@Ofelianj, @MsLatina, Me & @RachlWhite

Happy WW Day!! If you want to join in on the WW fun, please link up your post below. I would love to see your WW photo!

This past weekend, my family and I went away for the weekend for a road trip to Lancaster, PA, Philly and Washington D.C with a fabulous ride – The Volkswagen Routan that was loaned to us (post on that coming up) for review purposes.  It was a great experience (post coming up).

While I was away, I knew I wouldn’t be blogging or Tweeting so I didn’t want my blog to be on a standstill.  So I asked a few of my friends if they wanted to be guest writers here and two of them agreed.  I was so happy and of course grateful.

So I just wanted to give my two friends, Ofelia & Rachel a huge THANK YOU for being a guest poster here.  I loved what you both wrote and I hope everyone else did too.

Thanks for saving New York Chica You girls ROCK!!!

Doing the happy dance!!

Thanks to my dear friend, Mariana, whom I’ve only known for a short time but who is dear to my heart has took (almost) a full day (I can’t tell you how appreciative I am of you for doing this) to fix a MAJOR problem on my site for me.

Apparently, my site was hacked because I never updated my WordPress account (don’t ever let this happen people!) and my password was the same for 2 years (a huge no-no!).  It also messed up my Feedburner email updates so no one was getting my blog updates.  It was insane!

I felt insane.

After asking numerous times on Twitter if anyone knew how to fix a feedburner problem, numerous phone calls to Godaddy (which were no help at all!) and many hours on the internet trying to find a solution (which I could not find anywhere, including Google), she did it all in about 6 hours.

She actually took time away from her life to help a blogger in need – Now that’s what I call a friend.  Thanks girl!! You’re the best! I owe you big time!

I would’ve NEVER gotten this to work out without her help. I really thought it was the end for New York Chica.  I lost all hope and was not motivated at all.

So thanks again Mariana! This post is for you!

If you haven’t checked out her awesome site, go to http://ridingwithnohands.com.

I heard about Martha Stewart hosting a special show just for bloggers back in December on Twitter. I immediately signed up for tickets hoping to see Martha Stewart for the first time and of course to meet other bloggers as well. I was ecstatic when I received confirmation from the people at the Martha Stewart show to tell me that I was invited. I couldn’t wait!Although I’m not a huge Martha Stewart fan, I do love her products and her style. I also enjoy watching her special holiday decorating shows. She definitely has some awesome ideas for the home. 

 The day of the show (two weeks ago), I took the 6:26am Metro-North train. Yes, that is extremely early but I was also meeting some of my friends that I knew (other bloggers that I will mention later on in the post) and have lunch with a few after the taping. So that time wasn’t a big problem for me.  The train ride started out great. I brought my breakfast with me and I got a great seat facing the Hudson river. I thought it was going to be a stress-free trip. That wasn’t the case that day.  

 I never thought that we would have to get off the train because of brake difficulties just twenty minutes into the ride. I was furious! I texted my friend Divina (Dancinghotdogs.com) to let her know that I was going to be late caused by train problems and if possible, could she save me a spot on line. I was so hoping I would get there in time (8:30am) but it wasn’t looking good because the time was ticking. The whole train ride was nerve wrecking because I thought I was going to miss out.  

 It turned out that I just made it. I got on line at 8:45 but thank goodness I spoke to the MS crew to make sure I would able to gain access to the show since I was late. She assured me that I was fine and since I saw my other friends, Esti (primetimeparenting.wordpress.com) and Corine (complicatedmama.com) on line, I asked if I can join them. I felt bad asking because I was kind of jumping in front of some other bloggers but Corine was from my “email party” so she said it was ok. No one seemed to mind. I was just so relieved and glad I was finally there!  

 Once we got in, we showed ID and they gave us our tickets with a blue line across it (each group has a different number, letter and/or color).  Afterward, we went thru security and was finally inside the waiting room where I saw a bunch of bloggers. Most of which I didn’t even recognized but hoping to meet some of them. Not too long after, I finally saw my friends (and fellow bloggers).  

 It was great to see Divina, Nikki, Linda, Nichelle, Corine, Esti, Yakini and finally meet Imanamani and Justice Fergie.  

Me & Divina

Corine and me before the show

Yakini, Nikki & Linda

 About the show:

Blogging with the ”Whatever” Girls: Jennifer Koppelman-Hutt and Alexis Stewart discuss writing their side-by-side blogs. [I loved Jennifer but Alexis was kind of stuffy. She seemed as though she didn't want to be there.]   

