City of Bones: The Mortal Instruments

I always like to watch a movie before I read the book. This movie came out last year and I remember that my main reason for wanting to watch it was for my crush on Jonathan Rhys Myers and my Hobbit Dwarf Crush Kili  I know that the biggest complain about this movie was by the book lovers.  So as someone who knows better I am judging JUST the movie.  Overall I have to say that my biggest problem with this movie was the "love interest."  I just didn't like him for her, and I could tell just by watching it that his character was written better than that for some reason.  It really didn't diminish from the overall effect of the movie though.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is a 2013 German/Canadian Action Adventure Science Fantasy movie.  It is based on the first book in the Mortal Instrument Series with the same title: City of Bones.  The book is written by Cassandra Clare. 

The main character Clary starts seeing a weird symbol all around her and is even drawing it in her sleep.  During the movie she has a birthday and I was not clear on this but I think that she was 15 turning 16.  It seemed to be that it would have been more appropriate to have her be turning 18, but again this is a made up world.  I just don't feel like her age fit in with things like her mom not freaking out when she stayed out all night to go to a club...  but perhaps I grew up with a different kind of mom.  At this club she witnesses a murder that no one else seems able to see.  This gets her involved with a group of people known as "the shadow hunters."  When he mother disappears Clary finds herself joining up with them to help her find her mother and in the meantime she starts to find out that everything she thinks she knows about her life has been misled.

This movie had quite the cast to include:
Lily Collins as Clary (Mirror, Mirror, The Blind Side, Adbuction)
Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace  (Twilight Saga, Camelot, Sweeney Todd)
Kevin Zegers as Alec (Gossip Girl, Frozen, Jane Austen Book Club, Titans, Air Bud)
Jemima West as Isabelle (Borgias, Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc)
Robert Sheehan as Simon (The Borrowers, Misfits, Season of the Witch, A Turtle's Tale)
Lena Headey as Jocelyn (Game of Thrones, 300, The Purge, Brothers Grimm)
CCH Pounder as Dorothea (Warehouse 13, Sons of Anarchy, Law & Order SVU, Avatar, The Shield)
Jared Harris as Hodge (Lincoln, Mad Men, Fringe, Sherlock Holmes)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Valentine (Dracula, Tudors, From Paris With Love, August Rush)
Aiden Turner as Luke (The Hobbit, Being Human)

When the book author Cassandra Clare originally decided to look into the idea of turning her story into a movie she had a hard time finding a studio to accept the story with a female role.  many studios she approached wanted her to change to story to feature a male lead role and she refused, which I think made for a better story.  Originally the character of Jace was offered to Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike) but he turned it down.  7 other actors were considered for the role before it ended up going to Jamie Campell Bower.  Filming took place from August to November of 2012 in Toronto, Hamilton,Ontario & New York City.  Demi Lovato and Colbie Caillat wrote songs specifically for this movie and are featured on the soundtrack. 

Overall the movie was received negatively from critics stating unoriginality and failure to connect with the audience.  There were also negative comments in regards to the screen play writing.  Reportedly $60Mil was spent in marketing on a film that grossed $90 million.  A lot of the failure in reception was said to be due to marketing to a very narrow audience of teens due to Clary's reported age.  In May of 2013 a sequel; The City of Ashes; was already announced even before the movie was released.  The principal actors are slated to be on board even though the sequel work has been pushed back to sometime this year.  Sigourney Weaver has reportedly also signed on to be a part of the sequel.

My overall take on this movie was probably higher than most.  I didn't have very high expectations and was mostly expecting to watch for some love of fantasy and eye candy.  I actually thought that the overall base story was quite compelling.  I felt that there were some things that were new in the fantasy movie realm.  I like the idea of the Underworld and the Angel Blood in the shadow hunters.  I feel like there were definitely a few missing pieces as often happens from book to movie and trying to cram an entire story into a short amount of time.  When I watched this movie I felt like it was a wonderful beginning, but that the story definitely needed to go on.  Overall I was quite entertained and I hope that a sequel does come out to continue the story.  I also feel like I definitely need to check the books out even though I normally shy away from Young Adult novels.  Overall I enjoyed this movie and give it a 4/5 stars. 

You can visit the official site here: City of Bones

Cinnamon Roll Bake: April's Winning Dessert

I must apologize for the lateness of this post.  Due to my 30th birthday and having my grandparents here visiting, I was having a hard time making time to do the dough part.  I did not forget and here it is as promised.  Overall this dessert turned out well.  I don't feel like the person gave directions very well again and had to skip between recipes.  I would also add some cream cheese icing on the top as well if I were to make it again and change the dough recipe.  It is still very delicious though.

