Vising Santa!

Ever since last year when I took Kaylee and Justin to visit Santa I wanted to make  a tradition out of it. Well that is as long as they both or one will do it. This year is extra special for me because I think it might be the last year my oldest kinda believes in Santa. He has said a few comments earlier this season that almost broke my heart, but the closer it gets to Christmas I have hope that he still kinda believes in it. These are the photos that I plan on looking back on and showing my grandchildren how there parents were throughout the years. I already appreciate these types of photo now and often find myself looking at how much they have grown in just one year.  Time is flying by so quick and I want to really soak in the moments of being a mommy to just two because soon I will be a mommy of 3 (I am NOT prego yet) and I feel like lifes going to get crazy.

Last year I didn't dress the kids up at all and I remember thinking ummm ok we shall fix that for next year ( Justins angry bird shirt haunted me for a while). . I still didn't get them as dolled up as I saw a lot of other kids but at least they were more presentable. Actually a lot more presentable and might I add how obsessed I am with Kaylees band sweater from Gap.

My new mommy friend Christie went with me and her two kids Brody and Darby , which are right around my kids ages. The kids had a whole afternoon of terrorizing the mall and we ended up staying for dinner. I was anticipating Kaylee to be ok with Santa this year because she has recently started to be ok with the Disneyland Characters at Disneyland. I was expecting her full cheese smile to steal the show.

Check out this tiny video of our day. I will be posting the Infamous Santa photo tonight 12/12/13 at 8pm Pacific Time.....Enjoy!

Kaylee's >> Fashion Diary

Well as you all know I stopped doing these due to my sweet little baby turning into a crazy toddler! Today she finally started posing again and I just had to document it!

     Today two of my mommy friends and I went on a "play date" of sorts with our youngest kids. We had 3 kids in all. All 2 and under which made it quite intresting! First we spent a few hours around Ikea shopping. I love Ikea so much but Kaylee truely makes shopping a pain in the booty. She screams demands, wants down, and climbs all over everything. After what felt like an eternity we went across the street and lunched at California Pizza Kitchen and tried to unwind a little! I feel so blessed to have amazing Mommy friends! In all I think our mommy date was a success!

::Outfit Details::

Fox Sweater: Cherokee for Target

Black Peter Pan Collar Shirt: Joe Fresh for JC Penny

Argyle print leggings: Joe Fresh for JC Penny

Black Boots: Cherokee for Target

Besties & Alter Ego's // OOTD

      There are so many quailties a best friend must have in my eyes. I love people who inspire me, make me laugh over the dumbest thing and who know when I need extra hugs . I think all my besties have these, plus a million awesome other qualities. But my fav is when you can strip all your outer layers and be yourself and show eachother your alter egos .

       I find, as a creative person that ALL great ideas start from a persons alter ego , or otherwise known as your inner self. As an artist your alter ego is you but ,like a bad ass, I don't giva a F@$!? what you say ,kind of you! Its so hard to be that most days because life just doesnt want to work that way. Whenever I hang out with my bestest friends I feel completely comfortable and explore myself in such a fun way. 

     As a mother and wife I have an important role I play to my family. I often find myself toning my real personality down a few notches ,at times ,when I need to be serious and it can slowly change you. I didn't notice it for years and then one day I realized I didnt do the things I was once soooo pationate about. I found myself not listening to music for a substantial amount of time. I wasnt really thinking about myself and that really scared me. Music has always been my life, my therapy ,my soul, my one peace to run to when all else failed. I dont think anyone who is not a mother could relate to the moment you realize how little you think about yourself in a day? How something like being able to listen to my music , alone, something I once did without thinking about ,just to have been fogotten all together.

      Today ,my best friend ,Cori and I took the kids to Venice Beach and had a bestie date. She makes me feel sane. She is also a mother of two Jaydin (6) and Lily (3) and is one of the only people who might just understand ALL of me. I feel like she is the one that relates to me, my life ,and my past the most. I think she brings out the best in me and thats why it always feels amazing to be around her. Today we played in front of the camera and had a blast doing so together. Talked about life, fashion , money , kids, and just caught up! Today I showed her my fashionista alter ego and I think she showed me her fashionista side she wants to work more on. We laughed at how motherhood can just dull your style and made plans to go shopping more often and really push our fashion boundaries. These are conversations you can ONLY have with someone you are beyond comfortable with and well thats why I love her!

     On my own quest to push myself out of my safe style bubble I decided to mix a rocker/feminine style together (my fav)! Through Instagram I have met such an inspiring and adorable cute woman , owner of TopKnotGoods, Natalie. She is such a beauty inside and out its ridiculous. She just launched her website and my t-shirt I am wearing is from her very popular T-shirts " No Rest for the Rad". Go check her she has AMAZING things!!!

