inspiration

Hump day Quote x Photo

all life is an experiment. the more experiments you make the better.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

In this photo, I took the mta train to the last stop.

Luckily, I didn’t fall asleep along the way

My paranoia kicked in and I kept thinking about COVID

And the theme song for JAWS…

As I walked out,

I observed essential workers getting inside.

Full body yellow plastic suits on

Masks on

Hoods on

Gloves on

Spray bottle on one hand

Paper on the other hand

I kept thinking,

“wow,

the mta has never been as clean as it has been for most of 2020

since its inception…”

Now, this is a real experiment…

Lavender Floral Linen Maxi Dress #OOTD Inspo x Kodak Moments at the Park

Honestly, I wasn’t going to share these pictures because I’m very hesitate to put my daughter out on the internet… I get a little scared, for creeps or something or another. She’s the biggest, toughest and most influential person in my life currently, so why would I not show off what I love the most and spend most of my time around? so I just told myself “why the heck not post it!” especially since Mothers Day is right around the corner so this post fits right in with the timing lol (plus, I took all the pictures myself which took a lot of work to manage all the different hats to get the best kodak, candid shots I can manage while multitasking)

I fall in love if the item inspires me or takes me by surprise with en eye catching print or fabrication. I’ll take it home even if it fits a little weird on my body shape. I felt really lucky to find this beautiful maxi linen lavender floral dress at a thrift shop. I’ve been thrifting a lot more then usual and I really love it because it sparks my imagination with all the different variety of choices and affordable price tags! I like to take my time and evaluate everything just because it is second hand after all and some items need to be investigated before a final choice is made.

I enjoy how fitted this dress is but I’m not a fan of how maxi it is (although I did at first). The buttons are starting to give me a problem by popping off every time I squat, which is super annoying! I might trim it to make it into a cute mid thigh length dress for the summer because it just feels like too much dress for such a small petite frame like mines.

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Honestamente, no iba a compartir estas imágenes porque tengo muchas dudas de poner a mi hija en Internet … Me da un poco de miedo, por horripilantes o algo así. Actualmente es la persona más grande, más dura e influyente de mi vida, ¿por qué no mostrar lo que más amo y pasar la mayor parte del tiempo? así que me dije “¿por qué diablos no lo publicaste?” especialmente porque el Día de la Madre está a la vuelta de la esquina, así que este artículo encaja perfectamente con el tiempo (más, tomé todas las fotos yo mismo, lo que requirió mucho trabajo para manejar todos los sombreros y obtener el mejor kodak, tomas francas administrar mientras se realiza una multitarea)

Me enamoro si el elemento me inspira o me toma por sorpresa con una impresión o fabricación llamativa. Me lo llevaré a casa, incluso si se ajusta un poco a la forma de mi cuerpo. Me sentí muy afortunado de encontrar este hermoso vestido de flores maxi lino lavanda en una tienda de segunda mano. He estado trabajando mucho más de lo habitual y realmente me encanta porque despierta mi imaginación con todas las diferentes variedades de opciones y precios asequibles. Me gusta tomarme mi tiempo y evaluar todo solo porque es de segunda mano y es necesario investigar algunos elementos antes de tomar una decisión final.

Me gusta lo ajustado que es este vestido, pero no soy fanático de lo maxi que es (aunque lo hice al principio). Los botones están comenzando a darme un problema al estallar cada vez que me pongo en cuclillas, ¡lo cual es súper molesto! Podría recortarlo para convertirlo en un lindo vestido a la mitad del muslo para el verano, ya que se siente como demasiado vestido para un marco pequeño y pequeño como las minas.

a flower crown for baby girl

ugh, she’s learning how to walk

a loose button for ventilation lol

Book of The Month x L’art de la Simplicite by Dominique Loreau x Lifestyle Changes

For this month I’m picking something that’ll teach me about a new lifestyle attitude. This new lifestyle change is guided by L’Art De La Simplicite: How to Live More with Less by Dominique Loreau.

I found this book while searching the aisles of the public library and once I noticed the title, I wanted to take it home right away. I didn’t believe books about minimalist living were even written so I got really excited once I saw the book. Lately, I’ve been in the mood to change my beliefs and attitudes about my current lifestyle. I understand that its not going to happen overnight but I just want to know more about what it would feel like to become a person who desires less compared to excess. Plus, I loved the cover and how cute yet simple the font and overall look was.

