Wahl Hot-Cold Massage Vibrating Pack Review + Giveaway

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. I received a Wahl Hot/Cold Massager for the purpose of this review.

This pregnancy has been the hardest and the easiest at the same time. The reason's are pretty obvious. This being my 3rd pregnancy, it's easy because I've already done this drill twice before, and I know every turn, nook, and cranny that awaits me. Even little things that I was not prepared for, don't surprise me. It is the hardest because being this is my 3rd pregnancy, that means I have a couple more children to deal with while being pregnant.

As a mom of multiples, this means lots of strain on my arms, back, feet, and shoulders. If I'm not hauling one over my shoulder, I'm dragging my legs with the weight of little arms around my ankle. The few times I do get a break, I can feel the pain creeping up on me. The Wahl Hot/Cold Massager has been an absolute god send at an extremely convenient time. After the kids have gone to bed, or if I get a minute to myself, the first thing I grabbed was this bad boy!

 "This one-part massager, one-part hot/cold pack is the latest in a series of new pain management products from Wahl. Unlike conventional hot/cold packs, this first-of-its-kind product combines two of the most common treatments--temperature therapy and massage-- to offer a new level of pain relief. It also offers Velcro straps for hands-free use." 

You can freeze the pack inside, or microwave the bag inside for cold or hot treatments. Visit their site at  www.WahlMassagers.com

This makes the perfect Mother's Day Gift, as mother's carry the largest load, physically and mentally, and giving them a tool to relax anytime of the day, is the perfect gift idea.

You can also win one for yourself or a mom you know! This giveaway ends May 7 at 12:00AM.

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. I received a Wahl Hot/Cold Massager for the purpose of this review.

May Clutter-Busting Challenge

During the month of May, MoneySavingMom.com is hosting a Clutter-Busting Challenge. Every day in the month of May, you get rid of 7 items you no longer need or use. Every. Single. Day.

I've been doing everything that I can to start getting ready for this baby boy that is due in August, and this will be the perfect month for me to start getting rid of stuff, before we start getting new things for the baby.

My husband owns a moving company so it's a blessing and a curse. Most of our furniture or items in our house comes from, which also means there's a lot of stuff I don't like. That, plus we have done a little too much shopping for the kids, and our house is littered with toys. It's time that we all have a little reality check and start simplifying our life.

Follow my Twitter feed hashtag #SDeskMayChallenge below to see what 7 things I get rid of everyday!

 Tweets about "#sdeskmaychallenge"

Easy DIY Laundry Soap For The Busy Family

My husband has a moving business, and while he enjoys being his own boss, he also loves to actually go out and work. It is the strangest thing for me. This means pairs of sweaty shirts and shorts by the hour. I also have 3 children who run a muck in the house. With their everyday clothing, the two older children also do soccer, baseball, and ballet. My youngest changes her clothes literally, every 30 minutes, from tutu's to pants, to back to pajamas. One little spill ruins her entire outfit. She turns 3 next month.

So long story short, we go through laundry detergent like it is no one's business! At least a couple of loads a day. Plus our stuff needs to be strong enough for the dirtiest of clothes, but gentle enough for the softest of skins. Most importantly, easy enough on our poor wallets.

After doing plenty of skimming on Pinterest, I came across a Laundry Detergent Recipe from LizMarieBlog.com. Her blog is amazing and briefly inspired me to re-do furniture. That was until I found out I was no good at it!

I took her laundry recipe, but just made a couple of tweaks to it, adding more oxi clean and using a natural essential oil soap.

Supplies

Mix all the ingredients together (I just put them all in a trash bag)

Grate the soap boars so they look like little twisty twirls

(You can use whatever soap bars you want, I chose these because it's a scent my family loves and the citrus scents seem to go well with fighting odors)

Mix in the grated soap with the powder mixture

Throw it all into your favorite dollar store containers and there you go! Enough laundry detergent to last you for more than half the year for the price of one box of laundry soap!

I made about 3 of these container full. I put about 3 tablespoons of detergent for each load, and it has been great! It's fought against moving stains and even a bed wetter. 

All of these ingredients, I believe cost me just around $20. 