Chez Pim (Pim Techamuanvivit): She showed Martha how to make Pad Thai by cooking with her side by side. The smells from the kitchen was wonderful and I was really hoping we would taste her cooking but sadly, we didn’t. I did get a chance to meet her after the show and take a photo with her and Divina. She seems really nice and sincere. Some random guy came up to her and told her that he was her biggest fan and she took the time to actually talk to him and answer his questions. I think that was really sweet of her. All the bloggers that attended the show took home her brand new book, “The Foodie Handbook: The (Almost) Definitive Guide to Gastronomy“.   

 Blogger Jeff Blumenkrantz ( My Year of Cooking Fabulously): He blogs about using Martha Stewart’s cookbook as his guide to cook a meal everyday, sort of like the movie (& book) Julie & Julia. He demonstrated how to frost an orange almond cake and how to cut two slices of cake and remove the second for the perfect slice. It looked so delicious. I think we were all hoping we would get a taste of the cake but we didn’t.   

Blogger Andrew Ritchie (Martha Moments): He showed us how to make yarn-embellished cards with Martha Stewart.   

Me, Chez Pim & Divina after the show

Overall, the show was interesting. I just wish they featured other bloggers that were in the audience as well. Although, they did feature one blogger from the audience but it wasn’t a “real blogger”, in my opinion. Her site is called Hire Me Martha which sounds like a cry for a job to me.   

Click HERE for the video.   

*For the whole list of bloggers that attended the special blog show, click HERE.   

And, a special thanks goes out to Divina for “holding” my spot and for providing me with some of the pictures.

My 4 year old always seems to make friends where ever she goes.  She is so opposite of her mother.  I tend to chat with the person for awhile and see if we have anything in common and then I’ll make a decision whether or not I want to be friends with that person.

But not my daughter.

Check out the friends she met this past weekend while at Old Navy.

Can you spot my daughter? =)

Awww, she's even holding his hand! OK, maybe she went too far.(lol)

She was her favorite.

I hope you enjoyed my Wordless Wednesday. My kids and I had a great laugh with these photos, especially when we were in the store.  We couldn’t stop laughing.

To see more Wordless Wednesday shots, please visit Latina on a Mission and 5 Minutes for Mom.

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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!

I received this email a few days ago and thought it would be nice to share such a warmhearted story being that Thanksgiving is just a few days away.  I hope you enjoy.

My name is Rose..

The first day of school

our professor introduced himself and

challenged us to get to know someone

we didn’t already know.

I stood up to look around

when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned and found a wrinkled, little old lady

beaming up at me with a smile

that lit up her entire being.

She said, ‘Hi handsome. My name is Rose.

I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?’

I laughed and enthus iastically responded ,

‘Of course you may!’

and she gave me a giant squeeze.

‘Why are you in college at such a young,

innocent age?’ I asked.

She jokingly replied,

‘I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…’

‘No seriously, ‘ I asked.

I was curious what may have motivated her

to be taking on this challenge at her age.

‘I always dreamed of having a college education

and now I’m getting one!’ she told me.

After class we walked to the Student Union Building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends.

Every day for the next three months

we would leave class together and talk nonstop.

I was always mesmerized listening

to this ‘time machine’

as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year,

Rose became a campus icon

and she easily made friends

wherever she went. She loved to dress up

and she reveled in the attention

bestowed upon her from the other students.

She was living it up.

At the end of the semester

we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet.

I’ll never forget what she taught us.

She was introduced and stepped up to the podium.

As she began to deliver her prepared speech,

she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed

she leaned into the microphone and simply said,

‘I’m sorry I’m so jittery.

I gave up beer for Lent

and this whiskey is killing me!

I’ll never get my speech back in order

so let me just tell you what I know.’

As we laughed

she cleared her throat and began,

‘We do not stop playing because we are old;

we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young,

being happy, and achieving success.

You have to laugh and find humor every day.

You’ve got to have a dream

When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older

and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old

and lie in bed for one full year

and don’t do one productive thing,

you will turn twenty years old.

If I am eighty-seven years old

and stay in bed for a year

and never do anything

I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody can grow older.

That doesn’t take any talent or ability.

The idea is to grow up

by always finding opportunity in change.

Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don’t have regrets

for what we did,

but rather for things we did not do.

The only people who fear death

are those with regrets.’

She concluded her speech

by courageously singing ‘The Rose.’

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics

and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree

she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation,

Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students

attended her funeral

in tribute to the wonderful woman

who taught by example..

that it’s never too late

to be ALL you can possibly be.

These words have been passed along

In loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER…

GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY.

GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

We make a Living by what we get,

We make a Life by what we give.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

If God brings you to it,

He will bring you through it.

‘Good friends are like stars…….You don’t always see them, but you know they are always there.’