Growing up BLACKXICAN

Happy Valentine's Day GUB friends

2012-02-14T16:16:00.000-08:00

Hello GUB friends,

It's been a busy Month! I have currently been busy with a couple of crafting projects. I am excited to share some news with you soon.

I've also been busy these past couple of days enjoy the NY TOY FAIR and learning about new products that I am sure you will all love. I have been on the hunt for some great preschool aged games and activities as well as bilingual education toys and books. I have some really good giveaways coming soon so stay tuned!

I hope you have all had a fantastic Valentine's day. As you know the hubs is away but SKYPE has become our best friends the kids surprised me with a beautiful card and we have been crafting like crazy. Just look at our wall full of colorful loving crafts.

Happy Valentine's Day

Black History: Bessie Coleman

2012-02-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

image source

We got a little late start on Black History Month crafts this year since dad was leaving. We finally got started yesterday while we discussed the Brave Bessie Coleman.

I read a little about her from Nick Jr Printables and little man immediately was intrigued when i mentioned planes!

I decided to share a video as well to get them to understand a little more why Bessie Coleman was so important.

source

For our craft I found inspiration from a post of clothes pin crafts. It was the perfect craft to have them appreciate Bessie and her love for flying.

I Heart Minnie pre-screening party giveaway

2012-02-06T09:52:00.000-08:00

Little Man and Little Lady had a special surprise this weekend. Their cousins are finally back from Japan! This was the first time they met Little Lady so of course it was super special. We had to celebrate big since this is just the beginning of their new friendship!

It was a good thing we had the pre-screening of I♥Minnie! Disney Junior's Mickey's Club House newest DVD!

With several episodes about Friendship and Fun, the kids learned what it means to be surprised and to have a friend to count on.

I love how every episode is filled with things the kids can identify like shapes,colors and feelings!This is DVD is perfect for your preschooler.

We also had Minnie Heart Cakes to decorate!

They were super Yummy and paired with some strawberry ice cream.

And we did some Minnie Activity sheets too!

Click the heart image below with the words "Free Printables" to download some of your own!

*******GIVEAWAY*******

Want to win a copy for yourself?

One lucky reader can win I Heart Minnie DVD+Digital Copy !

Mandatory Entry:

Answer the question and be a follower on GFC

What does Friendship mean to you?

Let us know by answering via comment on this post and leave your email to be contacted if you win!

Additional Entries- Leave a separate comment for each entry

1. Follow us on Twitter

2. Follow us on FACEBOOK

3.Tweet: I just entered to win I Heart Minnie DVD+Digital Copy via @Rubydw enter here http://bit.ly/zPXbzw #giveaway

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years + ONLY

giveaway ends February 10, 2012

11:59pm EST

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org

Winner will be emailed!

That's not all download other free SPANISH Printables

click images to download!

Remember I heart Minnie in stores Feb. 7th 2012
For more information on I Heart Minnie visit here

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post all of the information above are my true and honest opinions. We were given a copy of the movie for review and party pack. The giveaway is being provided by the company.

Daddy is gone!

2012-02-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

The Hubs is finally gone for training. This was our last picture before he left. The kids really didn't know what was going on but we tried to explain to them all week what was going to happen on the weekend. Of course being the super emotional person I am I knew it was best to stick around only for a little while since the hubs family had come by to drop off some last minute things I felt ok leaving before he got on the bus. I also know the kids would freak out much like what happened when we drove off.

As I had expected the evening got harder at bed time. Little man would hear the door and would jump "my dad is here my dad is here" I'd have to go over to him and again remind him daddy wasn't going to be coming any time soon but when he did he would be bringing back surprises. As i went to tuck them in he again started "I miss my dad I love him come back dad why did you leave me." You can imagine at this point how my heart was breaking. It was a matter of time before little lady figured out what was happening and started crying her self. We spoke to him a bit thru skype and I think it only made it worse.

Overall I think I am taking this time apart much better. It hurts to see the kiddos hurt and want dad but i know i can handle this . I have an amazing group of friends and family supporting us and keeping us positive. I am thankful for them all.

Movie Night: Lady and the Tramp giveaway + Printables

2012-02-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

Lady and the Tramp is back on Feb. 7th in a Blu Ray and DVD combo pack!!!
If you're family is anything like mine then you know we have VHS, DVD , and now Blu Ray collection of Disney Classics.

We had the pleasure of celebrating the new release Diamond Edition combo pack and we went all out for the kiddos with an activity, dinner and a movie.

We started off with Lady and the Tramp Valentine cards. (Get your free printable below!) The kids loved personalizing and cutting them out.

Later we made Lady and the Tramp Meatballs!!! We altered the recipe a little by using whole wheat spaghetti and ground turkey. They were Delicious! Get your free recipe card below.

(available only in Spanish) for English check out this version!

The movie was better than what I remembered watching as a kid. Little man and Little lady loved all the "puppies" in the movie. They were so excited when they realized the "puppies" were eating the same thing they were.

As a parent, you hope one day your kids will get to enjoy the things you did as a child. I am extremely happy with the combo pack. It gave us great family time. The picture was clear and clean. We even watched it in Spanish! It was a great to see never before seen deleted scenes and deleted songs! As well as all the other extras like my favorite "remembering Dad" where Walt Disney's Daughter talks about her father.

Now how about a chance to win a copy for yourself?

One lucky reader can win a Lady and the Tramp Blu-Ray + DVD combo pack!

Mandatory Entry:
Answer the question and be a follower on GFC
What is your favorite Disney Movie?
Let us know by answering via comment on this post and leave your email to be contacted if you win!

Additional Entries- Leave a separate comment for each entry

1. Follow us on Twitter

2. Follow us on FACEBOOK

3.Tweet: I just entered to win a Lady and the Tramp Blu-ray +DVD combo pack via @Rubydw visit http://bit.ly/AgnYu8 to enter.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years + ONLY

giveaway ends February 7, 2012

11:59pm EST

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org

Winner will be emailed!

That's not all Download a FREE copy of Lady and the Tramp Digital Book too.
Available in English and Spanish!

For more information on Lady and the Tramp visit here
or follow them on Facebook and Twitter

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post all of the information above are my true and honest opinions. We were given a copy of the movie for review. The giveaway is being provided by the company.

Thumbprint art

2012-02-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

Recently with the heartbreaking situation of our external hard drive being out of commission I of course get the crafty bug. I went thru my "collection" of tools and materials in hopes of feeding this sudden urge to get crafty with my paper crafts.

When the ink pads I had rarely used were found I knew we had to do something super fun.

I use to love making thumbprint people as a kid. Doodling and letting my imagination run wild.

Little man is at that stage where he can imagine anything I hear him singing songs and talking to his sister about make believe things. I LOVE IT!

I decided to go ahead and cut some paper into small squares and let them get messy or as I like to call it creative.

I helped little lady out a bit but little man was doing great at adding eyes and hands and feet. It so cute as he named out who he was creating.

One of the greatest books I use to look through for inspiration was this book here ;

While I dont own a copy of it anymore I am glad websites like this one here feature some of the great art he use to do. I think I will pick up a copy for the kids later anyways.

Have you ever created thumbprint art?

See you later

2012-01-31T15:48:00.000-08:00

I've been dreading this post for a while now. I am currently suffering through a virus that seems everyone around me is getting I figured now would be the perfect time to pour my heart out since I am stuck in bed.

As many of you know we moved to New Jersey after serving 8 years in the military. The change was fast and drastic far from anything we were accustom to or prepared for. After much soul searching and dreaming hunting the hubs and I settled and went over our options.

There were days where all I wanted to do was pack up my things and move back to California with the kids. I was homesick and I didn't like anything that was around me because it wasn't "home" It was stressful.

The hubs joined the military straight after high school so with no prior work experience job hunting wasn't easy. Job hunting for me was a piece of cake and work flowed but not with the high expectations I had. The hubs finally decided to attend school and training for his CDL and we are now preparing for a big career change.

We knew truck driving would be similar to the military but trust me when I tell you that nothing can prepare you from going from a 2 parent house hold to 1.

I went thru many underways (mini deployments) and a deployment before having kids while the hubs was in the military. The hardest part was communicating and worrying for your significant others safety. I was lucky to have gotten preggo both times while the hubs was on shore duty(off a ship on land) He was never away from home for more than 48hrs and the kids were so small that they probably wouldn't have noticed anyways. If anything happened while he was away my family and friends were just a call away.

Now we are preparing for him to leave for some training and we won't be seeing him for about 8 weeks. I am nervous and anxious to see what it will be like for him to be away especially since he will be on the road a good 45 days.

Though I have always been pretty independent being in a new state away from my family is scary. I am lucky to have the hubs family but still all is unfamiliar. I fear getting stuck on the side of the road with a flat or having to take the kids to the ER alone. Most of all I fear the nights the kids will freak out because daddy isn't home to give them a hug and kiss goodnight.

I am sad to see him go but i know this will be something great for us.

It's a matter of days before daddy is gone and we must now learn to say "see you later" for the first of many times that will come.

Cooking with Momma: Sopes!

2012-01-26T20:32:00.000-08:00

My amiga Ericka from Nibbles and Feasts made these delicious looking Gorditas over at her blog. I knew I had to make some soon since I had some MASECA still in the pantry.
I had been craving carne deshebrada (shredded beef) for a while now and since I'm not the best cook around here I had to call my Tias in Cali to help me out. I new that this dish would be perfect to fulfill my craving

Thankfully the whole process was easy, including the videos Ericka posted to help make the dough for the we went with sopes instead.Still, they were super delicious and the family was happy and fed!

The kids even helped out to flatten the dough balls a little. They thought it was playdoh but once they figured out we were going to eat them they were tempted to eat the raw dough! It didn't happen though.

P.S. I have been absent from our blog for 2 big reasons 1. their is some major changes happening to our family that I will share with you soon. and 2. my computer external hard drives have crashed on me :( and my mouse broke too. So not our week here at GUB nonetheless the family is healthy and all is well...

DISCLOSURE: I was not compensated by any means to write about MASECA or for making this food although the hubs was tempted to pay me since it was that good. All the above as always are my true and honest statements.

It's A Small World app

2012-01-23T15:31:00.000-08:00

It's no surprise that we love Disney, so when we were given the chance to check out Disney's brand new It's a small world app we were totally excited!

As you may recall we love all things Disney and the kids just visited Disneyland last year. One of their favorite rides was indeed It's a small world.

This App is the perfect activity to keep them entertained and excited to visit the park again later this year!

The animation is not only cute but so colorful and interactive.

The kids love to play in sing along mode but you can also tap and play anytime throughout the app.

In the end they even teach you how to say hello in 16 different languages!

Little man loves to pop all the balloons while visiting London.

Little lady enjoys filling up the plate with tortilla chips while visiting Mexico.

Every time the kids explore the app they discover new things.

We recommend the app for all toddlers and preschoolers.

Whether you choose to just watch, listen & enjoy the ride or engage in the interactive fun the app will bring you as much joy as the ride does!

The app retails for $3.99 on iTunes and is available for

iPad | iPhone| iPod touch

For more information on the App click here

Disclosure: The app was provided to us however we were not compensated for review. The above are my true and honest opinions of the app.

Trying mobile

2012-01-20T11:14:00.001-08:00

I finally gave in to try blogger app.

We are currently out and about running errands so i thought this would be a perfect time to try it out.

We are expecting crazy weather tonight too. Another reason we decided to bundle up and go out now rather than tomorrow when the streets will be white with snow.

Though we've only been out for about an hour, this picture is what it looks like in our back seat right now.

I also wanted to share a review we've done for Multicultural Familia on an awesome site, Criss Cross Mangosauce, specializing in bilingual programs for kids!
http://www.multiculturalfamilia.com/2012/01/20/bilingual-education-review-criss-cross-mangosauce/

Have an awesome Friday!

Picture time

2012-01-19T12:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the kiddos had a photoshoot with the hubs. As you may know he does our photos here at GUB as well as blogging over at blackcameraaction.com , so we decided to get our Valentine shoot done.

The kids were really good they not only cooperated but played around. I am super happy to share. It makes me sad to see how much and how fast they are growing just look this was them last year.

Now this is them just yesterday!

Have you started on any Valentine's day preparations?

Happy MLK Day!

2012-01-16T20:51:00.000-08:00

I've had the privilege to visit the memorial of Dr. King,Jr back when I attended a conference. Though it was our wish to take the kids to visit shortly after, our trip is yet to happen.

Today I looked over at my husband and asked him, how do you explain to kids who MLK was and what he did? Is it too early to start sharing. I've always shared with our kids our differences and how special they are. Little man and little lady are very smart and they know that daddy and mommy aren't the same but how do you explain that mommy and daddy would have been punished for interacting if it wasn't for MLK standing up and fighting for equality.

While i thought about how I wanted to celebrate with them this year I thought equality, love, and family should be our topic. With that the kids, dad and I sat and created this project.

This little book project consists of a family picture, a picture of our hands, a self portrait of the kids, and a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr the kids colored. We explained that a heart means love and they are very loved by mom and dad. We explained that our family is different colors but we are all the same. Little man said moms hand is white like me. It caught me off guard but I replied yes its light colored but we are the same as daddy and little lady. We are all special and we are all loved.

We also had a birthday this weekend the hubs and his twin brother are MLK babies. Just last year we shared birthday wishes with his brother via skype this year he was home and the kids each blew the candles out with their uncle and daddy.

