Lately I have been noticing a lot of signs going up in my neighborhood and around my job for garage sales that are going on during the weekend. I've often wondered if it would be worth my time to hold a garage sale of my own to get rid of all the "treasures" that are filling up our garage. The truth is that I have only attended a few of these events over the years and I wanted to learn more about what I should be looking for when I shop at garage sales locally. I had the opportunity to discuss these garage sales with some of my neighbors and they had some wonderful insight as to knowing exactly what items are even worth purchasing secondhand. The consensus among most of them seems to be that the best time to buy big ticket items at these sales is waiting until the end of the day. Most sellers are looking to sell everything by the day's close and they start getting anxious about unloading big pieces like dining room tables or living room sets after watching them sit out … [Read more...]
Our First Science Fair Project! #Education #STEM
I've never been very good at Science. As a matter of fact, I had to take the Biology Regents in high school a few times before I finally passed it. As a result, I have been dreading some of the science projects that I knew my son would have to complete now that he is in middle school. This week, he had to submit his first science fair project and we spent a lot of time choosing just the right activity that we could do here at home. We finally settled on creating a simulation of the Rock Cycle using crayons. It might sound like this is an easy project but, in all actuality, it is quite detailed and aimed at simulating how Sedimentary, Igneous, and Metamorphic rocks are created in nature. I actually learned a lot myself about this process as I assisted my son through all of the steps. Since Sedimentary rocks are compacted and cemented together from sediments, we used crayon shavings that we pressed together in aluminum foil to create them. We then went on to … [Read more...]
Being A Working Mom When Your Kid Is Sick… #WorkingMom
The past couple of weeks have been rough for us in the health and wellness department. If you have been keeping up with us here on the blog and on social media, you know that I have been sick on and off with a bad cold, we have been dealing with my mother's mental health issues, and this week my younger son got sick with strep throat and asthma as well. Normally, when either one of my sons is sick, my Mom stays with them during the day. This really puts my mind at ease while I am at work because I know that she will care for them just the way that I would if I was home. Since my mother is currently in the hospital, I had to take my sick son with me to work on Monday in order to administer his asthma medication throughout the day. Today we had a snow day so I was glad to be able to stay home with my son an additional day to care for him. He is definitely better but he still has a cough which I wish I could take away from him. Tomorrow it will be back to work and I … [Read more...]
When A Loved One Suffers From Depression And Anxiety…
This past week has been a difficult one because my mother had a severe anxiety attack last weekend. As a family, we have dealt with the fact that she has suffered from depression and anxiety disorder for over thirty years. We are not ashamed of talking about it whatsoever because it is an illness just like any other illness and she has no control over it. As far as we know, it began right after my birth when my mother was eighteen years old. She suffered from postpartum depression after giving birth but was able to recover from it after a few weeks. Unfortunately, four years later after giving birth to my brother, she again sank into a depression but was not able to feel better on her own. This is the way that depression and anxiety presents itself in the lives of many people. It is brought on or awakened by a traumatic or stressful experience in a person's life. In my mother's case, the stress of giving birth to three children in four years, at such a young age, … [Read more...]
Oats And Apple Smoothie Recipe #HerenciaLeche @SiempreLeche #Ad
*This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and MilkPEP. However, all opinions expressed are my own. This week I have started to notice that the leaves are finally starting to change colors here in New York City. I really love the Fall because the weather gets cooler and it is a busy and exciting time preparing for the upcoming holidays. Everyone seems to be busy and productive and our home has returned to keeping up with school schedules, extracurricular activities, and sports. Since Hispanic Heritage Month is also in the Fall, many Latino families like ours also enjoy this time of the year because it allows them to share time-honored traditions with their families and loved ones. Preparing food together and sharing family recipes is an integral part of our culture. Many Latino family recipes contain milk as a key ingredient. Growing up in Spain, I can still recall the delicious cheeses that were served during the afternoon when kids were … [Read more...]
