I live with a 2-year-old tyrant. She is adorable all the time, but bossy and pretty much a downright bully at times. She don’t care that’s she’s smaller than me, in fact she uses it to her advantage. She throws all 20-something pounds of herself into getting what she wants.

It is exhausting and behavior that would be socially unacceptable if she were a grown up. Just wouldn’t fly.

On that note check out this hilarious video which reenacts a conversation a father had with his two-year-old. The part of father is played by the father and the part of the daughter is played by a grown ass man. And it’s not cute when a grown up behaves like a 2-year-old. Keep an eye out for an appearance by the actual 2-year-old at the end of the clip.

Here’s a picture of my little tyrant:

Don’t worry, we don’t actually keep her behind bars, but if she were a grown up we might.

And now your Friday Fortune Cookie
(don’t forget to add “in bed” at the end, if you are so inclined):

Pick your battles.

Hosted by Mrs. 4444

My husband made the above postcard with a piece of cardboard and a pen he always keeps on him. You may not be able to tell that the background reads “art for me.” Art for me is something my husband has been making since before I knew him.

He makes postcards or drawings and either mails them to someone or puts them in a public place to be found. He does it for himself because he enjoys it. He does not consider himself an artist. Obviously, he is wrong.

I love his Art for Me and it makes me smile every time I notice he’s made some because he doesn’t even bother to show them to me. I found this dude on the postcard laying on his nightstand table and took a picture of him before he disappeared off to who knows where. Let me know if you see him around?

San Francisco, CA

I showed you mine, now show me yours.

Share your city/town/suburb/you name it! Think of this as a photography carnival or photography meme (with or without words) that not only lets you share your part of the world, but lets you visit other parts of the world virtually. If you link up, please link back or post the Sundays In My City button either in your post or sidebar to let people know that other bloggers are sharing their communities too. Happy trails!

Grab the code from my sidebar.

This week I realized that when I really want something I can make it happen even when it seems like it’s not going to happen. I guess it has to do with the Universe conspiring to make me happy and I’m not opposed to being happy.

On May 20, I will celebrate another birthday. I will be 42-years-old. I’m just starting to peak. It doesn’t suck to be a late bloomer. In fact, it’s kind of awesome.

A few years back there were some dark moments. Nothing truly awful, just my state of mind. I felt like there was no way out of where I was, like no progress was being made, like it was all just going to be a whole lot of the same thing and a whole lot of the same struggles. I was wrong. Things weren’t all that dark, I was making progress, there are a whole lot of possibilities and there always have been, all the struggles have led to successes.

I spend most of my days writing. Writing helps me get to know myself better and the better I get to know my self, the kinder I am to myself.

There are moments in my life where joy is palpable. Moments of sheer bliss where I can not believe my good fortune. When I first started to spend “real” time with the man that is now my husband, joy was everywhere. I felt it in the spaces between my fingers and toes, I felt it surrounding my heart, I felt it even when I doubted that what I was feeling was “real” because joy isn’t supposed to last.

Joy has been so palpable lately that I can almost hold its hand throughout the day and snuggle up to it at night. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that I deserve such joy or that what I am feeling joyful about it truly worth being joyful about, but I have no desire to fight joy. I am not opposed to being joyful.

And now your Friday Fortune Cookie
(don’t forget to add “in bed” at the end, if you are so inclined):

Just give in to joy.

Hosted by Mrs. 4444

Happy hump day!

Brought to you in collaboration with Walgreens and Collective Bias™

I have been a regular Walgreens customer since I moved to San Francisco in 1992. It’s convenient, there are many locations, and I can find all sorts of useful things that I need there. Up until now, I’ve always thought of Walgreens as a drugstore where I buy cosmetics, toiletries and fill prescriptions. It’s a useful kind of place, but I wouldn’t have described the shopping experience as anything extraordinary. Then I got invited to the grand opening of the San Francisco Walgreens Flagship store and I could not believe my eyes. This is not your grandmother’s pharmacy. Walgreens has stepped it up like 10,000 notches.

You walk into the 2-level remodeled store and right away on the ground level there is no mistaking that you are in San Francisco.

