10 Reasons To Attend Bloggy Boot Camp

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending my FIRST EVER blogger conference! It was absolutely fabulous and I highly recommend ANYONE that is considering blogging to attend Bloggy Boot Camp! If you need a little more convincing here are 10 reasons to attend Bloggy Boot Camp!

1) Bloggy Boot Camp is affordable.
2) Bloggy Boot Camp gives a basic overview of the legal issues surrounding blogging.
3) Bloggy Boot Camp gives invaluable information on how to organize your blog.
4) Bloggy Boot Camp gives opportunity for networking and friendship.
5) Bloggy Boot Camp gives tips on writing blog posts.
6) Bloggy Boot Camp helps you find and define your niche.
7) Bloggy Boot Camp offers tips on "tech stuff" that can make a blogger's life easier.
8) Bloggy Boot Camp helps the blogger find themselves as a blogger and as a person.
9) Bloggy Boot Camp offers tips and intro to vlogging.
10) Bloggy Boot Camp is FUN

I am totally going to attend another Bloggy Boot Camp.There is such a depth of knowledge given that it is a MUST to attend the conference over and over again!

Motherly Inspirational Quotes: Picasso

“My mother said to me, “If you become a soldier you’ll be a general; if you become a monk you’ll end up as the pope.”  Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.”

 

– Pablo Picasso

Time with our children is so precious and way too short. In this short little time we are given with our children there are times that words slip out of our mouths and reach our children's ears even before we have time to think them through. What is the message we are giving our children?  We know we have high hopes for our children but do they know? We know and see their great potential twinkling in their eyes. But; do they see it? Or do our words extinguish the twinkle before it has time to live and thrive?

What a solid and beautiful message that Picasso's mother gave him. She gave him the freedom to be whatever he desired to be and breathed into him the belief he needed to become  the best at whatever he desired. May we all help our children feel and live their potential.

Comfort Plus: Helping Latinos Care For Their Loved Ones

It is absolutely amazing and impressive how the Latino community in the United States is rapidly growing in numbers.This growth can also be found in the aging Latino population. A medical supply company named Comfort Plus has released a paper that is extremely informative to Latinos. It gives Latinos in the U.S. insights with regards to our general health as a people and also addresses the concerns of those of us that find ourselves in the position of caring for our aging family members. The paper that has been released by Comfort Plus is called The White Paper, The State of the Hispanic Caregiver. It contains a wealth of knowledge and insight as to the overall health of U.S. Latinos. The White Paper also provides information on how Comfort Plus Inc. can assist caregivers with the concerns they have with regards to incontinence.

According to The White Paper there are over 50 million Latinos in the U.S. This means that Latinos make up 16% of the total population in the U.S. Of this population, it is estimated that there are 4,000,000 Latinos currently residing in the US that are over the age of 65. It is estimated that the Latino population will continue to grow dramatically, including its aging population.  The fact is that Latinos live longer than their white counterparts and they have a lower incidence of chronic illenesses, with the exception of diabetes. (Please see chart below)

I personally have seen the devastating consequences of diabetes in my own family and friends. Comfort Plus recognizes that we have needs in the Latino community and they are reaching out to us. They are reaching out to us because they know that we need help caring for our loved ones. Comfort Plus knows that we more often than not care for our loved ones at home as opposed to sending them to nursing or retirement homes. Comfort Plus knows that Latinos report that they experience higher levels of stress in caring for their loved ones. They recognize that we feel there is a lack of resources to help. Comfort plus also recognizes that Latinos have a higher incidence of incontinence due to the higher rates of diseases that can result in incontinence such as diabetes and Alzheimer's. Comfort Plus has dedicated part of their website to Spanish in order to provide as much information possible to those who need it. Here is a small example on how Comfort Plus can make our caregiving job easier and save us money.

If you would like more information on all that Comfort Plus has to offer go to www.comfortplusonline.com

"Like" them on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/comfortplusmedicalsupplies

Follow them on twitter @ComfortPlusZac

COMFORT PLUS IS ALSO OFFERING US A SPECIAL DISCOUNT OF $10 OFF A CASE OF TRANQUILITY PRODUCTS! USE DISCOUNT CODE  LMB2012 AT CHECK OUT.

This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and ComfortPlus Online. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Making Money Sense With Kids

In the society that we currently live in, children seem to be overly indulged with "things" quite a bit. I include my sons in this category of kids who have been over indulged with"things." I believe that even my generation has fallen victim to this predicament. I have lived and traveled to different countries and have seen with my own eyes very heart wrenching, soul touching, and poverty stricken living situations. None the less, food still unfortunately still gets wasted at my house. Many times my boys have too much. Why? Because we live in a society that teaches us that more and lots of it, is better. Even when the "more" reaches a point of being too much. Many times the hard work that goes into earning the bread of everyday is overlooked by overly indulged children and adults. Mine included.

As of late my sons have been frequenting appliance and home improvement stores with me. They have been seeing price tags that are much higher than the usual Target and Walmart price tags. We made a trip to Sears today and after we looked at appliances I let the boys look around. The boy's are all excited about "back to school shopping." In all their excitement they decided to take a look at the backpacks. It was exciting until... we saw the price tags! I had to disappoint them with the news that I was NOT going to buy a backpack with a price tag of $90!! Sear's wanted $90 for a regular, nothing special of a backpack. Granted it was 50% off. Who cares! That's INSANE!!! I don't care how wealthy a person is! That's crazy! So that some kindergartener can drag it around the school yard? Or to have it get " forgotten" on some bench at school to never be seen again?! No way!!!

