La Tata gets face to face on Mother's Day with #FamilyMobile

Babushka is member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!!!

First, an agradecimiento and heads up. Gracias to #MyColectiva and Walmart Best Plans for sponsoring this post. Be ready with the hankies as this may be a bit sentimental; it deals w/two of BB's favorite subjects - La Tata and saving dinero. For those of you who don't know her, my grandmother, La Tata will be turning 92 (or 94) this year. As you can well imagine, she has plenty of cuentos, the stories she tells and the things she says!!! And how she loves to tell them- to everybody, all the time. BB loves talking to her, but she lives in Little Havana, Miami, and Babushka doesn't have long distance or an unlimited talk plan on her cell phone. Until Now.

Phones, Plans, Prices-  ESO!!!

My Little One and BB did a midnite maneuver to Walmart and were handsomely rewarded.

Y'all know I was just at her house two weeks ago, called her a week after being with her and she wanted to know when I'd be returning!  La Tata and BB are very close, to the point that I'd say she was my most loved relative- until of course The Trio came about. And The Trio wouldn't have had a roof over their heads if it weren't for La Tata for many of Babushka's single madre years.  To say we were/are a vital part of each other's lives is an understatement, so anything BB can do to make her life easier and more enjoyable is done for her happily.  Y Babushka is tan happy that I'll be able to give her a new cell phone! Quee??  JU SO FONII!!! Of course La Tata has a cellphone, pero no tiene este cellphone.  Porque tan special this phone? La pantalla, the screen, it's BUENISIMO!!! If La Tata can't see her familia in person, at least she'll be able to see them on her phone. Caller ID with pics so she'll have double la alegria; she sees her loved ones faces AND talks to them. Tremendo Twofer pa' La Tata!! 

She'll also be using the album feature to see her son, nietos, bisnietos and tataranietos

 over and over again.

La Tata w/2 of The Trio & ALL of the Great,Great Grandchildren

La Princesa- acabando como siempre!

Now what's the twofer for BB?? Besides getting a perfect present for La Tata, Babushka now has unlimited calling, a cheaper monthly plan, and with the price I paid for two phones and startup it was cheaper than upgrading just the telefono in my prior company!! BB's been blessed with having La Tata in her life and this Mother's Day I feel even more blessed that I can give her such a meaningful present to show my love and gratitude.

Don't forget to call your loved one on Mother's Day My Beautifuls; 
it'll be worth much more than you know.

BB2U

P.S. The Family Mobile Unlimited Talk,Text and Data plans start at $29.88 a month, and the phone Babushka picked, the Samsung Galaxy Exhibit was less than $100. Viste? Wasn't going Cubana, 2 phones truly are less than some smartphones out there!! Extra bonus- you can order the phones online.

P.P.S. BB will post more pics of La Tata and the phone shopping on Feibu y look for the Instagram pic w/a video of La Tata sharing her day.

Groove on with Genevieve Goings- @ChooChooGirl BB's Riding Your Train!!

Babushka was sent the single of "My Telephone Number is" by Genevieve Goings to review as an influencer with Entertainment New Media Network.  
BB has been compensated for this post, pero thoughts and opinions are always my own. But y'all knew that.

@ChooChooGirl Genevieve Goings 

HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!!!

Back in the days when BB was raising The Trio, we had cute and catchy songs for children, but nowhere-nohow as cool, hip and fun as those by Genevieve Goings!!  Genevieve, aka  @ChooChooGirl is the female conductor (right there she gets multi cool points) on the Disney show "Choo Choo Soul with Genevieve".  Here's the press release info:

"Genevieve Goings has spent 10 years teaching toddlers fundamental fun. From her

debut on Playhouse Disney as the hip singing train conductor on the educational

interstitials known as “Choo Choo Soul with Genevieve”, through her remaking Classic

Disney sing-alongs again with Choo Choo Soul, and voicing the learning bumpers

featured on the new Disney Junior network. Genevieve is now welcoming a second

generation of viewers and listeners with the release of her first solo album doing what

she does best - teaching and entertaining children.

