Remember how I told you guys about the free movie at the Shops at Midtown, and how they had samples of Katy’s Kettle Corn pop chips? I forgot to tell you how much fun this event was!

I was there about an hour before the movie started, and watched as the crowd grew bigger and bigger, in spite of a big Miami Heat semi-finals game against the Chicago Bulls. The sweltering Miami heat (heh, no pun intended) cooled down for the night as we enjoyed a comfortable, beautiful evening out under the stars.

As I mentioned before, pop chips was there with samples of their latest flavor, Katy’s Kettle Corn. They are good, a perfect combination of salty and sweet. A video featuring Katy Perry introducing the chips aired before the movie, and then Wreck-It Ralph started. You all know how much I love this movie. =)

This event was great! Not only did I get to try a new snack and see one of my favorite movies, I got to take some pop chips home with me, and a little bit of Katy Perry too! I got several bags of Katy’s Kettle Corn pop chips, a fun blue wig, fake eyelashes, a poster, a Target gift card. I may or may not put on the blue wig and dance around the house singing Teenage Dream.

Check out pop chips at your local Target, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: I was compensated and provided products/samples to help promote Katy’s Kettle Corn popchips. I am participating in this campaign on behalf of Bloggin’ Mamas. All opinions indicated are my own.

Now, without further ado:

Congratulations to our winners – Eileen, Lilli and Jeanette!

I’ve emailed you, please check your inbox so I can get the guest passes to you. And don’t forget to share your Chuck E. Says Cheese pictures!

Thank you again to Chuck E. Cheese for this great giveaway!

And speaking of running, I’ll take this opportunity to share that I participated in the ALS Recover Fund/Lou Gherig’s Disease race this past weekend for the third year in a row. I registered for the 10K, but started coming down with a cold on Friday which almost prevented me from running. But, instead of not going, I went and ran the 5K instead. My net time was 42:30:00, which is in my general range, and not bad for feeling sick. I’m so glad I went to once again be a part of Team Ferd and run in my friends’ father’s memory. Each year,Term Ferd just keeps growing and growing. Who’ll join us next year?

This evening, watch Wreck-It-Ralph with the family for free under the stars at the Shops at Midtown. While you’re there, grab some samples of popchips’ newest flavor, Katy’s Kettle Corn. Katy Perry joined the popchips team as brand ambassador and investor, and wanted to create her own flavor. A mix of salty and sweet, Katy’s Kettle Corn is as unique as the singer herself!

I’ll be at the movie tonight, so find me and say hi, and tell me what you think about Katy’ Kettle Corn popchips! And stay tuned as I’ll tell you more about tonight’s movie event later on this week.

pop chips Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 25, 2013 – singer-songwriter katy perry and popchips, one of the fastest growing snack brands in the u.s., are excited to introduce the newest addition to popchips’ award winning line of snacks – katy’s kettle corn, a sweet & salty popped corn chip debuting at most target stores nationwide this month.

Shortly after joining the popchips family in july 2012 as an investor and creative partner,  katy expressed the desire to create a signature popchips flavor.  like everything katy perry does, she wanted to have her stamp on it and create a unique flavor that captured both her passion for popcorn and craving for the classic sweet & salty flavor of kettle corn.  the result is katy’s kettle corn, a naturally delicious popped corn chip with just the right balance of sweet & salty. and with less than half the fat of fried chips, fewer calories and none of the fake colors or flavors that gives snacking a bad name, they are as irresistible as katy’s #1 hits.

“popchips had never ventured into sweet territory before, but i wanted to add my personal touch when creating a flavor,” said katy perry.  “so i rallied behind the idea of kettle corn. when i snack, i crave a little bit of sweet and a little bit of salt, but i had yet to find a healthier way to satisfy those cravings. when popchips first approached me to be an ambassador, i thought, ‘hey, this is my chance to create my snacking desire.’ after a series of intensive taste tests, i’m proud to introduce the best of both worlds, and my dream snack realized – katy’s kettle corn!”

katy also put her own unique twist on the packaging, from the pink and purple colors and spotlight to the heart over the “i” in the popchips logo.