There’s an homage to the Golden Gate Bridge and plenty of souvenirs for tourists to pick up.

Cool, but what really stunned me as a long time customer of this particular location was the food that is now available.

Like I said, I go to Walgeens for cosmetics, toiletries, and prescriptions. I have never been to Walgreens to pick up a meal, a snack perhaps, but not a meal. Well, they have meals now and there are healthy options to choose from.

Honestly, it’s like a full on deli-style café in there. You can get salads, sandwiches, pastries, coffee, tea, frozen yogurt, and on and on.

As impressed as I was by the comestibles, my favorite part of the store is still the cosmetics section and now they have a whole new area called the LOOKboutique, which makes you feel like you are in a high-end boutique.

Check out this display of nail colors. Have you ever seen anything like this at a Walgreens?

And you could spend hours sampling all of the DEMETER fragrances. It’s all very hands on and user friendly.

They offer Boots No7 products and there is knowledgeable staff on hand to advise you on product selection and even offer application advise.

Just so you know, the San Francisco Flagship store has a brow bar where you can get your brows done!

Not to worry that the introduction of new lines of products means that anything you have come to expect from the Walgreens cosmetic aisles is missing. It’s all still there and playing nicely with the new additions.

As for the pharmacy part of this drugstore, it’s going strong and they’ve added a private consultation room because sometimes you want to take care of your business in private. Am I right?

I was genuinely impressed by all the upgrades and attention to detail that went into the opening of the San Francisco Walgreens Flagship store. I’d love to see some of these changes implemented across the drugstore chain. I realize that all the stores can’t be this posh, but now that I know that the possibility exists, I want to take advantage of the flagship experience whenever I can.

Feel free to check out the rest of the pictures I took during the grand opening celebration via my Walgreens SF Flagship Store google+ album.

Connect with Walgreens:

Facebook
Twitter
Google+

I was invited to the opening of the Walgreens store by Collective Bias®.  I was compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias ™ and Walgreens #CBias #SocialFabric  All Opinions are my own.

Brought to you in collaboration with The Motherhood and Microsoft.

Microsoft recently opened a store in San Francisco and I was invited to participate in a webinar where I could ask questions and then asked to visit the store on my own so that I could check it out and tell you all about it. I have to say that I’m so glad I agreed to do it because I may have never visited the Microsoft store otherwise and now I’m sure to make return visits.

Here is the thing, yes it is a store where you can buy products such as a Windows 8 phone like this Nokia Lumia 920, which I happen to own in black,

or one of these beyond cool Surface tablets, which I can’t wait to own,

or any other number of Microsoft products and accessories, but the store is really more like a Microsoft center. So let’s say, like me, you are not in the market for buying any Microsoft products because you already own what you need, doesn’t matter. You can still make use of the store for all sorts of reasons. I went in and asked a bunch of questions about things I didn’t know how to do on Windows 8 and I left knowing the answers.

During the webinar I participated in, I was told that the store strives to be very family friendly. Well, it’s easy to say that and many places say, sure bring your kids, but then when you are there with your kids they give you the total stink eye.

Both of my girls were in school when I visited the store so I asked a little friend of mine to meet me there just to see how kid-friendly it actually was and I have to say it passed the kid test. Here my little friend is enjoying the Fresh Paint app on a Surface Tablet. It’s a hands on kind of place and nothing felt like it was too precious to be touched. When I asked if I could take pictures, I was told, “Yes, we encourage it!”

My absolute favorite thing about the Microsoft Store are the things you can get for free. Yes, I said FREE! They have a theater space that you can rent out for FREE! You reserve it and they charge you NOTHING!

The space is available for birthday parties (food is allowed), networking, or training events. You can tailor make workshops and did I mention the cost is FREE?

They also offer free activities for kids including:

• Tech Tots Camps for ages 2-5
• Youth Spark Camps for ages 8-19
• Gaming Events

I left the store with a very good impression and if I ever have any questions about any of my Windows devices I’m taking them with me to the store’s Answer Desk, no appointment necessary.

I kind of wish all stores were like this. Imagine a shoe store that offers classes on how to walk in heels for free or a kitchen store with free cooking classes or…ah, the possibilities are endless.

