Many of the sports parents that I am friends with around the country reach out to me when they find out that their child's team is scheduled to travel to my native New York City for a tournament. After all, most of them have never visited the Big Apple and coming here for the first time can be a little intimidating. One of their major concerns is usually how they are going to be able to afford a trip to a major city on their team budget. My experience has been that not only do they all end up having a great time while they are here, but that they also are able to take advantage of visiting some of our attractions as well during their stay. When it comes to planning their stay and needing some downtime activities, I always recommend that they use the City Guide that Hotels4Teams offers parents and coaches. They've compiled some great places for teams to relax and bond before or after the game. The best part about NYC is that it is that it is full of fun things for … [Read more...]
Traveling To NYC For A Sports Tournament @hotelsforteams #Hotels4Teams #Ad
Using Your Time Effectively During Off-Season @hotelsforteams #Hotels4Teams #Ad
Those of you who are sports parents know how important it is to plan for how to use your time effectively during off-season as well as maximize on that time when it comes to the young athlete in your life. Since my son plays on his school's basketball team during the Fall, his coaches always stress the value of making sure to get as much practice in as possible when the team's regular season is over. This is not very hard because, if it was up to my son, he would eat, breathe, and sleep anything that is related to basketball. One of the things that we try to also do during the off-season, aside from practicing, is making sure that we plan to save as much money as possible for the expenses associated with my son being on his school's team as well as the traveling team that he is on the rest of the year. Since we finally get a break from the chaos of busy season, we can focus on creating a reasonable budget for the rest of the year. Travel is one of our major expenses when it … [Read more...]
Visit The New Marshalls Store In The Bronx! @Marshalls #MarshallsSurprise #Ad
I love shopping and I especially enjoy getting high-quality items at incredible prices. After all, who doesn't love getting designer, brand name items for less? Since I live and work in the Bronx, I like to shop in my borough too so I am thrilled to be the first to tell you all that there is a new Marshalls store in the Bronx! I've always loved shopping at Marshalls because they have an ever-changing selection of high-quality merchandise at amazing prices across fashion, home, beauty and much, much more. This means that each shopping trip is an opportunity for my family and I to discover something new and unexpected that we're guaranteed to love. The location of this new Marshalls store is right in the heart of one of the busiest shopping areas in the Bronx, the 3rd Avenue HUB. Upon entering the store, I was immediately impressed by how modern and bright it was. Let me tell you, there were so many amazing, high-quality name brands to choose from! Even though I … [Read more...]
Budgeting During Travel Tournaments @hotelsforteams #Hotels4Teams #Ad
The school year is almost over and most of you are probably breathing a collective sigh of relief because you know you are going to get a break from driving kids to extracurricular activities and sporting events. Around these parts, there is no off-season! My son participates in a traveling basketball team when his school team is enjoying their off-season. This means that I am still one busy mom at the end of the school year and during the summer. Those of you who have children who play sports know that it can become a huge expense. Aside from buying the proper safety equipment and athletic shoes, there is also the cost of traveling to away games, eating out when you are away, and travel expenses that you incur from having to take road trips and stay in hotels during travel tournaments, for those of us on traveling teams as well. Fortunately, I have picked up a few tricks over the years to help us budget during travel tournaments which I would love to share with all of … [Read more...]
Game-Based Learning Is Changing Student Learning! @LegendLearning #LegendsOfLearning #Ad
Imagine a classroom where students are actually having fun while learning at the same time! As an educator, this is a challenge that I have faced many times over the years. It can often be a balancing act to create fun and engaging activities while, at the same time, addressing the learning standards that are required for my students to master. Most teachers will tell you that students often have a better grasp on material and content that they learned while having such a good time that they didn't even feel like they were learning. Legends of Learning is a game-based learning platform that offers science-based games for grades 3-8. Although their educational games currently only focus on science content, they will be rolling out other subjects and levels in the near future. Those of you who are science teachers will also be thrilled to find out that all of their games are compatible with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Teachers and students alike will find … [Read more...]
