Wordless Wednesday: HELP! The @TheLorax is stalking me! {Photos}

You may remember in February of this year during New York Fashion Week that Ascending Butterfly and The Lorax made the cover of page 6. It was a Wordless Wednesday Post that month, and you can check it out here to refresh your memory. Here is the picture:

Photo Credit: Dirty Sugar, Left: Ascending Butterfly, Right: The Lorax

Well it appears that I cannot escape that furry ball of love! I think the Lorax may be stalking me as he appeared out of nowhere during BlogHer 2012 and insisted on a photo for his scrapbook!

Photo Credit: Ascending Butterfly

Hmm....Stalking me much?

I love taking pictures with Mascots, so it was fun getting photos with the Lorax both at Fashion week and now again at BlogHer 2012! (The way some people stalk celebrities, I stalk mascots to take photos!)

The Lorax 3D Box Art Photo Credit: Universal Pictures, photo used with permission

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is now available on DVD, and for those of you not lucky enough to get stalked at events by the fun loving guy, you can now bring him home with the new BLU-RAY™ 3D COMBO PACK!

SYNOPSIS

The imaginative world of Dr. Seuss comes to life like never before in this visually spectacular adventure from the creators of Despicable Me! Twelve-year-old Ted will do anything to find a real live Truffula Tree in order to impress the girl of his dreams. As he embarks on his journey, Ted discovers the incredible story of the Lorax, a grumpy but charming creature who speaks for the trees. Featuring the voice talents of Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, Jenny Slate and Betty White, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is filled with hilarious fun for everyone!

SINOPSIS

El mundo imaginativo de Dr. Seuss viene a la vida como nunca antes en este visualmente espectacular aventura de los creadores de Despicable Me! Solo doce años Ted hará cualquier cosa para encontrar un árbol de Truffula vida real con el fin de impresionar a la chica de sus sueños. Cuando se embarca en su viaje, Ted descubre la increíble historia del Lorax, una criatura cascarrabias pero encantador que habla de los árboles. Presentando los talentos de voz de Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, Jenny Slate y Betty White, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax está lleno de hilarante diversión para todos!

I know what are you thinking, but butterfly I thought we were going to go retro this week and keep focusing exclusively on inspiration, well in way we are! The thing I love about hanging out with my nieces, nephews and Godchildren is that I get to re-visit my inner child in a healthy way. 

Remember that sweet time of your life, where every stranger became a friend solely by knowing their name? Remember when love was the one thing worth risking everything for? ~ Ascending Butterfly

What we do to find love is our journey! Professional success is wonderful, but finding someone to share the fruit of your labors, makes those fruits that much sweeter.

As an adult is love so simple? Probably not, but it's not quite as complicated as we make it either. 

Today's Challenge: Ask yourself: How far would I go for real love? Could you put yourself out there completely?

MY TAKE:

As I loved Despicable Me, I had no doubt I'd love The Lorax too. I am long time Dr. Seuss fan and I am happy to pass along that tradition with the little ones in my life. 

NOTE: The BLU-RAY combo pack comes with Featurettes and Exclusives!

Dr. Seuss + Universal Studios Home Entertainment = Fun for Everyone! 

Want to keep up the fun after the movie is over? Check out the Lorax Activity Sheet Below:

 

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. No monetary compensation has been received. I was provided with a review copy of the DVD for editorial consideration. All opinions are 100% my own. Please do not 'borrow' my personal watermarked Lorax photos!

Today's Words of Inspiration - Re-visit your Life Path! #MotivationMonday

Photo Credit: Tracy Iglesias, Ascending Butterfly taken at New York Botanical Gardens

Butterflies, BlogHer12 was over-whelming and I am probably still trying to process it all, I will spread my recaps out slowly so they can be truly thought-filled and insightful.

I did like the fact that a Healthminder and Pathfinder track was added to the conference, I'm not sure I like that they were a separate price, but I do think that they were equally helpful to both newbie bloggers and still had something to offer more 'senior' bloggers in attendance. (By senior I mean 'experienced' and at this point that would include me!)

Those panels and tracks inspired me, they forced me to have a re-think both personally and professionally about where I am and where I want to be!

