Is it safe to visit Mexico?

As an avid traveler and lover of amazing places and deals we can share with your our readers, we are thrilled to be working with Villa Group Resorts as we help spread the word about their gorgeous resort properties in Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta and coming soon…Cancun and Loreto Mexico!

Offering families, couples and singles incredible and affordable getaway options throughout the year, this season, Villa Group has introduced ultra-inclusive vacations that include dining and beverages, a kids club, babysitting options, spa packages, golf getaways, dolphin excursions, water sports and much more!

Having stayed at Villa la Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta, I immediately felt like I was being welcomed into the lap of luxury – receiving a hand massage the moment we walked into the lobby. We stayed in a two bedroom suite complete with marble floors, private bathrooms, cozy living room, dining room, massive kitchen and sweeping balcony with a wet bar…can anyone say…margaritas? While I’m culinary challenged (no need to cook since there are fabulous restaurants on the premises including the award-winning La Casona), it’s great knowing that while we’re on vacation, we can store refrigerated snacks, drinks, and breakfast items if we want to sleep in and the kids are in the mood for cereal and cartoons. And the granite countertops, state of the art appliances and sweeping views of the ocean and pool and bathrooms to die for, are not so shabby either!

As you contemplate where you’d like to go for your next vacation, the Villa Group Affiliate Travel Network, comprised of nearly two dozen dynamic parenting and lifestyle bloggers, will offer a series of helpful articles that will give you the inside track on all things Mexico. For our first post, we’re tackling important questions that most travelers ask when they travel to Mexico. Hopefully, this will help guide you as you plan your next vacation!

Q. Is it safe to drink the water in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas?

A. In Puerto Vallarta, you should be aware that incredible efforts have been made to provide safe water to residents and tourists. Over the last two decades, the Mexican government spent millions of dollars developing a safe water purification system in the area. As a result, this state of the art system has greatly reduced water-induced illnesses for travelers visiting Puerto Vallarta.

According to CaboExpo.com, for visitors to Cabo San Lucas, the resort location has never had the significant water quality problems that mainland Mexico as traditionally experienced:

“Sitting at the bottom of the Baja Peninsula, the fresh water in Los Cabos is some of the best in Baja. The local waters start thousands of feet above Los Cabos in the very tall mountains north of Cabo, drain down into local aquifers, and then are treated locally and then often treated again at the hotel or restaurant level. Tourism is just too important to let bad water become a factor.”

Q. Is it safe to travel to Cabo and Puerto Vallarta? Where are the dangerous parts of Mexico anyway?

A. According to AOL, which recently devoted extensive coverage to Mexico and issues relating to safety and even gives an overview of the places you should avoid, you’ll take comfort knowing that both Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas were ranked as being incredibly safe for travelers. As a precaution, always avoid streets that are not well lit (as you would in any country), but for the most part, your experience should be safe, relaxing and enjoyable!

Q. Are there any safety tips you can offer to a traveler who has never been to Mexico?

A. When you arrive at the airport, make sure you have made provisions for yourself and your traveling companions to take you to your accommodations. There will be many individuals offering you a ride or claiming to be your driver – while they are friendly and it is safe to ride with them, you will be better served if you book a car in advance.

If you decide to leave your resort and travel to a location in the evening, make sure when you are walking at night that you are aware of your surroundings and that you traverse well lit streets. Or, arrange for a car to pick you up after your evening is over. Better to have someone waiting for you to take you back to your hotel then go off exploring in the middle of the night!

Take precautions while swimming, snorkeling or surfing! The surf can be rough – especially in Cabo San Lucas and if you are not a strong swimmer, you may want to take precautions. Or, book an excursion that will take you on a guided water tour with experienced lifeguards on board.