I would have taken pictures, but I was in a hurry to throw in a load, I just did it very quickly to have clean clothes to wear for soccer practice :)

I'm very interested to see how long this will last us! 

Pack A Sack For Kids #MobilizingMillions

My kids and I have donated a lot of things, from food, to clothes and toys. I think it's really important for them to recognize and acknowledge that they are people who have less than us, and that it is our duty to provide any extra assistance that we can.

Specifically, my daughter Truly is very big on asking and asking for toys. We have a talk at least once a month remembering how to be grateful and to give back to people and kids who are needing.

When we were given the opportunity to Pack a Sack for Champions For Kids, we jumped on board! Champions For Kids partnered with Abbot Brand Products to bring nutritional non perishable foods to local food pantries and food banks.

We spread the word through out our play groups about the campaign and we all prepared our items to drop them off together.

While we didn't have a sack on hand that wasn't already being crafted into something else, we decided to use on of our baskets that could be held by the children.

Addy helped us a little bit unload the groceries, but after lifting one too many cans, ran off to go change her clothes and roll on the kitchen floor.

With little sister giving up, big sister stepped in to finish the job. We started putting in our products that we could fit in our sack.

Even the more heavier items, she was more than happy to find a way to make it all fit!

After all was said and done, little sister decided to come back and take our final picture together before meeting our group at the drop off. Some of us took the items to the San Antonio Food Bank, while myself and a few friends to these to the Grace Community Church down the road.

Be sure to check out the Champions For Kids Facebook Page, Twitter Page, and Youtube Page to stay up to date with all of their amazing campaigns they do throughout the year. 

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and Champions For Kids. All opinions are my own. #MobilizingMillions #cbias #SocialFabric

jQuery Script: Blog Assignment {School Assignment}

The jQuery script that I chose to do was the Fading Box script. This creates a box that you can use for various reasons, whether a text box that can be colored, or using it to host a pictures or other text.  It is useful for blogs, websites that feature portfolio work, and highlighting other features.

http://jsfiddle.net/stepfanie/r7MgY/18106/embedded/result/

Free Printable Download: The Blogger Planner

I try to go as paper free as I possibly can. It keeps me organized and keeps everything I need with me, at all times. This is super handy when it comes to emails, notes, kids ideas, and especially scheduling. One thing that I still can not shake though, is finding a way to stay creative digitally. I will always love writing out a list of what I have to do, full of ideas, crossing it off, and being able to easily write, erase, and switch things around. Currently, I use the To Do app on my phone for things on the go, but when it comes to my Home Life and my Blogging Life, I found that a traditional calendar wasn't cutting it.

I searched on the Internet for some sort of planner or printable that I could use to keep my blogging to do's on the forefront, but also remind me of things I needed done at home, like laundry, meetings, or a play date.

So I created my own little printable that I use everyday, The Blogger Planner. I also have one that transitions into Mompreneurs and Bloggers, but thought I would share the first one that I had used that helped me get organized, at home and online.

The Weekly Planner keeps me on top of my goals for the month, but also gives me space to break down each task to be able to reach that goal, week by week. I found this was a great way for me to visualize what needed to be done, rather than just putting my thoughts everywhere.

The Daily Planner seperates my tasks with things to do for Home and things to do for the Blog. Home things would include grocery shopping, soccer practice, and cleaning the bathrooms, while Blog would include things like blog commenting, new posts, scheduling social media, and watching a Google+ hangout.

One thing I also included for myself, was space to set aside time for me. Whether it is reading a book, going out for a jog, or a bubble bath in the evening. If I actually write down something that is only for me, I'm more likely to actually do it, and keep myself and my family sane.

Want the Free Downloads? Click here to enter in your email and you will be sent these for free!

Call it my little save-yourself-from-getting-flustered planning gift to you!

How My Kids Stopped A Divorce

While I rarely write anything too personal on this blog, besides occasional glimpses into my life, I feel it's important to bare your soul every now and then. Not only does it remind people that you are just a regular person, it makes you relatable. As many times as I write about blogging, raising children, or starting a business, I am a regular person who has been through many problems as well. I also am very passionate about raising my children and wanted to share my story about how much they have impacted our marriage.

