Monthly Archives: May 2013

The State Museum of Pennsylvania

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

We spent our Memorial Day week-end visiting family in Harrisburg, PA.

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My daughters were very happy to see their Grandma Lucy, Auntie Vera, Uncle Alex, and little cousins A.J. and Victoria!

My mother-in-law barbecued some great food, little cousins played, laughed, bickered and made up together, and we got a chance to visit a great museum.  If you’re ever in the vicinity you should really check this place out.

http://www.statemuseumpa.org/

The main entrance is on Third Street and we immediately made our way to the CURIOSITY CONNECTION section of the museum.  This place is awesome for kids five years and under.  It’s a hands on play area.

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We were totally over the moon with this GIANT chick.

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Sophia loved petting the pigs as well as sitting on top of them.  There was a neat play room with a tunnel that led into the enchanted forest where you could read books sitting on top of mushroom stools and hear an owl hooting nearby.  Such a magical and endearing place.

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Olivia played in the build your own truck section while Sophia picked apples from the tree in the farm section.  The apples and the tree had velcro on them.  Too cute.  There was also fabric covered carrots that you can pick from the ground as well as cabbages.  The kids took turn acting like a farmer and taking the produce to the pick up truck.

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Olivia turned into a flower fairy and made music stepping on a big floor piano.  She had a lot of fun!  There was also a section that had lincoln logs, toy cars, and Lego parts to build whatever your heart desired.

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After we bid adieu to Big Chick and pigs, we explored the rest of the museum.

We were greeted by a big statue of William Penn.

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A.J. really wanted to show us the dinosaurs and the bones of a massive Mastodon.  It was very impressive.

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At the Man and Machine: Industry and Technology Exhibit we saw cars, planes, and trains.

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The following day we visited a playground called Possibility Place. This is a wonderful place where the kids can play (swings, fort, slides, mini rock climbing wall, monkey rings, rope bridge, etc.), ride their bikes or scooters on the nearby path and you can even have a picnic at the benches, which is completely shaded!  There are clean bathrooms and when it’s really hot outside there’s a sprinkler door frame to cool the kids off as well as the adults at the playground.  We love visiting this place.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/possibility-place-harrisburg

We had a wonderful time visiting great places and spending time with our beloved family members.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

It’s School Spirit Week – Wed., Thurs., and Friday

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

Today is the last day of my daughter’s school spirit week.  Here’s what we did:

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Wednesday was Crazy Hat Day

 My daughter, Olivia, wore her Perry the Platypus hat from the Disney cartoon Phineas and Ferb.  It’s not exactly a crazy hat, but it does have great personality and Olivia loves this hat.

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Thursday was Decade Day

I decided that the decade of peace and love was the way to go so my husband bought a plain tee and a tie dye bandana for Olivia.

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I took the bandana and scanned it on my printer so I could have the same image to iron on my daughter’s T-shirt with transfer paper.

It came out great!  I told my daughter to say, “peace and love,” but she got all shy on me and didn’t want to say it.  Oh well, she still looked so darn cute!

And last but not least…

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…Today (Friday) is Jersey Day

Students were asked to wear a jersey or shirt of their favorite team.  The Mercado household are big NY GIANTS fans so off she went with her T-shirt and I picked up her hair using red, white, and blue ponytail holders.  Let’s go Giants, when the season starts again, of course!

It was fun putting together and participating in her school’s activities.  I can’t wait for next year!

Take good care all.

Until next time…

So Inspirational…had to share with you!

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

I just saw this short documentary about Zach Sobiech and it made me go through so many emotions.  Happiness, sadness, inspired, sadness, and glad to have seen this so I can share it with you all.  I also made a donation in Zach’s name because we have to find a cure for cancer.  We have to find it NOW before more people like Zach get taken away too soon.  Spread the word, spread the love.  Let’s find a cure.  Help research.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/21/zach-sobiech-18yearold-cl_n_3312838.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

R.I.P. Zach

Take good care all.

Until next time…

It’s School Spirit Week: Monday and Tuesday

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

It’s Spirit Week at my daughter’s school and yesterday was rainbow day.  All of the Kindergarten classes were asked to wear RED.  Today was Disney day.  I wanted my daughter to participate so last week we took inventory of what we already had before venturing out and finding the stuff that we needed.  Among her clothing, we only found a red tutu.  A trip to Target was a bust, but my husband saved the day by suggesting we go to the craft store.  At AC Moore we got three T-shirts (1 red and 2 white) and a tie dye happy face bandana (for Decade day on Thursday, more on that later on). 🙂

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My daughter Olivia wore a red shirt, tutu, headband, and pony tail holders on her braids.