I leave you with this quote:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."-Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr

A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures (Movie Review)

2012-01-12T21:34:00.000-08:00

Recently we had the chance to review this cute movie about a turtle named Sammy who gives up at nothing when it comes to his dreams and friendship.

Sammy is a turtle who hatches on the beautiful beaches of Baja, California. We all know turtles live for many years so its no surprise Sammy went on a 50 year journey and encountered a lot in his life.

During his journey, he meets friends and loses them too. He stops at nothing to try and find them again as well as overcoming obstacles to fulfill his dreams of traveling around the world. Sammy's tale is based off the actual course of a sea turtles life.

The story is sweet and entertaining. While the kids attention span is very short, they watched it through and really did enjoy it and even asked to watch it again.

Watch the trailer here:

We Recommend this movie for a family night and for kids ages 3 and up.

A Turtle's tale is available Now on iTunes for $9.99 here

Disclosure: We were not compensated for this post. Movie was provided to us for review. All of the above are our true and honest statements.

Healthy food

2012-01-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

Keeping my family healthy has become a greater priority lately. The kids started asking for treats after each meal and honestly, it caught me off guard! By treats I mean cookies, apples, cheese, peanut butter crackers- a combination of good and bad. When I realized then I had been doing the one thing I had promised myself I would never do which is reward my kids with food. I felt horrible. Regardless if it was healthy food it is not the way I wanted them to build a relationship with food. I can’t recall when this began but I knew I had to fix it pronto! I remember the times when I would get angry at my parents for giving my kids junk. I felt horrible because here I was doing just that.

I decided to trace back my steps and see why we had been eating out so much or buying junk food and not enough fresh food.

I realized then that there was no plan, no organization, and no access to healthy living. It’s like we fell off the great healthy start we were on.

As a Latina, I was raised eating deep fried everything and starches with every meal. I do things differently then i was raised to so everything is a learning experience. I know I have changed before and I knew I need to go back to what worked. We had already done the switch from white to brown, or should i say whole wheat. Our bread, rice and pasta are still whole wheat!

I remembered the reasons we joined the gym, we changed our eating habits and why we wanted to be healthier when we moved to NJ. We didn’t have health problems but I know diabetes runs in my family. We just wanted to be happier.

Especially for me the change was important. I didn’t want to feel tired when chasing my kids out doors. I didn’t want to feel so full that I felt sleepy right after and I didn’t want to feel hungry late at night because I had skipped a meal and had no snacks!

It is not about losing the weight although that is a plus. I have always been the chubby kid and i'm ok with that.

I finally came up with a plan. I decided that again our meals will be planned. Our snacks will come out of a snack box I would put together and a grocery list will be made based off our meal plans. Fresh produce will be purchased weekly and our fridge will have a water pitcher in it.

We will also be renewing our membership to the gym later this month the great part about it is the kids get to come. They get to see mom and dad work out as they do some unknown working out themselves in the jungle gym.

I must also share change doesn't come over night. I also learned that depriving your body of something only makes life and matters worse. I believe in portion control and I believe in calorie counting. For now we will be working on including the good foods and eliminating most of the eating out and junk. That doesn't mean that We won't a joy a cookie or ice cream scoop now and then.

Our goal is to be happy and healthy and of course consume food for what it is... fuel for our body!

Here is the menu plan that has worked before.Obviously each week is different:
We use to do monthly plans not as detailed but with at least one meal this worked but still wasn't the healthy way to go. I feel week plans or even 2 weeks works best!

Here a snack box idea from REAL SIMPLE that we will be trying this time. We will be having 3 snacks a day again instead of just 1 or 2:

One for the pantry one for the refrigerator.

[image source]

How do you stay healthy? What works and what doesn't?

Disclosure: This is a LATISM sponsored campaign to support heathy living in the Latino community. All the above are my true and honest opinions.

Family Movie Night under $24

2012-01-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

This past weekend the hubs and I went to the movies and paid $12 each. Given it was a new release but when you have a family of 4 the price of going to the movies as a family can cause some damage to your pockets. This is why we decided to take on what we like to call "the family movie night challenge". The hubs and I both agreed to go to the store for a one stop shop Family Movie Night!

We decided to go to Walmart since our store is open 24hrs and we were heading there after a late dinner. It was the closest store to us as well.

We picked up Wall-E from the Family Movie Night Display where it was a close call between that and Ice Age! We also got a bucket of Popcorn, cracker jack (3pack) Movie box candy M&M's, gummi bears(for mama) and Sparkling flavored water.

We had a successful shopping experience and GREAT movie night! The kids enjoyed themselves in the comfort of our home. If they got up it wasn't an issue and we had total control of the lighting! They had unlimited amounts of treats and drink. Dad and I never missed a part in the movie if we had to get up. Bonus- We now own one of our favorite movies!

Disclosure: I documented my Shopping experience to submit for a group application however store, products and series of events were to my discretion. I was NOT compensated for purchases or for this post. All opinions are my own.

Celebracion de Reyes

2012-01-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

My amiga from LaFamiliaCool had invited us to celebrate Reyes Magos in NYC. We didn't expect the event to go quite as it did but it was very fun overall. From music to Hispanic goodies for sale to los reyes giving out gifts the event was very nice.

I love that the kids got to take a picture with Reyes Magos they were so excited. The best part was that La Familia Cool's AbiCool and our kids got to bond and share this special moment.

After the event we headed over to a near by fastfood place to catch a bite and of course to cut the ROSCA LafamiliaCool had brought to share with us. This was really cool because I grew up eating Rosca and looking for the baby Jesus! I have yet to find the Baby in my piece of bread but I am glad the kids and I were able to share this treat with our friends.
Mil gracias Amiga for bringing this for us. We truly enjoyed our time with you as always. Can't wait to see La Familia Cool again!!!
Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend!
Feliz Reyes if you are still celebrating!

Feliz Reyes

2012-01-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

As you can see there are no gifts this years. The kids are seriously blessed with lots of love and they have already been spoiled rotten during Christmas.We did arts and crafts ahead of time and have been really talking about who the Reyes are. This year we will be doing things a little different with a trip to New York.

So,we are off to New York for a Celebracion de Reyes with our friends from La Familia Cool!
We will be indulging in some delicious Rosca and showing the kids what this tradition is all about...
LOVE, CELEBRATION, & FAMILY

We hope you have an amazing Dia de Reyes if you do celebrate.

P.S. Head on over to SPANGLISHBABY.com to view our latest craft! Click the image below for step by step directions! This makes an awesome last minute craft for today!

Feliz Reyes

Wordless Wednesday: Merry Go Round

2012-01-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

Blacktino Film

2012-01-03T22:59:00.000-08:00

I hope this film makes it big! Only because it's a story that needs to be told because I know one day my kids will be faced with such events of being a "mixed" kid that doesn't fit in.

If there's one I've herd consistently with blackxicans is that at some point there is a struggle of not fitting in. Its a scary thought to think my kids will one day be face with not being "Black" enough or "Mexican" enough.

I think as parent knowing your child can be bullied for something that is ultimately your fault, in the sense of having found love outside my culture, is heartbreaking.

In an interview with the director of this film he states that the "blacktino" was struggling in school to fit in and was only accepted into theater because that's where all the outcast go. It kinda made me feel weird. Not accepted and being an outcast is nothing I've ever been faced with because even being the chubby kid in school i always had family around and i always knew how to stand my ground. I'd like to think it was my awesome outgoing attitude but i'll never really know.

On the other hand i'm excited to have a film like this exist where a "blacktino" is the main character.

What are your thoughts on the film trailer?

p.s. Big thanks to my Amiga @textdrivebys for always keeping me in the know of anything black and mexican :) love ya girl!

Countdown to Noon!

2012-01-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

It's officially 2012! We had an amazing time celebrating the beginning of the year.
Much like last year, we took the kids to the Please Touch Museum in Philly for their Countdown to Noon event Where little man and little lady held up their number 1's and yelled out "Happy Noon Year" Their was great entertainment and music again by Louie Miranda and his band.

We also were able to enjoy the museum before the big countdown! The kids truly enjoy the water station. Its always hard to pull them away from there. We also explored the transportation station where the kids pretended to drive little cars and even ride the bus!
They also have this really cool new magnetic wall that kids were busy sticking shapes and letters. My favorite of course the pretend play of what looked like a typical Lunch Truck! Little man pretended to be making sandhiwches as little lady was busy asking for "milk, peanut butter & jelly and cheeze-its" heehee!

Overall the celebration was a nice one. The kids had a blast at the museum early in the day and went to sleep over grandma's for the night so dad and I can enjoy ringing in the new year with the adults!

Happy 2012!

Our top 11 of 2011

2011-12-31T15:41:00.000-08:00

I have to share that this year has been an amazing one for my family and myself personally. I was able to be a part of different projects and events that took our blog to a whole new level. I was able to work from home to spend time with my kids. I traveled the most I have ever sometimes with the kids other times alone. They were able to experience things they might not have if it wasn't for this awesome blogging community!

I was able to attend 3 conferences this year in San Diego, DC, and Chicago! I became a contributor of 2 awesomely major sites; Multicultural Family and SpanglishBaby. I also became Co-Director of LATISM Philly chapter all because i chose to follow my dreams!

Thank you to all our GUB readers and friends! You are like family, we are thankful for the constant support!

Christmas Re-Cap

2011-12-27T10:38:00.000-08:00

We hope you're Christmas was as sweet as ours! Though we are still trying to get back into the swing of things, we can't wait for this year to end and for the new year to start!
I will be posting irregularly this week and next but should be back to the normal posting schedule once the new year starts!

Our Christmas Eve was very busy! We visited Santa late this year so we spent most of the morning waiting in a line to see him. Overall the visit was great. I wish my little ones had smiled a little more though.

We also had the chance to Skype with my family from CA they were busy preparing for the holidays in Tijuana! I wanted to be there so bad but having a long conversation that included Christmas Carols was by far the next best thing! I love my family and little man and little lady were excited to see their uncles, Nina, and of course Grandma and Papuchoni!
The best part was when Papuchoni dressed up as Santa for the kids. They were a lot more giggly then the morning Santa visit! My dad was an amazing Santa!!!

Christmas morning was a very warm one for us. The kids woke up looked at the gifts under the tree and just starred. We had to encourage them to touch and open the gifts.

Santa was very Eco-friendly this year. Wish less than half of his gifts wrapped lol. OK so i waited til last minute to wrap. I decided to use brown paper bags, markers and tape to make these cool reindeer gifts! My inspiration came from a you tube video I saw... sorry can't member the name :/

The kids got their requested "spider man & da da dora ipads" they wanted leap pads and so we went crazy looking for them but finally got our hands on them. They also got these adorable matching Monkey sleeping bags.

Later that evening the family came over for dinner. The kids were yet again spoiled rotten by grandmommy. pop pop, uncle yeye(hubs twin brother) and uncle and aunty!

The hubs twin is finally back in town and so the kids have been having a blast hanging out with him. When the kids finally saw him they were confused because they knew who he was off of skype but hadnt been around him since little man was 7months(little lady wasn't even born yet) they warmed up to him quick. Now they enjoy being spoiled by him. The rest of the night was amazing.

We finished it off with some fun gaming on the Nintendo Wii. We played the new mario and even the bowling! I happened to win yay! The whole family was included and cheering on each others teams! Stay tuned for a post with video of us having a blast!

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T07:21:00.000-08:00

We hope that your holidays are merry and bright!

♥The GUB Family

Show you care with a share!

2011-12-22T07:09:00.000-08:00

As the end of the year approaches and the holiday spirit is well around us, I like to take a moment to reflect all the blessings my family has received and been a part of.

My family is together, we have a roof over our heads and my kids are growing healthy not many can say that as the end of the year is near.

Which is why it is very important to give as much as we can when we can. Sometimes a simple action is sufficient for change.

As many of you know, Ronald McDonald House Charities is very dear to me. They are currently in a campaign for donations from Sharecare, an online health and wellness platform co-founded by Dr. Oz, that has already guaranteed a 5,000 donation but would be willing to double their donation if we can reach a goal of 100k fans on their Sharecare facebook page in return.

Sharecare is happy to support the Ronald McDonald House Charities® this holiday season by providing a donation to help continue care given to families and children who are battling illness.The Facebook campaign started December 12th and runs through December 31st (11:59 PM ET).

The goal is to reach 100K fans on Sharecare and in return – Sharecare will donate $10,000 to the Ronald McDonald House charities.

End the year on a good note! Visit http://www.facebook.com/SharecareNow and give a LIKE to help support the Ronald McDonald House charities!

DISCLOSURE: I was asked to share the following information because I care about RMHC. I was not and will not be compensated to share about RMHC. The above are my true and honest opinions. Though I was sponsored by McDonald's recently my relationship with them did not alter or affect what is stated in this post.

A Magical Christmas Story-time giveaway

2011-12-21T08:52:00.000-08:00

There really isn't anything better then cuddle story time with the kiddos. Lately with all the holiday madness it's really the only time where we get to settle and relax before bed time.

Our latest favorite is a book by Disney called A Magical Christmas.

This book is very cute and keeps the kids interested with its bright colored pages and most loved characters. The best part is all the movable pictures!

The kids enjoy watching characters like Ariel and Wall-E move around as I read their stories.

Other favorite characters in the book are from films such as Finding Nemo, Cars, Lady and the Tramp, and other favorites.