“Do You know?” is a new presentation path for learning for young children age 2-7

year old. It features songs and videos aimed at helping preschoolers learn their phone

number, telling time, putting themselves to bed, and the more personal things like

hygiene and dealing with potty training in a dignified manner. This new inspiring set of

songs is fun for the whole family and will have you, as parents and teachers, singing

and dancing along. "

And My Beautifuls- They ain't just whislin' La Guantanamera!!

Take a looksie-

BUENISIMO!!!

Besides her musical styles, sense of color and coolness, Babushka appreciates how she "keeps it real."  Did you notice that in this video she shows how as a teenager she didn't wear that much makeup?  Quee?  JU SO FONII!!!  Ok si, BB may not be subtle, but she definitely does notice it! Continuing. Genevieve sings about real needs- like her next song from "Do you know?", the inspired, intoxicating rad raggae style song- "Gotta Do My Business". Oh yes, it's what you're thinking- a song about potty training. Babushka's mind movie maker could just see the Grands grooving to this, and the mental pic on the line "gonna have to drop it"...  you KNOW BB's getting that album.

The album is due for release on June 3, but the above single, "My telephone number is" ya esta on iTunes. Y para those who like Babushka just can't wait, there's a free iTunes App "Sing with Genevieve" with some of her cute, catchy and oh so cool musica. Si- BB has fallen in love with this young lady.  Come on now gente, anyone who can have Babushka belting out "Gonna have to drop it" and wishing she was potty training someone, is nothing short of genius.  You can join BB on Genevieve's social media platforms,

Tweety: @ChooChooGirl

Feibu: Facebook.com/GenevieveGoings

Instagram: Instagram.com/GenevieveGoings

Nos vemos there My Beautifuls!!!

BB2U

#7DaysofSpringCleaning with Goodwill and the Bloggin' Mamas

This post has not been monetarily compensated. 

Consider this a PSA by the Ad Council and the Bloggin Mamas Collective, with insights a la BB.

HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!!!

It’s time for Spring; Primavera, time for all things new! Of course our first impulse is to go out shopping, but this year, before we get that new Spring wardrobe, let’s do some Spring cleaning. Quee?? JU SO FONII !!! Ok si, BB suggest cleaning?? Bueno, are living spaces can only take so much, and besides, we get to help out our community too!  So vieron? A Babushka Twofer!! And to make it a tad better, Goodwill has come up with a fun and insightful little quiz called:

What’s Your Clothing Personality??

Really inspired now? 
 It’s not hard to declutter when you’re focused and have a plan. 
 Here’s a suggestion on how just 7 days can make that fresh start easier.

#7DaysofSpringCleaning Details:

Day 1) Clear your closet clutter (gotta be able to open it first)

Day 2) Time to tackle la cocina/kitchen

Day 3) Spread holiday cheer (holiday decorations, center pieces, Halloween)

Day 4) Downsize your tech toys (used laptops)

Day 5) Clean out your office supplies

Day 6) Provide quality entertainment (unused movies, video games)

Day 7) Downsize your bookshelf

Then, calcula your donaciones impact. https://donate.goodwill.org/ y feel better about your efforts. Tambien, you can go to http://www.goodwill.org/locator/ which shows how your donation helps your communidad. ESO!!! Ahora you can go and get yourself that new outfit to welcome Spring.

; )

Oh, and if you were wondering what Babushka's Clothing Personality was...

This has been part of the Donate Stuff. Create Jobs. It’s the tagline of Ad Council’s campaign with Goodwill®, which reminds people that their donations support people who are seeking to earn jobs and build careers. To see how the process works, just watch “How We Do It” PSA.

BB2U

Mr.Coffee® the BEST coffeemaker and Millstone® Morning Coffee- MMMMMMaravillas and MINE!!

BB's a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. 
 This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias, Millstone® Coffee, and Mr. Coffee®. 


HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!

Y'all know Babushka's fascination con café (and if not, please read the preface/intro up above-right below my pic header) so it should be no surprise that when Collective Bias was looking for bloggers to write about the powerhouse pair of Mr.Coffee® Drip coffee maker and Millstone® flavored coffee, this powerhouse of a coffee drinker had to say, "Si Me, See BB, and an ESO!" thrown in there too.

