Autumn Rose Reo

10 Ways to Connect with Your Kids Today (and like it)

September 10, 2016 By Autumn Rose Reo 19 Comments

Parenting is hard. But sometimes you have to drop the adulting and just enjoy spending time together with your kids. Here are 10 ways to connect with your kids today that don’t require any creativity from you, but will make lots of memories for everyone.

Thank you to Main Event for this collaboration to remind us all that sometimes you need to just Head to Fun. #HeadforFun #EatBowlPlay

A few nights ago while I was working on the computer, my daughter asked sweetly, “can you play Barbies with me?”

I loved her up and repeated by normal response, “not right now, baby…mama’s working,” kissing her sweetly and sending her on her way.

After about a week of asking the same thing each time I was on the computer, she finally came up to me as she had been doing and screamed, “Are you ever gonna play with me? I am your daughter!” And proceeded to run away in a teary-eyed fit.

I was totally devastated. I mean doesn’t she know the reason I’m working on the computer is for her and her brother so we can have money to have nice things?

Then I realized…of course, she doesn’t know.

She’s not one of my clients, co-workers, or colleagues. She’s my kid.

What she knows is that mommy says she loves her and if she really loves her, she would want to spent time with her. Instead I’m always doing other stuff like being on the computer, the phone, or cleaning house – and not spending time with her.

While I’m all about responsibility, sometimes you just have to Head for Fun and do something that isn’t anything but just entertainment for entertainment’s sake.

I mean are we working to live or living to work?

While there are many activities you can arrange to do with them, I’ll be honest, planning is sometimes the hardest part. Where to go, what time are they open, where to park, what to eat, what to pack….you get it. The whole idea is that it’s supposed to be fun time and you went and made it hard. By the time you’ve created your plan for fun, it’s already lost the fun before it started.

However, at Main Event, everything is in one place and you don’t have to plan anything except “let’s go.” With more than 20 locations across the U.S., you always know at Main Event you can head for fun with their Eat. Bowl. Play. mentality, wherever you go!

So here are some ideas for spending time with your kids that you can do right now.

10 Ways to Play with Your Kids Today at Main Event

Score a Strike Bowling

Rock it, Win it or Shoot it with Video Games

Light it Up with Laser Tag

Make a Hole in One with Mini Golf

Belt Out Some Karaoke

Play some Pool

Share a plate of Fun Finger Foods – French Fries, Nachos, Tater Tots, oh my!

Get moving with Gravity Ropes and Rock Climbing

Have Fun! No matter what you do – talk, play, or eat, you’ll have a good time together!

Make it a Party! Make it a really big event at Main Event and bring friends and family when you need a destination for a birthday or family get together! They do it all for you!

From chef-inspired casual dining featuring American classics, a stand-alone La Bella’s Pizza Café and full bar, to more than 100 virtual and interactive games, state-of-the-art bowling, multi-level laser tag and more, there are so many ways to make memories today at Main Event.

Ready to head for fun? Visit the Main Event website for information about their FREE fun on October 10 for National Head for FUNday at all 27 locations nationwide. (And when it’s free, there should be nothing standing in your way!)

Anyone arriving between 8 a.m.-12 p.m. will be given one (1) free hour of bowling (shoes included). Additionally, each guest will receive a free $10 FUNCard valid on game play.
$5 Unlimited FUN – bowling, laser tag, billiards & more for just $5 per person/per activity from noon to close.

Go to MainEvent.com to find a Main Event Entertainment Center near you.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Main Event. The opinions and text are all mine.

5 Ways to Make Your Face More Fabulous in a Flash

August 31, 2016 By Autumn Rose Reo 22 Comments

Have a special event coming up or feel like time is racing all over your face? Then do something now to make your face more fabulous in a flash. Get glam with these secrets to make you look gorgeous RIGHT. NOW.

Thank you to the amazing Dermatologist Dr. Houshmand for providing services for purposes of this post. This post is sponsored by Restylane^®. However, the thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links may be included.

