Trendy & Affordable Fall Looks for Tweens

Disclosure: I am an Aeropostale V.I.P., and I was provided a gift card to purchase these items. All opinions are mine alone.

Fall is here which means it's time to update our wardrobes. Here in Florida, we can only do so much updating. The weather stays at about 85 degrees until Janaury but that doesn't stop us from rocking some fun fall looks. As you may know, I share my favorite looks from the Aeropostale kids line, P.S. Kids, 4 times a year and their fall line definitely doesn't disappoint. It's trendy, fun and most importantly, affordable!!

Adrian loves the P.S. from Aeropostale active wear lines. The easiest way for us to transition to fall is by adding a lightweight jacket like the colorblock one Adrian is wearing. It's perfect for cooler mornings. 

You guys know that Amberly loves a bohemian look. Once she saw this peasant dress, she was in heaven!

Peasant dresses must be worn with a cool faux pearl headband! It only completes the look!

There is nothing I love more than to see Adrian in a plaid button down and destroyed skinny jeans. This is his best look! A button down is perfect as a layering piece or dressed up with a nice pair of khakis!

These two love to shop and think they are now fashion bloggers!

One more look at this amazing peasant dress. I want one in my size!!

P.S. from Aeropostale never fails us when it comes to trendy clothes for our kids. With sizes ranging from 4-16, they have all your kids covered. Just in case you are wondering about sizes, my kids all wear an 8 (they are aged 9) in P.S.from Aeropostale clothing. 

Back to School 2015-2016

It's that time again, time to send the kids back to school! This morning was insane and I can't believe I am actually posting this today and not ten weeks later (as I have been known to do!) This morning, JC and I split up handle the first day madness. He took Amberly and Gian to their new school and I took Adrian back to his. There is no way we can make all three kids on the same day. It's hard to miss being a part of these days for everyone, but thankfully we take lots of pictures!!

Adrian was not happy to start third grade....

Amberly was really nervous over the weekend but thankfully, she was in a great mood this morning...

Gian was the most excited to go back but this morning, he wasn't too sure to start second grade!

School security is at an all-time high in our schools and this was the only day we could walk the kids to their classrooms. I love to walk into their classrooms and see where they will spend their day. Amberly and Gian will be in those classrooms all day. Adrian's school has new scheduling where he will be with four different teachers so he will be moving around a lot. He is not happy about this and even though I tried my best efforts to get him to smile, this was how I left him:

I have a feeling the really big first day smiles are history for him, maybe I will get another one from him his senior year of high school! 

I really hope they each have an amazing first day! I can't wait to talk to them all after school, especially Ivanna who started middle school today and forgot to send me a pic!

Get To Know Us In 7 Pictures

I've given myself a little challenge. I've noticed some new readers lately (thank you so much!) and realized that I needed a re-introduction post. I wanted something different than just talking about myself (you can read that in The Girl page) so I decided to make it a little more fun. Now, in this post, you can get to know us, all of us, through pictures, seven to be exact. Why seven? I have no idea! It was the first number to pop into my head!!

Here we go!

{ONE}

Not your traditional storybook family here, we are a proud blended family! Pictured above, from left to right, there's me, Amberly, Gian, JC, Adrian and Ivanna. JC and I met in 2011 at work! When we met, I was already a mom to Adrian and he was a dad to Amberly and Gian. Ivanna is Adrian's cousin from his dad's side who I met when she was 2. She is being raised by her and Adrian's grandparents and I have pretty much taken her in as my own! 

{TWO}

We live in Miami, Florida. I was born and raised in Miami. All the kids were born here too. JC emigrated here from Cuba when he was eight and has been here ever since. We love living in Miami and honestly, cannot picture raising our family anywhere else!

{THREE}

These three are 9, 8 and 7 years old. Their birthdays are all at the end of the year (November 10, November 11 and December 27 to be exact. They get along 25% of the time and argue the other 75%, sounds like regular siblings to me!

{FOUR}

We are water junkies. Whether it be the pool, beach or a lake, we love hanging out by the water!

{FIVE}

We are BIG hometown team fans. We cheer for the Miami Heat, Miami Hurricanes, Miami Marlins and the Miami Dolphins. We are real fans too, no matter how many losing seasons our teams give us, we cheer for them!! 

{SIX}

We love Disney! We went on our first Disney cruise this year and then up to Magic kingdom in July. Disney World is always the best vacation spot for us!

{SEVEN}

Fourth of July is our family holiday. We have been together every Fourth of July since we became a family. We love all holidays but this one is it for me. I love our traditions of spending the day at the beach and then watching the most amazing fireworks at the Biltmore! I plan on continuing this tradition as long as possible!! Family Rule: The kids know that no matter where they are in the world, we are together on the 4th!!

This was quite the challenge because our family is so much more than these seven pictures but here you get a good idea of who our family is! Anything else you'd like to know, please feel free to comment below or email me!

