{Sponsored giveaway}

Mother’s Day is a two-fold celebration for me since I’m a mom and a daughter. I see my mom on a regular basis since I’m lucky to live near her, but I do make it a point to visit her on Mother’s Day. So, my Mother’s Day celebration is always split in two with half spent with my husband and children and the other half spent with my mom (or all of us). She’s a special lady in my life, of course – despite normal growing-up frustrations, she really has been (and continues to be) a great mami. I even told her online, so it’s official.

When Kohl’s asked to partner with us for a Mother’s Day celebration, I knew it would be a great way to celebrate all the great moms out there – including you! Plus, it was a good excuse to go shopping with my baby girl and pick out a great gift for her abuela - someone that is as equally dear to her as she is to me! My baby girl and I shopped the Kohl’s Mother’s Day sale and put together a nice gift for my mom. Here’s what we found:

• Sonoma Life + Style Jar Candle in Hibiscus Flower scent (similar to this one) that my daughter thought smelled great and would make a nice addition to the other candles my mom has.
• Two Sonoma Life + Style photo frames to fill each with a school picture of my kids. From what I could see, pretty much all photo frames were on sale for 50% off in the stores!
• A bracelet and pair of earrings my baby girl picked out because she knows abuela likes to wear jewelry. There were a lot of sale items in the jewelry department too.

I loved shopping with my baby girl to find a great gift for my mom and it was wonderful to see her truly thinking about what her abuela likes and what we should pick out. I think my mom is going to love her gift, especially because my girl personalized it for her. Now it’s your turn to have fun shopping at Kohl’s and perhaps treat yourself to your own Mother’s Day gift! Check out the giveaway details below.

Kohl’s Mother’s Day Gift Card Giveaway

To celebrate Mother’s Day, we’re giving away a $100 Kohl’s gift card!

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this giveaway for a $100 Kohl’s gift card, simply leave a comment telling us about a special mom in your life. Is it your mom, grandmother, mother-in-law? Tell us all about her!

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on Twitter.
2. Tweet the following (1 time only): Celebrate moms – enter to win a $100 @Kohls gift card from @modernmami! http://bit.ly/YKImml #giveaway #Kohls
3. Receive post updates by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can do so either via email or through a RSS reader. Leave a comment saying you did so or are already a subscriber.
4. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the details of this giveaway. Be sure to include a link back to this post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Sunday, May 19, 2013 at 11:59 pm EST. You must be 18 or older and a U.S. resident. No purchase necessary. Remember 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.) Winner will have 72 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Prize will be provided and fulfilled by giveaway sponsor and modernmami™.com is not responsible for lost or damaged goods.

Disclosure: I received a Kohl’s gift card to shop the Kohl’s Mother’s Day sale and facilitate this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Although I think mami should be celebrated every day, why not celebrate in an extra special way on that one day a year dedicated solely to her? How about making something just for her, something she can enjoy and admire for days, weeks even?!

I love flowers. I love to see them, grow them, cut them, receive them, and give them. So it should come to no surprise that flowers are what we plan to make this Mother’s Day for all the lovely mothers we know – tissue paper flowers to be exact. Tissue paper flowers are easy for little hands to make and lovely to look at. Besides, who doesn’t like to get flowers?

Would you like to learn how to make these tissue paper flowers?

DIY Tissue Paper Flowers Craft

Materials Needed:

• Tissue paper
• Pipe cleaners
• Washi tape
• Twigs
• Scissors

You can purchase all these materials (with the exception of the twigs) at Walmart.

How to Make Tissue Paper Flowers for Mother’s Day:

Begin by cutting your leaves. You can cut several at the same time (I cut 6 at the same time). Then, with the yellow tissue, cut a thin strip, about 3 inches in width, and whatever length you choose. Do the same with the pink tissue (or any other color you choose), but this time it should double in thickness (about 6 inches) and keep the same length.

Make the flower center and petals following the steps in the photo below:

Add the stem and leaves following the steps in the photo below:

Make one or make a bunch of tissue paper flowers and gift to that special mami you know!

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, modernmami™ received compensation for the time and effort in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

All photos © Lisa Renata

Note: The following is in Spanish because when I speak to my mom, I speak to her in the first language I learned, Spanish. An English translation can be found below, so just scroll down!

