.. Getting into the halloween spirit ..

Even my fur babies are ready for halloween! 

Miley is rocking her skull shirt, perfect for the entire Halloween season.

Maverick is ready to score a touchdown!! Hut, Hut!!!

.. Hello October! ..

Hello October... By far my favorite time of the year. 

That cold crisp air, the beautiful leaf colors and my two favorite holidays ; Halloween & 

Day of the dead. 

Let the decorating begin..... 

.. Mother's Day kick off with a #JustABrunchDate at FreshMadeNYC ..

Cooking is something that holds a special place in my heart, I hold many fond memories related to cooking. Family gatherings, those special holiday dishes cooked with loved ones, listening to my mom and dad retell stories of their childhood while they cooked dinner for my siblings and I. 

My love for cooking grows beyond the kitchen with so many memories connected directly to it, so it comes natural to spend a majority of my time in the kitchen. 

.. Am I READY?. ..

It seems like forever since I've made any form of contact with you. Why is it that every time I have my thoughts gathered and ready to have a steady flow blogging, BOOM!!!! LIFE happens. Ideas gathered, posts drafted and many pictures later my blog took second seat to this beautiful chaotic mess we call Life. 

.. We Finally did it!..

We finally were able to dress up as Jack & Sally from 

The Nightmare Before Christmas! We have always planned to dress up as a family for halloween 

and for some reason it never works out. We found the perfect Jack Skellington costume for frida and 

I was sally. Even though it didn't turn out as elaborate as we wanted to, we did it!!!

Simply Meant To Be...

Hopefully this is the first of many, as we have many ideas brewing in our heads. 

Looking forward to bring our ideas to life in the coming years.

.. We love Halloween, can you tell?! ..

In this house we love to decorate!!! Like its a complete understatement to just say love, we have absolutely turned our household into all types of scenarios for each holiday. 

But by far Halloween is by far our top favorite one to set up for.

I did love to decorate before my little one was born but the fact that her love is just as intense as mine (maybe even a more, Lol) is a plus! And that my husband also shares our passion is awesome!

So between the three of us we brainstorm what theme will we base our decor on. For this years halloween we decided on Spiders!!! Spiders were gonna be our main focus for the theme. We incorporated other elements of traditional halloween like pumpkins and witches here and there but webs & spiders were definitely the spot light.

The front door is our favorite to do, not only do we get to enjoy some major halloween decor but our neighbors have now become eager to see what we will have up. To be able to share our creation with them is super awesome! 

We gathered our supplies for the main piece, which was going to be in placed on our front door. 

This year we had the idea for displaying a "Spiders Prey" which would be a life sized prey wrapped in tangled in a spiders web. 

Our friend's name was Fred! Poor Fred got caught!

We DIY'd Fred, we couldn't find anything that met what we had in mind so we just made him. 

I will list below what materials we used for Fred below. 

 To make Fred we used:

1) A hooded sweater and Pants (that you won't miss while the duration that your Fred will be hanging on your door.)

2) Something you can stuff your pair of pants & sweater ( We used plastic bags.)

3) White garbage bags ( To wrap Fred's entire body with.)

4) Spider web (Which you can find literally in any store during halloween season.)

5) A giant Spider (Purchased at Target)

6) Assorted bag of Baby spiders (Which also can be found in any store during halloween season.)

For Fred's head we just stuffed the hoodie part of the sweater till we acquired the shape and size we wanted. Once we had finished Fred we went on to wrap his body with the white garbage bags, tape them down to keep them together and lastly wrap him up with web. 

Once he was wrapped we proceeded to hang him on the door (my husband screwed him on through remaining piece of fabric from pants & bag to back of out door.) Fred was ready for us to add more web so the baby spiders could easily be placed around him and web. Then as a final touch we added momma spider!!!

VOILA!!! 

We had so much putting this together and are already brewing up some ideas for next year's theme!

Do you have any suggestions? 

Hope this season is filled with some good ole halloween fun for you all!! 

.. Hello October! Im back from a blogging hiatus! ..

I'm Back!!! Feels like I've ben gone for more than 4 months. 

Life got ahold of me! Funny how you can have everything planned out, written in your calendar and BOOM!! Here comes life & puts your plans to a halt. 

