Lucky Kids Launch at Stella McCartney

A few weeks ago, I was invited to one of the most fashionable and kid-friendly event in NYC -- the launch of Lucky Kids Magazine at the Stella McCartney shop in the Meatpacking District!

This event was extra special because I was able to bring Aiden along.

Plus, I've always thought that the Stella McCartney's line for women is super chic and the line for children is super adorable. Just check out these gorg pieces! Love 'em!

An added bonus: the event was hosted by the fashionable Nicole Feliciano of Mom Trends, Jessica Seinfeld, Sarah Easley, Beth Buccini, Veronica Swanson Beard, and Veronica Miele Beard.

Here I am, nestled in-between my new home girls -- Jessica Seinfeld and Ali Wentworth. Lovely ladies, if I don't say so myself!

Clearly, I had a great time. And Aiden... Well, let's just say that the folks over at Lucky Kids know how to throw a party. From face painting to to clown tricks to candy stations to art projects to a cool photo booth to balloons galore, Aiden could not decide what to indulge himself in first.

After making his rounds, he settled at the art station where he was able to get several super cute tattoos.

As the night ended, I literally had to pry him away from this station. He was sad for a little bit, but quickly got over it when he saw the sweet gift bag that was given to the children. Nice!

Thanks so much to Lucky Kids, Stella McCartney, and the fabulous ladies for hosting such a great event!

Disclaimer: Event attendees received a gift bag. No other compensation was provided. 

Happily Ever After...

In the midst of my super busy life, I am so happy to be adding one more thing on my plate. I've been chosen to be a monthly contributor over on The Young Mommy Life, a great cite for young mamas everywhere and one that truly speaks to me.

This month, I'm introducing myself to the readers in true Cinderella fashion. Sorta.

Head on over to find out exactly what I mean. And thanks SO much for all the support!

Right In The Thick of The Terrible 3's

Whoever coined the phrase “terrible twos” must have stopped the parenting process right before their child turned 3-years-old. Seriously, because in my house, these days it seems as though the words “terrible” and “THREE” can go hand-in-hand.

At 2-years-old, my son Aiden was the sweetest thing ever. Yes, he had some trouble sharing his toys, saying the word “yes” as often as he said the word “no,” and controlling his tantrums. However, that didn’t matter so much because he was so small and so cute and didn’t have the extensive vocabulary to verbalize his thoughts. After all, he was only 2-years-old.

Enter age three. Aiden has a vocabulary – a very big one, and one that he is not afraid to use. The boy will speak his mind and tell every and anybody exactly what he’s thinking. I love that about him. Sometimes.

Other times, eh, not so much. But I digress.

Sometimes it’s almost as if he forgets he knows words. Any words. When Aiden is upset or sad or excited or any range of emotions besides just plain happy, he forgets that he knows how to use words. He’ll scream or jump or kick or have a full-blown tantrum – usually in public – instead of using his words. Whether ecstatic or sullen, he expresses himself in a very physical way. Each. And. Every. Time. 

To read the rest of this post, head on over to MyCare One where I am sharing my two-sense about parenting solo in a way that makes sense for Aiden and me.

Single Parents Raising Financially Savvy Kids

Today's guest post is courtesy of Suzanne Cramer, a single mom and certified Credit Counselor. Today she's handing out tips on how to raise a financially fit kid! Enjoy!

As single parents, we do our best to teach our kids how to tie their shoes, use their manners, and develop a sense of self. With all the responsibility of teaching them the everyday tasks we often forget the importance of “life skills”, such as money management.


Financial experts disagree about many things, but when it comes to teaching your kids financial awareness, they all agree it’s important and should be a skill we model and teach early on.

What should your kids know about money management? By the time they leave “the nest” they should have a firm grasp of the below:

• The importance of saving,
• Keeping track of money (a piggy bank, balancing a checkbook or online bank account).
• Budgeting (living within their means).
• Managing credit wisely.

How do we teach these skills to our kids and help them to establish a good relationship with money?

There are several concepts we can teach through our everyday actions and interactions with our kids.

• Reality.  Be “real” with your kids. If you can’t afford their latest wish for a new bike or video game because it doesn’t fit into your budget, express this to them by saying, “We can save for this, but I just can’t afford to buy this for you right now.”