As y'all will see in a bit, the current coffeemaker we have is great, Sweetie and his twin brother have had it for years.  And therein lies the problema.  Although it's still working fine (Mr. Coffee® al fin) it just didn't hold enough for the addition of Babushka. A typical start of day...

 First Sweetie gets his coffee, then his twin brother gets his coffee, 

leaving BB...

Ok si, as a newlywed BB tried to maintain a cool composure,  but it's now a little over a year- honeymoon time done. They were messing with my bloodline lifeline.  The brothers were so used to the little coffeemaker that they didn't realize Babushka wasn't a little coffee maker. I needed GRANDE!! Thankfully, the S Sisters noticed what the brothers didn't and sent the solution/salvation our way.

#CollectiveBias calls this a "hero" shot. Bueno My Beautifuls, when I was told to get these products, BB definitivamente called them my heroes!!  Babushka happily waltzed into her local Walmart to get them- NO exaggeration here, look at that feliz step in Babushka's walk as she finds her new coffeemaker.

Unabashed Amor & Joy!

Now let's complete the Powerhouse Pair- time for the Cafe!!

You're probably asking whatever happened to the other cafetera- the original coffeemaker in the casa. 

Bueno, it's still there.  The boys are still using it. 

Quee?? You thought Babushka was gonna share???

JU SO FONII!!!

Actually, that's not 100% accurate. 

Babushka's gonna share with YOU My Beautifuls!

That's right- a giveway for a Mr. Coffee® and Millstone® Cafe!!!

Can BB have a great big ESO!!!

Entry-Form

Gracias for reading about Babushka's #CoffeeJourneys and Buena Suerte My Beautifuls!!!

BB2U

Office Depot: Teachers Change Lives - They did BB's

HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!

Today Babushka would like to join Office Depot in highlighting one of our most important and unsung heroes. Quee?? Ju So Fonii!!! Mother's are celebrated next month- today we celebrate teachers! Sometimes these dedicated souls have a bigger impact than even we as parents have; this was the case with BB and MAC.

Y'all know the impression (trauma) The Trios' Puberty ::shudder:: had on Babushka.  Being a single mom of 3 wasn't easy and in all honesty BB had no clue how to raise a teenage son.  MAC was/is a kind soul who loves his mama, but the testosterone was trying and climbing; he had to test it out- and not always in the smartest of ways. Needless to say, Babushka was very happy when he was attracted to his high school's ROTC program, and in particular when his Sgt. took a special interest in his welfare- in and out of classroom.  He was the male example MAC never had and we are forever grateful for his help and caring.  Imaginate how much he was a part in MACs life, how significant a role, my grandson's middle name was chosen in honor of the man. A lifelong gesture for a life changing and lifelong lesson.

Please help BB,Office Depot and Adopt-A-Classroom change more lives for the better.  The impact teachers have on our children's lives truly can be life changing and lifelong- let's acknowledge all they are to us and how vital they are to our future.  Do you know a teacher you'd like to celebrate and thank? Please share and have the non-profit organization, Adopt-A-Classroom bring attention to their efforts.

• How to Register Your Classroom as a Teacher
1. Go to Teachers Change Lives website 
2. Click on the red box that says "Register Your Classroom," which will take you to the Adopt-A-Classroom website
3. Follow the corresponding steps from there
• How to Donate to a Teacher
1. Go to Teachers Change Lives website 
2. Click on the teal "Donate to a Teacher" box on the Teachers Change Lives website , which will take you to the Adopt-A-Classroom website
3. Follow the corresponding steps from there

A lifechanging and lifelong impression- it happens more often than we realize.

To our Sgt. and ALL Stellar Teachers:

1000x Gracias.

BB2U

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all BB'S.

Home Depot/Savings.com TWEETY FIESTA & Giveaway!!! #SpringIntoSavings #AhorraEnPrimavera

This is a compensated post and may have affiliate links.

 The opinions and Tweety Banner are BB's. (Me quedo cutisimo right??)

HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!!!

