Kid-Friendly Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo

Fettucine Alfredo, YUM!! What's not YUM is how many calories are in a plate of it. I don't like to serve my family super fattening dishes, we are going the healthier route around here! So, last night Adrian when asked me for "white pasta" aka fettuccine alfredo, I thought, perfect moment to try something new.

I knew there had to be a way to make this dish a little healthier. First, no cream or cream cheese or butter. Without those three ingredients, it just has to be healthier, right? Of course! Well, I put some pasta to boil and got started on my Alfredo sauce. It took about 20 minutes and 6 ingredients and I had a delicious creamy sauce. I tossed it with the pasta, let it cook another 5 minutes and served it to Adrian. What did he think? Well.....

Adrian loved it. He ate a full plate. I was super happy because this is now another recipe I can store away for a quick dinner!

Reconnect Over Coffee With The Best Coffee Maker #CoffeeJourneys

Disclosure: I am a member if the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias, Millstone® Coffee and Mr. Coffee®.

Have you ever felt disconnected from your partner? I was starting to feel this way in my relationship with JC. Even though we live together and work together, I felt like we were drifting apart. At work, we barely talk to each other because we are busy working and at home, there are kids to take care of and chores to be done. I started thinking back to the days when we first started dating and how we loved going on coffee dates. We would sit there for hours, talk and laugh, getting to know each other. It was wonderful. I thought "We need to bring back the coffee dates and maybe I can recreate this at home?" Sure I could! I did my research. I wanted to purchase the best coffee maker for us and I set out to gather everything I needed. I went to Walmart and purchased 2 bags of Millstone® coffee and 2 Mr. Coffee® 10-cup Optimal Brew™ Thermal Coffee Makers. Why 2 of each? Well, maybe there's a little surprise in store.

Some facts I learned about the Mr. Coffee® 10-cup Optimal Brew™ Thermal Coffee Maker:

• Brews 10 cups in less than 7 minutes to ensure thorough extraction and full bodied flavor, which is considered by coffee experts to be the optimal time for extraction.
• You can pour a cup of coffee while the coffeemaker is still brewing using the Pause N' Serve feature.
• Ensure your coffee is hot and fresh when you need with the Fresh Brew Timer.
• Coffee is kept hot with the vacuum-insulated stainless steel carafe.
• Reduces chlorine in water by up to 97% with the built-in water filtration.
• Fast and easy filling and cleaning with the side mounted removable filter basket.

I got home, unpacked my machine, ran the first water cycle (as recommended in the instructions), grabbed my coffee (100% Colombian coffee is our preferred type), two mugs and I was ready!

                       

 

Coffee is a big part of our culture. It's a daily tradition. I've learned that coffee has a way of bringing people together. I have my morning coffee every day. Then I will have coffee at work and when that coffee maker starts brewing, believe me, my co-workers stand up from their desks, gather around the machine and we start chatting. When guests come over the house, coffee is ready and waiting. It helps people connect so I figured this was the perfect way to reconnect with JC. With my new coffee maker and coffee, I was ready and in a few minutes, we were ready for our coffee date night at home! 

The Millstone® coffee was smooth and delicious. As you can tell, we like our coffee black. Millstone® is a super-premium coffee that honors quality product and delights coffee lovers through exceptional coffee experiences. Millstone stands for craftsmanship and globally sources 100% Arabica Beans.

A variety of Millstone roasts and flavors are sold at Walmart. Some of the most popular varieties are Hazelnut Cream, Hazelnut Cream Decaf and Kona Blend.

This date night was exactly what we needed. JC is a incredible man and our relationship is very important to me! I'm glad we can now sit at home in the evenings to talk about our day, what's going on with the family and reconnect. Since I am in such a lovey-dovey mood, I want to share my love for my awesome Mr. Coffee® 10-cup Optimal Brew™ Thermal Coffee Maker and delicious Millstone® coffee with you!

Entry-Form

You can enter once a day! Good luck!!

Apparoo App of The Week: Manilla

Hello and Happy Thursday! As you know, I have partnered up with Apparoo to bring you an App of the Week, that you can get at a reduced price or even free, every Thursday!

