Maria's Space: May 2019

Thursday, May 30, 2019

The Perfect Backpack #SMARTY



I have the most perfect backpack.  My daughter needed a backpack for her 8th grade trip to Washington DC. The kids were told to bring a draw string bag because there would be so many security checks and having a backpack would slow the group down. She used the SMARTY Heavy Duty Clear Backpack and ran into zero trouble going through security or searching for what she needed quickly.

She kept everything in it:

Snacks, water, phone, money, credit card, keys, books, drawing pad, brush, umbrella, gum, sunblock, and even a stuffed animal she purchased at a gift shop.


She loved the size and said the other kids had a small drawstring bag that had to be searched thoroughly and didn't have any room in it due to the size. She said, this was water proof, easy to handle, comfortable to wear and on while on the bus she didn't have to search for anything. She could see exactly what she needed just by looking at it.


Since she came back and I have been seeing a chiropractor for my sciatica pain, I have taken SMARTY as my job bag. I carry so much stuff with me every day. Stickers for my students, books, lunch, wallet, planner, extra water and more. It is so nice and big and instead of carrying my tote on one shoulder like I use to, I can distribute the weight evenly. My chiropractor still doesn't love how much I carry but says this is definitely better for my back. 


It is a great bag. I love that it is waterproof and easy to find my things.

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

My Life In Pics - April 1 - April 7

April 1 - More art from my Goddess. Her sketches are so cute to me even when she wants to toss them out because she "ruined it."


April 2 - Digital art by my girl. So cute!




April 4 - Luna's teeth. Why? Well, we love getting shots of them yawning for some reason. Don't judge.

April 5 - NADA

April 6 - Hello! I saw the Weiner Mobile and thought it was the coolest. My daughter thought I was totally lame. 


April 7 - Luna laying with Goddess while she creates art featuring well....Luna of course.


My Life in Pics - March 23 - March 31

March 23 - Family dinner at Pizza Unos. My boys crack me up when they are together. Very much boy play which gets a little ridiculous and involves a lot of trash talk.


March 24 - Just one of our cat sitting jobs. This is a new family for us and we were thrilled to get to know their cats.


March 25- We never get a photo of our three cats hanging out together. This made us so happy.


March 26 - Pretty pathetic pic but I took a photo of the speaker I  have a work for a review. It is a great little speaker. My class is so loud (they are 2 after all) so I need a power little speaker that will not break if it falls. This is durable and loud.

March 27 - My daughter took some photos of her class trip to Roosevelt Mansion in Hyde Park. I love seeing them. As a child my family went there often. I love how quiet this room looks with it's four poster bed and overhead light.


March 28 - This is the thing nightmares are made of. Luna in a snapchat filter was the only photo taken on March 28th. Yikes!


March 29 - My date for the Middle School play is too cute in all her black gear.



March 30 - Really?! This is it! A friggin picture of a Shamrock shake?! UGH


March 31 - Semi Formal dress shopping was not what I had expected. It kinda sucked.


Chloe's Nickelodeon Kids Pops are Here



Chloe's the better for you frozen fruit pop brand has launched a kid focused line in partnership with Nickelodeon!

Still made with the same simple ingredients: fruit, water and cane sugar, the new line of 40 calorie pops includes a Blueberry-Banana combination featuring Thomas & Friends and a Strawberry-Mango blend with new favorite character, Sunny Day.

My store says they are getting them in soon and I am excited to see what my kids think because they love the Blueberry and Tangerine pops. The Thomas & Friends and Sunny Day pops are a wonderful kid loving combo of Blueberry-Banana and Strawberry-Mango. These are my kids favorite yogurt combos so I know they will love them. 

Since my store didn't have them in stock yet, I am going to show you the Dark Chocolate ones. 


I think the reason they taste so much like my beloved Brooklyn Italian ice is because they are made of natural cocoa, water and cane sugar. At 60 calories I don't feel any of the guilt I feel when I eat a bowl of ice cream. They are delicious and one is enough! I LOVE THEM!



They have so many flavors to choose from and you can find them in your supermarket freezer.


T

Monday, May 27, 2019

S'Mores Better Than Ever #stuffedpuffs #smores




 


The 411:

My kids and I loved these marshmallows. They love marshmallows any which way but I only like them once they have been charred. Well...that is how it use to be. I will eat a whole bag of these charred or uncharred if I wasn't concerned about my waist. I love them! The kids and I love that we don't need to have a bar of chocolate on hand to make S'mores. It certainly made things easier to have the chocolate already inside. 