“when katy perry became the new face of popchips and an investor we were thrilled.  when she told us she wanted to create her own flavor, we couldn’t wait to get started,” said keith belling, co-founder and chief executive officer of popchips.  “through the process we got a first-hand look at the drive, passion and attention to detail that’s helped turn katy perry into a global popstar.  and katy’s kettle corn is a delicious reflection of her unique personality and continues popchips position as a leading innovator in the snack aisle.”

katy’s kettle corn debuts at Target stores, as well as on popchips’ website (http://store.popchips.com) and in select retailers, including safeway and walgreens beginning in mid-february.

About Popchips®

popchips®, one of the fastest growing snacks brands in north america and the uk, is a naturally delicious line of popped chips with all the flavor and half the fat of fried chips. popchips has been winning awards and acclaim since its launch in 2007 and has a growing list of celebrity fans and investors, led by social media pioneer and actor, ashton kutcher, who serves as the company’s “president of pop culture.” popchips are now sold at over 20,000 retailers across north america and the uk, including whole foods, safeway, kroger, target, wegmans, loblaws, waitrose and select costco locations, and online at store.popchips.com. for more information about the company and its products, popover to popchips.com, become a fan on facebook or follow us on twitter.

about katy perry.
katy perry has cemented her status as a best-selling superstar with the global success of her second studio album, teenage dream, which debuted at #1 in 8 countries and has spent every week in billboard’s top 200 album sales chart since its release over 2 years ago. she became the only female artist to have 5 #1 singles from one album on the billboard hot 100 chart (“california girls,” “teenage dream,” “firework,” “e.t.” and “last friday night”). the recently-released special edition, teenage dream: the complete confection, added “part of me” and “wide awake” to katy’s list of nine top 40 chart-toppers (dating back to her multi-platinum debut album, 2008′s one of the boys, which generated four hit singles: “i kissed a girl,” “hot n cold,” “thinking of you” and “waking up in vegas”). in 2011, she sold out arenas around the globe on her california dreams tour. the tour was the subject of 2012′s 3d feature film, katy perry: part of me, which is already the fourth biggest music documentary of all time, outpacing films from madonna, u2, and the rolling stones.

Disclosure: I am being provided compensation and products/samples to help promote Katy’s Kettle Corn PopChips. I am participating in this campaign on behalf of Bloggin’ Mamas. All opinions indicated are my own.

Have you been to Chuck E Cheese lately? They’ve got this great augmented reality app, available via both iTunes and Play Store. Take pictures via the app at any of the “Say Cheese Here” signs throughout Chuck E. Cheese and capture fun moments featuring Chuck E and your little one(s).

Recently, hubby and I took the boys to have some fun with the app.

Chuck E. Busts a Move!

Share your pictures on Chuck E. Cheese’s Facebook page, and win daily and weekly prizes during the month of May! Daily Prizes include a guest pass good for a trip to Chuck E. Cheese’s with pizza, drinks and tokens as well as Chuck E. merchandise. Weekly prize winners will receive a combination of gift cards and cool electronics/toys.

And speaking of prizes, I’ve got my own giveaway here on the blog. Three winners will receive one Chuck E. Cheese Guest Pass, which includes 1 large pizza, 4 soft drinks, and 30 game tokens. Additionally, each winner will get 5 “10 Free Tokens” stickers, for a total of 50 additional tokens. Just fill out the rafflecopter widget below. Winners will be announced on May 16th. Once you receive your winning guest pass, visit your local Chuck E. Cheese and say “Cheese” with Chuck E!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Chuck E. Cheese provided me guest passes and free token stickers for this giveaway.

He can’t clasp his hands together while carrying us both on his lap anymore, and we weigh just a *tad* bit more than we did back then, but we’ll always be daddy’s little girls.

Happy birthday dad, I’m thankful every day that divine intervention brought you back to us.

I’ll admit it, I’m an Iron Man FanGirl. Tony Stark is a narcissistic millionaire genius, but underneath it all, he’s a good guy. The latest installment of the Iron Man Series, and the Avengers universe, brings to light the good, true, vulnerable Tony, and I loved it!

When we last saw Tony, he was a part of the Avengers, battling aliens and mythical characters in New York. He is currently in a committed relationship and living with Pepper Potts, and working on various versions of his amazing Iron Man suit. From the outside, all seems right in his world, but he’s suffering from anxiety attacks and can’t sleep. There is news of terrorist attacks throughout the world, bombings with no forensic evidence, initiated by a terrorist named The Mandarin. After his former bodyguard (now Stark Industries head of security) Happy Hogan is seriously injured by one of The Mandarin’s attacks, Tony publicly vows revenge, announcing his home address on television. As Pepper attempts to convince him that they should get out of town, his Malibu mansion is attacked and destroyed. Tony, suited up as Iron Man, falls within the rubble into the ocean and is presumed dead by The Mandarin’s men, the media, and Pepper. However, a previously programmed flight plan in JARVIS’s system lands Tony in rural Tennessee, and with the help of a 10-year-old boy, Tony begins discovering how a local explosion ties into The Mandarin’s attacks.