If you've been following Babushka (@BBabushka) on Tweety, then you know she's a dancing fiend on those Tweety Fiestas- can't get enough of them.  Lost count on the amount of Dr.Scholl's BB uses up bailando on the Tweety dancefloor. Bueno, now Babushka's cohosting one and I hope y'all will be there to help me tear up the floor.  Actually, considering it's for Home Depot that's not a bad thing, you can always repair it with the $100 Gift Cards we're giving away, 3 to be exacto. It's a bilingual English/Spanish Tweety Fiesta. Quee?? Ok si, JU SO FONII since Babushka is a cohost it'll be in Spanglish too!!!

Home Depot Twitter Party Details

• Date: 4/21/2014
• Time: 1pm ET
• Hashtag: #SpringIntoSavings or #AhorraEnPrimavera
• Prizes: 3 ($100 Home Depot Gift Cards)
• RSVP link: http://bit.ly/1h7TjB2

But wait My Beautifuls, not only is there a Tweety Fiesta, but there's also 3 days of Giveaways!!

GIVEAWAY LINK

Giveaway Details

• Savings.com is giving out $3,000 worth of Home Depot gift cards.
• 150 $20.00 gift cards
• $1,000 each day of giveaway (3 days)

• The giveaway will start on Monday, April 21 at 9:30 AM EST and end on Wednesday, April 23 at 7:00 PM EST, users can enter the giveaway by heading to the Home Depot page on Savings.com and submitting their email address.

• At 7:00 PM EST on each day the sweepstakes is running (Monday the 21st, Tuesday the 22nd and Wednesday the 23rd) 50 of the winners will be selected and $1,000 dollars worth of gift cards will be given out.
• Readers can enter the sweepstakes once a day, with the giveaway being reset at 7:01 PM EST on Monday and Tuesday. This means everyone can enter this sweepstakes 3 times - potentially allowing someone to win $60 worth of gift cards.

• Savings.com will notify the winners and send them their gift card code via the email address they use to enter.

Coupon Offer

The giveaway will run simultaneously with Home Depot’s best deal of the year:

• $10 off purchases of $100 or more.
• Promo Code: SPRINGHD
• Deal starts on Monday, April 21 and will run through Sunday, April 27.
• Log in to your Savings.com account to grab this deal on the Home Depot merchant page.

GIVEAWAY LINK

Hope to see y'all at the TWEETY FIESTA!!!

BB2U

P.S. In case you missed it:

GIVEAWAY LINK

Feel like a Celebrity- Win a Hollywood Swag Bag & The Children's Place $500 GC !!

Sponsored

HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!

A Hollywood Swag Bag and $500 to The Children's Place.

 

BUENISIMO Right??

Honestly, Babushka was feeling a little guilty about all the swag she got while in Miami,
so BB's very happy to join Bloggin' Mamas in this great giveaway. Or as they said it- 

Ever watch one OF those award shows on TV AND wish you could score SOME OF the awesome swag that the celebrities take home? BB's teamed up with Bloggin' Mamas & Hollywood Swag Bags to make that wish a reality. One lucky winner will receive a Swag Bag that was given out to Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2014 Presenters and Nominees ($800 Value) + a $500 giftcard sponsored by The Children's Place.

The giveaway starts 4/17/14 AT 12:01am EST AND ends 4/30/14 AT 11:59pm EST. It IS OPEN TO United States Residents 18 AND over. Winner will be selected via random.org AND notified via email within 48 hours after the drawing. Winner will have 48 hours TO respond OR a new winner will be selected. Winner's name will be displayed via the Rafflecopter widget below.

Here is some of what you might find in your swag bag if you win:

