As an educator, I believe that it is my responsibility to impart the concept of empathy to my students.  It is important that they understand that their actions and contributions to society can have a profound impact on the circumstances of others.  As a result, every holiday we work together to decorate holiday greeting cards for our servicemen and servicewomen who are serving our country overseas.  By participating in this program, they learn the importance of giving back to their community.

    Macy’s Heart of Haiti initiative is also aimed at making a difference and giving something back to the community.  It does so by providing sustainable income to Haitian artisans whose lives, and those of their families, have been completely devastated by the 2010 earthquake.  It has already led to the employment of 750 artists in Haiti thereby providing financial benefits for an estimated 8,500 people throughout the country.

    Heart of Haiti is a “trade not aid” program geared at shining a light at the massive destruction and devastation that has deeply affected the socioeconomic situations of these wonderfully talented artisans.  The initiative was launched by artist and social entrepreneur, Willa Shalit, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and Macy’s.

    Each item is unique in design and handmade by a Haitian master artisan using such resources as recycled oil drums, wrought iron, papier-mâché and stone.  The collection is rich with such pieces as quilts, metalworks, ceramics, jewelry and paintings.  Each item is also environmentally friendly because it is made from recycled items including old cement bags, cardboard, oil drums and local gummier wood.

    Heart of Haiti products are available exclusively at Macy’s.com and retail from $25 to $60.  If you would like more information on Heart of Haiti, you can follow them on Twitter and Facebook.  We hope you will join us in celebrating the heart, spirit, and endurance of Haiti.

Disclosure: This post is part of a campaign with Latina Bloggers Connect and Macy’s Heart of Haiti.  I received one or more of the items mentioned above to review in exchange for giving my honest opinion.  Any statements made in this post are the author’s honest opinions. I only recommend products or services I use personally and I believe will be “family friendly.” I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

© 2012, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.

    We are huge fans of Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal in my house.  To be quite honest, I rarely get to eat any of it when we bring it home from the grocery store because the boys and my husband gobble it up right away.  It was definitely cause for celebration when we received the opportunity to review their new Fruit Blend Flavors.

    The two Fruit Blends that we received were Peach and Raspberry along with Banana and Blueberry.  I knew right away that my husband and my older son would naturally gravitate towards the Banana and Blueberry Blend because they are not big fans of Peach.

    Of course, I was absolutely right and I didn’t even get to try that flavor because they polished off that box before I even got around to tasting it. According to them it was delicious and they want to know when I’m buying it again.

    Now, my younger son and I love Peach and Raspberry so we sat down together to try this Fruit Blend.  It was delicious!  I liked the fact that the peach taste was not too overpowering and each flavored granola cluster had just the right combination of the two tastes.

    The best part is that, aside from being yummy, Honey Bunches of Oats Fruit Blends Peach and Raspberry contains 10 grams of whole grain per serving.  It also provides 9 essential vitamins and minerals and contains 0 grams of Trans Fat, 0 grams of Saturated Fat, and 0mg of Cholesterol per serving.

    Estoy muy contenta que Honey Bunches Latino me escogio para darme la oportunidad de probar estos cereales deliciosos de Honey Bunches of Oats!  Yo entiendo la importancia de preparar un desayuno sano para mi familia todos los dias!

Product Review disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above test/review in exchange for my opinion and for the purpose of writing this post. I only recommend products or services I use personally and I believe will be “family friendly.” I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

© 2012, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.

    The time has come for another Monday Mingle. It is always a pleasure to meet those of you who are linking up for the first time and to see those of you back who have been linking up for a long time. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

    Please note that I have decided to remove Google Friend Connect from this blog since Google shut down Google Friend Connect for all non-Blogger blogs this past March. Please make sure you don’t miss any Monday Mingles and remember to subscribe via email.

    This blog hop continues to be for everyone with NO RULES. Personally, I hate having to follow a bunch of rules just to connect with all of you so this hop will continue to be RULE FREE!

