March 2018 movies

There are 7 movies this month.

March 2

Red Sparrow

Rated R

139 minutes

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker, Ciaran Hinds, Joely Richardson, Jeremy Irons

"Ballerina Dominika Egorova is recruited to 'Sparrow School' a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon. But her first mission, targeting a CIA agent, threatens to unravel the security of both nations."

Death Wish

Rated R

107 minutes

Starring: Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue, Camila Morrone, Dean Norris, Beau Knapp, Kimberly Elise, Eli Roth

"A family man becomes a vigilante killing machine when his family is violently attacked by robbers."

March 9

A Wrinkle In Time

Rated PG

109 minutes

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mindy Kaling, Storm Reid, Michael Pena, Zach Galifianakia, Oprah Winfrey, Rowen Blanchard, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe

"Following the discoery of a new form of space travel as well as Meg's father's disapperarance, she, her brother, and her friend must join three magical beings- Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which- to travel across the universe to rescue him from a terrible evil."

March 16

Tomb Raider

Rated PG-13

122 minutes

Starring: Alicia Vikander, Hannah John-Kamen, Walton Goggins, Kristin Scott Thomas, Dominic West, Nick Frost, Daniel Wu

"Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the island where her father disappeared."

Love, Simon

Rated PG-13

109 minutes

Starring: Nick Robinson, Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Garner, Katherine Langford, Talitha Eliana Bateman, Alexandra Shipp, Miles Heizer, Tony Hale, Nick Robinson, Jorge Lendeborg Jr.

"Everyone deserves a great love story. But for Simon it's complicated: no-one knows he's gay and he doesn't know who the anonymous classmate is that he's fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, scary and life-changing."

March 23

Pacific Rim Uprising

Rated PG-13

98 minutes

Starring: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Tian Jing, Adria Arjona, Charlie Day, Rinko Kikuchi, Dustin Clare, Cailee Spaeny, Burn Gorman

"Jake Pentecost, son of Stacker Pentecost, reunites with Mako Mori to lead a new generation of Jaeger pilots, including rival Lambert and 15 year old hacker Amara, against a new Kaiju threat."

March 29

Ready Player One

Rated PG-13

minutes n/a

Starring: Tye Sheridan, Letitia Wright, Hannah John-Kamen, Simon Pegg, T.J. Miller, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Ralph Ineson,

"When the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune. Wade Watts finds the first clue and starts a race for the Egg."

source: www.imdb.com

Shop Small- Purl Lamb

Purl Lamb just dropped a bunch of new products and they are all on sale! She just added PJ's as well. They come with no hoodie but that won't stop me from having Brody wear them in public. I also loaded Brooklynn up and I might have her coming home outfit! Head over there and grab yours before she sells out. Prices range from $16-$40.

Dunkaroo dip

Dear Diary, 

Do you remember Dunkaroo's? That yummy sprinkly vanilla icing dessert that came with graham cracker cookies that your mom would put in your lunch box? Well I have an adult version of this for you. And much healthier than what that stuff was so if your kids seeing you eating it, you can share (if you want). 

This is not my recipe. It's Budget Savvy Diva's recipe. I found this recipe on Pinterest because I was looking for a yummy, easy dessert for The Super Bowl but I didn't want to use all that sugar and carbs she has. By all means, head over to her blog and get the true recipe if the one below doesn't fancy you but I am telling you, people all night didn't know the difference. I originally named it the FunFetti dip but after eating it, I changed the name to Dunkaroo Dip. 

Here is all you need: 

*1 box of FunFetti cake mix

*1 container of Sugar Free Cool Whip

*1 & 1/2 cups of Kroger's CARBmaster Vanilla Yogurt (very low in sugar but high in protein)

*1 teaspoon of vanilla

*Sprinkles

*1 box of honey graham sticks or animal cookies (whichever you like, but the sticks held up better) 

Instructions: 

*In a medium to large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the sprinkles and sticks/cookies. (I did add a few extra sprinkles to my FunFetti mix cause I love sprinkles)! 

*Refrigerate uncovered for at least 15 minutes (I did mine an hour before eating). 

*After you pull it out, sprinkle the top of it with sprinkles, as much as you like. Serve with the sticks or cookies. 

This is it! I told Bobby this would make an incredible icing to a vanilla cake. And the thing was, because I didn't add any extra sugar or use a sugary product, it wasn't overly sweet. It was just the right amount and I could eat it and not feel guilty. 

Love, Me

Two and a half years old

Dear Diary,

This kid of mine turned 2 and a half back on the 4th of this month and I thought it was time for an update. Since I don't do the monthly anymore for him and maybe your wondering how his little life is.  

- He is fully talking now. Of course it's not perfect but I understand most of what he is saying. 

- He knows all his colors. Just ask him.

- He can count all the way to 20. 

