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Real Solutions for Real Parents by Autumn Rose Reo

Love Yourself, Love Your Bones: Why Osteoporosis Matters

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Tracking PixelWhy Does Osteoporosis Matter? It’s more than wearing white, pink or whatever color to show your support.  On October 20, World Osteoporosis Day, make a promise to Love Yourself and Love Your Bones with one test to detect it all.

Thanks to . for bringing this important health issue to light.

Cancer.


Heart Attack.

High Blood Pressure.

They seem like just words until you have someone close to you or you yourself are diagnosed.

However, osteoporosis is one of those words that belongs on the top of the list that rarely gets the respect, acknowledgement or education that it deserves.

…Until you can’t hold a child on your hip or a small fall turns into a facture or a break or much worse. 

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that happens when your body loses too much bone, makes too little bone or both, therefore they become weak, they almost resemble Swiss cheese when looked at under a microscope.

Source: boneawareness.com

that someone might be at risk for osteoporosis including your age, gender, and medical conditions.

Source: boneawareness.com

However, your lifestyle, prescription drugs taken, and of course, how you treat your body, can definitely increase or decrease your risk of osteoporosis.

Leading a healthy lifestyle with exercise including muscle-strengthening exercise

Eating food rich in calcium, vitamin D, lean protein, fruits, and healthy fats are key to strong and healthy bones

Source: boneawareness.com

Taking a painless bone density scan is the only way to predict your likelihood and diagnose osteoporosis when you fall in the recommended guidelines including

  • Women ages 65 or older or men 70 years or older
  • Breaking a bone after age 50
  • Menopausal age (average of age of 51 with risk factors)
  • Postmenopausal woman (under the age of 65 with risk factors)
  • A man 50-69 with risk factors
Source: boneawareness.com

It’s that easy. Just 15 minutes with a from Hologic, the leading global healthcare and diagnostics company with a focus on women’s consumer health. That’s not too much to ask to prevent yourself from being one of the women dying from osteoporosis each year. In fact, more U.S. women die each year from complications of hip fracture than from breast cancer. A woman’s risk of hip fracture equals her combined risk of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer.

So this , Oct. 20, don’t just let the day go by and think, one day I’ll worry about that…or maybe I’ll start eating more broccoli. Think about your health and of course, the hugs that you want to continue without pain or suffering.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hologic, Inc. Hologic is sponsoring this post because the company is a leading developer of innovative healthcare products that enable women to lead healthier lives, everywhere, every day. To learn more about osteoporosis through Hologic, visit boneawareness.com, a website that Hologic launched in honor of National Osteoporosis Month (May).

 

Dia de los Muertos: Rainbow Pan de Muertos (Day of the Day Bread)

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Help your kids understand the celebration of Dia de los Muertos with their own creative expression like this Rainbow Pan de Muertos made with Trix.

Rainbow Pan De Muerto8

I don’t speak Spanish, but even before my children were born, I wanted them to be exposed to the Hispanic culture. While I didn’t grow up around the Latin-side of the family, it’s been a journey for me, as much as it is for them, to discover and appreciate what is also part of their history.


A few years ago I was able to take my then five-year-old son to Cabo San Lucas during Dia de los Muertos. The three days spent immersed in the holiday was beautiful for both of us. The illuminated shrines glistened around the marina, candles shining on the loaves of Pan de Muertos, colorful sugar skulls, and the sounds of those individuals kneeling, sharing intimate words to their loved ones that had passed.

Dia de los Muertos

A few weeks ago my grandmother died. As my closest confidante since birth, I’ve been devastated, grieving her passing, our memories together, and my childhood – all in front of my children. Needless to say, it’s been hard for them to watch me as I sporadically break into tears at anything that reminds me of her.

So it was a time for a change – a positive one that wasn’t sad, but one that honored her and could give the kids an opportunity to show their love, instead of the miserable experience that funerals give.

Dia de los Muertos was the perfect opportunity for us to not only participate in the timeless tradition, but also a therapeutic one for all of us. So together we spent one afternoon, creating our offering, the traditional Pan de Muerto. I guided them through the recipe, teaching them little lessons about cooking, how to hold the spoon, how ingredients should be added…just like my grandmother and I had done many times. Watching them work together, giggling as they kneaded the dough with their little hands was one of those moments I’ll cherish always.

Rainbow Pan De Muerto3

Of course, always the ones to put their own spin on it, the kids wanted to make their offering something creative, something colorful, something of their own expression.

