El Pollo Loco Grillmaster Steak

**El Pollo Loco did provide us with a coupon to try one of the new featured items. All opinions are of my own, your opinion may vary.

If you are a fan of chicken like me, El Pollo Loco tops the list as the best quick service restaurant chicken. I love the flavors and the moistness of the chicken. Have you heard that El Pollo Loco is now serving grilled steak?? Another one of my favorites, carne asada! While still offering their famous citrus-marinated flame grilled chicken, sirloin steak has now been added to their menu. I was not sure if this would work for El Pollo Loco given that they are famous for their chicken, but I was giving it the benefit of the doubt knowing they have great marinade and grill over open flames - two things that will most always make a great steak. Their new steak menu items include -

• Two Steak Tacos: citrus-marinated, flame-grilled Sirloin steak, with cilantro and onion in authentic corn tortillas
• Grillmaster Steak Taco: citrus-marinated, flame-grilled Sirloin steak layered with melted Jack and Cheddar cheeses and topped with fresh Pico de Gallo and guacamole in an authentic grilled flour tortilla
• Sirloin Steak Bowl: citrus-marinated, flame-grilled Sirloin steak served with fresh cilantro, onions and Pico de Gallo salsa, atop Spanish rice and pinto beans
• Steak & 3-Cheese Quesadilla: citrus-marinated, flame-grilled Sirloin steak layered with three melted cheeses - Jack, Cheddar and Cotija- grilled in an authentic flour tortilla and served with guacamole and sour cream

My husband tried the tacos and while he thought they were good he did find them a bit dry and had to add quite a bit of salsa. My son and I shared the quesadilla and I have to say that was pretty darn good! Both my son and I loved it, the mix of the cheeses with the steak was just mouth watering. My son loved it so much I almost had to go buy another one as he ended up not wanting to share with me! LOL!! My son and I are not fans of guacamole or sour cream so ate it as is, and it was just perfect. I would not want to add anything more in fear of not being able to taste the seasoning. I also expected the steak to be a bit spicy hot, maybe too much for the kids, but it was not hot enough to wear my son would not eat it. I think this will be a big hit for El Pollo Loco and become a favorite of many.

El Pollo Loco would like to offer you a coupon for a free Grillmaster Steak Taco with the purchase of a Grillmaster Steak Taco. You can print your coupon by going to www.elpolloloco.com/freesteaktaco/

Happy Weekend!

This has really been a long past couple weeks for us!! I am so exhausted but am looking forward to finally having some fun this weekend and getting back to normal!! We just got done with our Friday night movie - Sword and the Stone - and yes, it was a bit too old for the kids. By too old I mean made too long ago LOL!! Not even my son liked it! As bedtime got closer and closer all I heard from my youngest son was "Mom, I can't wait until tomorrow!" We will be heading out to Monster Jam 2010 this weekend. This should be a ton of fun "literally" LOL!!! I cannot wait to share pics with you all when we get back!

I hope you all have a safe, fun and most of all healthy weekend!

Pampers is giving away FREE diapers!

Hurry - these samples are going to go quick!! Request a three pack of Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max on Pampers.com. As an added bonus - if the sample sent includes a diaper stamped Team USA (randomly inserted in select sample packs), their baby will win a year's supply of Pampers Diapers!


Pampers Cruises with Dry Max is Pampers driest ever and 20% thinner than before. Revolutionary Dry Max technology helps lock in wetness for up to 12 hours. This gives your baby the opportunity to feel comfortable during hours of uninterrupted playtime. For mom thinner is always better! I currently do not have any children in diapers, but can remember them being so bulky and thick. This thinner design allows you to carry or store more of them within less space. Other features of the diaper is the tapered design, Sesame Street characters and a softer outer cover.

About the new exciting Dry Max Technology (straight from Pampers) -

• Dry Max describes the new "engine" or core of Cruisers and Swaddlers Diapers
• It allows for the removal of the airfelt (paper pulp) found in current Swaddlers and Cruisers, resulting in a thinner and less bulky core. Currently Pampers is the only brand with this technology on the market.
  
