New York Chica

I just received an email about a great event that is happening this weekend on March 20, 2010.  The Children’s Museum of Manhattan will be offering free entry to everyone all day this Saturday from 10am to 5pm.  It’s an all day event to celebrate their 20th anniversary.

The museum is located at 212 W. 83rd. St. by the 1 and 9 train.  For those of you who have strollers (for the little ones), please keep in mind there will be limited space so come early or let your kids roam around and leave the strollers at home .

They will have different activities for everyone such as Yoga for kids presented by Olay, Pampers will be sponsoring a Kid’s Zone, Story Circle from 12-12:30pm, Baby Loves Salsa from 1-2pm and lots more!

For more information, visit www.cmom.org.

Last week I was invited to an event that was sponsored by Ragu® pasta sauce for their “Feed Your Kids Well – Recipe For A Good Start” campaign.  It was a private event that I was excited to be a part of because my family and I love Ragu® pasta sauce.  We use it for a lot of our meals and for each half cup of sauce is a whole serving of vegetables, which is perfect for two picky kids in our household.

Upon arriving, I couldn’t help but notice the smells that permeated the air. My daughter immediately asked if she was going to eat pasta because pasta is her all-time favorite food and it was literally everywhere you looked.

The best part of the event (besides the food, of course!) was that we were going to meet Molly Ringwald and have a meal with Food Network’s newest star, Marcela Valladolid, who is the host of the show, “Mexican Made Easy.”

I don’t have to explain who Molly Ringwald is because if you don’t know who she is, where have you been? She starred in a bunch of movies such as Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club & For Keeps – just to name a few.   In my opinion, she’s a great person for this campaign since she also has 3 children.

After everyone settled into their seats, Molly Ringwald took the stand and explained to everyone why she decided to partner with Ragu®.  This is a part of what she said:

“I might be known for my roles in movies and on TV, but my most important role is being a mom,” said Molly Ringwald, actress and mother of three. “I am so proud to partner with Ragu® to recognize all the special things that parents do to give their kids a good start — like helping them with their homework, encouraging them to play outside and making sure their kids eat their veggies,” she said.  ”Thanks to Ragu®, my family gets a delicious, nutritious meal and I get extra time to do the things I know will give my children a good start – like finger painting and family reading time.”

After her great speech, everyone was divided into three groups.  Each group was then brought to a station that was also divided into three.  One was Lasagna making, the other was eating a sit-down meal with Marcela and the last one was a round-table discussion on how parents can get their kids to eat healthy.

The group I was in was the yellow team so the first thing we did was make a meatless lasgana.  At first I thought we were going to use the no-boil noodles but we actually used regular lasagna noodles.  It’s a great time saver and you save money too.

Immediately after the lasagna making, it was time to get our grub on.  The table looked amazing.  I was kind of star-struck at first because we were going to have a sit-down meal with Marcela Valladolid.  But after hearing her talk about her ways of cooking and how she incorporates healthy eating with her son, I realized that she’s just like the rest of us and afterwards I felt very comfortable.

Although it was a rushed meal (it was the other group’s turn to eat), it was fantastic.  The food was amazingly good.  We ate meatless lasagna, no-fry chicken parmesan, skillet pasta and beef dinner and a nice mixed green salad with a side of Italian bread & bread sticks.  My daughter and I were in heaven.

Ragu® and Molly Ringwald has also partnered together to launch the “Recipe for a Good Start” Contest. Through the month of March, you can send in an original recipe using Ragu® pasta sauce along with a 250 word essay sharing their tips and tricks for giving their kids a healthy start in life.

The top three finalists will cook at a live cook-off in New York City in August 2010 and compete for the grand prize of a $5,000 college scholarship for his/her child.  Visit Recipeforagoodstart.com for more information and all the details.

Can you tell we had a blast?

Thanks to Ragu and everyone at BSM Media for a wonderful time. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Yesterday, iVillage sent me an invitation to spend an afternoon of indulgent moments.  It’s a Dove Chocolates and Wine Tasting event that will be held at Chelsea Market on March 9th.  The invite was not only for me but also for any of my readers that would like to attend as well!

Yes, that means YOU!

You’ll get to eat decadent Dove chocolates, drink some fine Gallo Wine, receive beauty and relaxation treatments, freebies and lots more.

Are you in?  I hope so because I am!

Here’s the information:

RSVP to Indulgentmoments@nbcuni.com with iVILLAGE GUEST in the subject line.

I hope to see you there!! Tell them Lisa @ New York Chica sent you!

In the beginning of December, I was invited to an event with Julie Mulligan, Jim McCann, the CEO and Founder of 1-800-Flowers.com and several people from the 1-800-Flowers.com team.  The event was meant to teach a few bloggers how to create a holiday flower tree centerpiece using different types of flowers and decorations. 

Instructions on how to begin to decorate the tree.

I’ve always been a 1-800-Flowers.com fan ever since I can remember.  I’ve sent my mother, a few aunts and my grandmother bouquets for Mother’s Day almost every year and I’ve never got a complaint from any of them.  1-800-Flowers.com really takes the time in treating every flower and every customer with the greatest care and respect.

