Laundry!

Have you noticed that laundry mysteriously appears overnight? (okay.. I know.. there are no fairies that pile laundry in the wee hours ..) However... one of the coolest things about being a grown-up is being able to buy whatever product I want .. like a beauty product (or two or three)... 

Being a Purex Insider I get to try products FOR FREE (how awesome is that!) ... and even though I HATE DOING LAUNDRY ( partly because it never ends)... this new product, which just hit stores today, is really awesome .. yes.. it smells great .. and yes.. there is NO oily residue on clothes.. but the coolest thing about it is that all you have to do is toss the crystals in at the beginning of the wash and you don't have to worry about forgetting to put fabric softener when the Rinse cycle comes on... wooo hooo!

Who wants a free coupon to try it out? Be the first to leave me a comment on this post and you will get a coupon to try this product out :) Happy washing! ;)

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Sand, road and my first marathon…

Last weekend I ran my first marathon.. Let me tell you .. it was a very big milestone in my life… let me explain.. in my family we are prone to uterine and breast cancer so I get checked quite frequently (which I HIGHLY encourage all the ladies reading this to do the same .. and men to please encourage the women in your life to do the same). Last June I had to have a growth removed and then unfortunately it returned by November which meant I had to have another surgery.

It was difficult for all of us, me and my children were in a very bad emotional place.. needless to say I had to move from Tampa, FL back home to have the second surgery and make sure that I recuperated fully … thankfully it has not returned (woooo hooo).. which leads me to my marathon story.. the anniversary of my second surgery was on November 4th  and so that day I made a decision to "take more control" of my body.. and that led me to make the decision to run my first marathon .. well that and one more thing..

One thing that is very hard for a strong woman to say out loud is that they need help and believe me .. last year taught me to humble myself enough to ask for outside help .. but there is one more thing.. HAVING OTHERS BELIEVE IN YOU MEANS SOOOO MUCH…

Also in November some very special people believed in me enough to send me out to a press junket for the Toy Story 3 DVD release and that day pushed me to believe that I could come out of the shell that I had created because of a variety of circumstances… if you get nothing else out of this post .. hear this: LONELINESS is a choice… you have to want better for yourself and just take a leap of faith .. because believe me .. even though the hardest thing to face is to rejection.. what is worse is not even trying.. GET OUT THERE.. join a gym. join a book club, take a college class.. reevaluate what you are doing and find what you love because as you get older the things you enjoy change.. and once you find out what you love .. GO FOR IT…. and just know that the universe/God/ or whatever it is that you believe in .. are behind you .. if you just love yourself enough to seek positivity.. :) Leave me a comment and let me know what drives you or what you love now that you may not have realized you loved … as for me .. I'm training for my next marathon! 

Here are some pics:

Me and the road :)

My favorite part of my run ...

Yogi Bear, Boo Boo and my boys!

This past weekend I took the boys to see Yogi Bear IN 3D! It was beyond awesome and you can read my interviews in my contribution to CLICK {latina}.. however ... today my eldest son wanted to tell you about the movie in his own words :) ..enjoy!:



There you have it folks the movie was SUPER-NICE! We had such a good time and the movie is definitely worth spending extra to see it in 3D. The actors were all hilarious and of course Yogi and Boo Boo were at it again .. this was a movie that had us all laughing!


Here are some pictures of our movie experience:

They are fans of the CHEESE

We had pizza afterward..

Guess where we saw the movie :)

Saying he wished he could see it again .. that day :)

I know for those of us that grew up with Yogi it will be so cool to see the "smarter than the average bear" in the big screen.. but wait until you see your kids' faces when they see Yogi and Boo Boo "kicking it" and traipsing in roaring rapids... it's magical!

One of the things I love the most about having kids is that they see things in such a magical way that even if you did what they did when you were little .. you get to relive your childhood all over again .. I know that it sucks to be the "bad cop" or the "mommy" ALL of the time.. so I encourage you to take a breather one night/evening/afternoon  and take your kids to a movie and pretend that you were their age again .. STUFF your face with popcorn, drink sugary drinks, and laugh with them ... and afterward take them to a park to burn all that energy off .. because believe me kids grow up fast .. and you want to enjoy them (and vice versa) .. leave me a comment and let me know what you guys thought of the movie :)! (and have some popcorn for me!)

