Beat The Afternoon Slump with SNICKERS® and Dr Pepper! #Refuel2Go #CollectiveBias

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser.

The dreaded afternoon slump. For those of us that work in an office from 9am to 5pm, the afternoon slump is the time period between 3 and 3:30pm when all you want to do is nap! If we were cars, this time period would be the one where our tanks are running on empty and we pull into a station to refuel. Usually, I will start a pot of coffee, but the guys in my office are getting bored of coffee. I knew they needed something fun and new to beat the afternoon slump!

See those bored and sleepy faces? I see this everyday! Something had to be done!

On the way home from work the other day, I started thinking about what I could give these guys to beat the slump. They are big candy fans so immediately I thought SNICKERS®. I stopped at Walmart and only had to get as far as the checkout lanes before I spotted the new SNICKERS® Peanut Butter 2-to-go bars. I grabbed a couple of these, along with a couple bottles of Dr Pepper (what guy doesn't love Dr Pepper) and knew that I had picked the perfect combination of snacks to refuel my co-workers!

The next day, around 3pm, instead of putting on the usual pot of coffee, I busted out my new snack combo. They were so excited! Here's JC ripping open his pack of SNICKERS® Peanut Butter 2-to-go. He loves peanut butter so I knew this was a good choice. 

Even Sergio, who I hadn't ever seen eat candy, joined in the fun! They loved their new snack combo and I've already had to go to Walmart twice to stock up!

Their favorite part about the new SNICKERS® 2-to-go is the convenient packaging. They don't have to scarf down all 4 pieces at a time. They can have two, twist the wrapper closed and then have the other two pieces the next day! 

Interested in getting this new snack combo for your co-workers? Wonderful! Here's a coupon for you to save $1.00 off a purchase of (2) SNICKERS® 2-to-go bars and (2) 20 oz Dr Pepper bottles!

WAIT! There's more! 

There's a SWEEPSTAKES! Purchase (2) SNICKERS® 2-to-go and (2) 20 oz Dr Pepper bottles, then text or email your receipt to refuel@drvusa.com and be entered for a chance to win 1 of 250 available Walmart gas/gift cards! You can find full instructions here: http://drvusa.com/refuel/

How do you beat the dreaded afternoon slump? 

Blended Families 101

We've been a blended family now for almost three years. While I am by no-means an expert, I think we've figured out a way to make our family work. It's not easy, there are many frustrations and tears but there are also lots of smiles and laughter, hugs and kisses and love, lots and lots of love! It's a constant adjustment. It's not easy blending five personalities but I think that goes for any family unit.

Read more about us here.

JEALOUSY

The big issue with blended families is jealousy.   Every child wants their parents' attention all the time, especially the children that aren't around as often. JC tries his best to focus his attention on Amberly and Gian when they are around, as do I. Of course, since Adrian is used to having our attention all the time, he gets jealous. With jealousy comes crying, hurt feelings, anger and selfishness. The hardest day is every other Friday afternoon when we pick up Amberly and Gian. JC and I already know that Adrian is going to be a brat and test our patience. Saturday morning is a completely different story. Everyone has had a few hours (and some rest) to adjust to having everyone else around. Sundays are good too. It's just the Friday afternoon that makes you want to run away, far, far away!

Another jealousy issue comes between a child and a step-parent. Adrian and JC constantly have an underlying jealousy of each other over me. It's normal and I don't pay much attention to it. I try to give each one individual time, but let's face it, getting adult time isn't easy. I think this is where working together is a plus. We get that much-needed together time during work so when we get home, it is all about the kids.

"I Don't Like You!"