Querida mamá,

No sé ni como empezar a describir lo mucho que aprecio la madre que tú eres. Son tantas cosas que me has enseñado – los consejos que me has dado desde chiquita, como ser buena madre y esposa, y como luchar para poder salir adelante.

Tú siempre fuiste honesta conmigo y compartiste lo que fue tu niñez, como lucharon para sobrevivir en esos tiempos difíciles, y porque tú querías mejor para nosotros. Me dijiste muchas veces lo duro que es ser mujer, pero al mismo tiempo me enseñaste que uno tiene que tener compasión. Pasamos por momentos difíciles entre tú y yo, pero creo que esos momentos sirvieron para prepararme para ser la mujer que soy hoy.

Yo sé que a veces yo no te lo digo o te lo muestro muy bien, pero créeme que siempre estoy pensando en ti y como puedo hacer mas. Quisiera poder verte todos los días sin tener que preocuparme del trabajo, los niños, la casa y todas esas otras cosas que al final del día me pregunto porque dediqué tiempo para hacerlas. A veces ni importan.

Te quiero decir que en los treinta y dos años de mi vida, siempre he sabido que puedo contar contigo. Yo sé que el amor que tienes por tus hijos es grande y que tú harías cualquier cosa por ayudarnos. Tu corazón es grande y les muestras el mismo cariño a tus nietos que el que nos distes a nosotros. Por eso, te digo mil veces ¡gracias!

Mami, es difícil imaginar mi vida sin ti. Tan sólo de pensar que la realidad es esa, que un día no vas a estar aquí, casi me muero yo por dentro. Te quiero mucho, mami y te agradezco todo lo que has hecho por tus hijos, por mí, por mi nena y nene, y por ser la mujer y madre que eres.

En este día de las madres que celebraremos el domingo, espero que recuerdes lo mucho que has hecho en tu vida, lo mucho que te queremos, y cuanto te admiro.

**********************

Dear mom,

I don’t even know how to begin to describe how much I appreciate the mother you are. There are so many things you’ve taught me – the advice you’ve given me since I was little, how to be a good mother and wife, and how to fight in order to succeed.

You were always honest with me and shared stories from your childhood, how your family struggled during rough times, and why you wanted better for us. Many times you told me how hard it is to be a woman, but at the same time you taught me to have compassion. You and I had difficult moments, but I believe even those moments helped prepare me to be the woman I am today.

I know I don’t always tell you or show you, but believe me that I’m always thinking about you and how I can do more. I wish I could see you every day without needing to worry about work, the kids, the house, and all those other things that at the end of the day I ask myself why I even bothered doing them. Sometimes they seem so unimportant.

I want to let you know that in the thirty-two years of my life, I’ve always known I can count on you. I know the love you have for your children is huge and that you’d do anything to help us. Your heart is big and you show your grandchildren the same love that you showed us. For that, I say thank you a million times!

Mami, it’s tough to imagine my life without you. Just from thinking about the fact that the reality is just that, one day you won’t be here, I nearly die inside. I love you a lot, mami, and appreciate all you’ve done for your children, for me, my daughter and son, and for the woman and mother you are.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday, I hope you remember all you’ve done in your life, how much we love you, and how much I admire you.

Disclosure: This story is sponsored by Hallmark through their Life is a Special Occasion campaign. As always, all stories and opinions are my own. To receive special offers and discounts from Hallmark, sign up for their e-newsletter!

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and you know abuelita is waiting for that special card to arrive. Why not make it extra especial and have your little ones make their very own card for abuelita?

My four year old chiquita made the one you see above. Okay, she had my help, but trust me, with a little supervision and prepping, even a 1-year-old can make a card for abuelita.

Homemade Mother’s Day Card for Abuelita (Grandma) – Craft for Kids

Materials:

You can pick up all of these supplies at your local Walmart.

• assorted card stock and scrap-booking paper
• 1 brad
• glue
• scissors

Instructions:

First you will need to make a stencil in the shape of a teardrop. You will use the same stencil to trace the leaves and the flower petals. Cut three of each coordinating color: three green teardrops for the leaves and three sets of three different coordinating papers for the petals. Set them aside.

Pick a solid color of card stock to make the card. Fold it in half.