On the flipside, if you can afford their wants avoid constant indulgence. By giving in all of the time they can develop a sense of entitlement and an “I can get want I want without working for it—that’s how the world works attitude”. (A.K.A. spoiled brat syndrome.)

• Money mistakes have consequences.  Just like other life skills we try to teach our kids the mantra, “For every action we take there is a reaction”, and sometimes that comes in the form of a consequence.  By allowing kids to make mistakes when they are young and you are still around to back them up, they will be better prepared to handle situations involving money later in life.
• Erase the “I want it now" mindset.  Kids are exposed to consumerism the same way adults are from ads on TV, electronic devices, and the online world they live in. Teaching your kids to work hard for what they want and save for those “must haves” develops not only a good relationship with money, but character and values that are not as easily taught in other areas of life.

Valuable Money Lessons

There are several ways you can teach your kids valuable money lessons by giving them the independence and freedom to make their own decisions—good or bad.

Allowance

The jury is still out for the amount of allowance that should be given to kids to teach lessons and develop good habits. My son started receiving an allowance at age 5. While this may seem young he has developed some really sound money management skills and is only seven years old.

The way we handle allowance at our house is via a chart on the refrigerator. The amount that can be earned is $1 for each year of age, so he is currently up to $7/week (soon to be $8!) He has both daily and weekly tasks that must be accomplished in order to earn the full amount. In addition money can be taken away for bad behavior at home or school.

I took a few moments last night to ask him a few questions about his allowance and how he feels about it. Here are my questions and his responses:

1.  What do you like most about getting an allowance?

I can buy things when you say no.

2.  How do you feel if you don’t get all of your allowance one week?

I feel sad because sometimes I don’t have enough money to buy what I want.

3.  What happens when you get in trouble at school or don’t listen to mommy?

I lose some of my money and I have to wait longer to buy something.

4.  How do you feel about doing things to earn money?

I like to help you around the house and get money for it.

5.  How do you feel about saving some of your money each week?

I really like to go to the bank and see how much I have in there for when I get bigger.

Sometimes kids can really surprise you and even through the simple exercise of an allowance system they can learn valuable life lessons. I feel like my son has learned 3 very important things from receiving an allowance; budgeting for what he wants, actions have consequences, and saving is important.

Budgeting

I allow my son to make his own choices as to what to do with his allowance with one stipulation—he must save half. So that means today, he has $3.50 to spend weekly and $3.50 that must be saved. At this point he is not responsible for buying his own clothes or food unless it is something outside of our family budget for these items. As he gets older and receives “raises” I may make him responsible for budgeting for snacks, clothes, and that cell phone he feels he needs now, but I vetoed until age 12.

Set an Example

My son has a slight advantage over other kids when it comes to developing good money management skills. My career focuses on educating others and encouraging financial literacy, so it is no surprise that he sees and hears a lot about managing money. The most important skills you can model are:

·      Paying bills on time

·      Saving your own money

·      Avoiding impulse purchase for yourself or your kids

·      Regularly reviewing your budget and adjusting along the way

·      Talking about money, it’s not as taboo as we make it out to be.

Raising kids alone is a daily struggle, but you have the ability to make a difference in their lives and help them to become strong, independent, financially savvy adults. Just making a conscious effort to sneak in a few of these lessons will help your kids and ultimately prepare them for their future.


Suzanne is a certified credit counselor working and a Social Media Specialist for CareOne. Suzanne writes for Divorce, Debt and Finances and A Straight Talk on Debt blogs.  Follow Suzanne on Twitter where she shares the latest debt industry news and tips to keep your finances in check with her @ADivorcedMom and @AskCareOne accounts.

The Best Of Both Worlds

In less than three weeks, I'll be finished with grad school and I couldn't be happier. This semester has been super hectic and my workload has been crazy stressful.

Not to mention that my babysitter recently found a job, which has made it quite tricky for me to attend all my evening classes. In fact, I've taken Aiden to class with me twice already this semester, but only to classes that I knew he'd enjoy and more importantly, classes that I knew the Professors would enjoy him. Next week, he may have to accompany me to one more class if I don't secure a baby sitter. At such a young age, he's learning how to hustle with me. But I digress.

Even though I've been over-caffienated and over-tired since grad school started, I cannot believe that I am about to be done. D-O-N-E stick-a-fork-in-it-and-give-me-my-two-degrees done!

