Disclosure: As a Nintendo Brand Enthusiast through Brand About Town, I received a copy of the Wii Fit™ Plus game and the opportunity to host a Wii Fit Plus yoga party free of charge. No other compensation received. In addition, Nintendo has given me a Wii™ system and the Wii Fit Plus bundle (Balance Board™ & game) which I am giving away for this contest.

A few months ago, a few of my friends and even some family, got together on a Sunday morning and headed downtown to have a Wii Fit™ Plus yoga party. This was my first duty as a Wii Fit Plus Brand Enthusiast. It’s such a hard job. I swear. Ok, fine, I can’t lie. I just get to have fun and bring you along with me for the ride.

I wasn’t sure what to expect since all I had been told was that we’d have a yoga session and get to learn about the new features of Wii Fit Plus. I already owned Wii Fit™ and loved it, so I was excited to get together with friends and do some yoga together. When I arrived, I started giggling like a school girl when I saw this:

My husband rolled his eyes so far up that I’m surprised they didn’t get stuck in the back of his head. My mom on the other hand, giggled along with me. She’s awesome.

Once inside, I couldn’t help but keep smiling. The set-up was NICE! There were cushions, yoga mats, and 10 TV/Wii Fit stations with each one having a Buddha statue and candle underneath. It was very peaceful and soothing and the party hadn’t even started. There were also the most adorable fruit smoothies in shot glasses, which was good because many hadn’t eaten breakfast. The guests, I mean. Not me. {ahem}

Our party started with an awesome trainer guiding us through the new options of Wii Fit Plus and later showing us some yoga poses that we’d try out as a group. What I love is that you can now create your own exercise routine, track your calorie burning, and customize your workout based on what you ate. Then we broke out into partners.

We saluted the sun.

We were trees.

We were warriors.

After a break for lunch, we had a chance to play the new balance games. I love love love the Rhythm Kung Fu and Rhythm Parade games. I also like the multiplayer function that’s now available. Add some mimosas to the party and we definitely had a fun time trying to balance ourselves.

It was a lot of fun and all who attended had a great time. We all want to know when we can have another party!

Oh, and did I forget to mention that all attendees received their very own Wii Fit Plus bundle? Imagine their surprise when the boxes came out!

Thanks Brand About Town and Nintendo for the awesome party and opportunity to share with friends and family! The trainer and entire team were wonderful and need to come to my house to make sure I work out regularly. Just saying.

Now for your very own fun!

Giveaway

You too have a chance at trying out the new Wii Fit Plus and its features! One of you can win not only the Wii Fit Plus bundle with a board, but also a Wii SYSTEM. The winner will receive both. That’s right ladies and gentlemen…LOVE ME!

Find out how to enter…

How to Enter

• If you’d like to enter this contest, leave a comment answering the question: “How will you fit some fit in with Wii Fit Plus from Nintendo?“

All entries must be in by Monday, April 5 at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry so I can contact you.)

Additional Contest Rules

• The prize will be awarded together as one gift to include (1) Wii system and (1) Wii Fit Plus to a single individual.
• Contest is only open to U.S. residents over the age of 18.
• Contest is not open to my family members and/or Nintendo employees.

Disclosure: This post is part of a “I Heart Beef” campaign with TheMotherhood.com on behalf of The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. I will receive compensation for sharing my memories with you, but my opinions are mine. In fact, I have always loved beef.

We are what you would call meat lovers. That is to say that we could never be vegetarians. The word itself is one that would get you looks of “Are you crazy?” in our family. Now that’s not to say there’s anything wrong with being a vegetarian (Seinfeld anyone?), it’s just that we are carnivorous by nature.

Join me in a flashback real quick…

We had only been married a few months. Times were tough, of course, as is normal for a young couple just starting out. We were living off of rice, beans, and PB & J sandwiches. (How’s that for multicultural?) Since meat was the biggest expense on our grocery bill at the time, I began to make it last as long as I could. One day, after a tiring day at work, I came home and decided not to cook any meat that night. I remember my mami would sometimes make a great meal out of just yellow rice, beans, and a big salad. I opted to do the same.