Just like any family, there are always people who get along better with some family members than with others. There is always that one person in your family that bugs you. I am that person to Gian. Everything I do or say gets an eye-roll. It all bothers him. I've tried to reason with him and understand him but it doesn't work. He just doesn't like me much, he deals with me because he has to, but if it were his choice, his mom would be in the picture, not me. He constantly asks his dad "Why did you and my mom break up?" JC always tells him the same answer but he doesn't care.  This is understandable since it is his mother, but I'm not going to lie, it hurts sometimes. That's the thing: kids will do and say things to hurt your feelings. They want to make you feel what they feel. He does not understand why his parents split when he was a baby. He thinks I am in the way. Funny thing though, he doesn't treat his step-dad this way. Just me!

SUPPORT

I have come to the conclusion, that as a step-parent, my role is to support. I am an extra support system for Amberly and Gian as JC is a support system for Adrian. If there is a graduation, school function, art show, recital, birthday party, whatever, we are ALL there. We are a family, we might not all be related by blood, but we are still family. We protect, love and support all three kids. It's not "my kid" and "your kids", it's "our kids."  This is so important because it solidifies family to everyone involved. No one is different from anybody else.

PATIENCE

"Patience is a virtue." Whoever said that understood blended families. This should be our motto!!! Have patience, TONS of it. Oh and a drink or two won't hurt!!

Pay With Your Phone With ISIS Wallet! #PaySmarter #MC

Disclosure: I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for ISIS wallet. I received a promotional item to facilitate my review. 

Calling all moms! Please tell me that you are as exhausted as I am from carrying 40 million things in your bag/purse. Every time I get to a checkout line, I have to rummage through my bag to try to find money or my debit card to be able to pay for my purchases. It is super frustrating. Just look at a random pic of the contents of my purse, by the way, this is on a good day:

Now that I've shared my super embarrassing purse shot, seriously why in the world do I have a plastic bag in there?, I'm going to share with you an app that has made paying for purchases so much easier: ISIS Wallet. 

ISIS Wallet is a mobile app designed to let you pay with your phone. All you do is tap your phone at any payment terminal that accepts contactless payments, such as Jamba Juice, McDonald's, Toys R' Us, and walk out with your purchase. Simple as that! I'm not kidding. The other day, I was at the McDonald's drive-thru with Adrian, ordered our food, pulled up to the first window, opened the app, entered my pin, tapped my phone to the terminal and moved on to window #2 to pick up my order. No need to make the poor cashier wait for me to find my debit card in my purse, just tap and go!

To use the ISIS Wallet App you need two things: A smartphone with NFC (Near-Field Communication) technology and an enhanced SIM card designed to store and protect your information. Honestly, I had no idea what this meant so I went to my T-Mobile store and asked about ISIS wallet and the representative told me that since I have a Samsung Galaxy S5, I already had everything I needed to use ISIS Wallet, all I had to do was download the app! 

Downloading the app was easy as pie! I went to the Google Play Store, looked for the app and hit Install. After it installed on my phone, I setup my pin, linked my card and I was ready to go!!

The ISIS Wallet app supports American Express, Chase and Wells Fargo cards OR you can sign up for an American Express Serve prepaid card right through the app that you can fund through any bank account. By signing up for the American Express Serve prepaid card you will receive an initial $25 balance to put towards your purchases. A free app and $25 to get you started? Already a win in my book!! #PaySmarter

SAVE WITH ISIS WALLET!

You can save at thousands of retailers by using the ISIS Wallet. For example: you can get FREE smoothies from Jamba Juice, 50% back on NYC Taxi rides when you pay with American Express and a $1 back every time you tap to pay with your American Express Serve card! 

We already use our phones for everything else, why not for paying? Interested? Learn more at http:/www.paywithisis.com

Stay connected with ISIS Wallet on Facebook for new features and deals!

Delicious Iced Coffee At Home With Seattle's Best Coffee #GreatTaste

It's summer, it's Miami and it's hot, like 90 degree hot. I want coffee but super hot coffee is just not an option. The answer? Iced coffee!! Now, I'm a recent iced coffee convert. I realized as much as I love black coffee, I cannot have dark iced coffee. It's too bitter. I need creamy, delicious iced coffee. We are on a budget since we are saving to purchase a home so going to a coffee shop for iced coffee is out of the question. So what do I do? I  make yummy iced coffee, just the way I like it, at home.