Ingredients:
Dough:
4 Cups Flour
1 1/2 Cup Half/Half (more if needed)
3 Tbsp Butter (Melted)
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Yeast

Filling:
8 oz (1 pkg) Cream Cheese (Softened)
3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla

Topping:
5 Tbsp Melted Butter (Separated in half)
2/3 Cup Brown Sugar (Separated in half)
Sprinkle of Ground Cinnamon



Directions:
Dough:
(If you have a bread machine, you can add the dough ingredients to it and set on dough cycle or you can do it the old fashioned way like I did)
Step One: Make the Dough
Use an electric mixer to beat a portion of the flour and the remaining ingredients together, making sure all of the flour and yeast are moistened.
Use a wooden spoon to stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can (using an electric mixer at this stage can strain the motor). Stir until the dough looks ropey and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Tip: Start by adding in the minimum amount of flour in the range. If you add too much flour during mixing and kneading, the bread can become heavy and dry.
Step 2: Knead the dough
Cinnamon rolls call for moderately soft dough, which is still slightly sticky and requires 3-5 minutes of kneading.
To knead place dough on a lightly floured surface (I use baking paper on the counter), fold dough over and push down with the heel of your hand. Turn, fold dough over, and push down again. Repeat this process over and over. You know the dough is ready when it is smooth and elastic. Shape it into a ball.
Tip: Kneading helps the gluten to form in the dough and creates the sturdy structure needed
Step 3: Let the dough rise (This took about an hour and a half for me)
Place the ball of dough into a greased bowl that is at least twice as big as the dough ball, and turn it once to grease the surface. This keeps the dough from drying out.
Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Punch down the dough by pushing your fist into the center. Cover the dough and let it rest on a floured surface before shaping. This calms the dough and makes it easier to work with.


Once dough is complete split the dough into two equal pieces.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray/Grease an 8 in baking dish
Spread half of the dough on the bottom of the bakign dish
Spread with half of of the brown sugar mixture.
In a mixing bowl add the filling ingredients and beat until smooth.  Spread over the brown sugar mixture.
Cover well with the remaining dough and top with the remaining brown sugar mixture.
Cook for 18-20 minutes or until brown.  Cool 10-15 minutes before slicing.  Enjoy! 

Add the dough ingredients into a mixing bowl starting with half of the flour

Beat on low speed

Add the remaining flour to the dough and mix with a spoon

Sous Chef Liam showcasing the dough

Dough should be sticky

Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes

Chef selfie

Place dough in a large bowl and cover to allow to rise

Allow dough to rise to about twice the original size

Punch the dough in the middle

Place on lightly floured surface

Roll the dough out

Add half of the dough to the greased baking dish

Add half of the brown sugar mixture and top with the sour cream mixture

Fully cover with the remaining dough

Top with the remaining brown sugar mixture

Bake for 18-20 minutes

Serve & Enjoy!

If you would like to view the previous winning desserts, click here:

March's Winner: Caramel Filled Brownies 

February's Winner: Strawberry Lemonade Cake 

January's Winner: Black Forest Pavlova

December's Winner: Pumpkin Tiramisu

November's Winner: Caramelized Banana Pudding

October's Winner: Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

September's Winner: Apple Raspberry Crumble

Visits

Visits is a book about a sixty year old man named Tony.  Tony hasn’t done much with his life thus far.  He is a car salesman and he is good at it.  In his spare time he likes to frequent the local topless   On occasion, such as his birthday he wants a little something extra and will spring for a hooker/prostitute.  This time goes a little differently for Tony as he is charged up on his Viagra, and finished up with the “party” he is still tied to a hotel room bed and robbed.  Being left tied up and humiliated Tony starts to get incredibly angry and decided he is going to get even and get his money back.  bars.

Throughout the story you can tell that Tony’s mind is starting to slip.  For me the biggest thing that made this constantly stand out was a constant fixation on a spear gun throughout the story.  It seemed like something so unlikely and farfetched that it was the main point that had me constantly questioning the reality of the situation and what was going on in Tony’s mind.  

Tony’s quest for vengeance takes him on quite a road trip, both in actual mileage and throughout personal growth and thinking within his mind.  This story that John Phelps has concocted is phenomenal.  As the reader you are on this journey with Tony as he rationalizes this serial killing spree that seemed to have sprung up out of opportunity.  It is very interested to see Tony’s through process in his analysis of each and every person and the sometimes seemingly small items that he holds a grudge against people for to the point of wanting to take their lives.