One of the biggest take aways for me was geting back to the writing that makes me the happiest. And truly having a look at where I want to be as a blogger. To many of us our blogs probably started as just our 'life' or at least much of it as are willing to share and for some that becomes a Brand. But is that brand genuine? Does it still truly reflect the real you?

At heart I'm a Coach. I motivate people. I help people in my circles and my life to solve problems. I like to inspire. And my medical setback this year coupled with what I learned during my time at BlogHer has made me realize that I was much happier when I focused on Today's Words of Inspiration. Somehow along the way, and I guess it's because as this community, people wanted to know the face behind the inspirations, people wanted to make sure this wasn't a bot but a real person they could relate to, that I opened up more. And when I opened up more, this site went from 'inspirational' to 'lifestyle'. And for awhile I love that and it fueled me to. But I realized after this very long conference experience, that I miss 'inspiration'. I missed the motivation. This community was founded on learning on to take time for yourself each and everyday and just breathe. Saying your breathing affirmational excercises once to start your day and once to end it.

I will admit that the self -reflection as well blog-reflection has made me realize that I am also a passionate travel writer (I did work for an Airline many moons ago) and I need to explore this more in 2013, but I don't ever want Ascending Butterfly to lose it's 'roots', inspiration is our foundation and it's high time we re-explored it here!

Todays Challenge: Re-visit your Life Path.

Pretend you are going on a job interview for the job of your life, and you get asked these three questions:

(1) What are you most passionate about?

(2) Where do you see yourself not just in five years, but NEXT year?

(3) Are you happy? (OK this one might be a stretch on a job interview, but it is appropriate to ask yourself to help re-evaluate where you are right now)

Here are my answers:

(1) Writing - It started with Poetry as a kid, and never stopped!

(2) Next Year - Transitioning to travel blogging. Five Years: Writing a book about those experiences!

(3) I'm grateful, but haven't quite been as happy as I could be lately (<-Perhaps I need to do more breathing affirmational excercises daily myself!)

Today's Words of Inspiration and Breathing Affirmational Excercise: Take a deep breath, hold it and say to yourself 'Each and everyday I pursue my true passion, I move closer towards my goals.' and then exhale. Changing a behavior or thought comes with repitition, it helps to repeat affirmations in blocks, so say that out loud or to yourself three times in succession multipe times per day. While we will post new affirmations frequently if one truly resonates with you above others, then stick to that one as your daily so you can really manifest positive and powerful changes in your life.

Will you re-visit your life path today? Did you re-visit it and find out you want to change it? If so, how? Where do you want to be headed?

Happy Motivation Monday Butterflies! More BlogHer recaps and a BlogHer 2012 Pinterest Board coming soon!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. No monetary compensation has been received.

What does @BarackObama have to do with #BlogHer12 day one?

President Barack Obama Addresses Bloggers live during a webcast during BlogHer 2012

Butterflies, my apologies for the super brief post. There was so much to take in, and so much that I experienced just on day one, that I really don't know where to start!

BlogHer truly blew everyone away on August 2nd, when President Barack Obama addressed the bloggers in attendance via live webcast at the Hilton Hotel in NYC.

He gets it, the power behind our voices, how amazing our platforms are and the direct impact we have on our audience and our communities. I've attend a ton of conferences in general throughout my career in IT and now as a blogger, and I don't remember being addressed by a US President during a Conference, blogging or otherwise. For a moment it left many of us speechless. That's how high up blogging is being noticed! Ladies (and gentlemen too!), we have power with our words, our posts, our platforms, how do YOU want to use that power? How can you use that power to make your communities a better place?

Elisa Camahort Page, Lisa Stone BlogHer Founders

My day was a busy one as this year I'm working the conference from the inside, and I attended the Healthminder track today, I live Blogged, mic wrangled  and listened to some amazing speakers. I will provide real session recaps in a few days when I've fully had time to absorb the experience.

