This weekend was rather burdening on my shoulders. I've always lived in such a way where I thought something needed to be done. Moreover, I felt as if the something that needed to be done at that particular moment needed to be done by... well.. me.

I'm a doer and you rarely see me sitting and relaxing, which I find sad, yet satisfying all at the same time. Sleep is for the weak and I refuse to be weak. This weekend, however, found my weakest spot. You know.. that deep dark spot in your heart where, if pushed, will completely incapacitate you? It's that spot that gives you a sense of helplessness and forces you to be wheelchair bound to the plans God has for you. Yeah. That. Then, a blanket of unworthiness covers your entire body, either suffocating you or renewing your Faith in Him.

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Can I just say how beautiful today is? I mean, I moved back home to Texas for days like this. The sun is shining. It's in the 70's. In fact, just 15 minutes ago I was outside barefeet, painting pictures with my 4-yr-old, and eating ice cream. It doesn't get any better than this. Really.

Except, it might. To celebrate this awesome day, we've prepared the ultimate movie night for the kids. They aren't home from school quite yet, but we're ready when they do. Remember when I told you about Orville Redenbacher's NEW Pop Up Bowls? We tried them back at Valentine's Day. Well, today I found them at WalMart, almost completely sold out. You guys must like them as much as we do.

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The last few weeks has been a rather busy one here in Momma Findings land, not only with our blog posting schedule and projects, but with lots of events for my family. We've hit the Houston Auto Show. We've jumped into a cupcake wonderland at Sprinkles Cupcakes, grabbed an early press screening for Gnomeo and Juliet, and now we've experienced Madagascar in REAL LIFE.

Yes, I grabbed up my kids, even invited a few friends, and headed into the Hobby Center in Houston, to experience Madagascar LIVE. This is the ultimate stage show for all those who like to MOVE IT MOVE IT!

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The family and I were out at the movies a few weeks ago, when we saw the CUTEST preview. My kids were laughing and I, too, was getting excited to see a new animated film that takes families on an adventures through Latin America, specifically Rio De Jenerio. You DO know that is the ONE place I want to go the first time I travel out of the country, right?

This new animated movie has some really amazing actors including my newly favorite Jessie Eisenberg (You can blame the Social Network for that one), Anne Hathaway, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, will.i.am, Jamie Foxx, and Jake T. Austin to name a few. Which movie am I talking about? Well, Rio the movie of course! Have you seen the previews?

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As a Mom to three young children, lunch time can be stressful and chaotic. Imagine three little monkeys famished from having only eaten 3 hours earlier. The DRAMA! The end of the world as we know it! Fortunately, for me, my lunch hour has been a bit calmer these days. My two oldest children are in school. My youngest spends three days out of the week with his Grandma and Papi (my parents) and I spend my time working from home.

So, I've been experimenting with my lunch hour. It's hard transitioning from cooking for four to cooking for one, but I aim to keep it healthy, yet filling. Tasteworthy, yet guilt free. Progresso soups allow me to do that.

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I'm still so amazed by this. Talk about dramatic.

Our review of Revlon Custom Eyes

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This week has been so exciting for me and it's only Tuesday, folks! Do you guys remember me talking about going to Hispanicize 2011? I poured my little latina heart out in this post, listing 10 reasons why this is THE conference for me. I've looked high and low. I've been to every Mom Blogging Conference out there, but still, nothing felt "right" for me. Of course, the networking is always awesome, but I never felt like those conferences were a place to spread my wings and be me. ALL of me.

In comes the Hispanicize Conference. I want to be there and guess what? I'M GOING!  I've been working closely with Manny Ruiz, CEO of Hispanicize. You guys might know him as the one and only Papi Blogger. Tomorrow, with the Hispanicize Team, I'm co-hosting a Twitter Party to answer any Q and A's you might have regarding the conference. If you want to go too (and we ALL know you do), we're also giving away a few conference passes and other great prizes from Johnson's Natural and Clinique!

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One thing I've told my husband I'd REALLY like to have is a docking station for all our electronics. You know, a central place where I can plug in our iPhones, Nintendo DS, iPod Touch, and Laptops. I've always imagined it would help immensely in the organizational aura of our home, but will the future also include charging our car alongside all our gadgets?

Just a few weeks ago, Chevy Texan invited me, along with other Houston Area Bloggers, to the Houston Auto Show to take a look at all their new and upcoming vehicles, including their much anticipated Chevy Volt, the electronic car everyone is talking about. Would you buy one?

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Welcome to another month of beauty picks here at Momma Findings. Just as a refresher, last month we brought you L'Oreal's Youth Code line of facial care products, made especially for women like me. It was all about how to keep our skin looking refreshed, beautiful, and healthy. This month, however, we're bringing you a product that is customized for your eyes.