For most of the movie, Tony is suit-less, experiencing anxiety attacks, worried about Pepper’s well-being, and trying to find The Mandarin and stop his next terrorist plot, an attack involving the President of the United States. But the lack of suits, and the lack of a fully-functioning JARVIS, doesn’t stop our hero. Tony shows us his true wits, crafting several home-made weapons and finding The Mandarin’s whereabouts. Our hero discovers that the bombs weren’t really bombs, but soldiers whose bodies rejected the Extremis virus, an experimental regenerative treatment with the purpose of users with crippling injuries being able to recover. With JARVIS now up and running, and his friend Colonel James Rhodes by his side,Tony is able to suit up again. But, he still has to rescue the President and Pepper while combating The Mandarin and his Extremis-infected henchmen.

The movie explores the consequences of our favorite superhero’s battles, both physical and emotional. It is action-packed, has several laughable moments, and has a few surprises as well. Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow play Tony and Pepper to perfection. In fact, I cannot imagine anyone else in these roles, especially Downey. He IS Iron Man. And I’m so glad he’s back! In theaters this Friday, May 3rd, Iron Man 3 will definitely be the top blockbuster of the season.

Disclosure: I was invited to a pre-screening of Iron Man 3 by Disney Pictures. The opinion that Iron Man rocks is entirely my own.

“Little boys live to play outside all summer long. That’s why we’ve built our summer collection around their active lifestyle. All of our new, cool shorts and athletic tops are constructed in light breathable fabrics to wick away sweat and keep him feeling comfortable and bright pops of color to keep him looking fresh.”

My boys are ready for summer fun: Brandon with skulls, his favorite print, and Matty with sharks. I got them matching rash guards (containing SPF 50), and few new tops, and a couple of shorts too. And I couldn’t resist a little shopping in the girls’ side of the store, I picked up an orange and pink bikini (with ruffles!!) for my niece. I got some great, fun pieces at affordable prices.

Disclaimer: I attended The Children’s Place Summer Trends preview and was provided a $100 gift card to make purchases. All opinions above are our own.

I won a $100 Visa gift card from Tide during Hispanicize.

I won a Sirius radio at the Radio Shack suite during Hispanicize (shhh, don’t tell hubby, I’m saving it for Father’s Day).

Last Wednesday I won Ingrid Hoffmann’s new cookbook Latin D’Lite via Web City Girls.

My luck continued at Web City Girls on Thursday when I won tickets to #GreenLifeMiami, an event that took place at Jungle Island this past Saturday in celebration of Earth Day.

And two nights ago I won a gift basket from Colgate during Mamiverse‘s #SmileUp Twitter Party. (And this was just a plus, what a positive, inspiring Twitter party to participate in. In spite of all the sadness in the world right now, focusing on things that make us smile for an hour and a half.)

Maybe I should play a Lotto ticket this weekend…

Here are some of the quotes shared with us during the session:

*Get your own chips.
*In your deepest pain is the answer to what you’re supposed to do.
*There’s nothing wrong with just making money.
*Make fear and failure your best friends.
*We cannot give up. Fear is not a fact, just a feeling.
*To be chosen, you have to choose yourself first.
*You are your own prince charming. Nothing makes you feel better than to be self reliant.
*Maintaining your health and wellness is the ultimate self love.
*Listen to the women that came before us.
*We need to buy from each other. If we bought from each other, we’d all be rich.
*Don’t buy shoes, buy a building.

All of these reminds us that we are powerful and beautiful, but we have to believe in ourselves first or no one else will. We are our own greatest champion. We have the power to make things happen for ourselves, and to prosper spiritually and financially from our passion. Even if life has dealt you a crappy hand, you have to find yourself a better hand to play with. And win the game.

It was an honor not only to hear these amazing women speak, but to have the opportunity to meet them. I did not hesitate to thank them for being wonderful role models for the generations of Latinas that followed them.

Disclosure: Chuck E. Cheese sponsored me to attend Hispanicize 2013.