Call us WILLAGIRLS!

Olivia & I signed up to be WillaGIRLS! 

So, if you know me, you know that I'm not into selling stuff. I just don't feel like I'm good at it, and it doesn't come natural to me. BUT if you know me, you know that I'm passionate about products that can replace what you already use and are gentle on the environment. I feel that as I mature, I care more and more about the part I play in the world and what I can do to make a change for the better. 

When I had Matthew & Olivia I started to care about how I could make this world a better place for my kids. Before my kids I never cared about recycling or anything having to do with conservation. I didn't care about anything or anyone but myself, and if you are a parent, you know that life changes the moment you have a family. All of the sudden I wanted to do better! I wanted to be gentler, I wanted to teach my kids to love the earth, and to do their best in caring for it. It's crazy how having children changes the way you see the world. When Matthew was a toddler, he would always point out balloons out to me,  I remember thinking: "WOW, there are a LOT of balloons in the world!" I have never seen so many balloons in my life! The reality is that there are still MANY balloons in the world, we just don't take the time to see them. Life with a little one changes your perspective. All of the sudden, I cared to recycle, to not overuse things, I cared about the diapers my kids wore and the impact they caused on the environment. I tried to change, and I succeeded in some areas and failed in others. But we all try our best each day, and now, we do it together. 

Matthew during his: "look, balloon!" phase.

Olivia wearing flushable "g" diapers. They were pricey but gentle on the enviroment.

Crazy how pets affect you in a similar manner. Before we adopted Riley our dog, I never cared about animal rights. When we lived in San Antonio we went to Sea World, and enjoyed the water shows with the killer whales. It never occurred to me, that maybe those whales are not thriving in this unnatural environment. I never cared to know if animals at the zoo where being properly taken care of. Of course, we need Sea World and the Zoo for our children to get to see and learn about these magnificent animals that we are blessed to have in the world, but I just didn't care. Ignorance is bliss indeed. After we adopted Riley, we found out about how many dogs, rabbits, monkeys, and other animals are used for testing out cosmetics, medications, etc. I know that we are blessed with modern day medicine and cures to many diseases thanks to the sacrifice of these animals, but when it comes to the use of animals for testing something that is not really that important or necessary, such as make- up, I have a hard time justifying the torture of these innocent creatures. Did you know they blind many animals during tests for cosmetics by measuring how long chemicals burn through a rabbits cornea? Did you also know you don't need to do that, as you can now drop that same chemical into 3D tissues structures produced by human cells? But what can you do? Simple, don't purchase any product that utilizes animal testing. This also goes for household products.  After 3 years with Riley I see how animals have feelings. Feelings like you and me. They care, they hurt, they love. 

As my kids get older and approach the tween years, I now face another stage where facial cleansers and acne prevention are thing I have to start thinking about. I have looked and looked and I couldn't find gentle, natural, ethical products that I was OK with Matthew or Olivia using on their face. There are products out there that state on the label that said product is not tested on animals, BUT that doesn't mean that the company putting them out doesn't have another product line that does test on animals. So, when a friend of mine started to sell Willa products I was intrigued. What caught my eye was they claimed to NEVER test on animals, and to be gentle, using only necessary chemicals in their product to be effective, but nothing else. With more research I have found this company to do as they claim. I went as far as to calling them and asking detailed questions about their process. 

You can read about their ingredients and about the company here.

After a few doubts, and thoughts, I decided to sell the product simply to make it more accessible to others that, like me, care about the environment, want the best for their family, and care about animal rights. Will I make money? Maybe, maybe not. But in all honesty, that's not why I want to do this. I really want to make a product available to a younger generation of girls that care about their appearance far more than our generation did, and instill good values while doing it. That you don't have to sacrifice inner beauty for outer beauty. That the best way to shine, is by doing it in an honest, conscious, and ethical way. In doing this, Olivia is participating in every step. She is using the lip gloss, and trying out the lotions and really learning about the product. And Matthew is already really loving the gentle skin cleanser, because dudes need skin solutions too! 

Want to learn more about these awesome skin products? 

Head over to Olivia & my webpage here:

Willa

They have an awesome, awesome deal this month that we are already using!!!

Buy one of their 3 step kit (valued at $68 & $58 dollars) for $35! 

Choose between their 3 step daily routine or the acne 3 step! 

And guess what? Although the target market for these great products are the tweens & teens, you too can use them! Especially their tinted SPF face sunscreen! I just put that on and the lip gloss and I look put together in seconds. 

Best part?! No added chemicals only the ingredients used to make this product effective and that's it!

 This ^ sits on our entry table, I like having it ready so I can apply and go.