Treasured time…

I cooked on Sunday.. I made greens, sofrito-infused ribs, and mac and cheese..soo I didn’t feel too bad that I did NOT cook for Thanksgiving ;) .. instead my mom, the boys, and I headed to Vegas for 4 days… let me just say this: If you think Vegas is just for adults .. you would be WRONG.. there are a TON of fun stuff for kids and their parents to do there.... like buy them stuff they don’t need. :)
 

                                              Watched some shows.

                                       Snuggled in front of a fireplace.

                                       and… ate lotssss of yummy food!

Since I work so much, it is so rare that we actually spend a lot of quality time together… so just being able to sleep snuggled next to them and not have to wake them up at the crack of dawn was an experience unto itself. I try to do exciting things with them as much as I can because I know that one day they will be with friends, out of town, or maybe working (ironic..lol).
Being a single mother is a lot of things … but it is rewarding .. the key is to find a way to still do what you love ( whether it is a hobby or your 9-5) … and to take the time to enjoy the little things with your loved ones.. whether it is an impromptu park date .. ice cream cone.. or what in our house is called “backwards day” .. it is a day in the month where we have dinner for breakfast and vice versa .. it is the memories you create in such times that will make everything else worthwhile..
Love yourself, cherish your time, and treasure your memories :)

5th B-Day Adventure

Four years ago.. I looked forward to this day .. the day when my baby would be in kindergarten and be turning FIVE .. this was because I was still potty training my oldest son .. and changing diapers .. and finishing my degree .. so on and so forth..welll.. that day finally came .. and it was not what I expected .. I was saddened that I would no longer see another child off to kindergarten.. see funny little Christmas recitals … and it was even more bittersweet when my oldest son (Darion is seven) went on his very first big-boy rollercoaster: the Ghostrider at Knotts Berry Farm… our two-day celebration went like this:

Friday:
I woke up my baby and snuggled and sung happy birthday to him..later I had to get him to stop singing happy birthday to himself and then the dog or he was going to make me late for work.. lol..
when I picked the boys up that day .. when asked where he wanted to go for dinner my brand-new five year old boldly stated that he wanted to go to Shogun.. and  we had a blast!

B-Day Boy

Mommy needed a drink ;)

Saturday:
The boys and I headed to Knotts Berry Farm and I thought that we would go on all the little kid rides .. but I was shocked when Darion said he wanted to go on Ghostrider.. and of course I had a moment when I wished he was too short to go on it.. but he was just barely tall enough and off he went.. I was soo scared … I remember being so excited when going on those huge roller coasters.. but now all I could think of was ..is he going to fall out..? what if the ride shuts down? what if he starts to cry..?

None of the aforementioned things happened but.. I think I aged two years in that one moment....

Discovering Mas Luncheon

Soo my lovelies.. this past Saturday I went to the “Discovering Mas” Luncheon.. yes.. unbelievable that I left my babies on a Saturday … but let me tell you .. IT WAS WORTH IT!!

Aside from getting a little lost because my Google Maps App told me the destination would be on the left .. the place Callender's Grill  was an awesome restaurant and the food was delicious .. but I digress....

I got to meet some awesome ladies ..very awesome company …  needless to say .. there was bonding going on over pasta and drinks...that is one of the reasons why I started blogging.. I wanted to reach out to people .. although I wasn’t quite ready to leave the safety net of my home either.. … once I began to going to blogging events .. I was very nervous but it helped knowing that the people I would meet already had something in common with me .. they had blogs... and that filled that beginning silence that makes me a little uncomfortable when I first meet someone… the women at this event were very nice, professional, and ready to learn from our guest speakers: Jennifer Vides and Wally Sabria ..

Jennifer Vides spoke to us about developing our personal brand .. she inspired me to create my own persona and I brainstormed during her presentation what I stood for ...hmmm (more to come) …

Wally Sabria talked to us about creating a dialogue with our readers and during my brainstorming in his presentation.. I came up with my logo:

What do you guys think?? This logo took me forever (keep in mind I am very new to all of this .. lol)!