So our Pan de Muerto mutated into a rainbow version using Trix. Adding the fruity flavor of the cereal to the dough mixture of anise and orange zest even enhanced the flavor of the dough. However, the bread still needed a little more color, so we put Trix in the dough as well as on the outside of the bread, adding rainbow shades and textures to rich, golden brown dough. The aroma of anise and orange filled the house as our creation cooled down, finally showing its final transformation. 

Rainbow Pan De Muerto5BW

Rainbow Pan De Muerto4

Rainbox Pan De Muerto2

While we don’t have a formal altar space and are too far to show grandma what we made, I know that she’s watching all of us as she nibbles the rainbow bread.

What’s your Cereal con Carino? How does your family share time, traditions, or experiences together during breakfast?  This four-part video series that began during Hispanic Heritage Month, the first episode features El Guzi and friends sharing a bowl of Cheerios while discussing how they shower their family with love in the morning. This initiative honors those timeless moments that may seem so small, but mean much more to us than we even expect.

Learn more and follow the Cereal con Carino initiative here.

Rainbow Pan De Muerto7

Print

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Rainbow Pan de Muertos

  • Author: Autumn Reo of mamachallenge.com
Print Recipe

Description

A colorful twist on the timeless Dia de los Muertos tradition.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons anise seed
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup Trix, grounded
  • 1/8 cup Trix, halved to be folded into bread and the other half used to garnish the outside of the dough
  • For the glaze
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and 1/4 cup of the sugar.
  2. Beat in the warm milk mixture then add the eggs and orange zest and beat until well combined. Set to the side temporarily.
  3. Heat the milk and the butter together in a medium saucepan until melted. Remove from the heat and add warm water (at least 110 degrees.)
  4. Whisk in the warm mixture slowly into the flour mixture until blended. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour, 14/ cup ground Trix, and continue adding more flour until the dough is soft.
  5. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic. Lightly fold in half of whole Trix into dough, working not to crush the cereal.
  6. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This will take about 1-2 hours.
  7. Punch the dough and shape it into a large round loaf or desired shape.
  8. Add additional Trix cereal to the outside of the loaf strategically on the outside of the dough.
  9. Place dough onto a baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until just about doubled in size.
  10. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 -45 minutes. Remove from oven let cool slightly then brush with glaze.

To make glaze

  1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, orange juice and orange zest.
  2. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 2 minutes.
  3. Brush over top of bread while still warm.
  4. Sprinkle glazed bread with white sugar.

Notes

  • If you would prefer a more traditional dough, switch the ground Trix for ground Cinnamon Toast Crunch or regular flour.


Rainbow Pan De Muerto Pinterest

Five Reasons to Move Your Meds Now

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Make life easier with just one stop: CVS/pharmacy has found a new home….and it’s right on target.  Here’s why you should move your drugs now from your current pharmacy to CVS / pharmacy inside Target.

Thanks to CVS/pharmacy for this big move and this collaboration with mamachallenge.com. 

I’m a big fan of getting things done quicker, cheaper and better. That’s now what you get when you use CVS/pharmacy now inside Target. However, if you need a little more convincing why you’ll find your solutions to your #mamachallenge, then we’ve got you covered, especially if you already have a pharmacy. So here’s Five Reasons to Move Your Drugs Now.

CVS Pharmacy

Five Reasons to Move Your Meds Now


1.Get your caramel macchiato while you get your scripts. 

CVS at Target

One.stop.shopping. That should be enough.

Do you really need a reason here why making one stop to get everything you need is easier than making a second? I hate to feel like I’m wasting my time driving all over town trying to get three things off my list. Nothing feels better than heading to Target when you need to get away, right?  There’s some moment of empowerment when you are conquering your grocery list and you get to kick it off with caffeine. Need a new outfit? It doesn’t count if you buy it with groceries and vitamins. So grab your coffee, then head to the pharmacy, and begin your trip around the store while you know your saving time (and gas.) 

2. Good, friendly, educated customer service is hard to come by.
CVS Target Care

With all the drugs my family has to take (allergies), we go through a lot of scripts. I try to be educated on everything for everyone, but sometimes I need some info. I don’t just need my prescriptions, I need to know what are these drugs I’m putting in my kids and why? With the but it’s guaranteed with the super care provided by CVS pharmacists. And if you have a chronic medical condition,  the Pharmacy Advisor® program is designed to help CVS Caremark plan members achieve better health with a full team on their side! 

