mommypalooza™ ~ a daily dose of mommy mayhem.

{review}: Get organized with The Blogging Planner. #Blogging

 

The Blogging Planner was created by Top Mom Blogger and is available in two sizes.  To learn more about this valuable planning tool for bloggers or to purchase one, click here.

{Disclosure:  As a Blogging Planner Ambassador, I receieved a free copy of The Blogging Planner for my review and use.  All opinions expressed are in my own.  The above may contain affiliate links.}

{vlog}: Resolve To Be A Better Version of Yourself With Lisa Druxman's G.R.I.P. Action Plan from #DisneySMMoms

  

 A special thank you to Walt Disney World resort, gracious hosts of Disney Social Media Moms event 2012 and to Lisa Druxman, Founder of  Stroller Strides, for sharing such wonderful and inspiring information with us all.

{Disclosure: I was invited to take part in the 2012 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration conference.  My travel and expenses were heavily subsidized as part of this program, however I was not specifically asked to share anything with my readers about the conference or anything related to Disney.  I am doing this on my own accord. All opinions are my own. No one is the boss of me!}

 

The World of Coca-Cola Store: My Goodies

As you may know, I recently attended Conversations with Coca-Cola, a conference experience that gave me some insight into the world of Coca-Cola.  I was so blown away by this company -- they don't just talk the talk -- they walk the walk. 

During our time in fabulous Atlanta, Georgia, we were whisked way from our comfy conference roundtable chairs and given a V.I.P. tour of the World of Coca-Cola.  That was such an experience all by itself that I can't wait to share more in detail about it with you.  At the end of our tour, Coca-Cola graciously treated us to a fun shopping spree inside their Coca-Cola Store.  I could not believe my eyes!  So many fun finds all in one place.

Here are just a few of the fun finds I brought home with me that make me smile and relive the experience all over again!

 

This is such a fun find and I can't wait to have it alongside my Disney keychain - two of my favorite brands "hanging out" together! Although this can be found at the Coca-Cola Store, it was actually given to us at the conference.

 

Seriously how cute are these? The instant I saw them I knew my 3 boys needed to have them. They are fun and easy to clean! {Coca-Cola 10 oz. contour tumbler with lid & straw}

 

And, when I was getting ready to wash the cups for use, I noticed the sticker on bottom. These cuties are manufactured at Berry Plastics,  just 40 minutes away from my house!

 

My go-to cup around the house now!

 

Oh my goodness, how I LOOOOVE this rolling cooler bag! We literally lived out of it this past weekend at our baseball tournaments! So cute and easy to tote around!  Both Allie over at Screwed Up Texan and I picked this up and were so excited to use it!

 

Peace, Love & Coke. I couldn't have said it better myself! This cute tote is my new summer bag! With functional pockets inside and its lightweight design, I will be toting it with me to the pool this weekend!

So I should have ya'll know I've already told the hubs I want to paint our kitchen red and do a Coca-Cola theme.  He didn't say "no", so that's a good sign, right?  Plus I've already got the white cabinetry to coordinate with the Coca-Cola colors!  Hmm...Coca-Cola peeps are you reading this? I'd LOVE to have a Coca-Cola sponsored kitchen redesign and totally make it over with all Coca-Cola themed accessories!  I think it'd go well with my modern tastes!  It also sounds like a FAB blogging project, if I do say so myself!

Thanks to Coca-Cola for such an awesome 2 days and for sharing your vision, values and message with all of us who were invited to attend the conference.  We couldn't have asked for better hosts and I am so excited to share more about my Coca-Cola experience!

 

photos taken with my Sony NEX-5 & Samsung Galaxy SII Epic 4G Touch

{Disclosure: I was invited to take part in the Conversations with Coca-Cola Social Media Moms Conference.  My conference accomodations including travel, hotel, and expenses are being provided heavily subsidized, however I have not been asked or required to share anything with my readers about the conference or anything related to Coca-Cola.  I am doing this on my own accord. All opinions are my own. No one is the boss of me!}

 

Think I'll have a Coke & a Smile #cclp

You remember those Coca-Cola commercials, don't you? "Have a Coke & A Smile!"?  Oh, yes, that tagline will always stick with me when it comes to thinking about Coke products.  And speaking of Coke products, did you know their headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia? I've actually never been to Atlanta for any length of time, except for our first Disney trip back in 2007.  We made it a road trip and stopped in Atlanta for the night, but didn't do too much while we were there.

