You Can Count On Mom As Your #1 Fan

Disclosure: This post has been compensated by Acorn Influence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Ah, moms. You know the women that raise us and are always on your side, no matter what! The women who don't necessarily have to give birth to you but will cheer you on and kiss your boo boos since day 1. They truly are magnificent creatures. They are your #1 fan!

Recently, I have been watching a show on Sunday nights called La Banda. It's a reality show (on Spanish TV-Univision) where contestants compete for a shot to get into a band. It's actually quite thrilling. There is just so much amazing talent on this show!

Now, I'm not usually a reality-show TV type of person, but as a mom, this show tugs on my heartstrings. Why? Well, they have really based this show on family, especially the contestant's relationships with their moms. I'm such a sucker for family TV!! On every episode the contestants perform and get judged. There are contestants eliminated and there are amazing guest performances. Check out the recent performances by Becky G and Marc Anthony! By the way, just in case you are wondering, Joel is my pick! Watch him perform "Stand by Me" and tell me he isn't amazing!!

http://www.univision.com/entretenimiento/la-banda/joel-canto-y-conquisto-con-stand-by-me-video

As a mom of three kids with incredible talents, I know the work and commitment it takes to make sure your kids expose those talents to the world. These kids require constant support and reassurance that following your dreams is not a mistake. "Don't give up!" is constantly coming out of my mouth. Watching this show has been such an eye-opener for me. I have seen some of these contestants really struggle to be able to even audition for the show, much less go through weeks of grueling competition. I know that as the mom of an artist, musician and athlete, this will be our future and I am ready for it. I have been their number #1 fan since the beginning and I will be their #1 fan to the end!

La Banda is on Univision on Sunday nights at 8pm. Make sure to catch the finale on 12/13/15 to see who made the band. I'm sure it will be out of this world! Also, make sure to follow #LaBandaMoms on social media for all the bind-the scenes and family fun!

Share A MOMent With Your Friends

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc, and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #OREOThinsAreIn #CollectiveBias

Friendship is necessary, especially when you are a mom. My mom friends are the greatest! They understand all my crazy and are there every step of the way. I know how hard it is for any of us to get a little "me" time so I decided to surprise them with a treat while they are waiting in school pickup lines. You know, just a little snack so they can enjoy a little MOMent here and there!

First thing I needed to find was an adult treat. Something that wasn't alcohol but that was marketed toward adults. I knew I wanted some kind of cookie and luckily an ad came up for OREO Thins. I loved OREOs growing up and knew these would be perfect. I happen to be going to CVS that night so while I was there, I took a minute to look for them and there they were in Original and Mint!!

I bought both packs and some white coffee mugs. We are adults now, time to pair our OREO Thins with coffee, not milk!! OREO Thins are the thinner, crispier, OREO treat for an all new OREO experience!

Mom to mom gifting requires cute packaging, at least it does for me. I whipped up a cute printable label, grabbed my gold marker, ribbon and some plastic treat bags and went to work!

I cut out my labels and punched out a hole in the side. Then I placed my cookies in my plastic bag, threaded my ribbon through the label and tied my package closed with a bow!

Then I drew a heart on my coffee mugs, placed my treat bags inside and VOILA! cute gifts for my mom friends!

I can't wait to give these out tomorrow! My girlies will be so surprised!

Want to make some for your friends? Of course you do! Here's the printable, free for you to download and use, in 8 1/2 x 11 size. Just right click on the image, click save as, save on your computer and you are ready to print!

I also have a little giveaway for you! Enter below for your chance to win 1 of 2 $500 CVS gift cards!! 

Oreo Thins at CVS

How would you share the new OREO Thins with your mom friends?

DIY Oatmeal Body Scrub and 3 Steps For The Best Mother's Day Ever!

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BestMomsDayEver #ad

Mother's Day is right around the corner and I really want to make it the best one yet. This year, I am starting early and having the kids help me out with the planning. I want to make sure we don't forget anyone. I am making sure the kids remember all the moms in their lives. Mother's Day is a day to celebrate all those special women that have helped raise you, have supported you and have loved you since the moment they met you. We have come up with a list of three easy steps to make this the best Mother's Day yet, including making this amazing homemade oatmeal body scrub!! (Make sure you read all the way to the end for some goodies!!)

Step 1: Get a paper and a pen and have the kids make a list of all the special women in their lives. Get them thinking. My poor kids took a while to make their list, sometimes it isn't easy coming from a blended family!!

Step 2: Buy everyone a card! I took the kids to the store and we stood in front of the American Greetings display with our list. They went through all the cards until they had picked one for each person on the list. These are the ones they agreed to share, they want to keep some a surprise!