From this event --- I FOUND the physical representation of my voice, which as my logo states is that of a renaissance woman .. Iam not only am a Mother, Daughter, Sister and Friend .. I am also a professional mujer(woman) that is a jack of all trades and a juggler of life.. I challenge my readers.. male and female alike to think about what voice they have… and what that voice can offer the world … ;) 

OH MY GOSH: THE GOODIE BAGS WERE AMMMAAAZING.. the mouse pad that QUE RICA VIDA gave just reminded me of how much I wish I had an IPAD so I can download their app which I hear from everybody that has awesome recipes, Kurvee gave some awesome goodies (you can read my tweets to see how much II LOOVVE the Bic pen I got from them), Avocados from Mexico were also there and I literally had avocadoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.. they were soo big and just ripe enough! (more about the recipes I used later..) Procter and Gamble gave us soooo much stuff, Chinese Laundry, Ardell,  China Glaze, Carolina Pad, Macys, and Palomaya ( I was really hoping I would win their t-shirt in the raffles :/), WetnWild, Payless Shoe Source, Bali (the tights were amazing.!), Knex.. I hope I am not leaving any out because all of the companies were much appreciated.... here are some pics :) 

The Pen (thanks @kurvee)!

courtesy of: Crystal@crystalrene.com

One more thing that I have been playing around with sharing with you guys is that I will be beginning to take more control of my health and in doing so .. I WILL BE RUNNING IN A MARATHON ON DECEMBER 10^th … I will talk more about this in my next blog post ….

<3

Bere

Use your village…

As a single mom.. things can get kind of hectic.. (an 8-5 job, a kindergartner, a second grader, a brand new dog..) but you know what I have learned these past few weeks (yes.. weeks.. lol.. I am a tad hard headed) is that I have always had a support system I just didn’t use it because in part .. I have always followed society’s  view that a strong woman should be able to be self-sufficient.. asking for help has always been a struggle for me.. HOWEVER.. I can honestly say that I have an awesome support system … My Mom is there as much as she can be ..as well as my sisters and of course my friends and neighbors… sometimes our current societal state reflects too much on how bad the world has gotten and some of that is true but there is soo much beauty in our world still.. I choose to focus on that .. sometimes the energy you put out will be what you get in return..

 I teach my boys to always do “the right thing” not because what the action may benefit you.. but how it will benefit others.. if there is nothing else that you get from reading my blog it is to choose to look at things as positively as you can .. and let others into your world … don’t take on the world on your own ;-)           

"Blessed are those who can give without remembering and
take without forgetting."
Elizabeth Bibesco

 

                          "The wise person understands that his own happiness must
                                               include the happiness of others."
                                                        Dennis Weaver

Pursuing Your Dream --

How many times do you get up in the morning and feel like you just want to “get through your day”? I did.. until last year.. not until I had a health scare that made me feel like I was truly blessed to be alive.. it made me realize that life was too short to just live to survive .. I wanted to FEEL exhilarated and above all, content..
I recently interviewed one the animators of Pixar, his name is Carlos Baena.. not only was he one of the most charismatic people I have ever met.. he was also one of the nicest..


One of the things he was most passionate about was his love for all things cinema.. Animation was one of his first loves.. but ultimately it was the telling of a story that intrigued him… every day he gets up .. he can’t wait to work.. he is inspired by his culture in the freeness the comes with being Latino.. we encourage dreamers and hard work…
That made me think.. what happened to my dreams.. my goals..? Once I became a Mom.. it seemed as if I got my degree sort of a side note to making sure my boys became well-adjusted kids…
I realized when I interviewed Mr.Baena that somewhere along the way .. I lost that passion .. even within the last year.. when I made my goal to live life to the fullest… It seems as if I always take a back seat… BUT NO LONGER… I made a goal today .. that I would start with one hour everyday when I just do something for myself… even if I am tired..I WILL:

                     have a cup of tea
                     take a bubble bath
                     watch a show on my DVR
                     have a friend (or friends ) over for dinner
                     play with my new puppy
                     POST A BLOG :-)

I know that pursuing a dream can seem daunting .. but I challenge you to join me in at least starting with an hour a day doing something you love… something that soothes you.. something that helps you unwind
At the end of the day.. YOU are left with memories.. make them memorable .. and if you can’t do that today.. that is the beauty of TOMORROW..  ;-)