My husband and I had a rocky start in our marriage. We met while we were young, I was 17 and he was 21. In a sentence, he was the older boyfriend you didn't want your teenage daughter to have. :)

We were on and off, young, reckless and carefree. After we had our first daughter, we broke up for some time as we went different directions. After reuniting and becoming pregnant with our second child, we decided to get married. After 4 years of just an on and off, carefree relationship, we turned into a family of 5 in just a month. My husband has a son from a previous relationship. So while most couples, and families, have some room for growth and adjustments, we were thrown into the thralls of becoming a family, learning to be a married couple, and parenting with each other. Before that, we were both very independent in everything we did.

Needless to say, we argued about anything you could possibly argue about: money, parenting, work, household chores, etc. Our first couple of months were hell. We both were very combative, refusing to back down, and a little argument would soon be a full fledged screaming match, with vases being smashed and doors being slammed.

I began to feel like I had made a mistake. Marriage was supposed to be passionate, wanting to share your life with that person, feeling loved constantly, and I had felt at the time, that we both just got married for the sake of our children and staying together. In my mind, I wanted the fairytale life, and our rushed family felt out of place and the farthest thing from it. There were many things I loved about my husband when were dating and carefree, but now I resented him every time we bumped into the hallway. I was stressed and overwhelmed at the thought that at the end of this argument, we still had to share the same bed, the same roof.

I left a couple of times with my children. While my husband was quick to plead with me, realizing mistakes he had made, I was quick to harden my heart. Even though I may have been wrong as well, I didn't want to to give in. One time, I had left and promised myself I wanted to get a divorce. This was not the life I wanted for myself, not the husband I wanted to for myself, and not what was going to be my future.

We had been staying with my mother for a little over a week, when my 5 year old daughter and I were playing on the floor, she suddenly broke out crying. I tried to calm her down, asking her what was wrong, and she simply replied, "I miss my Dad." She broke my heart. As much as I resented my husband and his tendencies, there was one thing I couldn't deny, he was a great father. An amazing father who gives his children everything they desire. My 2 year old ran in to the room at the mention of "Dada" and began searching for him frantically. She was determined he was there, and when she could not find him, she broke down with her sister.

My husband and I knew that our arguing was not good for our children, but instead of fixing it, we ran and saved it for another day. While he would beg to work things out if I left, I had too much pride to turn back around. Being children of divorced parents, we had the ability in our hands to keep our family together, the only thing in our way was each other and our frustrations.

Unable to watch my children cry anymore, I called my husband. He quickly answered, we talked, and as we came back home, he refused to let go of his little girls. Myself, included.

We both understood that the stress of becoming a family of 5 in a month was hard on us. We didn't know how to be a couple, to be a family, or to think about anyone outside of ourselves. The most important thing that we found out was the first item we needed to work on was us, our marriage. We had one counseling session, but after that, we have just learned from each other.

Personally, I've learned to let things go. Little things I find annoying do not have to be brought up. I'll bring it up playfully later, but I shouldn't let that get me upset, because I am aware that I can be strange as well. I also learned to appreciate what is being done for me. My husband has quickly learned that most of the time, I am right :). And I have learned to let him win sometimes, because we are partners and we each need to feel loved and appreciated. He has learned mainly about communicating and taking the time to hear what I am saying, instead of assuming he knows how I feel.

This took time. It was a process. There were still days were I was feeling frustrated, but I would look at my children and know that we had to make it work for them. My husband adores me, he always has, and I learned to appreciate someone who cares so deeply for me, and appreciate someone who wants me to be happy.

The dream of a "fairytale ending" isn't real. You have to create your own fairytale ending, if it isn't happening, maybe you should look at yourself and your actions. Every relationship is going to be hard work. The bliss is there in the first coupe of years, but as we move on and get comfortable it is up to you and your partner to work together and continue to feel loved.

We celebrated our 7th year together last week. One thing we laughed about at dinner was when I said "This has been the worst years ever!", he smiled with me and said "This has been the fastest years ever... It's going by too fast" I laid my head on his shoulder, and we held each other and enjoyed the view from the restaurant. As we smiled into the distance, all I could think was that this time has really been perfect. I am amazed at how we have made it work, at how happy I am to be with someone who knows inside and out, imperfections and all, and still wants to do anything to make me smile.

