The Perfect Movie Night In

When you have kids it can be hard to find time to go out. Heck, it can be hard for anyone these days to find time to date. Between work, school, errands, chores, kids, and pets (for some), finding time to spend with your significant other can get a little complicated. 

This is often true for Pedro and me. He works at night, I work/go to school during the day, and Nico takes up all of our time in between! We hardly have a moment alone, but when we do, we try to make the most of it. After all, the state of our relationship is important for a healthy family life and to give Nico a good example of what true love looks like. <3

Fortunately, there are many fun things to do at home, after the baby hits the crib for the night! 

This week, we had an amazing Netflix Movie Date! 

ON THE MENU: 

Soft Tacos!! 

Soft tacos are the perfect movie dinner! They are nutritious finger food that are fun to put together, and that don't distract you from the movie too much. It is a funny messy good time as you have folding competitions to see who can keep the most stuffing in their tortilla. 

Ingredients are simple: Tortillas, lettuce, tomato, 1lb ground beef, a can of pinto beans (to make re-fried beans), sour cream, and Mexican blend cheese. And, this is a great opportunity to use left over Taco Bell sauces!

ON THE MINI SCREEN: 

Bonnie and Clyde

This is a five star movie! Those of you who are romantics will enjoy the raw, unshakable love that kept these two together and fueled everything that they did! Those of you who would probably fall asleep if something doesn't blow up at least twice are also in luck, as Bonnie and Clyde were also fans of big guns that did immense damage.

ON ME:

Freshly washed hair and one of Pedro's old t-shirts

Men are honestly not very hard to impress! Often times, a clean natural look is sexier than heavy make-up and a tight dress. 

The hair style is quick: Step away from the straightener and hop in the shower, wash your hair, condition it with hair oils immediately when you finish towel drying! 

Then, raid his drawers! Find his favorite shirt and a comfy/sexy pair of undies or even his boxers. 

This is a date that does not require a bra! ;) 

Whether you stay it or go out, remember to appreciate each other and cherish your precious time together!

Being A Better You!

It is no secret that there is always room for improvement, and that goes for everyone. Sure, you might be successful and you might "have it all", or you might be a loser and have nothing; no matter who you are there are ways to turn yourself in to the person you have dreamed of being!

1. Read more! Studies show that people who read more have an easier time learning new things and setting large goals for their lives. That's right, readers are dreamers! Read more articles, magazines, newspapers, fiction, anything really. Also, readers are less likely to develop brain deteriorating diseases, such as Alzheimer's, in their old age. Apparently, one page a day keeps the doctors away!

 

2. Have one conversation a day that is NOT centered on you. The world does not revolve around any single person. The next time you talk to someone, try listening to him or her. Learn about their life and be excited for their accomplishments, or learn about what troubles them and offer productive solutions that can help them. One of the best ways to help you is by helping others! Not only will it make you feel good to show this person that you actually care, but also they are likely to return the favor!

3. Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning. The Japanese have recently let the world in on a secret! It seems that drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning has all kinds of amazing benefits! Aside from all of the health reasons, it put people in a better mood in general. Those of us who are not morning people will find ourselves surprisingly energized and, dare I say, HAPPY! When your body is feeling good, it will let you know by lifting your spirits. 

 

4. Set goals for yourself. In reality, everyone should set goals for themselves everyday, but at least once a week is good enough. The best kind of goal will help you reach an overall bigger goal later in the month or year. It could be anything! Think about what you would like to achieve and then make a clear path on how you are going to get there, and tell someone about it. Don't brag; just let them know what you have in mind so that someone will be there to hold you accountable. 

5. Make a budget. "I would be happy if only I could afford..." I hear that all the time, but here is something I bet you never considered. If you set and follow a budget you can afford literally anything you want. However, it usually takes a little while to get there, which is where most people drop the ball. Patience is truly a virtue. Good things come to those who wait!! 

6. Eliminate all excuses in your life. This one is perhaps the hardest of all. It takes training because we complain about and make excuses for everything. I was late because..., I didn't wake up early because..., I don't eat better because..., you get the idea. Simply stop using the words BUT and BECAUSE. If you are late, you are late, it doesn't really matter why does it? This will encourage you to find solutions for your behavior flaws instead justifying them. 

 

7. Be polite. For some reason, especially with our generation, common courtesy flies over most people's heads. It's like they don't understand the concept of "please" and "thank you." A nice smile goes a long way, and so does a simple compliment. I'm not saying you should walk around sucking up to people, but you should at least do you best to be nice. Try to remember the golden rule, teach it to your kids even: Treat other the way to want to be treated! 

The Shoot

A photo shoot is a great way to raise your self esteem and have a good time with your little one! 

Help out the photography students at a local college in your town. They are always in need of people to "shoot", and not only do they usually do great work, it is free! ;)

During the break, Nico and I helped out a friend who was in need of some models. 

From that experience I learned that there is more to a photo shoot than you think! 

 The photographer, Carmel Ureña, was hard at work making sure the lighting was absolutely perfect for each individual pose we struck.

Her assistant helped by holding the reflectors for at least an hour and a half

Nico refused to leave my lap, even while I was getting my make-up done

And photo shoots involve a lot of waiting around

I also learned that it is not that easy to strike a pose. Modeling takes a lot of maturity and self confidence!

Nico and I both lack the qualities of the ideal model, but we had so much fun! 

 

 As you can see Carmel is extremely talented! 

She has a gift for capturing the beauty of anyone!