We also made sure to buy gift bags. There were so many beautiful ones to choose from. I suggest buying these early because they are sure to run out (as has happened to me in previous years!)

Step 3: Homemade gifts. Moms and grandmas are suckers for homemade gifts from their kids. This year we will be gifting an amazing homemade body scrub to all the women on our list. This oatmeal, raspberry and brown sugar scrub is really inexpensive to make and feels amazing on your skin!

Ingredients: 

(this recipe makes enough for 2-16oz jars)

20 oz of oatmeal (any brand, about 1/2 the container)

1 cup dried rosemary

1 cup brown sugar

mason jars

jute rope

Directions:

In a kitchen blender or food processor, add oatmeal

dried rosemary

brown sugar

and blend until finely ground. Tip: Lightly shake your blender while its grinding the ingredients so it all gets incorporated!  Pour into mason jars. 

Tie with some jute rope and you are done! Amberly created these labels for our jars (I wanted everything to be made by the kids!) on the computer and cut them out herself.  When you create your label, add a little note "just add warm water" as your instructions for the scrub! 

We made a jar of scrub for each mom on our list. I know they are going to enjoy these homemade scrubs. I mean, who doesn't love having soft, smooth skin?

We found our adorable cards and bags at the "One-Stop Shop" display from American Greetings at our local Walmart!

Remember I mentioned some goodies? Well here you go. First, you need to watch this video. The kids were so nervous but they wanted to make a video about the three steps!!

Honestly, how adorable was that? 
Secondly, there's a GIVEAWAY!!! Enter below for your a chance to win $4000 in gift cards!!
#BestMomsDayEver Giveaway- $4,000 Prize Value

Have you started planning for Mother's Day yet? Plan on making homemade gifts? 

Remember, Mother's Day is May 10th!!

Power The Holidays With Duracell #PowerTheHolidays

Christmas is right around the corner, 34 days to be exact. In a picture-perfect world, I would be at-home baking desserts for Thanksgiving Dinner with all my Christmas gifts purchased and put away, not a worry in the world. But this is real life and every time I look at a calendar, I freak out. I'm no where near ready for the massive Thanksgiving dinner I need to cook much less have Christmas gifts purchased. My kids are ready though. They have gone through all the toy books that have come in the mail and marked up what they want. I do think they went a bit overboard but I guess only time will tell what Santa actually brings them! One thing I do know for sure is that we will need batteries, lots and lots of batteries! We are always running out and there has been a Christmas or two (or three) in the past where presents have been opened and there aren't any batteries to put in them.

No joy in these faces when they can't play with their new toys. I'm over it so this year I am ready. I already have some batteries on hand. I know I will need more but for now I am covered. You know what else? If I buy a toy for anyone this year, I am going to tape the required number of batteries onto the toy box. That way no other parent has to be tortured by their child on Christmas morning for forgetting the batteries! 

Power the Holidays this year with Duracell batteries! 

Duracell CopperTop All-Purpose alkaline batteries are not only dependable, they’re also long-lasting. You can take comfort in a 10-year guarantee in storage with Duralock Power Preserve Technology. They’re great for many of the devices you use on a daily basis in your home. And from storm season to medical needs to the holidays, Duracell is the #1 trusted battery brand of first responders, pharmacists and parents, so you know it’s a battery you can trust. CopperTop batteries are available in AA, AAA, C, D and 9V. 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks and Duracell. All opinions and sarcastic remarks are mine alone!!

Let's be honest with each other: How many times have you forgotten to buy batteries for Christmas morning?

Easy At-Home Pedicure

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RespectUrFeet #CollectiveBias

Oh, pedicures, how I love thee!!! I really do, except as a mom of three, I do not have the time to go to a salon and get a spa pedicure every two weeks like I used to. So now I do an at-home pedicure, at least once a month! I like my feet to look nice and feel smooth. Living in Florida, I wear open-toe shoes almost all year long and I am not going to be walking around with nasty feet, No sir! After years of practice, I have become pretty good at giving myself a pedicure and it's really quite easy!

For my at-home pedicure, I use the following:

• toe nail clipper
• nail file
• toe separators
• buffer
• nail polish
• top coat
• nail polish remover pen
• Small towel
• Amopé electronic foot file
• Amopé Daily moisturizer for feet

Now I'm sure you are reading this list and asking yourself, What is Amopé? Amopé is a new line of foot care products available at Target. Amopé, Portugese for "love your feet" is a new brand enabling women to respect their feet and enjoy every step! 