This Week's App:

MANILLA

Hey, whatever happened to this ‘paperless desk’ we were all supposed to have by now? The endless influx of bills can be overwhelming – and buried bills mean late fees (ahem). Manilla is a simple, secure and free way to de-clutter your desktop. It retrieves and organizes household bills, bank, credit card and healthcare accounts, travel rewards – even offline accounts like rent or babysitters. It reminds you when bills are due and files old statements so you don’t have to. So save a tree, reclaim your desk, and never pay a late fee again! 

 Download it here for free.

I desperately need to use this app and attempt to get organized!

Want to Drive Me Crazy? Do One Of These!! #30ThingsChallenge

Back today with #30ThingsChallenge (30 Things About Me That I Want My Kids To Know)! It's been a couple of days since I posted about the challenge, but I did start this challenge knowing it would take me all year!!

#6: Describe 10 pet peeves you have.

Pet Peeves. Everyone has at least one thing that someone else can do that will drive them absolutely insane! The actual definition (according to Wikipedia) is a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to themselves, to a greater degree than others may find it.

1.  SPITTING. This is by far the most disgusting thing someone can do in front of me. Ewww, I'm getting grossed out just thinking about it. I just do not understand the need to spit and especially out in public. YUCK!!

2. CHEWING WITH YOUR MOUTH OPEN. Is this really necessary? Were you not taught as a child that this is bad manners? Adrian will do this sometimes and I just have to shoot "the look" over at him and he knows. He is a child and can forget sometimes but I have seen adults do this and I have to walk away. I can't handle it.

3. DRIVERS WHO DON'T USE A TURN SIGNAL. I'm thinking they just don't know where it is in their cars. How can you not use a turn signal? Ugh, I have had to do so many "sudden brakes" to stop myself from getting into accidents because the driver in front of me never used their turn signals.

4.  WHEN THE KIDS ASK FOR SOMETHING WHEN THEY ARE GUESTS. Oh I will lose it on them. I do not like that and I warn them before we walk into a place, whether it's a class or someone's home. To me, they need to wait until they are asked if they would like something. Do not ask for or much less demand anything.

5. HAIR IN THE SINK. It drives me nuts when JC is finished shaving and I find hair in the sink. I just stare at it and wonder how many more times I will have to remind him to clean the sink.

6. WHEN A SONG PLAYS ON THREE OR FOUR RADIO STATIONS AT THE SAME TIME. This happens often and I don't understand. I have 12 stations programmed in the car. How is it possible that four stations decide to play the same song at the same time?

7. LEGGINGS AS PANTS. This is probably my biggest pet peeve of all. How hard is it to cover your ass? Leggings are to be worn under skirts or tunics or dresses or shorts, not alone as pants. This is a huge problem here in Miami where lots of women like to wear tight clothes and they believe that leggings should be worn alone, you know to show off their big butts. To me, it's just lazy and tacky.

8.  CAPTCHA ON COMMENTS. I really dislike this. If I am leaving a comment on your blog, I don't want to have to type in 400 numbers or letters that I can barely make out. Just moderate your comments and publish the ones you like. I don't understand the need for CAPTCHA on comments.

9. GROCERY STORE BAGGERS WHO DO A BAD JOB. I have dealt with so many broken bags (from overpacking) and run-away groceries that I prefer to bag the items myself.

10. NAIL BITING.  This is such a nasty habit. Hands touch everything and then you are going to put them in your mouth? EWW! All three kids are big nail biters and I am constantly yelling "Take your hands out of your mouth" or "Sit on your hands" because their hands are always in their mouths. I'm hoping it's a passing phase.

WOW! I did have 10 and I could think of a couple more. I think I might have to start meditating to relax my soul!

What are your pet peeves? Are you participating in the #30ThingsChallenge? If so, leave your blog link below so I can check it out!!

Hispanicize Recap Day 3 #Hispz14

Back with my last recap of Hispancize. Today is all about my Day 3!

