Movie Review Thursday - Mirror Mirror

For this past Movie Tuesday, I let the kids pick out a movie.  They didn't have any options, they had to go with Mirror Mirror.

One of the most beloved stories of all time is coming to life in the motion picture event for the whole family, Mirror Mirror. A fresh and funny retelling of the Snow White legend, Mirror Mirror features breakout star Lily Collins as Snow White, a princess in exile, and Julia Roberts as the evil Queen who ruthlessly rules her captured kingdom. Seven courageous rebel dwarfs join forces with Snow White as she fights to reclaim her birthright and win her Prince in this magical comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences the world over. The film also stars Armie Hammer as the Prince, and Nathan Lane as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen.

Things I enjoyed about the movie:

• The sets were crazy good. 
• Special effects were great.
• The costumes were awesome.  The Queen's dresses were perfect.  Snow White's gowns were beautiful.  All the costuming was well done.
• Nathan Lane (Brighton) cracked me up with his stupidity and one-liners.
• Julia Roberts has great comedic delivery, and played The Queen quite well.
• I loved the playful flirting sword fight between Snow and the Prince.
• The 7 Dwarfs:  Grimm, Butcher, Wolf, Napoleon, Half Pint, Grub and Chuckles were by far the best parts of the movie. 

Things I didn't like about the movie:

• Some of the acting was really really bad.
• As much as I think Arnie Hammer is adorable, this was not his finest performance. 
• The "woods" looked totally fake to me.  Basically fake snow covered plywood. (but my daughter kept reminding me that the whole movie was shot in a big building - LOL).

All in all, it was a decent family movie.  I know it was totally geared for kids, and that made it alright for me. 

Both of my kids thought it was good.  Colton liked the fighting scenes, and Ash liked the "bollywood" scene at the end during the credits (see video next).  

Several times during the movie Colton made comments to me about whatever was happening at the time.  I love when he does that.  It kept his attention the whole time.  

I'm gonna give this movie an OK rating.  Since this was a movie for the kids, I was happy with it.  Had it been one I picked without the kids, I'd have been disappointed.  Hope that makes sense.

Have you seen it?  Will you see it?   

Sometimes When I Say...

As tough as I seem on the outside, there are times when keepining a positive attitude and a stiff upper lip gets difficult. 

I have to go for various tests every couple of months (i.e., PET Scans, C/T Scans, etc.), and although the tests alone are not painful, the amount of mental stress they cause, might be worse than pain.

This past Saturday I had a C/T scan scheduled.  Although I had many offers by people to take me, I declined, as I know it's not a difficult test and didn't want to have anyone waste their time taking me. 

A little bit of nervousness set in on my drive to the scan, but I knew I was being silly.  Once there, the test only takes 10 minutes, and I was out the door.  However, leaving the hospital I ended up having an emotional breakdown.  I cried.  Not because of the test, but because of why I have to keep going for these tests, and the time spent waiting to get an "all is clear" from the doctor.

Although every doctor I've ever seen or talked to doesn't like to talk in terms of "odds", of course I've done my own investigating and according to the Livestrong site:

Stage III

Like stage II, stage III breast cancer tumors can be classified in one of three conditions: (1) the tumor is larger than 5 cm and has spread to the axillary lymph nodes, but the nodes are not attached to each other; (2) the tumor is smaller than 5 cm, but the cancer has spread to the axillary lymph nodes and the nodes are growing into each other or the surrounding tissue; (3) the tumor is smaller than 5 cm and the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes above the collarbone. According to the Mayo Clinic, the five-year survival rate of a patient diagnosed with stage III breast cancer is between 54 and 67 percent.

Now to some, those percentages may sound pretty darn good, but to this 38 year old woman, those numbers SUCK.  Now to clarify these numbers too, my doctor tried to explain that the average age of a breast cancer patient is 60 years old, and that many of the patients may have died from another ailment, it's not just because of the breast cancer.

I don't care what they say, I wake up everyday thinking about my dumb cancer.  I hate that as much as I want to pretend like it never happened, it did. 

I've been cancer free since February of 2010, so just over two years.  In that time, I've had a "spot" on my lung that after two failed biopsies and a collapsed lung, they are just going to "watch".  Let's hope they are watching it VERY GOOD.  I've heard from others that I should be requesting a scan of my brain, since that is one of the most common places breast cancer spreads to. Yes, I guess I'd want to know if it spread, but at the same time, it's the scariest thing in the world actually knowing you have cancer. I couldn't see it, feel it or have any way of knowing it was there.  It just was.

I can't say it enough - EVERYTHING ABOUT CANCER SUCKS!

