#cbias

Summer Treats for Kids at Mariano’s

June 17, 2013 by Sandra 8 Comments

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Mariano’s. #MyMarianos #cbias

While I try to keep it healthy with my children most of the time, the fact that it’s summertime is a great excuse to enjoy a little extra sweetness when it comes to food.

And I can’t think of a better way to indulge our sweet tooth than with a cup of Vero gelato from my local Mariano’s Lakeshore East store in Chicago. We made a trip there recently for a fun family day out.

I’d planned to visit Mariano’s to enjoy some gelato on the patio (which has a breathtaking view), and then head to the Lincon Park Zoo to finish our day with a little exercise. 😉

It as a FULL but happy day.

Our Chicago adventure started with having to choose from a huge selection of gelato flavors at Mariano’s. One of my personal favorites was the cappuccino gelato, but that’s because I can’t live without coffee. The kids loved the cookies & cream gelato and the strawberry gelato. They all looked amazing, though.

When I say there’s a huge selection, I really mean there’s a wide range of gelato flavors. Just look at all the creamy, wavy goodness.

It’s a good thing that we have a big family. I was able to choose six different flavors of gelato, and since we share and all, I was able to taste almost all of them.

And a bonus is that the next time we treat the kids to gelato at Mariano’s, I’m going to save a little money, because I found out that when I use my Mariano’s rewards card, when you buy 10 cups of gelato, the 11th cup is free. 🙂

Vero Gelato on the Patio at Mariano’s
While I was in charge of the gelato, my husband was in charge of finding us seats out on the patio at Mariano’s. He found a great spot for the us, too.

I mentioned earlier that the view is awesome out on the patio, and it truly is. We saw blue skies, green grass, and Chicago skyscrapers…true beauty.

Here are a few more pictures that I captured from the patio at Mariano’s. For me, these pictures made Mariano’s even more amazing. Seriously. I was able to see these views at a grocery store. Just. Wow.

I *heart* Mariano’s in a whole new way after this trip. This was my first time to this specific Chicago location, and I’ll be back!

Overall, the Vero gelato was delicious, and to make this trip truly unforgettable for the kids, we had them pick out a few items from the bakery AND the candy aisle.

We went all out. 😉

They enjoyed their bakery treats at the zoo, where we stopped after our visit to Mariano’s.

The sweet treats from Mariano’s made this summer day extra special.

What’s a favorite summer treat for your kids? What’s your favorite gelato flavor?

Did you know? You can find great recipes and ideas from the Mariano’s Community. And you can follow Mariano’s on Facebook and Twitter for their latest updates. You can also find out more about my shopping trip to Mariano’s here in my Google+ story.

Mom Talk: Update on the Family Mobile Plan (and my search to find the best wireless provider)

June 10, 2013 by Sandra 2 Comments

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and their client. #FamilyMobileSaves #cbias

Well, its been about a month since I started using the Walmart Family Mobile cell phone plan.

And I have only good things to say about it. I’m truly impressed, and I think I may have found the best wireless plan for my family.

You may remember how in my last Mom Talk post, I shared my dislike for my current cell phone service provider. I’m through with their shenanigans of promising something and not following through. This goes all the way up to their supervisors. I have stories, trust me. Just thinking about my past experiences stirs up negative feelings towards my current provider. When that happens, you know you have to end the relationship.

No Turning Back

With 100% certainty, I will be switching to a new cell phone service provider once my contract is up at the beginning of 2014. I may switch even sooner because my husband was doing the math, and we may actually save money by canceling our current contract and going with the Family Mobile Plan, which will literally cut our monthly cell phone bill in half.

The Bottom Line

Honestly, I can’t tell you how many times my husband and I have talked to others about this plan, but it’s been quite a few. And just yesterday, I found out that someone in our extended family has the Family Mobile plan.

After using the plan for the past month, I can report that we’ve had a completely positive experience. I didn’t experience any problems with the signal, dropped calls, internet service not working, nothing. It was all good here in the Chicagoland area. 🙂

International Calls

I wanted to mention that the Family Mobile plan handles international calling fabulously! My dad is visiting from Mexico, and he makes calls to Mexico just about every night. He has no issues with calls being dropped, and best of all, the price per minute to call Mexico can’t be beat. Seriously. It’s only $0.05 per minute to call Mexico.

I simply logged into My Family Mobile account and added $10-$25 onto my Prepaid Extras Pack. This is separate from the monthly plan, which I think makes it even more convenient. Once there’s money in the Extras Pack, my dad calls Mexico and enjoys hours of talk time…for days. When the money has been used up on international calls, I can simply add more. Oh, and if the money runs out during the middle of a conversation…that conversation is over. 🙂 And you don’t have to worry about overages.