It has been hard, but we have reached a point in our marriage where we understand each other, and truly love each other. Finally :)

Tech Tots Classes at The Microsoft Store

We have a great bloggers group in San Antonio that constantly keeps each other updated with events and different activities in out town. Christina from CokersChampagneTaste.com updated us about a Tech Tots Class at the new Microsoft Store at La Cantera Mall.

Every Tuesday and Friday, the store hosts Tech Tots Classes for children ages 2 -5. During class they learn how to use technology with their dancing fingers, sing songs, play games, and use the stores big touch screen to play games on the Kinect to interact with each other. Along with a snack time, they offer a fun hour of learning and interacting with each other and their parents.

While the children were a little hesitant in the beginning and not knowing what to expect in the first inaugural class in San Antonio, they soon opened up after dancing to Elmo.

My phone died as we walked into the store, but thankfully Randy the Community Development Specialist at The Microsoft Store was more than happy to snap some pictures for me and email them my way.

The Microsoft Store is definitely doing the right thing for their customers and their community by opening up their space and resources for the children. The kids had a blast and we will definitely be back  again to move to the music and learn about our dancing fingers on the keyboard!

Check out the full schedule of all the events at The Microsoft Store at La Cantera Mall.

#UBP13, The Ultimate Blog Party!

I'm so excited to join the Ultimate Blog Party again this year! Last year, I followed a ton of brand new blogs and got a ton of brand new readers. I'm looking forward to connecting with new bloggers I've never met before and building new relationships for the new year!

Thanks for visiting my blog! We are super excited you're here!

Cascarones in the kitchen, Do NOT do this at home!

My name is Stepfanie and I am a blogger, speaker, mom, wife, pregnant, and a social media hopeful.

This blog is about my daily life. You'll find posts about raising kids, working from home, loving social media, or organizing my home. Just a blog about my life, with little tips and tricks here and there!

Visit some of my favorite posts by checking out popular posts in the left sidebar.

I'm also giving away 10 free Online Class passes to my class on Udemy.com, Getting Your Blog to Pay Your Bills! 

Be sure to enter it on the 5 Minutes For Mom Site!

Please comment below with your name and blog and I'll definitly stop by too!

#Cleanin30 - 30 Day Housecleaning Challenge: Project #4

I am doing the 30 Day Housecleaning Challenge with MoneySavingMom.com. While I didn't do Project #2 and #3 because we implemented chores for the kids, and the kids took over those items, today was about tackling a spare room.

I chose to do the laundry room because, well, I walked in there and was dumb founded by the mess I neglected.  It was a small room, so I know it would be quick and one that I would able to do while I'm pregnant.

I went ahead and did it and took pictures for you to make fun of, admire.

BEFORE

AFTER

 BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

 AFTER

Whew!!! I guess it's a morning nap for me!

Chore Chart Success!

A couple of days ago I started the MoneySavingMom.com 30 Day Cleaning Challenge to get the house in tip top shape. This is something I struggle with immensely. Mainly because 1) I'm pregnant, 2) I have a little army I created that tears up the house and 3) I really don't like cleaning.

So as I started this journey and clicking links on the wonderful Pinterest, I came across a gaggle of different chore charts that I thought were so adorable! These links then led me to more links (don't you hate when you just get distracted!) and got me to a couple of blogs where they were talking about their children's chores.

We never had "chores" growing up mainly because my grandmother lived with us our entire lives, so everything we did, we had grandma right behind us cleaning up. We knew how to be neat, but we never really had to.

I've had a ton of trouble implementing chores. Mainly because I feel like the kids are at school all day, I just want them to come home and relax, and I feel like since I am able to stay at home, I should be able to handle the housework too.

I will admit though that I had been feeling the stress lately with being pregnant and having to do everything in the house has been taking it's toll on me. What really got to me though was that yesterday, I noticed something. As I went back and forth in the house, making dinner, folding clothes, picking up toys, vacuuming, and continuing to clear toys in this endless rotation, I looked at my kids and it hit me. One was on the iPad for hours, watching silly YouTube videos about nothing, and the other two were just in constant bicker about Monster High dolls. Rarely in the day did I ever get to spend time with them, and at the end of the day I was exhausted and they looked, well, lazy. I felt embarrassed that my children wasted their time, and guilty for not teaching them responsibility.