First stop: Latina Mom Bloggers Hospitality Suite. The amazing ladies from Latina Mom Bloggers had this incredible suite on the 34th floor just for us. There was coffee, macaroons, chocolate covered strawberries, drinks, gift bags and great company. They also had a photographer taking our head shots, as a gift to us.

After the Hospitality Suite, we attended a couple of panels, started our walk through the exhibitor booths but then lunch was called. This day's lunch was to honor Maria Hinojosa, an award winning journalist, anchor and executive producer of Latino TV. She is an inspiration. She was being interviewed by Maria Elena Salinas, another amazing journalist. I believe my mom is her biggest fan, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a picture, you know, for my mom!!

Wednesday was my longest day at the conference. I arrived a little before 9am and there was just so much to do. Felicita and I attended more panels, then went booth by booth of the exhibitor section and met so many people. By the time happy hour started, I was exhausted. It didn't help that I was carrying 4 bags (I looked like a crazy bag lady, I'm sorry if you got whacked with one!). 

Around 6pm, it was time for the Target Summer Nights/City Lights Party where we were going to see all the new summer styles coming to Target in the next couple of weeks. I wanted everything I saw coming down that runway!!

Now it is super exciting to meet new people and connect, but there is always a warm feeling when you run into an old friend. That's exactly what happened at the Target party. The runway show was being hosted by Miami's own "Mr. Fashionista" Rodner Figueroa. I have known Rodner since I was in my twenties but haven't seen him in about ten years. I ran up to him and hugged him tight. He was happy to see me and I him! It had been too long!!!!

After, Target came the highlight of the conference, the McDonald's Yacht party! This party is by invitation-only and everyone wants to go! On the way to the buses taking us to the yacht, I ran into Staci from 7 on a Shoestring! She is one of my favorites and we have tweeted back and foth about meeting one day and BAM!!

Onto the yacht!! There was a red carpet and everything!!! If you know me well, you know that I get extremely sea-sick. Nothing helps so I was a nervous-wreck getting on this yacht, but I couldn't miss this party! My solution: dance the night away and don't look out at the water. It worked!

I had a wonderful time with my friends! After, we were bused to a local McDonalds (at around 1 am) and had all the chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers we could ever want!!! 

Last, but not least, a BIG HUGE thank-you to this man: Manny Ruiz! Manny is the founder and coordinator of Hispanicize. He is all over the conference, talking to everyone and making sure everything runs smoothly! I was constantly listening to everyone mention how he does not sleep, but man he does an amazing job with Hispanicize. It definitely would not be the success it is without him!

I only attended three days of the five day conference. I had to work and take care of my responsibilities with Adrian. I am already planning for next year though and have decided to stay at the hotel so I can have ten

times more fun!!! If you haven't attended a blog conference, I highly recommend you do. It is such an amazing experience!

Family Fun at Boomers Dania Beach

Disclosure: I was provided tickets to Boomers in exchange for this post. However, all opinions are 100% my own.

Mastering family fun for a family of five is usually a difficult feat. One person is definitely not going to like everything another does. I'm actually used to having one or two miserable and complaining people in the group at any given time.  I was excited when I received the opportunity to take the family to Boomers Dania Beach. We had always wanted to go to Boomers since we knew that it was a family entertainment center, we knew there would be something for everyone!!

Boomers Family Entertainment Centers have so much to do: miniature golf, amusement center, batting cages, laser tag, Go-Karts, bumper boats and a game room. We started with a game of miniature golf. We had never really played mini-golf together so this was a family first. We did pretty well and played for about an hour. They have kid sized clubs and everyone gets to choose their own ball!

After mini-golf, we went straight tot he Family Ride center. They had various rides, thankfully, the kids were tall enough to ride most of them.  

The favorite was the bumper boats. They really took out any frustration or pent-up anger on JC. They soaked him!!!

Than it was on to the gaming room! The kids spent a good amount of time here. They love their video games.  We even found 4 player Pac-Man!!!