As you think about the things that causes Tony to want to harm someone from events decades in the past, it makes you remember to always be nice to everyone you encounter whenever you can.  You never know when they may come after you on a crazed, seemingly unrelated killing spree. 

I also thoroughly enjoyed being a part of Tony’s mind due to the fact that although he may be slightly insane, he is not a dumb man.  He is quite observant and a great judge of character, and he is as quite thorough on spur of the moment kills.  And it is great to all the while be able to learn new bits and pieces about his background and what kinds of people and events have made him the man he is today, at the end of his rope.

As you are reading and especially at the halfway mark and beyond, you get the feeling that something insane is looming on the horizon.  Even if you can guess the half of it, you will never believe some of the crazy twists and turns that the story takes.  There were only minor typos of words missed, which barely stood out.  This book really draws you into its depths and makes you root for Tony, even though you should be despising him for some of the unforgivable acts that he is committing.  Mr. Phelps was descriptive enough to give you a real feel of how things are occurring, but he was not overdoing the visualization to the point of pushing away those with weaker stomachs for violence.  By the time you reach the end of the book you can envision it being played in the movie theater and how it would translate over quite nicely to a wonderful thriller/suspense movie.  

I commend Mr. Phelps on his book Visits and highly recommend it to anyone who is in for a bit of mystery and suspense that can handle a touch of violence from the mind of a man who has spent his life being kicked around and has decided that he will take a stand…. At sixty.  5 out of 5 stars easily.

Heirloom Carrot-Watermelon Protein Smoothie

This was a smoothie that featured and excellent mix of both fruits and veggies!  It was very light tasting and the watermelon taste came through.  It was not as sweet as my previous fruitier smoothies but was very delicious.  I would definitely make it again. 

Ingredients:
1 Cup Frozen Fruit (Mango, Strawberries, Blueberries)
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein
1 Heirloom Carrot (Peeled & chopped)
1 Cup Watermelon (chopped)
2 Radishes (Ends removed and chopped)
1 Cutie Orange (Peeled & Sectioned)
1 Leaf Kale
1/2 Pear (Seeded & Chopped)
1 Cup Milk


Directions:
Add the frozen ingredients into the blender first and then add the protein and the remaining fruit, top with the milk (This helps ensure a better overall blend).  Blend on medium/high speed until well blended and serve.  This gives me 2 smoothies to enjoy so that I can take care of 2 days at once, refrigerate the remaining smoothie.  Enjoy!

Add all the ingredients into the blender

Side view of yummy

Blend it all together

Serve & Enjoy!

  

If you interested in any other smoothie recipes here are my previously posted recipes

Watermelon-Triple-Berry Protein Smoothie with Kale

Pear-Apple-Berry Fruit Protein Smoothie

The Mind of A Toddler: Exciting "Why" Stage

I do my best to write down some of the silly and memorable things that my toddler does throughout the month so that I can share it with you all.  My son Liam, is quite the character.  I would love to hear stories of some of the crazy things that your kids do or say.  Please share your own stories here.

Liam just brought me one of his toys that was cracked and said
"Look mom, it's broken"
I said "That's why we don't throw our toys"
He said "Why" (yes the why stage is in full force)
I said "Because then they get broken"
He said "Noooooo" and proceeded to throw the toy into his play room.... Some things people need to learn for themselves haha 

Does anyone else's child fall out of bed head first with arms on the ground yelling for mommy or is it just mine.... every night..... as another way to stall sleeping......  

Watergun fight is about to commence. I'm a little worried about how serious Liam is about this, but my gun shoots water farther muah haha.

Liam likes to sleep with whatever book we read for bed that night. I thought I heard him calling for me and went up to his door and listened and he is in there reading to himself and making sound effects, haha how cute

After eating dinner Liam lifts up his shirt and rubs his belly and in a very concerned voice and says "My tummy"
So I asked him "Does it hurt"
He says "No. It has food in it"
Haha my silly boy

I was exciting and saying "I rock at life" and Liam said, "Why do you you rock mom" I told him it was because I am awesome haha.

