I'm going to be completely honest, I don't have a lot of time to cook. During the week, I teach middle school full-time, I blog full-time, and I'm a full-time mother and wife. There just isn't a lot of space in my already crammed schedule to plan and execute elaborate, gourmet meals. It's not that I don't want my family to enjoy tasty meals and snacks, I just have to be very careful how I manage my time. Due to these time constraints, I am on an infinite quest to find products that allow me to prepare meals for my family in half the time. The Philips Airfryer has been the answer to my prayers! It is one of the most innovative new kitchen appliances that I have ever used and it allows me to fry, bake roast and grill with ½ tablespoon of oil or less. The best part is that not only are these meals less fat, but they can also be prepared in a fraction of the time. The digital touchscreen interface lets you easily customize the settings to cook your food to your … [Read more...]
Have You Seen Walmart’s New Website Experience? @Walmart #WMTBloggerDay #Sponsored
*I received complimentary airfare, lodging, and meals as part of a Press Trip from Walmart Global eCommerce. As always my opinions are 100% my own. Today was my first day back to work after being on vacation all summer. As a teacher, this time of the year is an extremely busy time for me because not only am I getting my classroom ready for my new students, but I'm also getting my two boys ready for back to school. A lot of preparation goes into making sure that we are all ready and that we all have everything we need to start the new school year off right. This July, I had the opportunity to travel to California and visit the Walmart eCommerce facility in Sunnyvale to learn about their new website experience. As an educated consumer and a mom, I was very excited to learn about how this new website was going to make shopping for my family easier for me. The site was created for tablets first and built via responsive design so content, images and information are … [Read more...]
Take Time Out For Yourself And Put Your Feet Up! #StreamTeam @Netflix #Ad
*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Netflix. As a member of the Netflix Stream Team, I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating. Although Summer Vacation began this past week here in New York City, parenting is a 24/7 job! That is why taking time out for yourself helps keep you strong for your family. This month I'm switching gears and making the focus some time to myself for a change. Most of my favorite shows are on hiatus, but Netflix has a selection of titles to get me through the summer months. And yes, that includes all-new episodes of some of my favorite Netflix originals -- Orange Is the New Black season 2 launched June 6th! I plan on waiting until the kids are asleep for the night and then relaxing with one of my favorite new shows. Here are some of the titles I have heard about but I haven't yet had time to watch but plan to this Summer: 1. Orange Is the New Black 2. Scandal 3. Pretty Little Liars 4. Sherlock 5. Breaking … [Read more...]
Enjoy Some Well-Deserved Relaxation! #SangriaSunday @yellowtail_usa #Ad
*This post was written by me on behalf of Yellow Tail USA. I received complimentary product samples to facilitate this review. All opinions are 100% mine. This past Thursday was the last day of school for New York City public school students. As a middle school teacher, I can tell you that being an educator is a heck of a lot of work and, by the time the end of the year rolls around, most of us are in sore need of some rest and relaxation. Being from Europe, I have always enjoyed a delicious glass of Sangria during those times when I am looking to enjoy some down time. In Spain and Portugal, it is typically served during the summer and is a popular drink among tourists and locals alike. There is just something about having the wind blowing through your hair and enjoying some fresh air outdoors while you sip on some delicious wine. I'm looking forward to enjoying having the summer off and to relaxing a little too. Here are some of the ways that you too can … [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...]
Busy Moms Keep Going With @Keurig #JustBrewIt #Ad
*I participated in this campaign on behalf of Keurig. I received a promotional item to facilitate this review and as a thank you item for participating. All opinions are my own. My day can be pretty hectic. If I told you everything that I do within a 24 hour period, you probably wouldn't even believe me. Between getting my boys ready for school, teaching middle school students, blogging, running a household and driving my kids to all their activities I can barely keep my eyes open sometimes. I like to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee in the morning to start my day off on the right foot but I just don't have the time to change filters and measure out spoonfuls of coffee. This is exactly why Keurig is the perfect brewer for a busy and independent mom like myself. You see, I can make a a delicious cup of coffee, tea, cocoa and a variety of other beverages less than 60 seconds and at the push of a button. I'm not kidding, if I had to do anything more than that to get … [Read more...]
Simplify Your Life And Never Miss An Opportunity! #TheNextBigThing @SamsungMobileUS #Ad
*I participated in this campaign on behalf of Samsung Mobile US. I received a promotional item to facilitate this review and as a thank you item for participating. All opinions are my own. It's no secret that I am a very busy woman. Besides having a full-time career and raising two children, I run a household and I'm also a blogger. Although I enjoy wearing all of these hats and wouldn't trade any of them, it is sometimes a challenge to juggle all of these responsibilities. As a result, I rely on efficient products to simplify my life and to ensure that I never miss any opportunity. Most people will tell you that their smartphone is important to them but, for me, my smartphone is literally the lifeline that allows me to keep up with all of my roles and to stay connected with those who truly matter to me. Recently, I changed smartphones to the new Samsung Galaxy Note® 3 because I was amazed at all of its innovative features. Without any hesitation whatsoever, I … [Read more...]
Make A Delicious Swiss Sausage Omelette On The Go! #JDCrumbles #Recipe #Ad
#spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between our site and Jimmy Dean. This could include Jimmy Dean providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment. Let's be honest, if you are a busy mom like I am, you don't have a lot of time to prepare breakfast in the morning. Between getting the kids ready for school, feeding the dog and getting myself ready for work there just isn't a lot of time to cook a hot breakfast. As a result, I am always looking for easy breakfast options to make sure that my family's day starts off with the proper nutrition. One of our favorite meals for breakfast is an omelette because you can fill it with all of your favorite ingredients. Thanks to Jimmy Dean Sausage Crumbles and some resourcefulness on my part, I think I have finally figured out how to make a delicious omelette for moms on-the-go! SWISS SAUSAGE OMELETTE Ingredients: Jimmy Dean fully cooked sausage crumbles 100% … [Read more...]
The Return Of Working Mom Guilt
This afternoon, I received an email from my 7 year-old's teacher stating that she had sent a memo home last Friday alerting me to the fact that he was talking excessively in class. She went on to say that he had failed to copy down the homework assignment due to his socializing. No sooner had I read the message that I began to feel the all too familiar pangs of Working Mom guilt. You see, I asked him this weekend if he had finished his homework and he assured me that he had. The responsible mommy thing to do would have been to check his folder and make sure that he had indeed finished all of his work. Instead, I chose to give in to my exhaustion and take his word for it. Now I feel terrible. God knows what the teacher must be thinking of me. In her mind, I probably don't care about my son's academic progress. It's even more embarrassing because I am a teacher myself. The truth is that I check every homework normally and I always take care of everything and I think … [Read more...]
Packing School Lunches Your Kids Will Love! #HormelFamily #Sponsored
*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hormel Foods. All opinions are 100% mine. Every year, I have been growing more and more disillusioned with the lunches that are being provided at my sons' school. Being a Working Mom, it is sometimes difficult to have the time to pack lunches for the kids so I have enjoyed the convenience of having them eat hot lunch that is provided by the school. Lately, though, I have really been thinking about sending lunch from home so I've looked into different lunch and snack ideas that will keep my boys excited about eating their lunch at school. Since my little one is a picky eater and my older one refuses to eat certain kinds of foods, I have to get really creative to make sure that I pack lunches that will keep their specific food preferences in mind while making sure the meals are healthy and nutritious. It will be important to sit down with both of them and establish ground rules for lunchtime meals and snacks. After … [Read more...]
