I was so elated to be invited a very special screening of the new Amazon Original Special: An American Girl Story—Melody 1963: Love Has to Win at The Grove LA. 
The Amazon Studios special is set to premiere on Friday, October 21 on Prime Video in the US and UK and is the first of four original American Girl specials that will be made for Prime Video.
“Melody Ellison” is one of American Girl’s newest historical dolls and she’s beautiful. Each of the American Girl historical dolls has her own “story”. Melody’s story is an extremely important one and is based in Detroit, in 1963, during the civil rights movement.
The Amazon Original Special is based on American Girl’s Melody character and inspirational story. 10-year-old Melody’s eyes are opened to the racial inequality surrounding her, including the tragic 1963 Birmingham Church Bombing. As a result, her belief in the “indivisible” promise of our country’s Pledge of Allegiance comes into question, as she challenges her teacher on the validity of this given the horrific tragedy. After an emotional journey of self-reflection, her mother gives her the courage she needs by instilling in her that love brings out the best in everyone, reminding Melody that it’s important to “stand up for what’s right, even when it’s hard or scary.” 
You’ll instantly fall in love with Marsai Martin (Black-ish) as the title character Melody. Idara Victor (TURN: Washington’s Spies) who stars as Melody’s mother, Frances Ellison and Frankie Faison (The Wire) who stars as Melody’s grandfather, Frank Ellison. Together, these 3 have such a special family that you just want to be a part of it. Frances Fisher (Titanic) also stars as Miss Abbot, Melody’s teacher. The feature is Executive Produced by Alison McDonald and Common. 
Watch this sneak peek:
Before the screening began, the film’s cast, along with some other celebs, were on hand for interviews and photographs, on the red carpet. My niece was very excited to see everything set up out in front of the theater.
My Own Thoughts
Once the movie began, I don’t think my eyes were dry for very long. It’s a very powerful and realistic portrayal of what Melody and her family experienced during a time where racism was widely accepted everywhere. Most school and public places were still segregated and the portrayal of the way many white Americans openly treated black Americans was horrendous, yet accurate.
The Amazon special addresses a big issue that was presented as being in the 1960’s but sadly, there is so much of these kinds of things that still happen in today’s world. It was an eye opener for me and as I sat there with my 7 year old niece. I did have to explain some of the scenes to her but I believe it was an important her to see how so many other children lived (and live) this way as their reality. 
This story presents themes that are very timely and relevant for the world we live in today and in my opinion, it is a way to start a healthy dialogue in families about the topic of racism, both historically and present day.
Melody’s character was one that was filled with so much grace. She endured so much ugliness in her little world and because of her momma, she continued to have hope and respond with kindness and kept love in her heart.
This is one of my favorite sayings from the special: 
I won’t post a complete spoiler of the film but I will say that it’s a must-watch for everyone. It’s a topic that may be uncomfortable to watch but that’s all the more reason to watch and maybe even learn something. Also, it is an American Girl story, so rest assured that it will have a happy ending…but the story will always remain in my heart. Melody Ellison is one special little girl and I’m happy we will always have her doll, her books, and her movie in our home. 
Where to Shop for Melody
Amazon and American Girl have collaborated to create a destination for fans of Melody’s stories to find a wide selection of American Girl Melody products. Visit http://www.amazon.com/americangirl to shop the 18-inch Melody doll, historically accurate 1960s doll outfits, a Motown-inspired recording studio that plays and records music, and more. From toys to books to crafts, Melody’s biggest fans can now discover and shop a wide selection of items available with free Two Day Shipping for Prime members. We also checked out all the Melody collection while we were inside the American Girl Store.
Don’t Forget to Watch
An American Girl Story—Melody 1963: Love Has to Win beginning Friday October 21st and will be available for Prime members using the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices including Fire TV and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/originals. More exciting news is that Prime members will also be able to download the series on mobile devices for offline viewing. This news couldn’t have come at a better time for us because we’re heading out on a plane soon and my daughter will love watching this new special on the trip. I’m guessing she’ll be watching it several times! 
A very special thank you to American Girl and Amazon Video for hosting us at this very special event and also for the beautiful Melody Ellison doll. It was a night to remember!
The walk route is filled with Disney magic, including entertainment and the world-famous characters and gives you the opportunity to experience the magic of being in the Parks before they’re open to regular guests. 
As the largest and most unique single fundraising pediatric walk event in the nation, last year’s walk raised more than $2.5 million dollars for the hospital’s KidsCare Fund bringing the quarter-century total to over $26 million. Now in its 26th year, the 2016 walk promises to be extra “spooktacular” as it occurs on Halloween weekend this year and will be packed with fun for the whole family! 
