*I participated in this campaign on behalf of Gain. I received a promotional item to facilitate this review and as a thank you item for participating. All opinions are my own. Many people don't know a lot about the Bronx aside from what they have seen on television or in the movies. This borough of New York City is often depicted in a less than favorable light and we don't get the credit that we deserve for being full of decent and hardworking people. That is why I was so excited when I found out that Gain was coming to the Bronx to transform local neighborhood laundromats into something special. I immediately knew that this would help to spread an unexpected dose of joy throughout our community! This past Friday, I had the pleasure of meeting Bronx-born musician Leslie Grace, who has partnered with Gain, to showcase how art, music and culture collide to celebrate the launch of six community-decorated Laundromats throughout the Bronx, Spanish Harlem and Washington … [Read more...]
Unlock An Unexpected Dose Of Joy! #MusicToYourNose @GainLatino @Gain #Giveaway #Ad
Make Driving Safely A Family Affair! #VamosConCuidado @Allstate #Ad
*I wrote this post as part of my participation in a blog tour for Latina Mom Bloggers on behalf of the Allstate Foundation and received compensation to thank me for taking the time to participate. However, all opinions expressed are my own. This June, my oldest is turning eleven years old and I am bracing myself to address some of the changes that will arise due to his being a tween and eventually a teenager. Believe it or not, he is already asking me about when he will be able to drive and it is definitely a topic that I am apprehensive about because I understand the safety concerns that are involved with teen drivers. Many years ago, my teenage cousin was driving his parents and sister home from a family gathering when he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed. He and his father died in the accident and his mother and sister spent weeks recovering in the hospital. Due to this traumatic incident, I have always been afraid of the day that my own sons would finally get … [Read more...]
Togetherness Defines Today’s Modern Family! #LaFamiliaDeHoy #Ad
*This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson and Latina Bloggers Connect. Last December, Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies revealed the Jiménez family as LA FAMILIA DE HOY™. This family was chosen to represent the family values of the Hispanic community which included being active, multicultural and keeping up with the modern times. Juan, Biviana and their three children: Elisa, Diego and Benicio embody all of these qualities and definitely mirror what my family and I consider to be the epitome of the Latino family. Like the Jiménez family, our family shares a special bond and we find ways to support each other and be there for one another whenever possible. Sometimes this includes making arrangements to pick up each other's kids from school or sharing the cooking responsibilities during family gatherings and dinners. Family is very important to us and we make sure that we teach our younger generation about their roots and … [Read more...]
Submit Idea To Improve Your Community! #StateFarmAyuda #SFNeighborhoodAssist @StateFarm #Ad
*This is part of a sponsored collaboration with Latina Mom Bloggers and State Farm. However, all opinions expressed are my own. Recently, I shared with you all how you could make your community a better place. State Farm Neighborhood Assist wants to help you breathe new life into your neighborhood! By submitting your ideas around making local Hispanic communities better places to live in, you will be entered for the chance to win $25,000 to realize those dreams. I'm very excited to announce that submissions are NOW being accepted until the first 4,000 submissions have been received – on or before March 23rd! ¿Qué esperas? I can't even begin to describe to you how much I would be able to do with that money by way of improving the community around the school I teach in. Many of my students and their families struggle financially and they do not have a safe place in the community to go to after they leave school. ¡sería un sueño hecho realidad! My dream would … [Read more...]
Rekindle Your Romance With Date Night! #BestLobsterfest @RedLobster #Giveaway #Ad
*This is part of a sponsored campaign with Being Latino and Red Lobster. However, all opinions expressed are my own. I can't even tell you guys how long it has been since I had a romantic date night with my husband. It seems like every time we plan to get some alone time together, life happens and we never get around to it. Many of you can probably relate to this since you also juggle many roles including that of a parent, spouse, employee, business owner, etc. Lately I have been trying to really get serious about spending some special time with my sweetheart. In the past, when we have had more time to regularly have a date night, we really enjoyed going out for dinner and seeing a movie. There is just something so romantic about sitting to eat with your love at your favorite restaurant and locking their gaze from across the table. In our case, one of our favorite places to frequent and to rekindle our romance is Red Lobster. During Lobsterfest, all of … [Read more...]