• The thinner core is enabled by the new Absorbent Gelling Material, removing the need for airfelt.
  
• The Dry Max technology will also be available in Pampers Swaddlers diapers for new babies in March 2010.

Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers with Dry Max will be available at mass, discount, baby specialty, grocery, and eRetail stores where Pamper products are sold beginning March 2010. For more information or to request a free sample of Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max visit www.pampers.com

**you may be asking how is Pampers connected with the upcoming winter Olympics? Here is more information below -

Celebrating Babies as Professional Players

While the world is joining together to recognize the world's best athletes in Vancouver, Pampers has partnered with Team USA to celebrate the best players in the world™ - babies! When you see a babies' passion and dedication to play, you see that they, in fact, ARE the best players in the world (and even surpass some world class adult players). After repeatedly observing how they love to challenge themselves to continually improve their skills, we at Pampers felt that babies should be recognized and celebrated in the same forum as the most elite athletes - and that's why we created such a high performance diaper to help them play on and on.

Did you Know?

• A nine-month old baby can crawl up to 400 meters in 20 minutes (Learning to Keep Balance. Karen Adolph, Dept of Psychology, New York University)
• A cruising baby in one day can take as many steps as a marathon runner in a race (O'Malley, M. "Normalization of temporal-distance parameter in pediatric gait" J. Biomechanics 29, 619-625, 1996)
• A baby can fall up to 300 times before managing to stand up or walk (American Academy of Pediatrics, pg 260-261; Babyhood, P. Leach, pg 254)

Partnering with U.S. Olympic Families

For many U.S. Olympic athletes, bringing home a medal is not just their dream - it's their family's dream. Pampers is working with two medal contender athletes - U.S. Olympic goldmedal speed skater and dad to baby Hadley, Chad Hedrick; and skeleton World Champion and mom to toddler Lacee, Noelle Pikus-Pace - and both of their families - to share their Vancouver experiences from their babies' point of view. Photos and videos will be uploaded daily to Pampers.com.

(article & information courtesy of Pampers)

Wordless Wednesday

**My Wordless Wednesday is dedicated to the life of Francisco Mendoza who lost his battle with with the brain tumor he had been living with since the age of three years old. We featured Francisco back in November when we toured the Ronald McDonald house and Francisco and his mother were a resident at the time. You can find the store here. I feel so thankful to the Ronald McDonald House for giving Francisco and his family peace and security during their struggles. As a mother I can't even begin to imagine what they have gone through. Look at that smile on his face - so much courage, spirit and life. Please say a prayer for Francisco and his family as well as the many other families that go through the Ronald McDonald Home on a daily basis - our hearts and prayers are with you!

Meet Lance Kopplin

I recently had a wonderful opportunity to visit the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald house and was lucky enough to share that opportunity with you as you may remember. I met so many wonderful and amazing families. I did not have the opportunity to meet this courageous young man, but wanted to share his story with you. Lance Kopplin is a ten year old boy who, at the age of six was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma - a cancerous tumor in his eye. The tumor quickly spread to his brain and after a relapse the Doctor's predicted a 0% chance of survival.

My youngest son is six - the same age at which Lance was diagnosed. I cannot even begin to imagine what him and his family went through. During his battles with cancer Lance and his family stayed in four Ronald McDonald Houses in four different cities for a total of 200 nights. The Ronald McDonald House gave the family the opportunity to fully focus on Lance and getting the best treatment for him possible. There were no bills to pay, meals to cook, or chores to worry about - their entire stay cost them about $400. It has been more than three years since the Kopplan's got the bad news, and now Lance is totally cancer free!

Lance is now starring in his own commercial - I hope you will watch this boy who is so full of courage and ambition, makes you take a moment to realize how precious life really is and how grateful each and everyone of us should be for what we have.