To see more of her amazing work visit: https://www.facebook.com/imgscee

Sending Love Around the World

A few weeks ago our church announced that we would be hosting a charity event, Operation Christmas Child. The organization Samaritan's Purse leads this event and asks ordinary people to fill a shoe box (or any box that fit the required dimensions) with things that could make them heroes to children in need all over the world. Things like toys, hygiene products, school supplies, etc. (<-link for list of suggestions). Once the the box is filled you tape a label to it and drop it off at a host location to be sent to the Samaritan's Purse. 

From there, they send the box to children in need. 

Some of those kids have nothing.

Some have no one. 

This is an amazing opportunity to show them that some one cares about them, and that God is watching out for them. 

Words cannot describe how much this touched my heart! I feel like sending 100 boxes out! All I could imagine was Nico's sweet little face in the place of the children living in extreme poverty. I can only imagine how devastating it is as a parents to not be able to give your little one everything they deserve, and then to think that the world is over looking our suffering. 

I want those people to know that some people are honestly trying to help in any way possible, even something a trivial as filling a shoe box with Dollar Store goodies.

Of course we do what can!

Not only can I send a box, I can SPREAD THE WORD!

This event relies heavily on the participation of volunteers! It needs people to go out and put boxes together to send them to kids who desperately need to feel special and parent who need to know that their is hope. 

Their goal is to reach 100,000,000 children.

We can make it 1 Billion!!!

3 Tips to Keep the Winter Weight OFF

Yeah, it's that time of year again. We are putting away the bathing suits and busting out the sweat pants and leggings! We are finally stepping away from the scale and hiding that extra chub under giant comfy sweaters. 

But wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to get back in to shape come summer 2015? Imagine a world when you look good in a bathing suit ALL YEAR! 

With these simple tips, you can enjoy this holiday season and still avoid falling out of love with your beautiful body! 

1. Toasty Workout! - In some places, I'd imagine that it is getting in to the "Too Cold" temperatures. Too cold to go out for a jog, too cold to take the kids to the park, too cold to enjoy the outside world, just TOO COLD! When the threat of frost bite seems too high, you don't have to risk it. Here is a secret you might not have known; there are hundreds of free full length workout videos on YouTube! And the best part is that there is an excellent variety to fit different needs. Whether you like Zumba, Krav Maga, Belly Dancing, or Weight lifting, I guarantee there is something for everyone. Find a quiet, private place (like your room) and get physical! 

2. Portion Makes Perfect - You might have heard of the healthy alternative to all of the yummy holiday snacks that are floating around this year, and if you are anything like me, that is simply NOT an option. Everything tastes better with an extra scoop of butter, am I right? So, instead of eating cinnamon spice celery sticks, eat whatever you want, just be mindful of how much of it you are eating. If you must try everything this year at Thanksgiving, again like me, try 2 bites of everything and then go back for you favorite. And since you're trying one of everything, you might want to hold off on that second piece of pie. Food for thought. (get it?)

3. Get a dog! - I love animals, but dogs are my all time favorite. No animal will make you feel as loved and welcomed and needed as a dog. Yes, they need you to love them back, and care for them, and most of all, they need you to walk them. A dog will force you to brave those "too cold temps." and by taking them out to do their business, you will receive some much needed sunlight and a breath of fresh air! (Don't only get a dog for this reason though, get one because they are AWESOME!)
But seriously, go outside every once in a while to change your body out of that comfortable sitting position you find yourself in throughout most of the day. Sometimes it is easy to forget that we have legs too!

Mommy & Me Monday!

You just CAN'T contain hair this awesome! 

It must be shared with the World!

Happy Mommy and Me Monday everyone! 

=D

Daddy's Hat

In honor of Father & Me Friday

I present...

Daddy's Hat

Nico: 14 Months Today!

Happy 14 months to my wonderful little Gummy Bear!

Inspiring Youth: Angelica M. Prendez

The message that young people are being sent is that the more we party the cooler we are. Young people are given poor examples from reality shows and the media. It seems like we are all expected to binge drink and sleep around every weekend with out considering the repercussions, wasting our energy and our time. 

Energy and time, that could go into something which involves getting us some how one step closer to living out our dreams!

Due to lack of inspiration, I would like to officially start something called Inspiring Youth. 

At least once a month I am going to dedicate a post to some one who is spending the "prime of their life" doing something meaningful. It time to shine the spotlight on better Role Models of Today!

I could think of no one better to start with than 21 year old Latina, Angelica M. Prendez.

 Angelica loved modeling and being in front of the camera even as a little girl. She dreamed of one day being able to show people that inner beauty counts just as much, if not more, than outward appearances. She learned how to set and realize her goals appearing in local fashion shows and beauty pageants. 

 

(Photo Shoot)

 

(A Night in Rio Fashion Show) 

 

(Photo Shoot with Jose Gomez) 

You can see that she is no stranger to not only reaching for the stars, but plucking them out of the sky! Recently she made the decision to audition for the popular Latin American beauty pageant TV show, Nuestra Belleza Latina. 

She trained and practiced and prepared for the audition day and she was there bright and early to face the challenges of the day head on!

Values are the core to any successful person. In order to be successful in mapping out the future, you have to know who you are, where you come from, and what you stand for. When I asked Angelica what she believed in, she replied,

" I believe in doing good, because when you're a good person at heart and give off positive energy, good things happen."

It is also important to accept that sometimes the door might close before you get there. But where one door closes another one is opened, and occasionally a closed door unlocks in time. Angelica did not make it to the final round of the audition process but she did not hang her head. Instead she is certain that there are better opportunities to come! 

For people like her there is no such thing as failure, only slight setbacks. What makes Angie so inspiring is her determination to follow the path to success no matter what the obstacle! She stated,

" I didn't make it into the last round but this is only the beginning!"

 Remember her face because you will definitely be seeing it again soon!