The Beauty Pick of the Month for the month of February is Revlon's line of Custom Eyes, including both the Eye Shadow and Mascara. I, for one, had such a great time experimenting with my "look" and customizing my eyes just the way I like them. Dramatic. So, this week, I've got my take on the Custom Eyes and My Kind of Beautiful - My way of looking deep inside myself to feel comfortable in my own skin and, personally, learning to love the way I look both inside and out. 

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As a new parent, you're consumed with ways to keep your baby safe from harms way. That's why we baby proof our homes. I've been there. Done that, but once my children grew older, were able to walk, and not run around like crazy people... Wait. They still do that. Let me re-phrase that, one we eliminated the need to have a baby proofed home, I was ecstatic when the baby gates were gone. I could freely walk the halls of my home without have to crawl over that big, bulky, plastic, unsightly gate. You know what I'm talking about?

Baby gates have come a long way since the last time I bought one. They are more stylish, more user friendly, and more compatible for any space in the home. One prime example are the NEW Munchkin Baby Gates.

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A few weeks ago, I asked you guys what crazy things you've done for love. This was all in part to the celebration of the debut of Gnomeo and Juliet.

So, today, I ask. What kind of crazy things have you done to get to a movie on time? We were invited to a press screening of Gnomeo and Juliet and I was so stoked to get there with the kids, have some good laughs, and bring you guys our thoughts, but Houston weather is unpredictable. The freeways were a bit icy the night before. My children were cold. My husband was sleepy and apparently, I'm directionally challenged. We got there 20 minutes late, but enjoyed what little we got to see. What did we think?

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If you're really close to me, you know how stressed I've been lately. My work load has been piling up since September of last year and I rack my brain on how to keep up. I do my best and that's what counts, right? Well, I had to say THAT to say this... I completely forgot to tell you guys I'm an Official Love Bug for Lovable Labels. They sell awesome labels for children and they do it with love. No. Really. They do. The ladies that represent Lovable Labels on Twitter are downright adorable and so fun to chat with. If I was in Canada, I'd SO be their BFF!

That being said, I wanted to let you guys in on a little Love Bug Buzz. Today, they are hosting their very first Twitter Party to show their love for mom entrepreneurs. I fall under that category being that Momma Findings has evolved from a hobby to a business of sorts. Can you join us?

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Last week, I was over and beyond my regular sweet level of excitement, when I was invited to grab a sneak peek of the Mommy Happy Hour at Sprinkles Cupcakes in Houston. I'm still planning on letting you guys in on every second of it, but for now. I'll give you just a little goodness of the night:

Pictured from left: ThatTechChick (Jess Benton), Momma Findings (Myself), Sprinkles Cupcakes Owner (Candace Nelson), and Happy Katie (Katie Laird)

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If you love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, like we do, get ready for an ALL new DVD on store shelves, Minnie's Masquerade. I've heard it called, by many people, the Minnie Princess Movie. So, I was anxious to check it out and see our sweet Minnie finally take her reign as Princess.

We love us some Micky Mouse. Who doesn't? More so than that, my children enjoy playing dress up. Every day I'll find Super Mario eating his lunch at the table or the Hulk reading a book on the couch. Kids use their imagination in so many ways and I think that's why I was excited to share Minnie's Masquerade with them. Yes, it looks to be geared towards girls, however, that's not the case. My 4-yr-old son was ALL about the ball and his favorite character? Sir Goofsalot!

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Today, everyone is rushing to the stores for roses and candies and jewelry and cards. It's one of the most romantic holidays we celebrate, Valentine's Day. As luck would have it (as it does most years), my husband is working and my children are at school, but that doesn't mean we didn't celebrate beforehand.

Just a few days ago, we had a double dose of Love Day and Birthday-Day for my children. We made sweet cupcakes. We had dinner together and afterwards? Movie night, complete with Orville Redenbacher's Popcorn Pop Up Bowls and a dose of Madagascar on DVD. We had to get ourselves mentally ready for a "Move It - Move It" kinda weekend because we were headed to see Madagascar LIVE, but we also wanted to try these cool popcorn bowls because.... well... they aren't even on store shelves yet! Aren't we the luckiest?

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As parents, we often speak and our children hear something completely different. Better yet, they have a completely different perspective on the entire conversation. Heck, who am I kidding? We do that, often, with adults too! Did you see guys ever see Despicable Me? One of our favorite moments was when Gru said he wanted Cookie Robots, but Dr. Nefario made him Kooky Robots. Yup. They were dancing and groovin' and Gru just shook his head in disappointment. Of course the kids and I couldn't stop laughing. Misunderstandings can be stressful, but C'mon, you can get a good laugh too, right?