I promise not to dwell on it, but every now and then, I just have to say it out loud, then I bury it back inside.  I know that I'll be ok, whatever is thrown my way, because I am a fighter and I refuse to give up.  If my cancer comes back, it's going to get another ass-kicking.  You can bet on it. 


This was an extremely hard and personal post for me.  I thought about not posting it after typing it up, but I feel admitting my fear, it may help me overcome it.

Easter Weekend

The kids absolutely LOVE coloring Easter eggs.  We didn't do too many, but they sure enjoyed this activity.  They would first color them, then shrink wrap them, which would take the dye off the eggs, and then they would re-dye them.  Of course Colton's fingertips got the most color!  They all came out beautifully!

The Easter Bunny was sure very generous again this year. 

Colton's basket contained Skylanders for Wii, Super Hero Squad for 3DS, Sega Sonic Generations for Xbox 360, Harry Potter 3D Pop-up book, Detroit Tigers Ear buds, assorted Football Cards and holders, as well as some of his favorite candy - Hershey bars (in the form of bunnies), Whoppers, Starbursts, Robins Eggs Gum and some suckers.

Ashley's basket contained earrings, bracelets, stickers, stampers, ink pens, socks, headband, flip flops, wallet, bathing suit, a few tops, leggings and shorts, along with some of her favorite candy - Hershey bars (in the form of bunnies), Whoppers, Starbursts, Robins Eggs Gum and some suckers. 

I would like to know when Easter turned in to 2nd Christmas???!!! At least my kids seem to think they should be getting gifts - not candy.  Am I the only one who does this??

I (along with my cousin Megan and her friend Justin) "hid" in plain site over 500 stuffed eggs in my backyard. The kids had a blast, but I think I enjoyed it even more! I told them there was a Golden Egg with $20 in it. That surely got them motivated! In the end, no one was disappointed. They all left with full pails and smiles on their faces. I am ashamed to say I fell totally of my diet plan this weekend.  I ate chips with dip, cheese and crackers, prime rib, potatoes, ham, sauerkraut, fresh and holiday kielbasa and cheesecake with cherry pie topping.  I loved every single bite - BUT - I'm determined to get back on track ASAP! 

Movie Review Wednesday - Goon

Let me start by telling you this movie slipped under my radar. I never seen a trailer for it, never seen it advertised on TV or at the theater. However, with this week’s releases being Mirror Mirror and Wrath of the Titans, I checked out the other movies at our local AMC and found Goon.



So I read the movie info listed on Rotten Tomatoes:


Not content with his job as a bouncer at a local Beantown bar and a bit of an embarrassment to his accomplished family, Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott) dreams of the kind of success enjoyed by minor league hockey goon Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber). When a chance encounter with an on-ice thug leads to a bloody fist fight that Doug easily wins, the coach of the Halifax Highlanders sees potential in this mammoth sized man who is only hampered by his lack of any hockey playing ability and his brother's old figure skates. Standing up to the taunts of the other players, Doug manages to join the team, and with the encouragement of his hockey obsessed best friend (Jay Baruchel) quickly becomes a rising star. Soon he'll have the opportunity to face off against Ross "The Boss" Rhea and perhaps finally land a girlfriend. Now - all he needs is to learn how to skate.

 I, too everyone’s shock, picked this as our Tuesday Movie Night viewing. I am so glad I did!


Goon is the type of movie that meets all of the criteria I love:


• It made me laugh A LOT! (like crying laughing)

• It has a love story

• It has action (VERY VERY graphic fight scenes – so be warned)• It made me forget about everything else going on in my life for 1-1/2 hours


Seann William Scott was perfect as the rough and tough Doug. He really bulked up for this movie. His character is beyond lovable. 

Jay Baruchel was the shining star of the movie. He really had most of the best laugh-lines of the movie and pulls off the crazy best friend well.

Some other well-known faces round out the cast:

• Eugene Levy (American Pie fame)

 • Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy)

 • Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World)

• Marc-Andre Grondin (He's a new face - but one I wouldn't mind seeing again....)

The movie is based on a true story and really tugs on you to root for dumb-as-rocks Doug as he tries to become a “hockey” player.


Ladies, this is one that the BF/Hubs will enjoy. You will score lots of points if you suggest this one – and I promise – you will like it too!


It doesn’t look like it has a very wide release – but I found it at 3 theaters within a 20 mile radius to me. And, if you can’t find it – it’s slated for DVD release May 29, 2012.

I'm not sure if I'm just being crazy - but I have to give this a TO DIE FOR rating!  I enjoyed it that much.  It's definitely the biggest under-rated movie so far this year.

Sometimes and Always

I want to thank everyone who commented on my post yesterday.  You all have made me feel incredible! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

And because it's Tuesday, I'm linking up with Megan over at Mackey Madness for:

Sometimes I go to bed at 9:30pm at night.
Always wake up just as tired as when I go to bed at midnight!