This year more bloggers are connecting with EACH other, and that makes me truly heart happy, those are the memories and ultimately relationships that last the longest. I'm so happy to see more bloggers make connections with fellow attendees, and go out of their comfort zones and not just talk to their friends all night long, but introduce themselves to someone they don't know. During the People's Party all the tables were already taken and a few of us just started camping out on the floor, there were exhibitors/brands, bloggers and PR folks too, just having a good old fashion camp out together. In those moments, breaking bread and talking while on the floor, we had amazing conversations, would those conversations come up at a table if we had been lucky enough to score one? maybe. But they were that much more fun in a mock campfire circle. While I will never forget Obama's webcast, I will also never forget the new people I met during The People's Party either!

And there were 3 specific online friends I wanted to meet in real life, and fate just put me in the right place at the right time to meet them ALL on day ONE, How cool is that?

I even met Nadia, from the Niche Mommy Conference I'm considering attending and wrote a great post about this week!

Now I hope the Favor Gods are smiling down upon me and I get picked for the #Windowstyle makeover too! I would be super stoked if I won!

I've received a few discount codes throughout the day, I'll compile the rest on Thursday and Friday and be sure to post about them all for you so you can nab some amazing deals even though you might not have been able to attend the conference in person this year!

I got to meet some super awesome PR folks I work with throughout the years and that was really cool, we could finally put faces with the names! I met some new PR folks and have some super fun collaborations coming down the pike that means super awesome giveaways for you! Who loves you Butterfly?

I'm having a blast, I'm exhausted as I'm writing this post, but it's a good kind of tired!

So far the conference collective voices are speaking, they are guiding, they are encouraging us to find our bliss. For me, it's my travel writing posts. I love to travel and that's the track I'd like pursue a bit more of in 2013. How do you feel about your butterfly flying all over the world sharing what inspired her, from deserted Sandy Beaches, to gorgeous architecture, to gourmet food, local wines, local art and dance? I think that's the perfect path for me in 2013, and I hope you do too! I hope you are ready to take this journey around the world with me!

TGI Friday Butterfly!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. I am a BlogHer Conference Volunteer this year. I have received my conference pass in exchange for volunteer services during the conference. I am under no obligation to share my experiences about the conference on my personal blog.

{Bump} Top 10 Family Friendly NYC Destinations + Live Tweets during #BlogHer12

Today is day one of BlogHer and while I'll be live blogging FOR BlogHer, I'm not entirely sure when my blogs will go live on their site, as soon as I know, I'll post the URL!

So in the meantime, I'm bumping Monday's post as you guys have given me great feedback on the Top 10 Family Friendly Destinations in New York City Post!

For those of you who mentioned that you can't make it to BlogHer this time but are planning a trip to NYC, feel free to email me and I'd be happy to send over additional recommendations that did not make this list!

I will be tweeting during the day and trying to recap my experiences in those 140 characters or less digital soundbites otherwise known as 'tweets', be sure you are following us at both accounts @Tracy_Iglesias AND @Ascending1 to stay up to date on BlogHer 2012!

Happy Thursday Butterfly!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post!

I am on my way to #BlogHer12 so why are my thoughts on the @NicheMommy Conference?

Witchcraft, Voodoo Legends, and Vampire Folklore - OH MY!

This week the BlogHer Conference is coming back to my city, New York City! And I'm live blogging this year FOR BlogHer which I'm totally excited about. So why is my mind already on the Niche Mommy Conference?

I guess since I already live in New York City, and I'm not taking a plane to get there, I'm not getting that 'travel rush' I normally get before a conference, so my mind is drifting and wandering towards thoughts of new sites and sounds. A city I have never visited. A city with Vampire Lore (Hello, life long Horror and Vampire Movie lover here!), a city with a rich Jazz musical history and great restaurants, New Orleans!

I have been researching this city for years now, and according to the Haunted New Orleans Tours website, "New Orleans, (is) America's Most Haunted City" - It seems to me it's part haunted and part enchanted and that is a strong part of the draw for me. I don't know why none of my travels to date have yet to take me there, but I'm thinking the Niche Mommy Conference sounds like a perfect excuse, I mean ahem, a 2012 'business' trip! Yeah, that's the ticket! While I know most folks immediately think about Mardi Gras madness, I don't want to try push my way down crowded streets, I want to take leisurely strolls and get great pictures of local architecture, meet tons of locals and hit the restaurants on my wish/research list. Yes I have actually been compiling a list of must try restaurants, I'm such a hopeless foodie!