The Giveaway

One lucky reader of this blog will win a $100 Microsoft gift card, to enter for a chance, please follow the instructions in the widget below. Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Connect with Microsoft:

In store*Facebook*Twitter*Pinterest

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored post in collaboration with The Motherhood and Microsoft. All opinions and statements are my own.

Wildlife in Golden Gate Park.
San Francisco, CA.

I showed you mine, now show me yours.

Share your city/town/suburb/you name it! Think of this as a photography carnival or photography meme (with or without words) that not only lets you share your part of the world, but lets you visit other parts of the world virtually. If you link up, please link back or post the Sundays In My City button either in your post or sidebar to let people know that other bloggers are sharing their communities too. Happy trails!

Grab the code from my sidebar.

Motherhood is…well, I could tell you what I think about it, but instead I decided to round up a few of my favorite quotes about motherhood. I turned the quotes into a free printable that you may download. This goes is for all the mothers out there and all the children of mother. To download just click on the link below the color version of the printable you would like and a PDF version will pop up for you.

Download the Mothers Quotes Printable in black.

Download the Mothers Quotes Printable in grey.

Download the Mothers Quotes Printable in green.

I will say that I had no idea what I was getting myself into with motherhood. You’ve heard it before and you will hear it again, it is one of the toughest ‘hoods on earth!

Happy Mother’s Day!

• I got the day off from work (PAID!) in honor of Mother’s Day.
• I get to go on a date with my husband to see a play tonight.
• My BIL and his lovely lady-friend are providing childcare.
• My littlest is going to be in her first performance today and I can’t wait to be a proud mami in the audience.
• My brother called me to wish me a happy Mother’s Day (it’s Mother’s Day on May 10th in many Latin American countries), not once, but over and over until I picked up the phone.
• My mother called me to wish me a happy Mother’s Day before I got a chance to call her.
• I am a happy mother.
• I have the most amazing friends on and off-line. No, really, I do!
• Things are getting better and better in ways I couldn’t have even imagined for myself.
• I took myself on a shopping spree.
• I was able to afford to take myself on a shopping spree for the first time in a very long time.
• My shopping spree included gifts for my family.
• I’m able to give my kids and my husband unexpected gifts.
• I’m happy and I feel it in my chest.

That’s what’s going on with me. I hope you have much to be happy for as well. I’m sending you positive vibes and much love.

And now your Friday Fortune Cookie
(don’t forget to add “in bed” at the end, if you are so inclined):

Have you exercised your happiness today?

Hosted by Mrs. 4444

Brought to you by BRITAX

Installing car seats seems to be a challenge that every parent faces and judging by how many of us do it incorrectly, it isn’t idiot proof. Not that I’m calling you an idiot, I’m just saying I have issues.  Well, BRITAX has just made it easier with their new ClickTight™ Technology.

Late this spring the ClickTight™ Technology will be available on the BRITAX Frontier 90 (MSRP $329.99) and the Pinnacle 90 (MSRP $369.99) at mass, independent, and online retailers in a variety of fashions. The new technology promises to give parents ease of mind that the car seat is correctly installed and will be as easy as 1-2-3!

Check out the process in action…

The Giveaway

One lucky reader of this blog will win a BRITAX Frontier 90 (MSRP $329.99). To enter, please follow the instructions in the widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I am a Britax Latina Advisory Board Member and Blogger. As always, all opinions, ideas, and stories are my own. You can connect with BRITAX on Twitter and Facebook.

I was sitting at my desk working and my husband walks up and brings me flowers.

Sweet, right? What’s even sweeter is that he grew the flowers himself. Somehow that makes them even more special.

When was the last time someone grew flowers for you?

Brought to you by Lowe’s

Pop quiz! What is the birthstone for May? Emerald. What is the Pantone color of the year? Emerald. Oh wait, one more…Who was born in May and has been a fan of emerald since she learned it was her birthstone? Me!