We really did have  wonderful time and a great day doing things together as a family. I don't even remember them fighting or arguing!!! Always a plus!! We will definitely be back to Boomers Dania Beach!

Q & A With Tamara #AskAwayFriday

Happy Friday!! I've had a rough week mentally and am ready for the weekend! We are planning a big Easter brunch for Sunday so I'm not sure exactly how much rest I will get but I will try!  Anyway this week I am participating in Ask Away Friday!

Today, I am honored to have partnered up with my bloggy buddy, Tamara from Tamara Camera, for the revamped Ask Away Friday!

Tamara and I "met" last year through visiting each other's blogs and have quickly become super bloggy friends! Tamara is truly amazing: amazing mother, amazing photographer, amazing storyteller and amazing person. She is so open and honest and kind and I really am honored to know her! 

To see Tamara's answers to my questions, click here!  She has sent me some incredible questions so let's get started:

1. I am in awe of people who live somewhere nice year-round! Have you ever experienced snow and cold? Where is the farthest you've traveled from home? 

I do love living in Miami. I love the sunshine, the beaches, the clear skies and the warm weather. It is pretty amazing. I have traveled to parts of the US with cold weather (NYC, DC, Colorado) and I really don't know how you guys do it. When Adrian was about 2 we went on a big family ski trip to Breckenridge for a week. We rented a beautiful house, played in the snow and skied. It was super fun for about a day. When we had to walk into town, in the snow, I quickly got over it. Snow and cold is definitely not my thing!

2. I grew up in a blended family, like the one you are raising. What is the most complicated part to you of being in a blended family?

I think the most complicated thing about raising a blended family is making everyone feel comfortable. Jealousy and selfishness are horrible creepers. They pop up out of nowhere! JC, Adrian and I are together all the time so when Amberly and Gian come by (every other weekend) it immediately becomes a difficult situation. He is used to all the attention and then he has to share JC with two more kids. His kids want their dad and want his attention and affection. At this point, I am around to make sure everyone is fed and wearing clean clothes. 

3. If you lived that dream of a farm on a beach, tell me more? Would it be in Florida or somewhere else? What are three aspects of the farm that you see in your wildest dreams?

It is a pretty out-there dream right? I've never known of anyone who lives on a farm by the beach. In my dreams, I would have this beautiful 2 story white farmhouse, with black shutters on the windows and an orange door. There would be acres of land in the back with cows, sheep, pigs, horses, chickens, goats, and dogs, lots of dogs! I can picture myself feeding the animals and tending to a garden. Oh and then the beach can be seen from the front porch of the house. It's just a short walk away!  I could probably have this beach farm somewhere on the west coast of Florida. I might have to start looking into this!!

4. Which is your favorite social media platform and why?

Instagram!!!! I love Instagram (@scggirl). I feel like it is the most personal platform. On Instagram, you get to see people's daily lives, not the uber-edited pics for their blogs! I share the most on weekends and the least on holidays since that's family time! I also feel like there is more interaction and I don't get those annoying notifications like the ones from FB. 

5. I know you said you don't really like sweets, except dark chocolate. What would be your perfect "dessert" on a special occasion? (and believe me, buttered popcorn is one of mine so it doesn't have to be sweet)

This bad boy right here is pure perfection in my eyes! My mouth is watering as I type this. I eat this special treat about twice a year and each time it really is heaven!! It's creamy and chocolatey and yum, when you bite into the brownie pieces!!!! Other than this, I will take a bite out of a dark chocolate bar a couple times a year and that's it for sweets.

6. Tell me about your favorite sports teams!

Miami Dolphins

Miami Marlins

Univ of Miami Hurricanes

When it comes to sports, I am a hometown fan, through and through. All my love goes to Miami teams. I have watched all these teams play since I was a child. My love of sports started as a way of spending more time with my dad. He would watch all these teams play on TV and I would sit next to him and just listen. He loves baseball so baseball was my first love. Then came football!! My brother could pretty much be a commentator for the NFL. He knows facts and tidbits about every player, every coach and every team. I have learned so much from him and now I can hold my own in any football-related argument. I went to the University of Miami for college and Hurricane football becomes your life!! When I met JC, he loves basketball so we watch lots of games together and cheer on the same team, the Miami Heat!!! I have instilled this love of sports to my son and now he is a BIG Heat fan!