• Buddy Ball The Buddy Ball is a multi functional toy that can go from a teddy bear into a ball in a matter of seconds. The soft plush also stores a variety of kid treasures inside. The company gifted the nominees with a variety of their bears named Max, Eva, Landry and Sam.
• OPPOS A line of girls leggings featuring interchangeable legs. Short for opposites, OPPOS™ enables girls to mix and match the legs of their leggings for a different look every day of the month (and beyond).
• Various pieces of AngieShel Design’s gorgeous handcrafted jewelry.
• Ericka La Presle-Freer, creator of Starbars is added her gourmet organic super food bar in a delicious mint chocolate chip flavor.
• The “Brain Bar” was included to help nominees get their “Think On”, particularly helpful during an acceptance speech.
• Darby’s English Toffee is the finest toffee maker in Southern California. They have added their classic box for the nominees.
• Author Jennifer Ormond gifted her precious book Baby’s Binky Box.
• Oxylent Multivitamin Supplement Drink Oxygenates, hydrates, circulates and rejuvenates. Drink Oxylent Breathe Life.
• SeaSnax, a favorite among celebrities, launched a new product “Chomperz” to all the recipients. Chomperz can be described similar to a chip, but with the low calories and nutrition of seaweed. SeaSnax are gluten free and all natural. Try Chomperz and you will be hooked.
• Crave Naturals included three items from their product line, featuring the best selling Glide Thru Detangling Brush, Whiplash Eyelash Curler & Mirage Argan Oil.
• Tat Patch takes your ripped, destroyed and distressed jeans to a new level. Tat Patches go on the inside, peeking out. Everyone received an assortment of cool designs.
• DidiPopMusic supplied nominees with a collection of her smart and soulful music for kids.
• Rusk Hair made sure the nominees’ hair was perfectly groomed with its entire line of products.
• Nominees over the age of 21 enjoyed Tipsy Girl Wine Design Custom bedazzled wine glasses for the sophisticated oenophile.
• Focal Instincts Photography is including a gift certificate for award winning photography.

ENTER NOW!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Again, BUENISIMO Right??

Buena Suerte My Beautifuls.

BB2U

How Real Grandmas Use Swiffer.

Facilitated products by P&G. Reviewed, written and totally Babushka post.

HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!!!

From last years Hispanicize- 

BB pitched the idea to the PR company to show them how REAL Grandmas clean, and they loved it.

 So, here is my post and videos- almost a year later.  Quee??  JU SO FONII !!!  

Babushka needed to really let the dust accumulate so it would show up in pics.  

Si, that's my historia and BB's sticking to it.

 My tools of Dust Destruction:

The duster was a special Susan Komer model and may no longer be available.


So here you have it My Beautifuls: 

Ok si, not gonna win an Oscar-

pero at least it's done!

And for those who like those kind of things-

Blooper, Out Takes & Extras

Have a great weekend My Beautifuls,

and don't forget to get some Popcorn!

BB2U

BB's Being a Blockhead- Be Careful What You Wish For.

HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!!

Babushka's writing this at 11:23 PM while waiting for my clothes to wash. Before I forget the events of the dia, before I fall asleep while trying to type this.  Oh si, I know y'all have had this type of a day.

BB's still mentally and physically trying to "go back to normal" from my 12 hour bus ride, sleeping on recliners,taking care of grandmothers y grandbabies and La Potencia that is Hispanicize.  Don't think I'll be able to totally clear the effects of this trip 'till I'm back Up North in The South- for awhile.  Queee??  You think I'm just being Cubana and exagerating??  Unfortunately My Beautifuls, it's gone beyond just "Pulling a BB" (although I did do a couple of those too). Sit back, sientensen, get comfy y comodas y hopefully we'll both crack a smile while BB shares her Being a Blockhead Blues.

Blockhead. It's that feeling when you're not really thinking, just reacting.  The times when nothing new could possibly enter your brain; it's become a block.  Kinda like having a headcold, but without the fofos...

Babushka was up at 7:30 am. Ahuh- right there you know things aren't normal. I had gone to bed knowing La Tata had run out of her medicinal supplies and needed me to get them in the morning. Running on autopilot I took the bus to La Tata's Clinica to pick them up- didn't even drink cafe. Zombie autopilot- no bueno. Wanting to take advantage of my allday bus pass- quee? BB was Blockhead not braindead, hay que aprovechar those deals! Continuing. Wanting to take advantge of the pass, BB was going to do some grocery shopping. Just a few items, so I took my wheeled carryon luggage. Bueno, the medicinal supplies turned out to be 5 packages of incontinence pads- the BIG packages; they didnt all fit in the carryon.  Luckily there was a foldup wheeled carryon in the outside pocket that could be used! Unluckily it broke when I was running towards the bus.