When I found out that emerald is the Pantone color of the year, I wanted to find a fun and easy way to bring it into my home. I headed to my Lowe’s store with a gift card that they had sent me burning a whole in my pocket. I had no idea what I was going to do/make. I walked up and down the aisles until I found these Ponderosa Panels and then I knew I wanted to turn them into serving trays. We don’t have a coffee table in our living room, we use a multifunctional ottoman and I wanted some trays I could set on top when we want to use the ottoman as a coffee table.

Here’s how I made my DIY serving trays.

Materials:

2 Ponderosa wood panels
Emerald Pantone color of the year paint in finish of your choice (a quart is more than enough for this project)
Brush for paint
Sealant (I used a spray paint version)
4 drawer pulls of your choice
Liquid Nails
Felt pads

Directions:

I dipped the tip of the paint brush into the emerald paint and dry brushed the wooden panels sort of haphazardly until they looked like I wanted to them to.

Once the paint on the panels dried I used spray paint sealant to coat them.

I attached the drawer pulls with Liquid Nails and let them dry for 48 hours. Alternately, you could attach them with screws, but I’m lazy.
I put felt pads on the bottoms of the tray so they wouldn’t scratch my leather ottoman.

And tada!

Disclosure: I am a member of the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Blogger Network. I was provided with a gift card that I used to complete this project. All statements and opinions are mine. You can connect with Lowe’s on…

Facebook * Lowe’s Creative Ideas Website * Pinterest * Instagram

Meet the hosts of the latest 3-part video from Circle of Moms by POPSUGAR.

Tia Mowry, Diane Mizota, Stacy Kaiser, and Lizzie Bermudez are all dynamic and charming women and mothers with lots of life experiences to share. In an episode that is less than 10 minutes long, perfect length for mothers who don’t have a ton of time to spare, they casually share tips and advice on…

• Helping partners find common ground in terms of raising kids
• Encouraging creativity in kids
• Turning an Instagram feed into a variety of cool projects

I enjoyed the episode and was particularly inspired by the Instagram picture ideas. It’s so easy to take pictures nowadays, but how often do we actually get those pictures printed? Recently, while switching to a new computer, I saw that I have THOUSANDS (I kid you not) of pictures stored on my computer and very few prints to show for them. Reminder to self: make photobooks, print pictures, don’t leave all your images on your electronic devices.

Anyway, back to the episode, the all New 2014 Kia Sorento makes a guest appearance and it looks like a pretty awesome mom car with bells and whistles that even include a seat cooler. Refreshing, no? I can’t believe I think of cars in terms of how they will work for me as a mom, but I do. Sigh, I need a new mom car.

I look forward to seeing future videos from Circle of Moms by POPSUGAR. I think I would make a fabulous guest (hint, hint). Oh and can I just say that all the ladies’ hair looks great!

Check out the episode for yourself and tell me that I wouldn’t fit right in…

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Kia through their partnership with Circle of Moms. While I was compensated to review the Kia Motors video and write a review, all opinions are my own.

Enjoying some time off of our feet.
San Francisco, CA.

I showed you mine, now show me yours.

Share your city/town/suburb/you name it! Think of this as a photography carnival or photography meme (with or without words) that not only lets you share your part of the world, but lets you visit other parts of the world virtually. If you link up, please link back or post the Sundays In My City button either in your post or sidebar to let people know that other bloggers are sharing their communities too. Happy trails!

Grab the code from my sidebar.

I wrote a post at Mamás Latinas called 5 Reasons It Rocks to be Mexican, which made me want to write about 5 reasons it rocks to be me here…so here you go…

1. I get to write for a living.
2. I work from home.
3. I have a GORGEOUS family.
4. I’m funny. Trust me, sooner or later, I will make you laugh.
5. I am REALLY good at being me!

Here’s a teaser of 5 Reasons it Rocks to be Mexican…

There are some Cinco de Mayo haters out there–some who are Mexican or of Mexican descent (you know who you are)–that just don’t get into the celebration. They claim Cinco de Mayo is not a “real” holiday and is just made up so folks can get drunk here in the good ol’ U.S. of A.