7. What is a book that has changed your life, or perspective?

I honestly can't remember how many times I have read this book. I read it when I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I'm bored and when I just need something to read. It is a story that shows that love prevails. I don't want to give out any details, in case you haven't read it. I first read this novel after I broke up with my first real boyfriend (4 1/2 years together) and my parents were getting divorced. I was so hurt and angry and thought that love wasn't real. After reading this novel and then re-reading it, I realized that sometimes relationships don't work but love is real. Love is amazing and beautiful. This novel also reminds me that "if it's meant to be, it's meant to be!" 

8. Say you got a $1,000 gift card to Target. What's the FIRST aisle/section you run towards?

Oh Target, how I love thee!! I love going to a store and getting everything I need in one trip! If I received a $1,000 gift card to Target, my first stop would be bedding. I would buy myself a fabulous Nate Berkus bedding set and new pillows. Then, since I'm a mom, is the toys section. I would grab two or three toys for each child and then go straight to the kitchen section. I would get a new mixer and a juicer. Oh boy, I think I might need more money on my gift card!!!

9. How did you meet JC?

JC and I met at work. Yup, steamy hot office love affair!! It was 2011 and I was slowly crawling out of the hole I had dug for myself. I needed a job but was unable to find work anywhere. My sister's friends' husband owned an engineering firm and they were looking for an office manager. I jumped at the chance. It was within walking distance of my house and Adrian's school so it really was perfect.  I went to my interview and was hired on the spot. My new boss then proceeded to give me a tour of the office. I remember walking into one of the offices,looking over and seeing the most handsome man I had ever seen. I'm sure my cheeks turned bright red! I said Hello, was introduced to everyone and came back the following Monday for my first day at my new job. Lucky for me, JC was the person assigned to getting me hooked up with email and Skype and passwords so we spent much of that first day side by side. He was so smart and soft-spoken and kind. I was smitten! A few weeks later, I realized that he liked me too. We took it slow and really got to get to know each other, we talked about the kids alot. We started dating within like 3 months of meeting and then we told our boss. He was and continues to be extremely open and supportive about our relationship. We did move fast after that, moving in together and spending all our time together, but it just felt right. It has been almost three years that we are together and I am so blessed to have found such an incredible person. He is my second chance at love. He has provided me my second chance at a family. I truly love him!!

10. Do you have any plans to travel this spring or summer? And have you ever been to a blog conference?

Yes, we plan one trip every year in the summer, usually after 4th of July. This year we are taking the kids to Busch Gardens and then doing a water park tour. It is H-O-T in Florida in the summer so water parks are always a hit with the kids.

I did attend my first blog conference this year, Hispanicize, which was here in Miami in April. It was unbelievable. I had an incredible time and have been recapping it on the blog. Here's Day 1 and Day 2. Day 3 recap will be up next week!

Thank you Tamara for the questions. Ask Away Friday is graciously hosted by Tamara from Tamara Camera, Tiffany from MrsTee LoveLifeLaughter, Christy from Uplifting Families, Stacey from This Momma's Ramblings and Amber from Bold Fit Mom.

Remember, go check out the questions I asked Tamara here! While you are there, make sure to look around and check out her stunning photos!!

Apparoo App of The Week: Tic Toc Time

Trying to find great apps for moms or kids can be hard with so many available. That's why I've partnered with Apparoo™ - the app discovery service for busy moms. Each week I'll be sharing the 'Apparoo™ App of the Week' with you. Very often they've negotiated to bring you great paid apps at heavily discounted rates and sometimes even free. I'm very excited about this and welcome your feedback on the apps you decide to install.

