The Canary Islands have long since shed their reputation as a one-trick holiday destination. It’s not just sandcastles and surf that have budget travellers and backpackers raving about their cheap holidays. With snow-capped peaks, UNESCO protected waters, and epic treks, this archipelago brings a bevy of options to the table when planning your next vacation.

Tenerife

It would be easy to spend all day in Tenerife splayed-out on one of the many world-class beaches, such as Playas de Las Americas, then crashing at night in a surf-house hostel only to wake up and do it all again. But straying to seek-out the rare-gems of Tenerife won’t empty your wallet.

Mount Teide National Park, located in the interior of the island, is a great place to start, and features biking and climbing routes for the thrill-seekers, as well as hiking routes through the park’s eerie rock formations.

Back out on the coast, Los Gigantes is a can’t miss destination. A towering rock-formation that rises 800 meters above the placid waters of the harbour, it is sure to make your jaw drop. Head out for an intimate cruise alongside local schools of dolphins, or explore the Puerto de la Cruz Botanical Gardens.

Finally, for a real local experience, catch a boat to nearby Gomera, where you’ll find a small rural paradise of local villages and waterfalls, seemingly untouched by time.

Lanzarote

Boasting over 100 scenic beaches with careful planning controls, the coastal atmosphere of Lanzarote is serene, and full of cheap eats.

Head to the interior, however, and you will find a different story. Timanfaya National Park sits on a hardened sea of lava, formed after an 18^th century eruption, and its stark landscape is begging to be explored on foot.

If it’s art your looking for, be sure to check-out any of the six centres developed by César Manrique, including an auditorium built from a collapsed lava tube, and a gun battery overlooking the neighbouring island. All attractions are state-owned and modestly priced.

Gran Canaria

The main hot spot in Gran Canaria is Las Palmas, the largest city in the Canary Islands. Here you can walk in the footsteps of Christopher Columbus, exploring beaches and historic sites like Puerto de la Luz, and Catedral de Canarias. But venturing outside the city is where the real discoveries are to be made.

Gran Canaria holds some of the best-kept secrets for trekking in Europe, and has gone largely unspoiled over the years. There are single day and multi-day hikes available, which roam through landscapes like the lush mountain village of Santa Lucia-Guayadeque, and the Southwestern ridge of the Caldera de Tejeda.

Other must-sees include the canyons of Macizo del Suroeste Nature Reserve, the volcanic craters of Cuenca de Tejeda Nature Reserve, and the abundant wildlife and flora of Inagua y Pajonales Nature Reserve.

Sure you might head to the Canary Islands craving some beach relaxation, but you’ll be hard-pressed to not leap from your chaise-lounge for some scenic exploration.

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own and honest.

Now that Mother’s Day is over, its time to get ready for the next holiday. That’ s right- none other than National Donut Day, which occurs on June 6. To celebrate this wonderful and delicious holiday, be sure to grab some donuts and chow down. Everyone celebrates donut day differently, some just grab some treats, others make special meals celebrating the versatility of the round delight. Luckily for us, Entenmann’ s is celebrating too.
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New TV shows come and go.  Unfortunately most of them are reality TV and have very little in terms of story and a whole lot in terms of drama and human stories, plus they are cheaper then scripted TV so they are pumped out like bread loaves.  Fortunately some people still watch scripted TV and it is actually still made.  Bravo is releasing one such show in just a few days called Odd Mom Out.  It is the story of an upper class family which is not as upper class as the rest of the neighborhood in New York City.  The kids aren’t perfect, the apartment has actual stuff in it and life is fun and chaotic in a silly way.  Not your average uptight upper class New Yorkers.  They are more down to Earth with Underwear Dance Parties and profanities.  Thus making the mother the ‘Odd Mom Out’ at social interactions and functions.  The show pokes fun at stereotypical ‘first world problems’, while still keeping the tone down to Earth and relative.  It is also quite funny, think sex and city minus the sex but plus Mom issues and humor.

Everyone has those Odd Mom Out moments when you just don’t feel in the right setting and are the oddity in the room.  I have felt this way in the past as well, most times because I am either the youngest or the one having the most fun at a particular setting.  In professional settings I am often the youngest yet the most open minded and as such do not get the respect I deserve, but have a great time anyway.  No matter how many death stares or hopes of my heads exploding fired my way, it never works out and instead I just have a great time in spite of what others might think.  Its a fun way to go about things and keeps me from getting in trouble or thinking too much.

Enjoy these mom themed drink recipes from the show!

I especially like how down to Earth and quirky the lead character played by Jill Kargman is.  Check out this clip.

To celebrate Bravo’s new series they are running a cool new contest.

As part of our V.I.M.s Perks Program (Very Important Moms), we will be encouraging readers to Download Bravo’s mobile app – The Daily Dish – available for Android and iPhone via your mobile store.

Through the Daily Dish app, not only can you catch up on your fave Bravo-lebs, but you’ll also be eligible for exclusive VIM discounts from partners.

Viewers have an opportunity to win $20,000 in each of the first 4 weeks of premiere episodes (starting 6/8 – 6/29) through the Tune-In to Win  Sweepstakes. Tell fans to tune in live at 10/9c on Mondays (6/8-6/29) for the secret hashtag and tweet it out to @BravoTV each week for their chance to win.

For more information about VIM check it out now.

Bladder leakage is a common problem.  Maye not one openly discussed with all manner of company, but it is quite common and should be discussed.  People think they are alone, they are embarrassed- and I’m like, so what about it?  It is so common that 1 in 3 women experience it, which is over 51 million American women.

The numbers are staggering and even more so is the stigma that bladder leakage has attached to it.  Many will not bring up bladder control issues thinking it is gross or improper.  Something to keep in mind is that more people in their 20’s experiences bladder leakage then those in their 80’s.  To bring about more awareness on the topic, Depend is running the #underwareness campaign to bring bladder leakage to the conversation.  As part of Underwareness, Depend is encouraging people to show their support for women with bladder leakage.  For every photo and video shared using #Underwareness, the Depend brand will donate $1, up to $3 million, through 2016 to fund charities that advance the research and education of bladder leakage.
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We all know how important it is to keep kids from texting and driving- and in general, safe behind the wheel.  So many accidents happen involving teens, due to inexperience and a feeling of invincibility.  As parents, we need to talk to them (and often) about safety while driving.

Last weekend, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Mazda Motorsports, National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), U-Haul and the Ad Council announced the high school and college winners of their fourth annual Project Yellow Light college scholarship competition at the Mazda Speedway.

Project Yellow Light is a national contest and scholarship program that calls on students to create short videos educating their peers on the dangers of using mobile devices while driving.  According to a 2013 NHTSA report, ten percent of all drivers aged 15-19 years old involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crashes. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted.  To further the reach and impact of the peer-generated content, NHTSA has partnered with the Ad Council to turn the winning videos into public service advertisements, which will be distributed to more than 1,600 media outlets nationwide.

“Distracted driving is deadly and young drivers are most at risk, so we need to make sure they get the message,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind. “The Project Yellow Light contest, which uses peer-to-peer messaging, demonstrates how creative public awareness efforts can reduce distracted driving on our roads.”

Winners were selected from two age categories: high school juniors and seniors, and college students. The high school grand prize was awarded to Marlowe Lexvold of South Haven, Minnesota. The college grand prize was awarded to brothers Sam and Wrenn Senser from South Bend, Nebraska.
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