Free Bowling For Kids All Summer Long- AMF Bowling

Looking for something fun & free of charge to do with the kids this summer? AMF has free bowling all summer long.

Kids 15 and Under can visit select AMF centers for two free games of bowling per day for kids 15 and under. (Shoe rental not included, but they’re worth paying for.)

Time: Free bowling until 8:00PM, 7 days a weekDates: Now through Labor Day (Sept 3)How: Parents go to bit.ly/AMFfree to select a participating center (over 250 locations) and complete a simple registration form.

Don’t forget you can also get affordable kid’s meal for only $3.29.

AMF is also offering a Summer Pass available for purchase for only $29.95. This includes up to four adults 16 and over can bowl two free games per day all summer long. That’s less than $7.50 per person! (Same dates and times as above) Available at bit.ly/SummerPass.

Make sure to check out https://freebowling.amf.com/. Free Coupons will be emailed to you weekly. My children love to bowl! But make sure you have a bowling centre near you before we get too excited!

Tip: Are you going on vacation this summer? Check to see if there is a AMF Bowling Centre near your vacation destination.

For more info and great promotions all summer long, check out AMF on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Future Fortified Campaign

Photo Courtesy of http://futurefortified.org/

As a child, I was never aware of financial problems. My mother was a single mother and would often work up to 3 jobs a week in order to provide for my older brother & I. One thing we were never without is the basic nutrients needed to sustain a healthy life. We may have eaten a lot of chicken or beans, but we always ate.

It saddens me to think that children in America leave school not knowing if they are going to have dinner. We have so many great nutritional programs in our country that having hungry children is never acceptable.

But what is happen to women and children globally? Are they getting enough nutrients to sustain a healthy lifestyle?

Future Fortified is a great non-profit awareness campaign of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). They help the average individual, business & other organizations reach millions of women and children so they too can have access to the essential nutrients they need to live a healthy & sustainable lifestyle globally.

Good nutrition is something every person, in every country should have, EVERY day. Good nutrition begins during the mother’s pregnancy of her child. The first 1,000 days are critical in a child life. Without the basic vitamins and nutients, a child or their mother may not survive the pregnany, delivery or even after their birth.

If your intrested in joining the effor, please visit Future Fortified. There you can learn of the different steps we can take to make a change.

Please visit Future Fortified on their Facebook Page, Twitter, or on their website.

Disclosure: I have not been compensated in any way for this post.My post is part of the Future Fortified Features with other mothers.

Maria-: Blogging, Babies & the Bayou- Future Fortified Feature April 2012

5 Unconventional Eco Friendly Tips: Earth Day 2012 Celebration Week

April 22nd,2012 is Earth Day. Like so many of us, we are all doing our part to be as Eco-Friendly as possible. Many households recycle, make their own cleaning products, and donate items so that they can be reused & re-purposed. But what can we do to think outside the box?

I have compiled a list of Top 5 Unconventional Eco Friendly Tips. Please keep in mind that not all tips are for everyone. But for some it’s a little something we can all do to maintain & preserve our beautiful plant!

Top 5 Unconventional Eco Friendly Tips:
1. Create a Family Compost Area
Families have been doing this for generations, but many families are still on the fence about the subject of compost. Depending on geographical area, this may not be something your able to do. You can easily create a homemade compost bin to add in any space backyard.

2. Take Gardening to the Next Level

So many of us have family gardens, but why not take it to the next level? Join a Co-op or create your own local Comminty Garden. Do you live in an apartment or have a small back yard, this is the perfect idea for you. I have a friend that helped create his Church Garden. Church Members participate in cultivating, planting, weeding, & harvesting the Community Garden. The church family reaps the rewards. Food is then used for their church food bank or to create pot luck dinners for Church Events.

3. Organize a Earth Month Challenge in your local Community

Great way to spread awareness locally within your community whether it is at your workplace, school, or Church based. Help fellow community members save water, conserve energy and reduce pollution follow end of month challenge with a party at a local park.

4. Mulch Memories

I’m going to lose many mommies here but bear with me!

Did you know paper make a great mulch? Your small children bring home tons of art drawings worthy of be hung on the Refrigerator Museum. After they have been hung, we carefully save & preserve those memories. Are you really going to save every scrap piece of paper your child creates. Why not use your digital camera to snap a picture of your child’s best Piccasso rendering, then shred (gasp) the piece to create mulch for your garden. Naturally your going to want to preserve some of their drawings, but not every piece. Why not use those memories and plant a fruit tree with the art shreddings. The art can be restored into a beautiful fruit tree creating new memories of it’s own.