The workshop was a lot of fun and very informative.  I learned a lot.  My four year daughter even joined us in decorating a few centerpieces.  The best part of the event was the intimacy of the workshop.  I got to know Julie personally as we talked about her childhood with her brother Jim. We shared stories and had a great time talking.  She even taught me how to make ornaments out of pictures that you can scan on your computer (so you don’t destroy the orignal photo).  It was also a pleasure to finally meet Tracy & Vilma from Ascending Butterfly and meet up with some “old” friends and fellow bloggers, Nikki and Katja.

Click HERE for no shipping/no service fees for all their Valentines Day specials.

The Giveaway Read the rest of this entry →

Last Sunday, I joined other bloggers to preview the new HP Photosmart Web Printer.  It was a very intimate blogger’s event that showcased the newest member of the HP family.

It is the HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web All-in-One Printer and it’s the world’s first web-connected home printer.  The features are amazing.  The one feature that struck me was that you can have your photos printed straight from the cell phone right to the printer.  I never thought, in a million years that a printer would work with a cell phone.  If your cell phone is bluetooth-enabled, you are ready to print out photos with a touch of a button.

It’s that easy to use.

Below you will see all of the cool features: Read the rest of this entry →

A couple of weeks ago, my four year old and I had the pleasure of attending the EA Naughty or Nice event in New York City.  The EA team was there showcasing new games from all their labels; EA Sports, EA Games and EA Play.  It was held at a swanky club called The Providence Nightclub in the West Side on 57^th St.  This was my first time in the club so I was amazed.  In every corner, I saw “toy” bags filled with fake gifts that were labeled Naughty or Nice to represent the games that were on displayed on all three levels.

Each level represented the type of games they had there.  The main and upper level were called the Nice area because it held all of the family games.  The lower level, which was called the Naughty area, held all of the mature, violent and bloody games.  Since I had my four year old with me, we stood in the main and upper levels, just in case.  I didn’t want her frightened or scarred for life. Read the rest of this entry →

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I recently had a wonderful opportunity to join other mom bloggers and some very important people for the “Spot A Mom movement.” The movement was created by 1-800-Flowers.com to honor all the moms in our lives. From our grandmothers, our moms, our aunts, to our sisters, our friends and beyond.

The event was held in the penthouse at the Buckingham Hotel on 57th St. where the world-renowned Opera Singer Giovanni Martinelli once lived.

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First of all, the hotel is absolutely beautiful. The entrance is unique and very inviting. The Penthouse entrance is also very nice but nothing compares to the terrace. It’s just amazing.

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The views were breathtaking.  You really have to experience it for yourself to get the full effect of the views and the great feelings you get when you’re out there.

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As I was being escorted by the great staff of MWW Group, I noticed all of the beautiful arrangements of flowers and roses.  I also noticed the wonderful aroma in the air.  No words can express the smells that permeated the room.

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Julie Mulligan, 1-800-Flowers.com’s very own Floral Lifestyle Expert was responsible for the spectacular bouquets and wonderful array of flowers and themes such as the On the Go Mom, Red Carpet Mom, DIY Mom and many more.  She’s not only talented and unique but she’s a very dedicated and a very sweet person as well.

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Jim McCann, the founder and CEO of 1-800-Flowers.com gave us a great speech about how he wants every mom to be accounted for.  So his mission for this Mother’s Day is to make sure no mom is left behind.

If you ask me, I think that’s one of the best things I’ve heard so far this year!

When I met Jim McCann, I instantly felt the passion and his admiration for this very special day. With his beautiful family and his new granddaughter by his side, you can see why he is so dedicated to Mother’s Day.

Along with Jim McCann, Julie Mulligan, all the staff from 1-800-Flowers.com, Allison Blass and the rest of the staff at MWW Group, I’ve met some amazing women and fellow bloggers.  I’ve had the privilege to meet Carol from NYCitymama, Victoria from VeepVeep, Nikki from Blasian Baby Notes, Nichelle from StyleMom, Dina from BabyCenter and Katja from Skimbaco Lifestyle.

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I’ve had the honor to meet many other great people but since I still suffer from “Baby Brain” (all moms go thru this, right? lol!), I simply forgot their names.  So if you don’t see your name here, please don’t think I forgot about you, it’s just that I have a very bad memory when it comes to names.  It was a pleasure meeting all of you!

This day was especially nice because I had the opportunity to bring my kids. They had a wonderful time and were kept busy with activities, flowers, food and some tv.  They also had someone very special taking very good care of them. Her name is Meaghan O’Hare from 1-800-Flowers.com.  Thank you so much! They loved you and they even made some new friends!

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Thank you 1-800-Flowers.com for providing us with a fabulous goodie bag too.  I was not expecting that at all.  The invitation to the event was more than enough for me so the bag was a very nice added bonus.

It was filled with all sorts of great stuff.  A nice bag from Celebrations, some great tasting Cheryl & Co. cookies, a gift certificate to 1-800-Flowers.com (which I can’t wait to use), a cute portable hard drive and some wonderful chocolate truffles by Fannie May.

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We also received great t-shirts to show off that we were spotted for Mother’s Day.  I can’t wait to wear my t-shirt with pride!  I think I’m more of an “On the Go Mom”.

How about you? What type of mom are you?

Last but not least, I would like to thank you all for making this day I will never forget.  My kids and I had the best time!

*Receive 15% off now until Mother’s Day by entering SPOTAMOM promo code at 1-800-Flowers.com before checkout!*

Happy Mother’s Day!