 Liam has been grabbing all the different fruit and veggies from my bountiful basket and asking me what they are, and then his response is "Ooooh Okay." Until he gets to the ear of corn.
Holding it up he says "What is that mom?"
I say "That's corn"
He says "why mom?"
I say "because it's corn"
He says "why mom?"
I don't really know what else to say at this point haha

Liam made a huge mess playing "party hat bowling" and there were napkins and paper plates all over and then he picked all of it up all by himself without me asking him to. So we hugged, spun around said "yay" and then I asked if he wanted some ice cream and he said "No I want a drink of water" proceeded to get a water bottle, take a drink and walk away.... How do I always want ice cream more than he does?  

I was just drifting off to sleep when Liam woke me up (never fails if I go to bed late). So I take him back to his room and ask him what's wrong. He says "I'm tired". So I let him know that going back to sleep will help out with that. All is good I go climb back into bed, about to fall asleep when Liam is back.
This time he tells me "I need to see the green". Naturally I have no freaking idea what the heck he means. After tirelessly guessing he takes me to the kitchen and gets the thermometer. I feel his head again and tell him that he's not warm.
He says "no mom, foot". So I humor him and use it on both feet and show him that it's green and not yellow or red for a fever. He appears satisfied with this answer and lays down on the kitchen rug. He then wants another blanket and for me to lay down on the floor in his room. After that he wants to hold my hand and have me sing him ABCs. Then he is fine and goes back to sleep.... I have no clue what he was dreaming about haha, time for me to get back to sleep mode.

I just put some sunglasses on Liam and said "Ooh you look so handsome"
So he put glasses on me and said "Ooh mom, you look so handsome"
Haha I'll take it since I know he doesn't understand gender based adjectives.

Liam got out of the bath went into my bedroom and started pedi egging his foot..... naked.... then he went out into the living room and was trying to use it as a bat to hit a ball across the room.... I think he needed to reassert his manhood on the pedi egg Did I mention that he is still naked? haha

A few weeks ago Liam had a cut on his head and I put some Arnica (healing ointment) on it. This became a bedtime ritual for about a week, so the jar has been in his room, and I forgot it was even in there until I heard him attempting to open his door just a minute ago. He had a pack of wipes in his hand and a big gob of Arnica smeared across his forehead..... At least he was trying to get help cleaning it up haha.... Never a dull moment  

Tonight I told Liam that we could go get a "yummy" (cakepop at starbucks) if he laid down and went to sleep. He immediately jumped into bed flattened out on his stomach and closed his eyes with a big grin on his face. It was so adorable. Too bad it was only effective for about 60 seconds before he was right back out of bed..... Can't say I didn't try haha.

 I accidentally hit Liam on the head with the remote and he said "ow you got me!" then he jumped up onto my lap and gave me a hug and kiss. He got back down handed me the remote and said "do it again mom, get me, get me!" After about the third light hit with him laughing so hard he could barely say a fake "Ow" I started to feel bad haha. Never a dull moment

 Liam was trying to convince me to let him have mini corndogs for dinner instead of leftovers. He got his play phone and said
"Hello fireman I want to eat corndogs. Thank you fireman. Bye fireman I love you."
So I handed him the box of corndogs he grabbed it hugged it gave it a bunch of kisses and said "thank you thank you mom"
Needless to say corndogs are too important tonight for me to say no to..... 


Tonight for bed Liam wanted me to blow a raspberry on his neck so I did it.
He says to me "Yucky Mom, Stop It. Time for timeout."
You just can't win haha



My son made himself and eyemask out of string haha

 Liam & I sing a couple of songs before bedtime on a normal basis and he loves the song "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star" A few months ago I had a request to change it to 'Little Moon & Star" So we have sang it our way for awhile now. Tonight I was told told: "No Mom, not little, Say BIG moon ok" So now it has become Twinkle Twinkle, Big Moon & Star haha.

Liam has been watching Garfield the last couple nights during dinner, which to me is a happy relief from Pingu and Fireman Sam that we have watched waaay too many times. When we get ready for bed, Liam likes to go through all of the letters on his shower curtain and we say things for each letter, sometimes names like, A for Apple, L for Liam, so tonight he said R for Arbuckle hahaha. Must be time to stop watching Garfield.

Liam says to me "Mom, Liam's crying"
I ask "You are crying?"
Liam says "No mom watch".
He makes a sad face and says "wah. Wah wah.... I got you mom"
Then he giggles with delight.....
For some reason I'm having flashbacks to my childhood..... 

Liam is watching kid's recipes on YouTube right now haha. He is definitely my child.