3. Get your flu shot (and a lot more), too! 

CVS-Target

It’s not just your prescriptions that you get at the CVS/pharmacy. You can get your flu shot and even get $5 gift card for Target. You can also get your Tetanus, Pertussis, Pneumonia, MMR, Meningitis and HPV shots at CVS/pharmacy. That’s kinda awesome within itself, but if you’re coming down with something, the MinuteClinic might be worth a stop. Sign in and you can get a text when it’s your turn to be seen. There’s tons of reasons that this could be a god send.  Nobody got time for getting sick.  So MinuteClinic and get on with the rest of your life. 

4. Access to your family’s health is at your fingertips. 

CVS-Target-phone

They gotta an app for that. Like for real there is:  the CVS app that allows you to manage your prescriptions, refill them at your fingertips, and my favorite function, just seeing what prescriptions my family is taking. For example, when I do have to see our pediatrician / family doctor, they always ask, “what prescriptions are you taking?” I don’t carry them in my handbag, but I do have my phone and the CVS app. All I need to do is look through the list and I can give them a full lowdown on what we’re taking. Presto Genius! And that’s just the start of the other ways the CVS app can make your life easier. 

5. SAVE money!

CVS Target Save Money

Using discounts provided from Target, CVS app, and just the ExtraCare® Rewards, you’re going to save BIG dollars. But if you really need something in hand to square the deal, then just download the app and you’ll instantly get $3 ExtraBucks® Rewards when you link your ExtraRewards card. I’m all about getting something up front. And then just stay connected to learn when you have dollars coming back to you just by being a member. A free member for saving money and then even more when you use the free service. Let’s do this. 

Stay tuned for tips, info and more ways on how CVS/pharmacy can help you make your health and your life even better! 

Don’t miss this #mamachallenge moment: 

Vitamin-E-CVS-MamaChallenge

Ode to Coffee {Giveaway}

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Wonder why moms bow down to the coffee gods? It’s more than just the black elixir, but more like a friend that is always there. Here’s our ode to coffee. Thanks to Dunkin Donuts for sponsoring this giveaway and giving us all a day to celebrate our biggest fan. 

Each and every morning, squinty eyed and barely able to function, I stumble to the Keurig and throw my Dunkin Donut k-cup into its place, push the button, and wait to hear the beautiful sound and rich smell of coffee hitting my “I LOVE MOM” cup. 

coffee

I only add cream to the mixture to create my perfect recipe…at least for the first cup. 


This is a ritual I’ve been celebrating since I was around 16…however, at different times of the day (and nights in college), without the mug, or the K machine. However, only one thing has remained the same…the coffee. 

Now as a mom, the coffee is how I kick off each day…sometimes picking up another cup to keep it going with a stop at the drive-through, and of course, at the ticking hour, whether working on a deadline, or working through a big moment, the coffee is there. 

Dunkin-Donuts

So on National Coffee Day, I felt I owed coffee a little bit of thank you for the part its played as my friend thoughout my life. However, when I came across this little poem from Music Savvy Mom, it seemed to sum it up well. 

One Mom’s Spontaneous Ode to Coffee
 
I love the way you jack me up,
You hot, black velvet in my cup
And gird my mood for battle fair
with toys and poopy underwear.
 
My busy day I’m dearth to face
Until sweet coffee’s had it’s place
Upon my breakfast table where
I move the laundry piles with care.
 
I gently nudge the bills away,
Refuse to let work have the sway
To mar the blissful waking mood
that rich elixir doth exude.
 
Come sing with me of college years
Grey all-nighters, hangover tears
And all the foibles forced to flee
By coffee’s steadfast loyalty.
 
Ah, yes, dark friend! We owe to you
So much in life we’re wont to do
Careers, achievements, breeding too –
Without you…we’d just sleep right through!
 
To you, sweet beans, we give attention
To whining kids we shall not mention
The truth that’s proved each day anew…
The one I love the best is YOU!

And on this special National Coffee Day, Dunkin Donuts wants you to participate in the fun. 

Coffee Day

National Coffee Day is Thursday, September 29, and Dunkin’ Donuts will hail the holiday by raising a cup to its loyal guests with a coffee offer in celebration of the brand’s 66-year history of keeping people running with great coffee each and every day. Guests can enjoy any medium-sized cup of the brand’s signature hot coffee for the special price of 66 cents at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants nationwide. Dunkin’ Donuts is a leader in the hot and iced coffee categories in the U.S. The company sells more than 1.9 billion cups of hot and iced coffee globally ever year.

