Best of 2014 and a BIG THANK YOU!!

I am thrilled to be writing this post. I have always read other blogger's best of posts and hoped to do one of my own (I didn't do one last year as I didn't have many posts). My blog rocked this year and helped me realize how much I love blogging. I wouldn't mind if this turned into a full-time thing either, spend more time with my family and do what I love. That's definitely a future goal/resolution of mine! I've already started brainstorming some ideas for 2015 and I'm really super excited for a new year!

Having a blog to document your life is incredible. I had such a great time looking back at all the things my family and I did that I didn't even remember. It was fun sharing our family life, celebrations and recipes with you and there's more to come. I did an analytics search to find my most viewed posts and here are my Top 5:

A Gameband for Ivanna

Any and all posts about Ivanna were well-received this year. I wasn't sure about sharing her life on my blog since she isn't my biological child but she was OK with it. I love her to death and in my mind she is my child so you will definitely continue to hear more about Ivanna in 2015!

Adrian's Big Hero 6 Party

You guys loved this post! I can see why too. The movie was a hit in the theatres, every child wanted a Baymax of their very own and not many people have DIY'd a Big Hero 6 party. This party almost didn't happen thanks to an unruly 8 year old but in the end, I'm glad I pulled it together. 

2014: A Big Year for Disney Movies

This post was one of my favorites this year just because I love Disney movies. It was so fun to look online, gather all the movie info and then wait in anticipation for the movie's release! 2015 version is coming up in January so stay tuned!!

Sausage & Pepperoni Baked Ziti

I was so excited to share this recipe on my blog. This is a family favorite, we have it at least once a month. Adrian is always asking me to make it for him. It's a perfect combination of pizza and pasta that I am sure your whole family will love!!

Blended Families: 101

After a couple years working at this blended family stuff, I thought I would share some tips & tricks! You guys loved this post and I am already working on Part 2 of tips and tricks centered around holidays!! Our blended family rocks!!

I also want to take a minute and thank each and every one of you that reads and comments on my posts. Sometimes, I wonder if anyone reads what I write and then bam, a comment pops up. I do read them all and a goal of mine in 2015 is to respond to each and every one. I want to build a better relationship with each of you because I love blogging. I love sharing our lives with you and getting to experience amazing opportunities I would have never experienced. I love working with blogger networks and trying out new products. Bloggingbecame a huge part of my life in 2014 and it will be even BIGGER in 2015. I have so much planned but don't worry, this blog will ultimately always be about family and my second chance!!!

Happy New Year to you and yours!!

Christmas 2014

Christmas has come and gone (rather quickly I might add) and I enjoyed every minute of it! First up, Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve for us is usually lunch at Adrian's grandparents house and then dinner at JC's mom's house. We do it this way so we don't have to go out with the kids on Christmas Day from house to house to visit. This way we gt to spend a good amount of time with all the grandparents. Back to Christmas Eve, I dressed the kids up:

I was thrilled to find this HUGE bow at Claire's. No idea how we will top this one!

First stop: Adrian's grandparents house. After saying hello to his grandparents, everyone disappeared and when I went looking for them, I found this in the living room:

The joys of technology, there was no running around, no "I'm bored", it was wonderful!

Grandma with the grandkids. There are still 4 grandkids missing in this pic!

Stop # 2 was JC's mom's house. She made dinner for us, the kids opened presents and then we sat around talking for a bit!

Stop # 3 was JC's friend's house. We stopped by to wish them a Merry Christmas and drop off a present for their adorable baby! Then we went home, got into our Christmas pj's and went straight to bed!!

Then Santa came!!

One of our Christmas traditions is that the kids pick out a wrapping paper at the store and we "send" it to Santa to wrap their gifts in. It's way easier for me to know which gift belongs to which child!

Kids gifts included their own chairs that my Mom got them. They are super comfortable!

Santa brought Big Hero 6 toys, lots of Lego's

a Nabi DreamTab (seriously Nabi's are the best kids tablets!)

and lots of WiiU games, including Sonic: Rise of Lyric

Santa even brought an Andrew Luck jersey for the non-Dolphins fan in our house. Do you think he was excited?