And the "few things" I was going to buy at the supermarket turned out to be 2 gallons of milk, a 10 lb bag of chicken, salad fixins, 2 lbs linguine, 2 pkgs Cafe Cubano, Green plantains,coldcuts, cereal, butter, candy, Cuban Crackers, mini croissants, plantain chips and cheese.  Si, this is why Sweetie raises his eyebrows when I go out for "just a few things" and why my credit card companies love Babushka so much.  Naturally all this didn't fit in the carryon so I was also lugging 4 extra bags into the bus. Everyone was glad I just had to go 4 blocks. Y yes, I took the bus because they are 4 looooonnnnggg blocks. Matter of fact, BB's one of those that won't take the shopping cart out of the parking lot if my life depended on it, but I'm glad for the person on 8th St. and 15 Ave who doesn't follow that same outlook, porque Babushka used the cart they had taken- because my life DID depend on it! Again, in Little Havana, those are loooooonnnnngggg blocks.

Arriving at La Tata's redfaced, sweating, and almost passed out, it was now 10 am.  To BB it seemed like I had lived a week in those 2.5 hours. My only thought before taking an early Siesta- How does one go about canonizing the inventor of ice cubes and air conditioning??

Five hours later - quee? I had to agregar, add on the sleep hours missed from my early rise, no?? Cinco horas despues I was making La Tata's afternoon cafe con leche when a torrential rain storm hit Little Havana. How refreshing it made the evening air, so much so I decided to go do some shopping after dinner for La Tata, another "few things" that were needed.  Ok si, they didn't all fit.  But that wasn't the peor.  During self checkout I forgot to add the coupons, again proof of Blockheaditis, so the manager had to cancel out the transaction. We moved to another register where he rang the items up again, and then he used the wrong reward card (BB carries 2- one is La Tata's) and had to start all over again. FINALLY the 4 liters of soda were in the carryon and 2 extra bags in hand.  Now, I don't know if it was the weight, the overuse, the abuse, but the handle of the carryon refused to fully slide upwards.  Babushka was doing a Quasimodo impression down SW Eighth street, dragging the carryon, holding the bags, and trying not to fall over because BB's body was hunched more than half. In a burst of "COME ON NOW!" the carryon was flung/flicked by the handle and went to its correct position. After all that, the 5 looooonnnnggg blocks back to La Tata's didn't seem that bad.

Now, here's the part where Babushka says to "Be careful What You Wish For".  Once BB was walking upright, the evening breeze was cool; it was pleasurable and somewhat mind clearing. The affects of exercize aren't too well practised or known to Babushka, so I said to myself, "I wish I could do more of this to clear the blockhead." Bueno My Beautifuls- PorQue??!!!  I arrived at La Tata's and realized I had left the credit card at the store.  Oh si, yes BB did.

The store was called; they had the card. Babushka took the bus this time.  Not only did BB take the bus, but the evening air was so enticing, a trip to Downtown was taken- spur of the moment.  Why not? BB had the all day bus pass and needed to recharge it for another day, so to the Brickell metrostation I went.  

The pass autoload option wasn't functioning correctly so BB bought a new card,

 also had 40 mins until the next guagua so I went across the street to buy "a few things".  

40 minutes later, on the way back to Little Havana, Babushka asked the driver if 12th & 7th was the closest to La Tata's.  He said yes, and in the next stop- which was 8th & 7th BB got off.  Zombie autopilot struck again.  An extra 4 loooonnnggg blocks were added to the camina to casa. 

 ::Sigh:: y Self :: BOPASO::

On the corner of La Tata's the rain decided to dance again.  

Now I will ask you a seemingly random question My Beautifuls, but you'll understand in a moment why la pregunta.  Do you remember your potty training? Unfortunately BB can't ask her madre for verification, but it seems everytime Babushka gets near home, "dancing at the door" happens. She must have said "you can hold it 'till we get to casa." and it's ingrained in the subconscious. Bueno, La Tata's front lock took this moment to stick; should have held on to one of her medicinal supplies. Thankfully I was already wet by the lluvia.

My Bella Amiga Jewel Figueras said she doesn't follow reality shows, but one about Babushka's Life in Little Havana she'd watch...

So, has the Blockhead gone? 

JU SO FONII!!!

Pero I did use up my all day bus pass.

; ) 

Babushka Besos a todos. Cuidensen.