Having coffee, at least for me, is an experience. It's not grab the coffee, a cup and pour. NOPE! It all starts with the grocery shopping. When I want a serene, calming shopping experience, I head to Publix. I go alone. It's my time.

I stroll the aisles, look at the merchandise and selectively choose what I want to purchase. Well, I was super happy when I cruised the coffee aisle because my choice of coffee, for iced coffee, was on sale: $4.99!!!! I may or may not have bought 4 packages! Just in case you were wondering, it's on sale at Publix through 7/4/14. If you are a K-cup lover, this yummy blend also comes in K-cups and those are on sale for $5.99!! 

An hour or two later, I got home, unloaded my packages and started to make my iced coffee. This recipe is delicious, but there is a resting period so it's best to make the day before and you will have enough coffee concentrate for about a week!! 

Supplies: bowl, wooden spoon, cheesecloth, strainer and a carafe (or bowl with lid)

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cups cold water 

1 1/2 cups ground Seattle's Best Coffee® House Blend

Directions:
Pour grounds into a bowl. Add 1 cup cold water and stir gently. Slowly add remaining 1 1/2 cups cold water, agitating the grounds as little as possible.

Cover, steep at room temperature for 12 hours.

Strain the coffee grounds through a filter. Store concentrate in refrigerator up to 5 days.

To serve, add 1 part coffee concentrate to 3 parts water over ice. Enjoy your smooth-tasting iced coffee with your favorite mix-ins or toppings

Yields 1 cup / 300m

Find this and more recipes here: http://www.seattlesbest.com/Publix

I used this recipe and added a little milk and chocolate syrup. Hey, iced coffee is my afternoon treat!! How do you like your iced coffee?

I’m participating in a Seattle’s Best Coffee® blogger campaign and received compensation as part of the program. However, all opinions are 100% my own. 

5 on Friday

Hello and Happy Friday! Back with another 5 on Friday! This week is just total randomness, this is how my mind works 364 out of the 365 days of the year!

ONE

I have been sick, like I thought I would have to be hospitalized type of sick. I have no idea what hit me. I was fine Friday afternoon and then started running a fever Friday night all the way to Monday morning. The whole weekend! I felt like I had been run over by a truck the way my body ached. Thankfully, I feel much better but man, it was a pretty terrible weekend.

TWO

 I watched my first professional soccer game this week: USA vs Ghana. Just in case you don't know, USA won 2-1 so YAY!!! I watched the game with my brother (Mr. Sports Analyst) and he carefully explained the play and the rules. Very different from Adrian's soccer experience, let me tell ya! The game play itself was not very interesting to me, lots of back-and-forth with not much scoring, but I patiently watched the whole game and will continue to support Team USA in the World Cup!!!

P.S. USA plays again on Sunday against Portugal just in case you want to tune in and support Team USA!!

THREE

I am in the process of booking our first Disney Cruise as our 2015 family vacation for May of next year. I know you're thinking  "But, Ida, you guys live in Miami, don't you go on cruises all the time?" NO!! I do not like going on cruises because I get extremely sea-sick. I am doing this for the kids who have been driving me insane to go on a Disney Cruise. I figure they are the right ages, (8,7,6) and if we don't do it now, the window of opportunity will close. Pretty soon, they won't want character experiences. They will want adventure-type cruises and vacations so we are biting the bullet and going on a Disney Cruise!! Bring on the Dramamine!

FOUR

Since I was sick last weekend and early this week, my family life and blog have suffered! So, this weekend will consist of cleaning/disinfecting my house, laundry and blogging. Be ready dear friends, I have lots of super fun posts coming up!! Oh wait, I also have a dinner party and friends birthday party to attend, so it might be a try-to-catch-up-on-everything weekend after all!! I might not even get much done. Let's see. 