I set out to Pinterest to fix it. And I came out with this:

*There's been a couple of more items added to their chores list ;)

I bought a pack of clipboards from Staples, tie tags, Velcro dots, and a poster board, and created the ultimate chore chart for the kids. I explained to them how it worked, what was expected, and how with them doing chores, it will give us more time together as we cover the whole house in less than half the time, and also work in their favor as if there Dad sees progress with the chores, will work with giving them allowances once a week. 

I also know that giving each child a chore chart is vital to do before we welcome child #4 to our household in August.

I also bought a ton more clipboards to hang in the children's rooms to display their favorite art works of the moments.

The kids really enjoyed doing their chores today and it made a HUGE difference in the house! We had plenty of time to spend with each other, and there was no confusion as to what needed to be done and when.

I will admit though that it was strange seeing my 5 year old wipe down the bathtub, but the smile on her face knowing that I was trusting her to do a job, but letting her mess up as well, melted my heart.

I really hope we are able to keep it up and will keep you posted on the progress!

How Evernote Became My Best Friend, For Home and Blogging

A couple of weeks ago I was at Blissdom and found myself at a session laptopless and notebookless. As I looked around at the other people frantically typing notes on their keyboards and pens, I thought for a second what to do. I had used Evernote several times in the past, but never really embraced the whole 'digital and paperless' thing. I usually ended up just deleting the app and moving onto something else.

I quickly downloaded the app for the billioneth time, and got to work. What I started to do, was amazing. I created a notebook in the app for "Conferences." I then opened up a new note and start taking notes. Every now and then I would snap a picture of the people around me, the screen, or the speaker, just so I could have a reference to look back to. Occasionally, I got tired of writing, and just hit the record button to record what the speaker was saying so that I can sit and enjoy it as well.

At the end, I had this amazing, organized notebook that was searchable, tag-able, and was jam packed with information. As soon as I got back home, I downloaded the app on my laptop and BAM, all of my information was there.

Since then, I've found new ways to integrate Evernote into my daily life and become more organized at home, and with blogging

1. Clipping Websites

Whenever I am on my laptop, I find great sites and articles that I want to read, but just don't have time for. To keep me from getting sidetracked, I use the Evernote Web Clipper Extension on Google Chrome, to clip websites to my Evernote account. This way, whether I have Internet Access or not, I can go back and go through whatever it is I found most interesting. I usually end up doing this while waiting in the carpool, or whenever the kids are reading.

2. Capturing Ideas

Another thing I learned at Blissdom from Jon Acuff is that we need to be capturing ideas, and using them later to work. For instance, I have a notebook on Evernote for Ideas. Whenever I see something neat in a magazine at a doctors office, I snap a picture of it and file it away. I also use it to write down phrases, blog post titles I like, or even to remember a feeling. That way, when I come to write a blog post, there isn't a question of what I should write about. I just pull up that notebook on Evernote and pick an idea.

3. Grocery Lists

Evernote has the options of creating lists. I've been using them for Grocery Lists, updating them with recipes I find online, and crossing them off at the grocery store. With the checkbox option, it makes making a simple list perfect.

4. Organizing Blog Posts

In my Blogging Folder, I have several different notebooks. One is for Guest Posts, I have several for other blogs I write for, and another one for the Social Online Conference. This way, I can easily write a draft and keep them all for reference. Not to mention, tagging everything makes all of my posts searchable so I can find them easily.

So far, I think I've found a way to organize my digital life and merge my home life into it as well. It makes it easy to handle work on the go, and keep everything together in one central place.

Who knows how long I'll stick with it, but for now, it's pretty awesome!

What do you use to organize your digital life and home life?

#Cleanin30 - 30 Day Housecleaning Challenge

I love all of the challenges set up by MoneySavingMom.com, and this time, I actually want to give one a try! This month, they are doing a 30 Day Housecleaning Challenge. Everyday there will be a new task to help get your home perfect and in tip top shape!

I struggle with keeping the home perfect, working from home, and dealing with the kids. I always get a litte bit flustered going from task to task in the house, that when I look up, everything is a wreck and I've made no progress whatsoever.

