try to properly communicate, but we just end up both frustrated in the end.

I look at pictures from his toddler years and wonder if I was ever too tough. If my discipline was too much. If my urge for him to be great was too overwhelming. I wonder if he understood/understands how much he's loved....even when we butt heads. I just want to show him his greatness so bad but as what cost? It's so hard to find that balance of just letting him live and grow too. I try not to mimic all the things I hated growing up. However, at the same time, it's all I know. It's the only main reference for parenting as crappy as it is sometimes.

JAM, if you ever find this post one day, please know that I love you with all my heart. I pray for you every day and I pray for me to be the best mom for you. I know growing up is tough. We've been there too. You get your stubborn passion from Daddy and I. I get it. I just hope you know that I'm doing my best even though you don't see it or understand it right now. I completely understand I'm nowhere close to perfect.....but I'm TRULY trying. I'm not just an a-hole for sh*ts and giggles. I'm tough on you because I want you to stay focused. I was you to achieve all the amazing things I know you're SO capable of.

It's tough too when Mahal and I have SUCH different views on raising him. We argue a lot more that usual nowadays. We're trying to work through this crazy parenting thing too while to try to remain on the same "team".

I know it will get better, but for now, I miss my baby.

P.S. I HATE YOU COVID.

"Family"

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 07:06:00 +0000

If you're around me enough, you hear the back and forth that I mentally go through of why people are the way they are. I whole-heartedly understand that you can't change people or don't expect people to treat you how you treat them. Sometimes it frustrates me because I feel like a child or something is wrong with me when people don't love me the way that I love them. Even saying it out loud, none of it makes sense or sounds so vague. Let me break this down for you:

I have this thing where I absolutely love each and every one of my friends and family members. Big families call for bigger drama sometimes, but I truly wish each and every one of them the best and want everyone to get along. That never happens, of course, but I do my part to show them that I love them and care for them as much as I can. Sometimes my life story is on a different page than another family member and that's ok. For them, however, they don't see it that way. The higher up I go on this makeshift pedestal that people keep putting me on, the more family I lose, the more friends I lose, or the more people try to kick me off this make-believe pedestal that I never wanted to be on. *sigh* I know I'm rambling. Keep sticking with me.

I keep my circle small... or at least I try to. I went through a lot of my life watching people come in and out my life. This has nothing to do with "daddy issues" even though you know that's a fraction of it. I love whole-heartedly and it always pretty much sets me up for failure when it comes to life relationships. I stress a lot on why people say they'll do one thing and never follow through. I stress on trying to find the happy medium on what I can do to make sure everyone is ok and situated when I know I'm not even on their mind as they go through their day. *sigh* I guess, I never just realized how much it impacted me until recent. I like to do life reflections. It helps me remember where I've came from. It helps me strive towards these measurable life goals that I've set up for myself. It helps me see how I'm growing and evolving.

This time it showed me that, I'm ok. As stressed out as I can get about all of this, I'm ok. I shall continue to love whole-heartedly. I just need to stop hyping up these life relationships and interactions so that I'm not so let down all the time. I have to learn how to be ok with that part. My mom used to always say, "Not everyone is you Ashley". Many times I used to ask, "But, why?" I'd joke that the world would be so much happier and full of love if everyone would just be like me even a little bit. That obviously isn't how any of this works. Is it the technology that ruins relationships nowadays? It it the continuous sweeping of problems under the rug that my family loves to do? What is it? Why do people contact me and say they want to visit me but don't? Why do people visit Las Vegas and don't contact me at all? Neither one is any better by the way. But then, I mention that I'll be visiting Chicago for the first time in 9 years, and I'm selfish because I planned a girls trip with my friends and all I want to do is show JAM the most beautiful city in the world. I'm selfish because I didn't want to spend my one chance spending time in "my city" driving 1.5 hours to one family's house and having another family complain that I've yet to see them. Next thing you know it, I didn't get to visit the pier like I wished. You know, two of my brothers were even in town this past weekend for a bachelor party. When the oldest always visits, we have the usual quick burger meet up and he goes back to whatever reason he's in town. It's always enough though. This time two of my three brothers came in to town. The second oldest messaged me and said he hasn't seen me in forever and wants to make sure we meet. Ok. He happened to call to ask for a favor. We tried to make it happen, but the favor didn't work out. Oddly enough, the communication stopped after that. I chalked it up to the bachelor party festivities. I can't help but ask, why contact me and hype up the meet up for you to not even follow through? Who knows.

*sigh* I giggle when I hear JAM talk to his friends about his grandparents. Both of my parents remarried and so did Mahal's. JAM has endless grandparents. Today is Father's Day. Any father in my contact list knows to expect a "Happy Father's Day!' text from me. Eventually I will go down the list and call most of them as well. Today, I spoke to my step dad, I spoke to Mahal's step dad and I spoke to Mahal's dad. It still was bummy as I scrolled past my dad's name in the contact list. I debate every holiday if I should at the very least text him, but I remind myself that it's not healthy for me to have that relationship in my life. It sucks, but it's for the best. My dad liked something on my social media (he doesn't actually follow me) and it kind of infuriated me because it seemed seemed so passive aggressive. Mahal tried to justify that maybe he misses me, which was more mind-boggling to hear. I tried to play devil's advocate and think that maybe that's his way of showing his love...liking a photo of mine. It might not be the way I'd want to be shown affection, but he never was a man to know how to love. No. Don't overthink it. It was nothing more than a like of a photo. No hidden agendas. It was probably just straight boredom. You see, my mind wonders though. It wanders and I hate it!

Mahal's step dad said something to me today that helped me come at peace with all this chaos this week. He said, "Reach out to everyone you care for and love them whole-heartedly as you always do because you never want people to have the ability to change the wonderful person you are. If they don't reciprocate the love, f*ck 'em. Appreciate the ones that continuously show up and don't worry about the ones who rarely do".

He's right! This post goes out to all of you amazing ones! I had such great conversations with the three dads I spoke to today that I didn't even think about not talking to my dad-dad. My step dad has been the father I've always longed for and I tell him all the time. I even gained two more dads from Juan that always makes sure we're ok. I have siblings that are hella flaky, but I have my sister who always calls to make sure I'm ok even though I know she's always not. I have an awesome mom that is always ready to fight the world when I tell her all these things, but she knows that all I need is reassurance that I'm ok and life goes on. These people always know the right things to say. They lead by words and action and I'm grateful for that stability.

You know, I told certain family members that Mahal and I considered switching our wedding to another location. Most of them sounded inconvenienced or responded negatively. I told our friends here and without hesitation, they already started planning what they were going to do at the new destination. That's what real families do. Support you no matter what. Family and friends are supposed to be there to uplift you every chance they get. I say it all the time that I try to surround myself around like-minded people so that we can rise to the top together. I say that I'm allergic to drama, but sometimes the more I try to avoid it, the more people want to drag me in it. That's ok though. I know where I want to be in life and who sticks around. Thank you to all my amazing friends who make life fun. To the friends who I call family, I love you more than you'll ever know. Thanks to all the family members that reciprocate the love that I adore. Thank you to everyone else that checks in to make sure I'm ok. Family doesn't always mean blood, and even though my trusted circle is small, just know that I notice and I appreciate you. Last but not least, thank you to my love for always being my rock and the one constant I know I can always count on.

Wine & Canvas

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 03:52:00 +0000

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I love going to those paint and wine places. I received the opportunity to try out Wine & Canvas in Henderson, NV. I've been to a few different establishments that run the paint and wine theme. All of them a little different from one another and Wine & Canvas wasn't an exception. They're located in a cute and quaint little plaza off Sunset Road near Sunset Station. Right when you walk in they had such a great vibe. The hostess greeted us and helped up check-in, they had 90s hip hop jamming, and the bartender was ready to greet us with open arms.

I chose the Apple Jack drink and I was locked and loaded to start painting my dahlia. The only downside that I personally saw was that they didn't offer food or appetizers like some of the other paint and wine places do. During the intermission, I saw that they offered little flavored popcorn bags but that was about it. When I usually go to these places, I love coming for the painting aspect and usually the friend or family member that I bring comes for the wine so it works out. For someone that isn't much of a drinker, I usually like having the food or appetizer option to go with my painting experience. However, for what it's worth, the Apple Jack was super yummy. Overall I had an amazing time. The awesome 90s/2000s music paired with the pretty dope instructor helped make my experience a pleasant one. The customer service was superb and looking at their calendar, they have a great variety of awesome painting projects. I'd give in 4 stars simply based off the fact that it's way across town for me and I wish they offered at least chips and salsa. Aside from that, two thumbs up from me.

So, what do you think?

Meet Taz AKA Bono

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 03:51:00 +0000

When we moved into the condo, we made the hard decision to rehome our dog, Canon. She was a ball of energy and it wasn't fair to her to always be cooped up in our apartment. We found her the most amazing family who had a beautiful home with a yard. JAM was distraught but we made the agreement that we'd find him another great dog to grow up with when we eventually bought a house one day. You know kids never forget ANYTHING. Guess what we did today...

Meet Taz!

