Toyota Cares: 7 Ways to Join the fight against hunger in NYC with City Harvest

Here we are, a year and three months after the world shut down due to a global pandemic, and although with vaccines readily available and signs of normalcy starting to reappear, there are families still feeling the negative impacts of the coronavirus. More than 1.5 million New Yorkers are struggling to feed themselves and their families – up 38% from pre-COVID figures. 

Thankfully amazing local organizations like City Harvest continue to work tirelessly to help resilient New Yorkers facing hunger. Our family had the opportunity to volunteer in the Washington Heights community on behalf of Toyota and it was an incredible and humbling experience. Read on to learn more about how you can also join the fight against hunger.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Toyota. All opinions expressed are 100% honest.

Carving out Quality Family Time Test Driving the 2020 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro

The sun sets much earlier these days and we've been enjoying taking advantage of the unseasonably warm temps here in NYC. While wondering when the full-blown wave of chilly weather will hit, families like ours have been playing it safe by social distancing, quarantining, and getting tested in hopes of carving out some quality time with loved ones near and far. Excitedly, we figured we'd share our experience with the 2020 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro and some of our recent local day trips with the fam, to inspire your next adventure!

Mazda's New Rides and Girls Night Out at The 2017 New York Auto Show #NYIAS #AD

 

2017 marks the fifth year that She Buys Cars has partnered up with The New York International Auto Show to host bloggers and influencers for an amazing Girls Night Out where we had the opportunity to check out the latest automotive eye candy from some of the best brands {Mazda, Genesis, Toyota and Hyundai} in the car industry. It's personally one of my favorite nights of the year, where we head to the Jacob Javits center to check out the latest & hottest vehicles & trends coming out before the masses on opening day of the auto show. This year I had the wonderful opportunity to attend as a Mazda ambassador which was a pretty awesome pairing seeing as our family absolutely loves their line of vehicles and have had the chance to test drive a few working with Driveshop & Mazda over the last two years. 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post and opinions expressed are 100% my own 

Remembering Lived in Moments Through Laughter & Love with the Mazda CX-3 #DriveMazda #Bestof2016

Looking back on 2016 for a lot of people means remembering some pretty awful moments whether personally or in the news. Moments that may have made your heartache, ones that may have made you frustrated or angry but one thing my hubby Mike is always encouraging me to do, is to seek out the positive in every lived in moment big or small. Having the ability to just pick up and go in a reliable car is a top priority for families, whether it's the daily trips to your grocery store or to create long lasting memories with friends and family. When setting off on the road the last thing you want to worry about is the safety of your loved ones. Compact in size and perfect for our family of four the Mazda CX-3 allowed us to celebrate a long time friends birthday, witness the union of two Blue Sky film makers, dab with clowns and make an urgent spur of the moment visit to see our favorite uncle.

Welcoming the Next Generation in the 2016 Kia Optima EX and Celebrating the Arrival of a New Super Baby

As the seasons change Spring always symbolizes newness to me and I always think about the one scene from Bambi - when the flowers bloom, the warmth of the sun brings smiles to everyone's faces and the animals begin to mate, which eludes to beautiful babies being born. With only a month until my first nephew's arrival there was lots of errands to run, and final planning to do and we knew with our crazy schedules it would be that much easier to just zip around town in the 2016 Kia Optima EX to get things done.

Wilson Family Firsts in the 2016 Kia Sedona SXL: A Trip to Liberty Science Center

So you say you aren't about that mini-van life huh? If you've ever been that parent who reluctantly realized it was time for your family to transition into a bigger ride, the Kia Sedona SXL is here to prove it's ok to make the switch as your tribe expands! 

Aside from safety being of most importance when checking out cars, the other go to feature we look for in choosing a vehicle is comfort, which is something the 2016 Kia Sedona SXL definitely encompasses. As a family of 4 I wouldn't say we necessarily need something as spacious as this minivan but it surely made for a luxurious enjoyable ride. There was seriously nothing we didn't like about this car! Seating eight, it was perfect for rounding up our two lil' monsters and the extended family which included my parents, sister and brother for a visit to see my grandmother, and a trip to Dyker Heights at the beginning of the New Year. 

The Kia Sedona SX-L is what I'd consider first class driving for families & doesn't skimp on high tech features. While starting at $39,000 once my dad got in the car he was fully interested in knowing the price because he was just as impressed as we were with all the great features that had us in awe:

• Awarded 5 out of 5 stars in U.S government frontal and side crash tests.  
• Forward Collision Warning System - using radar and sometimes laser and camera detects an imminent crash.
• Lane Departure Warning System - warns driver when car is moving out of lane and essential on freeways and arterial roads, designed to minimize accidents caused by driver error, distractions and drowsiness.
• Blind Spot Detection System -sends visual and audio sensors to help warn of objects not in your field of view.
• Parking Assistant with Front and Rear Sensors
• Integrated Conversation Mirror - allows you to see what's going on in the third row while still keeping an eye on the road.

