Archive of ‘Mom Time’ category

Join us at the leading Lifestyle Conference 2015

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Social Media Influencers The Nation’s Leading Lifestyle Bloggers Conference hits LA Feb. 19-22, 2015!

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SoCal Savvy Mom is attending the fifth annual Lifestyle Bloggers conference next month and I would love for you to join us!  The Fifth Annual Lifestyle Bloggers National Conference will inspire and educate bloggers through training, celebrity workshops and more.  We were lucky enough to attend last year’s conference as well, and I can NOT say enough great things about it!  Because you are a SoCal Savvy Mom reader we have a special VIP code which will cut the cost of the conference in half! *Details on this may be found at the bottom of this post.

The 2015 Lifestyle Bloggers National Conference (#LBNC15) is a multi-day, boutique blogger conference and is focused on providing the necessary training and instruments needed for professional bloggers to properly elevate their creative vision, transforming their blogs into polished digital publications and valued content sources.

From the founder:

“This conference was inspired by the overwhelming need among lifestyle bloggers for tools and training to help them take their craft to the next level,” said Ana Lydia Ochoa-Monaco, Founder & Creative Director of #LBNC15. “We’ve been working hard to make sure this year’s event is bigger and better than ever, and we couldn’t be more excited to share our wonderful speakers and programs with the blogging community.”

Why you should attend:

  • VIP reception Feb. 19 at the Citadel Outlets – luxe setting replete with delicious appetizers and libations
  • Leading brands including Ford Motor Company, OPI, Corner Bakery, Citadel Outlets, Fresh Brothers Pizza, Maker City LA, and Oubly
  • Blogger Junket, with nationally recognized lifestyle and business experts
  • Celebrity Keynotes with:
  • Cisco Pinedo, Founder of Cisco Home
  • Effie Weiss, Cupcake Wars winner Author and self-made Millionaire
  • Daisy Teh, Founder of the Award-Winning Multimedia Blog “The It Mom”
  • Matt Kovacs, President of BLAZE PR and 2014 PR News Award Finalist
  • Pauline Campos, Latina Magazine “Dimelo” Columnist and Award-Winning Blogger

Tickets for the two-day event range from $149.99 for a one-day pass, to $199.99 for a two-day VIP pass.  *Enter VIP code NICOLEVIP at checkout and the ticket price will drop from $199.99 to only $99!  

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit Lifestyle Blogger National Conference and join the conversation on Facebook  and Twitter. Limited sponsorship & partnership opportunities are available by contacting: info@llbloggers.com.

Pictured:  Havi Goffan the CEO of Target Latina, Ana Lydia Ochoa-Monaco Founder & Creative Director of #LBNC15, and Nicole Hughes SoCal Savvy Mom at last year’s Lifestyle Bloggers National Conference 2014.

Havi, Ana, Nicole

Chicken Tortilla Soup in a Crock Pot

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It is a little chilly today in Southern California (the low 60’s, haha) so I wanted to make something delicious to warm us up.  My house smells so good right now because of this soup!  I don’t cook a lot with my crock pot, however this recipe is so easy and delicious I had to share.  All of the ingredients I purchased are from Trader Joe’s so some of the items are kind of specific.  I always buy organic when I have the option but some items at Trader’s are not available in organic yet, like the corn.

  • 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 30 oz. Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • 2 Organic Green Onions chopped
  • 1 Small Can Organic Tomato Sauce
  • 1 Small Can Fire Roasted Diced Green Chiles
  • 1 Can Whole Kernel Corn
  • 1 Can Organic Diced Tomatoes
  • 1 Can Organic Black Beans
  • 1 Package Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoning Mix
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Organic Trader Joe’s Crushed Garlic

Combine all ingredients into your crock pot (except the black beans, add the beans when only 2 hours left)  Set the cook time on low for 6-7 hours, after 3-4 hours shred the chicken.  Once completely cooked add cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips, shredded cheese and sour cream.  Add a lime for garnish and enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla

Carlsbad Health & Lifestyle Expo

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Carlsbad Marathon

The Carlsbad Marathon kicks off with the Health & Lifestyle Expo on Friday, January 16th from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.  The expo has a lot of vendors to help you start the new year with a new healthy you.  With many exciting vendors, interactive displays, samples, and great bargains on apparel, equipment and more, the expo is an exciting event you won’t want to miss.

If you are participating in the Carlsbad Marathon this is where you will pick up your bib number and race shirt and shop. All marathoners and half marathoners must attend the expo on either Friday or Saturday to claim their timing tag in addition to their bib number and race shirt.  If you are unable to pick up your bib number and timing tag before race day, you must select the Race Day Pickup option and pay an additional $20 convenience fee when registering.  If you’ve already registered and want to add the convenience fee, you may do so by calling 760-692-2900.

The expo is held in a huge 20,000-square-foot “big top” in the southwest corner of the Westfield Carlsbad shopping center. Located just steps from the marathon and half marathon start/finish lines, this is the perfect venue for the large expo. This shopping experience is FREE and open to all, so bring your family and friends.  The expo is held on Saturday January 17th after the Kids Marathon at Legoland, on Saturday it will be from 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Health and Wellness Expo

 

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Parenting – Ever have one of those days?