While there is a new task everyday, I will try my best to do a new post everyday, if not every other day. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date with my progress using the hashtag #Cleanin30.

3 Stages of Every Awesome Idea, MY Resolution

I have had such a great time at Blissdom this year, and I still have one day left of the conference. While the other attendees head on out for their Girls Night Out, I decided to relax in the hotel room and update my blog on something I've learned so far. In between mingling and meeting a ton of great people at the Dr. Smiths Booth, I've been able to attend some great workshops. Scott Straten of @unmarketing killed it at the Keynote, but I wanted to talk about little about what I learned from Jon Acuff. What I really liked about his workshop on The 3 Stages of Every Awesome Idea, was the fact that creativity is a huge process when it comes to writing. We received a worksheet to answer some questions in our free time, but I thought I'd answer them here on my blog. This was not only hold me accountable in public  but I'd hope I can offer some inspiration to other bloggers who are looking for some more ways to involve creativity into their time.

1. What are the three actions associated with creativity do you have the most trouble with?
(1. Imagine 2. Capture 3. Execute)
I think I have the most trouble with capturing. I always have a lot of ideas running through my head. Whether they are business ideas or ideas for blog posts, I always forget to write them down or store them so I can access them later.

2. What are the distractions in your life you need to make war with?
There are plenty of distractions that need to be dealt with in my life, but my biggest one would have to be the television. While I've worked on recording my favorite shows and focusing more on what I need to do, I still am addicted to watching reality television :-/

3. Name three repeatable tasks and what energy level each requires for you to really execute.
Checking email = low energy
Writing blog posts = high energy
Doing research = medium energy

4. What do you currently use for your capture system?
Before, I used nothing. Sometimes scraps of papers or sending an email to myself to remind me. The past couple days though I have been using Evernote. I can keep a notebook on my Evernote account strictly for Creative Ideas to capture these moments.

5. Have you ever self-edited, deeming an idea bad before it even made it from your head onto paper or a laptop?
I frequently do this, with everything from blog posts, blog ideas, or business ideas. I think taking the time to see it visually, either on the computer screen or on a piece of paper, may help make my ideas more real and better suited to be edited.

6. What is the biggest takeaway you will take from the discussion today?
The biggest takeaway I have was that when approaching family and friends about my goals or a dream I have, to give them the grace to not understand my dreams. They don't have to love my dreams, otherwise, they would be their dreams. I have the bad habit of when someone turns down my idea or calls it silly, to agree with them and turn it down too. What I need to do is not take offense when someone turns down an idea that I love. They don't have to love it, but what I need to do is show them that it can work and I can make it happen successfully.

7. Do you currently have any quiet thinking time in your week right now?
Now I do. I've created a "lenient" blogging schedule, and set time to just be quiet, read, do research, and be creative, for whatever hits me in that moment.

What are your biggest obstacles when it comes to creativity and blogging?

Blissdom '13 with @DoctorSmiths

I am a couple of hours from heading to the airport to make my way to Dallas for Blissdom 2013! I'm so excited to be going courtesy of Dr. Smiths Diaper Ointment and to represent them as they are one of the sponsors of Blissdom!

As a Premium Parent, I am able to contribute to the amazing Dr. Smiths Community that helps parents figure out what kind of parent they want to be.

If you will be at Blissdom, be sure to swing by the Dr. Smiths Booth to say Hi, take some pictures, and tweet together!

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for all my updates throughout the conference!

Also, be sure to check out Dr. Smiths on their social media channels!

www.doctorsmiths.com

facebook.com/doctorsmiths

twitter.com/doctorsmiths

instagram.com/doctorsmiths 

Just Between Friends Consignment Sale in Boerne TX

One of the biggest challenge when it comes to raising children is the never ending of costs of replacing items of growing children. From clothes, to toys, it seems like these kids only use an item for a week, and then they outgrow it or tear a hole through their jeans. I swear, I have no idea what Truly is doing in kindergarten that causes her to rip a hole in the knee every single day. I'm pretty sure you have feet to walk on woman!