I loved the beautifully color-blocked leather trim seats that were extremely soft and that the kids could enjoy heated seats in the 2nd row as well, especially as these temperatures have taken some alarming dips. There's the option to add a third passenger to the 2nd row with fold down center console and although we didn't utilize it you can slide and stow in this row as well, which is perfect for traveling or doing large shops for groceries etc. 

Without a doubt the boys were fans of lounging around in the captain seats while watching their favorite movies, at one point my 5 year old even asked me for popcorn. For long trips having these two features alone were amazing for the kids who were entertained the entire drive which made our travels go that much more smoothly. When we took the extended family out nobody felt cramped during our commute and had ample leg room, including my nearly 6 foot tall younger brother.

One issue we admittedly have with our youngest is him keeping his seat belt across his chest properly as it irritates his neck or bothers his face and we always have to remind him how important it is to wear it properly while in his booster seat.

We decided we'd take a drive out to Jersey to visit the Liberty Science Center for the first time as a family after winning tickets from our fellow parenting & lifestyle blogger

Gemarla of the MommyElf. 

The Liberty Science Center is a wonderful place for kids of all ages to explore and discover while having so much fun kids don't even realize they are learning. Favorites for my boys were the I-Explore, Infinity Climber, and a temporary Dora and Diego exhibits

On the way home I decided to stretch out & got comfortable in the middle row while enjoying a movie with the lil' monsters as the hubby jammed out to his favorite tunes. When we pulled up to the house we were so dang comfy we just sat with the heat on and finished our movie.

If you're looking for a mini-van that's not only rated highly for safety, comfortable and features all those high end details that give you all the bang for your buck & then some, then the Kia Sedona SXL is for you! Make sure to head to Kia.com for more details on specs and features!

Which feature would be a must for you, when considering the Kia Sedona SXL?

Wilson Family Firsts in the 2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring #DriveMazda

We were provided the Mazda 6 Grand touring to facilitate this review. No compensation was received and all opinions expressed are 100% our own. Thank You Mazda & Drive Shop USA!

We've been aiming to plan out local day trips as a family at least one Saturday a month as it's the only day a week we are all home together. With Six Flag's Great Adventures open for the first time over the holidays we figured testing out the  2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring would be perfect. As a family of 4 we had such a great ride driving to New Jersey to check out Holiday in the Park and really loved a lot of features in this mid-size car that's also top 3 of mid-sized cars for affordability.

If you saw our post on the Mazda CX-5 then you know the boys were loving the solar red color that definitely stands out on this sleek car. They thought the pop of color on the Mazda 6 made it look like a cool sports car so to them it would be worth the extra on the price tag. The lean design and color of the car make it resemble a sportier vehicle but it's still perfect for families.

The Mazda 6 was named a top safety pick which was what made me the happiest about driving it around and named Driver 10 Best of the Year. In addition to those awards Here's a few things we thought were most impressive about this car: 

• An estimated 40 mpg on the highway - hubby only had to fill the tank once and he drove it almost daily over a course of 10 days for local errands and our drive to Jersey.
• Mazda advanced key-less entry means no digging  through the over-sized tote!
• Heated front seats - although it was unseasonably warm for December this feature of course comes in handy once the temperature drops at night or during season changes.
• Blind spot monitoring system, Rear cross traffic alert and Electronic parking brake// Smart City Break Support won me over in regards to keeping the family safe while traveling. If the Mazda 6 detects an impending collision it activates the break automatically, which is pretty amazing technology.
• The active driving display pictured below allows for the driver's eyes to stay on the road while glancing at the speed being driven.

                     

The boys had plenty of room in the back and were comfortable for the nearly 2 hour drive.

The holiday lights show was fantastic in it's first year and it had such a great turn out., we really loved the holiday themed food and shows. We couldn't have asked for better weather to ride around in the Mazda 6 Grand Touring. For more information on price points, specs and more head to MazdaUSA.com and make sure you watch our video and mark The Holiday Lights in the Park at Six Flags on your calendar for next year!

Wilson Family Firsts in the 2016 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring : Apple Picking at Barton Orchards #DriveMazda

Dislcosure: We were provided this car to review by Mazda and Drive Shop. All opinions expressed are 100% our own and there was no compensation for this post.