Website: www.topknotgoods.com

Instagram:  topknotgoods

My Outfit Details:

Sunnies: Exhaliration for Target

Studded Vest- Forever 21

Shirt: "No Rest for the Rad" Top Knot Goods

Polka Dot shorts: Exhaliration for Target

Black tights- Target

Black Studded Boots- Mossimo for Target

Gold watch- Micheal Kors 

A mirror into the past

      Being a mother teaches you a lot. About how to care for others , how to be selfless. How to survive a day of teething and how to change a diaper in the dark so you don't have to wake up the baby. But more importantly it teaches you how to listen with your whole heart and give it all back. Lately, my oldest Justin, has began to teach me  more about myself than ever before. I see so many bits and pieces of myself it scares me.

        I had truly almost forgotten how argumentative I used to be. I mean like reallyyyy argumentative to the point where my mom just HAD to give in. Justin has such a determination of things and he quickly becomes passionate  about them.  I see that fire in his eye. Things go south when his goal becomes to have the newest Xbox after breaking his WII due to his own irresponsibility. Our arguments have become long and ugly debates that go back and forth.

       Its such a surreal feeling to be the authority against yourself from decades ago. That moment that everyone warns you about  when you sound exactly like your mother ,has really given me insights on how I want to parent him.  I have started to force myself to remember how I felt back then and what I wish my mom would of understood but couldn't.

      A mirror of my young self has been placed in front of me. Its my turn to take a long and painfully 

deep look into myself. As much as I feel I have changed and can brush all my old problems away ,I cant. Its my chance to figure out why I acted  and felt the way I did so I can help my little mini me a little more accurately.  It has become a blessing and a curse all at the same time to have him be  as complicated as me. Nobody really warns ya "hey not only are you gonna raise them but they will be your real life therapy". I feel like he is helping me in more ways than I will ever be able to return the thanks you's. I hate when I read those quotes about mothers not reaping the rewards of their hard work till their kids are older. The rewards are everywhere, EVERYDAY they are just so small and hard to see.  

Mommy + Me •>>stepping into Fall

I cannot begin to explain to you guys how many times I have been asked why I stopped Kaylee's Fashion Diary posts on the blog! The most simplest answer would be, because she turned into a gremlin! Gremlin is a term I like to use to refer to crazy toddlers and well lets face it thats what my sweet lil Kaylee Belle has become!!!! Now that the air is getting crisp and days dont't feel like a hot dessert all day over here, I feel like outfits get more intresting and detailed so I will ATTEMPT once more! As you can see by the title of this post they will be Mommy & Me type of fashion posts so I hope you guys dont't mind my big ol behind in her photos!

 I have always been into fashion my entire life it has been a huge part of how i distinguish myself. I was accepted to the Fashion Institute Design and Merchandise here in LA aka FIDM. I never went due to the outrageous loan i was going to get stuck in but ya you get the point. This year was the first year I felt that passion return! Most of you guys who follow me are mothers and you know how sometimes our passions get post-ponned in the midst of raising our children. 

This fall season I am back and ready to play with fashion annnd so you will se lots more of these types of posts and videos from me!

Mommy Outfit Details: 

Sunglasses: Vintage Christian Dior

Black Tank: Mossimo for Target

Necklace: Wet Seal

Bronze Belt: Vintage

Harem Pants: G-Stage

Black Booties: Mossino for Target

Kaylees Outfit Details:

Black bodysuit: Freestyle (dancegear)

Bird Skirt with 3 faux leather bows: custom made by _perfect_duo om Instagram

Black Sandals: Cherokee: Target

Teaching by example

This morning started out like most of our school mornings, hectic! Today I pressed the snooze button way too many times and was in a panic to get Justin ready for school. As I ran around like a maniac serving breakfast , yelling at him to hurry up and finish getting ready I realized his lunch box was no where to be found. Given this is his 2nd lunch box of the school year that has gone missing in less than 3 weeks, I flipped. I gave him a snarky, nagging speech, and went on and on about being responsible for your things the entire time he finished breakfast . I began rushing him even more and was NOT the nicest person about it  . I can still hear myself and when I think about it I sounded just like my mom did 20 years ago.