NationalCoffeeDay

AND why just stop the party on National Coffee Day? Win a $50 gift card to Dunkin Donuts so you can continue your connection to coffee for a little bit longer! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t Miss this #mamachallenge Moment:

DunkinDonuts

Smart Baby Monitor That Gets You Both Sleep

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New baby or one on the way? Then you’re in the market for a baby monitor. Smart technology now allows you to watch your baby and see if they’re breathing, too, with the Owlet Baby Care. Here’s how it could have saved me weeks, months, and years of no sleep and given me the reassurance to get some sleep myself.  

Thanks to Owlet for this collaboration and giveaway opportunity.  

“Don’t let your baby cry.”

Said the doctor to my husband and I as I held my two-month old son. We were finally be who was finally being discharged from the hospital after having being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, having a shunt put into his heart to keep him alive and thankfully, his body being strong enough to manage breathing on his own. We had spent weeks watching monitors in his room show his oxygen levels, things beep, and thousands of cords plugged into our new little bundle of joy (that unfortunately was also causing a lot of tears heartache at the moment.)  


“If he cries too much, his heart may get too overwhelmed, he’ll stop breathing,” continued the pediatric cardiologist. “So don’t let him cry or do anything that will cause him too much excitement. And always look at his color to see if he’s too blue.” 

Baby Heart Monitor

Talk about breaking in two new parents.

While we were so thankful to get to take our son home, the directions on how to take care of him were very different than the “let him cry it out” methods that had been shared from our friends, families and the prenatal books I had poured over for months.

The next several months, we wouldn’t sleep. Not even a wink.

Baby Heart Monitor

Like any baby, if you put him down to sleep on your schedule, he would cry. If he was hungry, he would cry. If he happen to wake up and not realize that I wasn’t holding him any longer, he would cry.

At night, even when he was sleeping I’d lie awake, listening for the monitor all night, making sure I could hear (or see) him breathing and making sure if his little eyes popped open, I was there.

And, of course, in the few times I did manage to close my eyes, every time he began to shrill (or worst case I hadn’t heard him), I’d run up the stairs like a marathon, to console him.

If only I had a way to not just have a monitor to watch and hear him, but if there was something to wake me up just in case something happened. That little bit of comfort would have made a huge difference to two new parents not just learning to cope with a newborn, but two parents who needed to monitor their child’s breathing, not  oxygenation and saturation rates at all time.

Eight years later, there is.

Meet, the Smart Baby Monitor, Owlet Baby Care.

The Owlet Baby Monitor is the first smart baby monitor of its kind that uses hospital technology—pulse oximetry—designed to alert you if your baby stops breathing. We’ve miniaturized this technology into a tiny, snuggly baby sock that your little one wears to bed. It’s totally wireless and connects via bluetooth to a base station and Wi-Fi to your smartphone. The product just launched to the public last October after more than two years of development and testing. 

Baby Monitor Owlet

Of course, like anything, things can happen, especially when you’re putting it on a newborn baby that likes to discover their feet and use them often. However, when snugly placed on the baby’s left foot, it works well for many months to come as your baby continues to grow. (Just remember when you take off the sock to remove the monitor as well before throwing in the washing machine.) 

Everyone knows that car seats are a MUST if a baby is in a car, but did you know that more babies pass away while sleeping at home than do in a car related accidents? According to the CDC in 2014, 3,500 babies passed away in 2014 while sleeping – more than 18x the number of babies who died in car accidents in the same year. 

Owlet2

Just like the car seat, Owlet Baby Care believes that home health monitoring could be something comparable to reduce infant deaths. 

And imagine how much more sleep we’d all get…all with the help of a sock. 

Baby Monitor Owlet

You can purchase an Owlet online for $249 (comparable to many baby monitoring devices on the market.)

• Smart Sock Kit (sizes one through three)
• Sock Electronics
• Base Station and corresponding charging cords
• Exclusive access to the Owlet app (available for iPhone and Android users)

The Owlet Monitor GUARANTEES to give you peace of mind. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase of the Owlet Monitor within 45 days of purchase, then it send it back for a full refund.   

WIN AN OWLET BABY CARE MONITOR
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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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.


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

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?

Main Event Party

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!

Main-Event-Bowling

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

  1. Score a Strike Bowling
  1. Rock it, Win it or Shoot it with Video Games
  1. Light it Up with Laser Tag
  1. Make a Hole in One with Mini Golf
  1. Belt Out Some Karaoke
  1. Play some Pool
  1. Share a plate of Fun Finger Foods – French Fries, Nachos, Tater Tots, oh my!
  1. Get moving with Gravity Ropes and Rock Climbing
  1. Have Fun! No matter what you do – talk, play, or eat, you’ll have a good time together!
  1. 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!

Main-Event-Connect-Kids

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.

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!)

