Mommy Ramblings

I had the chance to watch the movie White Bird today. White Bird is a deeply moving coming-of-age story and a testament to the courage it takes to extend kindness and love during the harshest of times. White Bird’s message of kindness is so needed, especially today.

WHITE BIRD is the right story at the right time. From the best-selling author of
WONDER, the book that sparked a movement to “choose kind,” comes the inspirational next chapter.

The movie begins at a private school in New York. A teenage boy named Julian seems out of place on his first day. He is seated alone at an empty table in the cafeteria. When a girl comes by with her lunch tray and asks Julian if anyone is sitting with him, he barely acknowledges her. It is not long before a boy comes by and says he knows Julian’s family and tells him that he is welcome to sit with them because he is sitting at the loser table. After the boy walks away, Julian says nothing to the girl.

Julian rides the subway home with his hood on and earphones in. He appears angry and uninterested in anything around him. Arriving at his upscale apartment on Park Avenue he barely acknowledges the doorman. When he arrives inside, he is surprised by his grandmother who is visiting from France. They sit down to dinner together.

Julian’s grandmother reminds Julian that he is in a new school because he was expelled from his old school for being mean to another boy. To get through to him, the grandmother, played by Helen Mirren tells her grandson the story of her life in France. The movie flashes back to show the captivating story of a young girl with two professional parents, living comfortably to one hiding in a barn when the Nazis invaded France.

We learn that, you can forget many things but you don’t forget kindness. Julian is the boy that hides a young Sara away and visits her every night to share imaginative adventures. Sara is an artist and her sketch book was taken from her when she went into hiding. Julian sees the book, takes it from the headmaster’s office and returns it to Sara. Another boy sees him and follows him with others who beat Julian to a pulp. This kind gesture brings Julian tremendous pain.

This is a story of light in the darkness. It is a warning of how the darkness of the past should never be repeated. I would highly recommend this film. It is an amazing film choice to share with your family.

Buy your tickets now to WHITE BIRD, in theaters October 4!

Giveaway:

Enter below to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card. (We can only accept US winners who haven’t won via another bloggers’ giveaway for this campaign)

Continue reading →

Living in beautiful New York State is such a blessing. With our busy lives, we sometimes don’t take time to smell the roses or admire the changing fall colors. I was thrilled to be able to take an 8 hour cruise with my family this past Sunday.

The weather was overcast and drizzled a bit at times but it did not dampen our spirits. We boarded our Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise from Pier 83 in midtown Manhattan and set sail on an amazing Oktoberfest journey up the Hudson River Valley to Bear Mountain State Park.

On board we had an informative tour guide who told us all about the Little Red Lighthouse, Washington Irving, Sing Sing Prison and so much more. While we cruised our Premiere tickets entitled us to all the yummy treats and drinks we wanted before a meal of authentic German food. If you like beer, this is the cruise for you and you can sip your choice from collectible, souvenir mugs.

We had a great time when we docked at Bear Mountain State Park for a couple of hours. We had a nice hike up to the Bear Mountain Zoo. There was also a small farmer’s market, the Bear Mountain Inn and a lake to explore.

Back on board it was time for our dinner of Pork Schnitzel or you could choose Bratwursts with a variety of side dishes. There were pizzas, chicken fingers and other options at the concession stand as well as huge Bavarian pretzels.

Hot cider and cider doughnuts, fresh fruit cups, yogurt parfaits and so much more were available. Hot coffee was so good and always brewing where we could help ourselves. Tubs of ice cold water bottles and orange juice were always available in our Premiere seating area.

Live music was amazing and we met so many wonderful people. It was such a fun-filled day and we learned so many things about the great state that we live in. We are so grateful that we had rgw the opportunity to cruise and explore with The Circle Line. It was the ideal combination of fall scenery, great food, good music, and Oktoberfest fun. If you would like to book your ticket, just click HERE.

Disclaimer- We were provided with tickets for our cruise from The Circle Line. My views and opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way. Thank you to The Circle Line.

God has a purpose for your life in this moment. You have a part to play in what He is doing in the world.
But knowing why you are here starts with knowing who God says you are. The Life in Christ Bible invites you to embrace your identity and purpose as you:

• Discover why you matter-not because of anything you do, but because you are
  made in the image of God.
• Explore how the gospel of Jesus Christ makes you a new person.
• Learn how who God says you are changes how you think, speak, work, and
  move through the world.
• Order your copy of The Life in Christ Bible today!
• Embrace your purpose as you discover why you matter, how the Gospel makes you a
  new person, and learn how that changes the way you think, speak, work, and move
  through the world.