Well, I'm happy to report that's all about to change because next week I'm headed to Hot-lanta to attend Conversations with Coca-Cola, an invite-only event for social media moms that will span two days of fun. learning, and connecting.  I'm looking forward to seeing some of my bloggy buddies that I've come to know and love from other events and to learning more about the Coca-Cola Live Positively philosophy.  I know we'll also be brainstorming about ways to utilize social media more effectively for branding and outreach to do more good.

There are a slew of other fun bloggy peeps attending as well, so I hope you'll take a moment to follow our #cclp tweets on Twitter.  I know I am looking forward to sharing more with you about Coca-Cola and can't wait to get there next week!

Now I'm off to get my packing and calendar planning done (for my hubs, who will be in charge of the kids) before this weekend is up!

{Disclosure: I was invited to take part in the Conversations with Coca-Cola Social Media Moms Conference.  My conference accomodations including travel, hotel, and expenses are being provided heavily subsidized, however I have not been asked or required to share anything with my readers about the conference or anything related to Coca-Cola.  I am doing this on my own accord. All opinions are my own. No one is the boss of me!}

photo taken with my Samsung Galaxy SII Epic 4G Touch

Hispanicize: Seeking sponsors for blogging conference

Calling all brands who want to work with a super-cool Latina blogger -- yep, that's me!  Ok, so Hispancize 2012 is just a couple of weeks away but I have no choice but to make one last-ditch effort to get to this insanely amazing conference.  But, I need some help.

You see, a while back I wrote this blog entry to take part in a contest to win an all-expenses paid trip to the conference, but fell short a few hundred votes.  {Boo-hoo for me}  I was crushed.  Totally had my heart set on winning that thing.  But, the good news is that I *DID* win an all-access pass to the conference as one of the finalists participating in the contest. {Score!}

In addition to that, I've got airfare covered to get to and from Miami, but am desperately seeking sponsors to cover my accommodations.  I've got Disney Social Media Moms coming up and just can't get to a point where I could swing the additional expense of hotel accommodations for Hispanicize 2012.  That's where you {savvy brand/product/company} come in!

I would LOVE to Tweet, Facebook, and Pin about an awesome like-minded brand and totally rock it for you at the conference!  So, what exactly am I offering to a brand/product/company who wants to work with me? Check it out:

• Sidebar, above-the-fold ad placement here on my blog for 6 months.
  
  
• Posting 2-3 blog posts (one before and after Hispanicize) to promote your brand/product/company, and sharing the post via my social media profiles, mentioned above.
  
  
• Continuous promotion of your brand/product/company while I am attending Hispanicize.
  
  
• Tweets, Facebook posts, YouTube vlogs, and Pins about your brand/product/company site between now and time of conference, as well as afterwards.
  
  
• Opportunity to sponsor a giveaway or other promotion at a mutually agreeable time, either before or after Hispanicize.
  
  
• BONUS! Continual promotion of your brand/product/company during #DisneySMMoms conference (April 26-29, 2012)!
  
  
• My undying gratitude and special place for your brand/product/company in my heart!

Have I missed anything? If you have other ideas, let's talk!!  You can click here to contact me!

I am a tech-savvy blogger who's been doing this since 2005 and I have worked with many wonderful brands over the years.  I'd love to include you in that list!  Thanks so much for your consideration!! I look forward to hearing from you! 

A plea.

 

Help! I need YOUR vote! No, I'm not running for President (yet), but I am a finalist in the running to receive an all-access conference sponsorship for the Hispanicize 2012 event later this Spring.  You may remember me writing about wanting to go a while back.  Well, apparently that entry has gotten me into the finals and I am SO very thankful just for that.  In addition, I would LOVE to win this but I need your help!  I promise you can help and it only takes 5 seconds of your precious time!

Visit this link then scroll down to find "Mommypalooza" and click the button next to it then hit "Vote".  That's it!

Please leave me a comment if you are son inclined so that I may thank you individually.  You can vote once per day until 2/29, when the contest ends.  Thanks so much for your help!  I will keep you posted on the results.

Have a fabulous weekend!

 

 

 

We're going to Disney {again}!

Last week I was so excited, humbled, & honored, to have received an invitation to attend the 3rd Annual Social Media Moms Celebration at the Walt Disney World Resort!  To be honest, the hubs and I have been talking for a few weeks now about making the trek back to the magical happy place again soon. William, our Kindergartener, spent his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd birthdays there and now, with this opportunity to attend this event, we will celebrate his 6th birthday there this April!  The conference takes place April 26-29 but we are taking advantage of the passes we will receive through the conference in order to extend our stay!  William's birthday is actually April 15th but I am sure if he's anything like me, he'll want to celebrate all month long!