Be sure to check out our page to order!
www.willa.com/wg/jazmin-and-olivia

I hope you stop by our page and learn more!

Jazmin 

Denver Apartment Pics

Denver Digs. 

Here are so pictures of our little apt here. I love it so much mainly because it gets a TON of light! I will do a "tour" once it's all done, I feel like the living room and the kids room is in progress, but for the most part we feel pretty settled. 

We ended up getting a storage unit because we had so much stuff! We went through our storage the other day and took several boxes to Goodwill making me feel a little better. 

Anyway, I have bought a few things here and there, and I wish I could get some rug and other accessories, but then I remember that this is a very temporary situation, so I don't think I'm going to add much more. 

Anyway, here are some pics. 

This is what you see when you first come in^ The apt is super open and airy.

If you turn around you will see our dining room/ "flex space" which has some shelves and I don't know what other things you would use that for. 

The apt has a to of little nooks that are useful, like this desk/entry table. We use it for keys, mail, and to put sunscreen and lip balm on. That's a ritual now, because this sun really dries our skin. 

The kitchen is kick butt! It's pretty big, and has great new appliances and granite countertops, which is really nice. We use this island as a breakfast space for the kids, and the dinner table for dinners or just to work on. 

This half wall is off of the kitchen taking you into our bedroom, but I needed some extra shelves for work stuff, so I found this shelf at Ross and it's working perfect! I didn't even measured but it works and keeps our office stuff in one place.

Our bedroom has awesome floor to ceiling windows! It gets the most light and I really like to spend time there.

This is in the kids room...and I'm still trying to figure out how to arrange it all. It's bigger, but has big windows, and we just got another dresser for Olivia because we didn't have enough storage, so once I get that room organized i'll take pics. 

Anyway, we like it here, and the neighbors are really nice! We already used the s'more pit and invited friends over, and the kids really like the park across the street, which is nice. 

Overall I'm happy we went for this place even though is a bit higher in price that we wanted. The central location makes it so nice for the kids and for Steve's job. Did I mention there is a Target within walking distance? Yeah, Steve should of thought of that detail before moving me here!

Jazmin

Denver Digs & Summertime Sadness

It's been over a week since we arrived to Denver, and already I have been hard at work hanging, unloading, and making sure the apt looks like our home. 

We've had a lot of fun since the moment we got here. We have enjoyed great weather, and today we got to hang out with my sister in law & kiddos as they came from Dallas to play in a soccer tournament here. 

Good times all around. After the tournament, Steve, the kids and I went to see all these model homes in our area! <-----that is literally the most fun for me. I just love to get ideas from model homes, and imagine myself living in them. Also, decorating model homes is the ultimate dream job for me! 

Anyway, all was well and then...I got really down. 

Like, I want to just break down and sob, type of down. WHY?! I couldn't understand! 

And then, it hit me. I want to be settled in a home so bad, and I just have never had that in my life. 

The most settled I have ever been was in our little home in Dallas. I know this all sounds very #firstworldproblems but the reality is, that my childhood was anything but stable, and all I ever dreamed of was having my own room, which happened for a very short period, before my mother and I had to move again. I also wanted a family so bad. My mother & dad had a complicated relationship to say the least, so the happy family home never happened.

Interior Design is absolutely my passion. As soon as Steve is done with fellowship, I will pursue that as my career. I think I have an eye for it, but I realized today, that it's more than just designing and making things  look "pretty". I truly long for a permanent house that I can make a home. A home where I can just settle down, and know that this is where I will be for many years. I want that for the kids too! I want a home where the kids have memories of growing up! We have moved for med school, residency, and now fellowship, and while the kids are seriously loving Denver (so much, that it's impressing me) I just can't help but to feel like I owe them some stability.  Decorating a home is just part of that equation. 

I knew the moment we arrived to this apt, that I was going to break out the boxes and hang stuff. I feel that our summer has been consumed by selling the house, prepping for the move, and finally moving that the kids haven't really been enjoying their time off.  I want to be settled asap, so that they get to enjoy some part of it.

So, I gave myself 2 days to hang pictures, mirrors, and unpack. 

I slaved for 2 nights making sure all was unpacked and hung in the right places. I even convinced Steve to make an Ikea trip with me on the 4th of July, because I had a list of very specific things we needed, and I needed his help to get said stuff in the car.

I knew I wanted lamps, we needed a small tv stand, and rolling carts for my craft stuff. He looked at me like I was on crack, but the apt looks pretty much done. Just have to tweak some stuff.

 I recreated our little gallery wall that I had back at home, here. It reminds me of Dallas. 