Monster Jam 2010

Advanced Auto Parts
Monster Jam 2010

Big O Tires and Metro PCS present the Advanced Auto Parts Monster Jam brought to you by Ford Trucks. This is a great event for the entire family - even if you think you may not be into this kind of thing - this will change your mind!!! After seeing this show it will become something your family looks forward to year after year. I have not been for many years, but remember taking my oldest son there when he was elementary age. The ohhs and awww's you get from the kids will create memories of good times that will last a life time! We will be taking our family again this year and will post pictures with a review after we attend the show. I hope you will join me in what is some really great affordable family entertainment. It's exciting, breath taking and most of all just plain FUN!!

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Anaheim, CA
Jan 30Th & Feb 6Th
Gates open at 5pm
Tickets start at only $10

For more information and to find out when the Monster Jam will be near you, visit www.monsterjam.com/showList ***Discount coupons are available while supplies last at participating Big O Tires

Triaminic

Triaminic Thin Strips are a pre-measured dose that dissolves on the tongue. This new product is great for children that start running when they hear the word medicine! My youngest daughter is five and I have the hardest time with her. She just will not take it, no matter what. I have tried putting it in food, drinks, flavoring it - tried it all and she just won't have it. This is something I think she might try, and laying it on her tongue hopefully it would dissolve quick enough that there would be nothing to spit back at me!! LOL **please use as directed

Triaminic also has a really neat feature on their website called The Tracker - keep tabs on the most active cold and flu areas and follow areas week to week and it's so easy to use. You click on your state, then your closest city and it will tell you the cough, cold and flu level in that area. I checked out Los Angeles and according to the tracker we have a moderate level of cough, cold and flu - which to me doesn't really sound that bad for Los Angeles!

Triaminic would also like to share some of their Sick Day Guidelines - Consider keeping your children home if -

• Has a fever of 100.4 or higher
• Has been vomiting
• Has symptoms that prevent the child from participating in school such as a sore throat, earache, excessive tiredness, etc...

Now for the fun part....if you have read this far, be one of the first three readers to email me at hulahoopingmom@yahoo.com and Triaminic will provide you with a box of Triaminic Thin Strips

Visit Triaminic for more information & valuable tips at www.triaminic.com

**Please use all medication as directed. The information above is for entertainment purposes only.

Wordless Wednesday

Disneyland 2fer Time

It's 2fer time again here in Southern California - Disneyland has brought back their most popular offer - offering 2 parks for the price of one. This is a great offer!!! Visit both Disneyland and California Adventure for less than $35 each. Visit one park and come back another day to visit the other park for free!!! Those of us with little ones know how exhausting and time consuming it can be to try to fit both parks in on one day. Now with the 2fer offer - you don't have to worry about getting it all done in one day. This is the perfect time to visit when crowds are at their lowest and it is not too hot out. **Ticket must be purchased between Jan. 5th and April 12th, 2010.

Visit Disneyland's website for more information

The Great Roll Poll

Go to http://www.cottonellerollpoll.com/ to vote in the great debate whether you are a team under or team over. If you read my previous post on pet peeves then you know I am a team over and it just bugs the heck out of me when I see a "team under" My husband is a team under and every time I see it that way I change it! Just drives me crazy!!

Let me know what team you are on, and just by leaving a comment you have a chance to win one of ten Cottonelle Gift Baskets. Winner will be randomly chosen January 29Th from all entries.

I am entering a contest for a month's worth of Cottonelle toilet paper as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club. I was not compensated in any other way for this review.

McDonalds & Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games

McDonalds is bringing the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games to fans across the globe with athlete-themed packaging. We love watching the Olympics and love McDonalds :) Our youngest daughter especially - as I am sure most with toddlers, their favorite food always seems to be chicken nuggets and fries. In my daughters eyes, if McDonalds will be supporting the Olympic games, my daughter will be right there with them. It is a great way to get the kids asking questions and knowledgeable about what the Olympics are.

Did you know, that not only will McDonalds have athlete themed packaging, but they will be building two new restaurants inside the Olympic villages to feed more than 10,000 athletes, coaches and officials expected at the games. These restaurants will be open 24 hours.