We've always adopted our animals, but usually through private parties. The Animal Foundation's Best in Show fundraiser had TONS of amazing pets. Mahal and I low key talked about possibly adopting one of the dogs if we saw one we loved, but we weren't going to tell JAM to avoid the heartbreak. We all love animals so visiting Best in Show wasn't uncommon for us. Once the show was over, all the animals were up for adoption in an auction style format. The dogs were "flying off the shelves" and there Taz was, sitting there all silent amongst all the chaos. His initial name was actually Bono, but we felt that Taz suited him well. He seems to be settling in nice and JAM is ecstatic. Taz doesn't seem like the snuggling type (yet) but we can change that :p.

Our New House

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Thu, 24 Mar 2016 03:51:00 +0000

What an amazing whirlwind of events! If you've been following this chaotic bliss, which I call life, you know that sometimes Mahal and I can be so random. Our lease at the condo was ending and I received a text message from Mindy Dominick. I contacted her when I was initially trying to find a private rental to have Lil Sis move with us, but that was about 2 years ago. Mindy and I never got the chance to work together due to my crazy schedule and I ended up finding the University Ave. condo on my own simply by mistake. Fast forward a couple of years to the text message. I completely believe in God's timing. I was sitting in my living room with the lease renewal on my coffee table. Mahal and I briefly talked about house hunting like we always do before we renew at the end of every January. Again, with everything that life was throwing at us, buying a house just wasn't in the cards. I signed the lease renewal, but I kept putting off mailing it in to my property manager.

Long story short, Mindy told me about this amazing Home is Possible program where we wouldn't need to place a down payment on a house if we qualified. The criteria wasn't that bad and we actually qualified! Mind you, I'm on the brink of renewing our condo lease and if we start house hunting now, we literally have exactly 30 days to find a house and close. I talked it over with Mahal and we agreed that if we find a house, cool. If not, we'd mail in the renewal to our property manager.

I can't even begin to tell you how many houses we looked at, how many offers we put in, and how much panic we started to feel as the days started winding down. At the end of the day it was all worth it because on March 19th, 2016, we received the keys to our first house! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to Mindy for being such an amazing realtor. I was emailing and texting day and night with my 10,000 questions and possible listings. She was there every step of the way to help us find the right house. She never pushed. Even if she suggested something she made sure I was the one making final decisions and not her. She even linked me with an AMAZING lender who broke down the financial aspect of it, which is what gave me to most anxiety. Jill Thacker with CMG Financial spoke in a language that I could understand. She made sure I completely understood every little piece of the financial process without making me feel silly.

So there we have it ladies and gents! We're officially homeowners! Now, to control my inner HGTV madness to not gut the whole beautiful, move-in ready home until after we finally save for this wedding of ours.

Another Chapter Closed

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 03:50:00 +0000

Just as quickly as we moved into our University Ave. rental we were right back out. Today we close another chapter on this crazy journey called life. Two years ago we moved from our Wynn Road apartment to this lovely three bedroom, two bathroom condo when Lil Sis decided to move in with us. It was scary because it was a decent hike in rental price, but it was cool to know that we could afford a nicer living space in a nicer area. Just as we were about to get comfy and renew our lease for another year, opportunity presented itself to own instead of rent! It was obviously in our plans to eventually buy a home. However, it wasn't in the cards for a couple more years since we're trying to plan a wedding, working full-time, and hopefully throw a new baby in there somewhere. At the end of the day, all good things must come to an end. University Avenue, you have been an amazing home to us for the past two years. It was an amazing blessing to have the in-unit washer and dryer for the first time and even a master bathroom. It's the little things that showed us the "fancy" life. Now let's take it to the next level and see how home ownership goes. *fingers crossed*

Movie Screening: The Good Dinosaur

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 02:11:00 +0000

With the hub bub of life, I haven't been able to take the time to watch all the awesome movies that have been coming out. Luckily I have really awesome friends and family that don't mind taking my place :p. Everyone please welcome the lovely Kim C. as she takes over as today's guest blogger!

"The Good Dinosaur" asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo (voice of Raymond Ochoa) makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.

Initially when I saw the preview of Good Dinosaur, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought it might be similar to a rendition of the Dinosaur movie back in 2000; I must say I was hugely mistaken. This was basically based on the idea that the meteor that eradicated all dinosaurs missed the planet therefore dinosaurs continued to live. It’s a heartwarming story about the relationship between a dinosaur named Arlo and a cave boy named Spot fighting through external forces of nature and surviving. My daughter also watched it and when I asked her to describe the movie, she said it took her on an emotional roller coaster but in a good way.

I have to say one of the best things about this film is how realistic everything looked - from the shrubbery to the waterfalls to the movement of each character right down to the details of the Arlo’s skin and Spot’s hair. It was pretty amazing! But that’s Pixar for you; they put in a lot of detail into all their movies.

Like a lot of animated movies, the humor is really set for adults but the kids seemed to enjoy it. There was a particular part that was made specifically for adults. It seemed like all the adults in the theater were dying of laughter including myself. My daughter on the other hand leaned over to me and asked, “What’s going on?” I’m not going to tell you exactly what happened but just to give you an idea Arlo and Spot accidentally ate hallucinogenic berries. It was pretty hilarious!

This movie is another great addition to the Pixar collection! Would me and my daughter watch this again? Absolutely!

Directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Denise Ream (“Cars 2”), Disney•Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur” opens in theaters on Nov. 25, 2015.

Website: http://movies.disney.com/the-good-dinosaur

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PixarTheGoodDinosaur

Movie Screening: Avengers: The Age of Ultron

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Fri, 01 May 2015 21:36:00 +0000

The moment I saw the trailer for the new Avengers movie, I knew I had to see it ASAP. The first Avengers movie locked me with all the action and attention to detail so I knew this follow-up movie was going to be epic. For those of you who missed all the excitement, here's a little synopsis for you:

"Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jump start a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision."

This movie had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. It was completely entertaining from start to finish. I was definitely expecting all the action, but I was thoroughly surprised at how often I actually laughed throughout the movie as well. In this follow-up series you can feel the bond amongst the crew. It's as if they were like siblings in a way, bickering every so often and poking fun at their "brother". The wittiness and light - hearted spirit kept the movie fun and entertaining. To me, it even helped bond with the characters a little more. The thing I liked the most about the spunky dialogue was that it was so family-friendly. There were movies in the past that I've taken JAM to and the sly sarcasm and jokes would go right over his head. It was a nice change of pace to get to giggle together and recap the scenes after the fact.

As easy as it is to choose Captain America, Hulk, or Iron Man as the fan favorite, JAM and I both agreed that Hawkeye captured our hearts this time around. I know that you're reading this thinking we're crazy. Honestly, Hawkeye stepped forward with his fancy bow and arrow right into the shiny spotlight. He naturally was always looked at from the shadows or as a sidekick but I really loved how his character shined in the Age of Ultron. You'll have to check it out if you don't believe me. Overall, JAM's movie favorite was the Maximoff siblings. Their powers of speed and mind manipulation had JAM floored. Plus, they're like the new "shiny toys" of the movie so I can't blame him.

The Avengers return in Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on May 1, 2015.

Website and Mobile site: marvel.com/avengers

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avengers

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/avengers

Comment below and let me know what you thought of the movie!

Hello 2015!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 00:40:00 +0000

For so long I've planned and planned for the future. It all started to finally come together because 2014 was full of amazing surprises and milestones. If you follow me on Instagram or any of my other social media outlets, you've seen some of the awesome blessing that took place:

We moved from our lovely 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment of 4 years to a beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo.

I went on a mini vaca with Lil Sis to LA....KID FREE

JAM completed his first communion
I said goodbye to Sue, my 1995 rust bucket Ford Explorer that transported us to this lovely city.
I landed a new job!
Mahal bought me a brand new car (Hello Kona!)
We also celebrated 9 years of chaotic bliss

I rode with JAM on his first "big kid" roller coaster (He couldn't get enough just like his mama)
JAM finally learned how to ride a two-wheeler
Mahal surprised us with tickets to our first WWE Raw event! (I think I was fan-girling more than JAM hehe)

JAM got his birthday wish and saw Jabbawockeez live at the Luxor.

I GRADUATED COLLEGE!

After so many years of busting our butts, it felt nice for it all to fall into place a little. 2014 ended so beautifully and I can't wait to see what all these new beginnings develop into as we head into 2015! Happy new year!

What was the best part of your 2014?

Crazy Pita : Downtown Summerlin

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Sun, 28 Dec 2014 00:35:00 +0000

You always read my reviews about new restaurants that open all around the valley, but instead of me writing the review, I wanted to switch it up a little. I'm always open to trying different foods, but I noticed that "foodies" come from a different point of view. It's like they appreciate the time and detail put into the meal more than the average person, making it that much more scrumptious. Because of that, I asked one of the biggest foodies I know to check out Crazy Pita's new restaurant location in Downtown Summerlin. Everyone, I introduce to you, Ms. Pamela Pura.

Upon walking into the new Crazy Pita location in the new Downtown Summerlin Mall, the owner, Mehddi warmly welcomed us with a friendly smile, handshake, & a bunch of beverage selections. My friend & I only asked for water which is usually the most simplest choice. Surprisingly, the owner offered us a variety selection of water types. I only drink water whenever I go out to eat & I have never had so many options of different types of water. EVER.