I was sent a box of Stuffed Puffs with skewers and Graham Crackers to try them out for myself. The box had 2 bags of Marshmallows inside yet we have already bought 2 more bags. I got a bunch of gavones in my house. I order to take these pics I needed to run out and get more marshmallows. Can you imagine? Is nothing sacred?  

My favorite way to eat a marshmallow

If your family likes S'mores, I highly suggest these yummies. I cannot wait to try them in my hot chocolate. 


Craving them right now....


]

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

OMG You Guys...This Is The Best Juice Ever And It Is 90% Juice




Have you guys ever heard of WTR MLN WTR? It is unbelievable! By far my favorite drink and I need to order 10 cases immediately.

I drink about 5 16 oz glasses of water a day. I love my water and carry it everywhere. Being that I have  nasal drip from my deviated septum, my throat is always dry. My only other drink is my morning cup of coffee BUT...this changed it all.

Right out of the box I saw there were natural electrolytes from watermelon and it was only 90 calories. I don't love a sugary aftertaste so I was pleasantly pleased when I took my first delicious sip.


It was absolutely amazing. It was as if someone took a watermelon and squeezed it into my cup. The ingredients are: Watermelon flesh, watermelon rind, Strawberry puree, filtered water and lemon juice. THAT IS IT PEOPLE!


I took one bottle to work (one because that was all I was willing to part with) to share with my co-workers. My boss loves stuff like this so I brought it to her first telling her I had something I really wanted her to try. She LOVED it and said exactly what I thought the first time I tried. "I have a dry throat due to medications and this would really help me. I could easily drink that whole bottle." She carried on about how good it was just like I did after my first taste.


The next person I brought it to was my friend Clary. I know she wouldn't like it and I knew why. I gave her a cup and she said no thanks at first. Then I poured some telling her she needed to try it. She kept saying "that's enough!" but seriously guys..you can't taste a drop right?! She is like that.

She drank it and said, "Nope I don't like it. It tastes too healthy." WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT I KNEW SHE WOULD SAY. Seriously...too healthy. It didn't have any Stevia and that is what some people get use to when something says "no sugar". I LOVED it and didn't share the other bottles. Sorry not sorry!



Look at that color though...isn't it pretty?


The cover says Shake it Like You Mean It.


Monday, May 20, 2019

Have You Ever Wondered Does Size Matter? Check Out Bigger Like Me For The Answers - Extended Director's Cut Review




The 411:

Soooooo I was kinda interested in seeing this documentary because it hasn't really been done before. Sure woman can do all kinds of things to their bodies to get the effect they want. They inject their lips, color their hair, enlarge their breasts, even fix their vajayjay to be tighter but men enlarging their uhhh member. Nah man, I haven't see a doc on that so...I sat down while home with a sciatica issue and the kids in school and thought...WTH?! Then I sat back and started thinking; wait, I also would never get my boobs enlarged, I don't believe in cosmetic surgery but what if I went through my whole life hating something about myself so much that I could actually do something about it. When Greg said he had thought of killing himself once over his "size" I got it. It is a bold movie. Greg doesn't leave much to the imagination.

We watch Greg try different methods, often enlisting the help of his very bored wife to measure him
afterward. My favorite scenes are when Greg heads to the street to ask random people what size they like and shows them three different sized phallic pieces.

The documentary also includes moments of Greg's stand up act and his family as he talks to them about his desire to have a procedure to enlarge his penis.

I am not sure if size matters to all woman but it matters to Greg and he heads over to Mexico to get injections for a more pronounced girth and we sorta see him try things out when he gets the chance but more than the boldness is the reminder that people are looking for perfection in their lives and some will actually travel and allow a doctor to inject stuff into their junk! Sooooo I guess I am glad I saw it and I base whether a movie is good or bad on whether I talk about it with others. I found myself mentioning the movie to a few people for a week so I guess that makes it worth a look. If nothing else, you can see what one man will go through in order to find happiness in his pants. 


Friday, May 03, 2019

You Cannot Go Wrong With Gourmet Gift Baskets For Mother's Day And More #giftideas #mothersday

I love Gourmet Gift Baskets.com truly an amazing company that I  have used many times for gifts to my out of town family members especially my Grandmother, Aunts and Uncles. I never know what to get them for holidays or just an I am thinking of you gift. 

We received two baskets for review and I was thrilled with them both. 



    We loved everything in it. My kids cannot eat peanut butter so the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies were all mine as well as the Dark Chocolate Toffee which I just ordered more of. They are incredible. 


    We also received Mother's Day Fruit & Snack Gift Box which sells for $79.99 which comes with the following


    I loved everything about this box and the first thing we ate were the oranges. OMG...so perfect. Effie's Homemade Oatcake Biscuits are my nighttime snack with my tea and we have had a wonderful time sharing with friends the rest.