On Sunday, I co-hosted the Orlando Hebrew National Better-Than-A-Picnic Picnic. The night before, the husband and I were explaining to baby girl that we would be going to the picnic and that we were going to be helping people. We told her that we’d be collecting items that would be given to people who needed them. This led to a resurfacing of a previous conversation concerning people who don’t have as much as we do. It also led to many questions/comments from her:

• “Why do some people not have houses?”
• “But, if they sleep on the streets…that’s dangerous!”
• “When did we not have a house?”

After answering all her questions and feeling good that she was actually understanding this concept, she proceeded to break my heart…in a good way.

“Maybe one day…daddy can go work more and get even more money and we can build them a house!”

Oh baby girl, how I wish we could. That sure would be great.

After the initial laughter between my husband and I about her sending him to do more work, I sat there in the car on our way home and had to really fight back the tears. I was so proud of my girl and that she not only understood, but that she also wanted to help.

During the picnic itself, it was bittersweet to see local homeless families at the event. While it was nice to see the kids enjoying themselves and having fun with other kids attending, including my daughter, it was really sad to know that at the end of the day, they wouldn’t have a home to go to.

One day, though, perhaps as a community, we’ll be able to fulfill my baby girl’s hopes of being able to “build them a house” and help everyone.

For another story about my girl and how sweet she’s acting these days, head over to read about her Big Sister Love.

Disclosure: I was compensated for my time and work in co-hosting the Hebrew National Better-Than-A-Picnic Picnic.

This post is part of a paid campaign.

“Why do you and daddy have to work?”

“So that we can have this house, food, clothes, and take care of you.”

“What would happen if you didn’t work?”

“Well, we wouldn’t be able to pay for this house or buy food. Did you know there are some people who have no house? They sleep in their cars or sometimes on the street.”

“No way.”

“Yes, it’s very sad, right? So we should be thankful that mami and papa work and that we have all we have.”

This is a conversation my baby girl and I had months ago. It was one of those early-morning, still-in-bed conversations before a typical work day. Though, I tried to explain to her that we should be grateful since there are some who have much less, I don’t think the message truly sunk in. It’s tough for a 4 year old to understand this concept of being without; especially when we’re fortunate to be able to provide for her. Since then, I’ve been thinking of a way to help her understand.

I may be able to do just that this coming Sunday while attending and co-hosting the Orlando Hebrew National Better-Than-A-Picnic Picnic. Hebrew National and TheMotherhood.com have teamed up with bloggers across the country to host family-friendly picnics that benefit local charities. In Orlando, it will be held this Sunday, June 27 and will benefit the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. If you’re not in Orlando, you can check out the official picnic page on The Motherhood for information about picnics in other cities.

Hebrew National and The Motherhood’s Orlando “Better-Than-A-Picnic Picnic”

Details:

Hosted by:

• Jennifer, The Dirty Shirt
• Leigh, Theme Park Mom
• Britt, Miss Britt
• and me!

When: Sunday, June 27
Time: 11:30 am – 3:30 pm
Where: Lake Eola Park – 195 N. Rosalind Ave., Downtown Orlando

Bring your kids, family, and friends to enjoy free Hebrew National hot dogs, a community service project to benefit Central Florida homeless, music, giant puzzles, a mechanical bull and other activities for kids and families! We will be collecting donated items, as well as putting together goody bags for many dads currently living in the shelter, who were unable to receive a Father’s Day celebration.

The Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida is in need of many items, such as:

• Canned fruit and vegetables
• Baby items: Diapers (sizes 4, 5 and 6), potty training pants (i.e., Pull-Ups®), baby wipes, and sippy cups, GOOD START® baby formula (per government nutritional guidelines)
• Personal hygiene supplies: Bar soap, hand soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, razors, feminine hygiene products, shampoo, and conditioner
• New underwear, socks, bras, and shoes (men, women and children)
• Medical supplies
• Cleaning supplies
• Kitchen items: paper towels, napkins, paper plates, cups, dish soap, hand/dish towels
• General office supplies
• Hurricane supplies
• Gift cards for Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target, Walmart, Publix, Office Max, Office Depot, and Staples

For items specific to the goody bags for the dads, the following would be appreciated: shaving creams, razors, chocolate, cards, etc.