- He can point out 1-10 on a board, even when they are out of order. 

- He walks right into school now. Gives me a kiss and hug and says Bye Mom and is gone. 

- He doesn't like potty training and it's been a struggle. Pediatrician said to not fight it so we aren't. He is in pull ups though and does go, just doesn't tell me yet nor make the effort himself. For a non-lazy kid, he sure is lazy on this. 

- He doesn't care there is a baby on the way nor does he acknowledge it. His poor life is going to change and we keep talking about it but he either just doesn't understand (I don't think he's been around a baby) or he just ignores us. Either way, she is coming and he is going to have to deal. 

- He loves to dance and sing songs. 

- He is really into cars. Like LOVES cars of every kind. He can never have to many and wants to take them everywhere. 

- He loves movies.

- He visited the dentist for the first time and hated it. 

- He still takes a 2-3 hour nap depending on the day.

- He is always on the go. Never likes to stop. He plays all day long, then naps, then wakes and plays more and then bedtime. His favorite is to be outside. Doesn't matter what we are doing, he just wants to be outside.

- He has great manners. Please, thank you, your welcome, bless you, etc. he says it all. 

- He has anger issues which isn't uncommon because he is 2 but it's a different kind of anger. He gets these rages and when I brought it up to his Pediatrician, she said that he may have gotten testosterone early. That boys tend to get a huge release of it between 2 and 1/2 to 4 and they aren't quite sure how to deal with it. It's like this boost of adrenaline and it doesn't last long but it can be annoying to deal with. We do time-out and talk to him to try to get him through this stage. It's just something we have to get through and we will. 

Because he is really is a wonderful, sweet child. He brightens any room he enters and he always gives hugs. He says bye to everyone when he's leaving, no matter who you are. He laughs all the time and his personality is bigger than most. And even though we have the anger problems, it's very few and he is learning how to do with it. 

Brody Daniel Lewis-

You are my heart and my boy. You make me laugh so much. You are incredible and I thank God you are mine. I can't wait to see how you are as a big brother. She is so lucky to have you in her life, even if she doesn't know it yet. You bring so much life to this house and to me. I just love you kiddo!

Love, Mom

Shop Small- Rad Joy

I haven't done a shop small in awhile and today's shop small is one I have been wanting to share for a long time now. I bought this before Christmas (even got my grandmother one) but she ran out of stock right after that (it aired on TV so she was sold out fast) and just now got restocked, which brings me to today. 

This company is called Rad Joy and what they sell are crosses. But they aren't just any crosses. They are crosses that you nail your burdens/sorrow/troubles/thoughts to that you may be holding on to. We tend to ask God for help but we never really let go of the bad stuff or we say we are going to give it over to God but don't or don't know how. 

What this cross allows you to do is write down whatever your feeling, and hand it over to God. And when you feel like that burden is gone, or the thoughts you had have seem to vanish, you take it down from the cross and throw it away. 

I found that I keep a lot of things in. A lot to myself and it got very heavy. I always asked God for help but never really just handed him my problems. But this cross allows me to do so. I can even place prayers for others on this and when I see it, I remember to pray for that person. It's the first thing you see when you enter my home but it's also the last. So I am always reminded that God is present, that God is always there even in the bad. Especially in the bad. 

I have to be honest, (cause I always am). I feel like it works. When my father in law died, I came home and wrote down my thoughts and feelings and asked God to help me through this time. Almost immediately I felt this magical hug just surround me and it couldn't have been anything else but him. My note is still on the cross because I still have hard days but I find when I am feeling like this, I look to the cross and remind myself that God carries my burden and my pain. 

Here is a link to her website. All the crosses are handmade with real wood and come in multiple sizes and colors. She also sells the paper to go with it. They make great gifts as well. I gave my grandmother a small handheld one for Christmas so she could take it to church with her. One of the best things about this company is before they send you your cross, they pray over it. When you are choosing your cross, there is a place where you can put a burden or why your buying this cross and they will lift your prayer up to God and pray for the cross you are about to receive. I am just so in love with this company and what they stand for. I highly recommend getting one for your house. It's also a great way to teach children about God's love and the cross. 

And if you ever step foot into my home and have something weighing you down and aren't quite sure how to get rid of it, just ask me for a piece of paper and a pen and write it down and nail it to my cross. I won't look or read it but I will pray for it for you. And when you visit next time or tell me that you have that pain no more, I will take it down for you. 

Or just go buy yourself your own cross cause Lord knows you probably need one!

Five on Friday- Makeup Edition

So on Wednesday I talked about my awful skin condition/reaction I experienced a few months back (you can click ~here~ to go read about it). And on that blog, I told you I had to change a few things per my doctors request to try to help fix what was going on. I want to be very honest about all of this. I sold Younique. If you follow this blog you already knew that. I only wore Younique because I really loved it and it worked for me. The problem is that it wasn't working for me pregnant and was part of the problem. So with saying that, I changed all my makeup and stopped selling Younique. I still love the company and I still stand by them for other people. It just doesn't work for me anymore so I can't personally promote it (except the mascara, I still use that). I have always told you I only promote what works for me and I won't lie about it. 