This year the conference event is taking place at the gorgeously fun Yacht Club Resort, which is absolutely one of the most beautiful properties (IMHO) on Disney property.  Back in 2009 during our last visit, we actually headed to the resort for their world-famous "kitchen sink" dessert.

I remember we fasted nearly ALL.  DAY.  LONG. in hopes that we'd be able to finish it.  But, alas, it was not doable.  Even WITH my hubs' insane ability to eat huge quantities of just about everything.  Um, and yes, I was actually pregnant with Jacob during this trip so can you imagine what all that sugar did to my pregnant body? Maybe that's why he's the kinda kid that sneaks chocolate!

I'm having such a great time looking over our Disney 2009 photos and reminiscing.  The kids have grown so much since then and I'm so excited to be able to take them back to experience it all again.  Jacob was obviously in utero then and didn't really get to do much, so this should be SO magical for him especially!

Going off of our last visit there, I'd have to say my most favorite park to visit is Disney's Hollywood Studios.  We were there just shortly after the new Toy Story ride opened up and I remember it was fun from beginning to end! There were fun things to look at and interact with while waiting in line to ride, and of course, the fun ride itself!  I also think their Block Party Parade is the best and most fun out of all the parks! We also love all of the variety of characters at this park.  These are just a few photos from Hollywood Studios:

 

{Waiting in line at the Toy Story ride. Lots of fun decor to keep us entertained!}

{Crawling through giant-sized decks of cards while waiting for Toy Story ride.}

{Look, it's Handy Manny!}

{Block Party parade @ Hollywood Studios}

I should also mention that I've hear tons of great praises about the actual conference itself. I'm looking forward to connecting with bloggers I've admired from afar for a while and reconnecting with those that I've come to know over the years both IRL and online!

Hispanicize 2012: Why I want to go

As I was sifting through my emails in my inbox today, I came across one from one of my most-visited PR blogs, hispanicPRblog.  The headline grabbed me immediately:

Univision Communications Becomes Presenting Media Partner & Sponsor of Hispanicize 2012

Just upon reading the brand "Univision", I was instantly taken back to my youth when I would spend hours and hours at my grandma's house while my parents were at work during the summer or just out running errands.  I *LOVED* spending time with my grandma.  She was just cutest little old lady you'd ever seen.  Well don't take my word for it, look for yourself.

{This was taken at my bridal shower in 2001 after the make-a-wedding-dress-out-of-toilet-paper game. Not sure if she was laughing harder or I was!}

{My grandma and me at my bridal shower.}

So there I would sit on the big, creaky recliner in the living room of her humble one-bedroom abode in East Austin (Texas).  This was the house that she gave birth to 10 children - 5 boys (one of them being my dad) + 5 girls - in and the house all of those children grew up in.  Yes, you read that right.  ONE bedroom.  And while I would sit and rock in this comfy but old recliner, my grandma would have her TV tuned to her favorite station - Univision.  I was subjected to her outrageous and loud laughs at every funny prank or joke they'd show during their Sabado Gigante program and I couldn't help but laugh right along with her.  My grandma had one of the best laughs ever!! Just a smile that lit up the dark, gray skies and just made me feel like I was home.  It's true.  I've even written to her before here on my blog. 

We'd sit and watch this channel for HOURS, literally!  If it wasn't some outrageously funny program then it was a novela -- a Spanish soap opera that would make One Life to Live or The Young & the Restless look like children's theater.  Oh, yeah this is where it really got good!  Thankfully for me, I could understand most of the Spanish soap and ALL the drama that came along with it.  I've never been much of a great Spanish speaker, but I can definitely comprehend when it's being spoken. 

Yeah, sitting with my grandma at her house watching Univision while sharing belly laughs and dramatic gasps is one of my fondest memories as a child.  And for this reason, I want to attend Hispanicize 2012. 

You see, in that email I talked about recieving earlier, I learned that the presenting media sponsor for this year's Hispanicize 2012 is none other than (my grandma's fave) Univision.  I've always wanted to attend the annual event for Latinos in social media, but never before like this!  I have to credit my recent work with the Latina Smart campaign and my wonderful experiences with Latina Mom Bloggers and Verizon Wireless when they sent me to the Vive La Hispanidad Event for igniting a fire within me to become more grounded in my Hispanic heritage and culture. 