Getting older is for the birds…the old birds, right? And I’m not a bird…

Ok it has some good parts, but they say one of the hardest parts is the race against time that is running all over your face.

I’m not talking about turning into an old maid overnight; I’m just suggesting that sometimes things on your body start to fall closer to the ground than we want…(still talking about our face here…)

I’ve shared that I felt 2016 was a transformational year for me. There was no reason to deal with all the things that bugged me about me when there are ways to change them. Having LASIK was one of the first steps in my journey and it really changed everything – including my mindset. Life is too short and believe me, this body ain’t gonna fix itself. So finally I bit the bullet. A few tweaks here and there to help me be my best me. And tide me over until I do a full mommy makeover (well, I’m still wishing on that one.)

Ready to dive in? Before you do anything crazy, make sure you’re not under the influence, feeling really depressed, or just bored. And to get at least 8 hours of sleep and consume at least 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water (actually doctors say 1 ounce for every pound is the right amount for your daily intake.)Those two things can create beautiful results within themselves! That, with one of these tips, and you’ll be your best you in no time!

1. Get Bronzed, Baby with Bronzer // $5-$35 / Takes less than 5 minutes – 1 day

Whether you opt for a fake bake with a spray tan, lather it on, or a brush it all-over with a shimmer or shine, brown fat is better than white fat and that includes your face. There’s nothing like a little bronze to minimize the dark spots, even your complexion and make your face light up like a woman who just got her first Louis Vuitton.

To get your spray tan, make sure your skin is exfoliated, but you don’t have any lotion for the most even look. After 15 minutes of spray, go to bed and you’ll be ready for the red carpet.
Opt for the lotion, foam or spray self- tanner, than read the instructions and make sure not to sleep on white sheets. Wake up the next morning for the golden touch.
Going with bronzer, then consider this one from Laura Mercier that’s an easy way for an immediate glow.

2. Clean up Your Pearly Whites with Professional Teeth Whitening // 15 minutes – 30 minutes / $125 session

The prettiest thing you can wear is a smile, but not one that shows the gallons of coffee and bottles of wines you needed to get through 2015. So make those pearly whites sparkle with teeth whitening. There are tons of products you can use (and hours you can spend) doing it yourself, but for an instantly beautiful smile, leave it to the professionals! For me that is DFW Smile Labs. In just around 1/2 an hour, my teeth look like they belong in a toothpaste commercial. Immediately, I walked out feeling like I gained five years to my life and the rest of my face just perked up too. No crazy hours of bleaching trays, sensitive teeth and planning for just the right night to do it yourself, you can be ready for the camera in no time at all!

3. Eye Those Eyebrows with Great Eyebrows // 5 minutes – 20 minutes / $ 5-35

I remember in third grade, I brought up my school pictures and realized I could’ve been Frida Kahlo’s descendant, so that marked my first tweeze job. Now I get those babies waxed almost as much as I run through the Starbucks’ line. There’s just something about clean, trimmed and perfect eyebrows to make your whole face brighten up and just look like “she’s got it together.”

However, channeling my Grandma (and my inner Kardashian), whipping out that eyebrow pencil to color in the brows are exactly what you need to finish the look. Not sure what to do? Hit up the Sephora for a free 15-minute makeover to show you want to do.

4. Create Contour with Fillers // 30 minutes / The cost is determined by healthcare professionals and will vary based on the amount of product used and the frequency of injections.

Ok, some celebrity gals have the whole fish-face-for-real look down pat. I love the look (and the rise in contour sticks show the rest of us do too), but doing it yourself is a little overwhelming without feeling like your face is a Paint-by-Numbers Kit. Try to figure it out on your own and you may look more like you’re getting ready for combat than out for a date. However, there are easier ways to create those perfect cheekbones and reduce the age around your mouth.