Onto the pedicure:

1. Soak feet in warm water for at least 5 minutes! Super important, take these 5 minutes as a stress-reliever. I put on headphones and listen to my favorite song(s) during this time. It helps me relax! When you are ready, pull your feet out and dry them with the towel.

2. Clip toe nails straight across. There is no need for fancy cutting here, just straight across. If you cut the sides, you can get hang nails, so please clip straight across.

3. File toe nails. I file mine straight across, but some people like to round the edges a little. It's up to you. My big toe nail on my left foot is always breaking so that's the only one I round off a little. 

4. Buff toe nails. I use a regular buffer and just swipe it over the toe nail to even them out. Just a quick swipe. Toe nails have lots of ridges and your polish will look more even if you buff the top of your toe nails.

5. File your whole foot. This is my favorite part. I use my foot file and slowly go over the bottom and side of my feet. You see all that white in the picture below? That's all the dead skin my foot file removed. Result? Super soft feet.

6. Apply lotion and massage into the skin. After I file my feet, I rinse them off, dry them and then apply my moisturizer. This part is heaven. I really massage the lotion in. I take my time and work the heels since that's the part that really suffers from wearing flip-flops constantly. I keep this moisturizer by my bed and apply to my feet every night! 

7. Nail polish time! I love red nail polish for my toes. I love how the red stands out on my tan feet. I feel sexy and put together with red toe nails so red is always my go-to pedicure color! Now, applying nail polish is scary for some but all it take is practice. Put on your toe separators, dip the brush into the polish, brush off the excess on the side of the bottle and apply in three strokes. One down the middle and one on each side. Then you move onto the next nail. Once you have applied one coat on each nail, start over with the second coat. Make sure you use two coats, you don't want your nail polish to be chipping off right away! If you get polish on the front or sides of your toe nails, it's OK. Keep going!

8. Remove excess polish. This is where my handy-dandy nail polish remover pen comes in. I don't have to worry about a bottle of polish or cotton balls. I hold the stick just like a pen, swipe it over the excess polish and VOILA! Clean toes!

9. Apply top coat. After you clean up and your nail polish has dried a bit, it's time for top coat. Please take the extra 2 minutes and apply top coat. It really finishes the look and helps your polish stay on longer. All you need is one coat, applied in three strokes just like the nail polish and you're done!

It really is easy to do an at-home pedicure. It just takes a little bit of practice but I promise you, once you get the hang of it, you will never have yucky feet again!!

Amopé products are available at Target in the foot care aisle and right now Target has some special promotions going on through 11/22!

• Target gift card offer: 11/9 - 11/22 purchase one Pedi Perfect and receive a $5 Target gift card
• Cartwheel offer: 11/2 - 11/22 for 10% off: http://cartwheel.target.com/offer/20184

Do you do at-home pedicures? Any tips to share?

Take Charge of Your Health: Essential Screenings for Women!

As a daughter, sister, aunt, partner and mom, I am all too familiar with the caretaker role. I take care of everyone around me on a daily basis. I make sure that people are fed, taking vitamins, house is clean and everyone gets up and active. I make sure there are yearly wellness checks and twice yearly dental visits for all, but what about me? I barely remember to take a vitamin and exercise? I haven't done that in months! I am too busy taking care of everyone else. Since it's October, there is a big focus on women's health everywhere you look. I have taken notice and decided that I need to make a change. If I want to continue being there for others, I need to take care of myself first! But where to start? A trip to the doctor's office!

ESSENTIAL SCREENINGS FOR WOMEN

1. YEARLY WELLNESS EXAM: Make an annual appointment and visit your doctor. Make it a priority. Most diseases that affect women usually don't have any noticeable symptoms so get to your doctor, at least once a year, and just talk. Let them know what it going on in your life. Your provider can treat any new or ongoing health problems and prevent future ones from developing. 

2. BREAST CANCER SCREENINGS: Even if you self-check, there comes a time in a woman's life where you need to get screened. If you have a yearly wellness visit, the doctor will examine you but one day, the mammogram will come. Women ages 50 to 74 should have biennial breast cancer screenings. Younger than 50? Talk to your doctor about when or if you need to get screened.

3. CERVICAL CANCER SCREENINGS: The Pap test is a simple test that checks for changes in the cervix. If detected early, chances of curing cervical cancer are very high. I had a friend find out in her early 20's that she had cervical cancer. The doctors caught it early, it was cured and she recently had her first baby! Cervical cancer screenings and pelvic exams are encouraged for women 21 to 65 years old, every three years. 

4. DENTAL EXAM: Schedule a dental appointment every 6 months. This is so important for a healthy smile and mouth. These checkups will help keep your teeth and gums healthy! 