This book is perfect for ages 3-7 with board book type pages perfect for my little preschooler hands.

When i'm not reading to them they still enjoy looking at the pictures and even encourages imagination. I have caught them many times making up their own stories to the movable pictures.

This is definitely a great addition to the kids growing library.

Now you too can have a chance to add it to your library!

One lucky GUB reader can win a copy of Disney's A Magical Christmas!

Simply comment below and don't forget to leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win!

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years + ONLY

giveaway ends December 24, 2011

11:59pm EST

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org

Winner will be emailed!

Disclosure: A copy of the book was given to us for review. The giveaway book was also provided. We were not compensated for this post. All of the above are my true and honest opinions.

Congrats to the Winners!!!

2011-12-19T20:40:00.000-08:00

Thank You to everyone who participated in this months giveaways!
The most recent winners for the following giveaways are as followed:

$50 Gift Card for Home Depot: Comment #5 Tara

La Lechera Holiday Gift Package: Comment #14 Sonia

$20 Gift Card: Comment #9 Melissa

$15 Gift Card: Comment #10 Brittany

English GUB Favorites: Comment #2 Amy

Spanish GUB Favorites: Comment #5 SweetDulceLife

$25 Gift Card: Picture #1 Laura

Congrats to all the winners. All winners have been emailed!

Thanks again to all those who entered be on the look out for a couple more giveaways before the end of the year!!!

The New Family Game night!

2011-12-19T08:34:00.000-08:00

It's no surprise that my kids are already loving Super Mario. You can imagine what are fun times consist of with a dad who is a gamer and a mom who loves Mario too.

While we are very cautions what the kids see or play on TV, Mario has always been one of those games that you can forever love and want to play. It's for the young and old.

Growing up game night was playing a board game with my 3 brothers and having our parents watch us argue over who needs to pay up boardwalk fees or watching us go thru a deck of cards 3xs while playing a card game.

As I now have my own little family and board games are still quite fun, our game night has a totally different dynamic. We now include video games and it's really going to be the meaning of game night for the next generation.

Little man and little lady are only 3 and 2 years old but even they have already got the hang of holding the remote.

What makes it even better is all 4 of us can play. While dad usually out lives us all in the game, we can continue to be a part of the game as we follow in a bubble and another member of our group can even pop it and put us right back into the game. I love this new idea because it allows the kids to still be a part even if their gaming skills aren't' the best.

We had the chance to try out the new Wii recently and we absolutely love it. Being owners of the original white Wii console, we really expected the same thing but we were a bit surprised to find new perks. The new black Wii doesn't stand like the older model, it already comes with the downloaded internet and Nintendo channels.

The New Super Mario Bros. Bundle pack includes Wii game, Mario Galaxy soundtrack, a black Wii Remote™ Plus controller and a black Nunchuk™ controller. The best part is you get all this for $149.99! That is a super deal!!!

The hubs and I have been telling our family and friends all about it.We like to say it is a great last minute Christmas Gift for any family.

Stay tuned for our family game night video after the holidays. We will be using our Wii during Christmas when all our friends and family come for dinner.

For more information visit www.nintendo.com/wii

Disclosure: We were given the New Nintendo Wii Bundle for review. I was not compensated for this post. As always, the above are my true and honest opinions.

Ensure your child’s success!GIVEAWAY #GUBBASH

2011-12-16T09:56:00.000-08:00

"Ensure your child’s success! Read aloud together everyday!"

- Read Aloud Together Booklet

It has been an amazing week.

Thank you to everyone who has participated with us this week.

This has been by far our most rewarding Bloggy Birthday YET!

Make sure to enter all our giveaways. All giveaways end 12/18! (with the exception of today's)

Being an advocate for literacy and reading aloud takes great responsibility and passion.

I now know the gratitude and motivation my mother feels when engaging in such a great cause. I hope you will all continue to make reading a priority with your children as I vow to do the same.

I will continue to discuss this topic of reading throughout our blog in the near future.

Thank you to Kiwanis of Santa Ana, CA for providing us with the Read Aloud Together Booklet. If you haven't download you still can below.

I'd like to end this week with our last giveaway:

$25 Gift Card for Barnes & Noble

Mandatory Entry:

Upload a picture of you reading to a child on our Facebook page.

Whether you are a parent or not.

Just like the pictures displayed here

Maybe you are an awesome, Aunty who reads to you're nephew.

It takes a village to raise a child and so is true when it comes to reading.

Be sure to comment below stating you have done the above.

Leave the link & your email so I can contact you if you win

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years + ONLY
giveaway ends December 19, 2011
11:59pm EST
Winner will be chosen at random using random.org
Winner will be emailed!

Download a copy of the Read Aloud Together Booklet Here

Also available in Spanish, Leamos Juntos en Voz Alta Here

Our favorite Spanish Books GIVEAWAY(closed) #GUBBASH

2011-12-15T09:52:00.000-08:00

Continuing with our week of literacy and reading aloud! Here is our Spanish GUB Book List! Again, in no particular order. Make sure to enter our giveaway down below for more details!!!

One lucky GUB READER CAN WIN THESE 2 GUB FAVORITES FROM OUR SPANISH BOOK LIST!

To ENTER

Mandatory Entry:

Be a follower thru GFC &

Comment on this post answering the following question:

What are your thoughts about reading to a child in another language?

Be sure to leave your email so I can contact you if you win

Additional entries:

you must leave a separate comment for each entry

• "like" GUB on facebook AND write on our wall

• Follow me on twitter @rubydw

• Tweet on twitter: I just entered to win Spanish Books @RubyDW for #GUBBASH to promote literacy and Reading Aloud at http://www.growingupblackxican.com #giveaway

• Subscribe to Growingupblackxican.com through Email or RSS.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years + ONLY
giveaway ends December 18, 2011
11:59pm EST
Winner will be chosen at random using random.org
Winner will be emailed!

These are a few of our Favorite books-English GIVEAWAY(closed) #GUBBASH

2011-12-14T10:39:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to create a list of favorite GUB English Books! Little man and Little lady have tons of favorites but most of these have been read over and over!

Here they are listed in no particular order:

1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar 2. If you give a cat a cupcake 3. Don't let the pigeon drive the bus! 4. Where's Spot? 5. Guess how much I love you 6. Chick Chicka Boom Boom 7. It looked like Spilt Milk 8. The Rainbow Fish 9. Goodnight Moon 10. Just me and my Little sister

Now how about a free printable bookplate for you're own growing collection?

click on image to DOWNLOAD

One lucky GUB READER CAN WIN THESE 2 GUB FAVORITES FROM OUR ENGLISH BOOK LIST!

To ENTER

Mandatory Entry:

Be a follower thru GFC &

Comment on this post answering the following question:

At what age did you start reading to your child?

Be sure to leave your email so I can contact you if you win

Additional entries:

you must leave a separate comment for each entry

• "like" GUB on facebook AND write on our wall

• Follow me on twitter @rubydw

• Tweet on twitter: I just entered to win 2 Books @RubyDW for #GUBBASH to promote literacy and Reading Aloud at http://www.growingupblackxican.com #giveaway

• Subscribe to Growingupblackxican.com through Email or RSS.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years + ONLY
giveaway ends December 18, 2011
11:59pm EST
Winner will be chosen at random using random.org
Winner will be emailed!

DISCLOSURE: This is not a sponsored post. Giveaway is provided by GUB.

Read Aloud Together Daily giveaway(closed) #GUBBASH

2011-12-11T21:43:00.000-08:00

"SPEND TIME READING TO YOUR CHILD

It only takes 15 minutes a day. Parenting is not time saving . . .

It is time consuming and time investing!"

- Read Aloud Together Booklet

I wanted to share a few of my friends reading aloud to their kids. I doesn't matter where or when you read to your kids. They will always enjoy hearing you read and spending time with them!

See what my mom friends have to say. Some are even bloggers!!!

I encourage you to visit their awesome blogs too! (all linked below)

"I read aloud to my child because I love to see her reactions or I love to read to her."-momoftwo

"I read to my child aloud so that I can share with her my love of literature. I hope one day she loves to curl up to a great book as much as her momma does."- DeSuMama

"My daughter loves when I read with her. She climbs in my lap as if boarding a jet plane. I think she loves that each story always works out the same way. Each character says the same thing. You can see her mouthing the words and she laughs at the funny parts with such sweet anticipation. Children learn stability when they hear the story. Words can be so reliable."- Mommy Gratitude

"It's a relaxing way to get away from the television and it's a great way for my kids to learn new things."- Momma's Reviews

MamiTalks

Thoughts of a mommy

Spanglish Baby

The M Family

La Familia Cool

" I read to my child aloud so he will grow up to be a confident and curious reader"-Ezzy Languzzi

My 3 Ring Circus of a Life

Big Thank you to all the mom's who participated in this years #GUBBASH
Thank you for sharing this special moment with us!

Here are 30 Parent tips for Reading
from Los Angeles Times Read by 9 as inserted in the Read Aloud Together Booklets

1. Read to your child every day for at least 20 minutes.
2. Reading to your child in English or your native language shows that reading is important.
3. Keep books in an accessible place.
4. Give your child a set of plastic alphabet letters.
5. When reading, turn the pages slowly and ask your child to talk about the pictures in the story.
6. Label furniture and other household items.
7. Take you child to the local library for storytelling hour.
8. Take your child to the library to get a library card and to check out a book.
9. Encourage your child to read at home, as well as in school.
10. Keep books, magazines and newspapers around the house
11. Help your child find letters on cereal boxes9 food packages, sign, etc
12. Read a book to your child over and over again.
13. Encourage children to make their own books as gifts.
14. Read a magazine or newspaper with your child.
15. Give books to your child as a reward.
16. Restrict the time your child watches television.
17. Take books wherever you go.
18. Sing songs and read poems to your child.
19. Make sure your child sees you reading.
20. Young children will enjoy the time they spend reading with the family.
21. Act out the story as you read it to your child.
22. Choose books about your child’s special interest.
23. You can find inexpensive books at library book discard sales and garage sales.
24. Read everything you see, such as billboards, maps and recipes.
25. As you teach your child to read, take turns reading pages.
26. Alternate reading stories, poems, fiction and nonfiction.
27. Make a time and place for reading.
28. Ask your child questions about what he is reading.
29. To increase the vocabulary of your child, write letters and words on flashcards.
30. Share family stories with your child.

Have you Download the Read Aloud Together Booklet to learn more about the importance of reading aloud to our kids?

Download a copy of the Read Aloud Together Booklet Here

Also available in Spanish, Leamos Juntos en Voz Alta Here

GIVEAWAY: $15 Gift Card for Barnes & Noble

To ENTER

Mandatory Entry:

Be a follower thru GFC &

Comment on this post answering the following question:

What is your tip to read aloud to kids?

Be sure to leave your email so I can contact you if you win

Additional entries:

you must leave a separate comment for each entry

• "like" GUB on facebook AND write on our wall

• Follow me on twitter @rubydw

• Tweet on twitter: I just entered to win a $15 gift card VIA @RubyDW for #GUBBASH to promote literacy and Reading Aloud at http://www.growingupblackxican.com #giveaway

• Subscribe to Growingupblackxican.com through Email or RSS.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years + ONLY
giveaway ends December 18, 2011
11:59pm EST
Winner will be chosen at random using random.org
Winner will be emailed!

DISCLOSURE: This is not a sponsored post. Giveaway is provided by GUB.

Why do you read to children? GIVEAWAY(closed) #GUBBASH

2011-12-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

"Why do you read to children?

You read to them for the same reasons that you talk to them

-- to explain, inform and to increase their imagination and vocabulary."

- Read Aloud Together Booklet

For as long as I can remember Little man, our first born, was surrounded by books. His first books were purchased by grandma. He was even given books the day he was born while we were still in the hospital!

Reading became our bonding time before he could ever talk. We would sit and I would read and he would look at the pictures.

READ ALOUD IN ANY LANGUAGE

Your child will never use words he has never heard!

It wasn't until I decided to really take the initiative to teach my kids Spanish that I began to include Spanish books in our reading time. I thought, perhaps if I read in Spanish, they will also learn the language. This was the easiest way to feel comfortable speaking Spanish to my kids, as many know it has been a struggle.

As the hubs and I read to the kids, they began to interact as they grew. Now at age 3 Little Man picks which stories he wants read. He reenacts what we read and even asks and answers questions.

My kids are so full of life and when we sit and talk their imagination runs wild. I like to think its books like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom or El Cerdito Wibbly that have encouraged my kids to think of the impossible. They think they can climb at the highest area of the playground like having the alphabet climb up a tree and drawing on my walls like that little pig, Wibbly who draws funny pictures.

As mentioned in the Read Aloud Together Booklet:

Reading Aloud
. . . is the most valuable gift you can give to all your children.
. . . promotes early reading and helps children learn at all ages.
. . . helps children develop their language and vocabulary before they learn how to read and makes them academically ready to begin school. Children who are read to learn to read more easily than those who are not.
. . . creates your child’s “listening vocabulary” so he is ready to develop a “reading vocabulary”. This is true at least through grade eight.
. . . works because the “listening vocabulary “ is several years ahead of the reading vocabulary
. . . promotes values and a higher level of thinking. Children’s ability to understand what they read depends a lot on “background knowledge,” or what they already know. The more children are read to now, the better they will be able to process what they read later.
. . . shows children the joy of story, fascination of language and the beauty of the world, something outside of their own realm. Your children’s realms will expand because through
. . . you bring experiences to them. Your child will never use words he has never heard or read!
. . stimulates imagination, creativity and curiosity at all ages.
. . . helps children learn that print is meaningful and makes sense. They see how print can be turned into sound and speech.
. . . expands small children’s attention spans and critical thinking skills, even in the older age groups.
. . . helps your children succeed in school, in their future occupation, their community and in every part of their entire lives.