    I hope you are all ready for a great week of networking. So please link up and follow each other on Google Friend Connect, Facebook, or Twitter. Monday Mingle will always be easy and fun because nobody wants to follow some boring list of blog hop rules. Here are the rules:

WELCOME TO MONDAY MINGLE!

1) Please find it in your heart to follow my blog on or Facebook , Google+ , or subscribe via email since I am the genius who came up with this idea, plus I would really appreciate it!

2) If you leave me a comment letting me know that you are following me through Monday Mingle, I can follow you back.

3) Follow as many blogs as you would like from the Linky and make sure that you comment that you found them through Monday Mingle so they can follow you back.

4) Please note that this is a family blog. Any text that is inappropriate or deemed inappropriate by me will be removed. I reserve the right to remove anything that I feel conflicts with the overall theme of my blog.

5) Have fun and Mingle!

6) Feel free to snag the Monday Mingle button code in the sidebar and post it on your own blog to help spread the word.

Have a great week, Everyone!

© 2012, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.

    We have a one year old half Labrador, half American Pit Bull Terrier named Onyx.  He is very much loved in our household and has really become another member of the family.  The only problem is that he doesn’t always behave the way that he should and we have been working with him to follow simple commands using positive reinforcement.

    When he complies with or obeys a command, we give him a dog treat.  Onyx, however, does not just eat any treat and has an extremely picky palate.  As a result, we were very hopeful and excited about trying new CESAR® Cookie Crunchies treats for dogs.

    These baked treats come in two flavors including Rotisserie Chicken Flavor and Filet Mignon Flavor.  Each bag comes with 130 pieces and, at just 10 calories per piece, you can give your dog more treats per day without having to worry about excessive calories.  We loved the small, bite-sized shapes of the treats which are hearts, paw prints, and bones.

    Since we love Onyx so much and he returns that love to all of us daily, we take special care in choosing his food and his treats.  It is our hope that making the right dietary decisions for him will keep him with us for many years to come.  After all, who else will sit on my lap religiously as I write on my blog?

    I allowed Onyx to smell the treats in my hand before I gave them to him and he immediately started to lick his chops.  This was definitely a good sign and meant that their scent was appealing to him.  We tried the Filet Mignon Flavor first and he wolfed them down right away.  The next time we went outside, we gave him the Rotisserie Chicken Flavor treats and he liked those just as much.

    CESAR® Canine Cuisine offers a variety of foods and treats for all your pet nutrition needs.  They pride themselves on providing delicious food options to our beloved canine friends.  I can definitely tell you that they already have Onyx’s seal of approval!

Disclosure:  I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Cesar and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

© 2012, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.

    We have been using Original Simple Green for a couple of years now and we absolutely love the way that it cleans as well as how fresh it makes everything smell.  A couple of weeks ago, we truly learned to appreciate the fact that it is non-toxic and biodegradable and what exactly what that means to our family and our pet.

    It all started when we ran out of our regular bottle of Original Simple Green…We normally use it to clean everything in the house including the dog’s crate and his eating area, which can get pretty messy.  Since we were in a rush, we decided to use another household cleaner until the weekend when we would have time to replace our bottle of Simple Green.  Boy was that a big mistake!

    Even though we used very little of the other household cleaner, our dog ended up having an allergic reaction to the chemicals in it.  When we discussed this with the veterinarian, he stated that it was quite possible that these chemicals irritated the fur around his years.  He said that it is extremely important to use non-toxic cleaners around pets too just as you would around your children.

    It is safe to say that we vowed right then and there to never use any other cleaner around our boys and our dog.  I can’t even imagine what other types of harmful chemicals we are exposed to on a regular basis from all of the different kinds of cleaning products that we use in our homes.  Original Simple Green not only is a safe product but it is also very versatile and can be used to clean so many things around the home.

    An added bonus is that it is also cost efficient.  One 32 oz. bottle of Concentrated Original Simple Green usually lasts us a few months in our home and we use it to clean everything from the counter and the stove to the sink and bathtub in the bathroom.  Its brand new packaging includes a new bottle with a much better trigger and “grip” so its more comfortable to use and is fully biodegradable.  Trust me, you will never need or want another cleaning product in your home!