FIVE

Adrian is having an amazing time at summer camp. He attends a day camp from Mon-Fri at his karate school. He loves it. Even though its been rainy and yucky outside, they have had chances to get out to the park and pool. They watch movies and do karate drills and all sorts of fun boy stuff! (That's what he tells me!)

What are you up to this weekend? 

Protect The Whole Family This Summer With Banana Boat! #BBBestSummer

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias® and its advertiser. 

Sunny days, swimsuits, flip-flops and cool refreshing water! That's what summer means to our family. We are very lucky to have a pool that we can jump into whenever we want. Now, those sunny, cloudless days will lead to serious sunburns if we are not protected. The BIG rule in our house: you cannot go outside without sunscreen! The kids know that before they put on their swimsuits, sunscreen needs to be applied. This way, I know they have a base of protection before they jump into the water. We run of out sunscreen quickly and since I knew the kids would be spending the weekend swimming, I stopped by Walmart to stock up on our favorite, Banana Boat. #BBBestSummer #CollectiveBias

During the spring and summer months, Walmart has sunscreen displays all over the store. It's easy to pick and choose which ones your family needs. Every family member requires different sun protection. Our family uses the following:

KIDS

For the kids, I chose Banana Boat Kids Free SPF50 Clear Spray. I love spray sunscreen for kids, it makes applying and re-applying so easy. No need to sit kids down for half an hour while I attempt to apply "yucky white lotion" (their exact words) that they despise. This sunscreen is tear-free, sting-free continuous lotion spray sunscreen that rocks!!

MY MAN

Banana Boat has a new men's line of sunscreen and I made sure to choose the Men's Triple Defense SPF 30 for JC. This sunscreen with ActiveProtect technology provides heavy-duty UVA/UVB protection, combats odor while sweating and contains Aloe and Vitamin E. JC is fair-skinned and always wears sunscreens, no burning for him! 

ME

For me, I love the Protect & Hydrate 50. It's a 2-n-1 sunscreen and moisturizer. Let's face it, I'm not getting any younger and I'll take all the moisturizer I can get. Protect & Hydrate 50 comes in lotion and spray. It doesn't feel greasy and dries quickly. 

IMPORTANT TIP: Re-apply sunscreen often! Once you are able to corral your children, spray them with sunscreen, you are able to let them go. Kids Free SPF 50 is water-resistant so they can go right back to this:

and this:

Keeping my family's skin protected from the sun is a top priority. We are too busy swimming and practicing our cannonballs to be worried about sunburns!

Banana Boat Wheel of Fun Contest

Want to win a trip to Sea World, Disney World, Disney Land or Six Flags amusement park? All you have to do is LIKE Banana Boat's Facebook page to enter the contest! 

Ask Away Friday with Shelly from DIY Mama Blog #AskAwayFriday

IT'S FRIDAY!!!! The sun is shining (after raining for two weeks straight), it's hot and it's the weekend!! We will be celebrating all the dads in our lives all weekend. I'm super excited for this weekend.I'm also super excited to be participating in #AskAwayFriday with Shelly from DIY Mama Blog!

Shelly rocks! She is a total sweetheart, mama of the cutest baby girl and has one of the most beautiful blogs ever (I'm in love with her blog, I even asked her about it here). She is so organized and consistent. She is also an amazing DIY'er and I just can't get enough of her ideas. 

www.diymamablog.com

I'm thrilled to be participating in #AskAwayFriday with Shelly and she has some amazing questions for me. To check out her answers to my questions, click here. To see all this week's participants, click below!

On to my answers:

1. I LOVE fairs and haven't been to one in a couple of years. What is your favorite food and attraction at fairs?

We have one big fair that comes to Miami, every year during spring break and it's called the Dade County Youth fair. I have been going since I was a kid. My favorite food are the funnel cakes, seriously, they are heaven. Oh and I also need to have cotton candy, pizza, doughnuts and ice cream. I'm not big on rides so I just do the Ferris wheel but the kids loved the swings!

