My Community + The Peony Project

When you think of a community, you may think of a unified group of individuals. Whether it be in a neighborhood, sorority, or even whom you consider your family.

I'm not exactly sure if the following qualifies but there are a few people that I feel unified with.

The first one I will mention is this guy right here:

My husband has been incredible! From the moment we met, he has given me 100% of his attention and has really been here to help me through many tough times. He has never judged me, even when I have done incredibly embarrassing things, and he even massages me when my back is in pain. I truly feel at home with him. The friendship we created, which led to dating, an engagement, marriage, and now parenthood, has really been what has kept us unified through the good and bad. Recently we encountered some bumps along our life road. Now, this has really affected me emotionally, well because I'm just an emotional woman! Through these trials, my hubby has really remained true to the communion we share and has done everything possible to lift me up and remind me that like all else, with God's help, we will get through this. I really don't know what I would be without my amazing husband. He is what I consider my community

Along with my husband,

I must also shine that spotlight on my parents...they have been incredible in every sense of the word. They have always been so supportive of my plans and dreams, no matter how crazy they may seem. They are truly great examples of what I hope to be for my daughter. When times have been difficult for my husband and I, my parents have always welcomed us with open arms and lent a helping hand. I will be forever grateful for everything they do for us and I'm glad they continue to be people we can lean on as part of our community.

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I recently joined an awesome blogging community titled The Peony Project. In the short amount of time that I've been a part of this wonderful group, I have already felt at home. The Peony Project is a community for women who love Jesus, love blogging, and are looking for a common space to share ideas, encourage one another, and make real, honest friendships with one another. If you'd like to know more you can click here!

My heart is outside my body

I read the above quote once or twice before I had my daughter. I connected with it then. I continue to connect with it now...but things are different now.

Don't get me wrong...the feeling of life growing within you is intensely incredible and sometimes even unexplainable. But having your child before your eyes and between your arms completely knocks the pregnancy away.

“Making the decision to have a child - it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ”- Elizabeth Stone

I understand this quote now. I don't only sympathize with it like I did before, or think it's beautiful. I feel it. This feeling is way more intense than feeling her kicks in my belly. This feeling is terrifying!

As I sit here and type away with my baby sound asleep in her bassinet, I look over to her and just feel....VULNERABLE.

I am so scared. You love something so small, so much, yet you have no control of many things that affect her. If she were to cry, she wouldn't be able to talk to me and tell me what is wrong. I have so many hopes of happiness for her life but all in all, I can only do so much. I can pray, wait and see what decisions she makes on her own throughout life.

It makes you reflect.

We are so selfish, we always want to be in control. Parenthood has brought me back to the thought and fact that I am nothing without God. I won't always be able to protect her in the way I'd like or follow her everywhere she goes.

She is me, my blood, my tears, my love.

I doubt this feeling of vulnerability will go away so this is where true faith and trust comes in....

Lord,

Please watch over her. Your reach is beyond mine and your strength surpasses all strength.
From her baby feet, to tiny steps to adult leaps...stay by her side.

It's true, you don't understand what it feels like to be a parent until your flesh and blood is in your arms and you feel vulnerable, scared, in love, amazed and happy all at once.

Birchbox Review

I've been meaning to write this post for almost 2 weeks. It's obvious I have a newborn at home :)

I'm planning on keeping these reviews going to be able to really reflect on the benefits of these subscription boxes and also in case anyone was curious about what the deal is with the subscriptions.

BIRCHBOX October 2014

Item #1: Coastal Scents- Revealed 2 Eyeshadow Palette (sampler in Ballerina) | full size is $34.00
 card states: Versatile range of rose-tinted shadows that will round out to your beauty arsenal. Sweep preferred hue over lids for day. Layer shadows for a more dramatic night look.

Coastal Scents- Revealed 2 Eyeshadow Palette (sampler in Ballerina)

Colors are super neutral and I agree that with a bit more of the darker tones, a look can be intensified!

I love this because its perfect for the everyday look. The pay off is pretty good, it might be a tiny bit lacking in the matte light pink shade but thats not bad considering the shimmers are the ones that are needed to pop!


Item#2: Dr. Jart+- BB Black Label Detox | full size $36.00
card states: The Korean brand's tinted cream brightens, blocks UV rays, and calms blemish-prone skin. Smooth a think layer onto face and blend. Layer as needed.