Q. What about taking a road trip – is it better to book a tour or can I go on my own and explore?

A. While you can certainly rent a vehicle and explore Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas on your own, your experienced will definitely be enhanced if you register for a tour that is led by someone who truly knows the lay of the land and the water! While it’s always nice to discover new things, you can accomplish that by being a part of a guided tour and traveling with a group of vacationers like you. Of course, if you’ve been to either resort town many times, then you may feel more comfortable venturing out and returning to a favorite destination – suddenly you’ll be the expert offering tips to new travelers. But if it’s your first time, we suggest consulting with your hotel concierge who can offer some great tour options for you and your family.

Q. Are there parts of Mexico we should avoid due to the BP Oil Spill?

A. Here’s a quick geography lesson: The BP oil spill is nowhere near Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. While the spill has contaminated many US cities located near the Gulf of Mexico, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta are located on the west coast surrounding the Sea of Cortez. While travelers may believe that Mexico might have been affected by the recent environmental disaster, the hardest hit regions have been in the United States.

If you’re interested in finding out how you can book an unforgettable vacation in Mexico, visit Villa Group Resorts and check out their hot deals page – where they’ve got some incredible vacation options this summer – plus the offers run through December 2010 so you can book now and still save on your vacation!

And, there’s still time to enter the She Knows ultra inclusive trip giveaway to Puerto Vallarta. Enter today and you and a guest could win an all expenses paid vacation at Villa La Estancia…Arriba!!!

By Beth Feldman, Founder of Role Mommy

This post was sponsored by Role Mommy Writers Network

National Napping Day

The title of this post is not a joke!  I am so excited to join Global Influence in announcing that today is National Napping Day.

As someone living with invisible illness, napping is an essential part of most every day for me.  I usually take a nap before the kids get home from school so I can give them the best of me.  Fatigue is one of the most prevalent symptoms of MS (and lupus) that I display on most days.

The really cool thing about National Napping Day is that it is for everyone.  So, all you tired mama’s have permission to take a break today (and a nap!)

One company is acknowledging this special day with a giveaway!  Protect-A-Bed has decided to make National Napping Day even sweeter with a giveaway of their mattress pad.  Below are some details about Protect-A-Bed and their products.

Napping Day is the first Monday after daylight saving time begins. It’s the day when the majority of us, a bit weary from losing an hour of sleep, desperately long for a short siesta. And, those of us at Protect-A-Bed believe you should cave to that longing.

Studies abound tout the benefits of napping, from enhancing memory and learning, to improving work performance, and increasing mental acuity and overall health. That’s why on the first Monday after daylight saving time begins, it’s fitting to celebrate the benefits of the nap and those who take them.

However, those who nap the best understand a sleeping place needs protection from allergens and dust mites. After all, waking from a nap with the sniffles is no way to wake up at all.

Research shows 10 percent of the general public and as many as 90 percent of people with allergic asthma (depending on the study you read) have an allergy to dust mites. And, dust mites love spoiling our napping refuge, taking up residence in mattresses and pillows. In fact, as many as two million dust mites can thrive in an unprotected mattress.

Besides dust mites, it’s not unusual for other allergy triggers like pollen and pet dander to become trapped within mattresses. By using a mattress protector, allergy sufferers can create an impermeable barrier between themselves and the allergens within their bed. By coupling mattress protection with pillow protectors that seal allergens within pillows, people can create a virtually allergy-free nap space.

So today, harness the creative power that comes from napping, and embrace your inner Da Vinci. And remember, the art of napping needs a canvas, and that canvas comes from Protect-A-Bed.

About Protect-A-Bed®

Protect-A-Bed offers consumers a complete line of protective bedding products to create a Healthy Sleep Zone. The unique technology featured in Protect-A-Bed’s mattress and pillow protectors was developed in South Africa in 1980 before the company was officially established in the United States in 2000. Now selling in 27 countries, Protect-A-Bed is a worldwide leader in mattress protection innovation. The company developed the proprietary Miracle Membrane® and patented Bug Lock® and Secure Seal®, which help create a dry, bed bug free, anti-allergy sleep zone for people of all ages. Protect-A-Bed products are listed as a Class 1 Medical Device with the Food and Drug Administration and have received the Good Housekeeping Seal. For more information, visit www.protectabed.com.