Still with me? HA!!

5. Create a Workplace Recycling Center

Ever wanted to know what happened with all those soda cans in your coworker’s waste bin? Or all the misprinted pieces of paper in the shredder box? Create a Recycle Manager Position at your workplace (no extra pay of course). Rotate the position to another coworker weekly or monthly. You can take the paper or aluminum/glass cans to the recycling center. If your recycled items generate a small income use that money for an end of year party or to donate back within the community.

Have any tips you would like to share??

Wordless Wednesday- Farm Fresh Edition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can someone say Organic?? No, we didn’t eat the chickens. But we did eat those scrumptious eggs~Yummy!

Transitions Optical- Eye Didn’t Know That

About 8 years ago my eyesight started to diminish. The first thing I noticed was light sensitivity, the second was my night-time driving. I was pregnant with my youngest child and  taking high dosage of hormones for medical reasons.  One of the side effects of the hormones I was ingesting was slight vision loss. I spoke with my Obstetrician about my vision loss and was reassured that my vision would get better once I was able to ween myself off of the hormones.

A few months after having my child, my vision failed to  return to full capacity. I wasn’t very concerned, but my family was. They encouraged me to have my vision checked. I finally caved in, but sine I never wore glasses before,  I still wasn’t too concerned. I was dumbfounded when I did the initial eye test. Right away, it was obvious I had no central line of vision in one eye. The optometrist referred me to a ophthalmologist. There the ophthalmologist then referred me to a retinal specialist.

Diagnosis-Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome

Say What?!?!

Basically, it’s an eye disease I had, possibly as a child, in my eye & never knew. As the years progressed it developed into Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome. I won’t go into detail, but it is a hole in my central line of vision plus major scarring around the eye which adds to the Photostress and Photophobia.

 

 

 

 

 

Needless to say, I’m very cautious of my children’s vision. My daughter nickname is “Hawk eyes”. I’m not joking, her eyes are that good!! That being said, she loves playing games that have to do with her vision.

Transition Optical has developed a website that does just that. The website is called Eye Didn’t Know That . It’s a fun site helps promote fun & educate about healthy sight and ways to maintain it. My daughter loves the games, coloring pages & the virtual fortune teller!! But as a parent I love how she can learn important facts about the eye, plus I get tips on how to spot potential signs of vision problems in my children.

Transitions Optical is doing great things within our community. In addition to their website created to promote healthy vision practices for children, they have also partnered with American Diabetes Association (ADA) to offer free vision screenings at the ADA Health Expos in Chicago & New York.

According to a recent study Diabetes is the number one recent agents  of blindness in patients ages 24-74 yrs. Conditions like macular degeneration, cataracts, even glaucoma can be triggered by diabetes. Latinos have a 1.7 times more likely to develops these conditions due to diabetes than non-Hispanic whites.  This is scary information for someone like myself!!

Having your vision checked regularly reduces your chances of developing serious vision conditions in the future. Make sure not only is your children aware of possible signs of vision loss, but your trying to maintain healthy vision for yourself as well.

ADA Health Expos:
Chicago, IL April 14th, 2012
New York City, NY November 3rd, 2012

You can find more information at http://www.Transitions.com or http://www.eyedidntknowthat.info/. You can find Transitions Optical on Twitter & on Facebook.

Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers & Transitions Optical.  However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Surviving Little League – Top Tips

Little League can be overwhelming for many parents. In fact, I think shuttling children from one practice to another can be a sport all in it’s own!

Since not all families are the same, some of the following tips may not be ideal for your family, but it’s definatly worth a shot to try an implement. Things can get trickier as the kiddos get older or more of your children start participating in multiple sports, but don’t let the Little League shuffle get you down. Having your children have the learning experience & the memories are well worth the trouble parents endure during this hectic time.

How to Survive little League This Spring.

I’ve compiled my favorite tips on how to Survive little League this Spring.

-Make sure ALL Homework is done prior to practice or games.
No one will be having fun if there homework to be done at 8:30 or9pm, no matter how old the child is.

- Your child eats dinner prior to a weekday practice.
Most practices for elem. Aged children are at 6pm or later. If you work outside the home, or have small children at home, the crock-pot is your best friend!!

