GIVEAWAY: Little Cosmetics Pretend Makeup

Good morning, it's GIVEAWAY time!

Do you a  little beauty that is constantly trying on your makeup (and ruining it)? If so, this giveaway is perfect. 

Little Cosmetics Pretend Makeup Giveaway Hosted by Pea of Sweetness

The perfect play make-up kit - with all of the essentials! You won't believe how realistic this play make looks and feels. With vibrant, realistic shades and a soft, smooth texture this set is sure to please your little girl. And best of all - it doesn't show up on skin! The Essential Set includes: - One Pressed Powder Compact - One Lip Gloss - One Pink Blush Compact - One Glitter Shadow Pot - One Eye Shadow Palette - Makeup Brush Set

Check out the full Pretend Makeup review on Pea of Sweetness! 

For More: Visit the Little Cosmetics Website and connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.  

About the Giveaway: This giveaway begins on 3/27 and ends on 4/10 at 11:00pm (times are CST) and is open to US and Canadian residents ages 18+. Please refer to the full terms and conditions in the Giveaway Tools.

The Prize: One lucky winner will receive a Pretend Makeup Set!

Entry-Form

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may be different than yours. SECOND CHANCES GIRL is not responsible for prize fulfillment.

Patio Makeover: Project #1

So remember my patio? I had a list of things I wanted to do to give it a fabulous makeover. I started simple...

I took the little side table and Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Spray Paint in Spa Blue

Before

A quick paint job and VOILA! Cute side table!

                                                

                                                            After

Doesn't it look cute? Now I am not keeping that yellow pot on it, JC put that there as he was playing photographer!

 Have you been working on any quickie furniture makeovers? Let me know, so I can check them out!

SCG Review: SNAPS!

I love spring and I love taking pictures of the kids in spring. So many colors and nice natural light that even my pictures look great. Sometimes though, I wish to edit the pictures and add cute stuff to them. Who doesn't? So in my constant search for photo editing apps I found SNAPS!

SNAPS! lets you add cute and fluffy virtual content to any of your photos for a quick and easy Easter greeting! Check out this pic of Amberly:

Cute right? She loves it and JC has it as his screensaver on his phone. 

They don't only have Easter content. SNAPS! is currently featuring: Epic, The Croods, Hello Mr. Moustache, Despicable Me 2, Dr. Seuss and many others. Imagine how excited your little ones will get when they see themselves in a picture with the Cat in the Hat or Curious George!

SNAPS! is easy to use and lots of fun. This app is now available at the App store and Google Play. More information is also available at:

Website: www.snapapp.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SnapsApp

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SnapsApp

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/snapsapp/

Happy Snapping!

This was a paid post and the company provided the product discussed in this post. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. 

My High-Traffic Home

My home is a high-traffic home. There are lots of people there all the time. That rare moment of quiet is cherished because with 4 adults, 3 kids, 3 dogs, 2 birds and 1 fish, there's always noise. Luckily, during the week there is only 1 child, Adrian,the others come for the weekend. Blue, the fish is a dream-come-true pet. He is not high-maintenance and he is quiet. We are Cuban, so we are LOUD. We are not screaming, we are just LOUD. We are also a big family (siblings, friends, nieces, nephews) so at any moment there could be 10-12 people in the house. Did  I mention we live in a townhouse? Yes, it's not like there is tons of space for that many people.

On a normal day, there's my mom, JC, my brother, Adrian, the three dogs and me walking/running around the house. There's lots of cleaning, lots of food, lots of laundry and lots of patience-pushing. My mom is over it already and says she is moving out on her own in January which means JC and I will have to find a place for us. Of course, us includes my brother. So pretty soon, we will be on the hunt for a new place. Well two, since we need to help my mom find a place of her own. She wants to live by the beach, so that should be fun.

To tell  you the truth, it would be weird to live by myself at this point. I have grown accustomed to this chaos. It's all about setting rules and boundaries.

1. Try to make space for everyone. 

 Establish some space for everyone. My mom has her own room, we have a room, Adrian has a room and       my brother has a room. We don't have enough bathrooms, so we share those, but at least, we have enough bedrooms. For the kids, they each have their own toys and space to store their toys. Sure they share and take each others toys, but for the most part, everyone has their own.