True, in Mexico the day is celebrated regionally (not nationally) in Puebla as El Día de la Batalla de Puebla. In the U.S. it has come to be a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, though some mistakenly think it’s actually Mexican Indepence day (it’s not, that is on September 16th). Perhaps the reason it is more widely celebrated in the U.S. than in Mexico is because we need it here more than in Mexico. Why? Well, because we need a day for everyone to recognize why it rocks to be Mexican!

I personally love Cinco de Mayo and I’m thrilled to celebrate it at home because I’m raising multi-cultural children and Cinco de Mayo provides opportunities to talk to them about their Mexican heritage. So haters can hate, but I’m going to give you 5 reasons why it rocks to be Mexican on Cinco de Mayo.

1. You get to spend the entire day telling people that Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. I don’t know why people assume that it is Mexican Independence Day, but it’s not, that happens on September 16 and the U.S. population in general doesn’t party it up that day. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the unlikely victory of the Mexican army over French forces in Puebla on May 5, 1862. (Read the rest….)

And now your Friday Fortune Cookie
(don’t forget to add “in bed” at the end, if you are so inclined):

You rock at being you!

Hosted by Mrs. 4444

It has taken me many years to develop an appreciation for Kevin Spacey. His weirdly immobile face left me confused. He seems to be able to move his mouth without it affecting any other aspect of his face. How is that even possible without Botox?! Sure I watched movies that he was in and even liked them a lot like American Beauty, but I still wasn’t sold on Spacey. This year that has changed and I can wholeheartedly say that I am a Kevin Spacey fan.

Perhaps you are wiser than I and have always been a Spacey fan, fine I admit it you are better than me, but if you, like me have been on the fence about Spacey’s ambiguous charms then I would like to give you 2 reasons to love Kevin Spacey

Reason #1: House of Cards. If you haven’t watched this Netflix original series, you need to get on it. Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood leaves nothing to be desired, he is fantastic. Finally I get that deadpan face of his and his hard to peg sexuality totally works.

Reason #2: Kevin Spacey is friggin’ hilarious. According to Reddit user genteboa Kevin Spacey was out jogging in Boston and decided to photobomb her friend. The friend was posing in front the George Washington statue when Spacey ran up, yelled, “Photobomb!” and then ran off laughing.

It’s official, I love Kevin Spacey the actor and Kevin Spacey the photobombing man.

Images via Netflix and Reddit.

Brought to you by Lowe’s

How do you create an office space when you have no space for an office? You have to get creative. I work full-time from home and sitting on the sofa or at the kitchen table is not conducive to productivity. I knew I had to set myself up for success by creating a compact, yet functional workspace, so I moved around some furniture in our living room and cleared a space that is about 44”X 22” (that’s small people) and challenged myself to turn it into an office space.

Guess what? I love it. No, really I do. It took very little effort and now I have an office space that works for me.

Here’s what I used…

I got this Windsome Wood Liso ($179)  desk because it works with the furniture in our living room and it’s narrow.

Then I needed a chair, so I got…

…this Office Star Espresso Chair ($103.28), which tucks in under the desk nicely when not in use.

I also wanted a stylish place to place notes and reminders for myself so I went with…

…this Linen Cork Board ($12.73).

And that my friends is how you make an office space out of just about no space at all.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Lowe’s Creative Ideas Blogger Network. I was provided with a gift card that I used to complete this project. All statements and opinions are mine. You can connect with Lowe’s on…

Facebook * Lowe’s Creative Ideas Website * Pinterest * Instagram

Brought to you by Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with AARP

There have been times in my life where I have been without health insurance and if it weren’t for programs designed to provide health services to the uninsured, underserved, or unemployed, I would have had to go without medical care. No one should have to go without, that’s why I am very excited to tell you about Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with AARP coming to the Bay Area (4/29-5/18).

So what is the Way to Well Tour? It is a health tour made up of four customized vehicles that will travel to communities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. From April 29- May 18 the Way to Well Tour will be in Oakland, CA offering a bundle of free health tests and assessments that include:

• Total cholesterol
• Glucose
• Blood Pressure
• Body mass index
• Body composition
• Skeletal muscle
• Resting metabolism
• Visceral fat
• Real age
• Body weight

The collective tests are valued at over $100, are available to adults 18 and over, and are administered by a certified wellness staff. The tests themselves take about 20 minutes to complete and afterwards you will consult with a Walgreen’s pharmacist or wellness staffer about your results. Most importantly, remember these services are ABSOLUTELY FREE. You will not pay any money out of pocket and there is no need for insurance.

