Second Chances Girl - a Miami family and lifestyle blog!: November 2013

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have a wonderful day with your family and friends. 






I am so very grateful for each and every one of you that reads my posts and takes time to comment! This blog has been such a blessing for me! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!





Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The Ones That Didn't Make It

Annual Family photo shoots, such a glorious tradition and what a pain in the you-know-what. I plan all year for this shoot. Yes, I am that mother that needs to make sure everyone smiles the right way. Yes, I am the mother that yells. Yes, psycho mom! I want my pictures to be perfect, why is that so much to ask?

I did get some decent ones (that I will share with you another time) but first, let's show the silly ones. The pictures the kids really had fun with!

This one really shows their personalities! I actually love it!





Gian is over it!


OK so maybe the kids weren't the only ones acting silly!

Adrian getting his dance on!

Do you take annual family photos? Are they as much torture for you as they are for us?

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Hot Holiday Shopping at RadioShack! #MC

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for RadioShack. I received a gift card to facilitate a shopping trip and promotional item as a thank you for participating.


Do you shop on Black Friday? I do! Especially for electronics! You get such amazing deals, it is totally worth the lines and waiting. Maybe you wait for Cyber Monday (always an excellent option), I'm too impatient for this. This year, I am doing my Black Friday electronics shopping at RadioShack! Yes, RadioShack! I'm going to be honest, I wasn't too sure about holiday shopping at RadioShack, all I remembered from my previous shopping experiences was that all they had was electronic parts for computers and phones. Not anymore. RadioShack now carries all the newest cell phones, tablets, headphones, video games and even toys. Stop by and experience the new Radio Shack, the new one-stop electronics shopping store!


This year, RadioShack is taking a different approach to Black Friday. In addition to their Black Friday deals of up to 80% off starting online on Thanksgiving Day, RadioShack has a Name Your Price Deal on the hottest products around!


Through November 22nd, you were able to go online and vote for the discount you wanted on a list of products. This is what the leaderboard looked like on November 22nd!  I voted for 40% off a Nikon camera and 50% off the Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones. I am anxiously waiting for November 27th to come around so I can check back and see which deals received the most votes and try to be the first to grab a coupon code for one of the hot deals. 

RADIOSHACK stores open at 8am on November 29th for Black Friday. (Mall stores follow posted hours.)

Don't want to deal with the Black Friday craziness and shop from the comfort of your own home? That's OK!  RADIOSHACK Cyber Monday begins December 2nd at 12am!

Think I'm kidding about the amazing deals that will be available at RadioShack on Black Friday? Here's a quick preview of Black Friday deals:




See any goodies you'd like? Will you be shopping on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?






Friday, November 22, 2013

The Happy Fun Cool App!!

I love phone apps! I could spend all day couponing, playing games, updating social media, reading. So I was super excited when I found out about the new app by P.S. from Aeropostale: Happy Fun Cool!


Happy Fun Cool is an entertaining way to throw a dance party and then share with friends and family! All you do is take pics (friends, pets, even family) and then create your party!


                            

The app is free and downloadable on the iTunes App store, Google Play or the Amazon App store. You can also play online on Facebook athttp://apps.facebook.com/pshappyfuncool/. Check it out and have some fun!

App Store URLs
iTunes:

Google Play:

Amazon:

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Adeline & Edward: Be A Friend!

Disclosure: I am a Kite Readers Raise-A-Reader Ambassador and was provided this product for review. However, all opinions expressed are my own. 



I believe that one of the hardest things in a child's life is making friends. Not all children are the same. There are the confident, out going ones that will walk up to another child and immediately ask them to play. Boom, friends! Then there are those that are quiet and introverted who are too shy to go up and talk to other children. I have both of these types of children in my household and it is a constant struggle. There are constant pep talks and meltdowns. So, I was very excited when I was asked to review a book about friendship. I was excited to read it with them and see how they processed it.

Summary: Adeline is excited and nervous about meeting the new student in class, Edward. What will he be like? She discusses her feelings with her mom and her mom suggests taking Edward a welcome gift. She decides to take a him a new sharpened pencil so he can use in Math class. He loves the pencil and in return offers her a flower. They become friends and agree to "pass it on" to others in their class. The lesson is to pass on friendship to others.

This book is aimed at children ages 3-9 and comes in both English and Spanish. I believe this book is perfect for anyone trying to make friends, no matter your age. Be kind to others. Treat others as you would like to be treated. These were the lessons my children picked up from this story. Also, be the one to take the first step. Don't be shy, be confident!

Adeline and Edward: Be A Friend is available for all e-readers and tablets on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Adeline-Edward-Suzanne-Doherty-ebook/dp/B00FE5MIQK

To find out more about KiteReaders, click here.




Tuesday, November 19, 2013

DIY LEGO Party: Free Printables

As promised, I have rounded up all the printables and links I used for Adrian's LEGO party! If you are planning your own LEGO party, you're in luck since I've probably done most of the research for you.


You can start by checking out my Pinterest inspiration board here.

Banner:


I created this banner by printing out the letters on regular white copy paper using the LEGOTHICK font: http://www.urbanfonts.com/fonts/Legothick.htm and gluing to red card stock. 

For the photo props, I created these Lego heads, cut them out and attached a popsicle stick to the bottom:


Download here

I also made these super fun cupcake toppers:


Download here

For the centerpieces, I printed out Adrian's name using the Legothick font and glued to red card stock. I also created flags with fun Lego facts on them.