With your help, this goal can definitely by made and hopefully surpassed! There are a few different ways that YOU can help! First of all, you, yourself, can participate in the CHOC Walk. (
CHOC Walk participants also have the opportunity to attend the 2nd annual CHOC Walk Ambassadors’ Luau, the afternoon before the walk, on Saturday, October 29 at at the Disneyland® Hotel’s Adventure Lawn. The luau is hosted by CHOC Walk Ambassadors, past and present, as a way to raise additional funds for the CHOC Walk in the Park and celebrate the courage and strength that they, and thousands of other CHOC patients and families, have shown during their medical journeys. 
This special Polynesian-themed event for the whole family will be the perfect way to celebrate the day before the CHOC Walk. The event will feature activities for attendees of all ages, including: special photographs with Disney® characters; tattoos by Kaman’s Art Shoppe; Ambassadors’ silent auction; delicious luau-inspired dinner; authentic Polynesian entertainment with special appearances by Tupua Productions, Loa Greyson, Jerome Grey, Halau Hula Lani Ola and “Auntie” and an exciting finale featuring world-famous Polynesian fire dancers! Guests will also enjoy a dash of Disney magic with a special visit from artist Jimmy Mulligan. This year’s master of ceremony will be KTLA’s Henry DiCarlo. To purchase tickets for the luau, visit 
This year, Knott’s Spooky Farm is a limited-time weekend event perfect for families and is open on weekend days during October, as well as Halloween day. All of the fun included in the price of a regular park ticket. (pumpkin and cookie decorating are available for a nominal fee.) Whether they choose to wear a costume or not, guests visiting the park are welcome to join in on all the fun Halloween activities. 
Here are the fun experiences you won’t want to miss out on this year:
Linus’ Great Pumpkin Patch
This year at Knott’s Spooky Farm, you’ll find
There are some fun activities to do inside like Peanuts coloring, games, decorating your very own pumpkin
Also, don’t forget to catch a performance of “Monsters Are Coming Charlie Brown!” in the Camp “Spooky” Theater, while you’re in Camp Snoopy. 
For only $31.99 (plus tax) you can enjoy up to seven different dining locations 
Don’t miss out on all the daytime family friendly fun at Knott’s Spooky Farm this year! You won’t find any tricks, just treats!
Residents of Rancho Mission Viejo are lucky to be the first in the area to have access to Cox’s G1GABLAST service, which is 100 times faster than the average U.S. Internet service! Since 
Getting back to the Smart Home though…it was beyond cool to see the demonstrations they had going on, showcasing the capability of the home’s high speed internet and how it can handle more than 10 interactive, visually stimulating demonstrations at once.Some of what was going on included a Wi-Fi cooking with a food blogger, telehealthy sessions with CHOC Childrens (via InTouch mobile robot), online music lessons that were streaming, a Wi-Fi pet and Wi-Fi pet feeder, virtual educational instruction, and more! With everything happening at once in the home, the heavy bandwidth was really put to the test! 
Here are some of my favorite features from that day: 
For someone who relies on the internet for her job, having super fast speeds and capabilities within her home is essential. Whitney also showed us how she controls the slow cooker from her smart phone using the free WeMo app, even when away from home.
This could be a game changer for a working mom like me who spends time driving to and from sports practices, but somehow needs to prepare a meal that’s ready immediately after practice, when I have a starving kid! Having the ability to adjust cooking time and temperature from the and and a smart device delivers the ultimate convenience and peace of mind.
Dr. Winkle was speaking from the In-Touch Express Robot because he was off-site at the time.. The capabilities of telemedicine are amazing, allowing the doctor-patient connection at any time to be possible. It’s basically going to be the house calls of the future! 
His student was actually in Canada and Jason explained that he relies on Cox G1GABLAST to provide him with the necessary bandwidth to stream while he’s working.
My experience inside the Cox Smart Home was nothing short of amazing! To learn more about Cox Communications and the services it offers, visit 
I’m always on the lookout for alternatives to edible Halloween “treats” to give to my students. With all of the other Halloween activities going on, kids get plenty of sugar already. I know other moms appreciate it when their children receive non-sugary treats, especially with general concerns about sugar intake and food allergies
I found so many cute things to use on Oriental Trading Company’s site. Have you seen 
It’s hard for anyone to resist stuffed animals, so I ordered a bunch of Plush Halloween Mini Characters for my students, which come in owl, cat, and mummy. I love that they’re Halloween-y but not scary. They’ll be perfect for kids to hug or hang onto. I know my own daughter used to have plush with her when she was afraid of the dark. I also think I’ll let my students read with their animals in the classroom if they choose to do so.