I grew up with a working mom who sometimes had to have 2 or 3 jobs to give me the life I had. She was often  sleep deprived , stressed, and overwhelmed with responsibilities she couldn't handle at times but managed to get everything done. As the only child I often got the wrath, especially when my father and her separated when I was 12. Mornings were always the worst. I have always been a terrible human being with alarm clocks and love my sleep. She was always yelling and screaming at me to get up and I have to say I wasn't the most obedient child and often lagged it in the mornings. My mom was/still isn't  a morning person and would become this crazy lunatic to get us out the door so she wouldn't be late for work. I would always get to school frazzled and upset and think to myself of all the ways I would do things different as a mother. One that I specifically remember was apologizing when needed. I knew my mother was going above and beyond for me to be in the best school and provide me with the best of everything. She loved me more than herself and having to do this parenting thing all on her own must have been exhausting . I often forgave her myself but the older I got the more it bugged me that even when she exploded ,for no reason other than stress,  she could never apologize to me.

When I went to pick up Justin from school ,after feeling terrible all day , I saw him holding up his lunch box in the air with a big old smile on his face when he saw my car.  My heart broke into a million pieces for even being that upset with him over something so materialistic as a lunch box. I told him we needed to talk and took the kids out for an afterschool doughnut date. I first and foremost told him how terribly sorry I was and asked for his forgiveness. I explained that most of that was due to my stress of him being late because I woke up late. I also explained to him that daddy works very hard for him to have all these things and that he needs to take better care of what we buy him.  He sat and told me it was ok and he understood. I kept thinking how I wish my mother and I had had these conversations at this young of an age. Maybe things could have been different with our relationship back then. My mother is my best friends now as an adult because she and I have learned to communicate and be open with each other.

I hope that my son knows that not only do I love him beyond measure but I respect him and KNOW when I am wrong as the adult. The older my kids get I learn the importance of showing them how to be the best person they can be by example. How can we ask them to do things when we cant show them how . Not everday can you be that perfect person but I hope everyday my children learn how to be a better person from it.

Our San Diego/San Clemente Family Trip 2013

As you all know my husband works in the film and television industry and his schedules SUCK sometimes. There is usually no such thing as weekend off or 9 to 5 hours. Since we have been back from our honeymoon my husband has been making up for lost time and worked non stop, 11 days straight to be exact! So last Tuesday he had off and we randomly packed the kids. And headed down south a few hours to San Diego! Random trips like these are common with my husband and I. We can be compulsive and egg each other on with our spontaneity. We had no idea what we were going to do but we made a quick reservation at the Sheraton by the marina and hit the road! The kids are always so good in the car! As soon as we got there we checked in, dropped our stuff off in our room and went down to the pool to swim and have lunch! We stayed at the pool for a looking time due to the fact that both my monkeys are fish they love the water! We showered and made reservations at an amazing restaurant which I go more into detail in my previous post and then drove the kids to downtown San Diego for a late night ice cream stop!

We had originally planned to stay just one night but we were having so much fun that we wanted to stay another night! Due to Comi Con , only the biggest convention that is hosted in San Diego, our hotel was completely booked so we hit the road. We decided to take the scenic route home along Pacific Coast highway to enjoy the ocean scenery and all the beautiful landscape Southern California has to offer. As we were passing San Clemente my husband decided to pull in and show the family one of his favorite little beach towns ever! We ran into beachcombers a tiny little inn by the beach! There sign outside said NO Vacancy but we were so in love with its view that I begged my husband to just go in and ask. Lucky for us they had one room available and we decided to stay! I don't think I can describe t you it's amazing location (pictures below might help) It was beautiful!!!!

If there is one thing I love about my family is that you can take us anywhere and we find ways to make it fun! I was so proud of the kids for being so well behaved and completely out of there element! I always sit back and think how my life functioned without these two little monkeys and this amazing man by my side! I am grateful I have these memories to share with them when they are older and looking forward to so many more adventures with them in the future!!!

M O M M Y•≫fashion diary

      Earlier this week the family went on a super random family trip (which I will blog about in the next few days and post lots of pictures). Anyways we found the most amazing restaurant right on the marina overlooking the San Diego skyline called Island Prime. I feel like we got there at the most perfect time because when we arrived it was just before the sun was about to set so we saw the skyline in the daytime and as the sunset we saw the lights of the buildings all flicker on and it just gave the kids an amazing view while we ate. My youngest is at a difficult age in restaurants because she's just very high energy and doesn't want to sit in one spot for too long but she did so well here. The food was delicious! Mainly seafood dishes but my favorite part was the presentation it was all so beautiful! The view behind us was the skyline and the view to the left of us was just water. The part of the restaurant we were at, sits on top of the rocks on the shore of the marina so it feels like your floating over the ocean.