Slowly getting back on track, summer has drifted away but not totally because the weather is still on those summery vibes. Ummmm, Can someone tell summer it needs to go away, Fall began on September 22!!! 

Cool down this summer with a Vampire Mangonada!!

Looking for a way to cool off this summer, head to theaters on July 13 to catch your favorite monster family. This new adventure is full of laughs and frights (but the good kind) sure to thrill everyone in your family. 

Celebrate summer with HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3 & some Pomergranate Guacamole!

Hotel Transylvania 3 hits theaters on July 13.

.. Sherlock Gnomes Inspired Easter Basket. ..

Disclosure: This is not a sponsoredpost. We were provided with a gift card to facilitate this post. All words & opinions are 100% my own.

Gnomeo & Juliet are back!! This new upcoming adventure is set to hit theaters this Friday March 23rd. 

To celebrate this new fun filled adventure, we decided to build an Sherlock Gnomes Easter basket. 

What a fun theme to help set up baskets for all the little ones! (Grown-Ups too, LOl) 

I've done theme baskets before but this one is surely one of my favorite ones! 

Even my husband joined in to help create our gnome basket, Lol. We both certainly let our imaginations run wild, we brainstormed and shared ideas on how we could set this up. 

My husband and I had a great time creating this wonderful Gnome themed basket for our Frida but by far our favorite part was setting up the gnome home that would included in her basket. 

Creativity at it's finest!!!

Frida is not a fan of sweets so we opt the sweets for these cool gnome accessories!!! Fruits, veggies and of course the gnomes had to have a wheel barrow to carry their supplies in!!!! 

Our inspiration for the colors of the house were Frida's favorite colored mushrooms, we were extremely excited when we found miniature ones to decorate the house's front doorway to match our painted house. 

Not to toot our own horn but I say we ended with a pretty darn well Gnome house, I wished I could not in it, Lol.

Needless to say Frida will love it & surely have endless fun with it!

.. Making my way back. ..

Well, Hello again..... Its been awhile since we talked. 

I feel likes its been ages, years have gone by since I opened up my laptop and tapped on my keyboard to share some things with you.

Where have I been? Honestly Ive been caught up with life, Mom life, wife life and just life in general. My brain has been all jumbled up with so many thoughts & ides to share with you but they have been over seen by those of life! Truly all I wanna do is go on vacation or go somewhere I can scream on the top of my lungs & let it all out, the frustration, the feeling of overwhelm and a little bit of sadness that has been consuming me. 

As I am typing this very moment I can feel a little bit of everything come over me, I feel lost in all the emotions, should I ask (better said can I ask for a little break?) Can I step away to gather my thoughts & emotions in sync? As quickly as I feel I can guilt steps in; Nope you gotta be there, they need you. I love my family, I love being a wife, I can remember at a young age wanting to be a good wife, great mom & a supporter of my family but that does mean I loose the sense of who I am? 

Who is Jessica? Do i just respond to Mom and/or wife now? 

If it makes any sense I feel like I lost but also gained so much, My life is filled with so much joy, love and experiences that Ive never thought possible. I love my life, my family and the all that has come with this new life. 

But (Yes there is a but) I wanna refund myself, I want to rekindle my Jessica candle, Jessica the person, not the wife, not mom but just Jessica. To be focus on bringing myself back to life, so i can not only be a better me but also a better person to continue supporting & taking care of those I love. 

.. December 12, Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe ..

"Am I not here, me that I am your mother"

December 12, Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, is one of the most important and spectacular days that is celebrated in Mexico & amongst believers around the world. On this day people from all parts of Mexico make their way to the Basilica in the Mexico city, where they will celebrate Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. 

This day is a national fiesta, which is celebrated with traditional music, folkloric dances and songs dedicated to the Virgin. Amongst the thousands of bouquets of flowers that pilgrims bring in honor of the Virgin De Guadalupe, you can feel the love and thankfulness that each person is feeling. 

This day is of great importance to Mexicans and believers around the world. It is a day filled with gratefulness, love, compassion and it is hard to put into words but honestly when you are celebrating you are filled with peace within yourself. 

Frida's first Dia De la Virgin De Guadalupe celebration.

This is a very special day for us, it is of custom to dress little ones in traditional clothing and bring either flowers or a small offering to the church to present our Virgencita as a way of thanking her. 

