How are your holidays going? Do you have plans for NYE? I can't believe it, but we actually have no plans for the 31st for the first time in over 20 years!
As you may have heard me mention before, an unexpected surprise of the holiday season is that we were given an opportunity to review the Mistubishi Mirage during Christmas week. We thought it would be a perfect way to take our kids up to the mountains to see snow...but it's way to warm to snow up there, at least for now.
My husband found us a great deal on a room at the Casa Del Zorro resort in Borrego Springs, right in the middle of Borrego Springs State Park. That's in the particularly beautiful stretch of desert. Here's a video recap!
All in all it was a great, impromptu trip. We'll definitely be going back, though perhaps we'll have to spend a bit more on gas than we did this time!
Did you do any traveling this holiday season?
Wishing you love with extra cheese-
Nacho Mama
Disclosure: I was loaned the Mistubishi Mirage for review purposes, but not paid to share a review. The above is my honest opinion, honest!
Sometimes being a Weight Watcher on Halloween makes me feel like Charlie Brown. You know, EVERYBODY else seems to be able to enjoy all the sweets they can cram in their faces while you...get a rock.
I’m
always being asked about my Halloween Survival Strategies, so I thought
I’d share some (plus a few my members shared during the last week)so we
can all be happy at the scale next week (and not just from a sugar
high):
-DON’T BUY CANDY UNTIL HALLOWEEN. Trust me, this is America. You WILL be able to find affordable candy any day of the year, any hour of the day or night. I’m not sure, but it might be in the Constitution.
-ONLY BUY A LITTLE CANDY. Buy less than you think you’ll need. Then when the kiddies have cleaned you out, you’re out!
-BUY CANDY YOU DON’T LIKE. Are you a chocoholic? Buy sour candy. LOVE skittles? Buy candy corn (nobody likes that, or do they?)Can’t resist ANYTHING sweet? Buy fun packs of PRETZELS.
- “BUT I LOOOOOVE TO SEE THE KIDS IN THEIR COSTUMES!” Guess what? There are TONS of adorable costumed kiddies ALL OVER YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. Fix yourself a travel mug of low-pointsplus cocoa and get some Activity Points by taking a WALK AT NIGHT on Halloween. You’ll see loads of happy children, and maybe even earn enough APs to enjoy a mini-candybar with a side of smug.
Today our special guest will be Gwyn of Gwyinspiration, a blogger and
Weight Watchers member who has lost over 100 pounds! She'll share her
experience and how she's using her passion for fitness to help others.
Hi everyone!
I've decided it would be fun to participate in Youtube's "Vlog Every Day in April" (#VEDA) campaign. If you don't subscribe to my Youtube Channel you can do that RIGHT HERE-check me out every now and again for a wee glimpse into my day as I try to make Lifetime status with Weight Watchers while having life at the same time. I promise not to make the videos too long!
Just to give you an idea-here's the first 2:
Are you participating in #VEDA? If so please share your Youtube channel and I'll be sure and check YOU out! Wishing you love with extra cheese- Nacho Mama
Well, it was a real scorcher here in San Diego! I know, I know, a lot of you live in the South and on the East Coast and are thinking, "Boo-hoo! You don't know what hot is, lady!" It never gets as bad here as it did when we lived in Boston or New York, but since we've been back in San Diego for a few years now, I've become a bit of a weather wimp. I even had to break out my Mexican muu-muu...
Does anyone remember what these dresses are really called? I'm drawing a total blank...
This weekend we packed in a TON of summer fun! The kids' godfather was visiting from New York, with his boyfriend and his brother. They rented an adorable little cottage on Mission Beach and we spent the entire weekend playing in the water, digging in the sand and catching up with each other.
I indulge my "Champagne Tastes on a Beer Budget" and so can YOU!
Want to know how to throw a great summer soiree on a tight budget? How about a party that doesn't destroy your healthy eating plans? Join me as we discuss some great tips to help YOU be the Sumer Hostess with the Mostess! Listen to the live broadcast and ask my questions in the LIVE chatroom!
This past weekend I did something I haven't done in a long, long time. I went "unplugged" from Friday evening until, well, now! OK, it wasn't voluntary. The previously fab app I've been using for a few years to manage all my social media decided to go bye-bye. But here's what I DID manage to get done this weekend:
-A TON of laundry!
-A super-couponing shopping trip at my local supermarket (where I saved 52%!)
-Helped my hubby clean out the garage
-Had pizza night with my family (with loads of salad) and STILL
-Attended my Weight Watchers meeting and lost 1.8 POUNDS!!
-Took a family trip to an awesome pumpkin patch and saw my daughter shoot corn out of a cannon
-Enjoyed a slice of Real Julian Apple Pie with my family and LOGGED THE POINTSPLUS
-Tried out a super-cute Halloween craft I read about in Family Circle magazine
-Scheduled tomorrow's blog post
Whew! I had a lot of fun and even though I was so busy? I feel remarkably relaxed!
Like many of you who attended Blogher, I'm still recovering! It's taken a little longer than expected since I seem to have picked up a rather nasty bug from one of the 3,500 or so ladies I spent the weekend with. I hate being sick! It really gets me down. So I decided to cheer myself up by doing a little GIVEAWAY!
I admit it, I'm a Ross-aholic!