A proud new wife, I set a plate of my home-cooked dinner in front of my husband and said “Buen provecho!” as I sat down across from him. He looked down at his plate, looked back up at me and said, “Where’s the meat?”

I can still remember that day. We laugh about it now, of course, but believe me that every meal since then has had some sort of meat in it. As I said…meat lovers.

Image from Wikipedia

And, though we’re equal opportunity meat lovers, this post will be all about the beef. We often ate beef growing up in a Puerto Rican house. From carne molida to bistec encebollado to barbecuing steaks at parties, many meals I grew up eating – and some of my favorites – involve beef. One of my all time favorites is bistec encebollado. I wish I had a nice video showing you how to make it, but I didn’t have time to make one right now (Note to self: Make video in the future!). So, I’m going to give you the basic recipe.

Image from CSU Meat Sciences

The key to making bistec encebollado is that you have to use cubed steak. If you can’t find it pre-packaged, just ask the butcher to run a piece of beef through the machine and it’ll come out cubed for you. Then, you really only need some onions and the basic ingredients for making sofrito – a staple when cooking Puerto Rican food.

Image from Puerto Rican Recipes Online

Recipe for Bistec Encebollado – Puerto Rican Cubed Steak with Onions

Ingredients

• Cubed Steak
• Onions
• Cooking Oil
• Adobo
• Meat Tenderizer
• Black Pepper

Cooking the Steak

1. Season el bistec with adobo, black pepper, and meat tenderizer.
2. Cut your onions into nice ring slices.
3. Using a large covered pan, heat a bit of cooking oil.
4. Put your steaks in and drizzle a little water under to help create steam.
5. Cover the pan and cook on low-medium heat.
6. When the steak is tender and nearly done, add your onions on top of the steaks.
7. The steak will cook slowly on low heat and the onions will wilt creating a perfect combination of steak and onions.
8. I highly suggest you serve over white rice and red beans with a side of tostones. Heaven!

I apologize for the lack in detail with the ingredients and the steps, but it is true to how I and everyone in my family cooks. We do not measure and just go along pouring items into the pot.

If you want to get some more ideas for cooking with beef, check out Beef It’s What’s for Dinner, which has many recipes, videos, and information for buying, cooking, and handling beef. February is actually “I Heart Beef” month so have fun looking up fun ideas for dinner this week; they even have a Quick Meals section with simple recipes fit for any busy parent.

Now, let’s get on to the contest.

Giveaway

One of you will win a $100 Omaha Steaks gift card!

How to Enter

If you’d like to enter this contest for a $100 Omaha Steaks gift card, simply leave a comment below and share your favorite memories of making everyday occasions special with beef and let me know your favorite recipe from the Beef It’s What’s for Dinner site.

For extra entries:

1. Tweet about this contest with a link back to this post and include @modernmami in your tweet. You must leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet for your entry to count.
2. Follow @BeefForDinner on twitter and tweet them with a recipe you like from their site.
3. Become a fan of ModernMami.com on Facebook and leave a comment with your Facebook name.
4. Become a fan of Beef It’s What’s for Dinner on Facebook.
5. Subscribe to this blog via email and leave a comment with the email you used to subscribe. (You can use the email field to do this instead of putting your email in the comment if you prefer.)
6. Subscribe on friendfeed and leave a comment with your friendfeed ID.
7. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing with your readers something you found helpful on the Beef It’s What’s for Dinner site. Make sure to link back to this contest page in your post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Sunday, February 28 at 11:59 pm EST. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.)

When my daughter was born, I was very late in sending out her baby photo along with an announcement of her birth. I  never actually sent out a formal announcement per say; I opted to do that via email. I sort of just sent out her photo to close friends and family with a small note. I still kick myself for not doing so. If we ever have another baby, I will definitely take one of the nicest photos and create a little photo announcement to send out.

In the meantime, I really want to get into the habit of sending out cards more often to our loved ones at different times of the year: Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Back-to-School, etc. Of course, a picture of our baby girl would definitely brighten up their day when they receive the card. Let’s face it, they don’t care about my husband and I anymore – all the love now goes to our daughter. And that’s fine.