Living MY American Dream

So, yesterday I went to see Eva Longoria’s new documentary: “Latinos:Living the American Dream.”--- before I tell you all about the night and the film let me just say a few things… I NEVER felt as proud to be a Latina as I did last night after watching the film and listening to Eva and her team talk about their journey towards making this film.
I never appreciated a brand more than I did last night … PEPSI ROCKS! They understand the unbeliEVAble :) power of Latinos and helped Eva Longoria get OUR story out there. THAT was so powerful to me. She said something (well.. lots of things) that really struck a cord in my cultural soul, “we need to get our stories out there because if we don’t no one will…we are seen so negatively in the media that we need to showcase ourselves in a positive light…” (s/n… those may not have been her exact word because I didn’t think to write it down .. but that was the gist of what she said)… I can’t agree with her more .. which is one of the reasons I started this blog.. to empower, support, and reach those people that may need to hear how I struggle and how I handle things .. and maybe they won’t feel so alone.. maybe they will feel empowered that there are others out there struggling and they too can overcome their obstacles.. not all Latina Moms/daughters/wives/sisters have someone to talk to .. maybe they don’t have a lot of positive role models/mentors/sister-friends….perhaps I can be that for them… and THAT is how I feel I can make a difference .. that is how I CAN LIVE MY AMERICAN DREAM .. by not staying silent .. by not being an island.. by reinventing myself through my words and finding power in networking with other strong and beautiful LATINAS that share some of my views and struggles…I feel proud to be LATINA.. are YOU proud of yourself too?

More to come about the night and the INSPIRING film!

ART!!

I am so happy that I live in L.A right now; mind you I have moved around a lot in the past 10 years, I grew up here in L.A. and I thought it would be a good idea to move to Hawaii after high school.. after that I moved to Minot (North Dakota..brrr..), Dayton (Ohio… brrrr), Tampa (Florida---helllloo humidity!).. but nothing compares to LOS ANGELES… in everything--- traffic, restaurants, and MUSEUMS.. Anyone that knows me is that I love to take my boys to museums… and especially in October because in LA we have ARTwalks in the Miracle Mile and my favorite PASADENA ART NIGHT!!

I remember in elementary school we never did much but we went to the LACMA when the Frida Kahlo exhibit was brought to LA .. I was such a book worm and I remember some of my favorite Frida quotes:

Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?


I leave you my portrait so that you will have my presence all the days and nights that I am away from you.


I love you more than my own skin.

I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality.


I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration.


I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.


I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.


Boy… those were so powerful to my young mind and now.. they are even more appropriate and why she is still one of my favorite artists.. it always amazes me what my boys have to say when they see art, they are awed and puzzled by what has evolved into art these days :) :

Darion: Mommy..umm..I could draw that (we were looking at a canvas that had three blue triangles on a white background)..

Darion: Mommy was Picasso sleepy when he drew that?

Jaden: Mommy… can we make stuff and put it on display too? (he was saying this while looking at a contemporary art piece)

Me: LAUGH

I can't wait to take them to a musical, a dance performance, and I can't wait to catch the look on their faces when they realize that they can do whatever they want to do because they see others living their dreams and creating art with their words, with their bodies, and instruments… the sky really is the limit.. and I remind myself that if they can dream big .. I can too :)!

Q.T.

A neighbor today told me today "You never get break huh? From your kids.." I just laughed and said that "I am away from them during the week when I am at work and once in a while I have weekend meetings and conventions that I go to.. at the end of the day.. I miss them .. one day they are going to want to be with their friends and not me.. so I cherish the time I have with them ...although after they are in bed.. I indulge in a glass of wine now and then .. hahahahaha"

I take this time to say that parenting at times is overwhelming and I am not perfect. .. by no means .. I cry to Mom sometimes .. but I have some processes that soothe me when this "Single-Mom"-thing gets too crazy.. (sidebar: I am not a professional but I am a mom.. and I will only talk about what I have already done .. repeatedly...)

1. Take a deep breath..

2. Have the boys go in their room for a little while, sometimes I cook (the process soothes me), sometimes I make coffee/tea (the aroma calms me down), and other times I call a friend and talk about things other than my kids...


3. LAUGH .. I know this may sound crazy but it really works because it makes you think twice about what it was that you were sad/mad/frustrated about in the first place ...

 I remember that one day a friend of Darion asked him "Do you even have a Dad?" It actually didn't phase Darion as much it devastated me..

Later that evening I cleaned like a mad woman, I called a friend, I took a bath... and I still couldn't get that situation out of my head.. but.. I stopped for a second and just smiled ( I couldn't laugh just yet) .. I thought about anything positive about the situation and you know what? Darion answered and confidently said "Yes I have a Dad .. I just don't see him very often"....