2. Everyone pays their way.

Our house is expensive. We are renters and the rental market in Miami is very expensive. We each contribute to the household bills in one way or another.

3. No Power-Trips

We try to be as equal as possible when it comes to running the house. Obviously, my mother has a hard time with this one. She likes to be in charge but slowly, she has had to give up the power stick. It's hard for her to realize we are adults. This is also hard when it comes to my son. She wants to be in charge of his upbringing, criticize all my decisions and here is where I lose it. I will put her in her place, because I am the mom. This is truly the hardest rule to follow in a multi-generational home.

4. Mind your business.

With so many people in such close proximity to each other, it's hard to have some privacy. One thing my mom is great at is staying out of my relationship with JC. She doesn't even offer "advice." Whatever goes on between us stays between us, unless I talk about it with my mom. Sometimes you do want "mom advice." Mostly, just mind your own business!

5. Get out as much as possible.

Really, just get out of the house for a while. Go to the park, to the movies, go somewhere. It is not healthy to be cooped up in a house all the time. Enjoy the outdoors when you can.

6. Know plans and intentions.

How long will you be living together? Ours has been a two-year situation which will be ending in January. Not knowing everyone's plans and intentions can be stressful. Have family meetings, discuss issues, be open about what is going on and what your plans are so everyone is on the same page.

Sure it's easier to establish rules than it is to follow them. They become guidelines. You can use these as guidelines to run your own "high-traffic home." It's not easy but it's do-able.

Do you live in a multi-generational or "high-traffic" home? How do you make it work?

Yay! A Liebster!

Hello! This weekend, Carica from Proper Honey nominated me for a Liebster Award! YAY! Thank you, thank you, thank you Carica! I was so excited, I mean who doesn't like awards?

For those who don't know, The Liebster award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.  What is a Liebster?  The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

The rules for receiving the Liebster are as follows:

So 11 Facts About Me:

1. I wear sunglasses ALL THE TIME when I'm outside. That's why most pictures of me you will see with glasses on.

2. I do my nails once a week. Oh and I do my own manicures and pedicures.

3. I wear Men's watches.

4. I enjoy doing laundry. It's my stress reliever.

5. I'm a Target girl all the way!

6. I'm an organized mess. Please don't move things from where I placed them.

7. I'm addicted to Pinterest. I go on Pinterest EVERY NIGHT before bed. 

8. My favorite color is red.

9. I love Pop-Tarts, brown sugar are my favorite.

10. I never stick to the "list." Most of the time I leave it at home.

11. I'm obsessed with Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Martha Stewart.

11 Questions from my nominator, Carica:

1.    What is your favorite pastime? 

        My favorite pastime is reading. Nothing beats reading, it could be a book I had read several times or a    new novel. 
2.    If you could re-do any age, what age would it be?

       I would re-do 21. I would've had more fun and traveled more. 
3.    If you were  stranded on an island, what is the one thing you couldn't do without?

       SUNGLASSES!!! I could figure out the rest....
4.    What is your guilty pleasure?

       Chocolate chip cookies. Seriously, why are they so delicious?
5.    What is one thing you've done once, but would like to do again?

       Have a child. I want to have more children
6.    Favorite song or artist?

       Madonna
7.    When is the last time you went on a vacation, without work or kids?

       To the bahamas when I graduated high school... (a long time ago)....I need an adult vacation!
8.    Do you have a reality show must see?

       I'm not really into reality shows, I like scripted shows like Big Bang Theory
9.    If you could have one super power, what would it be?

       Ability to Fly, I would fly all around the world
10.   Why do you blog?

       I blog because I have always wanted to tell my stories. It's also a good way to meet fellow moms that are going through the same adventures as I am and can provide support we all need. 
11.    How many hours a day or week, do you commit to blogging? 

        I commit anywhere from 25 to 30 hours a week to blogging. It's alot considering I work full-time but I enjoy every minute of it!