So, when I was recently approached by the owner of Photo Card Creations, I figured it was the perfect opportunity for me to get some ideas going. I no longer have any excuses with sites such as these, where you can order custom photo cards. Photo Card Creations specializes in wedding thank you cards and invitations, birth announcements, and holiday cards, just to name a few. They have tons of card designs and a variety of different paper. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s a good time to order any personalized Valentine’s Day cards for sending to your family. Thanks to Photo Card Creations, you have the chance to create your own cards for Valentine’s Day or any upcoming occasion you have.

Photo Card Creations is offering ModernMami.com readers a 15% discount off ANY of their photo cards. This promotion is ongoing and can be used more than once. However, it cannot be combined with any other promotions. Enter “Link15” in the Promo Code field on the checkout page to receive your discount.

You can also enter the contest below for a $50 coupon!

Giveaway

One of you will win a $50 coupon towards the purchase of any cards at Photo Card Creations. The coupon can be used once towards the purchase of 75 or more cards and cannot be combined with any other promotions.

How to Enter

If you’d like to enter this contest for a $50 coupon, simply leave a comment below telling us your favorite card choice from the Photo Card Creations site.

For extra entries:

1. Tweet about this contest with a link back to this post and include @modernmami in your tweet. You must leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet for your entry to count.
2. Post to your Facebook profile about this contest with a link back to this post. Leave a comment with the link to your Facebook status.
3. Become a fan of ModernMami.com on Facebook and leave a comment with your Facebook name.
4. Subscribe to this blog via email and leave a comment with the email you used to subscribe. (You can use the email field to do this instead of putting your email in the comment if you prefer.)
5. Subscribe on friendfeed and leave a comment with your friendfeed ID.
6. Write a blog post on your own blog and link back to this contest page. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Wednesday, February 10 at 11:59 pm EST. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.)

Disclosure: I was not compensated for sharing this information with you and hosting this contest.

Photos courtesy of Photo Card Creations

A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of joining the Little Debbie Share-a-Thon crew and helped hand out free cupcakes at one of our local malls. Little Debbie went around the nation with those cute little cupcake cars spreading word about Little Debbie Cupcakes and asking people to share their smiles. You can read all about it on the Little Debbie Share-a-Thon site.

I had a lot of fun making my own video inside the cupcake car and just handing out cupcakes to mall shoppers. Who can resist a free chocolate cupcake, right? Apparently? Lots of people can. I was shocked when folks actually said no to a free cupcake. They’ve got much more will power than I do. But, most happily took a cupcake and some even came back for more! And the kids were ecstatic!

The nationwide tour is over now, but you can still enter to win your very own Little Debbie Cupcake Car or other prizes via the Share-a-Thon Giveaway site. You know you want one. Even my husband said he’d drive around in a cupcake.

Plus, you can also win cupcakes right here from me! Again, WHO can resist chocolate cupcakes?

Giveaway

Three of you will win a prize pack of 4 boxes of Little Debbie cupcakes.

How to Enter

If you’d like to enter this contest for a Little Debbie cupcake prize pack, simply leave a comment below letting me know if you’ve seen the Little Debbie Cupcake Car around.

For extra entries:

1. Tweet about this contest with a link back to this post and include @modernmami in your tweet. You must leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet for your entry to count.
2. Post to your Facebook profile about this contest with a link back to this post. Leave a comment with the link to your Facebook status.
3. Become a fan of ModernMami.com on Facebook and leave a comment with your Facebook name.
4. Subscribe to this blog via email and leave a comment with the email you used to subscribe. (You can use the email field to do this instead of putting your email in the comment if you prefer.)
5. Subscribe on friendfeed and leave a comment with your friendfeed ID.
6. Write a blog post on your own blog and link back to this contest page. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Wednesday, February 3 at 11:59 pm EST. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.)

Disclosure: I was compensated for participating in the Little Debbie Share-a-Thon tour at a local mall and also received Little Debbie goodies. But, I already ate chocolate cupcakes before working with Little Debbie.

Photos courtesy of Little Debbie

Viernes Social is back! This week, we have another fun contest for you.