Alka Seltzer thinks we should all embrace these moments, so they launched the Said/Heard Mishaps Contest on their Facebook Page. Everyone has a story... The one where a simple misunderstanding, turned into a funny miscommunication. Have you ever said one thing and the other person thought you said something else? Alka Seltzer wants to hear it and you could win a trip to New York City to tape your moment LIVE!

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This morning, I sit here listening to the humming of my laptop. I've bundled up my kids and sent them off for Valentine's fun at school. I've had two cups of coffee and I may or may not have had a leftover cupcake from the Sprinkles Blogger Event last night (more to come on that real soon). Today, I've started my day with complete and utter ease and calmness.

I would call it a good day, but it's only 7:30am and we, ALL, know that things change quickly, especially with kids. I wake up with a full list of things to cross off on my to-do list, including posts, replying to emails, uploading pictures, and finishing up a few writing projects and pitches. Then, I realized today I've hit a milestone in blogging. Today is my 1000th post. I would not let my 1000th post be about any particular company, product, or campaign. Oh, no my 1000th post is authentically a representation of how far I've come in the last three years. It's a milestone of my future and, today, I embrace it fully.

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It's the time of year where hearts are all a flutter, love is in the air, boxes of chocolates are being devoured, and kids everywhere are addressing Valentine's Day cards for their friends. This year, I've hit a parenting milestone. I no longer have to help my 7 and 8-yr-old prepare their Valentine's. It's the one thing I appreciate about parenting these days, the fact that it gets easier and independence is always a mere stone's throw away.

With all the Valentine's Day excitement, my 4-yr-old is feeling a little left out. So, yesterday I helped him print Valentine's Day Cards including one of his favorite TV Characters from Dinosaur Train on PBS Kids. Need a few extra Valentine's for your kids? I've got all kinds of fun for you, along with a chance to win the Dinosaur Train Make A Match card game.

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What kind of breakfast did you grow up eating as a child? For me, we didn't eat a lot of cereal. Even today, my Mom makes hot breakfasts full of huevos, papas, y frijoles con tortillas de harina. Omgosh. I'm making myself hungry. The staple in my husband's house, however, was cereal. Even today, my children choose cereal over any hot breakfast I offer to make. They love it.

A few of our favorite cereals for kids are Lucky Charms, Cookie Crisp, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Heck, those are some of MY favorite cereals, not just my kids. Lucky for us, this month specially marked Big G Cereals will have four custom-designed, special edition Hot Wheels® pull back racers inside the box! Are you a Hot Wheels Fan? If so, I've got the ultimate Hot Wheels and Big G Cereal Giveaway for you!

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Today, my little guy turns 4-yrs-old. To celebrate how fast he's grown, here's a glimpse of his sweet little life. And yes there are WAY too many pictures here, but you know what? He's FOUR!!! It's seems like we were stuck in the threes forever. Momma's gotta celebrate.


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My husband and I have been scheduling "Family Night" at the gym a few nights a week. This takes very careful planning because of both of our work schedules, kids school/sleep schedule, and dinner time, but we make it happen. My husband's favorite bedtime snack after our "Family Workout" are Banana Smoothies. So, quite frankly, we've been stock piling these suckers for the last few weeks. In fact, my kids can't get enough of them. Did you guys read about our banana incident a few weeks ago?

All that to say, we love us some bananas. So, when Chiquita asked if I'd like to be a Chiquita Mom, well... of course I'd say yes. Since then, I've discovered more healthy benefits, new recipes, and FINALLY learned how to freeze bananas (Yes, I didn't know you could freeze bananas until now. Don't judge me). Today, I'd like to share a little of what I've learned, along with a recipe to put a little spice into your family dinner.

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Do you remember, back around the Holidays, when I brought you guys those BEAUTIFUL paper plates for Holiday Preparation? The Waverly Collection, by Hefty, is one of my favorite lines of paper products, thus far, but today, I want to let you guys in on a NEW Hefty Paper Product hitting the shelves at your local grocery store.

Hefty has rolled out their new Hefty Basics Paper Plates that are, not only packed with durability, environmentally friendly. They are biodegradable in-home composting and free of inks, dyes, or coatings. Plus, Hefty is on a mission to plant 10,000 trees with the Arbor Day Foundation, using the power of Social Media.

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A few months ago, my family and I were honored to be invited to a Houston Bloggers Night Out. The evening consisted of laughing with good friends, swag bags galore, and the awesome ice-antics of the Houston Aeros Hockey team. Let me tell you something. I wasn't sure how this would go. I mean, we're not a Hockey family, nor have I ever gone to a hockey game. I'm a baseball kinda girl, so this was all foreign to me.