There are many more screenings (Bone Density, Colorectal exams, etc.), but at my age, these are the most essential to me! Now it's time to call my doctor and take charge of my health!!

DISCLOSURE: The opinions in this article are my own. I do not work for, or with, any brand mentioned in this article, nor do I have any official relationship with them.  I have a relationship with GigaSavvy, for whom I create original editorial content.

Unstoppable Moms!

I wrote this post as part of my participation in a blog tour for The Motherhood on behalf of the makers of Children's MOTRIN® and received compensation to thank me for taking the time to participate. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Are you an unstoppable mom? Of course you are! Moms do it all! I know personally, I feel like I just don't have enough time in the day to do all I want and/or need to do. My children come first and sometimes I feel like a browser with 300 tabs open simultaneously. Being a mother is definitely a job that I was not ready for, I thought I was but I have needed help along the way. Who better to get this help from than my own unstoppable mom!

My mom is a mom to four and grandmother to 3! She is a strong, opinionated woman. If you ask her what her greatest achievement has been in life she will tell you "being a mother." She always put us above anything and everything else. She raised us right and continues to this day. She is old-school and doesn't play around but is as nurturing as can be to her grandkids. In 2006 when I gave birth to Adrian, she did everything she needed to do to show me how to be a mother to my child. To this day, she is my rock and the person I go to for advice. Sometimes we don't see eye to eye but it's what makes our relationship grow. We learn from each other. We support each other and love each other so much. I am so grateful for her and so lucky she is my mom! She is the true definition of an Unstoppable Mom!!

Have you heard of the Unstoppable Moms campaign? It's this amazing campaign where the makers of Children’s MOTRIN^® are asking Moms to post their tips and tricks to the MOTRIN^® Facebook page under each week’s Kelly Ripa question video and for every post, Children’s MOTRIN^® will donate $1 to Safe Kids Worldwide, a global nonprofit that provides moms with the tips they need to help keep their children safe.  Moms could even win weekly giveaways of $100 gift cards just for posting.*

• *NO PURCHASE NECESSARY, OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES & D.C., 18 AND OLDER. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Promotion ends 11:59p.m. ET 12/28/14.  Sponsor will donate $1 for each approved Submission made as part of the promotion, with a minimum donation of $30,000 and a maximum donation of $50,000.  For Official Rules, and complete details, visit www.unstoppablemoms.com. Sponsor: McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc.  To learn more about Safe Kids Worldwide visit safekids.org.

Work Smarter, Not Harder With A New Tablet & T-Mobile Free Data!!

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and ts advertiser. All opinions are mine alone! #TabletTrio #CollectiveBias

As a full-time working mom with three kids, I don't always have time to sit for an hour in front of my computer and create a post or scroll Pinterest. When I get out of work, I have to rush and do after-care pick ups and then extracurriculars on top of making dinner and bedtime. I'm exhausted at the end of the day and the last thing I want to do is sit at the computer. I want to go to bed!! I tried to blog on my phone but would either run out of battery or run up my data plan. I also tried to use my kids tablets but you try to pry a tablet out of the hand of a child! Almost impossible.  I needed my own tablet! After some research, I found the Trio AXS with T-Mobile Free Data. Yup, you read that correctly: FREE DATA!!

I wanted my tablet right away! I didn't want to wait any longer. I headed to Walmart, walked all the way to the back where the Entertainment section is and found the T-Mobile Trio AXS 4G tablet. Best part? It was only $179!!! Under $200 and free data? Sold!

Did I mention that this tablet comes with free data for life? The tablet includes the Free Data for Life Plan- 200mb of free data each month for the life of the tablet on T-Mobile's advanced nationwide 4G network! Need more data? No problem! T-Mobile and Walmart offer affordable, flexible and coverage free tablet data plans for every type of user.

I unboxed my tablet as soon as I got home. It was fully charged so all I had to do was turn it on, sync it to my gmail and started browsing. It was so lightweight and easy to navigate. If you can navigate a smartphone, you can navigate this tablet. I used it all weekend. I would sneak out in the morning to my patio with a cup of coffee and scroll Pinterest for recipe ideas. 

I also worked on some blog posts out by the pool while the kids were swimming. I was able to work and keep an eye on them. Oh and for the first time ever, I am actually excited for the work week. I'm just going to slip the tablet in my purse and pull it out while at Adrian's Tae Kwon Do class, basketball practice or Amberly's art class. 

This is going to revolutionize my blogging! I'm definitely going to work smarter, not harder now! Oh and kids, this is mama's tablet! Just try prying this from my hands!!

Do you own a tablet? Has it made blogging easier?