JC got a new Xbox One controller, Nerf football, clothes and Call of Duty Advanced Warfare (we are obviously a gaming family!)

Santa remembered that I love cardigans and wanted a big crockpot badly!!

After all the present-opening craziness, the kids grabbed their Nintendo 3ds and got to playing their new games:

I was able to drag them away from their devices to get a family pic by the tree in our Christmas pj's (and a tutu, of course)!!!

After this my sisters, dad, niece and nephew came over for lunch and Amberly and Gian went home to celebrate Christmas with their mom! All in all it was an AMAZING day and one I will definitely remember. I'm hoping all the magic continues next year!!

Cirque du Soleil "Amaluna" & GIVEAWAY!!

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Influence Central for Cirque du Soleil. I received tickets to Amaluna to facilitate my post as well as a promotional item to thank me for participating.”

Cirque du Soleil, three magical words to me. I watched my first Cirque du Soleil show "Quidam" years ago and have been a major fan ever since. I attend every show that comes to Miami, seen "La Nouba" in Orlando and the Vegas shows are next on my list.  When I was given the opportunity to see "Amaluna" here in Miami a couple weekends ago, I didn't even think twice. JC, Amberly and Gian had never gone and Adrian went once when he was a toddler so I knew that this would be an amazing opportunity for the whole family!

On the morning of the show, I didn't tell anyone where we were going. I picked out some "fancier" outfits (I do take the opportunity to dress up my kids any chance I get) and got everyone in the car. We drove up to SunLife Stadium and they were wondering what the blue and yellow tents were. We parked and quickly got to our seats. The stage was amazing and everyone was getting super excited!! I knew the show would be full of surprises and I wasn't let down. As soon as we sat down, the performers started walking around in their incredible costumes. One of the performers came near us and sat next to Amberly. She just stared back in awe. The makeup, the costumes, it's just so perfect! Then the drumming began, the lights dimmed and it was showtime!!!

AMALUNA invites the audience to a mysterious island governed by Goddesses and guided by the cycles of the moon. The queen directs her daughter's coming of age ceremony in a rite that honors femininity, renewal, rebirth and balance which marks the passing of these insights and values form one generation to the other.  

Each Cirque show is completely different from the other. This was the first show I saw with so many female characters. I think about 70% of the case member's were women. As usual, the acrobatics were AH-MAZING. My whole family was wowed by the amazing things these performers can do with their bodies and without a net to catch them! The acrobatics get even more incredible with each show. My kids were in awe. I don't want to give away too much from the show but our favorite character was the reptile man and his out of this world juggling!! In my opinion, a Cirque du Soleil show is worth every single penny you pay for it. There really is nothing like it!

Now it's GIVEAWAY time!!

Want to attend a Cirque du Soleil show when it comes to your area? Enter below for your chance to win a $50 gift card that can be used towards tickets for a show. Cirque du Soleil has about 15 shows across the US (some permanent, some touring) so I'm sure you can catch one in your area. Watching a Cirque performance should definitely be on your list of to-dos for 2015!!!

Entry-Form

TGIF Blog & Instagram Hop!!

Welcome To The TGIF Hop!

Lets celebrate making it through another week by

 linking your blog and/ or your instagram below. 
You may link up any post.
 Remember, visiting other blogs and/ or Instagram links is what makes a successful blog hop.
This hop runs from every week. Starting Friday morning to Wednesday morning.
Be kind and grab a TGIF BLOG HOP button below.


Grab a button and spread the love of TGIF 
because who doesn't love Fridays?!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.threesistersandus.com/p/tgif-hop.html" title="The TGIF HOP "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg449gOJbCqMdRM4dq33yGgm-vUGDLAIMrT-8Rim0L-LQreB4AnSmS9l0CqIeO86A8jKdCAa7j4PH6RQr7KXXuXsF6rfafCZnnH5t8yC2nQoBoZPAxTapMh2Rxk-sKIMtBlDMpP2YLK614/s1600/TGIF+Design+3.png" alt="The TGIF HOP " style="border:none;" /></a></div>

RULES

1. PLEASE Follow your host and cohost blog's via GFC or BLOGLOVIN

2. Please Follow the hosts and co-hosts on Instagram if you link-up your account below.

3. Please leave a comment stating that you are following and where so we can follow you back and get to know you! Sometimes it can be hard to know which is a new follower and we don't want you to think we're rude.

