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lifestyle blogger

Fashion

Sonia’s Tips For Shopping On Amazon

Ahhh, Amazon.  When you used to think about the word “Amazon” you probably thought about the rain forest.  Now when you say the word you’ll likely think about the online shopping site. I have been a prime member since it’s inception. I can’t even tell you how much I love Amazon and their 2 day prime shipping!  Hallelujah.

Good Amazon Finds

When I initially joined their website, I was shopping for things like diapers, pacifiers, teething toys etc.  Now I shop for things like kids sports gear, shoes, socks, underwear, household items and more….. you name it and I’ll order it!  While I am certain that my husband doesn’t love all the charges on our credit card bill, I realize that the time I save going to the store has been invaluable.

As a mom, I frequently put my family first.   It wasn’t until recently that I realized that Amazon had an Amazon Fashion Store. As an avid Nordstrom shopper, I was leery about purchasing anything on Amazon. I started my first purchase with an off the shoulder white dress for a boat party that I was hosting. I spent $30 on this beauty and it did not disappoint!  Thank goodness my first purchase was good, it set me on 2 day prime shopping journey that has taught me so many things about how to navigate Amazon fashion that I want to share with you today!

Levis | Slouchy Sweater | Tie Neck | Favorite Lipstick |

Hanogram Phone Case (Use code: RINASONIA for $$ off)

The Tips:

#1. Check if it is a prime item.  For a nominal annual fee ($99) you can become a prime member and it will give you free shipping on anything that comes from Amazon. It saves time and $ depending on how often you plan to use the site for shopping.
#2.  Make sure you look at reviews. Chicksandsalsa is in the top 1% of reviewers on TripAdvisor, so you know we love our reviews!   Shoppers (and ChicksAndSalsa) will help you determine quality, sizing and durability
#3. Know where the items are coming from. Often times I have ordered in haste and not paid attention…items that ship from international locations take much longer than something that is shipping domestic.
#4. In complete honesty, only about 4 of 12 items will be keepers. I have not had full success in my shopping with Amazon. However, with free shipping back, I’m always willing to take a risk in the comfort of my own home to try clothes on and send them back as needed.

The Finds

Here are a few of my favorite Amazon Fashion purchases.

 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 

Did you know that we have a shoppable Amazon store? Check us out here.

I hope you find this helpful, feel free to reach out and ask any questions you might have about the Amazon fashion store.

Your Chick,
Sonia

Lifestyle

I Spent 4 Hours and 49 Minutes on My Phone Today!! Should I be worried?

Ok, don’t judge me- but I really wanted to know exactly how much time I was spending on my phone so I measured it using the Moments App (ioS 12 also has a built in feature to help you keep track as well).  I was introduced to the app a while ago and I have been documenting my usage and time for the past few weeks.  I thought I was going to feel bad about the amount of time I spent, but I found something even more interesting and awesome instead!

If you have an iPhone here is how your can check your usage now!

Launch Settings from your Home screen. > Tap on Battery. > Wait a moment for Battery Usage to populate. > Tap on the Show Detailed Usage button to get a breakdown of foreground and background power usage. > Tap on Last 7 Days to get a broader look at power consumption over time.

**First pic is from one day, second pic is from seven day summary**

 

Screenshots from Moments App:
My Results

It turns out I get plenty of sleep – averaging 7-8 hours a night – awesome right!?! It also turns out that I spend almost 5 hours a day on my phone…I thought I would have negative feelings about this, but it turns out I don’t.  Let me explain.  I work at home and with my time divided between Digital Chicks Media and our blog, it makes sense to me that I would be spending the equivalent of a day’s work on my phone, aka my computer on the go. With social media and engagement at the core of what I do, I guess it is not surprising, but there is a silver lining to all this information.

Black and White Sweater Dress for $35 (available in every color) another one I love is linked here | Loafers are Chanel, shop similar here | My go to red lipstick is linked here 

The Silver Lining

I am living day-to-day moments for most of my day – that is time that I am spending with my family, at the gym, cooking, driving, etc.  That is a nice find that somehow I can’t ignore.  I actually felt good about that, is that weird?  My kids get home from school around 3:30PM and go to bed around 8PM. The main thing I try hard to work on is the amount of time I spend on my phone while they are home. I want to make sure that those 8 hours of living are happening sans my phone while my family is together.

Something my husband and I try to do walk away from our devices to resist the temptation to not be present in the moment while the kids are home.  While work can sometimes creep in trying to move to another room to finish out an email or call is a helpful way to recenter and be present in the time you are away from your phone.