- Apply bug spray & sunscreen on your child prior to entering the field.
I forget at time, but am quickly reminded especially living in the South. Also keep any allergies your child may have in mind.

-Bring any snacks or drinks your child needs versus buying items at the concession stands.
Yes, the stands help raise money for your ballpark. But try and limit what you buy. Your pocketbook will appreciate you at the end of the season.

- Buy Used or Trade.
Equipment can be costly, especially if your child is young and may not be too interested at first. I bought a used softball bat for my daughter a few years ago for $2. It was a great extra bat to have at the home. Swap with your friends/family. One of my good friends gives me all her sons old cleats.For some reason, children’s feet grow AFTER you purchased them new shoes!

- Do not get discouraged with your child or other parents/children on the team.
It’s a work in progress. as long as your child is having fun, then all is well.

- Leave a few folding chairs in your car.
This is a general tip for mommy-hood. You never know when your going to be sitting on the grass getting sand, rocks, or red dirt on your clothes!

-MOST IMPORTANT-
VOLUNTEER!!
I can’t emphasize enough how much your local league can use your help. Whether your helping T-Ball children in the dugout, making phone calls for a coach, or running a concession stand for a few hours every bit of help can make a huge impart in your child’s life.

Do you have any tips on surviving Little League?

See you at the Ball field!!

Children’s Claritin Mom Crew

Springtime is finally here!!

As happy as I am that Spring has sprung, one thing I’m not so happy about is allergy season. My children stay healthy all year, even through the winter cold season months, but allergies are a different story.

Locally, pollen is our families worst nightmare. Luckily for me, Children’s Claritin is my friend! Children’s Claritin has been such a lifesaver over the years, that I my newest collaboration with Children’s Claritin is a PERFECT fit.

I am now apart of Children’s Claritin Mom Crew. This means, I now have a relationship with Claritin and will be providing you, my readers, with information about their product, special offers, & maybe a few special goodies for you as well!!

If your family suffers from allergies like mine, make sure to check out Claritin’s Facebook Page fore more information including myths about allergies & special offers like coupons & samples etc.

With Claritin’s help, we can wipe away allergies symptoms in a flash!

Disclosure:As a member of the Children’s Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience

FREE Red Dress Pin (Facebook Offer)

You can score a FREE Red Dress Pin when you sign-up at “Go Red for Women” on Facebook or at the “Go Red for Women” website.

Being Hispanic & Having a Great Smile

Oral Care is a big issue in my family. Since July of this year, I have had 4 wisdom teeth extracted, 7 fillings, 2 additional back teeth extracted (due to my wisdom teeth infecting and destroying it’s surrounding teeth), and I am going to get a Crown next month. That my friends, is costly and time consuming (not to mention painful).

In recent national survey led by the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA) and sponsored by Crest and Oral-B found that, when compared to the general population, many Hispanics in the U.S. are facing barriers to achieving better oral health. Being Hispanic, that honestly did not shock me. As a child, going to the dentist was a luxury we couldn’t afford. I don’t remember having dental pain due to cavities, but I do know that other than general brushing, we received very little, if any Dental Care.

Access to affordable oral dental care is a factor to anyone. But general oral health literacy is a factor to many Hispanics. My mother (Guatemalan) has had dental problems since I can remember. With no dental insurance for us as children or for herself, dental care was not on the top of the priority list. It wasn’t until recently that she obtain great dental Insurance. I’m very jealous of her!!

I have tired to pass good oral health habits to my children. My daughter recently went to get her teeth clean and during her exam had no cavities. To this day, she has been Cavity Free!! She is a good flosser (something I was never taught until I was an adult) and is even asking for Crest Whitestrips as a Christmas gift!!

I took the Survey listed in the picture above and up until recently, I would have had some of the same misconception on Oral Care as others did. Literacy & Affordable Oral Care are the solutions to bridging the gap between the state of oral health among U.S. Hispanics vs. the general population. In fact, it is probably the solution to poor Oral Care in any Community.

The next Crown I get, better be the Diamond Encrusted kind I wear on my head!!

The HDA, Crest and Oral-B are committed to working together to improve the state of oral health among the growing U.S. Hispanic population. For more information about the survey, please visit www.crestcomplete.com/study.

Disclosure: I wrote this post while participating in a compensated campaign with Procter & Gamble and Latina Mom Bloggers. However, all opinions expressed are my own.