4. Tweet the hop below to help us grow. It's greatly appreciated. 

5. Be social.  Meet new friends. 

*You do not need an Instagram account to link up.

Every first Friday of the month we will be hosting a lovely GIVEAWAY!

:: Three Sisters and us ::Mice In The Kitchen :: Second Chances Girl ::CompleteBliss Blog :: My Silly Little Gang ::

                                                                                                                                                               

    

Meet This Weeks cohost
Want to be our next cohost and be featured? Click here!!

                         The TGIF HOP is looking for bloggers like YOU to cohost with us!

                                                                                                                                                       

This Weeks TGIF Feature

From the blog of: Winks and Eyerolls

Be sure to check their

blog out here.

What I've Learned From Taking Pictures With A Little One

 Help us spread the word about this HOP by clicking "tweet" below!!

Merry Christmas!!

 Merry Christmas from my family to yours!!! 

I Support Adoption from Foster Care!!

 I am sharing this on behalf of a Bloggin' Mamas Social Good Campaign. Bloggin' Mamas and Element Associates are donating a toy to a child in foster care for every blog post sharing this information, up to 25

.                                      

 Today, 402,000 children are in the foster care system in the United States. Nearly 102,000 children (under 18 years of age) waiting for adoption. During this holiday season, there’s an extra push to help them find homes. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, AdoptUSKids and the Ad Council recently unveiled a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) designed to continue to encourage the adoption of children from foster care with an emphasis on the importance of keeping siblings together. Check out this PSA video from the Ad Council:
 

Since the launch of the campaign in 2004, more than 22,000 children who were once photo-listed on the AdoptUSKids website are now with their adoptive families and over 35,000 families have registered to adopt through AdoptUSKids. Many times, there are siblings also listed. Approximately 23% of children and youth actively photolisted on the AdoptUSKids website and waiting for placement in adoptive homes were registered with one or more siblings. Sibling relationships are often the longest-lasting relationships for children in foster care. For more information about adoption, or about becoming an adoptive parent to a child from foster care, please visit www.AdoptUSKids.org or visit the campaign’s communities on Facebook and Twitter. Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I am donating this space towards sharing this message. Bloggin' Mamas and Element Associates will be donating a toy to a foster child in exchange for my post, in support of AdoptUSKids.

MechSource Thunder Tumbler Rally Car #ChosenbyKids

Need a fun inexpensive toy for a kid on your Christmas list? I have the perfect toy for you: the Thunder Tumbler R/C Rally Car!!

Who doesn't love a remote control car? I love to play with Adrian's remote control cars all the time. They really are super fun! This one might just be one of my favorites!!

Remember in this post when I told you guys about attending a Toyland event at Walmart? Well, they featured this toy at the event and I quickly purchased one for Adrian. This kid has gotten more early Christmas gifts this December than he is going to have under the tree on Christmas morning!

Anyway, the Thunder Tumbler is super cool! It is a spinning stunt vehicle with LED lights. It also rotates 360 degrees on a single wheel using the wireless radio controller. 

Honestly, we really loved this toy and have been playing with it like crazy the past couple of days. I recommend it for all the kids on your list!!

Disclosure: This post has been compensated by AMP Agency and its advertiser. However, all opinions and stories are mine alone!

TGIF Blog &Instagram Hop!!

Welcome To The TGIF Hop!

Lets celebrate making it through another week by

 linking your blog and/ or your instagram below. 
You may link up any post.
 Remember, visiting other blogs and/ or Instagram links is what makes a successful blog hop.
This hop runs from every week. Starting Friday morning to Wednesday morning.
Be kind and grab a TGIF BLOG HOP button below.


