Glade®’s Winter Collections D.I.Y. Wreath #ad #SienteGlade

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SienteGlade #CollectiveBias

As the Holiday season kicks in, I always seek out moments to create something special for our home. Something that will help our upcoming guests feel welcome in our house. We are a large Mexican-American family and gathering during the holidays always brings joy to our lives. We are so busy that seeing everyone in one place is not always possible. No matter how hectic this holiday season may get, we want to enjoy time with our families and help bring joy to their season as well. As someone who grew up in a large Mexican family, coming together at family gatherings has always been a motive for true happiness.

In our home joy comes in the little things, putting up our Christmas tree, decorating our home and creating our own winter wonderland is always fun! In order to begin this long-awaited process I took some time and visited my favorite store, Target, which carries many of the new limited edition Glade® Winter Collection scents. I purchased the Be at Peace™ scent, which has a hint of balsam fir and juniper. The scent is so clean and crisp it truly reminds me of winter. The packaging inspired me to create a Holiday wreath that would reflect the scent and colors of winter.

To my family and I, joy means spending time together, enjoying one another and having a

house filled with fresh scents and food of course!

The holidays are always a great excuse to craft and decorate your house with lots of red, green and gold! All colors inspired by Glade® and their limited edition Winter Collection of fresh aromas.

In order to create my wreath, I purchased some great Christmas decorations/ornaments and a medium size green wreath. You will need some hot glue or if you have ornaments ties or ribbon would also work. Creating the wreath is very simple and takes no time at all. You can have it done in about 30 minutes depending on how much detail you want to add.

I first make a mock arrangement of my wreath and try to imagine what I want it to look like.

Once I have dreamed up my perfect Christmas wreath; I start affixing the ornaments, ribbon, and bows. I purchased a pre-made bow, which is always easier, and some ribbon to tie around the entire wreath. Once I have secured all the ornaments and details to my wreath with ribbon ties or hot glue; it is ready to go on my front door and welcome our guest when they arrive on Noche Buena.

You too can create for your family and be inspired using this Glade® coupon to purchase your favorite Winter scent. Follow Glade® on Facebook or Twitter for more on their Holiday Inspired scents: http://cbi.as/1c10a & https://twitter.com/Glade

Glade Latina Holiday Sweepstakes

#VivaLaMorena Chipotles Make my Day ::Recipe:: #ad

Momma Disclosure {This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #VivaLaMorena #CollectiveBias}

In our home we love eating homemade traditional meals. Most of the time we call on one of the GrandMa's to share their recipes for us. Especially when we are looking for good meatless alternatives. One of my personal favorites are "tortas de papa". I know you are probably imagining these huge "bolillos" stuffed with potatoes but nope. What they are is little round potatoe patties covered in egg and slightly browned in oil.  For this recipe I decided to bring out some traditional flavors and created a tomatoe and chipotle based "caldillo" or sauce. So, my mini-me and I went to our local La Michoacana Meat Market to purchase some La Morena Chipotles & La Morena sliced jalapeños. You know just to add a little kick to our delicious dinner. 

What you will need to create this meatless meal:

• 2-3 large potatoes
• 2 eggs
• tomatoes
• 1- can of  La Morena chipotle chiles 
• seasonings~garlic salt and pepper
• onion and garlic
• 2 tablespoons of bouillon
• 2 cups of water  

First, I set my potatoes to boil. I usually don't add seasoning here. 

Then I start with my sauce. I blend; tomatoes, 1 clove of garlic, a couple of slices of onion and the 2 tablespoons of bouillon and depending on how spicy you want it to be, I add about 1/2 a can of La Morena chipotles. I blend it all with about 2 cups of water. Depending on the consistency I might add more water if it's too thick. You want the sauce to be thin like a soup. 

I then put the sauce in a pan to simmer while I prepare my potatoes patties. 

I add the 2 eggs to a bowl and scramble them until the yoke is completely blended. And, set them aside.

Once the potatoes are cooked and soft I peel and mash them, lumpy are my favorites so I try not to mash them too much. I add garlic salt and pepper to taste. I then grab about a small handful of the potatoes and mold them by hand into small round semi-flat patties. I cover them lightly with egg and  in a small already prepared pan with some oil I lightly brown the patties.  

Your patties and caldillo are complete. If you want to make it a good all around healthy meal you can place them on top of some brown rice. For my children today, I made spaghetti and added the patties on top. They can also be paired with your favorite lentil soup or lima bean soup. Both traditional for this season. 

I've shared my favorite traditional flavors. I'd love to hear about yours! Leave a comment sharing some of your favorite meatless meals during this season.

Christmas Centerpieces with Glade ® Scented Candles for Christmas #GladeHolidayMood #ad

::Momma Disclosure:: {This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions expressed are my own.} 

When I was a child I remember our home being filled with wonderful smells of fresh poinsettias, home-cooked meals, and scents of lit candles. My Momma and Abuelita, would make beautiful centerpieces that decorated our dinner, on Noche Buena. We celebrate Christmas as a family and had Posadas the nights leading up to Christmas Eve. 

These days, I am constantly seeking to recreate these traditions for my children. When I saw the glade scented candles I immediately thought of glittered candles to add to our Christmas centerpiece. 

We headed out to our local HEB to find the amazing new scented Glade ® candles. The scents created by Glade ® such as Frosted Cookie Party™ , Sparkling Spruce™ and Apple Cinnamon Cheer™ ,smell so delicious and are reminiscent of our cena de Noche Buena. 