I cannot believe that I did it while taking care of a child. Many of you may know this already, but my pregnancy was not planned. And being young, hip, and fresh out of college made it that much harder to deal with Motherhood.

I watched with a hint jealousy as my peers partied, socialized, and made moves to further their careers by studying for the GMAT's and LSAT's, applying to grad school, and attending conferences.

I wanted to do that too. But for some reason, I felt as though I couldn't. I felt my dreams slipping away from me. Slowly, but surely.

But one day, something clicked inside of me and I made a change. I started to make time for me and my aspirations... right in the midst of Motherhood.

I didn't take weeks to fill out my grad school applications and write an admissions essays. I didn't have the luxury of that much time. I completed my applications in one weekend during Aiden's nap hours. Multi-tasking at its finest -- #Winning.

And grad school has taught this single mama to multi-task like it's nobody's business. I stay on my grind. I've learned to manage my time well. I've learned to bang out papers in a specific amount of time instead of waiting until the last minute. I simply don't have time to procrastinate. I've got a preschooler who needs my undivided attention by day, and schoolwork that needs my undivided attention by night. I've got bedtime rituals to enforce and a forehead to kiss when Aiden's scared of the ghosts at night.

I schedule play dates and study sessions; doctor visits and meetings with Professors; time with Aiden and time with friends. I deal with research papers and potty training; exams and effective discipline strategies.

I’ve learned to go hard or go home. I have to. It's the only way to go.

It has taken me a while to get to this particular point in my life, but now I see that it's all about perspective. Life may not be what I planned, but I gotta tell ya, it's some kind of awesome.

My younger friends are busy working hard, player harder, and tirelessly pursuing their career goals. My older friends are busy enjoying their families and reaping the rewards of their former hard work.

I get to enjoy both. I get to pursue my career goals while navigating Mommy Land. It's hard and tiring and stressful at times, but at the end of the day, it's a blessing that I wouldn't trade.

It's the best of both worlds. And it has taught me well.

I may be a bit tired, but I'm determined to finish strong. I can't stop, won't stop until I am done. And totally #Winning.

Giveaway: Disney's Imagination Movers Live! (WINNER ANNOUNCED!)

Winner Announced: LORI PORTER! 

Congratulations!!! Please provide me with your contact information.

Disney's Imagination Movers Live!

With Special Guests Nina and Warehouse Mouse

And Choo Choo Soul

If your little one is a fan of Imagination Movers, a hit television show on the Playhouse Disney channel, then this giveaway if for you!

Imagination Movers is a child-centered rock band that was formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2003. The lineup includes longtime friends Rich Collins, Scott Durbin, Dave Poche, and Scott "Smitty" Smith.

They are currently on tour and you can purchase tickets here.

For those of you who will be in the NYC area during the days they will be here, have I got a treat for you. 

One (1) lucky follower of Mommy Delicious will receive a family pack (4 tickets) to the Friday May 6th show at 1:30pm that will take place at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square.

To enter, simply leave a comment saying that you'd like to win. 

You can also tweet once and share once on Facebook for two extra entries. Make sure you are following Mommy Delicious on Twitter and "like" Mommy Delicious on Facebook before submitting the "extra entries." Also, make sure you @MommyDelicious when you tweet and share on Facebook.

The giveaway ends on Wednesday April 20th. 

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: I will receive a family pack of Imagination Movers Live for hosting this giveaway. See you there!

Indulge In A Little Wellness with Spa Week

One surefire way to beat the stress of life, kiss Winter good-bye (I won't be missing it) and say "hello" to Spring is with Spa Week. Love! The name alone screams peace, tranquility, and relaxation.

Spa Week's goal is to open the spa industry to everyone by making spa treatments accessible and affordable to all. With treatments that normally range anywhere from $100 to $500 dropping down to just $50, it promotes nothing but beauty, health, and wellness for those in need of a little TLC.

This Spring, Spa Week takes place from April 11th -- 17th in the US and Canada. So, if you haven't done so already, head on over to the SpaWeek.com for the inside scoop on participating spas as well as their delicious $50 treatment. You can also find them on Facebook.

Appointments are booking up fast and you won't want to miss this bi-annual event!

Your body will thank you later. Trust me.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post, but I was chosen to be apart of the Hot Mom Spa Squad. All opinions expressed herein are my own. After all, you who doesn't love a good massage?