I attached a “Happy Halloween” tag to each one using a printable I made, and used orange and black bakers twine to tie it on.
You can download my FREE printable
I cannot wait to to give these to my students. They are going to be so excited! Do you have alternatives to sweets that you like to give to kids at Halloween time?
The newly opened location is beautiful and is the 11th location in Orange County! In addition to indoor seating and a full 600 square foot bar area, the location also features an outdoor, open air, wrap-around patio for outdoor dining. Amongst the surf-inspired décor, you have a grand view of the 14 huge wall-mounted TVs, from wherever you are seated and will feel like you’re on the beaches of Hawaii as surf videos play on some of the screens. Sports fans won’t miss a play during their favorite games as they dine, with some of the other screens showing “the game” when it’s on.
Islands offers an extensive menu with a full bar so I decided to have a fun drink to start off with. I ordered The Islands Mai Tai. Made with a marriage of two exotic rums, tropical fruit & essence of the islands, this is literally “Paradise in a Glass”! Have you checked out Islands NFL Happy Hour yet? Right now, football fans can enjoy extended happy hour from 
Kids dining at Islands have quite a few choices on the “Gremmie” menu. I appreciate that they can choose from applesauce, carrots and ranch, carrots, or fries. Kids like to be able to make choices on what they’re going to eat.
I tend to be a creature of habit when I visit and usually end up ordering the Chicken Club Wrap which has grilled & chilled sliced chicken breast, Applewood smoked bacon, avocado, cheddar, jack, lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing & bbq sauce and is served in a flour tortilla. It’s so delicious that it’s difficult for me to want to order anything else. Mmm, BBQ sauce! I didn’t realize they had sweet potato fries on the menu so I had to try them and they were yummy!
Bacon lovers dining at Islands will be happy to know Islands includes a BLT on the menu called “The Wedge“. It’s made with Applewood Bacon, cheddar, jack, lettuce, tomato & mayo, served on an Islands white or whole wheat bun. It’s also served with Fresh Cut Island Fries. Yum!
Although we were pretty full at this point, there’s no denying dessert at Islands. It’s hard to choose between Kona Pie and the Fudge Brownie, so we splurged and ordered one of each. 
Islands’ Kona Pie is made with Mocha Almond Fudge, ice cream & cookie crust topped with chocolate fudge, whipped cream, roasted nuts, and a cherry. Their Fudge Brownie is made with a rich fudge brownie served warm and topped with vanilla ice cream. 
They’re both perfect for sharing. Have you had either? Oh goodness, they’re both delicious and I had to stop myself from finishing them all by mysefl!
Now through January 16, when you visit the Discovery Cube, these four heroic ninjas-in-training will show you how to leap to the rescue and learn teamwork, collaboration, and problem-solving as you work your way through puzzles, mazes and obstacles. Guests can explore the turtles’ sewer-like lair, where good guys win and bad guys lose!
Since 1984, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have rocked it with their talent and teamwork, inspiring and teaching generations of fans that being part of team lets us discover and exercise our own hidden strengths and those of our teammates. Together we can achieve more than we can on our own. 
Now you can join the pizza-eating, crime-fighting “Heroes in a Half Shell” to hone your own ninja skills and problem solving intellect while learning the secrets of the sewer!
The exhibit includes:
The Common Room
Donatello’s Workshop and Lab
New York City Streets
For more information about the Discovery Cube Orange County, go 
The new location will open at 5 a.m. at 26722 Portola Parkway. It’ll offer a full array of both Dunkin’ Donuts’ freshly brewed coffee and delicious baked goods and Baskin-Robbins’ premium ice cream and frozen treats. It’s like a foodie’s dream come true! 
The Foothill Ranch Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant is also the brand’s 100th DD Green™ Achievement location which means it was designed with energy efficient and sustainable elements. A milestone originally planned for the end of 2016, Dunkin’ Donuts is ahead of schedule with integrating this program into its new restaurants nationwide. The Foothill Ranch establishment will feature specialty lighting to reduce energy use, high-efficiency mechanical units, water reduction features and more. 
The first person in both the drive-thru and walk-in line on October 4 will earn a $250 gift card, and the first 200 people in both the lobby and drive-thru will receive a free Dunkin’ Donuts tumbler or a Baskin-Robbins campfire mug. Throughout the day, customers can collect a branded keychain by signing up for DD Perks®, Dunkin’ Donuts’ guest rewards program.