Fall Pumpkin Picking Tips
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of taking the family to visit Prospect Hill Orchards in the beautiful Hudson Valley in New York State. You can pick your own apples, pears and pumpkins there and it is very family-friendly. We've never been pumpkin picking before so we were very excited to see all of the different pumpkin varieties and to decide on just the right ones for our Fall and Halloween decor. The truth is that I knew very little about picking just the right pumpkins before we set out on our adventure. I did a little research to find out how to pick a pumpkin prior to heading out. Many of you will probably be picking or purchasing your own pumpkins now that we are heading into the month of October and the season for Halloween. I figured you could probably use some pumpkin picking tips too. Here is what I learned about picking the right pumpkin: It is much better to pick your own pumpkin at a pumpkin patch than purchasing one at the store. … [Read more...]
Working Mom Confessions
I've always been a worker bee. From the moment that I was able to go out to work, I did so with gusto. It's not that my parents forced me to go out and work or made me pay bills but they were just making it financially and I knew they could not stretch their budget anymore to accommodate my adolescent needs. As they say, "Necessity is the mother of invention," so out of the need to assert my independence and financial freedom, I went to work at 16. My first job was at Consumers which was a retail store chain that was very popular here in New York City during the early nineties. I felt like a million bucks working as a cashier there and I would cash my weekly check at the local check cashing place. There was such a sense of pride for me in being able to earn and spend my own money that it was intoxicating. Consumers eventually went out of business so I worked at McDonald's during my senior year in high school to be able to pay my graduation expenses. That was a very … [Read more...]
Get Your Kids Excited About Reading! #Literacy #Education
One of the most frequent questions that I get asked as an educator by parents is how they can get their kids to read more. It seems that in this fast-paced, technologically advanced world that we currently live in, taking the time out to read a book has become something of an anomaly. Unfortunately, it is something that I witness regularly with my own students as it is a daily struggle to get them to read. Many parents blame themselves for this but, the reality is that the Internet and the easy access that we now have to all kinds of information has decreased our attention span for reading to a certain extent. When I let my students go on the computers in my classroom they immediately become engaged but I rarely see the same enthusiasm when I put books in front of them. As a parent, I also worry about whether my children are spending enough time reading. There are many reasons why reading is such an important part of a child's academic and social development. Reading … [Read more...]
Unspoken Truths About Parenthood…
Last night, I took my family to the movies to see the new Captain America movie. My husband and I had planned it all week and I waited with my boys for Hubby to get home from work so we could head out to the multiplex. We were all looking forward to this outing and we chatted excitedly in the car on the way over there. To add to our excitement, I had picked up my nephew that afternoon and he was accompanying us to see the film. As usual, we were running a few minutes late and arrived at the theater just in time to quickly purchase our tickets and head to find some good seats while the coming attractions were playing on the screen. About ten minutes into the movie a couple walked in with a stroller containing an infant and two toddlers in tow. They proceeded to sit right near us and, I have to admit, I predicted that bringing such young children to the movies would not turn out well for them or for the rest of us who were trying to watch the movie. Sure enough, one of … [Read more...]
We Had A Wonderful Time At Medieval Times NJ! @MedievalTimes #Travel #Sponsored
*This post was written by me on behalf of Medieval Times. I received complimentary product samples to facilitate this review. All opinions are 100% mine. We were very excited to have the opportunity to review the family experience at Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. From the moment we arrived we were in awe of how magnificent and regal the venue was. I knew it would look like a castle but I never expected it to be so authentic. We received the star treatment from the moment we arrived until the end of the show. As soon as we checked in, we were escorted to our seats in the front row which afforded us an up-close view of all of the action. Our server immediately came over to introduce himself and to ask us for our drink order. I was impressed by how pleasant he was and the fact that he spoke directly to our boys and asked them what they wanted to drink. During dinner we were transported to a time of knights, bravery, and all of the chivalry that comes with … [Read more...]