Sometimes I like to go grocery shopping to see what new food products are out.
Always wish I wasn't dieting because I'd love to try these! (if you have let me know!!)

Sometimes I think because food is healthy, I can eat all I want.
Always remember that a pound of food, even if it's good for you, is a pound of food! (I didn't eat all of the butternut squash - even though it's AMAZING!)

Sometimes I buy new make-up brands (i.e., Urban Decay, MAC).
Always end up going back to my Bare Minerals.  LOVE IT!

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and worry about things going on in my life.
Always try to remember that I shouldn't sweat the small things and enjoy each day I'm given. 

Sometimes I like to buy things on Amazon because I think I'm getting a deal.
Always freak out when I finally get my credit card bill because the $6, $10 and $12 orders add up at the end of the month!

Now go on over and check out all the link-ups!

I Did It!

I am happy to reveal that I did it...I won the Biggest Loser Competition I've been participating in. 

The competition lasted 12-weeks, and I lost a total of 24.2 Lbs! (we as a group lost over 65 lbs.)  I am competitive by nature, but I never really thought I'd win.  However, I'm happy to report I won about $100, which will be used to help fund my upcoming "bingo bus" trip.

Because we actually enjoyed having "accountability" each week, we have decided to begin a new competition, not sure if it's going to run for another 12 or 8 weeks, but I'd like to see maybe 10 more pounds shed, so when my dieting actually stops, if I gain a few pounds I'll still be good. 

Before anyone starts thinking I'm just a crazy girl trying to be skinny, I want to clarify that my weight became an issue for me during chemotherapy.  Of course I figured I'd lose weight, like the people do in the movies, but not this girl.  I actually put on about 35 lbs.! 

My chemo cycle was one treatment everything three weeks.  So the day before and after my chemo I would be on steroids.  Due to the chemo my appetite would be horrible for a few days, but after the first few days, I certainly made up for it.  I would eat cake, cookies, donuts, McDonalds, Burger King, etc., everyday.  I craved sweets.  My mom would stay with me all day, and if I wanted a milk shake, she run and buy me one!  She was way to good to me.  But with that luxury, I certainly took advantage of it. 

Fast forward to a year and one half after treatments, I'm at the highest weight I've ever seen (minus pregnancy) and just had no clue how to get rid of it.  I had started attending Jazzercise classes, but not as regular as I should.  Sure, I lost a few pounds, but not enough. 

So when the two weight lost competitions fell into my lap, I couldn't resist.  I'm so happy I participated in both of them!  A great benefit of the competition is seeing people I know (and actually care about) make changes to better their lifestyles.  I've seen close friends shed pounds by eating healthy, exercising and making smarter choices all around. 

I look forward to sharing my weight loss journey with you as it continues.  I'd also be happy to cheer any of you on during your own journeys.  Just drop me a email or comment!  I know how much every one's faith and wishes helped me!

[Gurlee]Girl Friday

It's Friday which means I'm linking up with Vicki and Tara for another edition of:

This week I picked a nice springy color.  I chose Dim Sum Plum by OPI. 

I topped it off with Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle.  This stuff is amazing.  It doesn't dry as fast as I'd like, but it makes my polish last for days.  Love it.

Now on to some randomness:

• Looking forward to celebrating my dad's and niece's birthday tomorrow with a trip to Outback Steakhouse.  I might even get my absolute favorite dessert, which I dedicated an entire post to, the Oreos Cookies N'Cream Waffles.  Heaven.
• Looking forward to trying out a new gym tomorrow.  I bought a Groupon for a 2-month membership to check it out.  Hopefully it will be a good fit for me.  I'm looking to add some additions to my weekly workouts, maybe a Zumba or yoga class, and possibly just some cardio.
• I need to get my butt in gear and start buying some Easter stuff.  I have no idea what the kids want this year.  I have a few things, but they would certainly be disappointed. 
• I ordered another pair of glasses this week.  I think I will have 6 pair now (not including sunglasses). 
• I'm so happy I grabbed a Meijer Diet Cream Soda to bring to work with me today.  It's like having dessert.  Love that stuff.
• Took the kids to see The Hunger Games on Tuesday.  My 10-year old daughter thought it was good.  My 7-year old son loved it.  He cracked me up because he said "Mom, I thought the movie was going to be about a game where they eat lots of food, but it wasn't!" 
• Our final weigh-in in my Biggest Loser Competition is this Sunday.  It appears that either I or GTuck will be the winner.  I'm hoping it's me.  Just to have bragging rights.  So wish me luck!!!!!!!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!!!!!!!!