I'm not one for glorifying being busy, unfortunately it's such an overly used phrase these days and every time I hear myself utter the words "I don't have time" I cringe. Lately it seems our schedules are all over the place with my hubby working in the culinary industry, sometimes 7 days a week and me juggling a PT office job and my event coordinating and freelance writing positions. If we aren't working then we are running all over this city attending the several blogger events that, although enjoyable fill our calendars. We marvel in any downtime we get where all 4 of us can just enjoy some qt time together and are hoping to enjoy life a little bit more without any specific agenda.

We realize more and more that as our boys are getting older and are no longer my little babies (Tristan just turned 5, at the end of October) before ya know it, they'll be headed to junior high, attending their high school proms, going off to college & leaving the nest. It's because of my mom that I'm always on the go, she kept us busy with trips to the zoo, museums and other touristy NYC locations, all via public transportation. We want the boys to also be able to explore outside of  the 5 boroughs and to look back on all the memorable moments & adventures we've had. With that said this post is not only a car review of the new  2016 Mazda CX-5 but the introduction to our new series #WilsonFamilyFirsts where we'll be sharing first time experiences and videos! So please do leave comments on what you think of it, and suggestions for firsts we need to try.

I'm always nagging the hubby about planning more of our family outings and he always retorts "guys don't make plans, at least not way in advance" so imagine my surprise when with a sprinkle of spontaneity he told us to get dressed for a day out with our monsters. For years he's always wanted to go apple picking, he's been dreaming of all the things he can whip up in the kitchen with apples fresh off the tree, from pies and milkshakes to smothered with porkchops. 

Two weeks ago thanks to Mazda and Driveshop we took to test out the 2016 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring and ventured off to Barton Orchards. I've got to tell you we were really impressed with this crossover. Of course the soul red metallic color was a hit with the boys, it must be a guy thing because anything that comes in red or black are a must have! Personally I thought the car was really sleek and gorgeous to drive around in, it really popped against all the fall foliage. But if red isn't your style it comes in 7 other color choices (jet black, meteor gray, deep crystal blue, titanium flash, sonic silver metallic, blue reflex and like the solar red for with an extra cost option there's crystal white pearl)

                                                              Stand Out Features

• Named 2015 top safety pick plus by the IIHS when equipped with available Smart City Brake Support which helps prevent frontal collisions when driving over speeds of 10 MPH. With kids in the car it's great to know that if the system determines that an accident is unavoidable it will apply the breaks automatically. 
• The hubby was a fan of the distance recognition system which gives visual warnings on the display screen and the adaptive lighting which came in handy since it gets dark earlier and we made several turns driving in areas that were pitch black and lacking street lights. 
• SKYACTIVE Technology  {this was all a bit over my head} but it allows the car to be more efficient, provides lower emissions and with a lighter designed body they've still managed to  increase crash safety performance. 
• The Mazda Connect is an "infotainment" system that let's you control and customize your Mazda's features , connections and entertainment. It was really easy to use with a control knob and really large touch screen.
• It's a 5 passenger crossover SUV that was really spacious for us, the boys didn't feel like they were squished next to each other in the back even with Tristan's bulky car seat and their was ample trunk space to pack enough for a traveling. And I'm short but I definitely noticed more leg room. 

Below you can see how on the left hand side the display indicates if the driver is over the speed limit.

 Check out our video and a few pictures from our day, we really lucked out with gorgeous weather with temperatures in the low 70's.

       

              

I don't think they'll ever forget the very first apple that they reached out to pick from a tree on tip toes and atop their daddy's shoulder,  they were so excited.

Cheeseball smiling after picking my very first apple.

Mike had to shine his up really good for the camera.

Comparing who had the reddest, shiniest and juiciest apple, pretty tough decision making. 

Have you gone apple picking before, if so where do you go? 

We really hope you enjoyed the first post in our new series Wilson Family Firsts, we'll have a part two to the apple picking posts to give you more details on our experience at Bartons. 

And if you want to see future videos, make sure you are following us on youtube!

Car Review: 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage ES - Where Style Meets Function #DriveMitsubishi

For a while now my hubby has been harassing me about the need for our city dwelling family to get a car and I honestly just didn't see the point. Traffic is horrible, finding parking is a disaster,and everyone I know complains about the price of gas so why on earth would I think we needed a car? I've grown up in Queens all my life and know the subway system like the back of my hand and to be honest, I don't even know how to drive. My parents never learned and so I never had the desire to get behind the wheel despite all those tv shows and movies I'd watched growing up where all the kids were getting their licenses at 16. 

Now don't get me wrong I completely understand that having a car is convenient, I mean we need to take a bus to the train to get anywhere outside of our neighborhood. On the weekends it's so awful because we love to get up and go, we joke that if we had a car you would never find us at home. The MTA is consistent with the dreaded delays and changes which always slows us down and so lately I've been leaning towards the idea of investing in a good family car, that's safe and good on mileage.