Anyway, I think I have to accept the fact that we still have one or two more moves after this fellowship, and I think I will have to settle for decorating other peoples houses instead of mine. Will I ever get my forever home? By the time we can or will, I think the kids will be too old to enjoy it, so no memories there! <---- I realize that there are many people in the world that don't have a roof over their heads, and that this attitude is very childish, but I just can't help but to feel like I have a hole that needs to be filled, and perhaps it never will be filled. Perhaps, I need to get over that dream? Maybe, I should let God re-direct those thoughts to something constructive... Anyway, I guess, I was just feeling so down today, that I just needed to vent. Maybe it has to do with my unstable childhood that I now feel like I have to make up for it?! Ugh! I need a shrink... or a different dream. 

Jazmin

Fotos y Recuerdos {Photos & Memories} Part 2

I have more photos of our little getaway to Corpus Christi this past weekend.

I wanted to post it in two different posts the break up the immense amount of photos.

Yeah, I have gone camera crazy! But I really feel that is super necessary to document the kids! They are growing extremely fast, and I already lost about 4 good years of photos, and I'm not going to do that again!

Here is the rest of our pics:

Olivia is EASY to photograph! She's super sassy, and poses like a pro!

Matthew on the other hand is more reserved. But the camera still loves him!

Another family next to us at the beach had 5 teenagers dig a hole to bury one of them. But they got tired of digging and left it alone. Next thing you know, Olivia was so deep we decided to finish the job! She has always wanted to be buried in the sand, and this was a highlight for her!

Ok, this picture of Steve & Matthew will get its own post! But basically, last time we came to the beach (about 4 years ago) Steve and Matthew took a picture just like this! Steve thought it would be fun to recreate it and the keep to doing it every time we are at the beach , to see the changes over the years. We hope to continue the tradition and keep documenting them as they each grow up. Yes, I want to see Steve old and gray with a big man next to him doing this. :)

Vicky and my mom decided to copy our idea... :)

I apparently love taking pictures of food! And this is making really hungry right now!

Jazmin

Fotos y Recuerdos {Photos & Memories} Part 1

'Tengo una foto de ti,
Que beso cada noche antes de dormir
Ya esta media rota ya se esta borrando
Por tantas lagrimas que estoy derramando

Y es todo lo que me queda de tu amor
Solo fotos y recuerdos

Tengo un recuerdo de ti
Que siempre me hace tan feliz
De aquella fiesta en que te conoci
De ese timido beso que te di

Y es todo lo que me queda de tu amor
Solo fotos y recuerdos'

-Fotos Y Recuerdos

Selena

This past weekend we headed to Corpus Christi for some much needed vacation! This was a last minute plan and we were totally throwing plans together, since Steve had someone cover his night call on Friday, which made him a free from work for 3 whole days!!! THAT IS CRAZY, UNHEARD OF! So, away we went! My mom, sister & step dad went along as well, as they were the ones who thought it was a great idea to do before the kiddos all went back to school next week... something I'm SAD about! :(

Anyway, since the getaway plan was thrown last minute, Steve ended up booking a cheap hotel for the sake of not breaking our bank accounts for a weekend trip. We drove 7 hours to Corpus and I can honestly say, I was excited to do so! When Steve & I lived in San Antonio, we always made it a point to take the kids to the beach, and Mustang Island is a very nice, clean fun beach to go to. We made some great family memories there, and since it was 3 hours away from San Antonio we went there as much as we could. Now, living in Dallas, I only have the Little Elm beach as my source of "beach fun" but its sooo not the same. Still, we figured it was worth the drive, and refreshed the kids of our little family vacations and living in San Antonio. It had been 4 years since we last visited Corpus!!!

Anyway, when we arrived, we realized that the hotel we were staying at was so not like it showed in the pictures... it was soo bad, we wanted a refund! BUT they didn't do refunds!!! we decided to make the most of it, and just chill. While there, we unpacked our stuff and Steve mentioned that the Selena Museum was only two blocks away. I loveeee Selena and we really didn't have time to visit the museum, but we will do so for sure next time. In any event, if you know about Selena, you know about her tragic death. We knew that Selena was shot in a Days Inn motel in Corpus about 18 years ago. We googled, and to our surprise, it was THAT same hotel we were staying in! NOT GOOD. 

Ugh, we joked a little about the ghettoness of the place and we looked for the room Selena was shot in (not to be disrespectful, although it probably sounds like that) we were just curious, and were trying to make the most of the place. Anyway, the trip was fun, but it really got me thinking about the impact Selena made in my life. As a Hispanic immigrant, especially Mexican, when Selena was shot, it was a HUGE shock. Selena was a girl just like me, who made it big. It was as if you knew her, and she was on her way to making it HUGE! My friend and I had a conversation about Jennifer Lopez being J-LO thanks to Selena. Jennifer Lopez would have had some tough competition if Selena were still alive. And pretty much Selena would have been what Jennifer Lopez is now, especially because Selena had a lot of signing talent. In any event, it was a reminder of my roots, of being not only Mexican, but and immigrant and adopting American as my home. I will write more about that later, as I really think it is important to remember your beginning... 