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Ever have one of those days?  Your child didn’t sleep last night, so you are running on two hours of sleep. The one thing that will save you…your coffee, hot, caffeine filled coffee, only to find out you are out of coffee.  While you searching in the pantry for anything that could be considered coffee you hear a loud crash followed by scream.  You drop the coffee you just found, coffee grounds go everywhere, run towards the now crying child and find this (see below) your child covered in cheerios and milk.  How did this happen, like really how?  Is this my life?  When did that happen?  It is one of those things you don’t think about, but every stage as a parent we are worried about different things.

Baby – Bring baby home from hospital, now what?  Then you start worrying if they are still breathing, I can’t tell you how many times I got up in the middle of the night the first few weeks to check my child was breathing.  Yes, just breathing!  Mind you there is no reason my child would stop breathing, he had no respiratory issues, he was born full term, and completely healthy.  But I just kept checking, and checking, he was fine and never stopped breathing by the way.

Toddler – When your baby starts walking it is so amazing, you are so excited for those first few steps.  Like it truly is the most amazing thing you have ever seen and life could not be any more perfect than at that moment.  Unfortunately for me my child started walking at 9 months, cause he just wasnt content to just ‘t crawl.  For him crawling was just what he did until he could reach something to pull himself up on.  When your child starts to walk they fall, a lot.  So much so that your child will have bumps and bruises all over their body, and sometimes on their face.  You wonder if people think you gave your child that black eye, then you think screw them, and while you are thinking this your child just fell and bumped their head…again!

Preschooler – Your child can walk and talk and may even be potty trained, points to you if you did this before your child turned 3.  The scariest thing that happens at this point is they run off in a parking lot, or in a park or pretty much anywhere.  The other thing you start to worry about is silence.  Why don’t I hear anything?  Silence at this age means they are into something, something they know they shouldn’t be into. Has everyone seen video of the two boys who played with paint?  Google it, and be happy that it never happened to you.

School Age – Congratulations you made it to the first day of kindergarten!  You are excited for your child, also a little excited to have a little me time.  What you don’t know before this is how many different types of diets children have, unless your child has one.  No joke one child in my son’s class could not eat gluten, peanuts, or any nuts, anything with fructose and something else.  I just felt so horrible because I didn’t want to exclude a little boy who had enough restrictions, how do I bring in something with no gluten, nuts, or sugar?  In the end you learn there are things children with food allergies can eat.

We all have had one of those days because we are parents.  In the end we learn to enjoy those bad days because it makes us realize how special all the other days are.  Today for instance we are cuddled up on the couch watching Goonies = good day!

orion

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Shop local this Christmas with Moxxie Skincare

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Christmas is coming!  We wanted to make sure you had this awesome Southern California company called Moxxie on your radar this season! I loved the inspirational name and thought the idea of natural, handcrafted skincare was worth exploring.

Something I’ve found in the past is all-natural products smell great but they can tend to dissolve quickly or crumble after just a few uses. I realize it’s because they are made without all the bad-for-you-chemicals and gunk, but it’s still annoying when after two washes your soap disintegrates.

Aside from just smelling good, the products I tried, Lotsa Lavender + Oatmeal bar soap and the Solid Sugar Scrub Cubes held up nicely and made my skin feel soft. Even my son liked the “bumby soap,” which is what he called the oatmeal chunks in the Lotsa Lavendar bar.

If you’re interested in trying something new for yourself or a gift for a loved one, check out their website at moxxiesoap.com. (Remember to add the word “soap” to the URL, otherwise you’ll end up in the completely wrong place!).  Merry Christmas!

Moxxie

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Welcome to San Diego Class Pass

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I love working out and I love a studio that changes it up.  Otherwise you know exactly what comes next and your body is not changing or improving as it could be.  This is the reason I’m in LOVE with ClassPass!  It is an alternative to a gym membership, with ClassPass, you get access to the best boutique fitness classes in San Diego. There are over 1,000 classes available to ClassPass members, including cycling, pilates, yoga, strength training, dance, martial arts, and more.

Most studios will cost over $100 for unlimited classes, but the classes are generally the same.  With ClassPass you may try a new class everyday of the month.  For $99 a month, ClassPass members get unlimited classes to use at studios in the ClassPass network. While a member can take as many classes per month as they’d like, they can only visit the same studio 3 times per monthly membership cycle. 

Each ClassPass cycle is one month in length, and will automatically renew on the same day each month. For example, if you buy your ClassPass on April 5, your subscription will renew on May 5.  Once your new month starts, you’ll be able to keep taking your favorite classes (and also exploring new venues!) ClassPass does NOT require an annual/long-term commitment.  Another great option from ClassPass is that if you are visiting another city you make take classes there!  The cities it is currently in are BostonChicagoNew YorkLos Angeles, San FranciscoWashington, D.C.SeattleSan Diego and Portland.  To see the full list of studios in your city just click the city name above.

There are some spectacular studios like my personal favorite BodyRok in Carlsbad, as well as Club Pilates (5 locations), Studio Barre (3 locations), Yoga Six (all 4 locations), Bird Rock Yoga, CORE 40 (3 locations) and many many more.  For the full list of participating locations in San Diego click here.

ClassPass San Diego

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