Since Frida was born we have been showing her this beautiful tradition, she now 5 & loves this celebration. 

She gets to see first hand her culture, her faith, and her love for "Mama Lupita" as she refers to the Virgin. It is an aspect of her culture she gets to partake in, choose what offering we will be taking and simply learn more about her Mexican roots. 

Every year we look forward to December 12 to honor our Virgencita, we gather as a family filled with faith, thankfulness and love in our hearts to not only show our gratitude but to grow our faith in our family, in our home and in our hearts. 

Aztec folk dance in honor of Our Lady Of Guadalupe.

.. Dia De los Muertos: A day of remembrance..

Dia De Los Muertos also known as Day Of The Dead, is a Mexican tradition where families create altars in remembrance of loved ones that are no longer with us. Altars that are decorated with favorites items, foods and the loved one(s) picture.

Now a mom, This is one tradition that I absolutely love teaching Frida about, her curiosity and intrigue about it is something I love to see. When we are getting ready to build our altar, I tell her stories about loved ones she sadly did not meet but knows of due to this beautiful custom, she loves to help in getting the items we will be placing on the altar. 

I remember when Frida first asked my about Why we celebrate Dia De Los Muertos? 

It caught me off guard and honestly I was a little confused, how do I explain DEATH to her, thats even though it is a natural part of life, it is still something we tend to shy away from the subject.
Before I could answer her she told me " Mommy, we celebrate Dia De Los Muertos to remember our family that we love so much!" 

I answered her "Yes, we love our Family and even though they are no longer with us, we celebrate our love for them."

Every year as soon as we start getting ready to create our altar, Frida loves to help in getting things prepared, we go buy favorite food items, flowers and other things we will place in the altar. 

While we create the altar we play music each one of our loved ones enjoyed listening to, share stories of our loved ones and creating new memories with each other. 

" The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living."

Dia de los Muertos is special to myself and has become special to Frida, we will keep setting up our altar every October 31-Nov.2. We will remember our loved ones with much love and understand that even though there presence is no longer with us their love will carry on.

" When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure."

And just like that our family grew by one....

Maverick, Our 1st fur baby!

 We are proud owners of a 4 year old bully breed pup. Maverick is an absolute loving, caring,  protective and cuddle loving pup. He does not measure his size nor his weight (he weighs roughly 100 lbs!); he just knows that he is our family and he loves us!

Well, My family and I absolutely love animals. Frida has repeatedly told us that she wants to own a house where she will have all types of animals and she will take care of them if they get sick. She said "I will teach them to be a family, love each other and be happy." My heart fills with joy overtime she tells me this and I hope her dream of owning this house comes true. 

If it was up to her our current apartment would be filled with doggies, big ones, little ones, you name it she wants all of the doggies. 

Frida convinced my husband real quick, which is no surprise because if it were up to him we would have a dog filled with dogs as well. Don't get me wrong I would love to have all the doggies as well but not in an apartment, especially a NYC sized apartment. I caved in and next thing i know we were on our way to adopt a puppy, not any puppy but a Chihuahua puppy! 

We already had her name picked out and everything! We were all excited to bring Miley home with us and shower her with love!

Frida with Miley, on our way home from adopting her. 

I was a little nervous with the size difference between Miley and Maverick but Maverick is such a loving pup himself the nervousness quickly faded away. Maverick was eager in meeting her and we slowly introduced them to each other and they been inseparable since day one. They take naps together, sleep on the same bed even though they each have their own and Maverick has taught Miley the Do's and Don'ts of the house. 

He is very protective of her when they go out for walks together, both are protective of their sister Frida and both shower each other with affection as well as us.

Maverick & Miley.
My M & M!

Sleeping together is their favorite hobby! Haha!

Maverick teaching Miley how to roll around in the grass. 

Our family has now grown by one and we couldn't be happier! 

Get ready to be read the adventures of Frida and her fur-siblings!

The force will be with you. Stars Wars Rebels season 3 is releasing today!

Stars Wars Rebels season 3 releases today! This action packed collection delivers the full 22 episodes plus never before seen bonus material. Star Wars Rebels season 3 brings some of the most critically acclaimed Star wars storytelling to date, with engaging characters, harrowing conflicts, and out os this world battle scenes on par with those seen in the films.