That's why I am excited that the Just Between Friends Consignment Sales Event is setting up in Boerne TX for a weekend of buying and selling. It's a great place to bring your gently used baby, children, maternity, and anything baby related to bring and sell. It's also an even better place to buy items up to 90% off retail!

This event will also give 100% of it's admission proceeds to the Hill Country Daily Bread Ministries to help local families.

Check out http://www.NWSanAntonio.jbfsale.com for more information on selling and about the event.

I'll definitely be there getting rid of things and stocking up on other items for the new baby.

Be sure to like Just Between Friends on Facebook and check them out on Twitter.

I am receiving free passes to attend this event all opinions and thoughts are my own

The New @MicrosoftStore Open in #SATX

Today the new Microsoft Store opens at the Shops at La Cantera! I had the pleasure of previewing the store with other San Antonio Bloggers and was truly impressed with everything I saw.

I'll give my full disclosure and state that I am 100% an Apple fan. From iPhones to Macbook Pros to iPads, we are fully equipped. After previewing the store and checking out the capabilities of all their products, I am proud to say I may be a little foolish putting all my trust (and money) into the products of Apple, and being so close minded to what other products can do for me.

We got to see all of Windows 8 great features on their 106' touchscreen, which is available in their theater room for groups of people to use, free of charge!

The store has a beautiful layout with lots of products to touch and play with. They have 100 LED screens across the room that broadcasts different images and displays to catch your attention and keep you mystified.

We also got to meet the Chairman of Microsoft, Orlando Ayala, who was also equally inspiring. 

It's great to hear about all the great things the Microsoft Company is doing for the San Antonio community  from giving 1.5 million dollars to the YMCA, Junior Achievement, and Wounded Warrior, opening it's space for community events, and volunteering their time throughout San Antonio.

Be sure to check out the Microsoft Store at the Shops at La Cantera and be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

I was invited to a sneak preview tour of the store and all opinions and thoughts are my own.

3 Ingredient Asian Chicken Masterpiece | Go To Recipe

I don't cook. Wow, that feels like some sort of Deja Vu. It is. Big Time. The truth of the matter is, I don't cook. I can get creative when I feel like it, and I've never followed a recipe incorrectly, (not like my sister who once used 2 cups of salt instead of sugar), but I just don't particularly love to cook.

When my family needs me to though, I'm on it.

My go to recipe is always chicken. It's super easy, few ingredients, throw it in the oven, and Ta-Da, a lovely meal with rice.

I am half filipino, so I grew up with eating rice with everything. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner came with a plate of rice. When I usually make dinner, I always have rice too.

This recipe though, is specifically Truly's favorite. We all love chinese food, but Truly loves Filipino food the best. My 3 Ingredient Asian Chicken Masterpiece is really just a simple version of Filipino Adobo, minus the frying, hours of cooking, more ingredients, etc.

6-8 Chicken Thighs (we get the thighs because they are cheaper, but still fills up the whole family. Get whatever pieces are your favorite)

• 2 Cups of Soysauce (or low sodium soy sauce)
• 4 -5 Garlic Cloves (crush them and mix it with the soy sauce)
• Pepper (add to your flavor)

And there are your 3 ingredients!

You can do this a number of ways. Marinate the chicken for a couple of hours with this soy sauce and crushed garlic cloves concotion, or place the chicken in an oven safe pan, pour the ingredients over, and stuff it in the oven.

When it's in the oven, I also go over it some with Olive Oil to keep the texture crisp once or twice.

My verbage when it comes to cooking is horribly off.

I usually set it at about 375F for 40-45 minutes.

Serve with rice and your favorite stir fry of veggies!

This is a super easy recipe that I turn to when the kids are wanting me to act like a real mom!

Reminding All Mothers: Take Care of You!

Today I am 15 weeks and 1 day pregnant. While I'm past the morning sickness, my belly is starting to come in and have had a couple of complications. Nothing major, the baby is healthy, but just having to take extra care of myself is what is on my plate lately. Come to think of it, in the past 6 years of being a mom, my time is always spent making sure these kids are ok, healthy, and taken care of. Rarely, if ever, do I stop to think to take care of myself.

I forget that I am person to and having time for myself, time to recoup, and taking a time out to give my body a break, is something that needs to be on my to-do list. It is something that needs to be engraved in my mind.