Clearly, I still need some convincing and thanks to Drive Shop USA we were given the chance to review the 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage ES for a week to see how it would fit into our lifestyle. The timing was perfect because the hubby and I had an upcoming wedding to coordinate in Staten Island and for the first time in a while he had an entire weekend off, so we knew we'd be able to test drive.

This 5-door hatchback is perfect for our family of 4, it fit us really well and was a great choice for our love of taking day trips - where there's no need to pack away a ton of stuff to hit the road. What appealed most to me about the car is that you get a lot of bang for your buck, foremost because the car itself is affordable with a really low MSRP of only $12,995 and not to mention how good it is on gas. The hubby couldn't get over how far $10 went when it came time to fill the tank.  

 New Features for 2015 Mirage

A great thing gets even better with the Mitsubishi Mirage receiving several equipment upgrades for its sophomore year. These items include:

• New chrome interior trim accents for the audio and HVAC panels (all models)
• New rear-mounted short pole antenna (all models)
• New interior seat fabric (ES model)
• New side view mirrors with turn indicators (ES model)

Along with its low price and high EPA-rated fuel economy, both the entry-level 2015 Mirage DE and the upscale Mirage ES boast an extraordinary level of features and accessories in their standard equipment packages.

For $1,300 more, the 2015 Mirage ES (starting MSRP of $14,295) has great technology we loved, like the Bluetooth® hands-free phone system; as safety is so important to any family and the feature helps drivers to be way more cautious while driving by alleviating  the need to pick up a call, and not having to ignore it all together. The One-Touch Start/Stop (OSS) engine switch and FAST (Free-hand Advanced Security Transmitter)-key passive entry are great additions because essentially there's no need to go digging in your pockets or bags for the key to get in and drive. The hubby thought that the push to start was a really smart feature, especially when it's late and darker out.

Ok so when the hubby first found out we'd be reviewing this car he was so excited because it was one of the few ways I'm able to create content that he'd enjoy helping out with too! I'm not sure he realized how much attention he'd get driving around in this plasma purple Mirage ES but it was insane. From high schoolers leaving walking home, to the toll booth clerk, to other drivers who seem mesmerized while waiting in traffic and would mouth from their window -comments ranged from "Oooh look at that purple car" to  " wow that's a great color, does it come that way".

Apparently I  was channeling the cars style when the hubby brought it to my attention one morning, that my cigarette pants were the same color. I hadn't noticed until after I sat down that I was twinning with the car. Available fun exterior paint hues for the 2015 Mirage include Sapphire Blue, Kiwi Green, Infra Red, Plasma Purple, Cloud White, Mystic Black, Starlight Silver and Thunder Gray. The oh-so-cushy seats were beyond comfortable & made all the difference wile waiting in midtown traffic near Grand Central station, taking in views of the towering Chrysler building.

For quick runs to the grocery store there was ample space for $100 worth of groceries.

We had the pleasure of coordinating my girlfriend of over 25 year's wedding at Snug Harbor in Staten Island. Having a car to get us to and from was great and we realize would be of great benefit to us as we grow our business's. 

 

On our last full day with the car we ended up kids free and realized we had to take advantage of  a night on the town, especially after all the preparing and organizing for our friend's wedding. We welcomed jumping in the car without a concrete destination. We picked up my long time friend Sergio Uptown and decided on indulging in a bit of thrills at Six Flag's Great Adventures Fright Fest. 

It turns out I was way more scared than I thought and got spooked out at the drop of a dime, or well at the sound of a chainsaw.

The Mirage's exceptional fuel efficiency and fun-to-drive character have helped it capture numerous awards and accolades including:

• #1 ranking in Cars.com's "New Cars for Penny Pinchers"
• "Best All-Around Performance" and "Best Environmental Performance" in the Mini-Compact Class by the Automotive Science Group
• Named to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) "Greenest Vehicles" list.

Overall we really enjoyed this car (the hubby may need a manlier color), it's a first-rate vehicle for smaller families like ours, by being affordable without skimping on great upscale features and fuel efficient. Finding parking wasn't as bad as I thought and luckily it's size was able to get us in spaces that may have been too tight for a larger vehicle. The only other little detail that bugged me was totally vain, but there was no vanity mirror for me to check my hair on the passenger side - on the sun visor, otherwise I really loved the car.

All in all The Mitsubishi Motors' 5-door subcompact makes the ideal new car for various types of automotive consumers – first-time drivers, retirees, short-hop urban dwellers who live/work in the city or those with marathon commutes. For more details on features, specs and price range stop by Mitsubishicars.com

Disclosure: We were provided this car as loan by Drive Shop  for a week to facilitate this review. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and no other compensation was received.