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Today was Disney day.  My daughter does own several Disney princess shirts, but I asked her if she wanted me to make her one with all of the princesses together.  She said, “Whaaaat?”  I explained, she understood, and the excitement started building up.  I searched for a picture of each princess on Google, save and pasted along with their names on Word, and printed it out on iron on transfer paper.

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The shirt was a HIT and at school the kids were given a huge surprise…

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…in the form of people dressed up as Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

I was able to take a quick pic of Olivia and Minnie.

Afterwards, Olivia said, “It was a great day!”  Indeed it was. 🙂

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Queens Museum of Art

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

On my quest to visit as many sites of NYC with my COOL Culture Family pass (http://www.coolculture.org/), we took a trip to the Queens Museum of Art located at the New York City Building in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.  We went on Saturday and outside of the museum there was a family event presented by the COOL Culture program.  They offered live music, games, raffles and prizes.  There was also ginormous chalk pencils on the pathways for children and adults to enjoy.

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You guys know that my girls LOVE to play outside with chalk so this was heaven.

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CHALK FESTIVAL!

After we spent some time making some art outside, we went inside the museum and saw the best exhibit ever.  They have a 9,335 square foot architectural model PANORAMA of the City of New York.  It was built by a team of 100 people and it is amazing to see.   http://www.queensmuseum.org/exhibitions/visitpanorama

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I don’t have the best camera in the world so I’m clearly not doing justice to this wonderful exhibit.  My husband was able to spot little airplanes actually taking off from the airport with the help of thin, almost invisible wires.  It was pretty cool.

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We also saw an exhibit of photographs taken by public school children, miniature models of buildings (example above), and portrait drawings (above) by some wonderful artists.  This museum is currently under construction so there really wasn’t a lot to see so we decided to go and spend some time at the largest globe in the world, the Unisphere.

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http://queens.about.com/cs/attractions/p/Unisphere.htm

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I went back to our car and got our scooters.  We scooted around the Unisphere until it started raining.  Then we made our way home.  It was another great adventure.

Take good care all and many thanks for visiting!

Until next time…

I question myself…

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

I used to question myself as a human being.  What am I suppose to be doing here on this earth with my life?  Then I became a mom/human being and started questioning myself as a parent, almost every day.  Am I feeding, cleaning, teaching, treating, and loving them well enough to avoid any damage in the future?  Yes, I’m dramatic, but I have a reason for it.  It’s my wicked and over the top mind.  It has been doing a number on me for many years and I have to work hard to Zen it down, especially for my daughters.  I have to constantly remind myself that things are not going to go as plan.  They might and that’s ok, but if they don’t, that’s ok as well.

Parenthood is a very scary world (I took my sweet time knocking at that door because I knew exactly what was in store) and if you add a worked up mind to the mix, things can go haywire.  But then comes the day where you’re shown exactly what your best efforts have put forward.  I was invited and honored this morning at my daughter’s school for their Exceptional Women Day Brunch.  My daughter’s essay was chosen, along with others in different grades and classes.  We began the celebration by sharing some of the essays that were written by the students.  My daughter stood up and read hers without a second thought, which I so admire and love about her.  She also showed everyone the drawing that she made.  Now it’s my turn to share it with you and to let you know that at least for today my mind is very peaceful and my heart is very proud.  I will remember this day when I’m questioning myself as a parent and know that I’m doing a good job.  My daughter’s teachers, advisors and coaches have provided me with this day, which I’m going to cherish.  I greatly thank them for the acknowledgement and for providing me with something to hush my mind with.

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I also want to thank my darling daughter, Olivia, for her kind and thoughtful words as well as her lovely drawing of us at the dining room table doing her homework.  🙂  I love her artwork.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Cucumbers and cookie cutters

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

I had a wonderful Mother’s day with my whole family.  I was gifted (by my husband) a, wait for it, SCOOTER!  Yup, an adult size scooter.  It’s pretty awesome.  I tested it out for a little while before heading out to my mom’s house.  I almost fell, but gained control and hopped back on it.  I can’t wait to scoot some more with my girls and my hubby.  It’s an unconventional gift, but it sure beats receiving a vacuum or blender.  🙂  I was also gifted a beautiful MOM necklace from http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/mama-necklace-P187C104.aspx. by my hubby and my girls.  All and all, I had a great day.