I don't know if these come in different shades, at first the one I received seemed a little light for me but upon blending in it matched just right. It didn't leave my skin feeling too moist or oily feeling which I tend to have with other BB's. 

Item#3: Dr. Lipp- Original Nipple Balm for Lips | full size $14.50
card states: Originally made for nursing moms, this ultra hydrating balm is a makeup artist fave. Dab onto parched lips, cuticles, and elbows as needed.

Must admit, I have yet to try this. But I'm sure it will come in handy being that although I am not breastfeeding...I AM pumping. Plus this is great to throw in your bag for your cuticles or dry elbows, etc. 

Item#4: Number 4 Hair- Clarifying Shampoo | full size $32.00
card states: Vitamin-rich botanicals gently purify hair while restoring lost moisture and shine. Apply daily to wet hair and rinse. Repeat for best results.
*They also added a Reconstructing Masque pouch for stronger shinier hair | full size $58.00

Maybe I'm not that picky, but I thought did just as good a job as my regular shampoo and conditioner.

Item#5 Vasanti Cosmetics- Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator | full size $34.00
card states: This customer fave mimics effects of microdermabrasion for a glowing, smooth complexion. 3-5 times a week, massage a pea-sized amount into damp skin and rinse. For all skin types.

This did a pretty good job. It does claim to mimic the effects of microdermabrasion, which I didn't think was exactly true in my case. My skin felt smooth afterward but not quite like when you get a microdermabrasion treatment. Either way, it's good as a sample but I would most likely not purchase the full size.

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Overall it was a pretty OK box. Nothing that I totally hated but hopefully November's box will be better.

For Mom and Dad

Today marks your 31st wedding anniversary!

Young, young love

Married and just as much as in love

On my wedding day

WOW

I wanted to dedicate this post to you.

• Thanks to you, I am the woman that I am today. 

• Thank you for always believing in me and supporting the creative decisions I've made. 

• Thank you for being the best example of what a marriage should be.
• Thank you for setting the bar high when it comes to being a parent.
• Thank you for always putting your children first in every aspect of life.
• Thank you for showing unconditional love.
• Thank you for always being here/there.

I hope to make it to as many years in marriage as you have. And like you, I hope to be an example to my children of what true love is. 

I'm lucky that my daughter has you as her grandparents :)

I love you two!

I pray you have many many many more years of happy marriage! 

Why I Chose NOT to Read Pregnancy Books

I did a quick search on an online retailer and found roughly 49,000 pregnancy books and I read 0.

It's been 2 months now since I delivered my precious bundle of joy and as I look back, I do not regret the decision I made early on to not read any pregnancy books. The reason I chose to do this is really quite simple.

Early on in my pregnancy it was determined that my pregnancy would be considered "High Risk" due to the fact that I have a history of high blood pressure and after running some early blood tests, this was further confirmed. The results of the blood test showed that I was at a risk of pre-eclampsia.

time 18830944 of being admitted into Labor & Delivery

Being that this was my first pregnancy, everything was completely new to me. I must admit, it was also pretty terrifying to be told that you we're already at risks and would need to come to twice as many check-ups as other pregnant women.

I've heard that many pregnancy books touch base on things that "might" occur to you while you are pregnant and things that might not. You know, how to prepare for this and that.

I had a fear of literally not only having an even worse pregnancy because of the fears of thinking "what if this happens to me next " - but also fear of fearing my child. I mean, really, besides the first night home from the hospital, she hasn't been bad at all (do all parents say that?). Some books literally scare the life out of you with things your baby might do, or additionally side effects of the pregnancy and I wanted to hear none of it.

Unless my doctor told me it was something to worry about, I tried to just go with the flow.

I am an incredible over thinker. Is it a woman thing? You can sit there with one idea and literally overthink it in every way possible. I mean, when it comes to DIY projects and things such as that, it isn't that bad. But when it comes to overthinking something like an itch in my throat or the hiccups while pregnant, you can get weird and crazy ideas in your mind.

I mean, when it came to delivering my daughter, I felt mentally prepared and ready. Even with the almost emergency C-section scare, I remained calm. I really have to give all the credit to the fact that I was sure that God was taking care of me and his will was what was to happen. I knew he sent angels to watch over me and I had no need for a book (besides the Bible) to keep my A-game strong.

