Wednesday, June 01, 2016

My Lemon Obsession

Let's talk lemons, I am a little ok a lot obsessed with lemon prints.  I love it, it's bright, and just plain cute.  It all started with this blue lemon print dress from the Eva Mendes collection at NY&CO.  Sadly I didn't find the dress in my size before it sold out. 
 
As I continued my search for a dress in a similar print, I think I just started to fall in love with everything lemon.  So I started collecting left and right anything lemon print I could get my hands on (I told you I was a little obsessed).  I found this cute top at NY&CO,  these cute Kate Spade shoes and lemon coin purse on Poshmark
 
My green purse was perfect for this outfit, it is Globtrotter from JustFab.  I have had for over a year and hadn't found an outfit to wear it with.  Well I finally found the perfect outfit to go with my purse,  I'm so glad I purchased it in this color!  What print are you obsessing over this season?  Let me know in your comments below. 



Top: NY&CO
Shorts: NY&CO
Purse: JustFab Globtrotter
Lemon Coin Purse: Poshmark
Shoes: Kate Spade on Poshmark


Sunday, May 08, 2016

Dear Mom

 
 Dear Mom,
 
Thank you for carrying me in your stomach for 9 months.  Your belly stretched and left marks that will never go away.  Feeling uncomfortable, loosing many nights of sleep as I grew and formed in your belly.  Then the labor pains, and finally your baby that you waited to meet for 9 months was born! 
 
 
The sleepless nights continued as I learned to adjust to life outside of your stomach.  The days flew by, you taught me how to walk, how to love, how to be strong. I learned that I could do anything if I loved God with all my heart.  I made mistakes but kept pressing forward, because you taught me that no one is perfect.
 
 
Now that I am a mother myself, I understand the importance of my job as a mom.  I  am teaching my girls (who will one day be mother's themselves)  how important it is to love your children unconditionally. Thank you for your advice, for you patience, and for being my rock.  I am blessed and honored to have you as my mother, my queen. 
 
Love,
 
Your Princess
 


Sunday, May 01, 2016

Lucky Charm Frozen Bananas

 
 To celebrate Dia De Los Niño's, my kids and I decided to make some Lucky Charm Frozen Bananas. I don't know about you, but I am always on the lookout for quick and easy recipes.  My kids love helping in the kitchen.  This was a fun activity that allowed us to spend some quality time together.   
 
 
 I purchased my ingredients at our local Walmart.  For this recipe I used: a box of Lucky Charms, some honey, some baby bananas, and some skewers. 
 
 

 
 
I peeled the bananas, and put the bananas on a skewer.  I then poured some lucky charms onto the plate.  I poured some honey on the banana and I let the kids spread the honey with a plastic knife.  The fun part for my kids was decorating their banana.  My oldest daughter made a really cute face on her banana.  Then we put our bananas on a plate and into the freezer for and hour.
 
 
Last step my kids ate and enjoyed their Lucky Charm frozen banana!  My kids loved this treat, we can't wait to try it next time with other cereals like Trix, Honey Nut Cheerios, and Cocoa Puffs.  Head on over to quericavida.com and Pinterest to get ideas on recipes that you can try with your kids. 
 
Besos!
 
Marieesbella
 
Disclaimer: This was a Sponsored post, all opinions are honest and my own. 


Friday, April 22, 2016

Dia Del Nino: Phoenix Zoo & Toyota Highlander

I was very excited when I was asked to partner with Toyota and the Phoenix Zoo celebrating Dia Del Niño.  Toyota let me use the Toyota Highlander for a few days, and I have to tell you that my kids and I fell in love with this car.  The color was a gorgeous wine color with some shimmer in the paint.  The inside had luxurious leather seats, the backup camera, the rear view mirrors would light up with little orange lights letting you know when a car was driving next to you. 
 
The Toyota Highlander can sit 7 people, which worked perfectly for my family of 6.  Oh, and did I mention that the trunk opens and closes up automatically with a touch of a button?  This car would be perfect for any family or mother who needs plenty of room for the kids, it's safe, and very fuel efficient.  When it was time to give the Toyota Highlander back, I honestly did not want to!  I need the Toyota Highlander, and it's going to be at the top of my list next time I go car shopping. 
 


It was a very busy day at the Phoenix Zoo, because of Dia Del Nino.  They had a bunch of booths set up with games for the kids.  They had free gifts, my kids had a blast.  We came home with new backpacks, books, they got to make bracelets, and won some new toys. 
 