Grab a button and spread the love of TGIF 
because who doesn't love Fridays?!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.threesistersandus.com/p/tgif-hop.html" title="The TGIF HOP "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg449gOJbCqMdRM4dq33yGgm-vUGDLAIMrT-8Rim0L-LQreB4AnSmS9l0CqIeO86A8jKdCAa7j4PH6RQr7KXXuXsF6rfafCZnnH5t8yC2nQoBoZPAxTapMh2Rxk-sKIMtBlDMpP2YLK614/s1600/TGIF+Design+3.png" alt="The TGIF HOP " style="border:none;" /></a></div>

RULES

1. PLEASE Follow your host and cohost blog's via GFC or BLOGLOVIN

2. Please Follow the hosts and co-hosts on Instagram if you link-up your account below.

3. Please leave a comment stating that you are following and where so we can follow you back and get to know you! Sometimes it can be hard to know which is a new follower and we don't want you to think we're rude.

4. Tweet the hop below to help us grow. It's greatly appreciated. 

5. Be social.  Meet new friends. 

*You do not need an Instagram account to link up.

Every first Friday of the month we will be hosting a lovely GIVEAWAY!

:: Three Sisters and us ::Mice In The Kitchen :: Second Chances Girl ::CompleteBliss Blog :: My Silly Little Gang ::

                                                                                                                                                               

    

Meet This Weeks cohost
Want to be our next cohost and be featured? Click here!!

                         The TGIF HOP is looking for bloggers like YOU to cohost with us!

                                                                                                                                                       

This Weeks TGIF Feature

From the blog of: Love Create Celebrate 

Be sure to check her blog out here.

Simple Burlap Wreath

 Help us spread the word about this HOP by clicking "tweet" below!!

Northpole Breakfast 2014

A couple of weekends ago (yes I am THAT behind on posting) we had our Northpole Breakfast! I got this idea from Andrea at Momfessionals, who always shares all the amazing things she does with her kids. So, juse in case you are wondering, a Northpole Breakfast is a breakfast held after Thanksgiving and the Elf reappears. Well my kids had never had an Elf on the Shelf before and I wanted to make his appearance extra special for them! I set the table up the night before:

That's Buddy's tree. The kids were driving me nuts for a tree for their room this year so I got them this little one! I set it up with cute shatterproof mini ornaments and a sparkly skirt. 

I found these adorable plates at Target. I have seen them all over the blogosphere though so I'm pretty sure Target ran out. I bought the boys Santa and Amberly a snowman. On each plate was a letter introducing Buddy and a gift!

My kids love these jumbo marshamallows. We always have some in our pantry and this was a simple treat, just push in a candy stick and VOILA!!

THIS right here is the reason I do so much for my kids. These expressions right here do it for me. This is the joy of parenthood!! To say they were surprised is an understatement!

First, they each put on the elf hat that was on their chair and then they read their letters from Buddy. I had this fabulous printable ready for them and then I forgot to print them out so I had to write the letters last minute. Each letter mentioned that Santa had sent him to watch over them until Christmas and if they behaved, they would get those special gifts they had been wanting for a while. 

Then more excitement as they opened their gifts from Buddy:

This girl is a Rapunzel fan through and through and was super happy when Buddy brought her a Rapunzel ornament for their tree!

Darth Vader for Adrian

Rapuzel for Amberly

Spongebob for Gian

Then after a couple rounds of 20 questions about the Elf, we served them breakfast. JC made reindeer pancakes. I know usually kids have a sugar filled Northpole Breakfast but our kids are BIG pancake lovers and they would have cried and been miserable without pancakes. 

They really enjoyed their surprise. Oh and here comes my proud mom moment: as soon as they were done with breakfast, they sat at their little table by the TV and wrote thank-you notes without any encouragement from me! Yup, that will stay with me forever, that's how I know I am definitely doing something right!!

Buddy has since caused LOADS of mischief and the kids wake up super excited every morning to see what he has done. I enjoy the Elf and this Northpole Breakfast will definitely be happening again next year!!

How did you welcome your Elf on the Shelf?