For the appetizers we were served Pita bread with hummus, eggplant dip, artichoke hearts, roasted red bell peppers, feta salad, and grape leaves with tazki. My oh my, my taste buds were set for a week! Every. Single. One of these appetizers are more than satisfying. And their Pita bread.... Oh golly!! Warm, soft, & chewy. The best Pita bread I have EVER had. If you're okay with eating plain bread then you'll fall in LOVE with their Pita bread. No dip partner needed for these babies. Obviously, I fell into deep heavenly love with their appetizers. So deep into love that I nearly forgot to make room for the other entrees!

For the main entrees Crazy Pita served us with chicken, shrimp, & beef skewers, kefta, and falafel. Out of the 3 of these entrees my complete favorite was the kefta! Personally, I'm not a fan of red meat. Honestly, I was a pretty hesitant to try the kefta because it contained ground beef. However, with the fact that I was attending on behalf of Ashley, I couldn't let her nor her followers down. So I sucked up my food-preference pride & took a bite of the kefta. Oh..... My.... Goodness..... My dislike for red meat changed for this one dish. Tender & flavorful. Definitely a melt-in-your-mouth delight!

As much as I wanted to devourer the kefta I had remind myself to keep some room left for the sweetest part of the meal: dessert. Keeping our meals sweet & simple Crazy Pita served baklava. I've tried many other baklavas before. From store bought to homemade. Every single baklava that I've had were either too sweet &/or too sticky. Overly sweet treats are not close to being my forte. Crazy Pita's baklava are lip-smackin' good! Not too sweet, not that sticky. My kind of dessert!

Crazy Pita definitely (& obviously) has crazy good food but the company itself is far more than that. The owner works with a local charity called "Be Kind Like Josh (a.k.a. the Josh Stevens Foundation)" to help remind people to always be kind to one another. The foundation's mission statement is "To recognize and celebrate heartfelt kind acts" & believe that "Genuine kindness born in the heart of a child deserves celebration." T-shirts from the foundation are being sold at the Las Vegas Crazy Pita locations. Mehddi, often helps the Be Kind Like Josh Foundation buy donating some of the company's profit to the charity.

Aside from stuffing your face with amazing food you may also be helping a wonderful foundation that recognizes the pureness of being kind. So the next time you plan on going out for something to eat be sure to check out Crazy Pita! Its perfect for friendly get togethers, family dining, lunch breaks, dates, etc. Just be sure to wear some stretchy pants or anything loose/flowy prior to heading there. Trust me, you're gonna need the room!

Graduation Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Sat, 20 Dec 2014 19:05:00 +0000

Photo credit: Tonnya Norbury Photography

Today, I graduate from college! A lot has taken place in these short 26 years of my life, and if you are reading this it’s because you have played a significant role somewhere along the way, if not throughout the whole process. Without you, I probably wouldn’t have been able to walk across this stage. I bet most of you don’t even know how much of an impact you made throughout the years. You taught me how to work hard, you taught me how to say focused, and you taught me that nothing is ever handed to you. My mom and dad divorcing provided some struggles throughout my childhood years, but thanks to the amazing support of my friends, family, and the courage of my strong-willed single mother, I was able to make it through.

At the age of 17, I found out that I was expecting my first child, which started my adulthood chapter off with a bang. Many turned their back on me, many judged, and many even said I’d amount to nothing. My high school counselor didn’t even take me seriously when I met with him to figure out my college plans. However, you all still stuck by my side. My 18^th birthday party/ baby shower was definitely awkward for many that attended, including myself, but you still came. You supported me and reminded me that I was never alone. That day I promised that I will continue to reach for the stars and I did. Finally, all of my hard work paid off.

With your help and support, I graduated from high school and now I can proudly say that I am a college graduate as well. There were a lot of twists and turns along the way. I moved to a whole other state, I changed majors, and I even switched to a more expensive private school. It was scary and there were a lot of unknowns but thanks to your encouraging words and the grace of God I stand here in front of you tall and proud. I have officially earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Technical Management with a specialization in Business Information Systems from DeVry University. To some it’s just a piece of paper, but for me I’ve invested my blood, sweat and tears into my education. Not only did I show myself that I can do it, but I confidently know can provide an even better future for my family. From the bottom of my heart I thank you all. Thank you for being amazing role models. Thank you for being my shoulder to cry on and for letting me talk your ear off. Thank you for your guidance. Thank you for pushing me. Thank you for being my cheerleader. I can’t wait to see what this next chapter in my life holds. I FINALLY DID IT!!

Yumz Las Vegas

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 21:02:00 +0000

Summer is in full swing and temps are hitting 100+ degrees here in Vegas. Most people are hibernating in their A/C filled home, but not us! People always wonder how Las Vegans make it through these dry heat summers. I'll give you a hint.....FROYO! I'm been obsessed with frozen yogurt from the get-go, but let me tell ya, Yumz has brought my addiction to a whole other level. I was invited to their Grand Opening celebration to sample their products complimentary, however, all thoughts and opinions in this post are 100% my own.

Starting out in my hometown state of Illinois, Yumz has migrated to the West Coast and opened their first Las Vegas location. Yumz Las Vegas opened their doors on May 2nd, 2014 and I had the pleasure of meeting both Tanner Hodson, General Manager, as well as John Barnes, co-founder of Yumz. Both of them were so humble, which made me love their establishment even more.

John Barnes, co-founder of Yumz

They offer a self-serve concept which allows customers to fill their cup with any gourmet frozen yogurt flavor, add a variety of toppings, weigh it and then love it. Not only does their froyo have the creamy consistency of ice cream, but it's also only 85 to 100 calories per serving!! Woot woot! They have also mastered all of their 50+ flavors to be fat free, gluten free, kosher certified, and packed with probiotics. Their Greek flavors even provide a whopping 7g of protein per serving. Walking into Yumz, you'll notice that they offer about 14 different flavors at a time and they rotate the flavors about every two weeks so everyone can experience their wide array of flavors. They're sectioned off into four different categories: tart, regular, no sugar added, and sorbet so there's a little something for everyone. Their toppings bar is the most extensive one I've seen at any frozen yogurt place! Anything you can dream of: cereal, candy, fresh fruit, popping boba, nuts (which are separated for people who may have nut allergies), whipped cream, and even Ghirardelli chocolate and caramel flavored sauce. Yea I know, Yumz is right!

They also have a party room, which I think is genius! It can accommodate up to 30 guests and you have two party room options:

"The Room" Package: You can rent the room itself for just $100 for 2 hours and bring your own food. Tanner also has connections with the local restaurants adjacent to Yumz if you needed catering help. This package is great for things such as after-season soccer celebrations or club meetings where you just want a space to gather, eat, and mingle. $50 for each additional hour. (froyo not included)
The "Froyo" Package: Pay $15 per person and that price will include unlimited Yumz frozen yogurt along with the party space for a two hour time span.This is great package to host a birthday party among other celebrations. I mean 2 hours of unlimited froyo for $15?! It's a no-brainer. $50 for each additional hour.

There's even a TV in the party room to stream you favorite movie. Ahem, Frozen lovers. *sigh* All this talk about Yumz is making me crave it again. It's OK though, it's a healthy snack for me and I joined their Frequent Filler Club so I get rewarded every time I go. It's free to join and you just swipe your card every time you go to earn your rewards. It'll save you $2 on any shirt or hat, and you earn 1 point for every ounce of yogurt purchased. After you purchase 100 ounces, you’ll get a free 6 ounce yogurt. After 500 ounces, you’ll get a free Yumz shirt. What's are my favorite flavors you ask? Hmm, that's a trick question isn't it? If I had to choose, so far I love NY Cheesecake, Oatmeal Cookie, and Watermelon Cooler. JAM recommends Oatmeal Cookie, Chocolate, and Cake Batter. Look out for Yumz's seasonal flavors during the holidays like Egg Nog, Gingerbread, and Pumpkin Pie.

Check out their other awesome deals!

For more information about Yumz, please visit their website http://www.yumzfrozenyogurt.com/.

Follow Them!
Yumz on Facebook
Yumz Las Vegas' Facebook
Twitter: @YumzFroyo
Instagram: @YumzFrozenYogurt

If you're ever in the Las Vegas area, be sure to visit their awesome location:
Yumz Gourmet Frozen Yogurt
6135 S. Fort Apache Rd. Suite #400
Las Vegas, NV 89148
(702) 201-1155

Movie Screening: Disney's Maleficent

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Sat, 31 May 2014 06:03:00 +0000

JAM and I got invited to attend an advanced screening of Disney's newly anticipated movie, "Maleficent". I can't say that I'm a wild fan of Angelina Jolie, but Disney hasn't really shown the villain's point of view so I was intrigued. Disney made me fall in love with their movies once again with their last popular movie release of "Frozen" so I couldn't wait to see what they had lined up next. Here's a quick synopsis for you:

"Maleficent" explores the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic “Sleeping Beauty" and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king’s newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.

Disney has done it once again with this movie. Without giving too much away, I appreciate that Disney has gone back to their roots and has created movies that I feel will turn into classics. For being a movie about a villain, it wasn't as dark of a movie as I anticipated. It was a great balance between evil, action, and humor. However, I think that this movie is better suited for kids JAM's age (ages 6+) mainly because some of the action scenes can get a little intense for the wee ones. My BFF loves taking her nieces and nephews to the movie theater and I did mention that last year's "Oz the Great and Powerful" movie was a lot darker and scarier for the little ones in my opinion. So, if your kiddos were able to handle Mila Kunis' Wicked Witch character, then they'll be just fine watching "Maleficent".