Lastly, My Experience with the Actual Phone

The phone I’m using with the Family Mobile service is the T-Mobile Concord Smartphone. It’s a nice budget-friendly smartphone, and while it doesn’t look as cool as my current Android phone, it gets the job done. I like it, but if I do make the switch to the Family Mobile plan, I know I’ll probably upgrade to another phone.

Who’s Using the Phone Now?

For right now, I’ve passed the phone onto my dad. He’s currently staying with my brother and had thought it would be fine to make international calls from my brother’s phone. Um, no. It’s WAY too expensive to make those calls to Mexico with my brother’s current provider. So my dad called me up and asked it he could use my Concord Smartphone while he’s here in the United States. Of course, I said, “Yes.” 🙂

Are you shopping around for a new wireless plan? Would you be willing to switch to a new cell phone provider if it cut your monthly bill in half?

You can see my experience and how I got started with the Concord Smartphone and the Family Mobile plan here in my Google+ story.

Mom Talk: Why I want to try a new cell phone service (or searching for the best wireless plan)

May 13, 2013 by Sandra 10 Comments

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and their client. #FamilyMobileSaves

First things first, I don’t like being negative here on The Sensible Mom.

But today, I’m going to share a little negativity followed by some positive thoughts (as I search for the best wireless plan).

The reason being is that I’m going to be talking about cell phone service, and I’m going to share with you my real feelings about my current cell phone service provider, which will remain anonymous to those who don’t know me in real life. 😉

Because the people who know me in real life know who my current provider is, and they know that I have not so warm and fuzzy feelings about them.

Why I want to switch providers
It’s a little crazy really. I’ve been with my current provider for 12 years, and each and every year (or every two years…since contracts are longer now), they manage to keep me as a customer.

Why? Well, I guess I can only blame myself. Every time my contract is up, I’m wooed to stay in this dead end relationship. I’m offered “new” discounts (that don’t end up getting properly applied to my account and I end up having to waste 2+ hours of my life on the phone trying to get them applied after I’ve been sucked into another contract).

Stopping the madness
This type of thing happens every time my contract is up, and for some reason (maybe it’s the passing of time), I think THIS TIME, THIS YEAR things will be different. Maybe after I’ve agreed to remain a customer with them, I won’t have to waste my time afterwards trying to go up the chain of command to get applied to my account whatever new discounts or perks I was reeled back in with.

But I’m wrong. It’s exactly the same. And I’m tired of it. I finally gave up after the last fight, and I will be changing providers when my contract is up.

Here’s one of my actual Facebook updates from last year — after I decided that our relationship was over when my contracts ends.

The only thing now is…I don’t know exactly which provider I’ll choose when I’m finally free next year. My husband and I have Smartphones, and I’d love a plan similar to my current plan which includes unlimited data and unlimited messaging.

It would also be great to have a plan that doesn’t come with a contract.

I’d like to know ahead of time which company I want to switch to in order to make the change from my current provider to a new provider easier, so I’m researching and talking to people now.

Walmart’s Family Mobile Plan
To get the ball rolling and start getting a feel for new service providers, I’ve decided to try out the new Walmart Family Mobile plan. Essentially, it’s a cheap wireless plan that’s $40 per month for unlimited talk, text, and web. There’s no contract.

The phone I’m using with the Family Mobile service is the T-Mobile Concord Smartphone. It’s a nice budget-friendly smartphone, for sure.

Getting Started
When my phone arrived in the mail, I went to Walmart to purchase the Family Mobile Starter Kit to begin service. The Walmart employee helped me to set up my new account and walked me through the entire process along with telling me what I needed to know about the Family Mobile plan.

That made getting started easy. I actually left the store with my account number and new phone number. (You can see my experience here in a Google+ story.)

All I needed to do when I got home was go to the My Family Mobile website to finish the process, and that was it. Done.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this plan works for me over the next month, and I’ll be sharing my experience with you in an update post next month.

Are you shopping around for a new wireless plan? What are your must-haves when it comes to cell phone plans?

6 Fabulous Healthy Food Choices

May 13, 2013 by Sandra 13 Comments

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Mariano’s. #MyMarianos #cbias #SocialFabric

Summer is right around the corner.

Do you need a little inspiration to eat healthier?

I know with life being so busy lately, I’m not eating as healthy as I should be. In order to get back on track, I recently took a shopping trip to Mariano’s. While I was there, I picked up lots of fresh foods and ingredients to make delicious recipes like kid-friendly cucumbers, guacamole, and a nutrient-packed green juice.