Here are some photos from the past month :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple of videos to show Liam live in action ;)

If you would like to check out previous editions of The Mind of Toddler click the links:

Strange Bedtime Requests: March 2014

Timeouts Reign Supreme: February 2014

Random Toddler Moments: January 2014

Random Toddler Moments: December 2013

Taking Credit Where Credit is Due

Dog Aliens

I was given the opportunity to review this book for free in anticipation of the release of the second book.  As a dog lover, I was intrigued by the title and couldn’t pass it up.  

The author Cherise Kelly was very imaginative in allowing the story to be written completely from inside of the dog’s mind.  You are introduced to Clem, the dog whose mind you will be a passenger of for the remainder of the story.  Clem is a reincarnated alien dog from outer space.  He is on his 99^th life and is a 6 month old puppy.  He is from the planet Kax and there is an interesting back story.  

Clem has a bit of a rough start in this life and find himself in possession of some abnormal abilities.  There are distinguishing alien races between the large and small dogs and the inability to effectively communicate with cats.  This was a fun and light read and I could relate to many of the dog/cat interactions.  

The Kaxians (alien dogs from Kax) have come to Earth to spend their lives mining Jax.   Jax is also needed for the Niques (the small dog breeds).  This results in them being at odds with one another.  

The cons for me: What in the heck is Jax?  Having no idea what this was or what it would do for the Kaxians was really annoying.  All you know when reading is that it is very important and their life’s work but by the end of the story you are none the wiser.   There was a bit of jumping around in the story without cohesive flow between ideas.  The wolves for example are telling a story and then it shifts back to Clem and later back to the wolves and to an almost exact same dialogue.  As I was reading on my kindle I had to shift back and forth a couple of times to be sure that I was actually reading a new passage and not getting shifted back to an earlier part within the story.  There were too many loose ends at the end of the story and things to wonder about.  It didn’t feel like anything really got resolved by the end of the story.  It was apparent that another story would follow, but it shouldn’t involve every single issue from the first book (in my humble opinion).  Give your reader a tiny bit of relief or you will lose them.

Pros: Very imaginative.  Quick and easy to read, very good for a light read.  If you are an animal owner (especially dog or cat) you should be able to see something of your own pet within these characters.  There is now a sequel so that hopefully some of the unanswered questions will bear fruition within the second installment.   It is very fun to read from inside the mind of an alien dog.  

All in all I recommend it for a filler book, I give it 3/5 starts.  It doesn’t have a lot of re-readability but the story is intriguing enough to want to continue on with the series.

Cheesy Chicken Burritos: April's Winning Dish

This was originally supposed to be a recipe for Chicken AVOCADO burritos, but once I pulled my avocados out they had gotten frozen in the back of my fridge and weren't very usable so I added in some other ingredients instead.  It still turned out very delicious and I had 3 additional tasted testers to vouch for it.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Chicken Breasts (thinly sliced)
Seasoning (Taco Seasoning, Garlic Powder)
Flour Tortillas (Burrito size)
Mexican Mix Shredded Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese Shredded
Cilantro (chopped)
Green Onions (Sliced)
Tomatoes (Sliced)
Corn
Salsa
Sour Cream

Directions
Add the oil to a skillet and place the sliced chicken in.  Season generously and cook throughly.  Get a tortilla out and place the ingredients you want warm inside (chicken, cheese, green onions, corn, cilantro).  Close the burrito and place it on the grill (I use my nifty George Foreman grill).  Grill until the cheese is melted (a few minutes).  Open up the burrito and add the remaining ingredients (tomatoes, salsa, sour cream).  Serve & Enjoy.

Add the chicken oil and seasoning to the skillet

Prepare your toppings

Add the toppings you want warm tot he burrito

Grill the burrito until the cheese is melted

Add the remaining ingredients and enjoy!

 Here are the precious winners if you are interested in checking them out!

March's Winner: Carne Asada

February's Winner: Chicken Cordon Bleu

January's Winner: Sauteed Scallops

December's Winner: Pizza Pot Pies

November's Winner: Lasagna Stuffed Manicotti

October's Winner: Pumpkin Risotto

September's Winner: Burgundy Pork 

April 2014 Playlist

Many songs contributed to an amazing birth month for me!  Here are 30 of them, one for each day of April to give you a little insight into what music impacted me this past month.

1. Let Her Go-Passenger:  This song always makes me chuckle to myself by the truth in the chorus "You only miss the sun when it starts to snow.....  Only know you've been high when you're feeling low,  Only hate the road when you're missing home" 

2. Morning After Dark-Timbaland feat Nelly Furtado & SoShy:  This song always makes me jam out in my car, and I love Nelly so much!  It's just fun.