All are welcome and RSVP is not required, but you can RSVP on facebook if you’d like.

If you’re in the Orlando and near-by areas, please come out to Lake Eola and have fun with your friends and family while also helping out the local homeless community. I’d love to meet you!

Disclosure: As a co-host of the Hebrew National Better-Than-A-Picnic Picnic and working with TheMotherhood.com, I was compensated for my time.

I recently participated in the Trekaroo KidsMobile blog carnival, where a few Orlando bloggers created lists of their favorite kid-friendly activities in the Orlando and Central Florida area. Many of the lists created have suggestions for traveling to Disney. I offered up a list of Free and Low-Cost Activities in Orlando for Preschoolers.

Since Orlando is a popular vacation destination for those with families, and you may one day find yourself coming to visit the various theme parks housed here, you might find these links handy.

The Orlando KidsMobile blog carnival has many recommendations from Trekaroo families and local bloggers. Check out the following lists for more information on activities for kids in Orlando:

• Top Activities for Kids in Orlando, Florida – voted by Trekaroo parents
• Top Kid-friendly Hotels in Orlando, Florida – voted by Trekaroo parents
• 5 Tot-friendly Restaurants Favorites in at Disney by Two Kids and A Map
• Disney Hotels for Tweens and Teens by Travel with Teens
• Top 5 “Must Do” Walt Disney World Attractions with Teens by Disney Everyday
• Water Parks in Florida – Cheerio Family
• More Disney, Less Waiting – A review of RideMax – Li Er Hanson
• 71 Activities for Kids in and around Orlando, Florida
• Kid-friendly hotels in and around Orlando, Florida

The Trekaroo KidsMobile’s next stop is Memphis, Tennessee. The Trekaroo KidsMobile is a blog carnival with a twist. It’s designed to provide a unique opportunity for mom and dad bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while 1) expressing their unique point of view, and 2) getting a web of link exchanges. Join them for one of their next stops.

Today’s post is a hodgepodge (who thinks up these words anyway?) of updates. Hence, the title.

By the way, “un poco de todo” means “a little bit of everything.”

5 Resources for Raising Bilingual Children

First off, it’s another Wednesday where you’ll find me at the Family Eden blog.

Today’s post – 5 Resources for Raising Bilingual Children

Here are the resources I listed, but for a bit of back-story on our family, you’ll want to click over and read the full post. (I also included more information on each resource in the post.)

1. Colorín Colorado – A bilingual site for families and educators of English language learners.
2. SpanglishBaby – Raising Bilingual & Bi-Cultural Children
3. Cody’s Cuentos – Classic children’s fairytales…in Spanish.
4. Latin Baby Book Club – Celebrating our Culture
5. Circletime Kids - A global gathering of children and the people who love them.

Contests

I also wanted to remind you about the two contests that are currently running.

1. There’s only 3 days left to enter to win a free ticket to the Florida Conference for Women. I will be attending and hope to learn, reflect, and network with other women in the area. Doesn’t that sound like something you ABSOLUTELY want to do also?
2. You can also enter to win a Mother’s Day makeover courtesy of a new salon in town, Adore de Salon. If you win, you can opt to hand over the prize to your mom. So even if you don’t live in Central Florida, but your mom does, you can still enter the contest and treat mom to a nice gift!

Meetups/Tweetups/Fun

There are several events happening in April and May in the Orlando area. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make them all. If I did that, my kid would probably forget who I am. Here are the ones I do plan to attend.

• Orlando Tweetup II – Hosted by Etan Horowitz of the Orlando Sentinel on April 30th. A recap of the first tweetup he did can be found on his blog. More info on round 2 & RSVP on the Facebook event page.
• National Mom’s Nite Out – This event is one of many around the country and will be held at the Seminole Towne Center Mall on May 7th. More info & RSVP on the Facebook event page.
• Market Leverage Women Bloggers Meetup – If you’re a woman blogger or Internet marketer in the Central Florida area, you can join us on May 8th for a meetup with the Market Leverage company. More info & RSVP on the Facebook event page.