And now I nominate:

April @ Goguma Adventures

Abigail @ Mama Unabridged

Jules @ A Dose of Jules

Youma @ Mommy & the City

Stephanie @ Crazy Little Love Birds

Sara @ Life of a Med School Wife

Mandi @ All My Happy Endings

Selene @ Restoration Beauty

Jennifer @ A Class of Sass

Ashley & Kimber @ The Pinning Mama

Sharon @ Make it or Fix it

This is completely voluntary. Please do not stress out over it. If you do participate, please share so I can check out your answers and get to know a little more about you!

My 11 Questions to the Nominees:

1. What is your dream vacation destination?

2.What is your favorite family tradition?

3. Do you collect anything? If so, what?

4. What is your favorite quote?

5. Who is your hero?

6. If you had thirty minutes of free time, what would you do?

7. Do you believe in second chances?

8. Why do you blog?

9. Do you believe you have found your passion in life? If not, what are you waiting for?

10. What is the one thing you wish for your children? If you don't have children, then for any young child in your life.

11. Do you consider yourself happy?

Once again, thanks Carica and I look forward to reading all the nominee's answers!

My Patio Needs A Makeover!

Hello and Happy Friday to all!

I've decided my patio needs a makeover! A super fun, super colorful makeover! You know, get it ready for Spring/Summer 2013. Here are some pics of my patio now (note: I am not proud of it!) along with my notes on what I wish to change:

That's cute little one photo-bombing the pics is Chloe, our mini doxie!

 

 

I live in a townhome community. We live right by the pool area so we are always going out to the pool and having friends over for BBQ's and pool time. This patio needs to be more fun and coordinated.

My current inspirations:

Please feel free to comment and let me know any suggestions/modifications you would add.
Note: We are renters so we would like to make this a fabulous space with out making any permanent changes.

Just know, I am going to lie about how easy it is to be a step-parent!

BLOG DARE:

Just know, I am going to lie about how easy it is to be a step-parent.

Being a step-parent is a joy. The children have really welcomed me as part of the family. We laugh and play and get-along wonderfully!

BIG FAT LIE!

To me, being a step-mother to a child is ten times harder than being their mother. I get eye-rolls, talking back, tons of ignoring, "Well, my mom says..", "Your not my mom!", and lots and lots of meanness. But to tell you the truth in having two stepkids, at least one likes me. 1-1 odds are not that bad! I was hoping that after a year and a half, the child would be adjusted and calm down but nope, still doesn't like me. Last weekend, he told me that he was going to tell his dad to get him a new stepmom because I was a mean lady. This was after I put him and Adrian on time-out for running around the pet store screaming. Oh yeah, super mean lady. I knew that JC had kids since Day 1 but I never imagined it being such a hard adjustment.

Any suggestions on how to make this work? Should I just let time take its course on it and maybe one day we will get along?

Want to read blog dares by other bloggers? Feel free to click on the button below.

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Minted Challenge

 Happy 1st Day of Spring!

We are definitely having wonderful spring weather here in South Florida. This is the time of the year where I love where I live.

Today I am going to ask for a favor. I submitted an art print into the Minted.com and PEOPLE's Most Beautiful Quotes Challenge. This challenge was to create an art print based on a quote. I chose "Love is a great beautifier" by Louisa May Alcott.

Voting is now open, can you please click below and vote for me? Pretty, pretty please! The winning submissions will be sold on Minted.com.

minted.com

Thank you so much for voting for me! 

A Big No-No

We all know that texting while driving is a big No-No. I mean come on, we have those precious little beings in the car with us, wouldn't want anything to happen to them right? So today, I am asking you to please Take the Pledge: I WILL NOT TEXT AND DRIVE!!

To take the pledge, you can click on the button above or go to: http://creeandscooter.com/take-the-pledge

I took the pledge last week and have been text free ever since! I am doing it for the safety of my children and everyone else on the road!

This post is not a paid promotion. This post reflects my honest opinions and thoughts! 

Homegoods Finds!

Yesterday, it was calm and quiet at home, being that only Adrian was there. You would think I would appreciate this time and just relax right? Nope! I made JC and Adrian stop playing video games and come with me to stroll around Homegoods. As soon as I walked through the doors, I felt relaxed. I also took lots and lots of pics for you. Check out what I found:

:

I want this as my beach bag!

My new fabulous sun hat!

These bowls reminded me of Katie from Bower Power Blog

         


You know I was immediately attracted to all this turquoise!