Restylane® Lyft is an injectable hyaluronic acid gel used to correct volume loss in the cheeks and midface and treat wrinkles in the face for a natural-looking, more youthful appearance. After attending an event with Dr. Houshmand, an internationally recognized Double Board Certified Dermatologist, to learn more about Restylane®, I discovered all the different things that can be done to look just like you with that extra lift you need in just the right place (for me that was my cheeks!). And most of all, it didn’t hurt much at all. Common side effects include bruising, redness, swelling, pain, headache, tenderness, and itching. While you do need 24 hours to a few days for the filler to settle in, you can walk out of the office ready to go. (Be nice about these pictures, they are completely makeup free!)

5. Say Goodbye to those Wrinkle Lines // 30 minutes / The cost is determined by healthcare professionals and will vary based on the amount of product used and the frequency of injections.

Wrinkles. Wrinkles. Wrinkles.

They suck.

There are tons of creams you can put on your face to attempt to diminish, dissolve or fade wrinkles away, but it takes time to see the effect and the money it can cost to keep them at bay. But with a little help from Restylane^® Silk, the effect can be immediate and last for up to several months. The first FDA approved product exclusively designed for subtle lip enhancement and the treatment of lines and wrinkles (also known as “barcode” or “smoker” lines) around the mouth, Restylane® Silk is a smooth, transparent hyaluronic acid (HA) gel that can be injected into the lips or the area around the mouth to restore natural, more youthful definition, symmetry and help smooth wrinkles.

Treated with 2 mL of Restylane Silk in the lips and perioral (lip) lines around the mouth. 5 weeks after treatment. Individual results may vary.

While the lip lines have not gotten to me yet, thankfully I know there’s a great way to keep more youthful-looking lips.

I would highly recommend Dr. Elizabeth B. Houshmand and her skill and artistry to achieve a natural look with Restylane® Lyft and Restylane® Silk.

To learn more about Restylane® Lyft or Silk and find a specialist in your area, visit www.RestylaneLyft.com or www.RestylaneSilk.com

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Important Safety Information

Indications: The Restylane family of products includes Restylane®, Restylane-L®, Restylane® Lyft with Lidocaine and Restylane® Silk. Restylane, Restylane-L, and Restylane Lyft with Lidocaine are indicated for the correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds.

Restylane and Restylane–L are indicated for mid-to-deep dermal implantation. Restylane and Restylane-L are also indicated for submucosal implantation for lip augmentation in patients over the age of 21.

Restylane Lyft with Lidocaine is indicated for implantation into the deep dermis to superficial subcutis. Restylane Lyft with Lidocaine is also indicated for cheek augmentation and for the correction of age-related midface contour deficiencies in patients over the age of 21.

Restylane Silk is indicated for submucosal implantation for lip augmentation and dermal implantation for correction of perioral rhytids in patients over the age of 21.

Products in the Restylane family contain traces of gram-positive bacterial protein and are contraindicated for patients with allergies to such material or in patients with severe allergies that have required in-hospital treatment. These products should not be used by patients with bleeding disorders or by pregnant or breastfeeding women. Restylane-L, Restylane Silk and Restylane Lyft with Lidocaine should not be used by anyone with a known allergy to lidocaine. Products should not be injected anywhere except areas indicated in their Instructions for Use.

Use of products in the Restylane family at the site of skin sores, pimples, rashes, hives, cysts, or infection should be postponed until healing is complete. The most commonly observed side effects are swelling, redness, pain, bruising, headache, tenderness, and itching at the injection site. These are typically mild in severity and typically resolve in less than 7 days in nasolabial folds and less than 14 days in lips. Serious but rare side effects include delayed onset infections, recurrence of herpetic eruptions, and superficial necrosis at the injection site. Do not implant into blood vessels. Use with caution in patients recently treated with anticoagulant or platelet inhibitors to avoid bleeding and bruising.

The Restylane family of products is available only through a licensed practitioner. Complete Instructions for Use are available at www.RestylaneUSA.com.

Breaking the Myth of Financial Planning

August 30, 2016 By Autumn Rose Reo 7 Comments

Financial planning is the most important planning a parent can make. Thanks to brightpeak financial for making this important information easy to understand.