I had always spoken to him about the situation and made sure he explored his feelings and we had each other, we even have a name for our "family unit" : The Fantastic Three .. we made a family crest... we have a weekly family meeting in which anything that is discussed can't be punished or shared with the outside world ... we have a day in the month where we do things backwards (i.e. have breakfast for dinner .. eat dessert first.. so on and so forth)

We aren't conventional and the boys don't have a grown-up male companion in their life.. but we have each other .. and in those frustrating/sad/mad times .. I remember that the situation that made me feel the way I feel is only temporary.. but the bond I have with my boys is for a lifetime and worth every single minute ...

insert LAUGH here

ToothFAIRy

So my 7 year-old Darion is always negotiating and finding loopholes in just about everything... as his Mom I have learned to not only have a written iron clad contract but also his signature and initials on everything from chores to other miscellaneous ventures..  not too long ago, he cajoled one of his loose front teeth to come out early and I was left wondering why he endured so much pain and dedicated so much time into that act.. until later:

Darion: Parents know the tooth fairy .. right Mom? ( he calls me Mom when he is having a "grown up discussion". all other times it is "Mommy".. so I knew this was going to be a doosy)

Me: I suppose .. why?(please note that I didn't confirm nor deny the existence of the tooth fairy ... so he couldn't say I traumitized him for life after he finds out there is no tooth fairy or more devastatingly NO SANTA)

Darion: Well, I thought maybe you could intercede on my behalf with her (two things: what 7 year old goes around using words such as "intercede" and "on my behalf"? second: why does he assume all tooth fairies are women? did he not drag me to see The Rock playing a tooth fairy? Did I sit through that movie FOR NOTHING??) .. See Mom I feel that because it was one of my FRONT teeth that fell out I should be compensated for the cosmetic trauma this will cause me.

Me: *blank stare* *stuttering* um... what do you mean "cosmetic trauma"?

Darion: *patiently sighing* Mom, when people look at me it will be OBVIOUS that I lost a tooth and therefore it damages my profile .. think about the upcoming second grade pictures.. Christmas pictures.. and so on .. 

Me: *blank stare*

Darion: Okay .. look all I am asking for is an extra dollar, I understand that times are difficult for everyone so I am more than happy to be reasonable....

Me: um.. um.... um... okay tell you what .. leave your request, in writing, on the kitchen table before you go to bed and I will be sure she receives the message

Darion: *shrugs* okay Mommy

Me: (muttering.. what would Dr. Phil do? Dr.Oz? Oprah? Ellen?)

 Later that night.....

As I sat there looking at my baby's note .. I put the following at the top of the paper: "REQUEST DENIED --- IT'S A RECESSION" in bright red letters and  a smiley face :)

....He was not pleased the next morning.. but I politely told him that requests can't be denied or granted if they are not made .. so just because he didn't win with the penny-pinching Tooth Fairy .. he might get lucky with a Venture Capitalist in a decade or so ...

Darion: *blank stare*

Intro--

I feel like I just plunged in without really giving you guys much of our back ground. I am a single mom that works what  feels like ALL the time. I have an awesome group of friends and family. I try really hard at seeing the cup half full.. and when I can't do that .. I am just thankful to have the cup in the first place ... :)

Darion is the serious one of the family.. I think he is either going to be a judge or a chef because he loves to cook while managing to be obsessed with directions and rules.

Jaden, however, has never met a rule he wouldn't break.. I fear he is either going to be a football player or a lawyer... he likes to bend the rules, find loopholes and/or find new ways of hurting himself...

I sometimes (ok... 97.5% of the time) feel very overwhelmed because God knows I have NO IDEA what it means to be a man .. so how in the world can I raise two of them?! Just the memories of potty training them give me nightmares. However, the other percent of the time is spent being in awe that these two amazing kids are mine. They are funny and have the biggest hearts .. and that makes me so proud.

Morning Adventure -- Take One

Hello! This blog will be one in which I can vent my exasperation, frustration, utter disbelief, and of course.. (drum roll please...) blissful experiences .... WITH MY BOYS!

Darion is 7 years old going on 50...

Jaden is 4 years old going on .. well.. he's just trying to not hurt himself too badly ...

It is about my youngest that my first post will on:

Morning routine w/ Jaden went like this---

Jaden: "Mommy... I am going to miss you soooo much... I don't want to go to school" (enter the batting of his enormous eyelashes)

Me: "Jaden, unless you want to eat your saliva for breakfast you need to hurry up and get your clothes on .. oh and Mommy loves and misses you very much everyday ..."

.... one hour later in Kindergarten

Me: "Jaden, Mommy is going to miss you sooo much" (hugging and kissing her baby)

Jaden: "Mommy... you know .. you wouldn't be missing me if YOU HAD LET ME STAY HOME!"

End Scene