Star Wars Rebels season 3 is avaliable today, August 29! 

Get your copy today and May the force be with you! 

As Star Wars Fans we decided to have a little extra fun in before watching Star Wars Rebels season 3 by decorating our very Storm trooper mask.

Degin A Vinyl Strom Trooper is the perfect addition for any Star Wars fan, what better than being able to decorate your very own Storm Trooper mask in whatever way you choose. 

It comes with everything you need, markers, pencils and stickers to help your galactic begin come to life. 

Frida was very excited to decorate her own Storm Tropper, she went straight for the markers and decided where she would use each color. She asked for my help to place the stickers on the top of the helmet, she said that way they can read from the sky that he is a storm trooper, Lol.

And here is the final product:

Make sure you grab your copy today!

May the force be with you!

Disclaimer: We received product and film in exchange for this write-up. All opinions are our own!

Avoid the headaches when looking for the right car.

Disclaimer: The following is a sponsored post. Like always opinions are 100% my own. 

Finding the right car can be overwhelming and stressful sometimes, you never want to make a rushed   final decision when it comes to picking the right car for you. With all the different resources and competing sites that offer what may seem like the right information, finding the right car will seem long and challenging. 

Well fear no more, Im here to offer you a simple tip to avoid those dreadful headaches!

First things first, most important tip I can give you is RESEARCH!! You can't do anything without researching and knowing things about the car you plan to purchase, such as, make, model and price. 

This is where Cars.com will be your best tool in learning important details about your potential purchase. 

Cars.com offers information that provide you with everything you need to make an informed purchase, they provide extensive reviews on a different variety of cars. Key point about their site is that they don't hide the bad reviews of cars, if something is rated poorly, hasn't performed well and is not a good purchase they aren't afraid to let you know. If you're a first time buyer or just looking for another car, I highly suggest you look into Cars.com, the research you do will help you purchase the best car at the best price!

When purchasing a car it is important to be educated about the type of car you're planning to purchase, weather if you plan to purchase off a dealer or website, it is crucial to show that you know what you are talking about or what they are telling you about the car. The research you do will help you learn the true value and worth of the car(s) you are shopping for, in doing so you will be able to negotiate the right price for you.

One last thing, take your TIME! Purchasing a car weather its your first or not, should be made wisely and un rushed. There are so many models, editions, brands that all offer different features on there cars. You don't want to feel un happy and fell like you overpaid for your car. Take your time and do your research, this will pay out in the long run. Take advantage of all the resources that are available to help you in your purchase of your car. 

Avoid the headaches and smile while driving your new car! 

I lost myself?

I never have felt more complete than the moment I became a mom. The moment she was placed in my arms was the precise moment I felt more alive than ever, my heart, my being was complete. 

Honestly there aren't any words to describe the emotions that over take you at that moment, friends who aren't parents yet ask me to describe it but words always come short.

I just state "You feel complete." 

These past 4 years that have gone by watching my little one grow into the smart, brave, curious, funny, sassy and beautiful little lady she is have been wonderful, crazy, overwhelming and beautiful and definitely looking forward to the years to come. 

While on this mommy journey, I kinda of feel that I lost myself. Not only was I a new mommy but also a wife. Mommy & wife duties were keeping me on my toes, trying to be the best version of these new titles that I earned. 

But was that all I was? Was I wrong for feeling that way? Was I the only one who ever felt lost?

I felt like I couldn't talk to other moms as I felt like they would judge me or make me feel bad for even thinking this. I remember this one specific night where I couldn't fall asleep and stumbled upon a blog which for the life of me I can't remember the name of, well this blog had a post talking about the same thing I was feeling. 

I recall feeling a sense of relief knowing I was not alone, knowing that it was okay to feel anxious and/or lost in this new chapter of my life. 

Do I still feel lost at times? YES

Is it ok to feel lost? YES

Motherhood, Wife-hood (lol) and all new chapters will bring forward new emotions or ones you felt but will feel stronger are ok. It's ok to feel overwhelmed at times, just take a step back and know you're not alone. 

#MomTrendsSchool helping moms get ready for another school year.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I was invited to attend the Momtrends Back to School bash and received a gift bag in exchange.

