Friday, December 27, 2019

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Friday! Today I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their weekly happy and grateful list link up.


1. Christmas

2. The look on the boys' faces when they saw their presents

3. John's reaction to his Christmas gifts

4. Spending time with my family

5. Relaxing all day on Christmas

6. The Witcher (such a great show!)

7. Christmas dinner...and leftovers!

8. Smallcakes Christmas decorated cupcakes

9. A group of teenagers wrote a sweet apology after leaving a waiter $3 tip

10. Marvel Alliance 3: The Black Order

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Friday, December 20, 2019

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Friday! Today I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their weekly happy and grateful list link up.


1. The boys' class holiday parties

2. Nick Kosir's #XmasLitChallenge

3. Husband and Wife's Honest Comics About Marriage and Parenting

4. Naps

5. Christmas lights

6. Kind of getting over my writer's block

7. Miss Nigeria's reaction when Miss Jamaica was announced as the pageant winner

8. Chick-fil-A

9. Playing video games

10. My art and papercraft supplies

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Monday, December 16, 2019

If You and I Had Coffee


If you and I had coffee...

We'd meet up at a Barnes and Noble café. We'd try a couple of pastries and try some of their flavored hot chocolates. I highly recommend the Toffee Nut Hot Chocolate...it's delicious. Then we'd order a couple of Peppermint Mochas to go.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I found a Groupon for a stay at Great Wolf Lodge and we decided to ask Gabriel if he wanted to have a party or just celebrate his birthday there. He decided he wanted to go to Great Wolf Lodge after seeing some pictures of the lodge.

It was our first time visiting there. We had such a blast celebrating Gabriel's birthday early. We got to bring back Summer for a few glorious days. We played mini-golf, we bowled, the boys completed a really big scavenger hunt (it took us 2 days!), and of course, we enjoyed the indoor water park. It was truly everything. It was just what we needed and a perfect way to celebrate Gabriel's birthday.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I'm in a strange creative phase. I've been feeling inspired and uninspired. I've been creating art a lot, but my writing has slowed down a bit. I'm trying to not let it bother me, but I have some deadlines and now is not the time for a writing block.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I have several goals for the month, but I am giving myself some grace this month. I'm trying to just enjoy the holidays. Luckily, I got my shopping done well in advance so the only things that I am focusing on are checking off some activities on our Christmas/Winter bucket list. The holidays can be so hectic and stressful...I definitely do not have time for that. I just want to enjoy the holidays and feel at peace.

If you and I had coffee...

I'd tell you that I have some big plans for 2020. I'm so excited for the new year, but I am a little sad at how fast time is flying by. I'm sure that I say this every year, but this year just seems like it went by so fast. I still have so much that I want to do by the end of the month. Time just needs to slow down just a little bit.


What would you tell me?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...


Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Friday, December 13, 2019

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Friday! Today I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their weekly happy and grateful list link up.


1. Great Wolf Lodge (blog post coming soon!)

2. Celebrating Gabriel's birthday early

3. Christmas Songs

4. Dr. Seuss' The Grinch

5. Michael BublĂ© Christmas Duets SNL skit - (I watch this every year lol)

6. Target Drive Up (Tried it for the first time a couple of days ago...So freaking useful!)

7. The Originals

8. Hearing good news

9. Feeling hopeful about 2020

10. In the Heights movie trailer

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Monday, December 9, 2019

Holiday Fun with Crayola

Christmas is almost here! The boys and I have been making so many Christmas crafts. We've been using so many fun Crayola products to help us get in the Christmas spirit. Today I'm so excited to share some fun Crayola products that we have been using that is perfect for holiday gifts as well as items to keep the kids occupied throughout the year.



The Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar is a perfect way to countdown to Christmas. The calendar has craft projects, gifts, and coloring activities to help families countdown to the big day. My boys love this calendar. It's been so much fun getting a little gift every day. 

You can purchase the Crayola Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar here.


Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Safari Tub Set

Oh, my goodness! This little set is so cute! The Scribble Scrubbie set comes with six washable markers, four pets, and a working safari palm tree tub. The kids can select which pet they want to color, and then they can rinse the color off using the tub. The little shower actually sprays water! My boys loved making designs on the pets. It can get a bit messy so I recommend having some old towels or paper towels to help clean up. This is such a fun little activity to have on hand for rainy days.


You can purchase the Scribble Scrubbie set here.

Do you have a favorite Crayola product?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...