I encourage you to Download the Read Aloud Together Booklet to learn more about the importance of reading aloud to our kids!

Download a copy of the Read Aloud Together Booklet Here

Also available in Spanish, Leamos Juntos en Voz Alta Here

Big Thank you to Kiwanis of Santa Ana, CA for providing us with this booklet PDF!

I'd like to thank you, Our GUB friends, for joining us on this amazing

#GUBBASH to promote literacy and reading aloud!!!

Remember there is giveaways everyday this week!!!

GIVEAWAY: $20 Gift Card for Barnes & Noble

To ENTER

Mandatory Entry:

Be a follower thru GFC &

Comment on this post answering the following question:

What was your favorite book as a child?

Be sure to leave your email so I can contact you if you win

Additional entries:

you must leave a separate comment for each entry

• "like" GUB on facebook AND write on our wall

• Follow me on twitter @rubydw

• Tweet on twitter: I just entered to win a $20 gift card VIA @RubyDW for #GUBBASH to promote literacy and Reading Aloud at http://www.growingupblackxican.com #giveaway

• Subscribe to Growingupblackxican.com through Email or RSS.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years + ONLY

giveaway ends December 18, 2011

11:59pm EST

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org

Winner will be emailed!

DISCLOSURE: This is not a sponsored post. Giveaway is provided by GUB.

A Very Bloggy Christmas

2011-12-11T19:09:00.000-08:00

This year, I decided to join in on the fun with my amiga Lil' Woman of Little Woman, Little Home and her bloggy friend Laura from Between the Lines who both decided to host A Very Bloggy Christmas.

I was paired up with Heather from Brown Eyed Bell(e) :)

She sent me the following:

My favorite color is purple so she sent me a purple planner.

I also shared that I love all things Disney

She sent over a super cute 2011 mini Mickey snow globe

She also sent me a box of my fav. candy SOUR PATCH KIDS unfortunately i have no picture i had the kids eat them up since i'm on my healthy journey!

Thanks Heather!!! Happy Holidays!

Happy 2nd Bloggy Birthday to us!

2011-12-09T11:08:00.000-08:00

Today is our 2nd GUB Day and we are having a week long BASH!!!!

Be sure to join the week long celebration next week!!!

A special Thank You to

Kiwanis of Santa Ana, CA

(my hometown)

For providing us with the Read Aloud Together Pamphlet

My Mother is an advocate for literacy and reading aloud.

Now that I have kids I clearly see why it has become her passion.

Our 2nd Blog Birthday is dedicated to my Mother,

Little Man & Little Lady's Proud Grandma!

A hardworking, passionate, woman who prides herself in working for her community!

Join me as I celebrate by promoting Literacy and Reading Aloud!

December 12-16, 2011

#GUBBASH

Choco choco CHOCOFLAN! GIVEAWAY(closed)

2011-12-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

Cooking with the kids has truly become a tradition I plan to continue. I enjoyed cooking with my grandmother, mother and even my father when I was a kid. I remember how happy I was to help and get to taste some of our delicious dishes before anyone in the family. Little Man and Little Lady seem to share as much joy as I did being in the kitchen.

Lately we've been really into making desserts so it was no surprise i'd join La Lechera in their Holiday Flan Campaign to make one of my favorite treats, CHOCOFLAN!

Ingredients:

1 can Nestlé La Lechera sweetened condensed milk

1 can Nestlé La Lechera Dulce de Leche(caramel)

1 can Nestlé Evaporated Milk

1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 box Chocolate Cake Mix

* Butter

* Veg. Oli

6* Eggs

* Water

*amount according to cake mix definitely 3 eggs for flan mix.

Note: you will need a 3inch baking dish to cook your desserte a la "baño Maria" or "Bain marie"(water bath) this allows the flan to cook at low even heat with the water surrounding your dish. As well as aluminum foil.

Directions:

Mix up your cake batter according to box directions and set aside.

Open can of Dulce de leche place it in a pot with water half way up the can and heat at medium temperate. Keep an eye on it you want it soft enough to spread.

Start your flan mixture.

Add 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 can of condensed milk, 3 eggs, and 1 tbps of Vanilla extract.

Blend in the blender until all ingredients are blended(refrain from blending more than 1 minute at a time you don't want foam)

Spread butter evenly in each of your dishes which you plan to use to bake your flan except the 3in baking dish which will hold the water for the water bath.

Once dulce de leche is soft I added it to a squeeze bottle because I was working with the kids but you can use a spoon to spread it in to buttered dishes.

Fill your dish halfway with chocolate mix and the other half with flan mixture.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil

Place in backing dish and fill half way with water!

Bake at 350 for appx. 60 minutes

You will notice Flan moved to the bottom and cake as come up to the top

Insert a knife all the way in if it comes out clean it is done.

Remove from water bath carefully and let them cool for at least 30 minutes before attempting to remove from dish.

Be advised that following directions is a must when making flan. When I say you must wait a minimum of 3o minutes for it to cool down before taking out of the dish. I really mean it!!!

I learned the hard way HEEHEE!

Here is our finished product!

Caramel topped delicious ChocoFlan!

We can't wait to recreate this for our family for Christmas Dessert!

Now you too can recreate this awesome dessert! Follow these easy instructions!

Also thanks to Nestlé,

ONE of our Lucky GUB readers can win La Lechera Holiday Flan Gift Package

that includes Nestlé La Lechera’s sweetened condensed milk and dulce de leche products, a $25 Visa gift card for other ingredients, a set of ceramic ramekins and a disposable digital camera.

The same Package we received (additional chocoflan ingredients not included)

To enter:

Mandatory Entry:

Comment below answering the following question:
What is your favorite holiday dessert?

**PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL IN EACH COMMENT**

Additional entries:

(don't count if mandatory entry isn't fulfilled Leave additional comment for each entry)

• "like" GUB on facebook AND write on our wall

• Follow me on twitter @rubydw

• Tweet on twitter: I just entered to win Nestlé La Lechera’s giveaway including a $25 gift card VIA @RubyDW at http://www.growingupblackxican.com #giveaway

• Link back this giveaway on your site and leave the link in a comment

• Subscribe to Growingupblackxican.com through Google Connect,Email or RSS.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years + ONLY
giveaway ends December 18, 2011
11:59pm EST
Winner will be chosen at random using random.org
Winner will be emailed!

Special Thank you to my Amiga, Jennifer, from Mami2Mommy for referring me.

DISCLOSURE: Giveaway is provided by Nestlé. I was also given a gift pack to participate in campaign. I was not compensated for this post. All of the above as always are my true and honest statements.

Wordless Wednesday: Sleeping with her Bear

2011-12-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

Date Night with Mary Poppins

2011-12-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

It's very rare that I share anything about the Hubs and I but I figured I'd share since we were given the most unique opportunity to spend time with each other as a couple!

With kids, Many parents can agree, it's very hard to find time to spend alone. Unless time is made, everything seems to revolve around little man and little lady.

It's unfortunate that little man and little lady couldn't come to the city with us for this event but It was nice to get away as a couple.

It was Disney's Mary Poppin's 5th Year Anniversary on Broadway.

The hubs and I enjoyed a behind the sense tour at the New Amsterdam as well as the show later that night!

Since it was also participated in DISNEYMEMORIES in NYC! Check out the Hubs and I getting down with Stitch!

There we no cameras allowed at the play but the Hubs and I dressed up for the night and enjoyed the awesome show!

I can't wait to take the kids to their first Broadway show. As this was my first show and it was a Disney show I am certain the kids first Broadway show will also be Disney!

The next musical we plan to see is NEWSIES if you loved the movie you will totally love the play! It's set to debut March 2012!!!

Here's a sneak peek from their performance on The View!

p.s. The hubs and I love all things Disney because that is where we first met!

Disclosure: We were invited to attend this event by Disney Parks. We were also given tickets to attend the show that night and participate in their Disney Memories in Times Square! We were not compensated. The above are my true and honest opinions.

NUTSO is right

2011-12-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

This year I really think little man and little lady get the whole Christmas, presents, and Santa deal.

Our tree is up and they are going crazy asking what everything on it is. They point at where Santa will leave the presents.

They already asked to go visit him.

and we've made tons of list with the advertisements little man has collected. I can't wait to see their reaction on Christmas morning.

I have a feeling their going to be looking like this Christmas morning!

Be sure to check out our Fab15 experience !

Create your own NUTSO face here!

Kmart Fab 15 Episode 3 from ICED MEDIA on Vimeo

Disclosure: I was asked to share the above! Thanks to Kmart and their Fab 15 toys we already have 2 very wanted toys off our list! I was not compensated for this post I happen to win toys during a recent conference! The above as always are my true and honest opinions.

It's always a Home Depot Christmas

2011-12-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

My Mother-in-law is known for brightening up the neighborhood years pass. This year, after 2 years of sitting out the holiday light decor, we convinced her to bring some happiness to little man and little lady and that she did!

We started our trip at her favorite store, HOME DEPOT! Yes, it really is her favorite store to shop at. 90% of her growing Christmas collection is from Home Depot.

While we were on a shopping trip for yard decor, I couldn't help but check out all the wonderful decorations by Martha Stewart Living. I absolutely fell in love with so many things!!!

From wreaths to ornaments to Christmas trees to my favorite lighted LED beaded garland!!!!!!

I've been wanting to put LED light's on my Christmas tree since last year because not only do they last 10times longer but they do save about 80% of energy. Plus look at how cool this Martha Stewart Garland is! It's by far my favorite Item.

But after all we were there for some outside Christmas bling and that we did get!

My Mother-in law is a big fan of the Icicle lights so we got a few boxes of those at a very low price. She mentioned she could always count on Home Depot to have the lowest price and great quality lights.

Not only did Home Depot have a lot to choose from but everything we purchased coordinated great with what we already had!

We found some great things! With a cart full of kiddos and Christmas Decor we were ready to go!

Grandma's House is already looking Merry and Brite!!!

And because you know I like to be crafty, I make it a point to add a little something to gifts, Home Depot had that too! I was surprised to find these adorable little ornaments.

They are great to attach to gifts like this!

And of course the precious star little lady choose for the top of our tree!

Be sure to visit HomeDepot.com before visiting the store for project inspiration and tips, even how to videos!

But before you go how about you enter this Home Depot giveaway!

Home Depot has kindly decided to spread some Holiday Cheer by giving away a $50 gift card to one of our lucky readers!!!

Mandatory Entry:

Visit HomeDepot.com/Holiday and come back to this post to leave a comment about what you learned from the site!

Additional entries:

- Follow Home Depot at @HomeDepot

-Like Home Depot on Facebook here

BE SURE TO LEAVE AN EMAIL WITH EACH ENTRY.

EACH ENTRY MUST HAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT!

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years + ONLY

giveaway ends December 18, 2011

11:59pm EST

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org

Winner will be emailed!

It's always a Home Depot Christmas at Grandma's!

DISCLOSURE: This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and The Home Depot. The Home Depot works with bloggers such as myself to conduct product reviews. They do not tell bloggers what to say about their products or how to say it. The Home Depot fundamentally believes that people should be free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot often provides product - free of charge - to bloggers for review as they did for this post. The Home Depot's policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. The Home Depot provided me with a gift card to shop for the holidays and post my experience. All opinions expressed in this article are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone.

Disney Junior MagazineGIVEAWAY[CLOSED]

2011-12-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

You know I am all for reading and educational activities.

So when I was asked to check out the newest Disney Junior Magazine I couldn't give up the opportunity.

It wasn't too long ago that we went to Disney and the kids were rocking out at the Disney Junior Live on stage show!

They have since been loving Mickey's Club, House Little Einsteins, and of course Jack and the Never Land Pirates!

You should have seen their faces when I gave them the Disney Junior Magazine to flip through. They were glued!

Little Man kept telling Little Lady, "Look sis, Mickey!" "ooo cool sis" They absolutley loved it.

It wasn't long til they were talking about the activities. At one point, I saw little man pointing at the cut out pieces and directing his finger to where the missing piece belonged on the activity.

It's magazines like this that make learning and reading fun! I look for things like this.

It not only let my kids enjoy the characters but they were enjoying the activities because their favorite character was needed to solve the puzzle. They were engaging in education activities without really knowing they were.

Here are some facts about Disney Junior Magazine:

The magazine is perfect for kids ages 3-5 but of course even the oldest kids can enjoy (I know I have)

It's available at major retail stores.

Subscription price for 8 issues is $29.92US that's 25% off cover price!

"Disney Junior Magazine Is full of magical stories and activities." There are puzzles to solve games to play all while learning about helping, celebrating and sharing! The magazine is 42 pages featuring many of our favorite Disney pals.

I want to give you a chance win and enjoy too.

3 luck winners will be sent an issue of Disney Junior Magazine.

To enter Comment below answering the following question:

What is your favorite Disney Character?

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL IN COMMENT ALSO

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years + ONLY

giveaway ends December 9, 2011

11:59pm EST

Winners will be chosen at random using random.org

Winners will be emailed!