It's almost that time, summer adventures are coming to an end and kids will soon return to their classrooms to begin another year of learning. 

This year I will be up close and personal with getting ready to send off my little to school, as she will start Pre-k this fall! 

Honestly I am so mixed with emotions, excited for my Frida to begin a new & exciting chapter but also filled with immense anxiety and sadness as she will no longer be my partner in crime throughout my morning shenanigans!!  (Commence mom hysteria here!! Lol) 

Frida is excited to start Pre-k as she says "I will be fine Mommy, I will learn new things & make new friends!" this gives me comfort to see her excitement to learn and hopefully there will be no meltdown come the first day of school.

This years MomTrends Back To school to event was definitely one I did not want to miss, any tips and items I can learn about to help both my little and I be more prepared for school gives helps this mom feel a little more at ease.

TWELVElittle has wonderful variety for our littles., photo: courtesy of  MomTrends.

One of the things I still have to find is my little's backpack, my little fashionista is into pretty much all colors and patterns, so thats why we haven't found thee right backpack. I literally gravitated towards TWELVElittle table and their beautiful selection of both backpack and lunch bags! Just look at the perfect toddler size Pink and pewter backpacks, Frida automatically fell in love with the pink and leopard one when I showed her the picture.

Can these get any cuter?!? Well yes, because they having matching backpacks for us moms!! And for those who know me I absolutely love to match with Frida whenever it's possible!

Frida like a true fashionista is excited to pick out her outfit for not only the first day of school but for all of her school year. Orchestra is a stress free shopping experience for both adults and kids. Don't compromise style over price, this budget friendly brand lets you keep your fashionista in style without hurting your pockets. Perfect for school days, the anticipated picture day and to keep your little one in style and comfortable all at once.

Lost & Found will be so much easier to find your little's belongings all thanks to Name Bubbles. Fun labels to help kids easily spot their belongings and help your younger ones put their shoes on right with the cool shoe labels that they offer. Different patterns and cool designs to choose from, your little and you will have fun customizing your labels. 

Frida has already requested their unicorn labels for her preschool items. 

Thanks to Ozery bakery and Raisels packing lunch will be much easier! 
Ozery bakery offers a variety of bun flavors and sizes perfect for little hands and our bigger kids to enjoy. Raisels are the perfect combo of sour and delicious golden raisins, Kids wont notice that as they enjoy the sour kick they are also getting they're recommended dose of vitamin C. 
Weather you're packing a lunch for a picky eater or your little just prefers taking their own lunch, make sure you include both or at least one of these tasty products!

A big thanks to MomTrends for inviting me to this years Back to school event, this year it really meant a lot it being the year where my little and I will officially join the back to school craze. Frida And I feel more at ease and are ready for Pre K!
So let us enjoy what is left of those sunny summer days, soak up every little minute with our littles, as the first day of school is just around the corner!

Beyond Tablet, Perfect Interactive Board For Screen-less fun!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. But all words and opinions are 100% my own as always.

Beyond Tablet, Interactive Play like no other.

We were invited to celebrate the US Launch of Beyond Tablet, an interactive game board that enhances the traditional board game play with the newest technology, perfect for this generation of tech savvy kids. 

As a parent, we try to find new ways to keep our child/children entertained and away from away the screen.

Frida was excited to try out the Beyond Tablet, in her words " Mommy we need to take this home so we can play more!"

The Music Cube game shown above is a great way to get musically creative.

 But with kids being so addicted to technology nowadays, it can be so hard to get them off their favorite electronic 

device.

In come the Beyond Tablet, an answer to all our prayers. This interactive board lets kids enjoy some aspects of a traditional board game with a technology twist, the perfect touch for these tech savvy kids. 

Not only will your youngest child be entertained but there are various games that can be played on the Beyond Tablet. Beyond Tablet will definitely spark your kids love for music, creativity, critical thinking and some good old classic family fun. A fun new way of learning with a touch of the technology kids are found of these days. 

Beyond Tablet, a new interactive way to enjoy some family fun! Leaving all screens behind. 

Beyond tablet is now available on Amazon. I urge you to invest on the Beyond Tablet, not only as a parent but as someone who is guilty of over doing the screen time, time to got off the screen and enjoy some screen less fun!