With that said, I researched the heck out of different makeups. I looked into cheap and expensive. I spoke with friends, family, beauty specialist, makeup stylist trying to figure out what would be best for my sensitive skin and this is what I found to be the best for me. 

one. Make Up For Ever

With this brand I use the Ultra HD foundation ($43), the Pro-Finish multi use set powder ($37) and the Full Cover concealer ($34). I chose this brand because it was always in the top 5 brands I researched. It popped up every where I searched and even when I spoke to people. Another brand I almost went with was Giorgio Armani and even though most said it was good, wasn't worth the price. That you are paying for a name. So I chose MUFE and I must say...it is seriously the best makeup. It goes on so easy and you don't need a lot. 

two. Two Faced 

I use their bronzer. I had never been a bronzer person. Just never thought about it. But I also didn't wear makeup correctly so it was a learning curve for me. I swear by this stuff. It smells like chocolate and it goes on great and blends well. It is $30. I use the milk chocolate for reference. 

three. The Jessie Palette by Jessie James Decker

This is for my eyes. I love this eye shadow so much. It's so smooth and creamy and blends well with each other. (this picture is the day I got it). It was out of stock but came back yesterday so go grab one. It is $48. 

four. Younique's Epic Mascara

So yes, I still wear the mascara from them. It doesn't seem to have an effect on me and it works so well. Why I chose this one over the 3D was because of the fibers. I never minded them but the epic just goes on easier and smoother and I don't have to worry about the fibers. Since I am not your Younique girl anymore, I have just linked the Younique page and you can purchase it that way. It is $24. 

five. Lipsense

The best lip product out there y'all. So many colors, so many different combinations to do. My sister in law Angie sells it so I have linked you to her Facebook page and she can help you out. They are always coming out with new colors so make sure you follow her page to keep updated. And if we are being real honest here...I have 22 colors from below (I have more than that but some were seasonal or don't make anymore). The prices for the colors are $25 each and for the glosses that go over the color, they are $20 each. Angie is much better at explaining how all this works so hit her up if you want more information!

As far as eye liner goes, I like a few different brands and I am not hooked on just one. That's why I didn't include it on here. The one I find myself going to is Mac's waterproof one but I'm not opposed to others. I don't wear blush (I have natural built in rosy cheeks) or lip liner. When I don't wear Lipsense, I wear Aquaphor on my lips. 

If there is a product that you just LOVE and want to share it with me, please let me know. I am always look for new, safe, clean products to use (especially a mascara. I would really love to try a new one, just want recommendations first. Also...I need new brushes but have no where to start!). I don't wear makeup everyday. In fact, I wear it once, maybe twice a week. So when I do use it, I like to go all out. And I want good products for my face as well so that's why I thought I would share. 

24/25 weeks

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain? 11 pounds

Sleeping? Good. I get about 7 hours at night. 

Best/worst moment these 2 weeks? Best: I got a massage the other day and I swear it was the best massage I have ever gotten. I went to Soyokaze in Midlothian and I highly recommend them. They give you chocolate at the end. Use me a referral! Worst: Nighttime. She gets so heavy at night and it makes me walk funny. I try to do everything before 6pm because around then, I start to go downhill. Workout nights I do my best and Swink has been incredible with accommodating me. One of my coaches told me I could squat lower (and normally he would be right) but I told him if he had no plans on catching a baby girl that evening, I will keep my squats where they are. 

Do I miss anything? Working out at my normal pace. Sometimes it's nice going at a slower pace. But there are times I really want to work out and I can't. Especially at times I know I can succeed. When it comes to rowing....I play the pregnancy card to the fullest!

Pregnancy symptoms? All I want to do is eat. I have fully caught up weight wise and I can tell she is growing so much too. Her movement is so much bigger and I can tell she is liking me eating. I hope to have another good eater on my hands. 

Looking forward to? Registering. I plan on doing that within this next week sometime online. I would go to store but don't want to take a 2 year old. Plus online has so much more stuff. I am just needing to figure out what I need this time around. 

Gender/Name/Due date? Girl. Brooklynn Marjorie Lewis. May 24, 2018

Brody's 24 week update

Brody's 25 week update

It's my face after all!

I want to tell you a story about something that happened to me back in November. It's not a sob story or anything tragic, but it did happen and if it ever happens to you, maybe I can help you in some way. 