Download the Lego facts here. Each page has three different facts!

I DIY'd a LEGO block piñata and treat bags and will have those tutorials for you later on this week!

LINKS:

Also, since bloggers are so awesome providing inspiration, here's a roundup of links that I found useful:

-LEGO Birthday Party Printables Pack from Peonies & Poppyseeds:

-10 LEGO Party Ideas from the Frugal Wife & Mom:

-LEGO Games from the Pleasantest Thing:

-LEGO Party Downloads from Project: Mommie:

-A Modern LEGO Inspired Party on Hostess With The Mostess:

-The LEGO Birthday Party by Live Your Art:

Also, you can find lots of fun printables by character on the LEGO website: www.lego.com!




Linked up at:




Weekend Bloggy Reading

Monday, November 18, 2013

Adrian's LEGO Party!!

On November 9th, we celebrated Adrian's 7th birthday with a LEGO-themed party!



This was definitely a DIY party since the LEGO party themed supplies are minimal. I scoured Pinterest for weeks for inspiration. I learned to use Illustrator to make printables. JC and I DIY'd as much as we could and then attacked his LEGO supply for the rest.

I had reserved the pool area of our community but of course, it decided to rain all day. We had to move the party indoors. I do not have that much space in the house so JC had to move most of our downstairs furniture upstairs. We did the best we could with the space we had. I was super upset that the kids wouldn't be able to play outside (we had so many games planned) and all my pictures came out dark (terrible lighting inside). Adrian had a good time though with his school friends and cousins.


I purchased over-sized glasses at Target and then printed these photo props. The kids (and adults) loved them. Oh and yes, I make the kids dress according to theme.


These Lego head props were hilarious.  


Luckily, I had printed out minifigures for kids to color while we waited for others to arrive. Since we were stuck indoors, the kids gravitated toward this activity. Poor kids, I felt so bad for them, I didn't even have space to set up a proper table for them to color on. 


I hired this amazing balloon artist to come and create masterpieces for the kids. He was there for hours. He made 1-2 balloons for each child and then my sister and her friends decided that they each needed one. He showed up with these two Lego guys for Adrian.


Here is a more close-up shot of his cake. My co-worker's wife made it for him. She did such an amazing job!

I like to have centerpieces, even at a kids party but I had no idea what to do. JC to the rescue! He created these big Lego bricks out of acrylic and painted them in the basic party colors: yellow, red, blue and green. I then decorated each one with a picture of Adrian from when we went to Legoland, a Lego person cut out from yellow cardstock, these flags with Lego facts and his name in the Lego font. Cute, huh?


I found these humongous marshmallows at Wal-Mart. The kids freaked out when they saw them. I should have bought two packages because the kids devoured them! My original plan was to make them like this, but I ran out of time! 

I ordered these cupcakes from a local bakery that Adrian loves and just popped on these cupcake toppers I created. 


 I also popped some popcorn (I had rented a popcorn machine, but I had to cancel since we moved the party indoors and there wouldn't be space.) I found these treat cups in the Target Dollar Spot.



This "Pin the Shark in the Water" was the one Lego-themed item I was able to find at Party City. The kids had lots of fun playing this. 


All-in-all I wish I had done more. Made this look like the ones on Pinterest but I was so upset about the weather that my party mood went out the window early on. I really hope Adrian had a good time and enjoyed his party!

I am working on a post for all the DIY from this party. It will, hopefully, be up tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Friday, November 15, 2013

Our Favorite Christmas Books

One of our annual family traditions during the holiday season is to read Christmas books at bedtime. The kids love it and it gets them in the spirit of the season. We read classics like How The Grinch Stole Christmas to new releases like Sofia the First: Holiday in Enchancia. 


Below are the links to these books on Amazon: (these are not affiliate links). I have purchased some of these on Amazon, at Target or have received them as gifts!







Most of these are available as Hardcover/Paperback and on Kindle. 

Do you read Christmas books during the holiday season to your littles? If so, which ones are your favorite? We would love suggestions to new books to add to our collection!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Adrian is 7!

Hello! On Saturday, we had a Lego birthday party for Adrian. He is now seven years old! I hope he had a wonderful day and enjoyed his party!





Thursday, November 7, 2013

Happy Birthday Hector!

Today I want to wish my brother a very Happy Birthday! It's his big 3-0!


I love my brother! He drives me crazy but we understand each other like no one else does. He knows me. I know him. We've gone through our lives, side by side, supporting each other along the way. He is Adrian's #1 pal. I love him more than words can explain and I hope he has an amazing day!


Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Pee-Wee Basketball

Saturday was the last game of fall Pee-Wee basketball. The kids played their hearts out. They are definitely different kids than the ones that started back in September. They are confident in themselves. yes they are the youngest and the shortest team in the league, but that did not stop them on Saturday from making shots and stealing the ball. I am very proud of each and every one of them. 



 Team pic with their trophies!


Adrian and I are very grateful that JC coached them. He could be doing anything else with his Saturday mornings, but I know he enjoys it or he wouldn't sign up season after season.


There will be a break now until January when the winter season starts. Gotta come up with something for Adrian to do. He needs to burn all that excess energy somehow. 



Friday, November 1, 2013

$1000 Christmas Cash Giveaway!!!

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