From reading this book, I want to learn how to stop wanting more things that aren’t going to make a huge impact in my future and embrace living with less. Its hard to manage not wanting to have the most latest thing or having something for a sake of convenience simply because you can afford it. Since becoming a mom, I’ve had to let go of my full time job and find something part time which drastically cut what I was used to spending. Now that I have to adjust for bill payments, eating healthy, saving and the needs of a growing baby takes a toll financially. I know that this time and these moments will pass and eventually my small family will be in a different position in the future because we have a lot of faith in the actions were taking now, but I’ve got to stay in check, daily, so all the bills are paid for on time. So I want to understand the tricks or attitudes that would place one to desire less and place that energy towards things will matter in the long run! Do you know what I mean?

Essie ‘Wild Nude’ x Nail Update

I mean, can we talk about this color?

its pretty but is it brown or like a medium tone grey?

I purchased this nail polish a few days before my wedding because of how sophisticated the hue looked. I wanted to make sure my nails looked polished as we exchanged our vows and slide the marriage bands onto our fingers.

I hope you enjoy the little nail polish inspiration for the day!

At-Home-Workout Products x New Year New Me LOL

So…now thats its the second week of February, have you kept up with your 2018 fitness goals?

Me?… my overall body weight is finally lingering at around my pre-pregnancy weight and I couldn’t even express to you how nervous yet excited I am for it!

Nervous because once I notice that I’m following through with my fitness goals by losing a lost pound or so, simply knowing that there is some progress, that’s when my mind will automatically start to activate my reward senses or triggers or what ever they’re commonly referred to. My mind is like “ok, lets starting indulging on donuts, lets make a cake to eat every morning to compliment the bitterness of my morning coffee, lets have more fast food” its like a mental fight! Its terrifying because once I start to indulge in these “rewards” thats when the pounds start to add up fast. Then it becomes this self defeating and hurtful monster cycle that feels never ending and my self esteem takes the hit again and again. The nail in the coffin is when I’m checking myself out with a cute new outfit and it doesn’t look good because of my weird post baby belly situation going on and popping out like I’m 4 months pregnant.

I’ve been aiming to go to the gym consistently or at least the total number of times equal to the amount I pay for my month membership (so it’ll make that fee completely worth it and not a waste of money). But another habit I’m aiming to turn into a daily routine, is to do a daily workout, even if its a short one, in my living room. Its not that I don’t have the time or space to do some moves to tighten up my overall physique, but I just don’t get motivated and I simply don’t associate my apartment with heavy duty training sessions and I justify that thought by having a gym membership.

Sooo, to get excited about training at home, here are a few items that’ll make it more enjoyable on a daily basis:

Booty Bands: from the countless of fitness enthusiast instagram pages I’ve checked out, at one point or another they’ve used a band to help grow thy booties. So when I saw this one in target, I was like I too shall grow thy booty

Scunci Everyday & Active Hair Elastics: what sold me was the “Best Hair Elastic Fitness Beauty Award Winner” slapped right on the center of the packaging. I’m a sucker for hair bands! Plus, I’ve been in desperate need of a new pack since I had already lost all them. Let me know in the comments below if this happens to you also lol

Waist Trainer: this one I purchases isn’t really a waist trainer for fitness, but more of a corset. I’m planning to use this during my cardio sessions to help sweat out fat. This item is so controversial because some swear by it yet doctors claim it does nothing to contribute to any core strength. I’m willing to give it a try, but not at a hefty price tag. This one I got from eBay for no more then twenty bucks!

Leggings: One is from Old Navy, Victoria Secret Pink, and two from Forever 21. They’re all in small because their super stretchy.

The only items that I haven’t purchased yet are a couple of cute new sneakers. I’ve beat up the current few that I have so I’m dying to get a couple of cute new ones to compliment my new set of goals lol

Anyways, thanks for reading along and let me know what you think of these items or if I should add some additional items to my current fitness products. I already have a few mats in different colors and some light weight dumbbells, but who knows, I just hope I stay committed to actually use everything!

First Week of 2018 Thoughts & Resolutions

New Year’s Eve was small, cute and cheery. Our family stayed home since New York city has been experiencing some of the coldest temperatures in the city’s history and it didn’t help that we all had a bit of the whooping cough. So we stayed up until the ball dropped and even woke up our babygirl so she can feel the excitement of the new year since it is officially her first one.

For most of the New Year’s Eve day, I spend it planning, planning and more planning. I feel so much more confident overall and secure knowing that I’m not wasting my time because I have a better sense of what to anticipate next. I’ve grown to dislike spending time just pondering on what needs to be done next or wondering if I’m missing something. It such a annoying mental road block when your just sitting there confused about what to do with yourself or, on the other hand, when you have too many plans that it feels overwhelming. Unlike 2017, I’m planning on taking more control in all areas of my life throughout 2018. Here are some of my personal resolutions for 2018:

Don’t overwhelm yourself. To much too fast, halts creativity & that’s no bueno if your trying to create content.
Stop over eating! Portion control will be a waist saver or waist killer.
Go to the gym more! Cause you know your booty is not going to build itself and like Elle Woods said, “endorphins make you happy” lol
Patience will be your greatest gift to yourself and others. Embrace that shit! Lol
Learn to simplify things. Not everything needs more than a day to complete.
Grow a YouTube channel & learn what it means to add value to others.