For my next pregnancy, I doubt that I'll read these books either. But for now, it's too early to tell...you know since you have all these intricate plans and well, babies just kind of show up and do what they want lol

Til next time :)

Cute Hairstyle in Under 5 Minutes

Hey there!

Check out my first YouTube video.

It is one of my go-to hairstyles now that I'm a mommy because it literally takes about 3 minutes.

I also really loved wearing my hair like this during pregnancy because having my hair in my face got on my nerves and made me really hot!


Hope you enjoy it and let me know if there is anything you are interested in me showing you!

Just like the rest of this journey, I hope to continue growing not only as a mommy, blogger, person and YouTuber but also in the quality that I bring to you =)

Simple & Cute Baby Accessories

As far back as I remember, I have always worn accessories. As a child I always had bows, headbands or hats on my head. Later on I added tons and tons of necklaces (I never thought 2 we're enough).

Naturally I was super excited at the thought of having a baby girl! A chance to create embarrassing moments for her when she's older by putting insanely huge bows or flowers in her hair. (see below)

Usually, I make my baby's headbands and to be honest, she might have more than she should (considering she is only 8 weeks old). Yet still, I will continue with my hair accessory obsession.

I had been looking to possibly make my baby some knotted headbands for a while but I never found the time to go shop for material or to really sit down and give it a go. I recently came across a cute local SoCal Etsy shop that sells hair accessories, creates custom orders and is totally affordable. The name is Dimpled Cutie Creations

I went ahead and purchased a total of 4 headbands from this shop and totally love them all! To top it off, the seller was super friendly and responded quickly to any questions I had. My most important concern was making sure that the headbands would be comfortable and soft for Ariana's head, since I've come across some very uncomfortable looking hair accessories for babies.

Another super cute and awesome thing this shop offers is Mommy and Me headbands, how cute is that? I'll probably be looking into that next!

Here is my baby girl with one of the headbands!

And here are the other styles I purchased!

If you want to check them out, you can find them through the following links

https://www.facebook.com/DimpledCutieCreations
http://instagram.com/dimpledcutiecreations
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DimpledCutieCreation

Gaining self confidence & Believing in yourself

I really really enjoy social media! I love to post pictures on instagram (@hurrayimamommy). I love youtube and I enjoy Facebook.

I must admit that the only one I had stayed away from for all these years was Twitter but...now you can find me under @hurrayimamommy  lol, anyway I do love me some social apps.

If you know me, then you also know that I enjoy anything related to beauty and hair, for goodness sake, I worked for a cosmetics company for 6 years! I've actually have been asked by friends and co-workers in the past, to create a youtube channel and start posting tutorials.

I never gathered up enough confidence to do it (start a blog and youtube channel) though and recently I figured out why.

I was afraid of what people would say. Specifically some friends. Its hard to admit but sometimes your "closest" friends and family are the ones who search to put you down the most. As if they don't want you to succeed. These friends and family are the ones that through the years, I have noticed only choose to include me or my family if it is to their benefit. I'm pretty sure that isn't the way its supposed to work out.

In the past I have had a lack of confidence because I have been judged for posting anything good that happens to me. For example, if my husband manages to buy me a purse for my birthday and I share this with "friends" then I get basically electronically stoned for bragging. If I share a make-up look I enjoy or fashion statement, then words are said behind my back. I've even been judged for showing too much Facebook love to my husband...are you serious?!?

As an adult and a mom, I now have come to realize that I have allowed people around me to dictate my happiness and success. I could have started doing what I enjoy so long ago, but I won't dwell in the past. This new version of me doesn't care for any Negative Nancys', Party Poopers' or Doubting Debbies'. This new version is going to give this a shot.

Years ago, I took private vocal lessons with an extraordinary woman whom I greatly admire, not only as professional but as a teacher and friend. During her class, she would do an exercise where you had to sing with your "big girl voice". If you did not manage to lose your shyness and bring this voice out, then she would help you feel like that "big girl" by putting a viking hat on your head. Yup, a Viking hat!

I encourage you to branch out and do what you've had in the back of your mind to do for so long. Be it create a Youtube video, take a class, teach a class, learn to dance, sing, etc. Don't let other people have control over YOUR life. Its yours and you CAN do it.

As long as I make my family proud, then I will continue to believe in myself and from this day forward, THE VIKING HAT IS ON!

(Thank you T!)