I'm Happy With Providing My Kids "Options"

Parenting choices are very personal. Everyone parents differently and has different ideas on how to raise their children. As long as your children are happy, respectful and well-adjusted, I say, continue raising them as you see fit. I often get criticized by how I have chosen to raise Adrian because I give him "freedom to choose." This is not the norm for Hispanic parents. Hispanics tend to want to dominate over their kids. "You do as I say" kind of mentality. That is how I was raised and I always said to myself, the day I have kids, I will provide choices.

I have always provided options for Adrian, ever since he was a baby. I put out two different choices and he decides on what he wants. This goes with clothing, food, sports, games, pretty much everything. I figure this has allowed him to learn how to make decisions and I still get to pick what I think is appropriate for him. For example, every morning for breakfast I ask him "Adrian, would you like a grilled cheese or eggs and toast?" This way he isn't having pizza (his preferred choice) for breakfast and I can make sure he eats breakfast (which is quite the task, he is not a breakfast person!)

I read this the other day and it just felt so right:

I don’t want my kids safe and comfortable. I want them BRAVE. I don’t want to teach them to see danger under every rock, avoiding anything hard or not guaranteed or risky. They are going to encounter a very broken world soon, and if they aren’t prepared to wade into difficult territory and contend for the kingdom against obstacles and tragedies and hardships, they are going to be terrible disciples.

I don’t want to be the reason my kids choose safety over courage. I hope I never hear them say, “Mom will freak out,” or “My parents will never agree to this.” May my fear not bind their purpose here. Scared moms raise scared kids. Brave moms raise brave kids. Real disciples raise real disciples.” 
― Jen Hatmaker

My ultimate parenting goal is to raise good citizens. I want to raise, kind, respectful, brave, assertive, productive members of society. I know that the things I am doing now will help my kids in the future, even if they think I am the most horrible mom on the planet. I do not expose them to things I feel are inappropriate but I also do not shield them from the world around them. They are not always by my side, I let them walk ahead and explore. Like in the quote above "I don’t want my kids safe and comfortable. I want them BRAVE. I don’t want to teach them to see danger under every rock, avoiding anything hard or not guaranteed or risky."  I encourage them to ride the scary ride, to stand in front of the class and present their project, to defend each other, to wear what they are comfortable in even if others don't like it and most importantly to ask questions!

They know they can ask me any question and I will answer as best I can. I've gotten everything from "What is gay?" to "Why is this person in my class so mean?" to "When can I have a girlfriend?" and "Why is your skin brown and ours is white?" Yup all those from children who are curious. I answer their questions honestly and in a way an 8 and 9 year old can understand. They won't always be little, so I let them be little. I don't believe in gender-specific roles so they have been raised to know that anyone can grow up to be whatever they want. I'm a stickler for good manners though so I better hear many "Please and thank-you's" along the way! I'm happy with providing options and freedom of choice. It's worked for us so far and will continue to be our parenting choice in the future!

Yes Day Recap

This past Saturday we had our annual "Yes Day." This is the one day a year the kids get to choose what we do, what we eat and where we go (within reason). Yes, I know how insane this sounds and I might need to be medicated for agreeing to such a crazy idea but they really enjoy it. I believe that kids need a say every once in a while. JC hates this day, I'm alright with it and obviously, the kids love it! I will tell you one thing though: with three kids, Yes Day is one of the longest days in parenting history! You have been warned!

(all phone pics)

Yes Day started off early, like 8am early. Adrian had soccer practice and Gian Carlo decided to tag along, not before setting out his ingredients for breakfast. Amberly stayed in with JC and the boys and I headed out.

"Ida, can I bring my skates to the park?" Yes! So while Adrian and Ivanna were at practice, Gian Carlo was skating and scraping his knees since he refused to wear knee pads. 

We got back home to breakfast being made in the kitchen. Everyone wanted just pancakes and bacon, so pancakes and bacon it was. Breakfast was followed by playing Splatoon on the WiiU. 

When they got tired of playing Splatoon (i.e. the Gamepad ran out of charge!) it was time to head out. By the way, Yes Day also includes getting to wear what they want. Gian Carlo did alright...

but Amberly was a whole other story. She said it matched because her shirt and socks were striped. Sure kid! Oh and no bow in her hair. 

The kids wanted to go to Skyzone so of course we did. "Can I swing on the railing?" Yes! 

Unfortunately, Skyzone was packed so the kids decided they wanted frozen yogurt, so off to Menchie's we went. 

Then the boys wanted haircuts. Thankfully, our barber was able to squeeze them in. Everyone participates in Yes Day! I was still all smiles at 5pm!

Gian Carlo go rid of the crazy hair and got a "movie star" haircut.

while Adrian got a full on mohawk. He wanted a blue mohawk, but thankfully, the barber didn't have the blue hair dye!

"Can we go to Dave & Busters?" Yup! After spending $75 in playing cards (I know!!) JC and I made a beeline for the bar!

Moscow Mule anyone?

Amberly was the first one to go through her card and came back with a giant pencil. Of course the artist would come back with a giant pencil.

They are two peas in a pod.

Adrian wanted JC to play with him so I was left at the bar alone. When I decided to walk around I found JC playing Galaga.