Pretty cool, huh?  Protect-A-Bed is offering two contests today.

1.  Follow protect_a_bed on Twitter and use the hashtag #nappingday anytime today (Monday, March 15) and share the funniest place you have ever taken a nap.  Tweeting this will give you the chance to win a set of Premium Pillowcase Protectors for Protect-A-Bed.

2.  Leave a comment on this post telling me why you need a nap between today March 15, 2010 and Friday March 19, 2010 for a chance to win Queen Size Protect-A-Bed Premium Mattress Cover (a $79.99 value).  This giveaway is open to US residents only and winner will be chosen via random.org on Saturday March 20. 

Thanks to Protect-A-Bed for this awesome giveaway opportunity!  I am off for —you guessed it—a nice, long nap =)

**I partnered with Global Influence for this campaign and received a Protect-A-Bed mattress protector for review and one to giveaway to a reader.  All opinions expressed are mine and are not influenced by receiving the product.**

Winner

Gail Klanchesser with comment number 18 has won the $25 American Express gift card.  Please contact me at melissa at organizedlifebydesign dot com with your mailing address to redeem your prize within 48 hours.  Congratulations!

Thanks to all who entered!

Holiday Help to the Rescue

We are all probably feeling the stress (remind me not to ever move during the holidays again, mmm kay?) of the Christmas season, at least a little, right.  Please tell me I’m not the only one!

One site that has helped ease the tension this season is Hellmann’s Real Holiday Helpings.  Sponsored by Hellmann’s (obviously) this site has recipes (from Bobby Flay, no less), coupons, a game (that my youngest has been playing with me) and a chance to win free groceries for a year!

I have been navigating the site for the last couple of days and find it easy to use, full of useful information and best of all, it’s free!  I even became a fan of their facebook page because there are special giveaways and prizes for their fans.

Head over to the site today to get great recipes, enter to win the grocery giveaway and even watch videos of Bobby Flay!

In addition, I have a $25 American Express gift card to giveaway to one of my lucky readers!

All you have to do to enter the giveaway is visit the Hellmann’s site and tell me what recipe sounds good to you!  That’s all (I detest giveaways that are difficult to enter) you have to do!

If you desire additional entries (who couldn’t use $25 this time of year?) you can do the following things after you have made your qualifying entry as listed above:

• tweet about this giveaway (and leave a comment that you did so)
• become a fan of the Hellmann’s FB page (and leave a comment that you did so)
• leave a comment telling me what you would use the extra $25 for

Good luck!

The winner will be chosen via random.org on December 12th.  **This giveaway is open to residents of the United States and Canada only**

Full disclosure: I participated in this review sponsored by Mom Select and Hellmann’s.  I was given a $25 gift card for my participation as well as a gift card for my readers.  The opinions expressed are solely mine.

Giveaway Notice

Hey ladies!  I will be hosting all future giveaways on my Living Life by Design site.  Right now I am giving away a Rubbermaid Easy Find Lid container system.  Open to US residents only, winner to be chosen by random.org on 6/22/09.  Visit my site to enter.  Thanks!  Melissa

 

Girls in Trucks (Review and Giveaway)

I love a good read! Therefore, I am always thrilled to get the opportunity to review books (fiction, non-fiction, anything and I will read it). The premise of Girls In Trucks intrigued me- a southern girl, raised in an old debutante tradition, bucks tradition at every turn.

This book follows Sarah Walters from an eighth grade girl to a thirty five year old woman, figuring out along the way how much her heritage and where she comes from really has to do with the woman she turns out to be.

There were parts that read a little slow for my taste but on the whole, my interest was captivated from beginning to end. The characters, no matter how minor they may seem, turn out to play an important role in Sarah’s life. From bullies to boyfriends, as a reader we get an inside glimpse of the thought process behind the decisions Sarah makes- sometimes you want to yell at her, sometimes you want to cry with her, sometimes you can just plain relate to her. At one point in the book she says

“Being unfaithful to yourself is not as hard as you’d think”

and that statement resonated deeply within me. As young women I would venture to guess many of us learned that lesson the hard way.