Disclosure: Magazine and giveaway were provided for review however, the above are my true and honest opinions.

GUB like US- Cassandra & LeSean

2011-11-30T20:29:00.000-08:00

My husband LeSean and I met through my family actually sometime between 2005-2006.after losing touch, I ran into his sister in August of 2008 a few times and I told her to have him contact me. We have truly been blessed to have such great relationships with each other and our families.

We have two beautiful little girls who are such a blessing to our family. The girls are one and four years old. Our four year-old is Sean’s daughter from a previous relationship, but she is definitely mine in our eyes. We have such a great relationship and I love her to pieces.

As a mom to bicultural children, I can’t say I have been faced with any issues, yet. I would never want my kids to feel like others look down on them because of their race.

If I ever am asked what race my children are I would just say they are mixed.

It would be great to raise our kids bilingual, if we both knew Spanish. Unfortunately, I wasn’t raised to speak Spanish growing up. On my father’s side, a lot of our family is bilingual but would never talk to us in Spanish so I learned more English than anything. On my mother’s side, my grandfather and his siblings all knew how to speak Spanish fluently until they started school. They couldn’t understand the teachers so my great grandparents made them learn English and to only speak English from then on. So my mom never learned how to speak Spanish either. I would love to learn Spanish and teach my children one day. It could open their eyes to want to learn other languages as well.

Our family is special because not only are we Black and Mexican, but we have Indian in us too. We want to make it important to know more about our cultures and for our children to be interested in it also. The great thing is that we learn more and more about our families cultures everyday!

I do not find the word Blackxican offensive at all. It’s simply who we are and we should be proud of it.

The advice I would give to other bicultural families would be to just be proud of who you truly are. Enjoy the different cultures and learn more from them also. Teach your children how to appreciate every culture and love the differences in all of them. It will only broaden their horizons and teach them how important and equal we all are.

Special thanks to Cassandra. Thank you for sharing your story with us. Cassandra is currently expecting a baby! We can't wait to see the new addition!

If you are also a Blackxican Family/individual who would like to share your story Contact us at growingupblackxican@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you! To learn more about GUB like US click here!

Wordless Wednesday: Empanadas

2011-11-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

Playing with Monsters during the Holidays

2011-11-29T13:17:00.000-08:00

Back in September, I shared the newest Sesame Street game, Once Upon A Monster, with you . Many of you laughed with us, as the hubs and I played this super cool game. If you havent seen that video Check it out here!

Recently the grandparents sent us an early Christmas present an Xbox Kinect!!! We were also given the game to try with the kids at our home and we love it! Now get to play this game everyday!

Sesame Street: Once upon a Monster or as the kiddos call it "monster jump" Is by far the newest fascination in our home!

Here are little man and little lady playing with Marco the Monster and Elmo!

Keep in mind that Little Man is only 3yrs old and Little Lady is only 2yrs old. Yes, even the littlest gamer can get active along with our favorite friendly Monsters!

This is game is easy and they kids get to move on to the next chapter just for trying. They get so excited everytime Elmo and Cookie Monster Announce "you've earned a new star" The stars help unlock other things in the game.

We recently Downloaded the games newest content,"Unidentified Furry Objects"

Downloadable Content(DLC) available through Xbox LIVE Marketplace

"Unidentified Furry Objects" is available now for 400 Microsoft Points.

Here are a few screen shots from the new DLC

The game is a perfect activity to play on a rainy day like today and for all the cold weather to come. It's even more fun to play during the holidays. We will be playing with our family adults and kids alike and see who can hold the best poses with Elmo and Cookie Monster!

I'm glad to take 2 awesome gifts off our wishlist! Consider this game for your family!

Once upon a Monster is available now!

For more information on Once upon a Monster click here

Disclosure: The video game was provided to us for review however the above are my true and honest opinions.

Oh the holidays

2011-11-28T13:08:00.000-08:00

One of the things I've learned to compromise are the holidays.

The way my family celebrates anything is big and loud. It's take a big adjustment to have holidays with the hubs family. They're very low key and the fact that their isn't any other young parents in his family around make it a little hard to connect with.

One thing we both have in common are the delicious foods.

While our family joined in for prayer and the feast, I looked around and saw turkey, ham, greens, mac and cheese, yams, deviled eggs, green beans, and cake!!!

Later, we skyped with family back home who had gotten together like every year. We were lucky enough to have held Thanksgiving the year before we moved. I knew it would be loud and there would be laughs and tears.

They shared how had Nana's traditional Turkey Birria(which i'm still trying to get the recipe for), Deep Fried Turkey, Baked Turkey, Ham, Chiles Rellenos, greens, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and stuffing(My aunt has a way of making it with rice Delicious!!!) and lots and lots of PIES!!!

As you can imagine by all the food it really is a party when my family gets together. Though I miss my family greatly I know that my hubs family loves me as their own.

Hope your Holiday was amazing.

I wish I could have shown you pictures of all the yummy food but we didn't take any.

I'll leave you all with this picture of Little man and Little lady awaiting to Skype with the family. Unfortunately little lady feel asleep right before they called I'm guessing the turkey got to her!

Happy Bloggy Birthday La Familia Cool!!!!

2011-11-26T12:14:00.000-08:00

Our Friends over at La Familia Cool are turning 1!!!!!

Join us for a twitter party where I(@rubydw) will be co-hosting along with @biculturalmom and of course the hostess her self @lafamiliacool

ANNIVERSARY TWITTER PARTY
HOST: @LAFAMILIACOOL
CO-HOSTS: @BICULTURALMOM AND @RUBYDW
DETAILS OF THE PARTY:
WHEN: Monday, December 5, 2011
WHAT TIME: From 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM EST
WHERE: Twitter
HASHTAGS: #CoolAnniversary #AniversarioCool
WHO TO FOLLOW: @BICULTURALMOM AND @RUBYDW
THE PARTY IS SUBJECT TO THE OFFICIAL RULES
PRIZES:
One (1) $50 giftcard, courtesy of La Familia Cool
One (1) $50 giftcard, courtesy of Latina Bloggers Connect
One (1) business or greeting card original design of your choosing, courtesy of Ruby Wright from Ruby’s Design Studio
One (1) combo DVD/Blu-Ray of the movie Winnie the Pooh
One (1) pack of the “secret recipe” cookies from AbueCool with 15 homemade cookies
Two (2) Barbara por Atras books, signed by the author
One (1) makeover of your Facebook page courtesy of Chantilly Patiño from Bicultural Mom

Five (5) Good-For-You Packets courtesy of Genesis Today (Each packet contains 1 64-oz Acai Berry Juice, 1-dollar off coupon found on their Facebook page, 1 bottle of water, 2 bags of Chia seeds, 2 fresh lemons and 1 bag of licorice).
RSVP Here

Gobble Gobble!

2011-11-24T12:59:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Craft

2011-11-21T12:54:00.000-08:00

Check out this super cute Thanksgiving craft

little man, little lady and I did for SpanglishBaby!

CLICK HERE

LATISM'11 re-cap

2011-11-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

LATISM 2011 has come and gone but the memories are still being lived through pictures and tweets.

Many didn't know until days before the conference, that I had been selected to attend the and that I had a full pass sponsor.

A huge thank you to McDonald's for sponsoring me!

I've mentioned before that, It's because of Brands like McDonald's that bloggers like myself can dream and grow! Read about my great time being sponsored here

The conference was one of the highlights of this year for many reasons.

For those that don't know, LATISM stands for Latinos in Social Media.

It is a community of individuals of all backgrounds, careers, and education that engage in social media.

LATISM has always meant a lot to me. From the start they have supported me and my passion. They're a familia that has seen me grow and has supported me the whole way. I thank you with all my heart!

To be in a place with everyone I've connected with via LATISM twitter parties was surreal but so much fun!

Even more so when I got the news that I was officially a Co-Director for the Philly Chapter along with my new amiga Sisy from GrowingBilingual.com

The news came during the first day of the conference when the Conference magazine displayed a all the Chapter Directors!!!!

Here is a re-cap of the awesome 3-day festivities via pictures by myself, the Latism photographer and my amiga Jendalynne. Thank you!

I had the chance to work the LATISM Registration table with my Amigas Cheryl, Ezzy, Jenda and Monique! I met Dolores Huerta! I presented the Top Latin@ Blogger Award to Angelica Perez from New Latina. I laughed hard with Mike Robles who performed for us!

I tweeted live from Niches to Riches and From El Barrio to Madison Ave.

Check out my live tweets!

for more tweets search hashtags #latism11 #spanglish #nichetalk

I visited Conference Sponsors

Johnson and Johnson, PBS Kids, Sears Kmart, Nintendo and Google!

Check out this video Jenda and I did at for Johnson and Johnson!

Jenda and I also test drove a Toyota Camry.

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR LATISM!!!!!

Thank you McDonald's

2011-11-20T16:50:00.000-08:00

McDonald's, My wonderful LATISM2011 Sponsor, was so much fun to work with.

It's because of Brands like McDonald's that bloggers like myself can dream and grow!

Big thank you to their on location staff Sylvia, Clara, Anna & Alicia.

Being able to speak with attendees at the McDonald's booth was one of my favorite things to do. I learned from other McDonald consumers that indeed the Mango Smoothie is a hit nationwide!

The Fry bag was a hit as well as the Food Menu item vouchers. I totally enjoyed creating different meals with the Calorie counting Board. Breakfast was delicious as well!

Check out these awesome attendees with their McDonald's Me Encanta Swag!

Mil Gracias, McDonald's!

Me Encanta!!!

Follow McDonalds' on twitter @McDonald's & @MeEncanta

Disclosure: McDonald's recently Sponsored me to LATISM 2011 however the above are my true and honest statements!

The Season of Giving

2011-11-20T16:40:00.000-08:00

I'd like to share a little bit about Ronald McDonald House Charities and their Season of Giving Campaign.

For 37 years, RMHC has been deeply committed to children and their families. However, to provide hope, comfort, caring and unique programs to more children and families, RMHC relies on the generosity of its donors. Today, RMHC invites you to open your heart and bestow a financial gift to the RMHC on behalf of families
around the world

From not until December 31, 2011 RMHC hopes to raise $550,000.

Home is where your heart is – a sentiment that especially rings true for families facing the holidays apart because of a sick child. So during this Season of Giving, people can help RMHC keep families together by making a donation and sharing the joy of giving with a personalized RMHC Gingerbread House at www.rmhc.org.
The more Gingerbread Houses built; the more RMHC can do to help families find a “home away from home” for the holidays as they deal with life’s most difficult challenges, especially the serious illness of their child.

Donate at www.rmhc.org. Decorate a virtual RMHC Gingerbread House to honor a loved one or share with a friend. Lastly, help spread the word by sharing as many decorated houses as you want with family and friends through Facebook.

Though McDonald's recently sponsored me, my thoughts and opinions on this charity don't change. I share because as a mom I worry and fear anything that can potential hurt or take my kids away from me. It's charities like RMHC that think of ways to make the transitions of what families go thru an easier one.

I believe in RMHC. I have had friends use their services and houses. This is the closes thing to home they felt while they aided and supported the kids back to health. I would only hope all families going thru something as difficult as having an ill child in the hospital could benefit from RMHC.

This holiday season, while you celebrate with your family, I hope you remember to give! Remember their is no better gift then the gift of giving!

Learn more at www.rmhc.org

Disclosure: cmp.ly/4 The above are my true and honest opinions. Though I was sponsored by McDonald's recently my relationship with them did not alter or affect what is stated in this post.

A Monkey Movie Marathon

2011-11-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month the kids and I headed to NYC for a very curious event! We had the chance to meet Curious George himself for the PBS KIDS Curious George Holiday Spectacular Premier!

* Totally ignore the chocolate mustaches little man and little lady were rocking!

We learned that PBS Kids will be showing 3 Curious George programs

Wednesday November 23, 2011.

Perfect for the Holiday season!

They will be showing:

Curious George

Curious George follows everyone’s favorite spunky monkey as he sets off on a series of (mis)adventures. In the film, after the Man with the Yellow Hat accidentally brings back George from a business trip to Africa, the unlikely twosome embarks on a fun-filled journey through the big city, and ultimately finds their way to a lasting friendship. Featuring gorgeous and old-fashioned two-dimensional animation that echoes the simple colors and shapes of the books by Margret and H. A. Rey, Curious George includes voice talents Will Ferrell (as the Man with the Yellow Hat), Drew Barrymore, and Dick Van Dyke, as well as all-original music from Jack Johnson.

Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey

In Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey, the fun-filled sequel to the hit animated movie, Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat set out on a madcap cross-country adventure to reunite Kayla, a homesick elephant, with her family. This unlikely trio faces all types of comic calamities and colorful characters and in the end learns that with family, friends and determination you can achieve anything. Curious George 2 features the voices of Tim Curry, Matt Lauer, Jamie Kennedy and Jerry Lewis.

Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas

In A Very Monkey Christmas, Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat are having a wonderful time getting ready for Christmas. There's only one dilemma - neither of them can figure out what to give the other for a present! In the end, both gift-giving predicaments are simply and beautifully resolved, revealing the true spirit of the holiday season.

Check out this clip for the Monkey Movie Marathon Holiday Spectacular!!!!

Check your local listings here

We will be watching as a family as we prepare for Thanksgiving Dinner! I hope you decide to tune in perhaps even twitter with us @rubydw during the marathon!