I received a 2010 Entertainment Book from Airfoil Public Relations to review. In the past, I’ve bought the Entertainment Book on my own, but found that I didn’t use it as much as I would have liked to. For some reason or another, I would always forget it at home, or forget to look in the book before making a purchase. Before I knew it, the coupons had expired and it was time to purchase the next year’s book.

This time, though, I wanted to make sure to take full advantage of the coupons. It helped that I received the 2010 Entertainment Book before 2009 was even over. I’ve already taken advantage of quite a few coupons to purchase discounted movie tickets, as well as save a few bucks on various restaurant meals. There’s even a few coupons for completely free items (no purchase required) that I need to use.

My trick this time around? I put the Entertainment Book in the door of our car. That way, whenever we’re out and about on the weekends, we can check to see if there are any coupons we can use before we make a purchase or buy some food.

Want to save money in 2010? One of you will win your own 2010 Entertainment Book for your zip code or you can choose another location for your book (like Orlando, Hawaii, San Francisco, etc.) if you want to save money while on vacation.

Giveaway

One of you will win a 2010 Entertainment Book for the location of your choice.

How to Enter

If you’d like to enter this contest for a 2010 Entertainment Book, simply leave a comment below letting me know if you’ve used the Entertainment Book before.

For extra entries:

1. Tweet about this contest with a link back to this post and include @modernmami in your tweet. You must leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet for your entry to count.
2. Post to your Facebook profile about this contest with a link back to this post. Leave a comment with the link to your Facebook status.
3. Become a fan of ModernMami.com on Facebook and leave a comment with your Facebook name.
4. Subscribe to this blog via email and leave a comment with the email you used to subscribe. (You can use the email field to do this instead of putting your email in the comment if you prefer.)
5. Subscribe on friendfeed and leave a comment with your friendfeed ID.
6. Write a blog post on your own blog and link back to this contest page. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Thursday, January 14 at 11:59 pm EST. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.)

Disclosure: I received a free 2010 Entertainment Book for review. No compensation received.

Thank you everyone who entered the I Brake for Meltdowns book contest!

There were 2 entries and the winner is:

Entry #2 was Jennifer of Mami 2 Mommy!

Congratulations Jennifer!

A really really long time ago, the folks at Da Capo Press sent me a complimentary copy of the book “I Brake for Meltdowns: How to Handle the Most Exasperating Behavior of Your 2- to 5-year-old” to review.

I’ve just now gotten around to actually writing my review of the book. Better late than never I always say.

After reading my review, you can enter to win the book for yourself! I figure I might as well pass along the copy since I held onto it for so long.

Review

The book begins with an overview of various types of tantrums and meltdowns and details several scenarios. It then goes over many well-known toddler behaviors, with chapters on the following:

• social behavior
• sleep-related concerns
• eating dilemmas
• potty training
• fighting
• anger issues
• manipulation
• travel
• health and hygiene
• refusals
• other stubborn and annoying behaviors

Each chapter pretty much provides different circumstances and how you can deal with them, with alternatives included. I was stuck on the potty training chapter for a bit (for obvious reasons). One of the tips given is to let your child run naked outdoors. Which makes total sense since it makes for easier cleanup, but really? What if she sits down on the grass…naked? Maybe it’s just my paranoid self, but I’m not about to have ants crawl up my daughter’s butt.

Overall the book seems like a handy resource. Especially for those just beginning to deal with some of those really frustrating situations that come with toddlers and when your kid hits the terrible twos.

You can find out more at http://www.ibrakeformeltdowns.com

Win a copy of I Brake for Meltdowns: How to Handle the Most Exasperating Behavior of Your 2- to 5-Year Old

How to enter:

1. Leave a comment with the chapter you think would interest you most.
2. For a second entry, tweet a message on twitter with a link back to this post.
   Sample text to use: Win this book from @modernmami & learn how to deal with tantrums! Enter contest at http://tinyurl.com/modernmami-book
   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.
3. For a third entry, write a post and link back to this contest post on your blog. Again, be sure to leave a separate comment with your post link so that it will count.

Rules

You have until 11:59 pm EST on Saturday, May 9 to leave your comments. The winner will be posted on Monday, May 11 and will be chosen using Random.org.

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.

Note: Contest open to U.S. addresses only.

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.

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.