3. All For Love-Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting: 3 great amazing voices, and such a great song that expresses so much love and also from the great Three Musketeers....

4. Find Me A Man-Toni Braxton:  I love love love the lyrics in this song.  Great qualities to look for, and very fitting for my single 30th birthday that came to pass.

5. Break It Off-Rihanna feat Sean Paul: Such a great combination and I love this song, makes me want to get up and dance.  It has definitely followed me through the years.

6. Break Stuff-Limp Bizkit:  Haha well let's just say that I had reason for a bit of angst this past month and this song was VERY fitting.  Such a great angry jam.

7. Leave You Alone-Young Jeezy feat Ne-Yo:  What can I say, this song is a good one and it makes me sing along.  I think most of us have a bad boy/girl in our past

8. Fantasy-Mariah Carey: Good old classic Mariah.  Love it

9. Just A Girl-No Doubt:  One of the first songs to make me fall in Love with No Doubt.  And it is still great

10.  Shouldv'e Kissed You-Chris Brown: I love this song.....

11. Sleepless-Kate Havenik: This song is great.  I love the lyrics, Kate's voice and the tempo of the song.

12. Be Still-Kaskade: Kaskade is always awesome in my book and I like this song that is a bit slower tempo for them!  And the video is pretty awesome

13.  Hips Don't Lie-Shakira feat Whylef Jean: How can you not love this song?  I always want to perfect my belly dancing skills whenever I think of this song and how awesome Shakira's skills are.

14. A Thousand Years Part 2-Christina Perry feat Steve Kazee: Part 2 is so much better than the original.  I love this song every time I get it, I want to slow dance or ballet across my living room floor while belting out the words. (Yes I am aware that I have issues haha)

15. All I Wanted-Paramore: Oh how I love Paramore and Haley's voice.  They usually rock out harder but I love their slow songs, such as this one and the lyrics are pretty great as well

16. Never Let Me Go-Florence & the Machine: FATM is seriously one of the greatest of all times.  Every single song I hear makes me take a pause in life to just stop and listen for a moment and revel in the vibes that are put forth by the lyrics and the vocals and the instrumentals...

17. Someone to Love You-Ruff Endz: Such a wonderful song and great throwback.  Whenever I hear this song I definitely think of myself.

18. Yo Side of the Bed-Trey Songz: I love this song, but the music video really sealed the deal for me with his wife deploying and being without her while she is gone.  I have seen this video dozens of times and it still makes me cry EVERY time that I watch it...  needless to say I try to never watch it around other people.  It is such such a powerful message.

19. Sweet Dreams-Beyonce': This has to be my favorite newer Beyonce' song.  It has such a powerful beat and presence that you can just feel whenever you hear it.

20. Goodness Gracias-Ellie Goulding: This song makes me laugh since I sake Goodness Gracias all the time.  I love that Ellie has this song, makes me love her even more.  I notice my son is now starting to say "goodness" haha.

21. Get Up-Ciara feat Chamillionaire: When I lived in California, I don't think you could go out dancing and NOT hear this song.  Needless to say it makes me want to dance whenever I see it and puts me in a happy move...  plus I actually did enjoy the first Step Up movie haha.

22. Just Like Me-Amerie: I will always feel like Amerie was an under-rated artist.  I love this song, and she has a lot of lyrics that I feel like I can relate to. 

23. Happy-Pharrell Williams: Liam and I spend extensive amounts of time dancing around the house to this song when we are having a wonderful day!  Whenever he wants to listen to it he tells me "Mom I want to listen to Despicable me" haha

24. She Wolf-Shakira: I know that I already have a Shakira song on here, but she was impacting me a lot this month and I jammed to this song many times this month!  It always make me feel empowered and happy and I probably look like a crazy woman if you see me in my car when this song is on!

25. Only Girl In The World-Rihanna: Again this is another artist I have already featured but it's from a different time in her career and I love this song!

26. Everything Zen-Bush: Because everyone needs some Gavin in their life and this is a great song

27. I Won't-Colbie Calliat: For the rebel in me ;)

28. Edge of Desire-John Mayer: Oh how I love Johnny boy and his lyrics, they are always welcome to my ears and always want to dance with someone close around the living room....  or somewhere more acceptable and cooler haha ;)

29. Beyond the Veil-Lindsey Sterling: I love Lindsey she is so talented and adorable and her videos are becoming higher budget!  Liam and I will just turn on her channel and listen for long stretches of time in a calming state.

30. Love Takes Over-David Guetta feat Kelly Rowland: Too very talented artists, and a great song.

This is 30