Tips to Tackle Parenting's Messes and Stresses! #HuggiesLatino

I already know what you are thinking! But Butterfly, you are NOT a mom what would YOU know about Parenting Stress?

Actually I probably manage more little ones at a time than you do, when you are the only single girl left amongst married siblings, you somehow become the built in babysitter. And not just to one of your siblings kids, but try ALL of them! (and sometimes without even being asked if it's OK to bring them all over, but that's a story for another post I'm sure!) Let's not also forget about the Godchildren!

Sometimes it's not just for an afternoon or a day, but entire weekends with a tribe running around my tiny NYC apartment wreaking all kinds of havoc. Don't get me wrong, I love my nieces and nephews, and as a blogger I thankfully have an assortment of things to keep them busy even at various ages, and that coupled with my background as a Special Ed teacher (many moons ago), I have learned a thing or two about patience throughout the years!

TV personality and father of two, Poncho de Anda and family

“Parenting can be overwhelming, but my wife and I work together to constantly improve upon what we’ve learned over the past few years with our children,” said Poncho de Anda. “And we’ve learned a lot – like relying on Huggies diapers and wipes, which stand up to the tests of our little ones and have helped us make it through long flights and even spaghetti night with ease!” 

My tips for managing Parenting Stress:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - No Mom is an Island - Rally the Troops! - Remember when the baby was born, and everyone came to visit? They all OOhed and AAhed and promised to watch the baby like 'whenever'? Call in those markers ladies. Take an afternoon to yourself. I know you'll be tempted to run household errands with that precious time, but I highly suggest you take that time and do something for yourself. It will make you a happier mom/mami in the long run! (As a loving Auntie, I highly suggest calling and asking first!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Treat MESS like a Virus - Quarantine it! - Try to keep the mess contained to one room. If you can keep kids in one designated play area (particularly in winter when they are stuck indoors) it will make things easier to manage later.

Poncho's Youngest, Dani

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Embrace your Inner Santa - That's right everyone likes an important job, tell your little elves, ahem I mean 'Helpers' how important their job is, and have them put away their toy as soon as they are done with that particular toy. Before taking out a new toy, make sure you put the first one away.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Let Go of the Better Homes and Gardens Ideal - Very few of us have maids, butlers, gardeners, and pool boys, let go of the idea that your home should like the inside of a featured house in Better Homes and Gardens. When you are living your life, it sometimes gets messy!

Want a peek at how Poncho's family manages Parenting's Messes and Stresses? Take a look at the YouTube Video below:

Want a shot at a cool prize? Put the new and improved Huggies Diapers and Wipes to the test for a chance to win a fully stocked Huggies Diaper Bag by visiting Huggies Latino on Facebook!

With BlogHer swiftly approaching, I haven't had time to post as many reviews and giveaways as I'd like, so as I hear of neat giveaways going on online, I'll share them here! After the conference is over we'll resume with some fun giveaways of our own!

(P.S. - And if you are feeling tweety I still have one more day to bug you all for votes, please tweet this:

@KristinaLibby Pls pick @Ascending1 to go from Chrysalis to #Butterfly during #BlogHer12 with a #windowstyle #Makeover ow.ly/cvwOm

You can check out yesterday's post and Tuesday's for more information as to why I need you to tweet this!)

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FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Huggies and Latina Bloggers Connect. All opinions are 100% my own.

Half Way There! Easy ways you can #WaveforChange - Small Effort, HUGE Impact!

I have always had the ability to 'write', I loved creating poetry, short stories and being all around creative as a child. Thankfully my mom was smart and fostered my creativity, unfortunately my guidance counselor at school....well  not so much. He told me writing wasn't a 'real' job, pursue an education that gives you a 'trade' in the end, because that 'trade' is how you'll earn your living.

Needless to say I came home that day with the wind totally knocked out of my sails. My mom picked up on it and asked me why I was so sullen, and when I told her why she was fit to be tied that anyone in the eductional system would so easily try to dash a young person's dreams, and not just any young person, HER daughter! She had experienced something very similar by her favorite art teacher when she was young so she understood how I felt.

She spent years making up for that counselor's mistake by nurturing my creative side at every given opportunity. And finally in High School an amazing teacher who taught Creative Writing, 'got me'. He got my style, liked my writing and totally encouraged me (Huge shout out to Mr. McKinnon!). He taught me my writing was my power. And took me straight to the guidance counselor's office to find all the essay writing contests they knew of for scholarship funding, and with both of their help and a lot of nights spent writing, I wrote the essay that got me accepted into 3 different Universities, and landed me a multitude of Scholarship Funding.

I went on to become to the first College Graduate in my family. And I did find creative ways to make a living writing (starting with articles in a variety of newspapers, time spent as a film critic for a well known local paper, and as a newswriter for a local cable news television station!).

My education impacted my life in more ways than one, earning power, career potential, work ethics and even in emotional ways like self-esteem and pride.

But for every student with the courage to stand up to a devastating 'no', or a 'you can't make in that profession, pick another'; there are students who don't ever tell their families about it and remain silent and worse still, take it to heart and believe it may be true!

When I started Ascending Butterfly it was to share affirmations of empowerment, to encourage, to inspire. And when I was first approached by brands, I wanted something 'better', I wanted to work with brands doing Social Good, making a difference, giving back. And somewhere along the line, I got known for doing so. And now I get more giveback initiatives and campaigns in my inbox than I can possibly cover. I of course wish I had the time to cover them all, but the chance to make a difference to help support education, students and their dreams is one I just had to share!


About:

Neutrogena®, the #1 dermatologist-recommended skin care brand, launched Wave for Change® in 2009 and has benefited disaster relief & environmental charities around the world, as well as provided hope for kids through education. The campaign has raised almost half a million dollars in almost three years and has facilitated scholarships, school uniforms, backpacks, and school supplies to children from unprivileged communities.

Ways to Give Back:

JUST WATCH:

Just by watching the video below, Neutrogena® Wave for Change® will donate $1 to GlobalGiving to support U.S. educational organizations such as: Knowledge is Power Program, Para Los Ninos, and Education Through Music. (As The Official #TwitterPartyDJ you know I love any program that fosters the love of music and education!)

OR SHOP:

An additional $1 will be donated to GlobalGiving with each participating Neutrogena product you purchase.

Visit the Neutrogena® Wave for Change® site or their Facebook page to activate the purchased products with one quick click!

And:

Here's an even bigger win/win, you can join @LBConnect for a Twitter Party on July 25th, 2012 from 9pm-10:30 pm EST. I am NOT hosting or co-hosting this party, so if you have any questions, please visit the twitter page we linked to above!

Super easy right? I hope you will join me in the Neutrogena 'Wave for Change'. If you haven't already done so, GO watch that video, seriously like NOW! :)

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Neutrogena® Wave for Change® through Latina Bloggers Connect. All opinions are my own. Questions about Ascending Butterfly's Disclosure Policy? See HERE for more information.