Rave & Review

Bring the Force home: Star Wars The Last Jedi arrives on Blu-ray and DVD today

My family is Star Wars crazy. So, it was a given that we will own any and all Star Wars movies the minute that they come out on DVD. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is no exception, so it was a exciting day when the Blu-ray arrived for our latest movie night.

If you haven't already been caught up in the hype, here's what you need to know: The Last Jedi is not what you expect it will be. I mean, yes, it is a visually stunning film that welcomes the return of many original characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Yoda, R2-D2 and C-3PO. And, as you imagine, it gives us another glimpse into the saga’s new members, including Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren.

Meet Google's Pixelbook and Pixelbook Pen

I've been in the market for a new laptop for roughly 2 1/2 years now, but it feels like decades. And, yet I still cannot commit. It's not that there aren't really great laptops that have hit the market that more than meet my requirements for Photoshop and video editing, it's just that I'm well aware that we're on the cusp of something huge. Technology is growing by leaps and bounds and the future makes last year's laptops look more than dated.

After checking out the new Google Pixelbook high performance Chromebook, I'm especially glad I waited. Case in point: the Pixelbook is the first laptop with the Google Assistant built in. From its ultra-thin design to its collection of apps, Pixelbook is beautifully versatile and effortlessly adapts to your lifestyle.

Seattle weekend trip: Semiahmoo by the sea

Have you heard of Semiahmoo before? It's a little slice of heaven that is just 45 minutes south of Vancouver, B.C. and 90 minutes north of Seattle, WA. One look at the pictures and I think it's very obvious why it's one of our favorite Washington beach towns and why it brings us back to Blaine, WA over and over again. With much of my childhood spent in Blaine, WA, I spent plenty of time at Birch Bay growing up. I've made a point to get my kids there a few times a year, but last month I was realizing we were well overdue. Since my kiddos love beaches of any kind, and Blaine holds such a special place in all of our hearts, we decided that a Semiahmoo weekend was definitely in order.

23+ dollar store items you can buy right now for your American Girl doll

This past month flew by in a flurry of shopping, DIY projects, and upcycling as we toiled away on our biggest miniature project we've ever worked on {pun intended}. Our American Girl project started on a whim as I one day I got fed up with all the doll stuff all over my daughter's floor. It wasn't that it was a mess, exactly, it was just permanently "set up" for play, and it drove me absolutely crazy.

So, I decided that we needed to give her a place to set up her doll stuff just as she liked. The ideal place would be somewhere that wasn't on the floor, and somewhere that I could hopefully hide quickly so her room could look put together in a matter of minutes. The idea for shelf-into-doll-house commenced with one email to a Craigslist seller who was looking to get rid of the exact shelf that matched my daughter's furniture. Kismet, right? Once the shelf was procured, we had to do some quick, yet major, renovations to it. But in a matter of days it was gloriously ready for play. 

The first thing I realized was that although we had a ton of doll "stuff", we needed a few things to actually pull everything together. We needed to get some doll furniture and accessories that could make that shelf a home, but unfortunately I don't have an unlimited budget for American Girl stuff. So, I raided a bunch of thrift stores and then hit up our local Dollar Tree for the rest. 

Here's a list of all the Dollar Tree items you can buy right now that can make your American Girl play amazing:

The JOHNSON’S Baby tradition

I have been compensated by JOHNSON’S® Baby for this post; however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own. 

My little sister was born when I was 6 years old and my older sister was 9. Since there had been a large gap in ages between us and our new little sister, I remember marveling at all the little baby things that came into our house and being fascinated by them. The new crib was a great place to play zoo with all of my stuffed animals, the tiny baby clothes that dominated our closet were perfect baby doll clothes, and the large bottles of JOHNSON’S® that my mom received at her baby shower were our favorite products to use even though we were well past the baby stage. 

9 awesome A Wrinkle In Time inspired activities and crafts for kids

Are you super excited about the new A Wrinkle In Time movie coming out this week? We got to see it during the Seattle premiere and absolutely loved it. No spoilers here, but just know that it is purely magical and it transports you to places beyond your imagination.

For those of you who loved the book as a child like I did, go in with an open mind. It may not be a direct adaptation of the classic book, but we loved the modern take on L’Engle's masterpiece and I hope you do, too.

THOR: RAGNAROK hits home today on DVD and Blu-ray

Thor: Ragnarok is the God of Thunder's 3rd installment in the Marvel Universe. Loaded with action and humor, Thor: Ragnarok was one of my very favorite Marvel movies to date, and it was a given that it would join our collection as soon as its release was announced.

One of the aspects I’ve really enjoyed about recent Marvel movies is how even with them being about super heroes and otherworldly creatures and gods, they’ve managed to somehow make the story feel pretty grounded and more relatable, in their own grand way. Thor: Ragnarok definitely keeps up that trend for me, with the added bonus of tons of humor. Seriously, I’d say Ragnarok is as much a comedy as it is an action movie, without sacrificing anything on either side.

Remember Me: Disney•Pixar's Coco journeys home today on DVD and Blu-ray

Did you love Disney-Pixar's Coco as much as we did? I have been waiting for Coco's release ever since the movie was announced and I have been counting down the days until we could own the movie that has all of our hearts. With a great cast of characters, beautiful animation, and music that we've been singing for months, we knew this was one movie we couldn't wait to own - and now that wait is over because Coco is finally out on 4K Ultra HD,™ Blu-ray,™ DVD and On-Demand today.  

12+ reasons why you shouldn't get a MoviePass

My husband loves everything about going to the movies; the comfy chairs and popcorn, the previews of coming attractions, the sound quality and huge screen experience. Everything. As for me? I can't get past the ticket price, especially when there's multiple movies I want to see each month.

So, for Christmas he got us MoviePass cards, a service that charges $9.95 a month {or $7.95 if you purchase an annual membership on the recent promotion they announced} and allows you to see one film a day for free. This same service used to be $25-$40 a month, which makes the affordable $9.95 look even more so. If you go to more than one movie a month, then on paper it's looks like a great deal.

But, is it?

Here's 12 reasons why a MoviePass isn't as good of a deal as it appears

Go Hydro and grow food 365 days a year with Root Farm

Want to know the one thing I really miss since having kids? No, it's not bars or going out on the weekends, or even sleeping in. Really. What I miss is gardening.  Before kids, I had a gorgeous veggie garden in our backyard, surrounded by pristine sod, and it was all just steps away from our beautiful gazebo with a fire pit and patio set that was arranged like a living room you'd see in a catalog. It was magnificent. 

 

Now, anyone who has seen our yard in the last few years is laughing because that literally couldn't be further from what our yard currently looks like. Picture a smattering of kids toys, a large trampoline, a huge dirt area that the kids have fully embraced as their own digging pit, a fairy garden designed and set up just how the kids would like, and an abandoned veggie garden that has been taken over by weeds, slugs, and the like. Sigh.