You know how I feel about Vision Boards, and how they help you put the power of attraction in action! I have been compiling info on New Orleans for awhile now, and here is an advertisement that I clipped from a  magazine that highlights some of the things I want to do while in NOLA!

My 'Big Easy' Vision Board:

Press on each picture to see them as a full page and then backspace and come back here to see the next one!

I was robbed of quite a bit of travel time in the last year (due to a medical nightmare I certainly didn't see coming), and I plan to make up for it! While there are all the obvious reasons of why I love conferences (connecting with online friends from across the miles in the real world, learning how to make my business grow stronger by blogging smarter not harder, meeting great brands and making new friends), I also love travel and I love exploring new cities. I'm totally excited that Niche Mommy will be held in New Orleans this year, and I totally hope to make it out there!

For all those coming in this week for BlogHer, please be sure to visit my post that outlines the top 10 family fun New York City sites and attractions, if you missed it, you can click HERE.

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FTC Disclosure: While this is NOT a sponsored post, this is a personal essay entry into a Britax Competition for an opportunity to win a sponsorship to the Niche Mommy Conference. This is a closed competition for members of their Latina Advisory Board - Hispanic Digital Outreach Blogger Brand Ambassadors. This post is my entry, all opinions are 100% my own. I have NO personal affiliation to the Niche Mommy Conference organizers or the New Orleans Tourism Board. I am however entirely fascinated by the supernatural and have always wanted to visit New Orleans!

NYC Summer Fun! My Top 10 list of Family Friendly New York City Things To Do! {Photos}

With a ton of bloggers about to descend upon Manhattan for the BlogHer Conference (where I will be Live Blogging), I know invariably some will be bringing family and many of you extending your stay for a few days to take in all the family friendly sites New York City has to offer!

My Top Ten Family Friendly Fun things to do in New York City include:

1) OK so I'm a bit biased here and will start with the fact that there are three major NYC family friendly landmarks in my 'backyard' - Take in a game at Yankee Stadium. Summer is synonymous with Yankee Games for most New Yorkers and the stadium is just a train ride away no matter where in the city you may find yourself.

2) A little more bias here, and even closer to my home is The Bronx Zoo, check out this link for a major discount on tickets! Yes I am a Wildlife Conservation Society Blogger Brand Ambassador, but I have been visiting the zoo since I was a kid, and the tradition continues today with my nieces and nephews. Our summer isn't complete until we have visited the zoo, there is always something new going on there!

The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York

3) Also near me is the New York Botanical Gardens. The Gardens are as fun and as family friendly as it gets, your prettiest photos are going to come from here!

Central Park, New York City

4) Central Park and the Central Park Zoo - It would be difficult to do the park in one day as there is so much to do and see, but the Central Park Zoo is a must visit with your family.

Coney Island, Brooklyn New York

5) Coney Island - The amusement park and beach are a NYC landmark. This is just plain fun.

Rye Playland, Rye New York

6) Rye Playland - Another New York Amusement Park, it's a bit further out but not difficult to reach.

The New York Aquarium, Brooklyn, New York

7) The New York Aquarium - Another one of my favorite annual summer things to do, it's family friendly and kids love watching the animal feedings!

View of Lady Liberty from Smooth Jazz Cruise, photo used WITH permission

Staten Island Ferry, New York City

8) Statue of Liberty - There are tons of way to see her, but us locals still recommend seeing her from the Staten Island Ferry! I got to see her last year from the Smooth Jazz Cruise and had a fantastic time!

Museum of Natural History, New York City

9) The Museum of Natural History - Not that any of the museums in 'museum mile' should be missed, but this one is hands down the most family fun of all them all.

Empire State Building, New York City

10) Empire State Building - The view of NYC from the Empire State Building is bar none, that's why it's been in numerous movies and tv shows throughout the years. Just please be prepared that there is a security line to contend with and a long ride to the top. Only you know how well your child handles long lines and LOTS of people. and depending on their age, they might not find all that work to get to the top is worth it.

Any bloggers coming in that need additional recos, please feel free to comment here!

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FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, I am a Britax Latina Advisory Board Member and Blogger. I am also a Bronx Zoo/Wildlife Conservation Society Blog Ambassador. All opinions are 100% my own.