Disney's "MALEFICENT"..L to R: Aurora (Elle Fanning) and Prince Phillip (Brenton Thwaites)..Photo Credit: Film Frame..©Disney 2014

It's been a long time since I've watched "Sleeping Beauty", but I do remember the gist of it all: Princess Aurora has fairly godmothers that care after her, but Maleficent puts a curse on her where Aurora will prick her finger on a spindle and put her into a deep sleep that can only be broken my her true love's kiss. "Maleficent" referred back to that whole aspect throughout the whole movie, but after looking back at the movie as a whole, this untold story was more beautiful and magical than you could ever imagine. It shows a side of Maleficent that I never knew about, and it tells the tale of the delightful relationship that Aurora and Maleficent actually had. Angelina Jolie did an amazing job showing the villain side of Maleficent, but also wore her heart on her sleeve when needed. You felt her pain, her happiness, and her determination. Her sarcastic quirkiness throughout the whole movie just made it all come full circle and was the icing on the cake to make me fall in love with her character.

Out of all the characters, however, JAM's favorite was Diaval, Maleficent's right hand man. He was a simple raven that Maleficent can change into a human or various animals with her magic. JAM loved watching Diaval transform throughout the movie, especially into a fire-breathing dragon. The coolest thing that I loved about this character is that even though Jolie's character changed this raven into various animals, it kept it's raven-like features so it was understood that it was still Diaval. For example, Jolie's character transformed Diaval into a horse. He had all the features of a horse but he was black in color, he had a feather-like texture instead of horse hair, and his head had distinct features of a raven. All the transformations were executed wonderfully and Sam Riley did a great job balancing out Maleficent's personality throughout the whole movie.

Maleficent opens nationwide TODAY! JAM and I both give it two thumbs up, and I already can't wait until this movie comes out on DVD. Go see it!!

Like Maleficent on Facebook: facebook.com/DisneyMaleficent

Follow Maleficent on Twitter: @Maleficent

Instagram: http://instagram.com/disneystudios

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/disneystudios/maleficent/

Have you seen it yet? Tell me what you think below!

Influenster UniVoxBox

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Sat, 17 May 2014 06:18:00 +0000

If you didn't know already, I'm a online review junkie. If I'm purchasing something that I've never purchased before, I'm heading straight to Google or Amazon to read the 11,000 reviews. If I loved or hated something, darn skippy I'm writing a review! Then this magical website appeared where I can review products I already use on a day to day basis and can possibly receive complimentary products to test and review! Whaaa?? The moment I signed up for Influenster I immediately thought receiving the "sacred" VoxBox was out of reach. You had to do tasks and write reviews to heighten your Influesnter score to be considered for VoxBox retrieval. Well, yay for being a college student because I got a lovely email saying that I qualified for their UniVoxBox Yippie! I finally received my first VoxBox after only being a member for about 6-7 months. Ladies and Gents, if I can get one, you can get one. I was so excited, I even popped my YouTube video cherry to reveal my VoxBox to the world.

Once again, I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All thoughts and opinions about the products are all my own.

1. Broadway Nails imPress Press-On Manicure
I LOVE getting my nails done. If you follow me on Instagram, you saw that I got a full-set of acrylics with a circus theme for my nephew's first birthday. I love getting acrylics because it's super sturdy, but the only thing I hate is the thickness. I can't even open a pop can with those darn nails. The natural thinness of these Broadway Press-On nails were definitely something I appreciated. The design was super cute and I loved the "NO glue needed" aspect. You simply peel off the backing, press them on, and voila! A beautiful set of manicured nails. I put it to the "mom test" to see if simple press-on nails would last through my day-to-day of doing dishes, laundry, cleaning, etc. For whatever reason, my press-on nails on my index finger always popped off, especially after doing dishes. Also both of my thumb nails didn't press-on completely against my natural nail so there was a gap. That became a nuisance when mixing raw meat by hand for dinner and muck would get stuck in that gap. For the most part, I was pleasantly surprised with how well the press-on nails stayed put. If I was using my nails to dig into something or even to shampoo my hair in the shower, I did feel a shift in the nails. They would dig a little into my cuticle, but I would just ease the pressure into whatever I was doing to fix the issue. All in all a great concept. If I ever needed a quick glam manicure for a date night or an event I would totally purchase these press-on nails. There are so many designs and cute colors to choose from! Available at Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, Kmart, Rite-Aide, & Target.

Follow Broadway Nails:
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2. Expert Last Lip Color in Forever Fuchsia
This Forever Fuchsia lipstick color was right up my alley because I love playing with bright and vibrant makeup colors. I've never tried any NYC New York Color products before so I was excited to give this lipstick a try. This NYC Expert Last Lip Color is affordable at only $1.99 and this color line comes in twenty different shades. The color on my lips was just as vibrant as it looked on the lipstick. It glided right on and it easily lasted through my Mother's day brunch. My only complaint is that it didn't moisturize my lips as much as some of my other lipsticks. A quick lip balm touch up quickly solved the problem and I was back in action.

Follow NYC New York Color:
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3. Pilot Acroball PureWhite
Like I said in my YouTube video, I'm an office supply nerd. When I saw the Pilot Acroball PureWhite pen included in the UniVoxBox I was ecstatic. The physical appearance of the pen was a little blah for me with an overall glossy white barrel and yellow accents (one of their Spring Pantone inspired colors). However, this pen writes like a dream! I'm kind of a pen snob and will buy 10,000 pens until I find one that suites my needs. Being a college student, I take notes all day, every day. It's a pain in the butt to have a crappy pen that takes so much muscle to write or the ink skips every other word. You don't have to worry about any of that with the Pilot Acroball PureWhite. It's a clicky pen so no worries to those who always lose the pen cap. It writes with a fine tip and the gel ink glides so smoothly against my notebook paper with the quick drying benefits of ballpoint ink. I keep it in my purse for personal use so that Mahal and JAM don't snatch it from me.

Follow Pilot Pen:
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4. Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation
I'm always hesitant to try any kind of foundation not only because I have sensitive skin, but because I hate the "cakey" look most of them give. When squeezing the Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation out of the tube, it did have the appearance of a lightweight mousse. I was offered the "201 Classic Beige" and as I applied it to my face, the color match was perfect. It applied really smoothly and only took a few minutes to set. I didn't mention to Mahal that I put anything on but he instantly noticed. He said, "Did you apply something to your face? It looks like an angel. It's so flawless" (Haha). It did feel like a very lightweight liquid mousse and it did reduce the shine of my naturally oily skin. However, by the end of the night my cheeks started to itch a little so I knew it was time to wash my face for the night. Like I said, I have fairly sensitive skin so I guess it just wasn't used to having foundation on it. All in all a great product, and it's available in eight shades.

Follow Rimmel London:
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5. Playtex Sport Fresh Balance
Mother nature was calling so these Playtex Sport Fresh Balance tampons couldn't have come at a better time. But honestly, a tampon is just a tampon right? WRONG! I was pleasantly surprised with how awesome these little things were. As awkward as it is to talk about tampons, you must know how awesome this product it. I was sent the regular absorbency tampons to test and I did notice that the size was a little smaller than some of the other tampon brands I naturally use. However, despite its size, this little bullet gets the job done. I never leaked once and I honestly forgot I was wearing a tampon with how comfortable it was. I don't play any sports but I'm always on the go and I workout. Doing BodyPump and BodyCombat classes where your lifting weights, doing high kicks, and tons of squatting, it gets a little nerve-wrecking to have your monthly friend around. The Playtex Sport Fresh Balance made that all doable with no discomfort. I'm definitely switching over to this.

Follow Playtex:
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6. Red Rose REAL TEA Premium Water Enhancer
Finally! A water enhancer with no dyes or coloring that's made from real brewed tea. I've added various brands of flavoring to my water in the past, but I've never used a liquid add-on. I was actually quite hesitant to try the Red Rose Real Tea Premium Water Enhancer. The flavor I received was Blackcurrant Raspberry and it honestly didn't sound very appealing. Regardless, I gave it a try. The directions say to add one squeeze for each 8 fl. oz serving. I added the water enhancer to my 16 oz bottle of water as directed and it came out shooting! It caught me off guard, but I shook up my water bottle to blend it a little better. I still felt it tasted a little diluted when following the directions so I added a couple more squeezes for a more potent taste. Wow! It actually tasted really good! I order raspberry tea when we're out dining all the time and the quality of this Read Rose Real Tea Premium Water Enhancer was just as good, if not better. One bottle holds 24 servings, and I love the convenience of being able to make raspberry tea at home. Plus, it's only 5 calories. Yippie!

Follow Red Rose:
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What did you think of my first VoxBox?

Mama Needs A Reboot

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 06:15:00 +0000

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm an Instagram addict. I love finding new people to follow and Allie Casazza is someone who I've stumbled upon and have been following for quite some time. She's a mama who loves to post pictures of her kiddos just like me, but owns cuter mama outfits hehe. When I saw her share the news that she was releasing her first e-book, I knew I just had to read it. I received my copy of her e-book, Mama Needs a Reboot, and as I was reading it I swear Allie had a hidden camera in my home and was writing this book specifically for me! Here's a little jist of the e-book from the author herself:

http://mamaneedsareboot.blogspot.com

"Mama Needs A Reboot is a short, but truthful book about the ruts we mamas can so easily find ourselves in, and the ways I myself have pulled out of them. I believe today's moms are bombarded with perfectionism on social media, and it's just not real. My mission for moms today is to shine light on the real parts of motherhood- the funny, the ridiculous, the messy, and the beautifully imperfect parts. I believe God wants to use you to help in this little ministry".