I’m A Hotels4Teams Sports Mom! @hotelsforteams #Hotels4Teams #Ad
Since my older son was in third grade, I have been a proud Basketball Mom. He has always loved basketball and, if it was up to him, he would spend every minute of his life on the court. Seeing him grow as an athlete has been a tremendous source of pride for me because of the values that have been instilled in him when it comes to being a team player and pushing himself to the limits. When we started this journey years ago, I never imagined that I would begin to love basketball and even become one of the loudest moms in the bleachers cheering for my son. Basketball has become a huge part of our lives since my son plays for his school's team and is also on a traveling team during the off-season. So, basically, it's all basketball, all the time around these parts. Our family's love of basketball and our son's dedication to the sport is why I was so excited when Hotels4Teams asked me to become a part of their Ambassador Program. Since my son is on a traveling basketball … [Read more...]
You Are Invited To Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day 2018 at Showcase Cinemas! #ShowcaseCinemas @ShowcaseUS #Ad
I've been keeping a wonderful secret for a couple of weeks! It is time to let the cat out of the bag and tell you all that I have been asked to be a 2018 Showcase Cinemas brand ambassador! This means that I will be sharing news about upcoming screenings and promotions, hosting movie ticket giveaways, and keeping you guys in the loop about anything related to Showcase Cinemas. In my first post as a newly appointed ambassador, I wanted to let you know that for the second year in a row Showcase Cinemas will be participating in Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day on April 10th. For the past 40 years, Ben & Jerry's has opened their legendary Scoop Shops to dish out free ice cream to fans and Showcase Cinemas is excited to be a part of the fun again when they try to beat the 22,000 cones they gave out at their theaters last year! This year, Showcase Cinemas is adding to the celebration by offering customers the chance to enter-to-win a special family movie night prize pack! … [Read more...]
Mommy Must Haves When You Have Big Kids #MommyMustHaves @Walmart #Ad
*I have been compensated by JOHNSON'S® Baby and AVEENO® for this post; however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own. Ever since my boys were babies, I have relied on JOHNSON'S® Baby products as part of their daily and bedtime routines. As infants, I used their baby lotion to massage their new skin and keep it hydrated and their baby wash to clean their delicate little fingers and toes. I remember sniffing them before laying them down to go to sleep and loving how fresh and clean they smelled. Fast forward to these days and both of my boys have grown into two handsome young men. My oldest just started high school this past Fall and my youngest is now in middle school. As a mom, I still continue to purchase the products that I love and trust for them to use. Just like when they were babies, I continue to rely on JOHNSON'S®, especially when it comes to taking care of their skin. My younger son tends to suffer from dry skin and will often complain that … [Read more...]
Real Women Have A Real Conversation! #AlwaysDiscreetBoutique @AlwaysDiscreet #Ad
I have become a firm believer in the fact that, in order to have a healthy lifestyle, you have to be in tune with what your body needs and honest with yourself about addressing these needs. Over the years, I have noticed that we women are not always open with one another with the changes that our bodies go through after childbirth and as we mature into our beautiful selves. One of these taboo subjects has always been Adult Incontinence, despite the fact that it is a lot more prevalent than you would think. As a matter of fact, 1 in 3 women experience bladder leaks1 and 2 in 3 who have tried bladder leak underwear avoid wearing them all together, even when they know they need them2. It's time that we have a real conversation about how AI has affected many of us. There shouldn’t have to be a tradeoff between bladder leak protection and feminine underwear that makes women feel beautiful and confident. Part of being true to all of you and to myself includes me sharing my … [Read more...]
Protect Yourself While Online School Shopping! @CheetahMobile #Ad
The final countdown has begun! We are officially about a week away from the start of the new school year here in New York City. This means that lots of last minute shopping for supplies and uniforms will take place between now and then. While I've already purchased almost everything my sons need, I still have some online shopping to do and I need to make sure that my phone is protected from potential hacking while I do so. Many parents like me use their cell phones to do back to school shopping completely unaware that online predators can steal their sensitive information when they do so. They can potentially prey on you and compromise credit card account numbers, your identity, and even your address and contact information. It's so scary to think that, while you are busy shopping for new school clothes, supplies, or dorm necessities for your kids, hackers may be helping themselves to the data in your phone. Thankfully, I'm one step ahead of the hackers because … [Read more...]