Weekly Moment of Gratitude - The Thank YOU + Pre #BlogHer12 edition!

What I am grateful for:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - YOU! -  Yes that's right YOU! Ascending Butterfly has certainly evolved quite a bit throughout the years, and while the transition to 'living out loud' as a blogger hasn't always been an easy one (I'm more comfortable behind the scenes, except for a brief stint on TV as a child), it has expanded my life both personally and professionally in ways I never dreamed were even possible. Throughout my whole medical nightmare that started last year the emails that I received from readers (and even from brands and PR firms that I have worked with throughout the years) has been incredibly heartwarming & encouraging to me. On Tuesday I made a post that was a personal entry to a contest, and I was literally floored that my humble call to action was embraced and acted upon by so many of you. Your tweets in support of my entry really means a lot to me, and win or lose, just having that many of you show me your support filled my heart with gratitude this week so I knew it had to be my first entry in this week's moment of gratitude. Thank You! Hopefully I'll be one of the five winners of an awesome makeover by Windows during BlogHer! (Can you believe BlogHer is now just *days* away!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fun! - Sometimes being a blogger can be filled with random, goofy fun. This week I attended gaming  previews for both Ubisoft and Majesco and got to try out Video Games like Zombii U for the new Wii U gaming system from Nintendo, FarCry 3, Assassins Creed 3, NBA Baller Beats and many, many more which will all get their own reviews as we get closer to their release dates. In case you missed it, I got Zombiefied with ZombiiU and posted a cool Zombie photo of me as my Wordless Wednesday this week. My schedule doesn't often permit me to play video games very often, so getting the chance to 'just play' and demo new games was super fun! I actually got to meet an NFL player during one of my game demos and a few retired players as well!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Counting my Blessings!-  While I still have a ways to go, I got great news during my recent medical visit, and I feel like I can slowly starting putting it all behind me and focus on the road ahead!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Getting Caught Up - I'm pretty much caught up on posts that needed to go live before BlogHer, which will allow me to really focus my energies next week on the conference! If you are going to the conference I'd love to meet as many of you as possible in person! Post a comment here if you are attending BlogHer!

What are YOU most grateful for this week Butterfly?

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What are you grateful for today? I'd love for you to write in and share what you are grateful for this week. The more you say it, the more you speak it, and the more you live in gratitude, the more you will find reasons to be grateful for, and the more reasons that the universe will send you to be grateful for. So join me on this journey of gratitude and inspiration. And you can post here daily (even though my list will be posted weekly).

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me on Twitter here (@Tracy_Iglesias) Twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field at Twitter:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias This Week's 'Moment of Gratitude' and Active Giveaways!  - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

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Giveaway Winners!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The two winners of the Purex giveaway are Gloria M. and Caseyle2010, your free product coupons are on the way, Congratulations!

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Gratitude Journal Reco:

For those of you who are interested in keeping a gratitude journal this year, here is my recommendation and where to purchase it:

Make this Your Best Day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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FTC Disclosure: Journal Recommendation uses an Amazon Affiliate Link. Questions about our Disclosure? Please visit: http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/p/disclosure-policy.html - Please note this is not a compensated post!

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.

Wordless Wednesday: Butterfly Zombie! Rated 'S' for Scary!

Happy Wordless Wednesday Butterflies, I recently got Zombified at a Ubisoft Media Preview Day where I got to play ZombiU™, a Survival Horror First-Person Shooter game for the Nintendo Wii U™, a new console that includes a controller with a 6.2-inch screen. Horror has always been my favorite movie genre so I jumped at the chance to test this game out. I actually got the chance to try out a ton of new games that will be hitting the market later in the year, and all of them, including this one, will get more extensive review coverage as they are closer to their market release dates, but in the meantime I just had to share my zombie picture with you!

Notice I am wearing a pair of butterfly earrings? LOL

If this picture isn't proof I really need that #windowstyle makeover that I let you know I'm entering for in yesterday's post, then I don't know what is!