DISCLOSURE: We were invited to attend this PBS Kids sponsored event and were given a gift bag. The Above are my true and honest opinions.

Don't Let the Pigeon Run this App

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Recently we were invited to attend an event featuring an app by Disney and Mo Willems. Unfortunatley the kiddos weren't able to attend with us so dad and I took a day to ourselves in NYC.

The hubs and I were thrilled to attend since we are always looking for new apps that may potentially keep the kids busy during our long trips and of course active in reading.

We were able to play with the app a bit at the event. I also enjoyed an especially made pigeon blue cupcake by the awesome Magnolia Bakery. Delicious!

Mo Willems is an amazing author and illustrator. His books are funny and the kids absolutely love them. Much like his books Willems strives to create interactive content. The app allows the kids to not only listening in on the story but also choose different things to create a story of their own.

I was able to meet and talk with Mr. Willems and asked if he considered creating bilingual(English /Spanish) books he informed me that there were indeed Spanish books in the market however not bilingual. I also told him how i hoped for an app where the language settings could be changed. It would be awesome to have an app I could switch to English and Spanish.

Here's a sneak peek to the app. The kids were just getting ready to listen in to an already made up story In the clip you will see how they enjoy to mess with the pigeon. I didn't record the story because the stories are different. I didn't want to ruin the fun in creating your own.

Features of “Don’t Let the Pigeon Run This App!” include:

A fully animated storytelling experience inspired by the award-winning children’s book series;
A starring appearance by the Pigeon, voiced by Mo!;
Three unique storytelling modes so that readers can enjoy limitless one-of-a-kind Pigeon stories;
Read-along option;
Ability to personalize the content with readers own voice;
Shake the Pigeon to start the stories;
A Pigeon drawing tutorial with Mo;
“Favorite stories” section where readers can create their own personal libraries.

“Don’t Let the Pigeon Run This App!” is available for $6.99 from the App Store on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

For more information, visit www.disneybookapps.com and www.facebook.com/DisneyDigitalBooks, or follow @DisneyDigitalBooks on Twitter.

Disclosure: http://cmp.ly/2 I was given the app for review as well as a goody bag at the event. All statements are my true and honest opinions.

I'm not talking to you!

2011-11-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

As if the terrible twos and threes weren't enough little man has picked up quite the back talking and the meltdowns happen instantly after.

His favorite lately has been "i'm not talking to you" when explaining something or asking for something from either dad or I. It actually caught me off guard the first time. I was like, " excuse me?"

I continued to try and help but he really just wanted to speak to dad. I didn't understand it or take it as back talking that is until he gained a little attitude to go along with his remark.

I instantly shut his whole little show down after telling him he doesn't speak to me that way and if I'm asking him something he is to answer me.

I then realized this little annoying rude phrase was coming from someone in the house, another adult that wasn't me or dad.

This raised awareness of the things our kids were picking up by the people we were surrounding them by.

My question is what do you do if you can't remove yourself from this type of behavior as quick as you'd like to?

Both the hubs and I agree that we can't scold him for something he's heard from a very well respected adult.

We now continue to say" you don't say those words to us we are mom and dad and you will talk to us always when we ask" But he is three he does forget and boy is he stubborn.

I know had this been either of our families growing up, the hubs and I would have got smacked. I honestly don't think that is fair.

For now we try and stay away from this individual as much as possible but when it's family what can you do.

I was raised to respect my family. An older adult who is family is to be respected unless the situation causes physical or emotional harm. In no way am I ever going to put my family thru abuse. Would this be considered verbal abuse?

I need my kids to understand that language like this is not tolerated so we stay away as much as possible but little man has already picked up on the bad.

Thoughts?

Mushroom Kingdom comes to life

2011-11-14T08:26:00.000-08:00

After being away from the kids for a couple of days we were invited to a Nintendo Event in NYC.

I recently had the chance to play with the new 3DS and if you've been reading this blog from the very start you will already know how big of a gamer my hubs is and the influence it has created on the kids. While we haven't yet plopped them to play games of their own they know daddy loves Mario and all things gaming.

Unfortunately dad couldn't make it to the event with us so we enjoyed our time on Military Island for him. The event was put on to promote the new Nintendo Super Mario 3D Land game which was set for release 11/13/11

The kids and I were given Tanooki suits, Mario Raccoon tail and ears as soon as we entered the island.

We met Mario and played around the awesome Mushroom Kingdom.

Being a mom and the only girl in my family I was never into games. Super Mario was the only game I really could play and it wasn't until i was a teen that I was finally able to pass a level on my own(I lack major gaming skills) I do however enjoy the make belief land of Super Mario.

They were even giving mushroom pizza out for those who tweeted with the hashtag #supermario3d

Check out this video for footage from event.

you can see us at 00:14sec on the right side :)

This got me thinking on the ride back home. The kids are really lucky to enjoy and be a part of things like this. Events like this that the hubs and I wish existed as kids. With products that we enjoyed and now our kids get to enjoy.

Our ride home was all about Mario and the sounds heard when they jumped on the trampoline and green pipe slide.

Little Man and Little Lady told dad all about it when we were picked up at the train station.

They wore their tail and ears for the rest of the day!

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any form for writing about the event or giving information on the game. I simply was invited to attend the event with my children after meeting some Nintendo reps. at a recent conference. All are my true and honest opinions.

Kitty Chonies please

2011-11-07T14:29:00.001-08:00

With a serious of upcoming trips and plans It's been hectic at home all weekend so you can imagine potty training little lady was far down on the to do list. After all, it took little man a while before he decided to do it on his own.

Lately little lady has been ripping off the diaper moments after going. It really made us use as many diapers as if little man was using them. It became a bit frustrating.

Today, Little lady continued to do the same thing, rip off diaper and announce she was poopy.

She had gone thru more than 3 diapers in the morning.

That is until she turned around and sat on the potty.

I was so excited! Another proud mom moment. I said great job oh my you are such a big girl. I went on to put on her diaper and she backed away. She said "no mom, no diapy, Kitty chonies please"

So now we must go buy little lady her own pair of chonies.

Update... It is now 5:30pm EST and she has had her first accident. We shall see how we do tomorrow.

Here's to hoping i just bought our last box of diapers!!!!

This is our future

2011-11-03T06:37:00.000-07:00

Watching films can really give you a reality check and get your mind working over time. The most important human beings in this world are my own. Their future is something I am constantly thinking about.

When I was pregnant with little lady and traveled 2hrs from home to work I worried about random things, car accidents, world ending, massive fires, contracting a crazy diseases from all the fumes I inhaled while driving.

Now that I’m considering a change in vehicles I have my heart set on a HYBRID being the next addition to our family.

After watching a short film on how our Earth is being destroyed with a variety of things. It really bothered me and I wondered how long will EARTH exist at the rate we are going.

I celebrate Earth day, I recycle extensively; papers and cardboards on one end, plastics in another, aluminum in another. Even though I’ve made all these changes to our lives I worry.
With a HYBRID I would feel like I’m doing one thing better for my kids future.

The hubs already owns a pretty frugal car. Toyota SCION xD seriously this car is awesome on gas, just saying. It would be awesome if our next addition was also a Toyota.

We plan on researching Hybrids extensively. Already I’ve learned that “Toyota plans to introduce 11 new and redesigned hybrid models by the end of 2012”

Some other fun facts:
• "Hybrid technology is proven, durable and reliable and delivers the best combination of
fuel efficiency and reduction of greenhouse gases, without requiring special operation."

• "Hybrid costs continue to decrease as performance improves, making them affordable
for mainstream buyers."

The hubs mentioned the other day how he thought we’d have flying cars by now since all the cartoons in our childhood showed us what our future would be. I can’t imagine the type of future my kids will have but I hope it’s a greener one.

What other ways is your family trying to GO GREEN?

Would you consider a hybrid for your next vehicle purchase?

Disclosure:cmp.ly/3 I was compensated for my true and honest opinions to participate in a LATISM campaign to promote going green and green living.

Feliz Dia de los Muertos!

2011-11-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Let's Play Day:Apps edition- Toca Boca {GIVEAWAY}CLOSED

2011-11-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

In a recent discussion with a friend I realized how open the hubs and I are to technology and gadgets. I'm the first to admit I love games and the hubs in a gamer so I make an effort to find educational fun games for the kids that promote great habits. With that being said

we've decided to create LET'S PLAY DAY for any games we come across and want to share.

As many have read thru twitter and even HERE on our blog We love TOCA BOCA APPS.

They recently released 2 new apps and I purchased them as soon as I could.

Having worked with Toca Boca before they reached out and offered us to review their apps, in exchange, they would give us the 2 new apps. I informed them I had already purchased the apps so they asked if I would be willing to giveaway the apps here on our blog!!!!

I'm super excited because many of our friends already know how cool these apps are.

They know they promote great habits like sharing and imagination.

The games have even had the hubs and I playing.

We always encourage our friends to play hands on with these apps we've shared our IPAD with many!

Here are little man and little lady playing the Toca Boca Apps. You can see how much fun they have with a simple interactive hands on game at home.

How about that giveaway?

3 lucky winners will win both TOCA BOCA apps*

Birthday Party and TOCA Store!!!!

To enter Comment below answer the following question:

What are your thoughts about kids playing

on smart phones with apps like TOCA BOCA's?

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL IN COMMENT ALSO

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years + ONLY

giveaway ends November 18, 2011

11:59pm EST

Winners will be chosen at random using random.org

Winners will be emailed!

*apps available for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch only!

DISCLOSURE: http://cmp.ly/2 TOCA BOCA is providing the giveaway I received no compensation however as stated above I have worked with TOCA BOCA before. All the above are 100% my own honest opinions.

Day of the Dead

2011-11-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

The hubs in his Day of the Dead face paint, 2010

Celebrating Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos was not a typical celebration in my family. My grandparents were very religious. Our way of celebrating someone's passing is by praying the rosary for 9 days for their souls to be forgiven and for it to reach heaven, this was called novenario.

I grew up disliking prayer mainly because i was unaware of what we were doing. Perhaps also because of all the deaths we were surrounded by. My grandfather was good for volunteering his home to hold this ritual of novenario.

I guess you can say celebrating day of the dead goes against what we were doing in the novenario

Day the dead is when the souls come roam around the living for a day.

The reason I decided to celebrate this in my own family is to remember my grandparents.

We aren't as religious as my grandparents were though my beliefs still remain the same.

Celebrating day of the dead would mean a specific day for my kids to remember and talk about my grandparents or any other loved ones who have passed.

When creating an alter for them this year, I decided to create something playful that my kids could be a part of.

We did a Shoebox Altar and talked about my grandparents, what they looked like, what they loved, and how they were. Though little man and little lady only understand somethings it was clear that grandpa loved chocolates and grandma loved chips.

We also created some calveras to adorn around the house. It also went perfect with much of our halloween decor.

You can find both of our activities at SpanglishBaby.com

Halloween Safety

2011-10-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

From My little ballerina peacock and little Captain America

Happy Halloween!

Ballerina Peacock

2011-10-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

After finding the cutest costume on sale for little lady I really thought I had scored a deal. That us until I found out I was missing the wings, tights, and head piece!!!

I searched and called everywhere to find them but no hope.

So after not wanting to pay almost 20 dollars for wings which might I add is almost double the amount I paid for the costume itself.

I came to the conclusion of making my own after viewing YOUTUBE tutorial videos on how to make butterfly wings out of hangers.

Here you have my end result:

Little lady looks so cute with her costume on. I didn't want to reveal that just yet you will have to wait til Halloween which isn't too far from now.

I won't lie I am pretty proud of my hard work. I put it together in 2 days!

I don't have an exact tutorial I kinda winged it (no pun intended) after viewing the video.

Basically I used:

5 wired hangers

2 types of ribbon

3 pairs of tights - i used green

acrylic paint

glitter glue

You can see from the pics above how it all came together!

What do you think?

Have you ever created a costume or accessory before?

Social Media & Mobile to do Good: TEXT4BABY

2011-10-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

Lately it feels like everyone around me is either pregnant or just delivered a baby. I won’t lie it really gives me the preggo and newborn blues.

I loved being pregnant. However, it was challenging to understand what my body had gone through and what my baby was going through. I know now I did right by reading and asking questions to my on call nurses and doctors, which is why I am an advocate of resources for pregnancy and parenting.

I’ve always been the one to give out pregnancy and milestone books at baby showers. As a mother of 2, it gets pretty hard to balance such a life. I can’t imagine how it would be to add a newborn to the family.

Most resources are now found online. It’s rare to say I read it in a book when it is a lot faster to enter a question in a search engine.

I constantly turned to my baby progress book to see how my baby was developing but soon after the baby was born it was a bit hard to sit and read the milestone books or doctor worksheets.

When little man was born I was told time and again by many what to do at every milestone. I didn’t know what or who to believe. I also didn’t want to go by someone’s word just because they were parents. Times are quickly changing and I only wanted the best for my kids.

I believe the resources for expecting women and new parents are a bit limited in some communities let alone the on call aid. Having access to a nurse on call like I did was a luxury but still a very needed resource.

Social Media is quickly growing, though the platforms change, two things remains constant the need for information and CELL PHONES!

That is why I believe in programs such as TEXT4BABY.

Text4baby allows us to receive text messages 3 times a week on topics like what to expect and what to do for the baby, when the baby’s next check up should be scheduled, and the type of things baby should be able to do now. This service is available during pregnancy and for a year after.