This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with brightpeak financial^® and Latina Bloggers Connect.

As a child, the most important planning is what you’re picking to eat in the lunch line.

As a teenager, the most important planning is what to wear to the Prom.

As a young adult, the most important planning was how to pay or save for books and still get to go on a spring break trip.

As a parent, the most important planning is everything! From buying a new house, saving for college for your kids, paying off debt, taking care of your family if something were to happen; it all requires planning.

However, most of us think that financial planning for things like retirement or college comes only after everything else is paid. Unfortunately, it’s that kind of thinking that actually keeps us from ever making progress towards our financial future. I know that’s always been my mentality.

“When I take care of the (fill in the blank) then I will look into purchasing life insurance or paying off my student loans or whatever.”

That type of mentality is a myth and it’s what’s keeping us from being able to reach our financial goals. I don’t mean winning a million dollars or living in a mansion, but living a financially stable life.

The truth is: if you have income and you have expenses (we all do), then you need a plan.

brightpeak financial, a division of Thrivent Financial, recently launched to easily guide you through the first steps in creating a financial plan. With just three questions, the dashboard helps prioritize your financial planning goals and provides information you need to help you better understand what you need. Plus they even offer tools to immediately connect with a brightpeak team member to help you start making those positive changes.

rightpeak isn’t your average financial planning group, but a new organization that was specifically designed to help Christian adults and young families live with confidence and generosity through making financially sound decisions. brightpeak was made not-for-profit and the company doesn’t refer to anyone as a customer, but as a member of a group that is like-minded and feels faith, family, fulfillment and a little fun are the most important parts of life.

As I completed my own questionnaire, I was drawn to helpful tips that I could start NOW, like saving dollars at the grocery store and even commuting to work. There’s even a Simple Living 14-Day Challenge to easily help you make small changes to make a big difference. The Growing Your Family e-book also gives month-by-month breakdown of the things you should focus on to build your family’s financial strength.

In comparison to other financial planning organizations, brightpeak has you and your family in mind and they make it easy to make some of the most important choices for your family. No more complicated brochures with confusing lingo. With brightpeak you can understand and start making choices for your family today that will make for a brighter future tomorrow.

For more information about brightpeak, visit:

What is your priority for financial planning? A new house, retirement planning, money for school, to pay off debt?

This is a sponsored campaign written by me on behalf of brightpeak financial® and WeAllGrow Latina. The opinions and text are all mine.

Go Vroom: Car Shopping and Delivery to You

August 27, 2016 By Autumn Rose Reo 22 Comments

Purchasing a used car but freaked out by the shopping experience? Make it easy with a click with car shopping and delivery to you with Vroom.

Thanks to Vroom for this collaboration so we can make used car shopping easy!

Shouldn’t getting a new car be a fun experience? Whether you’re in the $10K budget or the $40k, it’s still a lot of money to drop on one single item that you spend a lot of your time in making your life happen. School, work, grocery stores, whatever, it’s should be something to look forward to if you’re gonna have to be married to it for while.

Unfortunately that’s not normally the case for any car shopping experience, especially used car shopping. You either have to go to a dealership, drive by, online…basically a lot of time researching a car, especially if you’re looking for a specific make. And that’s just finding the car…there’s still the whole getting it in your driveway. NOW that’s a process.

This part of the process…the haggling, the negotiating, paperwork, and waiting – it’s enough to make you want to pull your eyes out. And if you have to take the kids, well we know several hours in a quiet room with strangers will be the death of all you – especially your patience!

So why do it? Why can’t it be as easy as hitting up the computer, clicking what you want, and then have it at your door – without the hassle?

Don’t worry, Vroom is on the way!

With Vroom, you can now buy or sell a car from the comfort of your couch.
Find what you want – from every kind of make, model and year!
Finance the purchase on the website. (They handle financing too!)
Get your new used car delivered to your front door—free of charge (in a cool glass truck.)
Then spend your weekend somewhere other than a used car dealership.