Univision gifted the kids The Very Hungry Caterpillar, one of my favorite children's books.
 




 
 


The Lion and Lioness taking a nap together, how cute is that?
 




This monkey looked like he was posing for the camera, this was one of my favorite animals. 
 
I saw this gorgeous pink flower and I had to take a picture of it!  





My little princess talking a little break from all the walking!
 



A few tips I would like to give you before visit the Phoenix Zoo.  First tip, is take extra sunscreen with you, absolutely necessary to apply again if you plan to stay for more than a couple hours.  Second tip, obviously take comfortable shoes, (tennis shoes are best) I would not recommend sandals or flip flops. Third tip, take an umbrella and a hat. I didn't take either one, but I saw quite a few people who took theirs to shield them from the sun and I wished I had taken mine with me.  My last tip for you is, that you can take a cooler with wheels, or a cooler in a wagon so you can fill it with drinks, sandwiches and snacks. 
 
This was a great event that celebrates children, I will definitely be taking my kids next year. 
 
Besos,
 
Marieesbella
 
 
Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and honest opinions. 
 
 
 


Wednesday, March 16, 2016

We All Grow Sumit: Long Beach 2016

I was very honored when I applied and was selected for a Blogger Workshop that Kathy Cano Murillo from Crafty Chica, Eric Diaz from Collectivo, and Ana Flores from Latina Bloggers Connect sponsored the workshop to train bloggers that would represent Phoenix, Arizona.  We met every Saturday for a month, and Kathy from Crafty Chica mentored and shared her knowledge with us.  She taught us everything we needed to know to run and manage a successful blog. 


At the end of the four week workshop, we were able to attend the We All Grow Summit in Long Beach, California.  Five Pheonix Latino Bloggers who attended the workshops ended up being able to go together as a group to the summit.  It was great, the five of us shared two cars both sponsored by Scion and Toyota Latino.  I had no idea what to expect, but I can tell you this summit truly exceeded my expectations.

We met up at the Maya Hotel in Long Beach early Thursday morning where everyone would break up into groups and head out to different venues for the Field Trips.  We got to attend a Long Beach tour.  We started out on a skyline cruise, we took a tour of to the Museum of Latin American Art, then to the Aquarium of the Pacific for a gorgeous lunch, and lastly took a tour of The Queen Mary

The evening finished off with a great party right off the beach with cocktails and music.  Thank you Hampton by Hilton for throwing such a great party to kick off our first night at the Summit. 








Throughout the next couple days we were non stop with amazing Keynote speakers.  A couple of my favorite Keynote speakers were Rosie Rivera author of Mis Pedazos Rotos,  Elayna Fernandez from the Positive Mom, and Christine Guiterrez a Life Coach who spoke on self confidence was very inspirational.  Confidence just so happen to be my word that I chose to work on for this year, and as a reminder I got a stamped bracelet compliments of My Intent to remind me to always wear my crown of confidence. 





Throughout the day we would take breaks to snack and connect with We All Grow sponsors,  for snacks and fun swag from sponsors such as Mazda, Colgate, Narciso Rodriguez Perfume, Dove, Neutrogena, OPI, H&R Block, Aveeno to name a few.  Everyone was very friendly and welcoming.






 If I had to pick my favorite snack and connect sponsors I would have to say first Dove, because I got my hair styled by beauty expert for Dove Mario Anton.  He did an amazing job, and he was also very sweet.  He talked to me about what type of style was best for my hair and showed me how to achieve the look while he styled me. 


My second favorite was Neutrogena, they had a Dermatologist look at our skin, she then wrote down what would be best for our skin type, and then we went to the makeup chair where we got our full face makeup done by a makeup artist.  Finished off by going to the makeup counter and being able to take everything they put on our face from the skin care to the makeup home with us! 



I would love to share all the pictures from the trip, but this post would be so long!  Overall it was a life changing experience for me.  I learned that "Con ganas si se puede", meaning that you can do anything with hard work.  If you want something bad enough you need to work hard for it.  I also learned that it is so important not to loose touch of my Latina culture, so that I can pass that on to my kids.

 As women we need to remember that we are better off helping each other, because there is room for everyone to grow.  We all have something unique to bring to the table.  So there is no need to be jealous or envious of one another.  Let's find our voice, and let it be heard!  

Thank you to everyone who made this Summit such an amazing experience.  I look forward to attending next year!

Besos,

Marieesbella