Shopping at Mariano’s
In the past, I’ve shared how amazing Mariano’s is, and I wish there was a Mariano’s in every city. It’s that outstanding of a grocery store. One of the reasons I love it is because not only do they have a ton of fresh fruits and vegetables to choose from when I’m grocery shopping, but they also have a huge assortment of at-the-ready healthy foods for people who are on-the-go.

Better than your average shopping trip…
The assortment of healthy foods available at your fingertips is staggering, and I love the way Mariano’s encourages its customers to live a healthy lifestyle by offering such a robust variety of healthy options. Mariano’s doesn’t simply have one salad bar with lettuce and vegetables, no, you can find island after island with tastebud tempting foods.

All this in a neighborhood grocery store.

This is part of what makes Mariano’s such a unique experience when I shop there. I’ve never been to another grocery store like it on the planet.

In fact, when you shop at Mariano’s you can look forward to:

an amazing assortment of healthy food options, from the islands to the grocery store aisles

a great value for your money

savings when you use your rewards card

an overall friendly atmosphere

Getting back to healthy habits
The main goal of my recent trip to Mariano’s was to stock up on healthy foods, so that I could get back to eating healthy before summer hits next month. I have one pair of crazy looking shorts that I don’t want to wear in public, and I’d love to be able to buy a couple new pairs that I can feel good wearing. In order to do that, I’ve gotten back on track, and I’m making healthy food choices.

I want to share these healthy food choices (and recipes) with you to inspire you to get back on track, too, if you’ve found yourself slipping away from healthy habits.

Health Food Choice #1 – Raspberries
I’d love to encourage you to simply enjoy some fresh berries the next time you need something sweet to snack on. These raspberries were delicious.

Health Food Choice #2 – At-the-ready Fresh Fruit
If you’re a longtime reader of my blog, you’ve probably noticed that a lot of my pictures feature a basket of fruit in the background. 😉

It’s actually a tip I gleaned from someone else a longtime ago, and we’ve simply adopted it. It’s made a huge difference in our lives, because if there’s a banana, apple, or orange always available…there’s no reason not to make a healthy choice when you need something to tide you over until the next meal.

Health Food Choice #3- Vanilla Almond Milk
I drink coffee twice a day, and I used to create insane sugar-laden concoctions that I called “coffee.” They were obviously not helping me lose any weight, so I switched to using vanilla almond milk in my coffee (most days), and now I can drink two cups of coffee per day and not feel like I’m hurting my efforts to lose weight and be healthy.

Health Food Choice #4 – Cucumbers
Need a delicious snack your whole family will love? I have just the recipe for you, and it’s super simple.

Simply add a little lime (or lemon) and salt to sliced cucumbers for a fun snack that’s tasty and refreshing.

Here’s the recipe:

Lime Cucumbers

Ingredients

3 cucumbers
fresh lime juice from 1/2 of a lime
coarse sea salt

Instructions

Peel and slice the cucumbers, then spread them out onto a large plate
Squeeze the lime juice of 1/2 of a lime over the cucumbers
Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the top of the cucumbers (to taste)

https://thesensiblemom.com/2013/05/healthy-food-choices/

Health Food Choice #5 – Guacamole
I love guacamole. Sometimes, I make it and have it as a meal. It’s so easy to whip up, and, well, it’s delicious. I’m sharing my recipe with you below.

Here’s the recipe:

Guacamole

Ingredients

2 large avocados, mashed
1 medium tomato, diced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
2.5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
salt to taste

Instructions

Add mashed avocados, diced tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and salt to a bowl.
Stir ingredients just until they come together.
Taste and add more salt, if needed.
Serve with tortilla chips. This recipe makes approximately 2 cups of guacamole.

https://thesensiblemom.com/2013/05/healthy-food-choices/

Health Food Choice #6 – Green Juice
I’ve shared my recipe for homemade juicer lemonade in the past, but today, I’d love to share a simple green juice recipe that you can make in a juicer. I adore juicing, and green juices are definitely the best juices for you.

Here’s the recipe:

Green Juice

Ingredients

1 cucumber
2 apples
1/2 of a lime

Instructions

Start the juicer, then add the cucumber, apples, and 1/2 of a lime, one ingredient at a time.
Serve green juice over ice.

https://thesensiblemom.com/2013/05/healthy-food-choices/

So those are my 6 healthy food choice tips and recipes to help you think about making healthy choices before summer is here next month. 🙂

Are there any habits you need to kick in honor of the summer season? What’s one of your favorite summertime recipes?

You can find more great recipes and ideas from the Mariano’s Community. And you can follow Mariano’s on Facebook and Twitter for their latest updates. You can also find out more about my shopping trip to Mariano’s here in my Google+ story.

#cbias

Footer

Categories