Changing subjects so the title of this post makes sense, I came across this pin on Pinterest.

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http://pinterest.com/pin/101753272802560641/

My daughter loves cucumbers and I have a small heart shape cookie cutter so of course after seeing this idea, I had to try it out!

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As soon as I did it, I showed my daughter and she gasped at seeing the heart-shaped cucumbers.  The next day after school, she told me that her friends loved them as well and were asking her who made them, at which she proudly said, “my mom!”  Thank u to whoever came up with this idea.  I know it’s not rocket science, but it’s cute and it made my little girl happy and it’s those little things that count the most for me.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Queens Botanical Garden

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

One can live in a certain place for a long time without ever visiting certain tourist attractions or landmarks.  In my case, I regrettably never visited the Twin Towers here in New York City, which is why I’ve decided to venture out more with my family and see what this great city has to offer.  I’m done with taking advantage of it.  It’s time to explore and make memories.  Plus, we have a COOL Culture Family Pass (http://www.coolculture.org/programs/cool-culture-family-pass), which is a pass that offers families free admission to 90 cultural institutions if they have children enrolled in Pre-K or Kindergarten.

This past Saturday, we visited, for the first time, the Queens Botanical Garden at 43-50 Main Street, Flushing, New York.  We went around mid-morning and this place can be easily described as beautiful and absolutely peaceful or as my husband put it, “completely Zen.”

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As you can see my daughters had a blast.  My youngest, Sophia, loved running around the grass while my oldest, Olivia, loved throwing herself and laying down on the grass.

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I had fun taking pictures of all the flowers and…

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…this little fella.   I got close enough to zoom my camera in and take a great pic of him or her!

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At the Wedding Garden everything is set up so you can get married there.  Isn’t it wonderful?

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My husband enjoyed the Herb Garden and I greatly enjoyed visiting the Queens Botanical Garden with my family.  We will definitely be visiting again soon.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Colombiana

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http://www.clker.com/clipart-colombia-flag-butterfly.html

Colombiana

I met her in a place where my body

and mind were tested to its core. She

embodied the essence of life itself.

You could see it in her eyes and hear it

in her voice.  Every day she amazed me,

waking up with so much energy.  I

woke up every day cursing it to

hell.  I longed for my home and when it was

time, we all said our good-byes, along with

a floating “Keep in touch.”  Life rolled on and

contact was kept. Off to Japan, she went.

Following dreams of places unseen and

ultimately, falling in love.  At her

reception we said, “Congratulations!”

The years flew by.  Then the call that her heart

had been broken by the one she loved.  So

far away, I couldn’t embrace or find

the right words.  Instead, I stumbled upon

a silver heart necklace with a design

of a band-aid placed in the center and

etched in the back a single word, Heal.  It

was perfect.  With love and friendship, I sent

it.  The years have passed from the moment we

met, fifteen to be exact, and contact

has been kept.  When she calls, her hello alone

can wake up your entire soul.  I’m glad

she’s in my world and I’m in hers.

Let’s keep in touch forever.

– Angelica Mercado

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

The poem above is about an unlikely friendship between a pessimist (me) and an optimist (my friend).  Still, we thrived and genuinely enjoyed talking and visiting each other throughout the years.  I was born and raised in New York City, but my heritage is that of Puerto Rican descent.  My friend, Leticia, was also born here, but her heritage is that of Colombian descent.  We met at basic training in the ARMY back in 1997 and I will never forget how proud she was to be a Colombiana.  In the Army, we weren’t that close of friends because there were many in our group, but afterwards our long distance friendship grew into something that I cherish very much to this day.  I can easily describe Leticia as someone who lives life with complete passion and unwavering determination, plus she does it all with a fearless attitude.  She’s a great inspiration and I honestly look up to her.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

P.S.  I would like to give a shout out to Cristian Mihai at www.cristianmihai.net because I took his words, “To just write,” to heart and that’s what I’ve been feeling lately.  I’ve been wanting to write and so I have.  Thanks Cristian and the best of luck to you.  Take care!