We got there. We experienced it. We are now BIG Aeros Fans and can't help, but tell all our friends how much fun we had. So, in Momma Findings fashion, we want Houston Area families to join in the fun too with our Aeros Ticket Giveaway!

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Do you think your inner creativity lives and breathes depending on the day of the week? Well, Mondays, for me, are always my calm, sweet, inspirational day. I lean on Music Monday to start my week off right and I usually have between 0-2 people actually read this series, but I do it for me really. I enjoy finding new artists that feed my soul. I enjoy sipping my coffee in the quiet strums of a guitar after the kids have left for school. I enjoy the feeling these songs evoke in my heart.

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What does happiness mean to you? Is it a feeling you get when your with your loved ones? Is it being at your favorite place at the park? Big Idea Inc. has set out on a quest to find what true happiness is all about with their latest DVD launch Happy Together. It's a compilation of a few of our favorites episodes that tell the story of forgiveness, courage, and friendship.

With young children, happiness can be very simple, yet complex all at the same time. When I asked my 3-yr-old what makes him happy he said, "I'm happy when Zach plays the Wii with me or when Abby lets asks me to play with her on the computer." Obviously, this is a digital child. Electronics and video games make him happy, but underneath it all, he's really Happy Together with his siblings with or without the Wii. Veggietales helped me open the door to have this conversation with him as we approach one of the most loving days of the year... Valentine's Day. 

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This weekend is the much anticipated game of the year, the Superbowl. In true Texas fashion, we've welcomed the big game to Dallas, TX where only just yesterday the stadium was covered in ice and snow. That doesn't get us Texans down... we simply push it to the side and reach for the chips and dip.

Every year, I get excited when the big game comes around because it's my time to hang out with my family and enjoy some really good "Game Food". You now what I'm talking about Chicas, a little salsa, a little tortilla chips, a little spice to the taste palette. You can find everything you need, for all those hungry Super Bowl guests, at H-E-B. You know what else you'll find on Game Day? The Super Bowl Commercial with, country music artist Jack Ingram, singing a  song made just for Texans and JUST for H-E-B.

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Last week, I talked about how I love me some chocolate and I let you in on a really great heart shaped Valentine's gift idea perfect for loved ones. Donsuemor cookies have landed a place on my holiday list due to how great they taste. This morning, however, I have another gift in mind that is, not only great tasting, but beautiful too.

I'm still talking chocolate. Stay with me here. William Dean and Jacques Torres make fine chocolate assortments that will blow you out of the water. They are tiny little works of art disguising as candy and, paired together, I think would make an amazing Valentine's Gift. I mean, who doesn't want to get a box of chocolate on the most romantic day of the year? We got to try both brands, which are available at HSN.com, and all I've got to say is, it was a unique experience in itself.

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The much anticipated conference season is in full force. Blissdom 2011 is officially over and I, STILL, haven't had a chance to attend that conference. I vow, next year will be my year to be there if only to be part of the awesome Blissdom Flash Mob ending.

As the year forges through, everyone is all abuzz with the conferences they want to attend. You've got Mom 2.0 Summit in New Orleans, which I attended last year here in Houston. There's new comers to the party like Reviewer's Retreat and Bloggin' Mama's Cruise. C'Mon Really.. Who doesn't want to go on a cruise AND be an attendee at an awesome blog conference all at the same time? Then there is, of course, the mother of all blog conferences, BlogHer '11 in San Diego. I'm still stewing up ways to get me there, hopefully with some of my favorite Texas Bloggers. One particular conference that, I'm surprised is not getting as much attention as I think it should, is the Hispanicize 2011 Conference.

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This is how I encourage myself throughout the day. I write love notes to myself on my dry-erase board, alongside all the blog work I need to do for the week. Every so often, my guy will REALLY make my day and write an encouraging note of his own (Check out his note inside the heart). That's when I REALLY know I am worthy of belonging and success.


Bloggers, how do you encourage yourself throughout the blogging day?

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How do you keep your family healthy, fit, and active? I'll admit, it's really hard for a family of five to make that a priority. The thing is.. I don't have to pull my kids legs to get active. They love playing fitness games on the Wii. They love going to the Kids Club at 24 Hour Fitness. They love riding their bikes and running outside. Recently, my daughter asked if I could wake her up at 5:00am so she can go running with me before school. She's 7, folks. SEVEN. I, myself, have a hard time waking up at 5:00am to go running.

The point is, kids are active anyway, why not encourage them in a way that gives them rewards and encourages them with a visual sense of accomplishment? I discovered the GeoPalz Activity Tracker, a few weeks ago and, honestly, think it's the most innovative tool to help children stay active. The more they exercise and get moving, the more prizes and awards they earn.

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