Just the title alone had me intrigued, but once I read the introduction of the e-book I knew right away that I would love it. Being a senior in college, a stay-at-home mom, a girlfriend, and everything in between can definitely become a little overwhelming. As chaotic as my life has been, Mama Needs A Reboot validated that I wasn't alone in the "craziness". Like I said, the introduction alone made me feel like Allie was observing my daily life these past few months and is giving me feedback on my whole situation. My whole outlook on the new year has been to focus on bettering myself so that I can be a better piece to our family team. With that said, this book couldn't have come at a better time.

In this e-book, Allie doesn't sugarcoat what it really is like to be a wife and mother of 3 young children. Just like me, she realized that "winging" her day to day routine was actually becoming a thorn in her journey to bettering herself and that she needed to make a change. She breaks this transition process down into 11 different topics. Many of the chapters make religious references on how to trust in the Lord to aide you in this journey, but I didn't mind that at all since I also believe in the power of prayer and faith. However, even if you're not the most religious person, focus on the message Allie is trying to portray in this e-book you will gain some amazing insight on how you can be a better person, mother, and wife in the end of it all.

Browsing through the e-book you'll quickly realize that the eleven topics are short but meaningful. She was straight to the point about each topic, and I always felt more and more inspired as I kept on reading. I also loved that she had these "challenges" in between topics to serve as a time for self reflection. They were very simple tasks and they all made me really take a step back and look at my current situation. For example, one of her challenges were:

"Think about your life and your family's schedule. What are their needs? What do you need in the morning to start the day right? What can you do in the evening to make that possible? What can you change about both your evening routine and your morning routine to be a more godly servant as a homemaker? Set some goals, be realistic and prayerful as you make this list and stick to it!"

See, easy and simple challenges to complete. Sometimes Allie even shared her personal answers to these challenges to help you started. By the time I finished reading Mama Needs a Reboot, I felt so empowered and ready to conquer the world. If a normal mama like Allie Casazza can overcome what I'm going through then why can't I do it too? I completed all of her e-book challenges and I can't wait to implement it all into my daily life so that I can be a better mom, girlfriend, friend, sister, etc. The e-book comes out TODAY, and I'm recommending it to all my friends and family.

For more information about the book you can visit http://mamaneedsareboot.blogspot.com, and purchase your copy of this lovely e-book TODAY on Amazon! For all of you social media junkies, you can "Like" Allie Casazza's Facebook page for announcements about the book as well.

New Year, New Home

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 08:33:00 +0000

So, it's finally complete! We moved into a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo rental and I love it. You know what the best part is? An IN UNIT washer and dryer! Yippie! At our old apartment, the laundry facility was at the back of my building so I would have to lug this 1000 lb. laundry bag all the way down my 2nd floor steps and around to the back just to do laundry. That doesn't even include balancing the laundry key, bottle of laundry detergent, having to go back to switch the loads to the dryer and then back again to pack it all up and lug it all back upstairs. Phew! I definitely hated it and I'll never go back to a having a home without a w/d in unit haha.

We're still unpacking little by little because we literally just finished bringing in the last few items from our old apartment 3 days ago, but if you follow me on Instagram you've been seeing bits and pieces of our new home. Luckily we finished moving all the major items when we did because it started POURING rain every day after that. It's been such a pain in the butt to be living in between houses for two weeks as we were moving stuff in to our new condo. I can't wait to fully unpack so we can finally stop living out of boxes. I seriously can't find anything and I have no clue why since I packed it all and all the boxes are labeled haha. Probably because there's just an overwhelming amount of boxes everywhere. It's like a maze! Aside from that, nothing is really going on over here. This was the first big thing that was in the works for the new year and I can't wait to share more milestones and memories throughout the year as they unfold. 2014 seems like it's going to be a big year for us, and I can't wait to celebrate it all with the world.

So, goodbye Apt. #2060 and hello Unit #2088! Apartment 2060, you have been the longest location our little family has ever lived at. We traveled so much when Mahal worked construction, so it was nice to finally call a place home. Four years to be exact. You were the place where we signed out first lease instead of renting privately or living in hotels and you were the first place we furnished a place with actual furniture. You saw JAM wean off of sippy cups and you were even the place where he fully started using the toilet. You were the location where Mahal got his first local job and where we lived when he got promoted to manager. You're the location where I decided that I wanted to change my college major even after I was almost done with my original major. You were the place that saw our nervousness when JAM was old enough to start elementary school. You were the bus stop where JAM first started riding the school bus and where I silently teared up as I waved goodbye to him as the bus pulled away. If only the walls of apartment 2060 could talk. Apartment 2060 is where my family blossomed during the new adventure of moving to Las Vegas. This apartment was our home for four year and it was so good to us. I hope that Unit 2088 is just as great. I can't wait to see what memories this new condo will experience with us.

Hello 2014!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 18:43:00 +0000

Whoa whoa whoa! How are we halfway through February 2014?!!! I swear I was just watching the fireworks on the Las Vegas Strip last week! *sigh* Like I always tell JAM, time waits for no one. Well HELLO 2014! and hey hey hey to all my readers out there. I promise you, I haven't forgotten about you! If you follow me on social media, you've seen that I've been busy busy busy! So many things are in the works for 2014 and I'm sooooo excited for it to all be executed. Just thinking about it all reminds me that we have so much to catch up on!

So, wrapping up 2013 was easier said than done. I was so excited because I love the holidays and to make it even sweeter, Lil Sis moved in with me! It's been YEARS since we've lived together and I love having her around. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years were a little more special this year because we had tons of family come into town to celebrate with us. As many of you know, both sides of my family are HUGE so it's really hard to get us all together. When we do get the chance to even get a few of us together, it's definitely a ball of fun. By the time Christmas hit, family was pouring in big time. The only stinker of the whole thing was that both Mahal and my car broke down the week before Christmas! I got into a minor fender bender with a couple of teens (JAM and I were fine) that caused me to have my car in the shop for two weeks. After that, Mahal's truck needed a new engine so we were scraping up $2000+ days before Christmas, which wasn't an easy feat for us. Luckily with the grace of God, things all worked out and we got cars back in time for Christmas. To put the cherry on top of it all, many of my Christmas gifts that I ordered online were delayed due to a system glitch. Minor materialistic things, but it was still a little annoying during the already hectic holiday season. In the end, family was there to celebrate with us and that's all that matters. As another plus, this was Mahal's first year as a manager at his job so we got to attend his company Christmas party at the Bellagio! I never went to my Prom and we have never gone to an event where we had to dress fancy so it was really exciting to have this moment. I was so proud of him for his accomplishments, and his job paid for a one-night hotel stay so we got to have a whole date night all to ourselves.

The view from our hotel room

The neat thing about living so close to the Strip is that I can see the NYE fireworks from the patio of my home! So, instead of braving the NYE Strip chaos, we decided to party from the comfort of our home. I was one of the "lucky" ones that caught the flu bug right after Christmas and I literally felt like DEATH! I was stuck in bed the whole time and didn't even know if it was morning or night. Honestly, by NYE I just prayed and said, "if there's any other craziness that's going to be thrown at us, get it all out now before we start the new year so we can start fresh". That's exactly what happened. We counted down, rang in the new year, and the great blessings just started pouring in left and right! I can't wait to share my 2014 journey with you as it all unfolds! I'm so happy that you've stuck with me through my first year of blogging and I can't wait to see what 2014 brings! HAPPY (belated) NEW YEAR!!

Movie Screening: Delivery Man

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 08:14:00 +0000

Man! This winter there are some pretty awesome movies being released! When I first saw the previews for "Delivery Man" starring Vince Vaughn, I was a little intrigued by the storyline. Originally based off the screenplay "Starbuck", Vince Vaughn plays the affable underachiever David Wozniak, whose anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years earlier resulted in 533 children. David must now embark on a journey that leads him to discover not only his true self but also the father that he could become. 533 kids?! JAM is an only child and is a handful within itself. I can't imagine waking up one day and finding out that I'm the biological parent to 533 children. I was offered press passes to see the advanced movie screening for this movie but all opinions in this post are completely my own. To switch it up a little, Lil' Sis tagged along for the ride.

If you've seen Vince Vaughn films in the past, you'll understand when I say this movie is definitely "Vince Vaughn humorous". He has that awkward hilarity to him where you can't help but laugh at his random facial expressions or interesting one-liners. Here's one of my favorite scenes from the movie that my little sister and I can't stop quoting:

My sister and I were literally laughing every five minutes throughout the movie. Lil' Sis is NOTORIOUS for falling asleep during movies, but there was so much going on in this movie that she actually managed to stay awake until the end (which says a lot). I admit, there were a good amount of scenes that were fairly predictable. However, it still didn't take away from the excitement of the scene once it occurred. Even though the movie was comical throughout, it was still a heartfelt, feel-good movie. We were definitely rooting for Vince Vaughn as he took on the journey of parenthood head on. As a mommy I know how scary being a first-time parent could be so I could only imagine how David Wozniak felt when he found out he was a dad (x 533). Thankfully, David had his bff/lawyer Brett, played by Chris Pratt, to help him through it all. Brett definitely added that extra comical oomph in the movie, helping give David that parental perspective he was seeking. Lil' Sis and I had a blast attending this advanced movie screening. I definitely recommend "Delivery Man", especially for a cute date night out. On a side note, right when I got home from the movie screening, I asked Mahal if he'd even donated his sperm to any sperm banks in the past (I doubt it, but you never know haha). Of course he said no and looked at me like I was crazy.