Disclosure: I did receive these products for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own. As always, I only recommend products and services that I have personally used.

Friday, December 6, 2019

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Friday! Today I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their weekly happy and grateful list link up.


1. Toffee Nut Hot Chocolate

2. Sweet Treats from Barnes & Noble

3. Milk 'N Cookies Cupcake from Smallcakes

4. Working in my journal

5. Sleeping in

6. Klaus (such a cute Christmas movie)

7. All the Christmas/holiday vibes

8. Warm, cozy socks

9. A Christmas Carol (the book)

10. Happy Mail

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

What I Read in November

Last month, I read three books! I accomplished my reading goal for the month! Honestly, I'm a bit surprised, especially since I was sick for most of the month, the boys were also not feeling well, and I still had so much stuff to do.

Anyways, let's check out what I read in November.

Must Read


I read In A Dark, Dark Room and Other Stories a few days after Halloween. I wasn't ready to let go of Halloween just yet. This was such a quick read. I read it in under an hour. The stories are fantastic, and I love the illustrations. I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. I loved reading this book when I was a kid. Alvin Schwartz was amazing. Just like he did with the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series, he did his research on these stories.


Reasons to Stay Alive was absolutely amazing! I think everyone should read this book. I really took my time reading this book because I didn't want it to end. Some of the stories made me happy, some made me sad, and some were actually funny. This book really made me emotional.

It was so interesting reading about Matt's experience with depression. He did not sugar coat anything, which I really liked. He was honest. I love that he makes it clear that depression is different for everyone. He also doesn't push treatments; instead, he simply states what works for him. Again depression is different for everyone, which means that treatment is also different.

This was a dark but beautifully written book. I can't wait to read Matt's next book.


I saw this book at Target and was immediately drawn by the cover. When I bought the book, I had no idea what the book was even about. I only knew that it had stories and poems. Well, let me just say that I am so glad that I read this book. This is another book that I think everyone should read.

The poems and stories primarily focus on being mixed race and identity. The book also focuses on religion, gender, and family with a hint of politics. I love that Avan included stories and poems by other people who are of mixed race. The book also includes pieces by Avan as well as photographs. The artwork is terrific.

As a Dominican, I found myself nodding at some of the stories. Some of the stories were just incredibly relatable. It made me think about my identity and my family. I found myself thinking about religion as well.

This was such an inspiring read. I really hope I can find another book that is similar to this one.


What did you read in November?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Monday, December 2, 2019

December Goals

Happy Monday! It's the most wonderful time of the year! Can you believe that it's already December? A decade is almost over! Last month went by so fast, but I'm hoping that December is a bit slower. I'm not ready for the decade to be over just yet. Father Time, please wait a little longer. Take your time.

Since it's a new month, it's time for some new goals. This month is going to be very busy, so I'm going to give myself a lot of grace. I won't be too hard on myself if I don't accomplish a lot of my goals. Before we get to my new goals for the month, let's check out how I did in November.


Recap of November Goals
  • Read 2 books: I read In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz. I was still in the Halloween spirit and wanted to hold on to Halloween for just a few more days. I also read Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig. Reasons to Stay Alive was an excellent book. There are so many things that I want to say about it, but I'll wait until I post my review. I also read Mixed Feelings by Avan Jogia. This was an excellent book, and I highly recommend it. 
  • Start a new journal: I did start a new journal, but I didn't work in it as much as I would have liked. 
  • Stay active (and keep track of it!): This was a colossal fail. I was sick for most of the month and felt extremely exhausted. I'm so disappointed.
  • Try 1 new recipe: This was also a huge fail. With me being sick for most of the month, I was not in the mood to try a new recipe. 
  • Take 1 Skillshare class: This was also a fail. I can't decide which course I want to take next. There are just so many excellent courses which makes it even harder to choose which one to try next.
  • Work on another new art project: I'm not sure whether to check this off or consider it a fail. I somewhat started a new art project, but didn't work on it a lot. I guess a start is a start...right?
  • Finish my Fall mini traveler's notebook: I didn't finish my Fall traveler's notebook. I'm very close, but I decided to take my time with this project. 

December Goals
  • Read 1 book
  • Try 1 new recipe
  • Take 1 Skillshare class
  • Work on my art project
  • Work in my journal
  • Complete the December Pause session of Here course by Liz Lamoreux
  • Document my December 
  • Declutter (with a big focus on my closets)
  • Donate lots of stuff

What are your goals for December?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...


Photo by Marci Angeles on Unsplash