If you happen to be available on May 4, I highly recommend you give the Way to Well Tour a visit at the Walgreens located at 3232 Foothill Blvd. in Oakland, CA because they will be celebrating their 10,000th event and it is going to be a party! There will be food and entertainment (KMVQ-FM DJ Letty B and fitness blogger MizFit will be there).

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with AARP. All statements and opinions are my own.

In honor of Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros, Latinas 4 Latino Literature are hosting a blog hop and giveaway. It is with great pleasure that I share a beautiful piece written by Eric Gonzalez. I was already familiar with Eric’s work because we are the proud owners of Rosita y Conchita (a book created, illustrated, and co-authored by Gonzalez) that was gifted to us by a friend with obviously great taste.

An Educational Lesson From My Dad

By Eric Gonzalez

My parents emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico before I was born.  My father was a dairy worker who milked cows for a living.  When we were kids, my brothers and I would sometimes go to work with him. At the time, I didn’t understand why.  I figured it was to give my mother a break from us four boys running around the house breaking the few nice things she owned, or maybe to train us to be dairy workers and follow in his footsteps.  As I got older, I started to understand what my dad was trying to teach us, and it wasn’t the exciting profession of milk extraction.

The life of a dairyman was hard, really hard.  You had to work two shifts, one in the day and one at night.  It was hot in the summer and freezing in the winter.  You literally had to walk around in cow poop all day and the cows tried to kick you every chance they got. It was a lot of work for not much pay. Aside from getting to spend time with our dad, my brothers and I hated it.  After every workday with my dad, he would ask us sarcastically how much fun we’d had, then waited with a smile on his face for us to groan in response.  He knew he wasn’t just punishing us with backbreaking labor. He knew he was implanting that ever-so important idea that every young Latino needs to know:  If you get an education and follow your dreams, you don’t have to break your back for a living at a job that you hate.

I owe my dad everything for teaching me that important lesson.  As an adult, I get to draw cartoons and write books for a living.  I actually get paid to sit in an air conditioned office and draw characters and backgrounds for animated TV shows and then I get to go to a wonderful home with my beautiful wife and baby girl and not once step in cow poop.  In my spare time, I get to write and draw books with my friends then travel around and share them with people.  Although my dad has since passed on, I know that he would consider his life a complete success just knowing that I get to live a life like that.

I tell this story not to brag about the wonderful things in my life, but to hopefully instill this same idea into you as a parent or a young Latino or Latina. We must teach our children, as my dad taught me, the importance of education for the advancement of not only ourselves, but Latinos as a people. This is especially true here in the U.S. where our people are expected to take the lowest paying and most labor-intensive jobs. Latinos are known for their pride and their warrior spirit, and we must never let anything or anyone take that away from us or our children.

Eric Gonzalez was born in Corona, California to parents from Guadalajara, Mexico. He graduated with a degree in Animation from Cal State Fullerton and has worked as a designer at Warner Bros., Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Fox.  He has worked on such shows as MAD, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Class of 3000, El Tigre and Playhouse Disney’s Tasty Time With ZeFronk. He is also the creator, illustrator and co-author of the children’s book, Rosita Y Conchita. Visit his site at www.muertoons.com.

The Giveaway

L4LL has put together a wonderful collection of Latino children’s literature to be given to a school or public library. Many of the books were donated by the authors and illustrators participating in this blog hop. You can read a complete list of titles (as well as the blog hop SCHEDULE) here on the L4LL website.

To enter your school library or local library in the giveaway, simply leave a comment below.

The deadline to enter is 11:59 EST, Monday, April 29th. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and announced on the L4LL website on April 30th, Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros, and will be contacted via email – so be sure to leave a valid email address in your comment! (If we have no way to contact you, we’ll have to choose someone else!)

By entering this giveaway, you agree to the Official Sweepstakes Rules. No purchase required. Void where prohibited.

¡Buena suerte!