Text4baby is a perfect example of Social Media and Mobile Technology being used for good.

Also, you’re phone carrier will NOT charge you for messages!

I know this is a lifesaver to some of my friends and it also creates a way for both parents to be involved. Had this service been around when I was pregnant the hubs would have definitely subscribed. He also would have been the one to remind me if I got to busy about what messages he received the same way he did when he read a new chapter in our books.

For more information about TEXT4BABY visit: http://www.text4baby.org/

Or like them on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/#!/text4baby

***UPDATE***

Join us Tonight for a twitter fiesta!!!

Follow the amazing @ERGEEKGODDESS and hashtag #LATISM

10/27/11

9pm EST

as we discuss social media and mobile for good.

Disclosure:cmp.ly/3 I was compensated for my true and honest opinions to promote social media and mobile to do good for the LATISM campaign

My Scentalicious story

2011-10-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

I grew up in Orange County CA. I was raised around my grandparents. Their home was my home away from home. I was their first grandchild and I like to think I was the favorite too, with everything they let me get away with.

Many of my years growing up were surrounded by homegrown herbs, veggies and fruit. My grandparents took pride in all their fruit trees. We had lemon, guava, plum, grapefruit, and my favorite, orange trees. Not only did our family get to enjoy them but the whole neighborhood would exchange amongst each other.

Many of the homes in Orange County still have orange trees today. Though known for our orange groves, there aren’t many groves left but the smell of oranges is still a clear memory of my days growing up at my grandparent’s house.

I remember oranges were my favorite snack to eat growing up. I loved watching my grandmother dig her long nails deep into the peel of an orange and begin to unveil my yummy treat.

My grandmother’s style of serving them was always peeled. She’d separated the segments and divided them among whoever was around. I would watch and stay close with anticipation of finding the smallest segment. I can still hear her say “aqui estan tus gajitos” , here are your orange segments. She always gave me mine first.

My grandfather’s style was more hands on. He would take all the grandchildren out back. He’d allow us to choose our orange straight from the tree. My cousins and I would stand around and wait for our turn to climb the latter to pick our orange. I would smell my orange until everyone had picked theirs. He’d then slice it up with a pocket knife and let us have our snack under the tree.

When I married I never imagined I’d move cross country let alone miss home and my family as much as I do. I’ve had my share of homesick days and traveled back to California 3 times during the first year away.

One day while cutting up some oranges for my kids, I realized it wasn’t the visits I needed. I needed something to remind me of home in my new home.

I now get to enjoy oranges with my kids the way my grandparents did with me. I have my days where I peel them and other days where I slice them up. I see their faces and their expressions and I see myself as a kid.

I may be far from home but being able to enjoy the citrus smell of oranges takes me back to Orange County surrounded with love and happiness with all my family.

Special Thanks to GAIN for allowing me to share my story at Scentalicious at Blogalicious!

DISCLOSURE: cmp.ly/2 I received gifts from GAIN for participating in this event.

Blogalicious 2011

2011-10-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Blogalicious Weekend Conference has come and gone. It was an amazing time to spend with a lot of online friends.

Friendships I've made over this awesome conference has just made blogging that much sweeter. Social Media is an amazing tool!

The weekend went by so fast I seriously only had the chance to skype with the kiddos one day all other communication was mostly through text. They were well taken care of by dad and grandma so no worries. The transition of mommy traveling is becoming much easier as the trips keep coming.

How about a wrap up on Blogalicious. Forgive me now for the picture overload and I apologize for the lack of Session photos or content. I was busy taking notes and twittering. So if you don't follow me yet Head on over and follow me on twitter lots of valuable information from keynote speakers such as Rene Syler, Jesse Jones, and Lamar Tyler all shared Life lessons that can be applied on and offline.

Thursday- I arrived via car. I was dropped off by Uncle. I soon met up with the bestie Jenda from Jendalynne photography . It's been a couple of months since we last met up so this was perfect catch up time especially since she was 1 of my 3 rommies for the weekend!!!

We went sight seeing, had , and lunch and attended the kick off party for Blogalicious at Microsoft Headquarters in DC.

The memorial was amazing. I only wish my family was there with me to share this moment. We had a random person take our picture... they cut off the most important person in the pic..MLK!!!

Talk about hi-tech office. Microsoft had touch screen everything. I have video of Jenda playing with that glass computer it was super cool. We also brought up our sites on the huge screens where we also played the new Kinect SPORTS. I had to much fun.... thinking the kiddos may get the Kinect for Christmas.. since you know we totally loved the Sesame street game. They raffled one off at the event but we weren't lucky at all.

Friday- Officially 1st day of Blogalicious!!!! I checked into Gaylord Resort and Spa with Jenda, and Dania who roomed with me the night before. The resort was gorgeousness! We even had our own balcony. Check out this little video I made.

At night we attended McDonalds Welcome cocktail Masqueade where we enjoyed burgers and drinks all while wearing cool masks. I had already seen my fellow cali girl Alicia but it was fun to hangout again! I was also able to chat and hug some powerful women from LATISM Elianne and AnaRC !!!

We also attended a private event Drinks on US by Johnson & Johnson hosted by my amiga Rory from Mama Contemporanea. They had delicious Thai food! I was able to connect with the awesome duo of SpanglishBaby Ana and Roxana.

BTW thank you to Tracy from @latinaish for the Kellogg poptarts yummy!!!!

We then went back to the hotel to attend Ubisoft Jam hosted by the Clever girls I called it an early one I knew Day 2 was going to be extra busy.

follow my amigas on twitter

@dancinghotdogs @newyorkchica @latina_sweetie @pinkguayoyo @alicia4181

Saturday- Day2

I started the morning with breakfast and sessions. I then hurried over to the CoverGirl suite to take my picture with Paul Patton. She was super sweet and shared that her little boys middle name is Fuego, Fire! I visited the other suites with friends: Pine-sol Latino, and Sears & Kmart. Later I went back to the hotel for a break and to get ready to meet with Big Daddy aka Chef Aaron McCargo Jr.Where he was signing his book at the Aunt Jemima booth. We recieved our books in our swag bag from Blogalicious.

Later that night we had the Que Rica Vida and Pine-sol blogafiesta! I volunteered for a cookind demonstration and we partied big with all the latinas and of course the awesome Rene Syler who earlier I head speak at a session.

Soon after we rushed over to Aunt Jemimas Binner with a demo with BigDaddy. After breakfast for dinner we all attended the Susan G Komen PJ party in the preseidential suite.

The day was busy but so much fun.

Sunday- Day3- the goodbyes start here!

I failed to attend any sessions on the last day. I was too busy with packing, meeting my husband, and calming my nervous because i was later speaking at the final event Scentalicious for Blogalicious.

Here I caught up with Chantilly from Bicultural Mom and with Ezzy. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many of the people I had just met attend this event. It was very special for Dania and I since we were both about to share some very special stories.

In the end I made everyone cry with my story which was never meant to be so emotional. I had lunch with my amigas and we all went our separate ways. This was definitely a time to remember.

Blogalicious'12 I am so looking forward to you!!!!

I hope to meet more of my online friends next time!
Stay tuned for my Scentalicious at Blogalicious Story.

Scentalicious at Blogalicious

2011-10-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

From the clothes we wear to our signature scent, we’re all different. That’s why Gain detergent and fabric softener products come in a wide variety of amazing, fresh scents, offering you more choices to help sniff out the scents that are as unique as you!

Come relax and listen as fellow bloggers share a moment in their lives that helped define who they are. Since we know that the sense of smell is a powerful one and that scent can often enhance an occasion and make it stand out in our memories, Gain wants to help celebrate these special occasions along with the scents that played a role in defining them.

Please join us as we celebrate uniqueness at the “Scentalicious at Blogalicious” wine and reading party on Sunday, October 23^rd at 12:30 p.m. in National Harbour 4/5!

@Lafamiliacool and @rubydw (me) along with others will be reading at the event.

Day of the Dead Craft on SpanglishBaby

2011-10-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

We created an awesome Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, craft for SpanglishBaby.com

Check it out to learn to make your own Shoebox Altar or to read the story behind our Altar.
Happy Tuesday!!!

He's a Big Kid now!!!

2011-10-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

My little man is a big kid now! He is successfully potty trained!
To think he did this all on his own, I'm amazed!

One day last week he announced "mommy mommy 'little man's' gotta go pee"... ya he talks about himself in 3rd person.
I was like oh ok... since the potties been out for a while now I rushed him over there took off a DRY DIAPER and there he went.

He was so excited. I wish I would have caught a picture. The rest of the day it was the same thing he announced it we rushed over and success every time.

He's even a pro already... look reading while on the potty... hahaha!

We celebrated by going to the store to purchase a few packs of "CHONIES" which is slang for under ware, calzones (little kids tend to call them cal-chon-ies)

He's only worn a diaper to bed but even that is dry he wakes up. Early in the am announces he has to go and does his thing.

I'm a proud mama!!!

A bilingual dia de los muertos book

2011-10-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

The kiddos and I have been extremely busy creating all kinds of fun Day of the Dead crafts. We usually don't celebrate but It's a day i'm going to start making a tradition in hopes of keeping my grandparents a living memory for my kids.

I was recently referred to Mommy Maestra's blog by my Amiga Chantilly, Bicultural Mom. I was so happy to see Mommy Maestra is Latinbabybookclub as well.

No surprise I would find awesome reads for my kids.

Here is a perfect book to go with our current theme of activities. I just purchased it off her website and it looks amazing! I can't wait to read it to little man and little lady. Purchase your own at MommyMaestra.com

Happy Friday!!!!

Disclosure: I am not paid by or associated with Mommymaestra.com Just wanted to share what seems like an awesome book. I'm already loving the illustrations.

Fire Safety Week

2011-10-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

In honor of Fire Safety week the kiddos and I decided to engage in a variety of activities.

Since the kids are to small to remember an escape plan I decided we should try to explain what a fire is. We got as far as hot and cold. Little man tends to get his senses mixed up he says a Popsicle is too hot and the oven is cold. it's cute but definitely scares me in the event that we do have a fire i must act fast because they wont know whats going on.

They hear smoke detectors go off in the house constantly especially when daddy is cooking lol I try to act very serious when we hear them go off. For a while the alarm sounding off was funny to them now they know it means business.

and last we decided to thank our local Firefighters. I found some pretty cool printouts via Sparky.org We plan to deliver these later this week.

We'll be practicing our Stop,Drop and Roll later today.

How are have you prepared for a fire?

My Bilingual Buddies

2011-10-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

Great News We finally did it

We have started a bilingual playgroup in our area

We are calling it My Bilingual Buddies more details to come.

In the mean time...

Don't forget to check out our current giveaway if you haven't entered now the time This is our biggest giveaway to date!

Have you seen our Bilingual Flashcards printable we have more to come

GUB like us returns next week stay tuned

Have a great weekend!!!!

Bilingual learning: Colors printable

2011-10-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

I've shared our bilingual journey since I first started to struggle. I've tried many things but also failed to keep at them. I've learned consistency is key but still i struggle with keeping up with something i want for my kids so bad.

If there's one thing I'm great at it's getting creative with paper.

I recently had the urge to get bilingual with the kids once again and so I came up with idea of creating my own Flash cards. Flash cards that were simple and easy to play with in little hands. I designed simple basic color cards with the color swatch and the color name in both languages.

When I created my first batch of cards the kids loved them. Granted it had been a few minutes of them playing with the cards but already little man could hand me the card with the color "verde"(green).

I wasn't forcing the education part i was simply interacting with little man and little lady. They'd hand me a card i'd say the color in English then Spanish and ask if they could say it to occasionally. We played for a good 10minutes before they moved on to the next toy but already i was happy that they were interested. It was extrea cute to hear little lady "ahhh-zul"

I realized that if I could set time aside through the day like we do with other activities the kids could potentially learn best this way.

Later that day I asked if others on twitter could benefit or would be interested in a free download of color flash cards. Also what other subjects/topics of flashcards would be useful. My aim is to create things my kids can gain from but it's always a plus if others can enjoy and gain from my creation as well.

Here is what the printable looks like, again very simple.

If you're interested here is the free download.

Click Here to Download

Please share if you do download. I'd love to hear some feedback.

The Count's Halloween Spooktacular at Sesame Place

2011-10-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of Sesame Street love around here. Little Lady loves Abby Cadabby and Little Man can't get enough of Elmo. The kids are finally calling each monster by their name which is a great way of showing they were ready to visit Sesame Place.

Friday was Zoe's Birthday Bash at Sesame Place. We were so excited to go with the kiddos and tickets were only $30. It was also The Count's Halloween Spooktacular.

The day was so nice. We rode on Elm's Flying Fish. It was Little Lady's first time. I wish I could have take a picture of her face as the ride went up. I really thought she was about to scream but she actually did pretty good. We also rode the carousel. This is still by far the kids favorite ride everywhere!

The Not-Too-Spooky Howl-o-ween Radio Show was too cute. It really wasn't spooky at all and we were able to see a lot of our favorite monsters Including the Birthday Girl herself, ZOE!!!!

The kids were non stop clapping and dancing. It was pure fun!

Next was The Neighborhood Street Party Spooktacular Parade and of course it was right on Sesame Street! All the characters were dressed in colorful costumes. Big Bird was really BIG the kids were amazed!