     I was very excited to finally get to wear my necklace I had purchased a few weeks ago from  The Oxford Trunk . The best part of this necklace is that it was just as bright and vibrant as in the photo on the website.  I fell in love with this necklace when I was browsing  the company's Instagram, where a model was featured wearing this necklace along with the most gorgeous kimono eveeeer. I love the fact that they have amazing and unique pieces for such an affordable price. You will definitely be seeing tons more of there pieces on my Mommy fashion diaries.

Outfit Details:
Orange Knot Necklace: The Oxford Trunk
Tank Top: Target
Aztec print Harem pants: g-stage
Sandals: Target

Our over due ::h o n e y m o o n::

My husband and I were married on February 13, 2011, almost 2 1/2 years ago. Life was super hectic when we got married. My husband was working on a feature film (x-men) and I had just found out I was pregnant! We decided to take a minimoon (which is what we called it) to San Diego the days following our wedding. We stayed in the nicest suit at the hilton over looking the bay and had a really relaxing stay.

    At our 2 year mark I couldn't get that honeymoon "itch" out of my mind. We plan on having our third baby sooner than later and we figured we should probably take this opportunity to go on our honeymoon now!

     We looked at so many options but finally agreed on Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I think whenever you decide to travel you have certain key elements you are particularly looking for. Location and climate are the obvious first that come to mind. Playa del Carmen is on the eastern side of Mexico giving us the carribean climate we were looking for (well at least I was....being half Cuban and having traveled to Miami and Cuba many times I missed it!). Besides climate we were looking for a nice QUIET location with privacy. Playa del Carmen is south of Cancun (45 mins) so it doesn't have the hustle and bustle of a huge tourist town! And finally what sold us was, my husband is currently working on "The Voice" and could only take a specific number of days off , therefore were thrilled  that we were still close enough to not ruin an entire day on travel. 

    As the days got closer to our trip I seriously started to get emotional about leaving the kids. Justin had been away with grandma on a Florida vacation before for two weeks without me prior but Kaylee's longest was 2 1/2 days away from me. If it weren't for the fact that my mom was taking care of them I don't know how I would ever leave them. My mom is a super hands on loving and VERY affectionate grandma so I always feel assured that they are getting that kind of love when I leave them.

    Our flight left at midnight for LAX. We had a tiny layover in Mexico City and by 3pm we had landed in Cancun! Our driver was waiting for us outside and 45 mins later we had arrived at The Grand Sunset Princess Resort.  As we pulled up we saw these huge white walls and the only color besides white was the blue sky and the bright green palm trees that surrounded the grand opening. Everything was outdoors. The check in lobby was all open there was not one room you entered. Since we were in the platinum suits we had a more private section for check in and was welcomed with cool towels to wipe our hands and face down and 2 glasses of champagne. It was seriously a dream. I have NEVER been to a resort like this in my life.

     As we got to our room we got an unexpected surprise when we opened our door. Our balcony had a beach view, which we hadn't paid for but it looked like we had gotten bumped up from some elsese cancellation. We definitely were not complaining about it, it was beautiful. Our balcony had a hot tub and two lounge chairs and it was just perfect.

   Everyday we were in paradise we basically did the same thing over and over again. Wake up order room service, change into our bathing suits and sit in our private section of the beach with our butler alllllllll day just soaking in the sun. What I love about the Caribbean is the beautiful bright blue water and how warm it its. Everyday the water was no cooler than 80 degrees and the shore goes on for ever you can basically be out 200 yards and still be able to touch the bottom of the ocean. Which in Los Angeles just doesn't happen it seems like it just keeps going and going forever. Then around 6ish we would pack up all our stuff and move our lazy butts to the pool where we would watch the sunset from the swim up bar and a cocktail in hand and discuss what and where we wanted to eat that night. We would then retreat to our room as soon as the sun was completely down , take quick showers get dressed and head on over to the restaurant of choice. After that we would have a few cocktails by the ocean and wait for the club to open and dance the night away.


     This trip was exactly what we needed as two hard working parents living a hectic life. My husband works 7 days a week some weeks and 12 hour days almost everyday. He wakes up so early and works so hard to give our family everything we have. I couldn't imagine anyone else who deserved this trip more than he did. For myself I would say I needed to just get away from my everyday as well. Being a stay at home mother is my favorite job in the world but I needed a breather to just be myself without worrying about two other monkeys. I was so grateful we got to be with each other without interruptions from the kids. Its hard to talk to realllly communicate with each other after the kids are asleep because we are each tired from our lives. This gave us endless time to just talk, about anything while enjoying each other.

    But as always any parent cant be away from there babies that long and I definitely missed them so much. By the end of the trip I couldn't wait to get back home and snuggle with them allllll day.