For now, here is some of the pictures we took of the beach!

Steve is joking about how fun it is not to drive.. Until we hit hour 4 and then it was boring...

I was really bored at this point... that's usually when selfies happen.

We are HERE!!!!!!!!! The beach looked heavenly!!!

Steve and the kids got in the water in NO time! So, ready to ride waves!

Vicky was super happy! She sat in the back of my moms van with Matthew & Olivia and mentioned her butt was numb and her ears as well, since she had to hear Olivia and Matthew complain about this and that... She was a trooper! And probably the happiest to be out of the car and into the water!

I wanted to take a million pictures of these two! But decided to cut back in order to enjoy them!!!

Steve looks super cute in this picture, but I look hideous. Still I took one for the team, to show his handsomeness. You are welcome Steve.

Look at these two!!! I look at this picture and my hurt just wants to jump out of my chest! I love them so much! And, doesn't Olivia look like she's 15?! Time is flying!

 We found these little shells with some sort of slug in them, that made little holes in the sand. Olivia is an explorer at heart!

After some fun in the sun, we headed to Snoopys. A sea food restaurant by the Pier. A friend that lives in Corpus recommended the place, and it was so gorgeous to eat outside watching the sunset!

Matthew NEVER smiles! He hates pictures, which really clashes with me, since I'm obsessed with pictures.

Was the food good?... You bet your sweet mermaid fin it was!!!

Olivia ATE everything which never, ever happens!

Here was our view... It was so relaxing!

If you want to go for a quick weekend trip, we suggest going to Mustang Island! Seriously, super clean, fun, and as inexpensive as it gets for a weekend getaway. I took living so close to the beach for granted! And I see it now!

Tasha's Bday!

My friend Tasha turned 29 the other day, and we went out to celebrate at BJ's! It was a much needed girls night/bday and the food was great! 

I also discovered that BJ's has Gluten Free stuff! And like good food, not like ' gluten free salads' Anyway, I sucked at pictures! I should have taken one of her dessert & blowing out her candles, but at least I documented the night!

Here are some pics:

Left to right: Me, Alexis, & Tasha

Left to Right: Nicole Barney, Gretchen, & Yessidey

Yessidey & I decided to do a selfie! 

Happy Birthday Tasha!

I had so much fun! This needs to be a regular thing!

Jazmin 

xoxo

Interskate!

Yesterday, we marked off another summer MUST from our To-Do list! 

Every summer, or school break of any kind, the kids and I head over to skate at Interskate! It is an OLD SCHOOL 80's skating rink in Lewisville, and we love going! Not only is it 'retro' but it's so much fun, and reasonably priced! The other day I was thinking at how lucky we are to live in an area that offers so many fun things to do with kids! We got introduced to this skating rink by a friend who had her little girls party there, and the kids seriously loved it! I love it too, because I love skating! It makes me remember when I was about 6 years old and I was skating with some hand me down Barbie skates that were to tight on me, but I just remember having so much fun skating outside my grandmas patio, that was super smooth! Ah.. memories! :)

Anyway, the first time we went there, it was chaotic! The kids were falling down, bumping into things or people... it was bad! But later we ended up having Matthew's bday there as well, and he had a great time! I also like that they rent out the skating helper things. Those make a huge difference! Anywho, so this summer Olivia kept telling me that before school started we HAD to go skating, and after much procrastination (i don't know why, cause its fun!) We headed there, and had again, a lot of fun! I almost want to rent out the place for my 30th bday! And have like an 80's theme! LOL! Oh, I guess the only bad thing about the place is that it gets a bit hot, it is seriously retro authentic! Even when it comes to the not so good AC.

Here are some pictures of the place:   

Totally retro! DJ booth, Disco balls, and soda fountain! 

Olivia always has a ton of fun! And we found out that on Monday's after 3PM it is virtually empty! So great!

I took this picture of Matthew right after wiping out! he was getting frustrated!

This always happens after us not going for awhile, but for about 15 min the kids hate the place! They fall, and bump onto things, but after the initial shock, they have a ton of fun!

Matthew is standing by the AC vent! The coldest place in the entire skating rink! it felt soooo good after skating an hour!

I always have fun! And I feel like a kid all over again!

Jazmin 

xoxo