We left Dave and Busters around 10pm. I thought the kids would be exhausted but no. When we got home, they didn't shower (Yes Day!), pulled out their Nerf guns and it was Hunger Games time. I closed the door to their room, took a nice long shower and went to bed. JC stayed up and told me he made them stop Hunger Games and go to bed at 12:01am because it was no longer Yes Day!

Celebrate Family with Vi and Va Dolls

 Disclosure: This is sponsored post in collaboration with Vi and Va Dolls and Latina Bloggers Connect. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

As a little girl, I always loved playing with dolls and now with a step-daughter, I get to relive all my childhood with her. Even though she is already 9 (most girls aren't playing with dolls anymore) she will still pull out her dolls and ask me to play. I buy her a new doll every once in a while and she was absolutely thrilled when I introduced her to new collection of dolls, Vi and Va (pronounced like Viva!)

Vi and Va is a new fashion doll line inspired by Latin cultures. These dolls, exclusively available at Target, help girls honor and embrace their heritage. The main 4 characters are not just friends, they are family! Family is a BIG THING in Latino culture. I remember growing up, I was always with my cousin Deane. We are only 6 months apart in age and we always played together. 

We looked nothing alike and people didn't even realize we were related. Honestly, it's one of my favorite features about the new Vi and Va dolls. I remember growing up all dolls looked the same and I really couldn't relate to any of them. Not true for this new generation of doll-lovers. Amberly gets to choose which doll she relates the most to. In her case, she chose Felicia. Felicia has blue eyes, just like Amberly, and is an artist, just like Amberly! 

Each doll is different. Viviana and Valentina are sisters. Older sister, Vi (Viviana), is spontaneous and easy going. She is passionate about sharing her love of music and comes with a guitar! She also loves creating new styles as a fashion designer. Younger sister, Va (Valentina),  is neat and organized. She loves to cook and has already perfected several family recipes, like empanadas!! Felicia is an artist and Roxxi is a dancer. 

This line includes several dolls and activity sets to help little girls play out each character's story line and enjoy her special talents. The line also has a birthday party/quinceñera collection. Girls can even dress up and join the fun with role play and styling accessories. 

Be sure to join the all the Vi and Va fun on Facebook and Twitter!

I'm super excited about the Vi and Va dolls and I want to give you a chance to win one. Enter below for your chance to win a Fashion Designer Viviana Doll!

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This is sponsored post in collaboration with Vi and Va Dolls and Latina Bloggers Connect. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Life Lately: Crazy Saturday Weekend Edition!

Life is CRAZY busy around here lately. The kids have lots going on with school and getting ready for testing. JC has several Crossfit competitions during March and April and I am busy with blogging. It's insane but I am enjoying every minute of it!

Friday evening we picked up Gian and Amberly and got a cute surprise. Gian lost his two front teeth! I love toothless smiles on little kids!

We were up bright and early on Saturday morning (6:30am) to get to soccer, a Crossfit competition, art class and Cinderella's Royal Ball at the Disney Store! First, we dropped off JC at the gym where he was competing at Battle of the Machines IV. Pulls on the beard for good luck!

We waited around until JC was done with registration and rules.

I attempted a group shot but I guess it was too early. Look at Amberly's "over it" face!

Then we had breakfast at Dunkin Donut's and if you follow me on IG you saw that the kids had an intense Q & A with some police officers who were in the booth behind us.

Intense morning Q & A session with some police officers! "Do you arrest kids?" No! "Why do you eat donuts?" #kids #socurious

A photo posted by Ida Arias (@scggirl) on Mar 7, 2015 at 5:27am PST

Then it was off to soccer! Adrian was a little off his game but did manage to score a goal. He has a new love for soccer and will be attending an intense soccer camp during Spring Break!

After soccer we rushed over to art class and then made a mad dash to the Disney Store where Amberly wanted to attend the Royal Ball. We made it to the last session at 12:30 p.m.  Amberly went dressed as her favorite princess, Rapunzel!

This was a super cute event where the kids, most dressed as Cinderella, got an extended peek at the new Cinderella movie, learned about kindness to others and even learned to waltz!

After the ball and buying MORE Tsum Tsum's ( I need to write about my kids obsession with those) we were on our way back to the gym where we luckily caught JC in the last WOD (workout of the day)! Sorry for the blurry pics, he was racing through this WOD!

Buy in: 50 Box Jumps

AMRAP:

5 deadlifts

30 yd farmer's carry

5 Power Snatches

This was his 4th WOD so he was beat! I'm glad we caught him in action though. The kids love to cheer him on during competitions! After that WOD, we waited around for the closing ceremonies and I'm thrilled to announe  that my honey got 3rd place in the Men's Terminator category!!! 

This is the first competition where he podiums so it was a HUGE deal! We went to dinner to celebrate where everyone was so exhausted that we left half our food on our plates, went back home and passed out! EXTREMELY eventful Saturday!

Sunday was science project day! Amberly and Gian both worked on and thankfully, finished their science projects and then it was time to relax and play video games!

If you notice, we have yet to finish organizing after the move. If we continue with weekends like this, organizing might never happen!