I purposefully left my list short because each one can be broken down into smaller and more manageable tasks. I believe that resolutions should be goals that turn into habits. A skillful habit that will help guide you into your greater self.

I hope this post sparked some idea or thought that you’d like to further explore. Thanks for reading along and I hope you enjoy the pictures.

You can catch up with me on instagram And twitter

2018 New Year Fresh Start & 3 New Year Tips! January Thoughts

Welcome 2018!

Twenty seventeen could not have ended soon enough! For the most part, it is been one crazy, crappy, crummy year for the nation with many feeling the angst. If 2017 were a person, this would be a good representation of it:

It never seizes to amaze me of how fast this year went by. Granted, major changes began at the start of 2017 that brought about new challenges that I never would have foreseen experiencing in my early 20’s. This blog post isn’t to rant about my challenges but rather give it credit for being the most important pivotal point in my personal history, motherhood. Now that the new year is right around the corner, 2018, I’m more than excited to see what kind of opportunities come up or where I can possibly create opportunities. I am hungry to find ways to create passive income because I want to be a able to take care of my daughter and future children while being able to provide more for myself. Luckily, I have a small team (aka our small immediate family) that I trust immensely that do help us. Personally, I am incredibly grateful that this year I got time to pull back from work and school and reflect a lot! I’ve taken this time to explore different interests and really question what I’m passionate about. If someone were to ask me what changed the most about me throughout 2017, I’d gladly respond by saying that I got to learn about myself a lot more.

1. Explore your interest to discover your passions

But a key aspect of self discovery is being patient. Being patient to complete every task or mundane activity to help get that much closer to fulfillment. One major observation I’ve personally made was that I tend to not finish what I’ve started or fully complete it to the best of my abilities. I can come up with a million and one ideas and in my mind work out all the details of what I’ll need to do to finish it but in the end I often don’t see it through to the finish line. Sucks to admit that I’m going into the new year with 2016 baggage, so much for a true fresh start! (Perhaps in my next blog post, I’ll get into more detail about my side projects, let me know in the comments below) So my long term goal throughout the year is to completely finish whatever new projects I begin and to complete it with the best of my abilities, not just half-assly, know what i mean? lol

2. Finish what you started and give a fuck if its the best that you can possibly do!

Throughout the year, I become better at being accountable (maybe not accountable enough to post more often but that’s going to change) and staying focused on the task, meaning if it needed to be done, it gets done even if I don’t get any sleep. Its hard to stay personally motivated to do the mundane tasks but its even harder to motivate someone else who doesn’t care enough to get inspired to take action. As a new mom, willpower became my backbone because there have been so many instances where I’ve had so much resistance about changing a diaper or to go to sleep or even to stay in one room, the list can go on and on and the crazy part is that its only the beginning. My fiance was an only child growing up and has never been around babies so being an attentive dad is something his learning on the job. So going into 2018, don’t just take care of your appearances or money but take care of yourself by being conscious about your choices and time because there is always an opportunity cost to the actions we take up.

3. Become more accountable with your time, not just money.

Handle your next moves purposefully cause its hard to stay focused now in days where there is so much distraction seemingly everywhere. I’m not just referring to dating, partying or playing a game. The media is vying for your attention, advertisements are placed everywhere, then a job requires one to focus on their tasks for 8 hours. The things that matter the most to you are only given a limited amount of time and then the day comes to a close with another 8 hours of your last 24 hours sleeping. This is why I believe if one can stick and master a short list of actions, then who’s stopping you from conquering more? If you can master a short list of skills or habits then more power to you! Focus on three main goals, make it a personal mantra and keep them short so you can maximize whatever you’re already working on. Good luck & Happy New Year 2018!

Classic White Linen Button Down x #ootd

I like linen, especially during the summer but not all linen looks cute and its hard to find classic versatile stable pieces. I got super lucky in one of my thrift store adventure hunts by finding this amazingly over sized linen button down blouse. I’ve never been one to wear many things over sized but being that I’ve been struggling to lose the extra pregnancy weight, over sized tops really help me feel confident yet comfortable. It gets me sad, but I know I’m making strides and taking action on a daily bases to lose the weight that I have! I know that by this time next year, I won’t be in the same place in my weight lose journey and that gets me excited to stay motivated!