Main-Event

  • 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.

Breaking the Myth of Financial Planning

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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

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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. 

 Vroom Car Buying


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? 

Vroom

Don’t worry, Vroom is on the way!

  1. With Vroom, you can now buy or sell a car from the comfort of your couch.
  2. Find what you want – from every kind of make, model and year! 
  3. Finance the purchase on the website. (They handle financing too!) 
  4. Get your new used car delivered to your front door—free of charge (in a cool glass truck.)
  5. 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.

Vroom Car Buying

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.

 

Target and CVS pharmacy Makes it Easier for Moms

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It’s one less stop off your to-do list…. CVS/pharmacy and Target have teamed up to give you better health and more time for the things that count. 

Thanks to CVS for this big move and this collaboration with mamachallenge.com. 

You know that beautiful feeling you get when you walk into Target, grab your cart and realize that almost everything you need in life can be found (and purchased) at Target? 

CVS pharmacy inside Target


It’s almost like being in a Disney movie and you’re at that moment where there’s sparkles, glitter, and angelic, happy music? 

Target already makes it easy for us to get everything from grabbing a Starbucks, try on a bathing suit for vacation, a gift for the birthday party and of course, your favorite groceries. However, Target has teamed up with CVS to take it to the next level by unveiling CVS/pharmacy inside Target.

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Yep, now you can get your medication, vitamins and speak with your pharmacist all by just rolling your cart rather than your car to the CVS pharmacy inside your Target.

Many Target stores have already made the transition and the rest will be seeing the changeover soon. In addition, a CVS/pharmacy will be included in all new Target stores that offer pharmacy services with 79 Target clinic locations being rebranded as MinuteClinic. Check here to see if your Target pharmacy is already a CVS/pharmacy! 

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If you were a Target Pharmacy customer, you’re medication will continue to be filled by CVS/pharmacy. And if you’re already a CVS/pharmacy customer, your information is available at the new location inside Target! And if you we’re a customer of either pharmacy, now’s the best time to make things even easier on you by getting your prescriptions at CVS/pharmacy inside Target or any of the other CVS locations around the country.

With CVS/pharmacy you can always expect qualified and educated professionals to help you with your health questions and now the convenience now of having CVS/pharmacy inside your Target. If you have any other questions about the transition from Target pharmacy to CVS/pharmacy, you can find answers here.

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The only tip to making it even easier to manage your prescriptions, request refills, and more is to sign up for CVS.com and download the CVS app! Current Target Pharmacy customers will need to sign up for a new account if they haven’t been a CVS.com customer, but current CVS.com customers already will have their information ready to use at any CVS/pharmacy location. 

Stay tuned for tips, info and more ways on how CVS/pharmacy can help you make your health and your life even better! 

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Flu Fact or Fiction

 

 

Back to School is So Worth it with JCPenney

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Last-minute shopping still on your back to school to-do list? This weekend save money when you head Back to School with JCPenney – it’s #soworthit!

Thanks to JCPenney for this collaboration to kick off back to school with class! 

Pencils, paper, backpacks and jeans – all staples for getting back to school. 

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Dedicated to ensure all kids head back-to-school confident and prepared by offering all of the basics they need to start the school year right, JCPenney is saving families money while sharing even more with the community. 

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JCPenney is making going back to school cool for the kids (AND mom) on great looks the kids will love at deals parents will flip for this weekend, Aug. 19 & 20. As part of the JCPenney’s Penney Saturdays and Fridays, you’ll be able to score $13 Arizona kids jeans and $17 Arizona jeans. 

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Don’t miss this: JCPenney is offering an additional 15% off coupon for customers using Pokemon Go who verbally tell an associate or show an associate in-app their favorite character.

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(Yes, my kiddo is so excited about this one!) 

But JCP doesn’t just stop with fashion, the retailer has partnered with the YMCA to support programs to continue the Y’s outreach and community programs. JCP team members will also be volunteer with local Ys to help with youth programs, tutoring and mentoring. Launching earlier this summer, JCPenney kicked it all off with the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles giving 5,000 kids free access to the Y, Arizona jean giveaways, vision screenings, salon services, and entertainment – along with celebrity mom, Vanessa Lachey!

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AND for every pair of Arizona Jeans bought, JCPenney will donate $1 for each pair of Arizona Jeans sold to support the Y’s academic achievement programs and help all kids get ready for back to school.

YMCA-JCP

So get to JCPenney this weekend and not only save money, but help make an impact in the community with the Y! 

Don’t miss this #mamachallenge moment:  

JCPenney Back to School Video Rocks

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