TIC TOC TIME

From a kid’s perspective, time is a bizarre concept: there are 60 seconds and 60 minutes, but 12 hours... unless there are 24! And phrases like ‘a quarter til’ and ‘half past’ that we take for granted just seem to make their brains melt. Tic Toc Time takes a holistic approach to teaching time; a family of beavers leads a progression of fun games that first explain using a compass and the movement of the sun and shadows before logically arriving at both digital and analog time-telling. A good time is guaranteed for all! Download it here now.

Tic Toc Time, an award winning app that teaches kids to tell time, is normally $3.99.

 Download it here now for just $.99!

Hispanicize Recap Day 2 #Hispz14

Back today to recap Day 2 at Hispanicize. It was Day 2 for me, but it was the official Day 1 of the conference (4/1/14-4/4/14). I was up bright and early (6 am) at the train station to make it downtown for a 7:30 am breakfast!

I quickly learned that these are definitely conference essentials! I must have had about 3 Starbucks each day!!! My HP Chromebook was amazing. It was light and worked perfectly no matter where I was in the hotel! 

First stop: Home Depot's breakfast. I was so excited for this breakfast because it was the first time I met my bloggy buddy, Felicita from Casa Moncada, in person!! She rocks! She was so kind and it was like we had been friends for years!

Next stop: Getting our badges!!! This was so exciting. First conference, first badge! We also got epic swag bags!!

Cine Sony Television had a booth set up where you would post this picture for a chance to win a tablet! I didn't win :(

I needed this red carpet pic since it had all the big sponsors on it. Thank you to P & G, 3M, McDonald's, Toyota and Target for an amazing conference!

I attended a fantastic panel "Mama Knows Best: Top Latina Mom Bloggers Share Their Success Stories and Best Practices" with Silvia from Mama Latina Tips, Kristina from Hott Mama In The City and Ruby from Growing up Blackxican. This was a super informative panel and the one main idea I took away was that readers want organic content so balance your sponsored posts to your organic posts. A good balance is 3 to 3. This has really helped me in the past two weeks and I am editing my calendar to incorporate this. 

I was only at the conference half-day on Tuesday. I really wish I would have stayed the whole day, but I had to get back to work. Stay tuned for my recap of Day 3!

Previous Post:

Hispanicize Recap Day 1

Healthy Essentials Has You Covered For Earth Day! Coupons & A Twitter Party!! #Moms4JNJConsumer

This post is part of the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® 2014 program by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions and experiences shared here are all my own, and I hope you enjoy them.

Do you recycle? Do you teach your kids to recycle? Are you like me and drive your family members insane reminding them to recycle? Helping care for the environment is a huge deal to me. I want my children and grand-children and great-grandchildren to be able to enjoy this beautiful planet. Teaching my kids to reuse and recycle is very important to me. We have a huge recycling bin outside, that gets picked up bi-weekly in our city, that is constantly full. We reuse items as much as possible. As much as I try to remind everyone to recycle, some items do get left behind, especially in the bathrooms. It's easier to throw stuff in the trash then walk up and down the stairs. Well, that stops today!

Did you know this? I didn't! You bet I will no longer throw out bottles. They will be recycled. What other bathroom items can be recycled? Well, here's a little cheat sheet for you!

HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® Products have you covered for Earth Day! Remember to Recycle Packaging in the Bathroom!!

HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® is offereing amazing printable coupons, tips & tools and so much more for all the products you and your family love! You can save over $55 by visiting www.healthyessentials.com in April and signing up for HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® program coupons and offers.

In addition to the great savings, you can be more active in your community by supporting Earth Day and the wonderful initiatives sponsored by Donate A Photo:

We donated our photo for water.org

The free Donate A Photo (DAP) app allows consumers to make a difference by raising money and awareness for causes that they care about through one simple act-taking a photo. For every photo shared through Donate A Photo, Johnson & Johnson will donate one dollar to one of its non-profit partners, which each consumer can choose from a rotating list.

Twitter Party

On 04/17/2014 join me for a HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® Twitter party all about shareable moments with friends and family-anywhere from online to in store to your own medicine cabinet. You can use the #Moms4JNJConsumer hashtag to follow along and see more details!

RSVP at the Twtvite: http://twtvite.com/jnjearthday