I have always had what society calls "good skin". From my coloring, to the way I tan, to how clear my face is (like no blemishes and stuff). Of course I get the occasional period pimple, I would be a freak if I didn't, but on the grand scale, I have fantastic skin. Now, it is more on the sensitive side but I don't believe in using harsh chemicals on your face. I also wash clothes in Tide Free and Downy Free (I have since I got married). And why did I tell you that....cause it's important to the story. 

When I was pregnant with Brody, my skin was fine. I didn't get any weird hair or blemishes or reactions. Nothing. 

Then I got pregnant this second time. And my skin went to shit (sorry Mom).

Like it took a turn for the worst. I literally couldn't wear anything nor be around anything with any kind of scent, smell, flavor. Everything gave me a reaction. Before I got pregnant, I started using Honest fabric softener because I love the smell. And I used it on towels and blankets and nothing was off about my skin. I believe I was about 14 weeks (maybe 15) when I noticed something starting to really happen to me. My face exploded. At first I thought it was the pregnancy. Like a hormonal overload and my skin couldn't keep up. But I noticed it was only really happening at night and by 2pm the next day, I had gotten it better. But every night got worse and worse. This was around Thanksgiving so my doctor was gone. It was that next Monday I was finally able to get a hold of her and she said it sounded like I was having an allergic reaction to a chemical of some sort. So we started chatting about all the things I use on a daily basis. She told me to stop using my makeup and to throw it away and get new (which needed to be done anyways cause it was getting old so I didn't have a problem with that). She told me to stop using whatever face wash and lotion I was using and told me to get with someone at a beauty store to help find me the easiest, softest, light weight wash/cream that I could. Then she said to stop using the Honest. Because it was getting worse at night, it sounded like a reaction to the blanket I was sleeping with. To rewash EVERYTHING back in the Tide and Downy and see if any of this helps. So I did everything she said. Within 2 days, my skin was 50% better. Within a week, my skin was back 95%. It did take a good 2 weeks to fully get my good skin back. 

Now I know I'm pregnant and that has a lot to do with what happened to me. But because it did happen, it forced me to look into what I was using and find better products for myself. It's my face after all and I am only given this one!

I am about to share with you my pictures I took so you can see what I am talking about. And I am going to share with you the beauty products I have been using for about 2 months now, that has changed my life and my skin. 

These were at the worst of it. Not only was there pimples, but my skin was burned. 

This was 2 days later. After stopping everything and using the new products. Pimples were still there but no burning and the redness was better.

This was a week later. Redness gone and pimples almost all gone. I had a few rough patches where the burns were but those were gone a week later. (This is like the worst mug shot. I need to smile more).

So what did I use to help the pimples and redness and irritation go away? Let me share with you the items I can't live without anymore. 

Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash- this stuff is gold to me. I can't live without this. It is the best face wash I have ever had. I have even gotten other people hooked on it. It doesn't take a lot and it smells like peppermint. It goes on easy and creamy and washes away easy too. It is $23. 

Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Face Butter- and it is simply like butter. It is a thick moisturizer but not so thick you fill it on your face moments later. It's thick as in it's moisturizing and you can feel it soaking up the dryness (if that makes sense). The girl at Sephora HIGHLY recommend this for someone who has sensitive skin and but needs something thicker. And she wasn't wrong. It is $40. 

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask- I use this 2 times a week, in place of my moisturizer. And I only use it twice a week because it is thick and a mask but it's not the kind of mask you wash off. It even recommends it only a few times a week. I use it on days I notice I am extra dry or my skin needs an extra something. It is $27.

Origins Dr. Andrew WEIL Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum- This stuff is to help redness and improve overall texture and tone of my skin. It doesn't take a lot and it's expensive. Not going to lie. But you use a dime size amount (about one to two pumps) for your whole face. I use it every other night because it is so expensive. It is $73. 

Boscia Exfoliating Peel Gel- So I can't do chemical peels or exfoliating products because they are too harsh for my skin. The brush rubs me raw and I'm left hurting. But I knew I had dead skin and no way to get it off. In comes this product. It's the softest exfoliation gel ever. It doesn't have stuff in it (like beads). It takes the dead skin off without harming your actual skin. You can literally feel your dead skin coming off but no irritation. I use this twice a week. It is $34. 

I want y'all to know that Origins is having a 20% off sale right now. Plus if you spend over $65, you can receive Free full size cleanser. Use code FAMILY at checkout. Also free shipping with any order over $35. 

I know all of this stuff looks expensive and when you add it all up together, it is. But the only thing I am needing to replace in the next month is the Josie Maran moisturizer. And everything else has MONTHS left. I wouldn't be surprised if I only bought once (maybe twice) a year. I believe in researching your products. I believe in talking to people who understand this stuff. Find why it works for some and not for others. Sephora is incredible about letting you take samples home to try. Just ask! 

I also changed my makeup but come back Friday for that (if your interested). I did a lot of research and spoke with different people on different products and found the right one for me and want to share in case your in the market for some new makeup.