Here’s a very casual outfit of the day featuring my recent thrift store treasure.

Details about the outfit below.

linen shirt; henna G, leggings; zara, sneakers; forever 21, sunglasses; ray ban

Wet N Wild PhotoFocus x First Impressions Review

Here was the agenda for the day…

Go to Manhattan to get drug tested for a new job
Go Northwest of Midtown for the DMV office
Go Southwest to visit campus to complete registration for this Fall
&& then to go back into Brooklyn to my parents house, to pick up my youngest autistic brother from the school bus…

ooh, my day wasn’t over just yet cause I needed to, then, go across town. To get back to my apartment and finally EAT!

Then once I got home, immediately start breastfeeding my babygirl cause engorgement is a mother f******.

All this had to be done in 80 degree weather, so I decided to wear some lightweight coverage because I wasn’t about to look like I just rolled out of bed…

My day was full of errands and just as I finished up the last touches of my coverage, I ended my routine with the Wet N Wild PhotoFocus Vaporisateur Setting Spray. I didn’t notice much of a scent, which is great because I hate having strong perfumes or smells around me (unless I actually put on perfume). The nozzle is not hard to push down and it doesn’t get stuck on itself as your fingers are pushing it down. From the many makeup Youtube videos I’ve seen, setting spray is key and should be one of the last steps to helping maintain all that effort you put to applying the makeup in the first place. This is a classic drugstore find and for the price point, you’ll likely find me hoarding this cause I’m a huge fan.

Throughout my agenda, I paid special attention to the overall appearance of my face which is more on the oily side and these are the things I noticed on my skin;

-my nose was not so oily even after power walking to catch the train with some of my nose contour still in place! I was really surprised by this little victory because my nose is usually the first thing that gets super oily.

-at noon, the temperature was at its highest and I started to get some sweat beads around my hairline but my eyebrows stayed the same as when I first left my house (hurray!) and

-by the time I got to my parents house, I felt super hot and humid. When I looked in the mirror, I was surprised to see that my skin still looked a bit airbrushed, except for my nose. The bit of oil on my skin looked a bit glowy also (as if I’d applied some highlighter) which was a very nice effect!

For the first time trying it out, I was really impressed by how long my coverage stayed on especially on such a challenging hot New York City day. To back up my experience and see how others felt once they put this to the test, I looked up a few Youtube videos to just see what others had experienced. Nathalie Marie Kay, a beauty Youtuber Creator, did an awesome comprehensive review of multiple drugstore and high end brand setting sprays. She felt that the Wet N Wild PhotoFocus was one of her top three choices (link of the video down below because its awesome) and she even compared it to the Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray.

Her review made me feel even more excited about this purchase because it was money well spend. Nothing gets me more disappointed then when something is overpriced and your not getting the quality that you expect for it. Especially to someone like me, who’s learning the effects of different products on my skin after pregnancy since my hormones have changed the texture of my skin.

Thank you so much for checking out this review, I’ll try to post on a more consistent basis, but I get lazy and, honestly, sometimes uninspired. Thank you again and have a blessed day!

Link of Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJa9uWdMaNI&t=1004s

Off-The-Shoulder Floral Romper x OOTD

This was a super casual floral romper for a casual stroll around the park in this crazy humid New York City heat. The romper has a trendy off-the-shoulder look with super cute floral motifs of red, pink, blue flowers and leaves that almost look drawn on. It was really comfortable and cute. I’ve been feeling a little anxious lately, mostly because I’ve been researching the classes I’ll need to take to go back to school for a bachelors degree. I’m really excited about the major I’m planning to go into but its going to be really tough for me because its mostly in math. I’ve spend so much time researching what would be the best and most flexible degree for me and my little family for a while now. It was really challenging because there were so many questions that I had about demand, pay scale, etc and nothing that could be answered by simply googling it.

Personally, I wish public high schools would incorporate and encourage other topics, something that’s more relevant long term, to build interest within the kids which would grow into a life skill. Instead of spending so much time on memorizing (what feels like now) useless facts or rules. I completely understand that education is important, but understanding whats valuable and what isn’t is just as important. Its just unfortunate that kids don’t get that time to really explore and question the things around them because of all the time spend on schoolwork or craming for tests… Anyways, I’m just ranting on my own personal experiences.

Perhaps you’ve had a different experience or have a different opinion about the education system, if so lets chat in the comments below! Also, what do you think about this outfit?

Thanks for checking out my blog and this post!

sunglasses; Ray Bans | romer; Rainbow | sneakers; Forever 21 | bag; Boohoo | baby; MINE 😅