Sponsored Post: Getting Through the cold and Flu Season with PediaCare

This is part of a sponsored campaign with Latina Blogger Connect and the maker of PediaCare®.
However, all opinions expressed are my own.

It is officially cold and flu season. Ugh! It has gone through our house once already. Dealing with snotty kids who are cranky while you are feeling under the weather yourself is the worst. The best thing we can do as parents is try to keep kids germ-free to help avoid getting sick. There are a few things we can do to help prevent illness.

• Wash hands. A lot. Like all the time. 
• Cover coughs and sneezes. 
• Get lots of sleep and eat healthy foods. Do leave your immune system vulnerable. 
• Get a flu shot. Immunizations, including the flu vaccine help to reduce the risk of ear infections, pneumonia and sinusitis. 

Sometimes, no matter what we do our kids get sick. When they do you can find PediaCare® at your local Dollar General. You can find a PediaCare® for whatever symptoms your little one is dealing with. 

Click here to download our PediaCare® dosage chart, which helps you match your child’s symptoms with one of our products. When using the chart, it’s best to weigh your child first to determine proper dosing of PediaCare® products. If weight is not known, use age.

Click Here for a $1.00 off coupon! 

So the kids are not feeling well and everyone is home and cranky and bored! Here are a few ideas to help keep your sick babies entertained while they are on the mend!

• Bust out the board games. The easy ones! Think Chutes and Ladders or even Go Fish. Games that require a lot of thinking may leave sick kids frustrated.
• Relive your childhood favorites. Snuggling on the couch watching a movie is a great way to spend a sick day. Introduce your kids to some of your childhood favorites. In our house my kids were recently introduced to Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Mrs. Doubtfire.
• Get out the old photo albums. Kids love to look through old photos. Sit down and show them photos of your childhood or of them as a baby.

Wishing you and yours a happy, and healthy winter! 

Greetings

this is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Hallmark and Latina Bloggers Connect

Back in 2007 I made a goal to send a birthday card to everyone in my family. It took some organization, lots of stamps and lots and lots of Hallmark cards. Like a lot! Every Tia, Tio, Cousin, grandparent got a birthday card from me. This little challenge was a lot of work and completely worth it. It gave me a chance to send a little message to each and every member of my family. To tell them with pen to paper how much they mean to me, how special they are, the things I like about them and most importantly, that I love them. That same year my family was rocked when my cousin Roman passed away. We were reminded how important it is to tell each other how we feel because, as the saying goes, tomorrow is not promised. Knowing that I had told each and every person in my family that I loved them helped me get through a very hard time. 

I only did this challenge during 2007. Since then it seems like every member of my family has an email, Facebook or Instagram. These days people send each other greetings with an e-card or by writing on their "wall". I know that I rely on my little reminders on social media to remember to leave a quick note for someone. But sending a greeting card, made out of paper, like in the mail, will always mean so much more than a few words on a "wall". 

Plus, how much fun is it to browse the greeting card aisle looking for the perfect card? To make card buying even better Hallmark is introducing The Hallmark Card Rewards Program. By signing up for this program you earn rewards for every 5 individual cards you buy. (sorry boxed cards don't qualify for rewards) Finding Hallmark cards is easy, they are in over 30,000 grocery, drug store, and supercenters across America! And if your family is as big as mine, you will be earning rewards like crazy! Rewards include great things like gift cards from places like Starbucks, Nike, Applebee's, Lands End, Omaha Steaks and more! You can also earn discounts, and coupons for $1.00 off. 

Signing up is easy. Click Here to sign up. Then you can download the mobile app to scan the barcodes on the back of all the Hallmark cards you purchase to start earning rewards. 

"When Life Gets Tough, Women Rise Above It" - Sponsored Post

This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with the makers of Pine-Sol® Products and Latina Bloggers Connect

No matter how we try to avoid it, sometimes life will take a turn and smack you square in the face. Recently in my life things got a little rough and instead of sitting in the corner and crying I pulled up my boot straps and rose above it. 

You may know that this school year, our Phi started 3rd grade and started a homeschooling program. I signed her up and spent the summer excited to become a home-school parent. My excitement lasted until the first week of school. I found homeschooling to be difficult and frustrating. My husband and I were struggling to figure it out and in the crossfires was our daughter. This was suppose to be a good change for our family. Something that would keep up close-knit and give us some control over our daughter's education. Instead it was becoming a nightmare that was consuming our everyday. We found ourselves raising our voices and even Louie was getting less time with her parents. 

We had a hard few weeks. There was a meeting with the teacher and I walked in there in fight-mode. I was having the hardest time "getting it". There were many moments when I wanted to give up, but I had to dig deep. I had to work, reorganize and change my thinking. It took time, some good advice from a friend and the support of my family to get through it. I knew that right now, for my daughter, this homeschooling program was the best option and I needed to suck it up, and put my pride aside and figure it out. For her. 

We all have stories of triumph and makers of the Pine-Sol® have teamed up with Latina actress Rosie Perez to launch the "When Life Gets Tough, Women Rise Above It" campaign. Pine-Sol® has donated $25,000 to Women Empowered. This non-profit organization is based in Los Angeles and helps to educate and support women of all ages and backgrounds. 

Pine-Sol® wants to celebrate your triumphs by hosting a great sweepstakes! Head over to Women Rise Above It.  or for the spanish version Las Mujeres No Se Rinden. Here you can read some stories of women rising above it, as well as tell your own story of triumph. By sharing your story you can enter to win the following:

• Once a week for 12 weeks, Pine-Sol® will award one lucky winner small tokens of appreciation. (Flower bouquet + Pine-Sol® coupons) 
• Three first prize winners will receive complimentary house cleaning services for a year!
• One grand prize winner will be awarded an all-inclusive trip to enjoy a peaceful spa experience at a deluxe hotel. 

So head over and share your story. 

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.  Open to legal residents of the 50 United States & D.C. 18 years and older.  Ends 1/31/14 at 11:59 a.m. PT.  To enter and for Official Rules, including odds, and prize descriptions, visitwww.womenriseaboveit.com. Void where prohibited.

SIN OBLIGACIÓN DE COMPRA. Abierto a residentes legales de los 50 estados de los Estados Unidos y D.C., mayores de 18 años. Termina el1/31/14 a las 11:59 a.m. PT Para participar y consultar las Reglas oficiales, incluyendo las probabilidades y las descripciones de los premios, visite www.lasmujeresnoserinden.com. Nulo donde esté prohibido.