Before Blogher, I was contacted by the good folks at Ross Dress for Less to do a follow up post to the "Dress for Less" challenge we did a couple of months ago. THIS time, it's all about "Back to School". How much "Back to School" swag can I score at Ross for $25? A LOT!
Since I generously gave my "Blogher Bug" to my daughter, I figured she needed some cheering up too. So I found some seriously peppy school supplies that will keep her smiling well into the fall. WARNING: the following photo contains quantities of pink that may be unsuitable for cynical readers.
Here's the breakdown:
$10 Hello Kitty Backpack
$7 Hello Kitty Lunchbox
$2 Disney Princess notebook with matching pencils, pencil sharpener, eraser, memo pad and calculator
$2 Assorted pink fancy hair scrunchy-thingys
$4 4-pack pink socks
NOT BAD, right? Think you can do better? Then BRING IT. That's right, I'm challenging one of you to take the Ross "Back to School" Challenge! One of you will win a $25 Ross gift card to help your kid(s) look forward to Fall.
Here's how to enter:
1. Leave a comment sharing what part of "Back to School" you're most looking forward to.
2. Like Ross Dress for Less on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did (or leave a comment letting us know you already do)
3. Like Nacho Mama's Blog on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did (or leave a comment letting us know you already do)
Maximum 3 entries per person, US residents only. Contest closes midnight PST, August 14th. Winner will be selected at random using Random.org and announced here Monday, August 15th.
Wishing you love and GOOD LUCK with extra cheese- Nacho Mama
PS-Those heels I wore while dancing in the Blogher flashmob? Got 'em at Ross.
Disclosure: The items mentioned in this post and the gift card for the giveaway were gifted by Ross Dress for Less. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own, folks.
I wanted to hurry up and get this posted for you folks right away because I heard that San Diego is going to the #2 Vacation Destination this holiday weekend (after Vegas, can that be true?) I also know that many of you who'll be coming to town for Blogher in August are bringing your families and staying through the weekend to enjoy San Diego. I figured some of you have got to be planning to visit Legoland, and maybe for the first time-like me!
Today my husband, kids and I had the privilege of attending the opening of "Splash Zoo"-a new feature at Legoland Water Park, along with the other moms of San Diego Momfia. It was a BEAUTIFUL day to hang out by the water in a cabana...
The Momfia Cabana at Splash Safari
I have to admit that, until today, it never crossed my mind that I could take my 2-year-old to a waterpark. So when I heard that Splash Zoo was designed for TODDLERS to enjoy the waterpark experience, I was a little concerned that my husband, 8-year-old and I might not be enjoying the day as much as our little guy. I needn't have worried-we had a FABULOUS time! We ALL enjoyed the toddler-safe "lazy rizer" innertube ride, the slides and especially splashing around with the Lego animal fountains. We all had a BLAST!
Now as I mentioned, I was a Legoland virgin. However, I've grown up regularly visiting pretty much every theme park in Southern California. There are things I really love about theme parks: I love rides and OK, I'm a huge sucker for anything with a "theme." There are also things I generally don't care for: pricey food, lack of shade, crowds. Here's what I loved about Legoland:
-The WHOLE family had fun, even though we spent the day in the "little kid" parts of the park.
-Most of the attractions were interactive, like this musical fountain. You can play the different instruments by jumping or dancing on the yellow circular pads. They also had fountains where the kids can aim the water stream at the Lego animals or targets-my kids LOVED those!
-Another thing I REALLY appreciated was the lush landscaping and abundance of shady places to sit. This is a big beef I have with a lot of theme parks. You're tired, maybe your toddler has fallen asleep in his stroller, and you have no choice but to broil while waiting for your older child to go on a ride. This is exactly what happened when my 8-year-old wanted to go to "Volvo Driving School." BUT, instead of turning into a chicharron? I got to sit on a nice cool shady bench to watch my kid drive the Legoland grand prix!
-Although the line to get our tickets was pretty long, it didn't feel crowded inside the park at all. We hit the waterpark at about 11:30 and it didn't start to get busy until we were leaving to visit the main park at about 2:30.
I can't really say what kind of food was on offer. I didn't want to risk being stuck with something my super-picky kids wouldn't be in the mood for, so we packed our own drinks and snacks and had a lovely poolside picnic under one of Splash Safari's GIANT umbrellas (really-they were like a Christo installation!) It was delightful :)
We had "Resort Hopper" passes, but my kids were wiped out after Legoland and the Legoland Water Park, so we didn't get a chance to see the aquarium. I was a little disappointed about that, I love aquariums and it looked pretty awesome! I believe you can pay $10 and extend your passes for an extra day, so that might be something you'd want to consider.
Another tip: instead of taking the exit off Interstate 5 marked for "Legoland" you can get there by taking the Palomar Airport Road exit, then turning left onto Armada. The roundabout will lead you to Legoland. We took this way home and got a jaw-dropping view of the coast, I wish we could have seen it at sunset!
Hope you find these Legoland tips helpful for your next family trip :)
MANY, MANY, THANKS to Legoland and San Diego Momfia for the invite. My kids are already begging to go back!
Wishing you love with extra cheese- Nacho Mama
Disclosure: The tickets to this event were gifted to me by Legoland. The above is my honest opinion and I have not been compensated in any way for what is written here.