On our way home today my oldest son said in shear bewilderment  "Mommy, how much must it cost us to live in our house?' I think he had a small realization of just how expensive life is.

I have by no means been a perfect example of how to teach children about money. Many times my kids act very spoiled and can get too demanding for "things." But; to a certain degree I have taught them that they need to work for what they have. My kids are real entrepreneurs. They are ALWAYS trying to come up with some money making scheme.  As a matter fact my oldest is pretty upset that he is an unemployed 8 year old and is not very happy that there are child labor laws!

Sometimes less is really more. Children need to learn the value of good hard work. They need to learn that money does not always come easy. That if they want to have money they need to be wise and educated. Children don't need to be overindulged. They need to be loved and taught. A little hard work on their part to obtain the "things" they want wont kill them! What doesn't kill us makes us stronger!!!

Pinterest Dreams

I totally LOVE Pinterest! If you Haven't joined the bandwagon, join!!! Or at least take a little sneak peak at it! When I first started the whole Pinterest thing, I would get all bummed out seeing all the wonderful crafts, foods, and well just pure cleverness of other women! Since I am so not crafty and by no means a wonderful cook and definitely not clever, I would feel disappointed in my obvious shortcomings. Along with this lengthy list of things that I am not is also the fact that I am not a very good dreamer. Well, at least not until Pinterest. I made a conscious decision that there was no real good reason in dwelling on my definite shortcomings rather I decided to channel my energy into dreaming. I go pin crazy and as a result I have found myself dreaming. I dream of being crafty, of being a chef, and most definitely I dream of being clever! Here and there when I can get my mommy act together I try out a new clever cleaning trick or a new recipe. For a few short moments everyday I dream. I dream of the great things I can accomplish. I dream of the things I can learn to create and cook. At times I have to remind myself that in this season of my life some of my dreams must stay dreams as I live my dream of being a mother. But; this dreaming thing is so new to me since for too many years I have been too much of a realist and even at times a pessimist. I now take the time to dream a little here and there and even if my talent in life can't be pinned for the Pinterest world to see I just remember that the little eyes that call me mom think I am pretty neat and worthy of being pinned for all the world to see!

Summer Highlights: Boys will be Boys

Being a mom has been an evolutionary experience for me. There are "things" that I now allow my children to do which I never would have allowed 8 years ago! Things like getting dirty, climbing trees and kissing dogs... Likewise there are "things" that 8 years ago I allowed and now do not allow. Things like eating hot cheetos, eating candy freely and going to bed late are just a few examples. As I contemplate my evolutionary experience as a mother, I truly marvel as it has been an unbelievable journey. I am thankful for the journey. I try harder each day to enjoy the moment because I know that it will be gone all too quickly.

Here are just a few of the latest Summer highlights.
I know the boys are engaging in some questionable activities in these pictures. But; in my defense boys will be boys!!! I just try to keep them safe and happy.

The boys playing basketball in the summer rain! They got pretty wet but they came home happy and tired!

David came up with the great idea of playing " Ninja Warrior." Kind of a scary game... I let them all have one chance at it. Luckily no one got hurt. By the way, they thought they were pretty cool guys!!!

Um... yes this is another Summer park day. All FOUR boys in a tree.

My baby is crazy about dogs. Here he is with his "best friend."

This little guy is a free spirit. He LOVES to go to the park. His favorite thing to do at the park is play in the sand. Just as a side note I HATED the park for years. In the past it seemed like a dirty, toxic and germ infested public place. Now it is my favorite "sane place" where little boys can run, play and burn up energy.

Free Summer Sports Clinics

Do your kids love sports? Do you love FREE summer activities as much as I do? Check out your local NBA and MLS teams as many of them hold free or very low cost clinics! Today two of my boys attended a free basketball day clinic hosted by the LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS!!! The director of the clinic was Sean Rooks (he played for both the Clippers and the Lakers.) It was a four hour camp at a local park. The kids were greeted with t-shirts and a subway sandwich lunch! After which they were put on teams where they got the chance to practice basketball drills and technique . They even got the chance to get personal coaching and praise from a retired NBA player! At the end of the day all the kids were given a little goody bag with a book , pencil and a clippers bracelet. There was also a question and answer time with Sean Rooks. Most kids asked the typical questions like how old are you? What position did you play? Towards the end of the Q & A,  a kid  asked Sean R " are you rich?" Sean's response was this, " being rich comes from what you have within. That's where being rich comes from." When he said this I was very moved. He was so sincere and honest in his response. You could really feel that his man who has rubbed shoulders with some of the best basketball players of our time really believes that being rich comes from what one has within. I was shocked and touched by his sincerity. I even got a little choked up when he was speaking.He also encouraged the kids to work hard in school. He told the kids that they could be whatever they want to be if they work hard at it. My boys came home happy and motivated! They finished their evening asking their dad to take them to the park to play basketball. Thank you LA Clippers for a fun day!!! Thank you Sean Rooks for the reminder that a man's worth comes from what he has on the inside and not on the outside!