They created the perfect #GladeHolidayMood thanks to #CollectiveBias. 

Here is what you will need to recreate our festive centerpiece, it is really easy and quick to make our glittered candles: 

 1. Spray-on Adhesive 
 2. Glitter 
 3. Glade Scented Candles (I used 3) 
 4. Fun Christmas decorations 

• First; I set up a glitter station by my kitchen sink. I picked up the candle from the open end and                      sprayed on the adhesive. 

• Then, I quickly sprinkled the glitter on all the way around the candles, on at a time. 

It’s so quick and easy and adds so much glitz to your centerpiece! The centerpieces can be decorated as you would like and see fit. I added reds, greens and silver to help my glittered candles stand out!

It was so easy; your holiday table will not only smell great but be lit in a beautiful manner. This centerpiece brings back memories of when I was younger and my Momma and Abuelita would prepare our holiday dinner. Always a special night filled with family, food and traditions. I am more than happy to recreate these nights for my children and our little family.

 What about you, which Glade ® Candle scents are your favorites?

#ad #edu Early Education is Important to our Family #TheStoryOfEmma #CollectiveBias

::Momma Disclosure:: {This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TheStoryOfEmma #CollectiveBias}

I want to share with you a cause that is near and dear to my heart. Thanks to #CollectiveBias for allowing me to share this campaign,#TheStoryOfEmma with the Momma of Dos Readers. With this I ask that you please watch and share the following short 3-minute video; it's the story of how a young girl reaches her goals and finds success through the sacrifices made by her parents and their decision to create a better future for their daughter. Mi Escuelita gave her the educational boost she needed to help her succeed. While the story is fictional, its inspiring message is representative of the children who are positively impacted by a Mi Escuelita education. Here is The Story of Emma:

 
The Story of Emma from Mi Escuelita on Vimeo.

My parents came to the U.S. in the early 80’s, 1981 to be exact. The year I was born. Immigration was a resource and an option. My parents knew that as a young couple they couldn't provide properly for their now forming family if they stayed in Mexico. My parents became U.S. residents with the amnesty in the 80’s.

We migrated for years where the work took my Dad. Our family grew as well. 4 kids. In the mid-1990’s my parents decided that the traveling was no longer good for us. Our family needed stability, they opted for  living in a small border town called Mission, Texas. Thanks to programs similar to Mi Escuelita in the rural town my Momma had all the resources she needed to help us get ahead. They wouldn't realize what they would do for us as far as receiving a good education early on until our later years when college was an attained dream.  

Because nothing in this life comes easy, my parents instilled in us, education and of course hard work. An education that their parents couldn't afford for them. My Momma the oldest child in her family worked at an early age to help provide for her family. My Dad was in the middle somewhere of his family and really didn't get to go to school either. Both my parents had good trades to survive in Mexico but when it came to following the American Dream they were not sure how they would do it, eventually they dared to and attained success for their children.

With their hard-work and sacrifices made, they provided their family with a home, food and dreams. My Sister and I graduated from the University of Houston. I graduated in 2005 and my Sister followed in 2007. One of my brothers graduated from the Culinary Institute here in Houston and now lives and works as a chef in Arkansas. My younger brother is still working on what he wants to be.

Fast forward to the education my children are currently obtaining. As parents who know the importance of an education. We knew we wanted our children in an early education program even before they started public or private school. My children currently attend an early education Christian academy and it's always a proud moment and achievement to have your son recite entire prayers from memory or lines from his plays at the age of 3 1/2 or now at 5. He also counts to 30 in both Spanish and English. I believe in the power of having a great education and taking full advantage of those resources. 

Personally I knew college was my dream and a goal I wanted to reach. We now tell our children that through hard work and an education they to can be anyone they want to be...even the future President of the United States. 

What is Mi Escuelita "My {Little} School" and how can you help?

“Mi Escuelita Preschool Inc. teaches English to children from all cultures and prepares them for academic success. A 501(c) (3) non-profit organization with five locations in Dallas, Texas, Mi Escuelita provides a unique service to low-income families with children considered to be “at- risk.” While remaining strongly dedicated to the preservation of each child’s cultural heritage, Mi Escuelita’s primary focus is to provide a safe, secure and nurturing environment where non- English speaking children of preschool age are taught the English language, pre-reading, literacy, and social skills necessary to have a successful experience in both school and life. Visit http://miescuelita.org/” 

I believe in this cause and I hope that you too can find value in what an early education is doing for the children in the program. It not only provides an educational service for the young children who attend but also a wonderful fountain of resources for the parents. Parents that like myself want their children to have an early education in order to create a better future for them! Mi Escuelita is giving these children and their families the opportunity to reach the American Dream, success. 

http://bit.ly/storyofemma

Join us for #TheStoryOfEmma #LATISM Twitter Party on Thursday, December 11, 2014 at 9:00pm. @LATISM and @ColectivaLatina will be joining forces to support of the Mi Escuelita campaign and create awareness about #TheStoryOfEmma. 5 prizes of $50 gift card + $50 donation to Mi Escuelita in winner’s name will be awarded during the twitter party. PLEASE RSVP HERE: http://cbi.as/qe2ds

Also Tweet the following to help support the campaign: RT to donate $1! I am investing in #Latino children: lets make success stories like #TheStoryOfEmma a reality http://t.co/Pksh0tGGOz