If you'd like to see your favorite butterfly blogger go from Chrysalis to Butterfly, please send a quick tweet to @kristinalibby with the hashtag #windowstyle

Here is a sample tweet:

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

I didn't have time to make a formal linky, but as always you are more than welcome to link us to your Wordless Wednesday this week by commenting below!

Happy Wordless Wednesday Butterfly!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. I attended the Ubisoft Media Preview Day as a member of the Digital Press. I am a Ubisoft Ubichamps Blogger Brand Ambassador via the Clever Girls Collective. Yesterday's post does serve as an entry in the Microsoft Windows Style Makeover Sweepstakes for a chance to win a head to toe makeover during BlogHer12. No monetary compensation has been received for sharing any of this information. All opinions are 100% my own.

Beauty SOS! Sending out a Beauty Bat Signal to #windowstyle

I can finally announce that I am attending BlogHer 2012 this year! Because of my medical nightmare that started last year I was unable to attend BlogHer 2011 in San Diego, and this year I didn't have time to do any outreaches for conference sponsorship because I spent so much of this year in the hospital. Being in the hospital did have one benefit, I had a lot of time to read (well between exploratory surgeries and high doses of super intense medications, LOL), and during my nightly reading online one night, I found out that BlogHer needed Volunteers and a light bulb went off! With medical expenses I would not have been able to purchase a ticket to BlogHer this year. So I applied to volunteer. And thankfully, I was selected. I will be 'earning' my seat which I'm grateful for and very proud of! And I have also been asked to Live Blog during BlogHer Panels FOR BlogHer, not just as an attendee! WOWZERS + AWESOMESAUCE = YAY ME!

I am totally excited, but also incredibly nervous. I don't get to 'hide' this time behind my laptop, camera or portable device, I will be meeting panelists and attendees as a Microphone Wrangler, and I will actually have to come out of my shell. Not so easy! All eyes on me has never been something I was totally comfortable with. (Yes I do get the irony of that statement, but I didn't really begin blogging to 'live my life out loud', it just sort of happened throughout the years!)

Like many bloggers, as the day swiftly approaches, I have been raiding all my closets in hopes that I'd find something *perfect* to wear. As if some magical unicorn would place some perfect 'power outfit' in my closet for me that would fit to a tee!

My research on ideas on what to wear to BlogHer did turn up an amazing find! I found a post on the Windows Experience Blog that caught my eye - BlogHer Attendees: Win A $1500 Style Makeover from Windows #sweepstakes!

What it boils down to? I'm glad you asked, it's my job in this post to explain why I deserve a style makeover and what I’d like my new re-imagined look to be like, and so I thought I'd do it in pictures!

I started my new year here:

I was told I was on 'borrowed time' and would soon end up here:

Several exploratory surgeries later (with me actually waking up during one of them) we discovered I had been given a mis-diagnosis originally (you can read more about my medical nightmare here: http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/2012/01/open-letter-to-new-presbyterian.html):

I have been unable to resume the workout routine that was really working for me in 2010 and early 2011 (I had lost over 26 pounds and 3 dress sizes it was hard work and I was SO happy). But this year with multiple surgeries I was told to take it easy, so this year I blew up like a:

I'm at a major crossroads (personally and professionally) and after starting my year thinking that it would be my last, I have a new lease on life and I want my outside to reflect my inside! Here is a vision board of what I imagine I could be, of what I want my makeover to look like:

So far this medical nightmare robbed me of both New Year's AND my birthday this year and I refuse to let it rob me of anything else! As far as I'm concerned, this BlogHer isn't just another conference, it's 'carpe blogem' for me, I plan to seize the day, the conference and my blog! I figure if I'm going to invest my time in making my blog better, shouldn't I invest the same amount of time in making myself better?

Emotionally I'm still trying to piece this year together, it's been much like Tornado, but slowly and surely I am getting the pieces together and my outside should look like as empowered as I feel on the inside. Ascending Butterfly's mission statement is a simple one: To seek and share the best sources of inspiration out there. This year I want to be inspired. The only way I can continue to inspire and empower others is by empowering myself, this makeover would be the first major step toward that goal.