Overall, while this pregnancy was a surprise, I have had time to reflect that maybe God wanted this pregnancy to remind myself that I need to be a priority too. I've found myself in complete overload the past year, and have been to the point of breaking and tipping over the rim. With the complications of this pregnancy, which have a lot to do with the stress I put on my body and mind, I have to completely avoid that if I want to continue with a healthy pregnancy.

It's strange the cards you are dealt and the timing of that hand.

Saying No

It's something we hear all the time, but seldom to we have the heart to say the word "no." People fear that they might sound offensive or dismissive, when really, people are more understanding that time is very important to you. At the beginning of the year, I was at my daughter elementary school so often, my volunteer badge was waiting for me at the door by the time I walked in. Now I know that I don't have to be there every week for my daughter to know she is important to me. I do pitch in, but not as often as I used to as I've found more time for myself in those several hours of the day.

Reading

In school I would read so much. I enjoyed libraries, book stores, and the smell of each page when you turned to the next. As a mother, I easily lost my love for books. Between adoring baby toys and burning macaroni and cheese, at the end of the day, I knocked out easily. Recently, I've been giving my daughter that stay at home with me, alone time for herself. Whether it's working on a project, coloring a page for me, or while she is eating, I will grab my iPhone and read a book on the couch or on my bed. Although I love the smell of books, I love having the Kindle app or iBooks app on my phone that allows me to read anywhere and anywhere without cramping my arm. Reading has been a nice way to slow myself down and escape into another world for half an hour. I usually fine myself getting the kids to bed on time, so I can finish a book. I've also found that after I have finished a book, I look up and really see the wonder and love in the world around me, especially in my family.

Splurge on Making Yourself Pretty

There is nothing better in the world that a brand new pedicure. You feel like you have to walk around the mall for an extra hour just to show off those puppies. While my finances could never afford indulging myself more than once a month, it's always a great thing to let someone pamper you. Whether it's a manicure, pedicure, new haircut or color, massage, or wardrobe. Doing something that makes you feel just a tad more glamorous than yo already are, is a great way to remind yourself that you are woman, and you can conquer the world.

Extra Tips

• Get some new candles or plug ins and scatter them around the house. My mood dramatically changed once I lit a couple of lavender candles in the living room while the kids were in school. I sat and enjoyed the space for once.
• Eat lunch with a friend once a week. Whether it's out or just making lunch yourself. Connections keep your spirit going.
• Getting plenty of sleep does wonder for your eyes and your soul. Getting in an extra nap doesn't hurt either.
• Asking for help. If it was not for my mother and my sister, who keep me balanced, I would have jumped this ship years ago.

How do you take care of yourself? I would love to hear your tips!

{#SanAntonio Local Event} Super WHY! Live @ The Majestic Theatre

Do your kids love Super WHY?

Super WHY Live will stop in 27 cities across the U.S. in April and May, taking kids and parents on a live reading adventure traveling inside a book to find the answer to the question, "Who has the Greatest Super Power in the World?" The show is uplifting, entertaining, and educational. It features kids' favorite literacy-powered super heroes: Alpha Pig with "Alphabet Power," Wonder Red with "Word Power," Princess Presto with "Spelling Power," Super Why with the "Power to Read," and their puppy pal Woofster. Fans who want to sing along at the show can get a head start learning the music, as the soundtrack album, Super WHY Live: You've Got the Power Soundtrack from Razor & Tie is available now at iTunes, Amazon.com, and retailers nationwide. For an extra special experience, You've Got the Power! Party Packages offer premium seats and a meet & greet with your favorite characters after the show.

Super WHY! Live Tour is coming to San Antonio Get Your Tickets Today!

http://superwhylive.com/shows

Rodeo Therapy, A Little Break From The Chaos

Things have been super stressful on this side of the Macbook Pro, with working, scheduling speaking sessions, brainstorming new website ideas, school for my kinder, I've seriously lost all sense of up and down.

Today though, with the Rodeo, we got to take a break on this Presidents Day and eat hotdogs, cotton candy, and ride poorly put together carnival rides. What does that equal? An amazing day of memories and smiles to last me through any rough patch.

Thanks girls!

Look Closely, She's Winking...

Go Runners