"Delivery Man" is NOW PLAYING!

Like Delivery Man on Facebook: Facebook.com/DeliveryManMovie

Follow Delivery Man on Twitter: @DeliveryManFilm

Tweet the Official Hashtag: #DeliveryMan

Follow Delivery Man on Pinterest: Pinterest.com/DeliveryManFilm

Follow Delivery Man on Instagram: @DeliveryManMovie

What would you do if you or your spouse found out they were the biological parent to 533 children?

Growing Up In Sin City

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 18:47:00 +0000

I was planning on doing a quick social media post on an observation I witnessed yesterday while volunteering at JAM's school yesterday. However, the more I thought about it the more I felt compelled to make it into a full blown blog post because it's something Mahal and I talk about all the time. As most of you may know, our little family moved to Las Vegas, NV right after JAM's 2nd birthday. Mahal and I always joke around how JAM is basically a "Las Vegan" and not a "Chicagoan" anymore since he's currently lived most of his life in Vegas. Mahal and I always reminisce on our up-bringing and experiences as children growing up in Chicago and sometimes hate that JAM won't have the opportunities to create similar memories since his environment is completely different.

We try to make JAM's childhood as "normal" as possible but I always wonder what affects this city has on the upbringing of children who live here. From the flashy casinos, the half nude women on billboards, people walking around with liquor, and the star-studded events, I always wonder if JAM really even notices. M little sister and I spent whole summers here visiting my dad since I was 10 years old. I remember loving how everything was lit on the Strip, especially simple things like the McDonald's and Walgreens. I also remember walking through the Strip as a teenager and was like thinking "OMG" when I looked down at the sidewalks and saw all the "business cards" of nude women or remember looking at newspaper stands and thinking "whoa, that's not a newspaper". Besides that, we spent most of our summers off the Strip with family so it was kind of an out of sight, out of mind scenario with that type of exposure.

Living so close to the Strip, JAM sees the same things I did as a kid and asks questions but in general it didn't seem like most of it rarely phased him. He was more interested in the guy dressed up as Bumblebee from 'Transformers'. However, as I sat in the corner of JAM's classroom yesterday stapling piles of papers for his teacher, I was quickly reminded that these kids pick up a lot more than I thought. The students gathered together in the front of the classroom to brainstorm occupations for their "what do you want to be when you grow up?" writing assignment. I thought, "Oh, this is too cute. I'm going to hear the typical doctor, lawyer, firefighter, police officer type of response." I was actually pretty shocked when NONE of those options came up. It began with students mentioning jobs that their parents did like a truck driver and a construction worker. I loved that they looked up to their parents in that fashion. After that, I ended up stopping what I was doing and just watched the students as they continued to shout out their dream occupations. "I want to be a hotel housekeeper! I want to be a casino manager! I want to be a star! I want to be a singer and make lots of money! I want to be a magician! I want to be an acrobat! I want to be a dress maker for celebrities!" Eventually the teacher tried to elaborate on other types of jobs that you can still do on the Strip like a chef of your own restaurant or an architect who builds the beautiful building on the Strip. That's when kids started stating jobs like a teacher, a principal, and JAM eventually said he wanted to me a police man.

The teacher sent the students to their desks to create their brainstorming sheet for their writing assignment. They were supposed to write down their dream occupation and three reasons why they chose that occupation. I walked around the classroom just to see what the kids wrote and most of them chose jobs paired with reasons such as "to make lots of money" or "I can live in a hotel". One of JAM's reasons why he chose to be a police officer was so he "could arrest bad guys who are drunk driving". I was kind of surprised by that. I've heard of kids who wanted to arrest bad guys but to add the drunk driving situation was interesting to me. I don't feel like choosing these occupations as a kid's "dream job" is necessarily a bad thing, but it was definitely interesting to witness.

Have you seen any influences like this with your child?

Movie Screening: Thor - The Dark World

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 13:57:00 +0000

I honestly have not seen the first Thor movie that came out so when JAM and I were invited to see a press screening of "Thor: The Dark World", I was a little worried that I'd have a hard time following this new movie. The only background information I knew about Thor was from what I've seen in The Avengers movie and from whatever JAM told me about Thor. For all of you newbie's out there, here a synopsis of the second Thor movie in the series:

Marvel’s "Thor: The Dark World" continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s "Thor" and "Marvel’s The Avengers," Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos...but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. To defeat an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor sets upon his most dangerous and personal journey yet, forced into an alliance with the treacherous Loki to save not only his people and those he loves…but our universe itself.

I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed the movie. I'm not a major super hero buff, but having a 7 year old son, super heroes are kind of hard to avoid. Like I've said before, the only Marvel movie I've ever taken interest to was "Marvel's The Avengers". "Thor: The Dark World" was comical yet action-packed. There were so many twists and turns throughout the movie that it definitely kept you on your toes. This movie is shown in Digital 3D and RealD so JAM and I wore those neat theater glasses. The graphics of the movie were breathtaking, especially in scenes where they are visiting Thor's home of Asgard. I remember sitting in the theater wishing that I could be the gatekeeper of Asgard for a day just to witness the beautiful views. When it comes to Natalie Portman's movies, I feel like it's a hit or miss type of situation. However, in this movie, Natalie Portman's charater paired with Chris Hemsworth's wittiness as Thor, the movie was definitely a hit. I'm not familiar with much of Chris Hemsworth's work, but he did a stand out job playing Thor. I expected him to be this macho, "hoo-rah" type of guy, but he ended up being strong, caring, and quite funny throughout the movie. In the end, Kat Denning's character, Darcy, ended up being my favorite character from the movie. Her gung ho personality paired with her hilarious sarcasm was totally relatable to me, and she kept the movie light-hearted when necessary in my opinion.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 04: Actress Kat Dennings attends Marvel's "Thor: The Dark World" Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre on November 4, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/WireImage)

All in all it was a great movie and a must-see this weekend. All the characters were excellent in the movie regardless if their part was major or minor. JAM had a blast and loved every moment of the movie. Go figure his favorite character aside from Thor was his brother Loki. JAM is always amazed by Loki's witchcraft and illusions. As usual, stay until after the credits role to get a great bonus scene in the end *wink wink*.

THOR: The Dark World opens nationwide on Friday, November 8, 2013

Are you planning on checking out "Thor: The Dark World" this weekend?

Preventing Childhood Obesity

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 17:56:00 +0000

The hardest thing about my weight loss journey is portion control. I grew up in a household where there was always four or five different meal options to choose from and not finishing the food on your plate wasn't an option. Eating the proper portions were never a thing that was brought up in the house, and I've sadly carried that trend into my own little family. This past year was all about making a lifestyle change to not only lose weight but to live a healthier lifestyle overall. The deeper I got into this journey, the more I realized that it needed to be a household thing not just an individual process. I couldn't try to improve my own health without teaching JAM and Mahal what I'm learning along the way. Clearly there was some hesitation from the both of them because they've seen how my eating habits have slowly changed and they weren't sure if they wanted to be a part of that. In my opinion, the best way to make a change is to make it fun.

I'm so happy to be supporting Fresh Baby in their mission to prevent childhood obesity. I'm a firm believer that our children are our future and change definitely starts with them. I wouldn't say that JAM is obese, but I do know that we could definitely eat a little healthier as a family. JAM naturally plays a lot of sports and being the rowdy little boy that he is, it's not that hard to convince his to run around and play outside with his friends as a method of daily exercise. However, he wasn't too on board when he heard the words "more fruits and veggies", "more lean meats" or "less processed foods", which was totally understandable. Fresh Baby not only made this lifestyle change easy for JAM, they made it easy for the whole family on our mission to healthier eating.

Fresh Baby teamed with the USDA to help families like ours to determine "What's the right amount of food for my family's plate?" Kids love new, shiny "toys" so when JAM saw the package from Fresh Baby on our doorstep he was super excited to find out what was inside. Fresh Baby provided us with: a Let's Move Foam Puzzle, a Kid's 4-Section Plate, an Adult 4-Section plate, a Kid's Portion Tip Card, an Adult Water Bottle, a Mom's Water Bottle, a Kid's Water Bottle, and a Kid's Apron (all the thoughts and opinions written about these products are completely my own).