Using a coordinating solid color, cut a slightly smaller rectangle. (My daughter loves purple so she picked a darker purple for the main card and a lavender for the smaller rectangle.) Have your little one glue it in place.

To help guide your little one, draw a dot somewhere around the middle upper half of the card. This will help guide where each petal needs to go. Make sure that the pointy side of each petal is placed over the dot. Have your little one glue on the first petal.

Moving clockwise, have your little one continue gluing each petal overlapping slightly.

After all the petals have been glued, the card should look like the one above. Now, let’s add a stem to our flower.

To make the stem, either you or your little one can draw a straight line using a ruler and a green marker. Do this starting at the bottom of the flower all the way down to the end of the smaller rectangle.

Now let’s add some leaves!

Using the green teardrops previously cut, have your little one glue them individually on to the stem. Make sure that the pointy side is now facing outwards.

Using some yellow card stock (or any other coordinating color) cut a small circle. Have your little one glue it onto the center of the flower. Let it dry for a few minutes.

You can leave the card as is, or you can add a little dimension and bling, by adding a brad to it.

With a needle or pin, pierce a tiny whole in the center of the flower. Insert the brad, turn the card over and fold brad ends.

You are done!

Now glue a piece of white paper to the inside of the card (if you like) and let your little one write her words of love for abuelita.

­­­­¡Feliz Día de las Madres!

Lisa Renata is a proud multicultural Latina of Mexican, German and Japanese descent. She and her husband of German, Scott-Irish descent are raising their two lovely kids bilingual and in a home full of diverse traditions. She holds a degree in cultural Anthropology and is a certified Interpreter. She is also the creator of SaboraCajeta.com, where she shares her craft ideas, and her passion for sewing and photography.

Disclosure: ModernMami.com is a member of the Walmart Moms program, resulting in compensation for this post.

This is a sponsored post.

In the eight years that we’ve been married, my husband has customarily been “the breakfast guy.” I’m not much of a breakfast person; my breakfast meals consist primarily of bagels, yogurt, or a bowl of cereal. I rarely eat egg and am not a huge fan of traditional breakfast foods – except for bacon, that I’m good with. Thus, my husband inadvertently took on the role of cooking breakfast the majority of the time since he is actually very much a fan of the meal and could eat pancakes all day long. In all honesty, the man makes better pancakes, and even better eggs, than I do, so I’m happy to have him do it.

Breakfast in bed is, apparently, a tradition for Mother’s Day throughout the nation. I don’t particularly remember doing this for my mami growing up; I’m pretty sure we took her out to eat that day. But, I can say that one of the most fun memories I have of my own Mother’s Day (this year makes only my sixth) is when my baby girl and husband snuck out of the house early in the morning to our local grocery store and bought the necessary items to make me my very own breakfast in bed. The look on my girl’s face alone as she helped carry the plate into my room made the day special.

My breakfast in bed that day was pretty simple and perfect for someone like me who doesn’t normally do a huge breakfast. This year, my husband knows that if he and baby girl decide they want to treat me to a Mother’s Day breakfast in bed, they have some very simple breakfast recipes they can choose from. Here are a few you too can share with your family.

Mother’s Day Simple and Easy Breakfast Recipes for Breakfast in Bed

Bagel Faces for Mom

Ingredients
Package of Bagels
Cream Cheese
Veggies – tomato for a mouth, peppers for eyebrows, cucumbers for eyes, sprouts for hair.

Recipe courtesy of Walmart

Kellogg’s Granola Parfait

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients
1 container (8 oz.) low-fat vanilla flavored yogurt
1/2 cup fresh fruit (sliced strawberries, sliced banana, blueberries or raspberries)
1 cup Kellogg’s® Special K® Low Fat Granola

Directions

1. In 2 tall glasses, layer yogurt, fruit and Kellogg’s® Special K® Low Fat Granola until glass is full.
2. Top with extra fruit.
3. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Kellogg’s

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Ingredients
2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs
Chocolate morsels

Directions

1. Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat or electric griddle to 375°F; grease with cooking spray, vegetable oil or shortening. (Surface is ready when a few drops of water sprinkled on it dance and disappear.)
2. Stir all ingredients until blended. Pour by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle.
3. Add chocolate morsels to your liking to each pancake.
4. Cook until edges are dry. Turn; cook until golden.