And please? No more events need pop up in the months of April and May. I’ve got enough going on before my :ahem: birthday and oh yea! – trip to Puerto Rico.

If you’ll be attending any of these events, let me know! And be sure to enter the contests!

I’m so excited about this contest! You guys are going to LOVE me after this one. And, it’s just in time for Mother’s Day!

But, first let me tell you all about my new look and how it came to be. I LOVE IT! Really, you’ll want to read it through. I promise.

Some of you might have seen my new look already. I went and got highlights in my hair this weekend. This will be the second time in my life that I’ve ever gotten highlights…and I’ve NEVER colored my hair besides that.

So, why the sudden change in look?

Well, I was offered a full service (hair cut, blow dry, hair coloring) by a brand new salon in town. My first thought was “Oh what a great offer!” But, then it was more like, “Hmmm, someone else doing my hair? Someone new?” Any woman knows what I mean. You have to trust your hairdresser. And I’ve had the same hairdresser for oh about 20 years now. We’re talking since I was in elementary school folks. The woman knows my hair and knows what I like.

I also had a bad experience when I was a bridesmaid for my brother’s wedding. In a strange town and trying to do the bridesmaid bonding thing with the bride, I got my hair blow-dried and styled by the bride’s hairdresser. Simple enough, no? My hair was friiiiizzy! She did a horrible job of blow-drying it straight.

So yeah, after that, I’m extra hesitant to have other people touch my hair. But, after thinking it over and over, I decided what the hell. Let’s go for it. The worst that can happen is I’ll have to go to my own hairdresser for it to be fixed. So go I did.

When I met Lisa of Adore de Salon, I was immediately at ease. She is super cool and very down to earth. She heard me out, asked the right questions, and worked with me to be sure I was happy.

Here’s a before shot:

A few more pics…

Separating the hair

Applying the highlight color

Yup, I started to yawn...I was tired.

The whole process took about 4 hours, which isn’t bad considering I can be at my regular hairdresser for 3 hours without getting any color. So that means that Lisa and I had a lot of time to talk. She loves being a hairdresser; you can tell. She recommended some products for me to use and even told me where I can get them cheaper. She didn’t try to sell me any of her own. Love that! I also got an eyebrow wax and it didn’t hurt as much as it normally does!

The place is very nicely decorated; sleek and modern. A very relaxed feeling. You can see some photos on their site.

The only drawback for me is that it’s completely on the other side of town from where I live. But, it is near major highways and in all honesty, it only took me 20-25 minutes to get there. Again, that’s just a personal thing that won’t matter much to you.

All in all, I LOVE my new look and am very happy with the service I received. I took my mom with me and she said the same. She agrees that Lisa did a great job.

Annnnnndddddddddd…

Here’s the after shot:

No, I'm not shiny; it was the eyebrow lotion thing after the wax.

And, from the back. - Look how pretty!

And one more from after I got home.

Now on to the contest, which is why you’re really here.

Win a complete makeover! (up to $300 value)

Let’s call it a Mother’s Day makeover since Mother’s Day is nearing. But, by no means do you have to be a mom to enter or win. All women can enter.

What will one of you get?

A complete makeover includes:

1. Hair cut and style
2. Color and/or Highlights
3. Blow-dry
4. Eyebrow and/or lip wax
5. Free hair products

Can I just say that you’re getting a better deal than I did? AWESOME!

How to enter:

1. Write a blog post with your before shot. Make sure to include a link to adoredesalon.com and to this contest post. Leave a comment on this post with the link to your entry post. This will count as 5 entries.
   • If you don’t have a blog, then email your picture to contest@adoredesalon.com.This will count as 1 entry.
2. For an extra entry, tweet a message on twitter with a link back to this post.
   Sample text to use: Win a Mother’s Day makeover from @adoredesalon via @modernmami! Enter contest at http://tinyurl.com/modernmami-makeover
   You’ll need to leave a second comment with the link to your tweet, not your profile, so I can verify. You have to leave a separate comment so that it will count.