The awesome thing about Fresh Baby's website is they offer a ton of articles, recipes, and downloadable tips sheets to help ease the transition to healthier eating. The USDA takes it a step further on their site www.choosemyplate.gov and offers tools like the Super Tracker which offers a variety of interactive features to help you manage weight, set goals, and even journal your progress. JAM was already introduced to the food groups in school, but we still went over the Kid's Portion Tip Card together. I was honestly shocked at how far off our home portion sizes were compared to USDA recommendations. For some categories, I was serving JAM double or even triple the recommended serving amount! So, to help re-wire BOTH of our brains, JAM threw on his Kid's Apron and started helping me prepare dinner every day so that we worked together in preparing healthier meals. The Kid's and Adult 4-Section plates make portion sizing fool proof at dinner time. JAM had a blast using his special plate and filling in each food group on it. One important thing we learned during this journey was how important it was to drink a lot of water. The provided water bottles made it super easy to make sure we were getting enough daily intake and we used the tools on the USDA website to track all of that. JAM would fill up his fun, kid's water bottle, clip it to his belt loop on his shorts, and off he went to play with his friends outside.

Fresh Baby and the USDA definitely gave us the eye opener we needed when they provided my family with these awesome tools for healthier eating. Thank you so much for getting us on the right track and we will definitely continue this lifestyle change into the future. I'm definitely proud to help prevent childhood obesity starting with my own child right at home.

What healthy eating steps are you practicing at home?

Best Summer Ever {2013}: Wet 'N Wild

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 17:44:00 +0000

Just when JAM thought all the fun was over now that we returned from our Cali trip, I was given complimentary media passes to check out Las Vegas' new water park, Wet 'N Wild. It seemed like a no-brainer to bring a water park back to the desert so JAM and I were ecstatic to check the place out. We went as soon as the park opened in the morning to avoid the rumored afternoon rush. Since we were visiting as media, they provided us with complimentary parking and Xpress Bands for each of us.

The park was actually a littler smaller than I expected. There are about 11 different attractions to visit with about 5 of those being slides that were fully accessible to the little kids (over 42" tall). Considering there were only 5 slides, it wasn't a surprise that the lines started to get a little long when the rush of people came in around noon. Some of the more popular slides had about an hour or more wait time.

This where the Xpress Bands came into play. Xpress Bands are an innovative wristband that allows guests to wait in line for slides virtually. These bands are definitely worth the price in my opinion. The ones given to us looked like orange wrist watches. There are kiosks around the park used to reserve you spot in line with the bands. You scan your band, choose your slide of choice and then the wait time is synced with your band. You can group up to 8 reservations at one time which is pretty neat. Once the band clocks out at 0:00, you head to a special Xpress Bands line at the coordinating slide and away you go. JAM and I would hang out in the lazy river (AKA the Colorado Cooler) or grab a bite to eat while we waited. When it was time to head to our reserved slide we were usually the only ones in the special line so it was perfect. No one hour wait times burning in the Las Vegas heat for us!

Let me tell you though, it's been YEARS since I've visited a water park and this was my first time going as a mom. Whoo! If there was a time I wished Mahal came along on a trip, this would be the one just for his muscle power to carry the inner tubes haha. I definitely got a work out when visiting Wet 'N Wild and riding all of the slides. Most of the slides require an inner tube of some sort so when you're next in line, the person just getting off the slide hands off their inner tube to you so you can ride next. However, depending on the slide, these inner tubes can get fairly heavy. It also doesn't help that you have to carry that thing up like 7 flights of stairs each and every time. One of the most popular slides (The Rattler) had a raft-like inner tube and that thing was HEAVY! I'm only 5'2 and that thing was definitely bigger that me. There was no way I was lifting that off the ground to carry it. I felt bad for some of the kids that didn't have an adult to help them. Two little kids would make it up about 5 steps and give up. If I was struggling, I couldn't imagine how the kids felt. I was definitely hyperventilating by the time I reached the top step with my out of shape self haha.

That circular lime green raft is the HEAVY tube for the Rattler. Eek!

Another complimentary feature provided to us was a locker. The technology set up for Wet 'N Wild's lockers were pretty neat. You naturally pay at a neighboring kiosk for you chosen locker (there are 3 sizes to choose from), and you receive a wrist band once you make your payment. You head to your section with your chosen locker size and you use your keyless access wristband to pop a locker open. No need to search for a locker key or trying to remember which locker is yours. That wristband allows unlimited access to your locker and all you need to do is scan your wristband in the coordinating locker section and the door pops right open. Neat! The largest sized locker was big enough to fit my fully packed beach bag and my purse. A little side note, WEAR YOUR SHOES! Don't leave them in the locker. Most of the water park is cement so the floors get super hot during the summer months. Worst case scenario, if you're wearing flip flops instead of water shoes just put the flip flops around your wrists when riding the slides. Many kids even left their flip flops at the side of the entrance or exit of the slide for convenience.

One thing that definitely surprised me about Wet 'N Wild was how affordable the food was. I assumed the food would be a total rip off just like any other amusement park I've attended. When we visited Legoland and Disneyland we easily paid $20 for a slice of pizza and a water. Not at Wet 'N Wild. Glancing at their menu most of the food was around $8 and some of those were combo meals. They offered a souvenir mug for about $12 that offered free refills and was totally worth the money in this Vegas heat. Plus, you can bring the mug back when you visit during the rest of the season and pay only 99 cents for a refill. JAM approved all the food he tried during our visit. This mommy opted for yummy goodness like Dippin' Dots and funnel cake instead of "real food" and I was just as satisfied.

It was all in all a great day at Wet 'N Wild Las Vegas. The lockers and Xpress Bands make our visit that much more enjoyable. All the staff was very helpful and friendly when needed, and all the attractions were a blast. We finished off our day hanging out in the wave pool (AKA Red Rock Bay), the Kiddie Cove, and Paradise Falls where JAM and I got drenched by a bucket filled with 300 gallons of water! We can't wait for the 2014 season to visit again, and hopefully with Mahal this time around.

What's your favorite slide at Wet 'N Wild Las Vegas?

Best Summer Ever {2013}: Legoland California

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 16:46:00 +0000

If I didn't win the mom of the year award by taking JAM to Disneyland this summer, I definitely put the cherry on top by treating him to Legoland California too! I have never been to Legoland either so I was actually really excited to go as well. Having a little boy, it takes little to no brain cells to know that this is definitely a place to take your little man. I honestly didn't know what to expect when arriving at Legoland, but JAM made it clear that the number one thing on his to-do list today was to get his "driver's license". So, we packed up our huge brood of a family and away all 14 of us went!

A little tip for any of you heading to Legoland, they didn't check our backpacks so we were able to bring in little snacks for the kids to give them a little energy boost throughout the day. It especially helped for my baby cousin to keep her occupied while we waited in line for all the rides. The park wasn't as packed as I expected it to be and the weather was perfect. All the kids were full of energy so we picked out JAM's first EVER roller coaster and headed to wait in line. I'm definitely one who loves roller coasters so I was so excited that JAM was as ecstatic as I was to try out his first roller coaster. Project X was the winner of this awesome "first" and JAM has an absolute blast. We ended up riding it twice that day.

For the littles who weren't quite ready to ride a roller coaster, the family decided to ride the Legoland boat tour. That ride was actually pretty neat. There were so many fun sculptures and figures laid out throughout the tour which were fully made out of legos. It was pretty amazing to see the details of it all. That's one thing I actually appreciated about Legoland, 90% of their rides were accessible to the little ones. Like I said in my Disneyland post, there were 8 kids under the age of 10 in our crew. All of the kids were able to ride most of the rides together and the youngest cousin was four years old (aside from the baby of course).

Legoland has a water park section, but we decided to just explore the amusement park portion. That's ok though because there's a section of the park where it was a whole water section! That was more than enough "water park" action for all the kids. We spent a majority of our time in this area of the park since it was summertime. It was even more fun that the water rides had some variation of being able to shoot other riders with water or shoot the bystanders. We all absolutely loved getting drenched each and every time.

We rode a few more rides and stopped to take some photos of the awesome lego displays throughout the park. We decided to grab lunch at a restaurant that served pizza and pasta since it seemed like the perfect menu for the kids.

Then we were off to check off the number one thing on JAM's to-do list for the day, getting his "driver's license". That area is so cute because they have two tracks, one for the littles and one for the older kids, which I thought was so great. This was just another example of how I explained the park definitely catered to the kids and families of all ages. JAM had a blast driving through the course and learning how to obey the rules of the rode driving through the lego town. After he completed the course he took his picture for his driver's license and it was $5 to purchase the license if you wanted to take it home. Another successful first for JAM and an amazing way to end our Cali trip with the family. All of us had a blast, including the adults and we can't wait to visit again.

What's your favorite part about Legoland?

Best Summer Ever {2013}: First Time to Disneyland

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 18:36:00 +0000

We've finally made it to "The Happiest Place on Earth". I haven't been here since I was a kid, and all I remember was having to wait HOURS in line for rides and I wasn't a happy camper. Now that I'm coming back as a parent, I honestly wasn't too thrilled to take on this beast of a theme park but I was excited to have JAM experience another first in his life. We made it a huge family trip with 8 kids in tow under the age of 10. Lucky for us, there were more adults than kids so everyone buddied up and away we went to start this magical journey.

Like I said, it's been a long time since I've been to Disneyland. JAM and I saw a lot of fun attractions on the Disney channel prior to our trip so we were super excited to check some of them out. Come to find out, a lot of those attractions featured on TV were actually a part of Disney California Adventure NOT Disneyland haha. Whoops. Regardless, I knew that Disneyland was definitely a place I wanted JAM to experience as a kid. Looking at the map as we entered, there was no way we'd be able to cover it all in one day so the adults huddled together to decide on the major areas we wanted the kids to check out. I honestly can't recollect the different "villages" since there were so many, but all the themes in each area were so fun to experience. We saw Goofy up ahead so we stopped at the first store to buy an autograph book for all the kids. Sadly though, once we approached the line there was an associate telling people the line was cut off so Goofy could grab some lunch. Bummer.