Here in the US customers will see some of their favorite winter athletes on McDonalds packaging, including Graham Watanabe (men's snowboard), Kelly Clark (women's snowboard), Jennifer Rodriquez (women's speed skating), and many more will be featured on cups and bags starting Feb. 1st.

Some fun facts about McDonalds supporting the 2010 Winter Olympics -
(brought to you from McDonalds)

• "McDonald’s Champion Kids from across Canada will be joined by kids from countries, such as the U.S., Germany, Ukraine and England to attend Olympic Winter Games events, meet athletes, visit the Olympic Village, tour cultural sites and receive their own gold medals from Olympic champions"

• "The children also will serve as special youth correspondents to share their experiences with their hometown news outlets. They will be well-guided by an experienced Canadian young journalist and blogger, Max Newton from Vancouver. He was a McDonald’s Champion Kid for the Beijing Games and will return for the 2010 Winter Games as a program ambassador."

• "As part of McDonald’s Olympic Games tradition of giving back to the host country, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Canada, in cooperation with the province of British Columbia, the Rick Hansen Foundation and 2010 Legacies Now, is helping to fund three world-class accessible playgrounds located in Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler. These state-of-the-art playgrounds will meet the needs of children with disabilities and enable these children to play side by side with their siblings, families and friends."

Our family has enjoyed the Olympics as a game and what it stands for. It brings the Country together and our pride is held high. I hope you join McDonalds in supporting the 2010 Winter Olympics

It's Monday....and we are finally getting back to normal around these parts of Los Angeles! Kids have started back at school today and I am now getting a chance to catch up with all of you!

Will be updating soon and returning your emails this week....Happy New Year!!!!

Free Disney Ticket

We are still on winter break here, my children seem to be the only ones that get a three week vacation! So.....we'll get back up and running Jan 11Th - now, gotta run - we are off to spend the day at Disneyland!

In the mean time - Wondering how you can get a free ticket? Disney is celebrating Give a Day Get a Day inspiring people around the Country to volunteer a day of service at a participating organization in their community and receive a free ticket to a Disneyland Park!



Terms & Conditions Apply - please visit Give-A-Day-Get-A-Disney-Day for more information

***I have signed my family up for this and will be updating once we have completed our volunteer day - now, gotta run - kids are waiting to go see Mickey :) Happy Holidays!

Nerves & Pet Peeves!

These past few weeks there have really been some people and even a certain company that has really been hitting at my nerves. I tried so hard to be professional and not say what I really feel, but sometimes it's just so darn hard to bite my tongue! Then the other side of me thinks about how funny these "people" really are making themselves look, and I have to laugh. So....to start off the New Year - I thought I would list some of my top Pet Peeves!

• Driving Too Slow - Especially when you are in a hurry and you get behind someone driving so slow that you just want to nudge them a bit
  
• Drivers on their Cells - This one not only bugs me because they loose their concentration on the road - but also because they put all of us in danger doing so.
  
• Not following through - When something is said and then not followed through - this happen to me a couple weeks ago with a "certain site" it makes them look very unprofessional
• Getting my mail in Spanish just because my last name is Hispanic - Hello people - this is the United States - I talk, write AND read in English as we ALL should
  
• Someone stops right in front of you while walking - We have passes to Disney, but we also go out alot, and I can't stand it when someone stops right in the middle of the walkway - move to the side people!!
• Drunk Drivers that get off easy - This makes me angry more than anything - these drunk drivers that hurt and sometimes even kill the people they hit - never end up getting injured themselves, then get an easy sentence
• When you ask someone what's wrong & they tell you nothing - ummm, hello - but I can tell something is wrong otherwise I wouldn't be asking
• Ignorant People - I won't even go into this one....I think you know exactly what I am talking about...
• When your about to go watch TV & someone else goes in and turns the TV on - happens all the time in my house LOL
• When the toilet paper roll is backwards - also happens all the time here..........
• When other people sleep on my pillow - there is a reason everyone has their own pillow

Now I could go on and on, as I am sure we all have our list of things that just bug the hell out of us. I would love to hear your pet peeves, the things that bug you the most, and how you try not to let it get to you!

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!