      

I saw these cushions and immediately thought of Sherry over at Young House Love!

INSPIRATION: I'm thinking this is my new color combo for my patio re-do!

I picked up a few goodies that got special treatment for my latest project: patio re-do. Will post on those later on in the week! Stay tuned!

Have you found any goodies at Homegoods lately? I love that place! I could stay there forever.....

We Are The Champions!!!!

Good morning everyone! This Saturday was the championship game for the kids soccer team and WE WON!!! We won 3-1! I was so proud of all the kids. They really came together as a team this season!

There was so much excitement in the air as they received their trophies. They deserved it.

Here are some pics of that day:

My favorite is the dog pile. They love their coaches!

"Oppa Gangnam Style!!!" 

That's was the celebratory song while they were waiting to be handed their trophies. Adrian's idea, of course! He is a party animal!

It was a super fun day. JC will be back as coach next season, which starts on April 13th. If they play the way they did this season, expect another "We Are the Champions" post in June!!!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day all!

Not doing much for the holiday, other than wearing green of course. Don't want to get pinched!

Heading out to Target and Marshall's/Homegoods today! Very excited to see what I find! Have a great day!

This Much Laundry Might Kill Me!

Did you see that? Did you see the amount of laundry we have in a week? There are six loads of laundry there and let's not mention the all the sheets which I will wash tomorrow (if I make it). These are my friends today! They will help me on this mission! If you don't here from me on Monday, please send a search party! BTW....I want to marry the Oxi-clean. We are soulmates! Nothing gets out stains like Oxiclean!

Barbie Dreamhouse

I am BEYOND excited! Yes, the  Barbie™ The Dreamhouse Experience™ is coming to South Florida. The eight year old in me is  bouncing with joy. I was a HUGE Barbie fan and this is a dream come true.

According to the site:
The Dreamhouse is opening this year at the Sawgrass Mills Mall. Barbie™ The Dreamhouse Experience™ is a 10,000 square-foot interactive installation bringing the iconic Barbie® Dreamhouse® toy to real life
for fans of all ages. Visitors have the opportunity to discover the many rooms and living areas of the Dreamhouse™, each with interactive opportunities and some with unique photo opportunities.

Barbie™ The Dreamhouse Experience™ is immersive and interactive; a visit includes:
• Elevators
• Living Room
• Bedroom
• Closet
• Bathroom
• Kitchen
• Balcony
• Entertainment Room
• Dolls and Memorabilia
In each room, guests will be delighted by surprises and interactive activities
related to the room like the chance to digitally ‘try on’ fashions from Barbie®
doll’s dream closet! Guests will be ‘transported´ to each floor of the house via an
elevator inspired by the ‘real’ Barbie® Dreamhouse® elevator. The
Dreamhouse™ also includes more than 350 Barbie® dolls and other collector
memorabilia.

Tickets range from $14.99 to $29.99 for the VIP  experience. I will definitely be going!

If you will be visiting South Florida later in the year or you are a Sunshine resident like me and would like more information, please visit: http://www.barbiedreamhouse.com

I can't wait!!


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Avengers Assemble! Adrian's Avenger's Birthday Party!

My son is obsessed with superheroes, especially Captain America from the Avengers. Kind of a proud mom here since I happen to be into superheroes as well. Let's just say I do not miss a Marvel movie. Anyways, back on topic, so obsessing over the Avengers, we decided that would be the theme of his birthday party. I decided not to do it at home this year, but at a party place, Jumpin Jamboree. It's an indoor bounce house party place that provided entertainment and food at a reasonable price. Adrian invited all his friends from school, karate and soccer.

Since I am into anything party DIY, I designed the cupcake toppers, bag stickers and made the masks, piñata and cake (not the greatest but he loved it). Check out all the pics:

He was the only Captain America, I made Thor, Hulk and Iron-Man for the other Avengers attending the party. Amberly helped me design the masks for the girls (pink and purple)!

This piñata was HUGE! It took about 4 bags of candy to fill it. 

And here is Captain America:

                  

And the Hulk and Supergirl:

 Adrian says this was his best and favorite party. He says the next one is going to be Ninjago-themed so let's see. I'm going to have to get my brain working around that one......

What themed parties do you have coming up?