Rules

You have until 11:59 pm EST on Monday, April 27 to enter. The winner will be chosen by Adore de Salon on Friday, May 1 and will be contacted by email. So, be sure to include an email address when you leave your comment so I can provide to them. The winner, and only the winner, will have her before and after picture posted on the Adore de Salon website.

I’m so excited for whoever wins! Good luck! Of course, I’ll want to see pics and hear about your experience and makeover!

Update (4/14/09): I have just been informed that if you win, you are free to provide the prize to your mom instead of taking it for yourself. This means that if you don’t live in the area, but your mother does, you can enter the contest and give her the prize!

Well since only two people actually entered the Central Florida Home & Garden Show contest, there was no need to draw winners.

Both Kelly and Shameka win 2 tickets each for the 2009 Central Florida Home & Garden Show to be held from March 13-15 at the Orange County Convention Center.

Congratulations to both of you!

I’ll be emailing you for more information.

I’ve been home pretty much all week due to my mom being sick and having no childcare.

Then my daughter got sick….again. She was just sick a few weeks ago.

So the latter half of the week has been spent tending to a sick child.

I’ve been trying to work from home the days I’ve been out, to try to keep up. But, without proper preparation, equipment, and software, the work I can do from home is limited.

Anyway, I just wanted to provide a quick update and really wanted to remind you about a few things:

• Don’t forget to enter the Central Florida Home & Garden show contest! Last day to enter is today. You can win 2 tickets for the show next week.
• Check out my first post at Family Eden. I will be posting every other week over there. This first post is all about what being latina means to me.
• Please vote for Modern Mami in the Scholastic Parent & Child magazine Mommy Blogger Awards! I would really appreciate your support.
• And, finally, Susan Payton of The Marketing Eggspert blog wrote a guest post earlier this week about being a mommy to two “kids”.

Here’s to a more routine week next week.

The 2009 Central Florida Home & Garden Show will be held from March 13-15 at the Orange County Convention Center.

And, guess what?

I have 4 tickets to give away. I’ll be giving them away in sets of 2 so that 2 of you can win a pass for you and a guest.

Here’s some of what you will find at the show.

• Rib Hillis, design expert on ABC TV’s Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition
• “Sparkle Josh” Johnson, contestant on season two of HGTV’s Design Star
• Chef Lou Petrozza, finalist on season four of Fox’s reality cooking show, Hell’s Kitchen
• 6,000 square feet of spectacular gardens designed by six local landscaping companies.
• More than 400 exhibits with the industry’s latest products, a children’s play area featuring face painting, deals galore, giveaways, and contests.

(Visit www.FloridaHomeShows.com for appearance times.)

You can also totally make your bathroom look like this if you attend.

Ok, maybe not quite. But, you sure can find the inspiration to attempt to make your bathroom look like that.

How to enter

1. Leave a comment.
2. For an extra entry, send out the following message on twitter:
   Win tickets to the Central Florida Home & Garden Show via @modernmami! http://www.modernmami.com/contests/central-florida-home-garden-show-2009

If you send a tweet, come back and leave a second comment with the link to your tweet, not your profile, so I can verify. You have to leave a separate comment so that it will count.

Rules

You have until 11:59 pm EST on Friday, March 6 to leave your comments. The winner will be chosen on Saturday, March 7 using Random.org.

I’ll post the winners on Saturday, so be sure to check back to see if you’ve won! Remember to include an email address so that I can contact you if you win.

for print. for web. for business!  

Hello folks!

My husband and I have opened up our web and graphic design freelance business.

Here’s a snippet of what we’re about….

Based in Orlando, Florida, edwards design is a professional, full-service design and consulting group, dedicated to providing your business with the tools and knowledge needed for success in this new media economy.

We offer graphic design, web design, and consulting services to businesses throughout the US, Puerto Rico and Canada.

From logos and brochures to web banners and web sites, we are here to provide you with cutting edge design and the professional services needed to help your business grow.

You can contact us for any web / graphic design services you may need at http://www.energdesign.com/.

We also have a blog up with articles on various consulting services provided and web / graphic design topics.