We did Abby's Magical Halloween Maze. The maze was perfect for little toddlers. There were various activities to do throughout the maze like an interactive mat to try and find Abby's wand and a smelling area where the kids said it smelled like candy. It was a yummy smell.

The Count's Un-Haunter Castle Maze was also lots of fun to walk thru and find some not so scary monster activities at the dead ends.

Later we finished our stay at the park with a trick-o-treating Hunt throughout the park. Dad and I used the Lavahound App to help us navigate thru the park and find all the Treat stations thru Sesame Place's Spooktacular Hunt. We found all 7! The scavenger Hunt was even fun for us grown folk. I have to give it up to dad he found most spots on the map before I did. I loved that most of the snacks were very healthy Chiquita mini banana and apple juice to name a few.

Our visit to Sesame Place during this time of year was one to remember. There's no better way to get you into the holiday spooky spirit then visiting a fun Halloween filled adventure park.

The Count's Halloween Spooktacular is on the weekends during 9/24-10/30.

upcoming events:

The Count's Halloween Party 10/8-10/9

rover's Birthday Bash 10/15-10/16

Abby Cadabby's Fairy Pumpkin Party 10/22-10/23

The Count's Halloween Party 10/29-10/30

Halloween Costume Contest 10/30

Disclosure: cmp.ly/0 The above are my true and honest opinions. I have no connection to the company and I was not paid.

Pampers Cruisers “30 Days of Play & Giveaways!"CLOSED

2011-09-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I posted about the awesome event we were invited to "Pampers Play-A-Palooza"

Where Pamper's Cruisers 3-way fit were all the rave of the night.

I also mentioned there would be a huge giveaway on behalf of Pampers.

Before I mention the awesomeness in prizes, Have you heard about

Pampers Cruisers “30 Days of Play & Giveaways!"

Beginning September 30 on Pamper's Facebook page there will be “Cruisers Sweeps” tab located on the left side of the screen. You can participate in daily Sesame Street trivia for a chance at exciting prizes. Each day a new question and set of prizes will be offered giving you, your family, and friends a few chances at winning a pack of newly improved Pampers Cruisers with 3-Way Fit alongside cool Sesame Street items– like furniture and toys, and event tickets to Sesame Place… even a chance at winning a year’s supply of diapers and an all-inclusive, four-day/three night vacation for two adults and two children (age 15 or under) to any of the four Beaches Resort’s “Sesame Street Caribbean Adventure” in Turks & Caicos or Jamaica!

Sounds pretty cool right. I know little lady and little man would love to win some Sesame Street items and of course i can use a vacation or even passes to Sesame place (which we don't live to far from)

How about we kick off the 30 day's a play & giveaways with a GUB giveaway of our own? READY?

One lucky winner will receive the following:

To enter to win giveaway(mandatory):
• Visit Pampers.com and Comment below telling us “What is your favorite Pampers product” or “Why you would love to win”

Additional entries

*leave separate comment for each additional entry to count as additional entry & remember to include your email in each entry*

• "like" Pampers on facebook AND write on their wall

• "like" GUB on facebook AND write on our wall

• Follow Pampers on twitter @pampers
• Follow me on twitter @rubydw

• Tweet on twitter: I just entered to win @pampers giveaway VIA @RubyDW at http://www.growingupblackxican.com #giveaway

• Link back this giveaway on your site and leave the link in a comment

• Subscribe to Growingupblackxican.com through Google Connect,Email or RSS.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years + ONLY

giveaway ends OCTOBER 27, 2011

11:59pm EST

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org

Winner will be emailed!

Happy Winnings!

**UPDATE**

Thanks to all who entered!

Disclosure: cmp.ly/2 Pampers is providing the giveaway prize I received information and links via Pampers. All the above are 100% my own honest opinions.

Pampers Cruisers 3-way fit Play-A-Palooza

2011-09-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the cute new design on Pampers 3-way fit cruisers? Well as you may have already guessed both my kiddos aren't potty trained yet so we were more than happy and excited to be invited to Pampers Play-A-Palooza at Dylan's Candy bar in NYC this past week.

We not only got to check out the new diapers but little lady was the first to try them out as we entered the restroom for a diapy change and were offered the awesome diapers.

Now you already know from past posts we love love love Sesame Street.

But really how awesome is it to have a soft absorbing diaper with a cute design? I think that's the one thing that keeps me in a happy medium from the kidds not wanting to do the potty thing.

The whole family had a great time. The kids got "hand"painted (we don't do the face thing) and a very fun performance by a great duo.

I met up with some great bloggy friends like the one and only Mitch from GAYNYCDAD and my wonderful amiga Divan from Dancing Hotdogs I also met a few new friends!

& of course the hubs got his picture taking on when Christina Milian and her baby Violet walked thru the door. Here's a picture of the kids and I with Christina.

Since it was Christina's Birthday that weekend pampers surprised her with this awesome diaper shaped cake. We all sang Happy Birthday and ate some cake. It was delicious!

Baby Violet was such a happy baby she was dancing and singing she even came up to little lady and little man and started to play and talk.

I also had a chance to interview Christina.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a HUGE GUB GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT

and other great details on chances to win via Pampers !

We are so excited!!!!

If you haven't visited them yet make sure to stop by

Pampers.com

LIKE Pampers Facebook page

and

Follow Pampers on Twitter

**Big thanks to Divina of Dancing Hotdogs and Jennifer of Mami2Mommy for recommending me to Pampers.

Disclosure:http://cmp.ly/1: I received diapers from Pampers. The above are my true and honest opinions.

Kmart's Fab 15

2011-09-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

Recently we attended the official revealing of KMART’S FAB 15! I was a little surprised when we were invited to this event. I mean how many more day’s until Christmas? AHHH the thought alone gets me a little nervous. It's still September and i'm planning for the holidays already. That’s why I am so happy Kmart provided us with the opportunity to play with the fabulous toys. It gives me the chance to see what my kids are into this year as well as the time to get my hands on their favorites.

Here is the list of the official FAB 15 for 2011

Little man and and little lady quickly grabbed their favorites.

Little man absolutely loved the leapfrog pad. He’s always been into tech gadgets and stuff. He does well with my iphone and ipad however I am on the constant lookout because I can’t afford for him to break my things. This is why I am sure the leapfrog pad will make it on to santa’s list. The best part is the games are very educational and start some of his favorite Disney characters.

Little lady was in love with this dog from the moment we saw it at the store so it was no surprise she ran to grab cookit the Furreal pet. She so wishes for a puppy fortunately santa can make her wish come true. This going on little lady’s Santa list.

And last but not least the kiddos both loves dora’s fiesta kitchen. I loved it too. It not only was colorful but it included the food and utensils for all our pretend needs. Little lady cooked me up a taco. Yes the set comes with a fake tortilla how cool is that? Maybe momma and daddy will purchase this for Christmas

Before the event was over little man and little lady had the chance to meet and take a picture with fab 15 amabassador himself Rico Rodriguez from Modern Family. He was so funny and so cute.I’m so glad my kids had a chance to meet another cool kid. Little man was a bit bashful if you can tell from the picture lol.

I also met another cool Latina mom, Romina from MamaXXI, she blog is in Spanish!

Saludos Amiga!

Be sure to visit Kmart’s Fab 15 where you can enter to win great toys from this collection including a grand prize of 15,000 toy shopping spree. Contest ends Now til Nov 5^th 2011 so hurry on over!

Rico Rodriguez Reveals Kmart Toys' Fab 15 by thatsfunny

DISCLOSURE http://cmp.ly/0 no connection unpaid 100% my own opinions

Kool-Aid memories

2011-09-27T10:42:00.001-07:00

This post brought to you by Kool Aid. All opinions are 100% mine.

How many of our GUB friends grew up loving Kool-Aid?

I remember when I first learned to make Kool-Aid my favorite flavor was grape but then Tropical punch was introduced and I became a fan. Making Kool-Aid was when I officially thought "I'm a big kid" Silly but true.

My mom collected Kool-aid points via their point rewards program. My favorite reward was the awesome popsicles makers as well as the bright colored T-shirts.

Lately I’ve been looking to create similar memories with my kids. Though the point reward program isn’t available anymore Kool-aid has introduced “Noches de Pelikoola” They’ve teamed up with Telemundo and local parks near you to show movies. For more information visit their Kool-Aid Facebook Page where you can also download a coupon for some Kool-Aid just for “liking” their page. Pretty cool right?

But that's not all! How about a free game? BINGO! Download your own Kool-Aid Bingo game via their Facebook page as well. NO POINTS REQUIRED :)

Little man and little lady are still a little to young for bingo. But we found out that by cutting the cards apart you can create an easy memory game perfect for tots!

It's great to enjoy a yummy special treat while playing games and watching a movie try these awesome Kool-aid pops! Or other great Kool-Aid recipes.

I hope Kool-Aid continues to be a part of my family as well as yours Cheers! Salud!

Once Upon a Monster

2011-09-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

Last week the GUB family attended the Once Upon a Monster pre-launch celebration in NYC.

We were totally excited to attend because the hubs and I grew up watching Sesame Street and the kiddos are now loving many of the same characters we did as kids. Not to mention the hubs is a huge gamer.

The kids were instructed on how to play by game creator, Nathan Martz.

They were a bit shy but after I joined in they enjoyed it and participated.

Nathan then had the time to talk to the hubs. He explained that he designed a game like this because he wanted the challenge of creating a game that was joyful and uplifting. He said he wanted to give the feeling just as your favorite uplifting song made you feel after hearing it, while playing a fun physical game with activities and learning lessons that you didn't know you were learning. He wanted to create a co-playing platform that was entertaining and whole sum just like entertainment should be and sesame street game and Xbox360 Kinect was perfect to do so.

The game is made for both old and young to enjoy. With child curriculum like social development, healthy habits for life and environmental friendliness.

We had a blast playing. The game is not made to be competitive as long as you try you progress. This is great because playing against the hubs I can already tell you I would lose every time. However, you do earn stars and it makes the kids feel good to know they are doing a great job.

Here is a clip of the hubs and I playing the game at the event.

Once upon a Monster will be available October 11, 2011.

The demo is now available thru Xbox live.

For more information on the game click HERE

Disclosure: cmp.ly/2: We were given a gift bag for attending the event. The above are my true and honest opinions.

Toca Boca Apps

2011-09-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

Technology has been something both my husband and I have been interested since we were young so it's no wonder our kids gravite towards our iphone and our newly addition the Ipad2!

They constantly want to play on it. They're pretty good at navigating thru my apps.

I try and find fun educational and imagination exploring type apps the kids can play during a long car ride or for quiet time of their own.

TOCA BOCA is now one of my favorite app creators because they "believe that apps can stimulate and facilitate all types of play"

In a post on their blog titled "The playful side of apps" they broke down the types of play according to Martha B Bronson, author of " The right stuff for children birth to 8" .Here is an easy to read graphic that explains the types of play.

image source

They recently reached out to me to have my kiddos try out some of their new apps. I was super excited because I had downloaded the free trial of TOCA BOCA Doctor and already little man was doing great at navigating thru the puzzles.

The images are not over whelming for my toddlers and the colors and sounds are great. Not to mention it gets their imagination going.

We reviewed the following Apps:

Helicopter Taxi- Active & Make-Believe play

Robot Lab-Manipulative, Creative, & Learning play

Hair Salon-Make-Believe, Manipulative & Creative play

Doctor- Make-Believe, Manipulative, & Leaning play

Tea Party- Make-Believe & Creative play

Our favorite is by far the Toca Boca Tea Party. The kids love setting up their stuffed animals for a mini tea party. Little man has learned to clean up after himself if his drink spills as well as asking little lady if she would like another cookie or cake. I love the sounds the interaction makes. It encourages my kids to share and play together. Even dad had been playing with them. It's become a new family time activity.

Visit Toca Boca online for more information on all their apps.

Also Download the free version of Toca Boca Doctor App for iphone or ipad Here.

DISCLOSURE CMP.LY/1:
App codes were provided to me so that I could download and review the apps. The above is my true and honest opinion.

IMAGE SOURCE: TOCA BOCA ONLINE, TOCA BOCA FLICKR

Lucha Lucha Lucha

2011-09-15T04:16:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with this great week of celebrating Hispanic Heritage, I decided to let the kids in on one of my favorite childhood memories-

LUCHA LIBRE!

In the search for a good YOUTUBE video I stubbled upon yet another crafty artsy activity the family could do.

This time it involved markers, eggs and Luchador Masks!

The super awesome Queen of Crafts, Kathy Cano-Murillo, Better known as The Crafty Chica created some amazing El Luchador Cascarones. In her post she shares how she created her cascarones.

Although cascarones are super fun to make and destroy, because they are filled with confetti, I decided it was probably best to just stick with a boiled egg. It was much safer for my toddlers.

Here are a few pics of how our crafty night went. Even dad made a Luchador Masked egg.

After creating these colorful eggs I explained to my little family how I had the chance to go to an actual Lucha Libre match in Tijuana, Mexico. I was about 9 years old. I stood in the stands with my family cheering on our favorite hometown luchadores. It was an awesome memory in my childhood. There I learned how much Lucha Libre is part of my Heritage. My parents share some of the same Lucha Libre memories from when they were kids also. I can't wait to take my kids to a match next time we visit Tijuana.

*Thanks to The wonderful Crafty Chica for creating crafts that touch the heart and soul. You have put a wonderful twist to Easter egg decorating!

Happy Thursday everyone!

Growing up BLACKXICAN

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