Giveaway:

Our sponsor is giving away one 32 oz. bottle of Original Simple Green to one of you!

Please click on the word “more” below to enter using Rafflecopter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Product Review/Giveaway disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above test/review in exchange for my opinion and for the purpose of writing this post. I only recommend products or services I use personally and I believe will be “family friendly.” I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

© 2012, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.

    This past week, I had a very interesting conversation on Pinterest with a complete stranger that was very confusing to me.  In essence, I was told that I have no right to refer to myself as a Latina because I am of Spanish heritage and Spaniards are Europeans and, therefore, not allowed to use this title.

    Huh?  That is exactly what I was asking myself.  Never in my life has another person presumed to tell me how I should label myself culturally.  I really felt offended because I have always identified myself with my Latin roots and I resented the fact that she was trying to separate me from everything that I have ever felt connected to or have identified with.

    I have always been raised to be proud of my heritage and to appreciate the ties that all Spanish-speaking people have to one another, regardless of what country they originated from.  Plus, if we want to get into semantics, the definition of a Latino is anyone who speaks a language that is derived from Latin.  This means that, technically, Italians and Romanians are Latinos too since their languages are rooted in Latin.

    The fact that I was raised in Spain has not shielded me from the discrimination that is directed toward Hispanics in this country.  When it comes to hate mongers, all they see is my Spanish surname and all they hear is that I am fluent in Spanish.  I have always felt connected to all of my Latin brothers and sisters due to all of the cultural things that we have in common including language, customs, foods, and family values.

    Even more ridiculous about this entire discourse was her insinuation that I apologize for the atrocities that imperialistic Spain exacted on the indigenous people of the caribbean.  Of course, these atrocities were heinous but, really?  I’m not apologizing for that because I wasn’t alive back then and those are not my sins to repent.  For that matter, every single citizen of every single country that has ever been imperialistic at one point would have to apologize.

    So, at the end of the day, it boils down to this:  I decide my cultural identity!  I am a woman of Spanish descent married to a man who is Cuban, Jamaican, and Puerto Rican.  I am the mother of children who are of mixed race and mixed nationalities and I’m proud of it!

    It is this very fiber of brotherhood and family that makes Latin culture so very beautiful and it is an honor to be a part of it.  Instead of looking for reasons to create separation and barriers among Latinos, we should be celebrating all of the things that we have in common as well as celebrating the things that make us different from one another.  This is the only true road to tolerance and respect.

© 2012, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.

    The time has come for another Monday Mingle. It is always a pleasure to meet those of you who are linking up for the first time and to see those of you back who have been linking up for a long time. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

    Please note that I have decided to remove Google Friend Connect from this blog since Google shut down Google Friend Connect for all non-Blogger blogs this past March. Please make sure you don’t miss any Monday Mingles and remember to subscribe via email.

    This blog hop continues to be for everyone with NO RULES. Personally, I hate having to follow a bunch of rules just to connect with all of you so this hop will continue to be RULE FREE!

    I hope you are all ready for a great week of networking. So please link up and follow each other on Google Friend Connect, Facebook, or Twitter. Monday Mingle will always be easy and fun because nobody wants to follow some boring list of blog hop rules. Here are the rules:

WELCOME TO MONDAY MINGLE!

1) Please find it in your heart to follow my blog on or Facebook , Google+ , or subscribe via email since I am the genius who came up with this idea, plus I would really appreciate it!

2) If you leave me a comment letting me know that you are following me through Monday Mingle, I can follow you back.

3) Follow as many blogs as you would like from the Linky and make sure that you comment that you found them through Monday Mingle so they can follow you back.

4) Please note that this is a family blog. Any text that is inappropriate or deemed inappropriate by me will be removed. I reserve the right to remove anything that I feel conflicts with the overall theme of my blog.

