Mommy's Purse to the Rescue!!!

Before I was a mom I thought I was always prepared. Only after I became a mom did I truly find out what the word prepared meant. I thought, "This is just how I am when I'm with my daughter" but I realized that once you're in mommy mode you can never go back. Which in not neccessarily a bad thing.

I recently got the opportunity to shoot in San Francisco. The thought of having three days to myself with uninterrupted sleep was exhilarating! This would be the first time I would be away from my daughter for such a long period of time. I knew it would be difficult but I wanted to enjoy myself as much as I could.

On this trip, I discovered that I was very prepared. Let me over-emphasize that, I was "mommy" prepared! When I boarded that plane I had snacks, anti-bacterial, baby wipes, aspirin, extra napkins (because you can never have enough napkins in your purse) and more things than I care to list. Let's put it this way, I had feminine products and it wasn't even that time of the month. I just like to have them ready in case someone else needs them.


I think once you become a mom you develop this mentality of "always" be prepared! For instance, carrying around an extra outfit just in case your little one has an accident. Having snacks in case they get hungry. Taking books and crayons to the restaurant so during those few minutes they are distracted you can devour your meal before a meltdown.

My fellow actors noticed this as well. We worked in 38 degree weather for fifteen and a half hours and one of the actors looked like she was freezing so I offered her a blanket. Another actor had a headache, no need to call the medic, I had aspirin in my pocket. It was two hours 'til dinner and craft service was quite a hike but one of the actors was hungry, fear not I have goldfish and granola bars in my purse!!! I remember someone saying, "Wow! You can tell Bernadette is a mom." I thought to myself, "I certainly AM a mom" and took it as a complement.

That trip made me realize that I practically have everything I need, but if I don't I can certainly ask a fellow mom and I'm pretty sure she will have it.

$20 Cinnabon Gift Card Giveaway!!!

Now if you've been out to your local Cinnabon lately you would have noticed the delicious NEW cupcakes they are now selling. I know I have! They come in four flavors: chocolate, vanilla, cinnaswirl and carrot cake (my favorite).


If you'd like to try these yummy treats for free, join the contest!

Here's how:

Leave a comment on THIS BLOG (NOT Facebook) stating what your favorite dessert is. Let's keep it G rated people. Some of you might have to create an account to do so but it will only take a minute, I promise! AND if you become a follower you'll be able to sign up for future giveaways. And there are some GOOD ones coming up!

The winner will be chosen at random and will be announced on April 12, 2010.

Comment away and good luck!

Fun, Food, Friends and Free Stuff at the Ritz!

A few weeks ago I got an opportunity to attend the LA/Orange County Moms Blog party at the Ritz. It was hosted by SV Moms Group and sponsored by BitDefender, Stride Rite and the fabulous Ritz-Carlton of Laguna Nigel.

The best part of these events is all the great stuff we receive and in addition we also get the chance to meet and catch up with fellow mom bloggers in person.


We had the opportunity to network and share valuable information about integrating brands into our blogging, which is very helpful to bloggers who haven't tapped into this market. After two hours of the roundtable we proceeded to learn about all the products we were about to receive.


Here are just a few of my favorite items and will follow up with more in the future:

iGO green Charge Anywhere-
This awesome charger works as a wall charger to charge almost any device while charging it's own battery for device charging away from a wall outlet. It even has two USB outputs for simultaneous device charging. It works with multiple devices including mobile phones, digital cameras and GPS devices just to name a few. This handy charger is a definite must-have for trips as well as regular day to day life!


Cinnabon Cupcakes-
Now you might be asking, "Cupcakes?!" Yes, CUPCAKES!!! Cinnabon is not only spreading joy through their cinnamon rolls but now also with cupcakes. I am a huge fan of their cinnamon rolls, which is probably why I still have some baby weight to lose, and their new cupcakes rate equally as high. They come in cinnaswirl, chocolate, vanilla and (my favorite) carrot cake. These yummy treats are now available at your local Cinnabon. I will also have a $20 Cinnabon gift card giveaway so that you can try these new cupcakes so make sure to check back in a week!


Skechers Shape-Ups
Every busy mom who is trying to lose the baby weight looks for quick and easy ways to incorporate exercise in their everyday lives. Now they can with Skechers Shape-Ups! The second I slipped them on I fell in love. They are comfortable and sporty at the same time, not to mention the added bonus of helping shed those extra pounds. After wearing them for a few days while grocery shopping I've noticed an improvement on my calf muscles and posture. If you're looking for a shoe replacement I definitely recommend trying out these Shape-Ups!


Dole-
Dole has a special place in my heart. Not just because they gave us some awesome fruit cups, which every child loves, but because they made me feel like a winner with the help of fellow mom blogger Yvonne. See, there were many items raffled off at the event and after all the winners were announced I was disappointed to find out my name was never called. But Yvonne won a great gift basket from Dole which had everything from recipe books (which is so appropriate because Yvonne is an excellent baker and does it successfully for a living) to cans of pineapple and last but not least, thee cutest pink Dole hat!!! She graciously shared that hat with me so that I could also feel like a winner. Thanks Yvonne!


Bosch Appliances-
If you're a coffee addict like I am, you'll love Bosch's new TASSIMO single-cup beverage maker! They had a wide variety of flavors, caramel being my favorite. If you're not into coffee they also had other flavors including hot chocolate which was creamy and decadent. Each individual serving is barcoded so the machine knows exactly the right time and temperature to brew. Wake up to a perfect cup with Bosch!


Thank you to Daphne, Heather and Jason of the Rogers Group for sharing such terrific products and participating in the event.

After visiting the booths and learning about all the giveaways some of the mom bloggers and I were able to relax and enjoy some of the delicious food at the Ritz.


California rolls, my favorite.


And chocolate covered strawberries for dessert.


Eunice and Me at the event.
I would like to thank SVMoms Group and all the amazing sponsors for allowing me to take part in such spectacular event! Live, Laugh, Blog!!!