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker’s Bisquick® Pancake recipe

I hope you enjoy your Mother’s Day this coming Sunday with your family and hopefully you get to enjoy your very own (simple) breakfast in bed!

What are some quick and easy breakfast recipes you enjoy eating?

Disclosure:  As a member of the Walmart Moms program, I was compensated for this post. As always, all opinions are my own.

What do you normally do on Mother’s Day? Do you stay home and relax? Go out to eat?

This will be my 5th year celebrating Mother’s Day for myself; before that it was all about my mami. Of course, that means that I share the celebrations with my mom now. Usually, this means I do a little relaxing at home with my family and then visit my mother for the other half of the day. I think once we all went out to eat together. But, we’ve never really done a family day out for Mother’s Day. I think maybe next year I will plan a beach trip so we can all enjoy the wonderful May weather and both my mom and I can relax by the ocean.

To celebrate Mother’s Day, Nestle Family is currently holding a national giveaway on their site and also offering a giveaway for ModernMami.com readers.

Mother’s Day to Remember National Sweepstakes

You could win $8,000 toward a family dream vacation plus $2,000 for a spa day or night out on the town with your friends. See details and enter at Nestle Family by May 31, 2010.

ModernMami.com Reader Giveaway

One of you could win a prize pack full of the following coupons and products ($150 value):

• $29.99 Shutterfly gift card
• 30-day supply of Glowelle
• Carnation Instant Breakfast Essentials
• Juicy Juice
• Dreyer’s ice cream
• Toll House
• Nesquik
• Cranberry Raisinets
• Stouffer’s
• Nestle Pure Life
• Wonka Exceptionals
• Wonka Sploshberries
• Recipe cards featuring recipes from meals.com

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this contest, simply leave a comment below and tell us how you normally celebrate Mother’s Day.

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on twitter.
2. Tweet the following: Enter to win $150 worth of Nestle products at @modernmami. Ends 5/13. http://bit.ly/dcoTFJ #giveaway #contest
3. Like ModernMami.com on Facebook and leave a comment on this post 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 sharing with your readers how you celebrate Mother’s Day and 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 Thursday, May 13 at 11:59 pm EST. Remember 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.)

Hope all you mamis have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Disclosure: In conjunction with hosting this giveaway, I will also receive a Nestle Family prize pack.

Looking for some last minute Mother’s Day gift ideas for that special lady in your life? Here are a few suggestions for those busy working moms you know.

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for the Working Mom

Workplace Flexibility: Realigning 20th-century Jobs for a 21st-century Workforce

Though I have not personally read this book, the woman who likes to read non-fiction and is interested in topics related to work-life balance may find it right up her alley. Workplace Flexibility brings together 16 essays authored by leading experts in economics, demography, political science, law, sociology, anthropology, and management. They examine existing business practices and public policy regarding flexibility in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan. The book presents a compelling argument for voluntary adoption of best flexibility practices that are a win-win for both the employer and the employee.

Slow Cooker

I know first-hand how hard it can be to put dinner on the table on busy weeknights, when you’ve had a long day at work and just want to relax yourself. I received a slow cooker for Christmas, and have found it useful on several occasions for cooking meals while away. Some women may not want a kitchen appliance as a gift, but there are those who will appreciate having a slow cooker in the house to help with the daily dinner rush.

Subscription to Working Mother Magazine

A good magazine subscription can make for a great gift. Many women enjoy browsing through magazines for new ideas, tips, and information. As the title indicates, this magazine is tailored for the working mother.

Smart Phone

Image from Volker on Mobile

Smart phones can be very useful for a working mother. She may find that she’s able to increase productivity using a smart phone and balance the home and work life better.

Wii Fit Plus

I love my Wii Fit Plus and use it to exercise, relax, and have fun. I like that I can use it in a variety of ways depending on my mood and that I can even play alongside my baby girl. This might actually become more of a family gift, but mom will appreciate it too.

Spa Gift Card

Photo by Thomas Wanhoff

Of course, you can never go wrong with a gift card so your special lady can get away for a bit and get some me time. Treat her to a massage, facial, or just some relax time with a spa gift card and she’ll definitely be happy!

What is your favorite Mother’s Day gift to give those special women in your life?

Disclosure: Links to products are Amazon.com affiliate links.

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!