5) Have fun and Mingle!

6) Feel free to snag the Monday Mingle button code in the sidebar and post it on your own blog to help spread the word.

Have a great week, Everyone!

© 2012, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.

    This month has been just like any typical April with some deceiving weather and some nice and sunny days and some not so sunny days.  Despite some of the bad weather, it is important to have some fun and engaging activities to enjoy indoors.

    Some people enjoy experimenting with new recipes when it is cold and rainy outside.  I’ve never been a gourmet chef, by any means, so I always enjoy checking out recipes in cookbooks that look like I could possibly prepare the meals successfully.  I also really enjoy hitting the grocery store and looking out for some new products to try.

    Luckily, our local grocery store always keeps all of our favorite foods on hand to help us stock up during a rainy day.  This month, I made a trip to pick up some items in order to cook up something new and tasty for my family.

    One of my favorite Hormel foods is Dinty Moore Beef Stew.  It is absolutely delicious and it is so easy to pair with just about any meal.  We like to pour it over white rice and enjoy a yummy meal.  I especially like that my boys love to eat this dish and they are getting some vegetables in there without even realizing it.

    We love to spend time together watching movies and eating popcorn and there is nothing like the feeling of eating Dinty Moore Beef Stew when it is cold and rainy outside and then snuggling up with my boys under a warm blanket and enjoying some flicks together.  I make sure that we all get to watch a movie that we like by taking turns allowing all of us to choose the movie that we watch.

    What are some of the ways that you keep your family busy during those days that you have to stay indoors?  We would love to hear about any special recipes that you prepare, any books that you read, or any crafts that you all do together!

Disclosure: In the spirit of full-disclosure, I’ve partnered with Hormel Foods as part of the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program. While Hormel Foods provides me material and necessary resources to complete various activities, all statements and sentiment in Tough Cookie Mommy are my own.

© 2012, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.

    Throughout my life, I have never had much of a problem digesting foods containing dairy products.  As I’m getting older, I am noticing that I can’t tolerate foods that are dairy as they upset my stomach more often than not.  After discussing this with my internist, I was told that it is possible that I have become lactose intolerant.  Although it was great to finally find out what the problem was, I did not want to give up all of the foods that I love containing lactose.

    Luckily, I have since found out that many of my favorite foods come in lactose-free varieties.  Since yogurt is one of my favorite foods, I was thrilled to find out about Yoplait® Lactose-Free Yogurt.  I was hopeful that I would finally be able to eat delicious dairy without having to worry about any negative effects afterwards.

    Yoplait® Lactose-Free Yogurt is 99% fat free and comes in a variety of flavors including strawberry, cherry, peach, and French Vanilla.  The best part is that it contains valuable nutrients such as calcium and Vitamin D.  This means that you can have great taste without giving up the valuable nutrients and minerals that you need as part of a balanced diet.

    My favorite yogurt flavor is strawberry so I knew I just had to try that Yoplait® Lactose-Free variety first.  I loved its rich and creamy flavor right away!  It was surprisingly sweet and had a smooth texture that was appealing to my palate.  Also, you could really taste the fresh strawberries.  I was very pleased to see that Yoplait® did not compromise taste when it came to developing a lactose-free yogurt.

    Visit the official Yoplait® website for more nutrition information on Yoplait® Lactose-Free Yogurts and for delicious recipes that you can make from appetizers to desserts.  You will love these recipes almost as much as eating Yoplait® Lactose-Free Yogurt right out of the container!

Giveaway:

Our sponsor would like to give one reader of Tough Cookie Mommy 10 coupons for 10 free Yoplait Lacose-Free Yogurts!

*This coupon offer for Yoplait Lactose Free yogurt is not valid in some states, including Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Tennessee.

Product Review/Giveaway disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above Yoplait® to test/review in exchange for my opinion and for the purpose of writing this post. I only recommend products or services I use personally and I believe will be “family friendly.” I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

© 2012, Tough Cookie Mommy. All rights reserved.