I was thrilled to receive a copy of The Life in Christ Bible. It is a beautiful Bible with a easy-to-read comfort print. The Bible contains 70 articles addressing 16 identity focused topics. There are 100 encouraging quotes and 17 charts. The book introductions that feature identity-related themes and topics. Check out the video below for a closer look.

You can get your own Life in Christ Bible HERE.

Giveaway: Harper Collins Christian Publishing is sponsoring a giveaway. One lucky blog reader will win their own Life in Christ Bible. Enter for your chance to win below. Good Luck!!! Open to US Residents.

Life in Christ Bible Giveaway

Continue reading →

I had the great pleasure to speak with author Dr. Warren Farrell recently. We will be talking about Dr. Farrell’s new book, Role Mate to Soul Mate that was released at the end of July. Dr. Warren Farrell has coached couples and psychologists nationwide in couple’s communication for the past 30 years.

His courses, both live and the online video versions, are also titled Role Mate to Soul Mate. Dr. Farrell has been chosen by the Financial Times of London as one of the world’s top 100 thought leaders. His books are published in 19 languages. They include The New York Times best-seller, Why Men Are the Way

Check out our interview below.

Check out Dr. Farrell’s Book on Amazon

I had a very interesting conversation with Ricardo Jiménez, Author of “Crash Course” A Founder’s Journey to Saving Your Startup And Sanity. For every Miracle Mop, Bombas Sock, or Squatty Potty, there’s a Plushky. What’s a Plushky? It’s a stuffed, colorful plush toy shaped like a country. For 6 years, Ricardo Jiménez engaged in a relentless pursuit to find the market, customers, distributors, investors, partners and sellers to make his line of Plushkies the next big thing.

The fact that you’ve probably never seen a Plushkey on any retail shelves or online stores gives you a clue to how Ricardo’s hot toy idea never even reached a simmer. Ricardo’s book, “Crash Course” shares the mistakes he made despite holding an MBA from Duke University. Ricardo has convinced himself that his tale of failure is needed more than a Cinderella success story. On the pages of his book, Ricardo recants how he faltered in his efforts to become the next American Dream. Ricardo’s book seems to me a way for him to turn his lemons into lemonade.

He wrote this book to offer advice that may have helped him reach his dreams. Maybe it will help you reach yours. However you decide to look at it, this book will show you what not to do in your quest for success. Ricardo’s biggest mistake was not thinking about the target market for his product. He latched on to, “Build it and they will come” before he decided if there was even a market for his idea. Ricardo is candid about his missteps, misguided decisions and mismanaged expectations that all led to missed opportunities.

Check out our interview below.

This book also shows readers that an MBA does not mean you won’t set yourself up to fail by overlooking the most important things.

You can find Ricardo’s book on Amazon

Learn more on Ricardo’s website at https://www.ricardojimenezh.com/

I had an amazing time speaking with with Geri Spieler, Author of “Regina of Warsaw, Love, Loss and Liberation.” Journalist and investigative reporter Geri Spieler trained her research skills on her grandmother, and in the new book, Regina of Warsaw: Love, Loss and Liberation, Geri traces her grandmother’s brave steps as she escapes violent antisemitism in Poland with an infant and finds her way to the United States.

See our full interview below:

Check out Regina’s Book on Amazon –

Learn more about Geri Spieler on her website at https://gerispieler.com/

I had the pleasure of speaking with Author Laurinel Owen. We had a very interesting conversation about Laurinel’s new book, “Strings Attached” A Memoir of Betrayal, Bigamy and Self-Discovery. Laurinel’s book “Strings Attached“ aims to inspire anyone who has loved, been betrayed, and is seeking recovery and support.

Check out the full conversation we had below.

You can find “Strings Attached” on Amazon

Learn more about the author at https://www.laurinelowen.com/

Yesterday, I spoke with Gary Revel about his revised memoir, “To Live or Maybe Not” available on Amazon. Gary’s life was full of traumatic events like the murder his mother was charged with when he was ten-years-old. The murder charges were dismissed but Gary will never forget the aftermath.

Listen to our interview below to hear more about Gary’s life including how he was called in to investigate the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Let me know what you think in the comments.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Sonny Von Cleveland yesterday. Sonny’s new book, “Hey White Boy -Conversations of Redemption” is available on Amazon.

Check out our amazing interview below. I am sure you will be inspired hearing about Sonny’s rise from horrific abuse, incarceration and setbacks to a life of helping others. Let me know what you think in the comments.

For more info on Sonny Von Cleveland and his non-profit foundation, visit his website