To keep the momentum going we decided to choose our first ride. The cool thing about Disney rides is that they have these fast pass machines. Every ride has one. If you don't want to wait in line, you use your Disneyland ticket stub to grab 1 fast pass per ticket stub and the fast pass will have a time stamped on it to let you know when to return. When you do come back at the said time there's a special fast pass line to basically walk to the front of the line! So if you time it correctly, you can grab a fast pass for a ride that has a long line and ride another ride while you wait. For example, It was 11:30am and Space Mountain's line was super long so we grabbed 8 fast passes to come back later. The fast passes said to return at 1:30pm.While we waited we grabbed a bite to eat and rode a ride nearby. It took about 45 minutes to go on the nearby ride so by the time we finished the ride and grabbed a bite to eat it was time to head to Space Mountain. We walked up the special fast pass line and waited only 10 minutes to be seated on the ride! Awesome!

What movie is this from? hehe

Like I said, this was JAM's first time to Disneyland so his first ride here had to be epic. My little cousins recommended the Star Wars ride (AKA Star Tours) first. Along the way we passed many storm troopers. To my surprise, they never wanted to stop to take pictures or interact with the kids. JAM was kind of bummed about that so I just told him to stand near one of them while we were in a traffic jam and snapped a quick photo. The attentiveness of the Disney characters who walked around the premises were pretty crappy throughout the day. We learned really quickly that the only way to snap a pic or get an autograph from the characters was to visit the themed villages were the popular characters "resided". Anyways, back to the Star Tours ride. The line wasn't too long and JAM was so excited to see familiar characters from the movie as we walked through the line. Once we arrived at the boarding area, JAM was thrilled to find out 3-D glasses were required because everyone knows how much this kid loves 3-D anything. There was an "A" and "B" section and once the doors opened we walked to the end of our designated row and buckled up. We were inside a Star Wars aircraft to complete a mission! According to my uncle, the scenario is different in the "A" section from the "B" section we were in. This Star Wars ride was actually super fun! The whole thing moves around as you fly through space and other different areas and it rattles as our enemies try to shoot at our aircraft. The graphics were amazing, which wasn't a surprise since we're working with Disney standards here.

We visited a few other places such as this building where JAM got to virtually transform into Iron Man, and rode other rides like going underwater in a submarine to see Nemo. P.S. I'm you're claustrophobic, I suggest you don't ride this submarine. There's only one way in and one way out plus you're seated in a tight and confined area. One lady almost lost it because she was seated in the middle of the row and felt like she couldn't breathe. Luckily she made it through the whole ride without panicking.

Next stop was Toon Town so that JAM and the rest of the kids could get a few autographs. This place was so cute. There was a cul-de-sac filled with the homes of the Disney greats: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, and Goofy. The stated wait times were definitely way longer than actual time. The sign in front of Mickey's house said a 60 minute wait but we only waited about 30 minutes, if that. It was so neat too because you get a chance to walk through Mickey's home. It was actually pretty big! You can sit in his chair and check out all the details. The sign said he was in the backyard barn filming a movie, so some people stayed behind to check out Mickey's house while some zoomed right through to the barn. The barn is where the actual line is. Everything was organized real well by the associates letting in two families at a time to Mickey's filming area so that you didn't feel rushed or crowded to snag a photo and autograph from Mickey. Once inside, the associate took photos with our cameras and camera phones then Mickey signed all of the kids' autograph books. By the way, props to "Mickey" for having such an awesome signature with those huge hands and provided tiny pen haha. We also got to have tea with Minnie and act goofy with Goofy. Pluto hung out by his doghouse, and Donald and Daisy weren't home but had pretty neat houses to check out.

While some of the kids rode a couple quick rides, JAM took a power nap (haha). Then it was off to Tarzan's treehouse and a visit to Merida. I told JAM that you can't visit Disneyland without riding "It's a Small World". He wasn't too enthused but it was a must on mommy's list. It ended up paying off because Tom Brady and Gisele were on our boat! We didn't make a scene and told the kids not to either so we politely said hello. They clearly were enjoying a day with their kids too and we didn't want to spoil it for them.

Oh hey Tom Brady! :)

The adults took turns riding a few rides too. My favorite ride definitely had to be the Indiana Jones ride. You swear you were in the movie. Anyways, the day was winding down so we all decided to grab some dinner. There were endless options, but we decided to eat at the Stage Door Cafe since they has simple and easy choices for the kids to eat. Mommy on the other hand didn't want chicken fingers so I walked a bit to grab a bowl of yummy goodness.

Steak Gumbo in a bread bowl. YUM!

The sun was setting and we grabbed a seat on the barricaded walkway to get ready for Fantasmic. This show is a definite MUST SEE when visiting Disneyland. Around 9pm, you find a spot surrounding the waterfront and they have this great show with Mickey and many familiar Disney characters. Especially if you have little ones, I suggest that you reserve your seat early so they can get a good view of the show. Nearing the start of the show they barricade off the section so passerby-ers can still navigate where to go. I don't want to spoil too much off the storyline, but just know, the closer you are the more wet you get. Don't worry, it's just a little mist but I noticed some little kids cried because they got wet in general so if your kiddo is one of those, back up a little hehe. Well, there you have it! JAM's first trip to Disney and we survived! We all had a blast and it was definitely one to remember. Maybe next time we'll make it a whole weekend trip so we can cover more ground.

What's your favorite attraction at Disneyland?

Best Summer Ever {2013}: California Love

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley M) — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 17:04:00 +0000

FINALLY! We're in California and JAM and I are so excited. This trip was definitely WAY overdue. My uncle and his family live in Cali, but more family members flew into town from Chicago to stay with him. For those of you who don't know, I have a HUGE extended family. It's been 4 years since I've been home to Chicago and most of my family resides there so I've been yearning to have a little family time. My grandparents flew in to celebrate their 50th anniversary with us, and my aunt and her family flew in as well with a few extra cousins in tow. Like I said in my 50 years post, my grandparents spent their anniversary in the Philippines and renewed their vows in their hometown. However, the kids and grandkids stateside wanted to celebrate with them as well so some of my family members headed to the west coast and planned a little surprise party for my grandparents.

All we told them was that a couple Cali family members was going to have dinner with us at my uncle's house. What they didn't know was that we contacted some of their college friends who lived in the west coast too! Surprising to us, they all contacted each other and they coordinated to show up all at the same time! I had my grandma answer the door when the doorbell rand and she couldn't believe her eyes! A handful of her friends from nursing school were waiting on the other side of the door with open arms. The 50th anniversary party was a hit and my grandparents reminisced for days with their long lost friends.

It was a great time for us cousins as well since it's been 4 years since we've all been together. I'm the oldest of 15 grandkids so most of my younger cousins are JAM's age oddly enough. He had a ball reconnecting with them. No matter how old we all get, when you have a bunch of us in a room together, we're all a bunch of 5 years olds and there's no stopping us ha ha. Being typical Filipinos we spent a lot of our time playing basketball in the backyard. Having JAM being an only child, it was nice to watch him bond with my little cousins. It gets him out of the house from watching TV and playing video games all day to enjoy the beautiful Cali weather. When I was a kid, my mom couldn't keep us in the house so it's a shocker that it's like pulling teeth to get these kids to get a little fresh air. JAM enjoyed learning how to play basketball and goofing around with my cousins day and night. We even spent a few nights doing some cousin bonding before bed by gathering around the fire pit to make some s'mores. Can you believe half of them have never made a s'more? Most of them are 6-10 years old and they never made a s'more?! Madness I tell ya!

To continue the celebratory mood, we celebrated my cousin's 15th birthday as well. Times like this I feel a little old even though I know I'm not haha. Joanna is one of the first cousins I started to babysit when I was younger so to celebrate her 15th birthday made me feel 80. She's definitely a foodie so it wasn't a surprise that most of her birthday requests consisted of visiting various restaurants and making dessert stops. We started off the morning in typical high school girl fashion, by visiting the outlet malls. It's almost a sin not to visit Ontario Mills while in Cali. For the top birthday request, we visited our infamously family favorite spot, Newport Seafood Restaurant. If you're ever in the San Gabriel area, definitely give this place a chance. You won't regret it. As usual, our family filled up two tables and we definitely got stares from our "neighbors" when the food didn't stop flowing out of the kitchen. Thank God for whoever invented the lazy susan. You definitely had families like ours in mind when building that great creation.

To end our night, my cousin wanted to walk around Downtown Disney. I probably haven't visited Downtown Disney since I was 10 years old. Let me tell ya, from a parent perspective, it wasn't as fun as I remembered. Simply because JAM wanted anything and everything he saw every 5 steps we took. You swear I was the biggest Debbie downer at the stomping grounds of the "Happiest Place on Earth". It was fun to watch JAM's eyes light up though when he saw all the Disney characters everywhere he looked after seeing them on TV for 7 years. If only he knew what was to come next.....

When was the first time you visited Disneyland?