I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a well written novel, that makes you think about who you are and where you have come from- those experiences that shape the person you become.

About the author:

Katie Crouch was raised in Charleson, South Carolina, where she attended Cotillion training but was never a debutante. She studied writing at Brown and Columbia universities and now lives in San Francisco. To find out more about Katie, visit her website.

—————->and the best news about this book? I am giving 5 (count them, five) copies to five lucky readers.

How to enter:

Main entry- leave a comment sharing something about yourself, a defining moment you had between eighth grade and your thirtie’s (I haven’t made it to 35 quite yet

Extra entries: (leave a separate comment for each)
~become a follower or subscribe to this blog
~tweet about this giveaway (include @multitaskingme in the tweet so I am sure to see it)
~subscribe to my new newsletter here

This contest is open to those living in the US and Canada only. Winner(s) will be chosen via random.org on May 2, 2009.

Hushaby CD Giveaway Winners

Random.org chose comment #8 YZgirl4 said…
folloing your blog
yzgirl4[at]verizon[dot]net

and comment #2 He And Me + 3 said…
I am a follower.

Congrats ladies- I will be emailing you to get your snail mail addresses!

Thanks to all for participating!

Spray ‘n Wash Coupon Giveaway- CLOSED

So, most of you remember the Spray n Wash giveaway from a few weeks ago? Two lucky winners got a free 44oz Spray ‘n Wash Bright and White product mailed to them. Well, the folks at Spray ‘n Wash have been kind enough to send me twenty (20) coupons for a FREE (isn’t that the best word ever?) Spray ‘n Wash bottle (up to a $5.19) value!

This won’t be a difficult giveaway- the first twenty people to comment and leave me their contact info. will get a coupon. I will email you to get your snail mail address.

This coupon giveaway will end when I reach 20 qualifying comments.

Good luck

Trendy Treasures Review/Raffle

I am a WAHM (work at home mom) and an entrepreneur. I’ve been cooking up ways to run my own business since I was little and really enjoy working for myself. When you follow your passion life is just more fun! I also enjoy supporting other moms who are following their passions by operating a small business.

Today, I want to introduce Dorit Kane, a mom of three (including 9 month old twins!) who runs an online shop called Trendy Treasures Boutique. Dorit shared that her vision was to create a store where she could share her favorite
treasures. Trendy Treasures specializes in helping you shop for a new baby, big
brother, big sister, new home, your best friend or yourself. They offer
services such as complimentary gift wrapping and personal shoppers to
make your gift buying an easy and stress-free experience.

I found the Trendy Treasures site easy to navigate and full of reasonably priced gift ideas. Many of the items can be personalized, which is something I love. I think it adds something special to a gift when it has a child’s name on it. They have items for boys and girls, toddlers to teens.

Dorit has been kind enough to offer a discount to my readers for any product from her store! In addition, anyone who uses this code to order something off her site will be entered to win this adorable crayon keeper. This item can be personalized and is available in all the colors shown.

Come back and comment if you order something from Trendy Treasures using the Multitasking Mama discount link and the winner of the Crayon Organizer will be chosen Wed. April 8th, 2009.

Here is the link again: http://trendytreasuresboutique.com?code=organized

Have fun shopping!

Keeps Going and Going and Going ***Giveaway Alert***

Has anyone ever referred to you as the Energizer bunny? I have been called that my whole life (what true multi-tasking mama hasn’t?). So, when I heard about the Keeps Going Award, sponsored by Energizer, I had to spread the word!

You can click on the link above to go nominate someone for a personal Keeps Going Award. What a neat way to say you are thinking of someone and are proud of what they accomplish. But, in addition to offering that fun option, the people at Energizer and Cal Ripken Jr (who was my childhood baseball hero FYI)have partnered to create the Keeps Going Hall of Fame. Here’s a little more info straight from them about this program:

National Baseball Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken, Jr., and Energizer are again asking Americans to nominate worthy candidates for this special honor. That person could be your sister, your best friend, or even yourself.

The Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame was started in 2006 as a way to honor everyday people for the energy and perseverance they show in their daily lives, no matter what challenges they might face. Today, there are four members in the Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame, and now through March 31, the search is on for the 2009 inductee. The winner will earn a $10,000 cash prize and a $5,000 donation to his or her favorite charity.

“Through the Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame, Energizer is connecting a group of people who have a similar outlook on life,” Ripken said. “People who share a common approach and embody the characteristics of the Energizer Bunny: enthusiasm, perseverance and a positive approach to all that they do.”

Energizer is looking for candidates with a great story about how they have positively impacted others through strong leadership and perseverance. “Through their stories, we hope to inspire others to find the Keep Going® spirit in their own lives,” said Betsy Laakko, Director of Marketing for Energizer.

Do you know someone that fits the bill? Deserves recognition? Has truimphed despite difficult circumstances? Go nominate them today for the Hall of Fame. Who do you know that fits the criteria below:

The Energizer Keep Going® Hall of Fame call for nominations begins February 25, 2009, and runs through March 31, 2009. People are invited to visit the Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame website, www.energizer.com/halloffame, to enter with their own personal stories of perseverance or to nominate someone they know who is like the Energizer Bunny®.

The nominees will be narrowed to a field of 100 semifinalists who will be honored in their hometowns. Then the judges will select 10 finalists whose names and stories will be posted online. At that point, all America will be given a chance to select the winner through an online vote. The voting will take place starting June 26, 2009. Each vote will trigger a $1.00 donation from Energizer to the Cal Ripken, Sr., Foundation, up to $10,000.

The Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame winner will attend a special induction ceremony at the Keep Going Hall of Fame in St. Louis, Missouri. The inductee will also get a $10,000 cash award and an additional $5,000 will be donated to the charity of his or her choice.

“We’re looking for stories about people who are unstoppable,” said Laakko. “Our communities are filled with people who have the same can-do attitude as Cal Ripken, Jr., and the Energizer Bunny®. We’re asking everyone to help us identify and honor those very energetic and inspirational people.”

Several names come to mind of those I want to nominate and I am on my way to do so. I’m sure we all know people in our lives (whether the blogosphere or in real life) that are more tha deserving of some recognition and encouragement. The catch- nominations end March 31, 2009. So hurry and nominate a deserving person today.

And to sweeten the pot, the folks at Energizer have been kind enough to offer one of my lucky readers a three pack of Energizer Advanced Lithium batteries (retail value of $24).

Here’s the scoop on these batteries:
Energizer® Advanced Lithium

Power-up your high-tech gadgets and take your world along for the ride.

Photos. Tunes. Gaming. You love your tech. But they drain energy like a criminal. Try Energizer® Advanced Lithium – its lithium battery technology maximizes your gear’s performance and keeps you going non-stop.

MORE* POWER for the devices you rely on including:

Wireless gaming accessories
Handheld games
MP3 players and portable CD players
Digital cameras
Other things you should know:

Last up to 4x longer in digital cameras (versus Energizer® MAX®. results vary by camera)
Lasts 20 hours longer* in wireless gaming accessories. Results vary by play and/ or usage patterns.
Last up to 30% longer in personal audio devices (versus Energizer® MAX®. results vary by device)
Weigh 1/3 less than standard alkaline
10 year storage life
Leak resistant construction

To enter the giveaway:

Visit Energizer and nominate someone for the Keep Going Hall of Fame. Come back and tell me (in a comment) who you nominated and why.

For extra entries:
~Follow my blog or subscribe to RSS feed

~Follow me on Twitter @multitaskingme

~Write a blog post or tweet about this giveaway and mention the Keep Going Hall of Fame Awards.

Winner will be chosen by random.org on March 31, 2009 after 10pm.

Next Page »