2.  I LOVED the InstaParty theme you threw for Ivanna! What are some of your other favorite themed parties that you've thrown for kids?

I'm big on themed parties. I always let the kids choose the theme. My favorite has been Adrian's Avengers themed party for his 6th birthday. I made superhero masks for the kids to wear. We also DIY the piñata and all the cupcake toppers and signs. It was alot of work but worth every minute of it. I love superheroes as much as he does, so this really has been my favorite (so far!).

3.  I lived in Orlando Jan-May and it was soooo sticky and hot for me (being from the midwest.) Since you've always known Miami heat, do you feel super cold when you visit the rest of the country? 

I FREEZE when I go anywhere else. It could be 70 degrees and I am in full winter attire. I am a typical Floridian!

4.  What musician do you love that you think you could totally hang out with and get along with after their concert?

I'm a big fan of alot of musicians so this is super hard to answer. I would have to say Madonna. Madonna is a favorite since childhood. I remember being 6 and holding up my brush as a microphone and singing along to "Get Into The Groove". I have been to couple concerts and just love her. Maybe we could do yoga together!! I need her arms!

5.  Are you a dare devil or do you like to keep your feet on the ground? What's the bravest thing you've ever done?

I'm a total chicken. I wish I could skydive or even zip-line but I am terrified. Like I mentioned in #1, I don't even ride the rides at fairs! The bravest thing I have ever done was jump off a pier here in South Beach when I was in high school. It was full of rocks at the bottom and I could have gotten hurt but I said I was going to do it and I did. NEVER AGAIN!

6.  Finish this sentence: 'Sometimes, when no one's watching, I ___________.'

SING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS. I am a terrible singer, like it's painful. So when no one is around, I don't want to bust eardrums, I sing!! .

7.  I just went to a 'Few of my Favorite Things' themed party where we brought 3 of our favorite thing that cost $5-$10. What would you have brought to the party?

Oh this is hard. I would bring Jenga, a bottle of wine and cookies. 

8.  Your blog is so informational and extensive! What are a few managing tips you can share?

I wish I were super organized and had all this advice but I really just fly by the seat of my pants. I write exactly as I speak and rarely edit. I do put due dates in my phone calendar but that is it on organization. Sorry!

9.  Are you reading/listening to any books right now? If not, what's the last movie you saw that you really enjoyed?

Actually, I went to Barnes & Noble the other day, spent a fortune on books and am currently reading Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks and First by Rich Froning. I needed a sappy love story so you can always count on Nicolas Sparks for that. I'm reading First because JC is into Crossfit and competing and Rich Froning is known as the "Fittest Man on Earth" after winning 3 back to back Crossfit games. I want to now how he did it and want to pick up some tips for JC.

JC is the one in orange climbing the rope!

10.  What is one scent that always brings back tons of memories for you?

Gardenias. They remind me of my grandmother. She always loved gardenias and had a gardenia bush right by her front door!


These were fantastic questions Shelly! I wish I had more pictures. This was super fun and thanks for making me think!!

Our Summer Goals & FREE Printable

School's out and even though the summer season doesn't technically start for a couple more weeks, here in Miami, we have deemed it Summer! The kids started summer camps this week and are loving life. I even get to sleep in for an extra half-an-hour every morning! Woo hoo!!! This year, I am trying something new with the kids, Summer Goals. I want them to work towards something and learn this summer. I sat them down the other day, with paper and markers, and asked them to write a list of all the things that wanted to work towards this summer, a Summer goals list that I would put up on the fridge and they would follow.

At first, it was hard for them to figure out what goals they wanted. I started them off with an exercise goal. No sitting around all summer! From there, we moved onto a reading goal, then a chore and then a place they would like to visit. Goals are good. Achieving a goal teaches children perseverance and that hard work pays off! They could write down as many as they wanted, but at least four. 

