Classy Christmas Look

'Tis the season to look flawless! 

 

This new look is a modern classic with a subtle twist that will dazzle everyone at this year's Christmas Party. It may be time to step away from the traditional red, white, and green colors of the season. 

I wanted to wear something a little less predictable and cheesy while still matching with my husband and son. 

Enter Mint Blue.

In this ensemble, the perfect Christmas Red is complimented by accents of Mint Blue, Turquoise, Black, and White giving me a diverse pallet of colors to play with. I kept it simple with a black short sleeve turtle neck shirt, a layered lacy, white skirt, and sleek boot heels. 

 

 

While I picked out a vibrant turquoise long-sleeve button down, with black slacks for my husband.

And the best part was that we didn't blend in to the background of our Christmas photo! 

Have a very Merry Christmas!

3 Reasons to Not Rush Into Dating

It seems like everywhere you look you see another couple in love, while you remain alone. Every day one (or more) of your Facebook friends proudly boasts that they are "in a relationship" while you probably feel like your status will forever be "Single" or ''in a relationship with Netflix."

However, despite how you may feel, and maybe what those around you have been telling you, being single is a blessing! Being in a committed relationship is indescribable, but so is not having a partner! Both experiences can be the ultimate life lesson, designed by God to teach us more about Him and ourselves. 

As a single person you may feel lonely, while you should be feeling empowered, or unloved while you should be feeling unstoppable! Here's why:

You Have Time to Learn About Yourself - While you are single you can take time to explore your interests as an individual. Many people continue to do this while in a relationship, but a single person has the advantage of personal free time. It is completely appropriate to go to the movies alone, or switch hobbies 5 times a month, because you are learning about you. What you like to do, what you like to listen to, who you choose to hang out with; those are all important things to know when you eventually do start a new relationship. If you get to know yourself (and love yourself!) you will feel complete and you will have more of yourself to give.

You Can Move Quickly Towards Your Goal - Once you find out what you are passionate about, you have all the time in the world to pursue that passion! At this point, you can put 100% of your effort into doing whatever it is that motivates you, and into working towards your overall life goal.

You Have the Freedom to Practice Financial Responsibility - By freedom I mean you can make mistakes with few consequences, which only affect you. You are one person! It is easier to practice financial responsibility because you have less expenses. This may sound technical and unimportant, but knowing how to handle your money is vital. You can learn to set a budget for travel and the things you want. You can learn the difference between want you want and what you need. You can also learn that money isn't everything, and that wealth is meant to be shared. No one wants to be with someone who doesn't know the value of a dollar. 

There are many different kinds of love! 

Learn to enjoy the form of love in your life, whether it be towards yours Creator, your friends, your family, and especially yourself.

Don't miss out on a special form of love by constantly craving another.

Mommy & Me Monday!

Let's start the week with a little LOVE.

(It makes the world go 'round)

He is the cutest toddler in the world and he's all MINE! 

HAPPY MONDAY ;)

8 Hairstyles To Fight Summer Frizz

My hair doesn't do well in the summer. 

The heat causes me to sweat which causes my hair to get ridiculously frizzy! 

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem going natural and rocking my straight Afro.

 But some times, I like to tame to the beast. 

Doing my hair is something that I have been practicing since I was about 12 years old. I literally braid my hair with my eyes closed at this point. Though I have yet to master the art of hair styling completely, I enjoy trying out new things! 

Here are 8 ideas for when the ponytail just won't work:

Loose fish tail brain with a black faux leather bow.

Traditional french braid.

 

Tight curved fishtail side braid with faux leather black bow

 

Another variation of the curved fish tail braid with a light blue ribbon instead of the black bow 

 

 

French braid hybrid with turquoise clippies.

 

Half up half down with a color spotted white bow and pink clippies. 

Bangs twisted and pulled back 

Half up half down with black clippies keeping sides back 

Teaching Toddlers 103: Water Exploration Day

One impossibly hot summer afternoon, Nico and I decided to go outside to play. We don't have a fan in the living room/play area, so we roamed into the side yard hoping to catch a breeze. After watching Nico sweat it out for a few minutes, a brilliant idea occurred to me. 

I could turn the broiling day into a teachable moment! Nico already knew it was hot, he told me as much several times in both English and Spanish, so I came up with a fun way to cool him off without leaving the house and without wasting too much water. 

I went inside and grabbed a milk carton that I had been saving for a spontaneous craft, and using scissors, a sharpie, and a stapler, I turned it into a "watering can" and a "water house"!

It's okay if the pitcher has holes in it! The point is for the little one to see and feel the water fall out

The hole in the front is so that water can been seen going through the carton

The flap on the side is so that the toddler can see the water pouring off onto the ground

  

Once our supplies were assembled, I went inside and gathered water from the sink into a large pitcher. 

That's when the real fun began! 

Nico learned about pouring water, and that though it is tangible, it cannot be grabbed, only felt and contained. Of course I wasn't trying to explain those complicated concepts to my 23mo, he was content to figure it out in his own way.

Please excuse his naked lower half, we are still potty training =)

 

 He also learned that some things sink in water, while other things float, and that if you put enough force on an object in the water, you can push it to the bottom.

 

By the end of our little experiment, he was cooled down and soaked! 

He ended up running free in his birthday suit without a care in the world, and the hot hot sun was long forgotten! 

It was just another day of trying to keep my Gummy Bear from melting!