It is as easy as ordering a pizza. There is no haggling. The price you see is the price you pay. And free 7-day returns. Try your car out for a week (or 250 miles). If you aren’t totally satisfied, they’ll pick up the car for free and refund 100% of your money, no questions asked.

They take care of everything – and most the cars on their site are late model vehicles less than three years old.

Everything you need happens at the website. Even that haggling part. So why would you do it any other way?

If you need to sell your car, Vroom has you covered too! The selling process is just as easy, so you can get a great offer quick, just by providing your VIN number and a photo of the car.

SAVE $250!

You can get $250 cash back when you use CODE “VIPAUS21.”

Start saving money and making car buying easier with Vroom!

Find your next car online at Vroom.com.

No Trouble Trifle Recipes

August 25, 2016 By Autumn Rose Reo 1 Comment

Need a dessert that’s impressive, but takes only minutes to put together? Try these no trouble trifle recipes for the win.

What’s not to love about a trifle? A dessert that has been around since the 1500s, the trifle has stood the test of time for many reasons.

I personally believe it’s because it makes everyone look like hostess with the mostest when all you did was dump things in a bowl and out comes a beautiful and creamy confection.

I know that’s why I’m a fan and apparently, Pinterest is too since the site is filled to the brim with trifles of every combination imaginable.

While most of them are “technically’ not a trifle, but more of a stackable dessert by English standards, the trifle in any form is the treat that everyone can love, whether you’re making it or you’re eating it.

So let’s get ready to TRIFLE!

Summer Sangria Trifle

A true trifle is created with fruit, sponge cake or lady fingers soaked with Sherry or a fortified wine, and custard stacked in thin layers. Viola.

This type of trifles are so good to make especially in the summer so you don’t have to spend your time in a hot kitchen using your favorite fruit combinations.

Since I’m a girl that loves Sangria, this traditional type of trifle is ideal for a light and easy dessert that you can make at the last minute and still look like you spent hours to make a dessert that even Martha can put her stamp on.

For this Summer Sangria Trifle, we’re using a mixing blueberries, peaches, raspberries, and strawberries with a moscato. After one bite, you’ll have problems deciding whether you want to drink or eat your Sangria.

Summer Sangria Trifle

Author: Autumn Reo of mamachallenge.com

Print Recipe

Description

An impressive presentation without much work and all the flavor! You’ll wonder if drinking or eating your wine tastes better.

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound cake loaf, cubed (or you can use Twinkies if you are in a fix!)
2 peaches, peeled and sliced
1 cup berries (any mix)
2 cups moscato, sweet wine
1 container, whipped cream

Instructions

Marinate peaches in a cup of moscato for 2 hours. Once the peaches are ready, start layering your trifle with cake, then fruit, and then whipped cream. Repeat with whipped cream on top. Cover in fruit and allow to sit in the refrigerator for an hour to cool. Keep cool until ready to serve.

Notes

Use whatever fresh fruit is in season for the perfect trifle.

S’mores Trifle

Want to make a kid-friendly dessert that is as much fun to make as it is to eat? A s’mores trifle is the way to go – especially in mason jars. They’re so much fun to make as well, so ask the little people to help!

Ingredients

Graham crackers, crushed

chocolate pudding (I have one with Nutella that’s out of this world or you can use snack cups from the pantry!)

Oreo cookies, crumbled

whipped cream

marshmallows, minis work best

Directions

Layer the ingredients starting with graham crackers, pudding, crumbled cookies and then whipped cream. Cover the top in marshmallow and torch for the final effect! I love to add a little chocolate square to add to the final presentation!

Pumpkin Spice Trifle

This one is my favorite (well, except for the s’mores and sangria ones:) but it’s so perfect for fall when you are craving everything with pumpkin and cinnamon. I love making these in singles so you can eat one now, later, and tomorrow. Plus they are ideal for an alternative to making pie (and who needs all that work!)