The Takeaway

In life we have to strike a balance between the things that we do and find a place in our day to day lives for all of it.  Smartphones are a necessary evil that really are not that bad, they have enhanced our lives by so much.  So, next time you resent the amount of time you may be spending on your phone, find out how much time you are actually spending and let that knowledge either empower you or help you create changes you wish to see to make being in the moment more meaningful.

Your Chick,

Sonia

Chick Picks:

Lifestyle, women

#MomsOffDuty – What Does That Mean? Celebrating 100 Posts!!

This is our 100th Post!!! That is more than two years of Chick Picks, Fashion Posts, Motherhood Rants, and Party Tips and we could not have done it without you!! Thank you so much for supporting Chicks And Salsa!!

One of our most frequently used hashtags is #MomsOffDuty.  It was brought to our attention that ‘life outside of motherhood’ and ‘Moms off duty’ implies that we did not have children or did not care about them. This could not be further from the truth!  It just means that we are not going to beat ourselves up about taking a little ‘me time‘ every now and then.

Yes, we are moms and yes we are obsessed with our kids (as most Moms are). BUT the blog is a way for us to find an avenue outside of the realm of crafting, cooking, and career. Chicks And Salsa is a way to use creativity and media to connect with other women in a way that encourages us to develop ourselves as members of this society.

Reflections:
As women, especially those of ethnic descent, we have a tendency to place ourselves last — behind spouses, kids, career. If there is anything I have learned in these past few years, it is that putting yourself first can feel good sometimes, too. It is also important to realize that ‘mom guilt’ never goes away: we will always wish that when we try a new restaurant with friends, that our husbands were there or when we discover a new park to run at, that we could exercise and watch the kids at the same time.
Moms Off Duty—that is how we feel when we squeeze in a coffee with friends during the day or get a babysitter and vent to a friend over cocktails after school. It is all-encompassing. It is the food that we eat, the activities that we participate in, the civic work that we do, the obligations we have at work, and our responsibilities at home. It is about taking a moment to build yourself as a woman, no matter what corners that life brings your way. Stringing together the moments outside of our routines are often the ones that we remember and cherish.
Celebrating Each Other
You Do You
We challenge you to be ‘off duty’ once in a while and do something for yourself with or without someone else. Push yourself to a new limit and rediscover an old hobby. Or listen to some old tunes and dance like no one is watching. It is possible to be a great mother, an influencer, a career-builder, and an independent woman — find your way to putting yourself first and in doing that, find yourself.
Lastly, thank you for all the love that you have shown us these past few years, hopefully we have more to offer as we learn more about all of you!!
With so much love, your chicks,
Rina and Sonia
Shout out to Neema, one of our contributors and Mom-extraordinaire, see her posts here.
Chick Picks:
Fashion, Lifestyle, Travel

Cross Off Something From Your List And Do Something New Today

On a hot summer day in Chicago, five friends set out for a picture perfect lunch on Lake Michigan.  Honestly, it felt like that kind of day…storybook or movie perfect.  Sonia and I have been long time Chicago girls, but we have met many people who come and go that never made their way onto the iconic Odyssey on Navy Pier.  It is not uncommon to take things down the street for granted and think that you will eventually do them.  In the spirit of having a #MomsOffDuty moment, we checked out a beautiful lunch cruise aboard the Odyssey on Lake Michigan and boy did we luck out!

The Odyssey has been sailing on Lake Michigan for more than 20 years from Navy Pier which means that the party does NOT stop when you get off the boat. See a full list of things to do at Navy Pier here!

We enjoyed all the ship had to offer including, three chic climate-controlled decks with LED lighting and a lit dance floor, a premium bar menu, vegetarian friendly menu items, and a relaxing rooftop lounge with modern deck furniture.  The staff was attentive and courteous (S/O to our server Nick for finding us no matter where we were on the boat).

The Looks:

 Rina’s Floral Wrap Skirt is On Sale for $43 here | Sonia’s Floral Dress is $25 (She is wearing a Medium and it is TTS)! and linked here | Rina’s Tie Front Tank is here (size down) | Rina’s Favorite Summer Shoes are True To Size (TTS) and linked here

Sonia’s Black Fox Crossbody is $46 and linked here | Rina’s White Rina Bag comes in all colors and is $42 and is linked here

All in all, we were so grateful to take in the skyline on a day like this and enjoyed the time that we got to spend with some of our closest friends (being #MomsOffDuty of course).  We ended our cruise experience on the dance floor where we really let loose!

What is something in your town that you have been meaning to check out?

Cheers,

Rina

Chick Picks:

Thank you Entertainment Cruises for having us!