Hispanicize 2012 is the premier event for Latino media, bloggers, and press and is in its 3rd year.  I know that with a partnership like this it will not disappoint!  This February it will have been 9 years since my grandma passed away.  I was pregnant with my first-born when that happened and I have always been so sad at the fact that my kids have not been able to know her and what a wonderful spirit she was here on earth.  But they do know about her.  They see her photos and I talk about her and describe what it was like being around her and have her as my grandma.  What a full-circle experience it would be to attend this event and get to learn more about a brand that I feel so connected to.  I'm sure my grandma would have LOVED to be my special guest and attend with me if she were still here and even if she couldn't, she'd probably whisper to me not to forget to get her some sort of "swaggy" item from Univision at the event!  So here's hoping that she'll be my angel in heaven and intervene some way, somehow so that it's possible for me to go.  Fingers crossed, grandma!

#midwestmoms - It's a wrap.

I've been amazingly blessed this past year as a mom, wife, and yes, even a blogger. You may have seen me sporting this profile pic on my Facebook page over the past several months:

Well, I remember first hearing about the #midwestmoms campaign several months ago and thinking, "that is TOTALLY me!".  I was eager to learn more and see what Verizon Wireless was all about. 

And I never expected to feel as tied to a brand or company as I do with them.  And never in my wildest expectations would I have felt like I've gotten so much out of knowing a great group of my fellow midwest mom bloggers as I do now!

These chicks

and these chicks

fuuuuuhhhreakin' crack me up!  I had THE most fabulous time with all of them this past summer in Chicago at Midwest Moms Media brands & bloggers summit.  We connected about our families, our blogs, our lives as mothers, and of course -- our techie gadgets!!

I even got to meet another real, live Candy!!  This NEVER happens!

Over the past few months I've shared so many laughs with these ladies online and I truly have a special place in my heart for ALL of them! 

And the folks at Verizon and at their agency, Rauxa, have been impeccably professional to work with and have gone above and beyond with the #midwestmoms campaign.  I am humbled and honored to have been a part of it all!

And yes, things have certainly changed a bit around here.

It's awesome that I've been able to share such great technology like the Motorola Xoom and my Droid Bionic smartphone with my kids.  They now have hands-on experience with tablets, smartphones and understand the basics of apps, 4G LTE, WiFi, hotspots, and other fun techie stuff.  I am such a firm believer in teaching kids to embrace our technology, not to shield them from it.  The way I see it, the jobs of their future haven't even been invented yet, so any advantage I can give them on various technologies that exist will work in their favor one day. 

My oldest now LOVES to play Words with Friends with his Grammy who lives two states away.  Not only is he experiencing technology and what it brings to this world, but he's able to use it to engage with her even when she's not visiting.

So to my peeps at Verizon & Rauxa -- as we close out one of the most awesome years, I want to say "THANK YOU!!"  for inviting me to be a part of this fun #midwestmoms experience!  It has been wonderful beyond measure, and more than I could have ever imagined!  I'm sad this campaign is coming to an end, thankful for what it has been, and dreaming of when our paths will cross again!

 

 

 

{Disclosure: I am part of the Verizon Wireless #MidwestMoms project and am being compensated for this series of posts, however, the opinions expressed herein are those of my own. No one's the boss of me!}

What I've learned from my time as a Latina Smart Ambassador.

I've really enjoyed the past few months being able to serve as an ambassador for the Latina Smart scholarship program I recently shared with you.

Being able to watch and read all of the wonderful entries for the scholarship award just took me back to my own struggles and aspirations as a young Latina.   But what was interesting to me was that no matter the circumstances that each of the entrants had been faced with -- whether economic hardship, health issues, educational limitations, etc. -- they all had one thing in common.  Determination.  For me, determination is HUGE in my life.  I don't just wake up every morning and think about making things happen.  I am determined to make them happen!

I've learned from these young ladies that no matter what your struggles are, there is always that "big picture" to be mindful of.  And I think it takes a certain amount of courage to recognize that you can be great.  Or greater than you already are.  I applaud all of the entrants for the scholarship awards and can't wait to see what the outcome is! 

Either way, it's totally been my pleasure serving to help promote such a worthy and important community of Latina women who just want to do good in their parts of the world.  It has been very humbling and eye-opening.

To visit the Latina Smart community on Facebook and learn more about the program, click here.

{Disclosure:  I am serving as an ambassador for the Latina Smart community and received compensation for my series of posts, however all opinions within this post are those of my own.}