Let's start with Gian, only because he finished his list first and he wrote it in crayon (super adorable!):

 

His list reads: swim faster, jump rope, read 4 books, learn to make my bed. He left the table before we discussed a final prize for completing goals so his list doesn't include his reward. 

Now Adrian:

Adrian dreams of one day becoming Lebron James so his summer goals are focused on exercise. His list reads: squat 10x times a day, push-ups 10x a day, 100 jump-ropes, cleaning my bedroom, 100 books every day (in other words, read 1 book a day), go to a waterpark.  He left the table quickly also, so no reward here either. It's hard to get these kids to sit for more than 15 minutes. I have no idea how teachers are able to do it!

Amberly took the longest writing out her list, in fact, she did it twice since she realized that the colors she chose for her first list didn't match! #artistproblems

                           

Her list reads: read 3 books a month, help with laundry, jump rope 10x a day, go to a waterpark, learn to sculpt, do flips in the pool, go to Legoland, go to an art museum. Her reward is a My Little Pony Equestria Girls Apple Jack doll (most complicated toy name ever!)

JC and I are working with them to achieve all these goals. A biggie on all three lists is jump roping, they are obsessed with learning how to jump rope. First, we got Adrian a rope since he watched a video that shows basketball players warming up by jump roping and he decided that he needed to do that too. Then, Amberly and Gian saw him using it and wanted to learn also. So we took a whole afternoon and worked on that (quite a feat!). We are going this weekend to the library to check out some books so they can get on the reading goals. Little by little, they have about 70 days of break, I know they will be achieving all their goals. 

Want to try something like this with your kids? I created a fun printable that you can use to help your kids create their summer goal list!

Download here

Have you talked to your kids about summer goals? It's never too early to start!

Super Saturday

Super Saturday is the perfect way to describe this past Saturday. It was the type of day that any parent with kids dreads, the "everyone has an event I need to be at" type of day! Thankfully, all the events were at different times throughout the day. Adrian had basketball playoffs in the morning, Gian had his Kindergarten graduation in the afternoon and Amberly was exhibiting an art piece in a gallery in the evening. In between all this, there was outfit changes and JC had to work. Oh, the joys of family!

Let's start with Adrian. Saturday morning were his basketball playoffs. His team "the Dragons" were in second place coming into the playoffs and unfortunately, they lost the championship game. The Dragons remained in second place closing out the season. Rank doesn't really matter in his league anyway, so after the game, it was trophy time!!

Of course, Adrian is the clown on the team.

After basketball, quick showers and outfit changes and off to Gian's graduation. The ceremony was held at his school. About 16 students were graduating. He attends a small private school. He behaved amazing and we were so proud to find out that he made Principal Honor Roll meaning he was on honor roll all 4 grading periods. He is such a smart boy!

I got a real genuine smile out of him (rarely happens!)

In the evening, we went out to support Amberly artistic talents. Man, this girl is amazing!! I wish I had a quarter of her talent. I don't know of many 8-year olds that are able to display their art in a gallery in Wynwood. We arrived before she did, her mom was bringing her to the gallery. JC was a nervous wreck scanning all the walls looking for her piece. I spotted it and he quickly relaxed. I think he thought they had forgotten her piece back at the studio. There was a band playing, local kids/teens playing awesome music. Amberly arrived a little after us and I will never forget her reaction at walking into a gallery full of people with a band playing. Pure joy! She was in her zone. 

This was the student wall. 

Amberly's piece was created in chalk pastel. I told you she was talented!! Hers was the only chalk pastel in the whole gallery, everyone else had painting or drawings in pencil. 

Ana, the director of the gallery and the Art Atelier, the studio where Amberly takes her art lessons. We are so grateful for Ana inviting Amberly to display a piece at the gallery!

All in all, it was a crazy but amazing day. Each child was allowed to have their moment to shine! I am so proud of each of them, individually and together supporting each other!