If you'd like to see your favorite butterfly blogger go from Chrysalis to Butterfly, please send a quick tweet to @kristinalibby with the hashtag #windowstyle

Here is a sample tweet:

@kristinalibby Pls pick @Ascending1 to go from Chrysalis to #Butterfly during #BlogHer12 with a #windowstyle #Makeover http://ow.ly/ctAO9

If you voted, please be sure to come back and post the link to your tweet on this post!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: In writing this post, I’m entering the Microsoft Windows Style Makeover Sweepstakes for a chance to win a head to toe makeover. No monetary compensation has been received for sharing this information. All opinions are 100% my own.

My favorite 'Empty your Fridge' Avocado Summer Salad Recipe

 

I have had a life long obsession with Avocados, we called them 'aguacates' growing up and my grandmother (abuela) and great-grandmother paired them with many of the traditional Puerto Rican dishes that I grew up on and love. For us the traditional 'arroz con pollo' (chicken and rice) became anything but ordinary when paired with Black Beans and Avocados.

I am not as good as my Abuela and my mom are with picking ripe Avocados ready for that day, but thankfully my local grocer is and he always tells me which ones are ready!

Like me, my mom has a strong love of travel and adventure, and we'd spend our summer days anywhere but home, which meant when we got back home, tired from a day in the sun, no one wanted to cook, but eating out every single day of summer would have been budget breaking. One of my mom's favorite go to staples was a 'huge' summer salad, instead of as a side dish, it was so chock full of stuff that it became a main meal. Making it not only cost effective, (because she used what was in season), but also a much healthier meal than fast/processed foods. And we didn't have to have the hot oven or stove on during those scorching summer days.

To this day I still live on salads during the summer, and much like my mom's favorite salad idea, I've adapted it to make it an 'Empty Your Fridge' Avocado Summer Salad. There are certain staples I always buy from shopping trip to shopping trip so those have become staples in the salad that never change, but the protein changes, from chicken, to pork to shrimp depending on what's left over and already in my fridge.

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Empty Your Fridge Salad:

Ingredients:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1 Ripe Avocado diced

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1 Garden Tomato diced

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1 head of Romaine Lettuce, clean, dry and shredded

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1 box of organic mixed greens, clean, dry and shredded

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1/4 of a canister of walnuts (for a more asian flair add cashews and sesame seeds, especially if the protein is shrimp or chicken)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 2 cups of whatever proteins you have left over in your fridge, feel free to mix if you don't have a lot of any one particular thing, it could be chicken, pork, shrimp, tofu, etc.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Per your own taste (feel free to omit anything you do not like or are allergic to): diced onions, diced green peppers, diced/sliced or shaved carrots, finely chopped scallions, some garlic, diced celery, capers, diced olives

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I always add a bit of cheese depending on what I have in the fridge also!

Directions:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and toss evenly to mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Serve in individual bowls with dressing on the side. And if you don't have dressing on hand you can always mix your own with oil and vinegar or some balsamic!

*This could easily feed 2-4, just double up on the tomato if you are feeding more than two with this!

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On my very first visit to Cancun Mexico, I visited a restaurant close to my hotel and they told me that Mexico alone has hundreds of varieties of Avocados, and I have vowed that I will try them ALL! I had Avocados with breakfast, lunch and dinner that trip and every subsequent visit since!

Fuerte and Hass varieties are probably the most common of the Mexican Avocados, there is also the Gwen (most often confused for Hass), Pinkerton, Reed and Zutano.

Healthy Recipe Substitution Tips:

Last summer I focused on some healthy recipe substitutions with Yogurt, here are some recipe substitution tips with Avocados:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Replace fatty dips with guacamole and served with BAKED Tortilla Chips for a healthy and equally tasty snack.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Make your smoothies creamier by adding Avocado

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -  Top your soups and stews with Diced Avocado in place of sour cream

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Spread 2 Tbsp of mashed Avocado on your wheat toast instead of butter

Find other fun recipes on the Avocados from Mexico site in both Spanish and English! Get social with @guacgrl on twitter! And for my pinterest peeps, you can follow them on pinterest at: http://pinterest.com/Mexicanavocados/

And because you know I love great deals, here is a discount coupon you can use on your next shopping trip:

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: This sponsored post is brought to you by Avocados from Mexico via Latina Bloggers Connect. Additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly's disclosure policy can be found here.