Help Your Baby Get A Good Night’s Sleep! #WalgreensLatino #MiBebe @Walgreens #Ad
*This is part of a sponsored collaboration with Latina Mom Bloggers and Walgreens. However, all opinions expressed are my own. When I became a mother for the first time, I was really eager to learn everything that I possibly could about taking care of a baby. As a result, I read as many books as I could and I researched everything from potty training to proper sterilization of baby bottles. One of my favorite places to shop for baby items has always been Walgreens. Their Well Beginnings line has just about anything you need for your baby including diapers, wipes, formula and more. It is the perfect store for stocking up on all of the necessities that make your bebé and your familia more comfortable. During my infinite quest for "Mommy knowledge" I found out that there were specific things that I could do to help my baby get a good night's sleep. After all, a happy sleeping baby means a happy new mommy that could get some sleep too. That is when I devised the … [Read more...]
Make That Financial Dream Into A Reality For Your Family! #HispanicDream @massmutual #Ad
*I wrote this post as part of my participation in a blog tour for Latina Mom Bloggers on behalf of MassMutual and received compensation to thank me for taking the time to participate. However, all opinions expressed are my own. Ten years ago, we bought our first home and it was a huge accomplishment for us. We felt like we finally had our hands around the American dream and that we were finally on our way to obtaining some financial stability. Unfortunately, buying a house is a huge expense and every time you turn around, there is something new to be fixed or paid for. Fast forward to today and we have continued to pay down our debt and work towards becoming debt-free but, I have to be honest, my husband and I worry about how quickly we will be able to do that because of the current state of the economy. It has become harder than ever to save money and to be able make lucrative investments. Most Latinos have dreams about securing their financial futures but they … [Read more...]
Make Your Community A Better Place! #StateFarmAyuda #SFNeighborhoodAssist @StateFarm #Ad
*This is part of a sponsored collaboration with Latina Mom Bloggers and State Farm. However, all opinions expressed are my own. As many of you know, I have been teaching middle school students in the inner city for the past thirteen years. The community that I teach in is full of life and made up of families who have come to this country looking for better opportunities for themselves and for their children. Unfortunately, these families often struggle with poverty and end up making a lot of sacrifices to just be able to eat on a daily basis. I've often thought about all of the ways that I would be able to support and improve conditions in this community if only I had the financial means to do so. ¡Ojalá! This will now be possible for many Hispanic communities across the United States and Canada thanks to State Farm Neighborhood Assist® grants. For the third year in a row, the youth-led neighborhood assist program has inspired and empowered people to focus on … [Read more...]
Celebrating Three Kings Day In Our Family! #JCPenneyLatino #RealLatinoHolidays @JCPenney #Ad
*This is part of a sponsored collaboration with Latina Mom Bloggers and JCPenney. However, all opinions expressed are my own. We always celebrate Three Kings Day in our family. This year, however, I have decided to spend a lot more time teaching my boys some of our family traditions around this special holiday. It is really important to me that they look back upon this day fondly the way that I do from my own childhood in Spain. My Grandparents always made sure that this day was very special in their home and I want it to be equally special in our house. One of my favorite memories from our family Three Kings Day celebrations is the year that I wanted a special toy called Boti Bota. It was fashioned after a character in one of my favorite game shows and was a toy that you wrapped around one ankle and swung around and jumped over with your other foot. All of the kids in my class had one and I wanted one so badly! Every single day, I reminded my Grandmother … [Read more...]
Dessert Meets My Perfect Companion! #CompañeroPerfecto @Coffee_Mate #Giveaway #Ad
*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Coffee Mate. I received a promotional item to facilitate this review and as a thank you item for participating. All opinions are my own. When I was growing up in my Grandmother's house as a young girl, having visitors during the middle of the day was always a big production. From the moment that the doorbell rang, we would all hurry to welcome our guests and to help Tata (Grandma) prepare the coffee and pull out all of the pastries, cookies and cakes that we kept in the house for just these visits. I was always in awe as to how much coffee and dessert could be arranged in such a short time. One of my fondest memories is the smell of coffee permeating the house and mixing with the perfumes of our female visitors. Oh, how I wanted to grow up and be beautiful and gracious like these wonderful women whom I was surrounded by. Now that I have my own family, it is important to me to maintain those wonderful … [Read more...]
