::Blogalicious:: Conference Recap

{::Momma Disclosure:: This is not a compensated post. I was invited to Blogalicious by Texas Latino Bloggers. All opinions expressed are my own personal opinions.}

Friday morning, I boarded the Mega-Bus in Katy, Texas near Houston and headed out to San Antonio! My second trip by myself , since my children were born and maybe since I have been married. It's always exciting at first and soon after I start to miss the chaos I leave behind. I was so excited about the Mega-bus that I never took a picture. It was a good experience, I booked my trip for $15.00. The bus was clean and comfy, the trip took about 2 1/2 hours. {For more pictures find me on Instagram @mommaofdos !}

I arrived in San Antonio and was greeted by my friends Alba & Michelle at the bus stop. We walked a couple of blocks to the Westin on the Riverwalk where I hit the ground running! I started with lunch and went on to attend afternoon sessions and to meet all of the amazing sponsors.

Later that night I had the opportunity to attend a dinner sponsored by Tylenol and their #smilingitforward #ad campaign, please visit their website for details. The campaign will donate $1.00 for every smiling photo of our children that we upload on their site. The funds are donated to the Children's Health Fund. During the dinner we discussed our own concerns or questions about our families and children's health. It was so informative and a great way to learn more about what other Momma's think about different health issues in the Latino community. This was also a wonderful opportunity to meet and chat will all of the Latina bloggers at the event. We then broke away into a smaller group and set out on a mini-girls night out! It didn't last long we were exhausted but it was so much fun!

Saturday morning; I took the challenge of waking up early {at 6:30 a.m.} and joined some of the other amazing bloggers  from Blogalicious for a Photo-walk on the Riverwalk! It was very informative our Photography guru was Candace her pictures and perspective are very unique. She gave some great tips which allowed us to capture our early morning site-seeing. If you want to see some of the images captured follow us on Instagram {@mommaofdos} under the hashtag #begreatb6pics.

That afternoon I was able to attend sessions given by some of my personal favorites including a very inspirational lunch about embracing your failures and learning from them given by Kathy Cano-Murillo of Crafty Chica. {I wish I had a glitter font, she deserves to have a sparkly name!} She spoke about eliminating self-doubt and "throwing away the inner sergeant whistle". When I attend this kind of session I feel re-energized, inspired and motivated. It's a wonderful feel-good session filled with so many emotions. Kathy never disappoints, when she speaks she is sure to motivate you to do more! Who can say no to her positive energy and always smiling face!  

I also attended Pintrest/Facebook Engagement sessions both equally important for gaining traffic to my little ol'blog. In all, the sessions were great and I walked away rich in information.    

Personally I have learned something new at every conference that I attend and they have all helped build my blog in positive new ways!

What I gain at each conference:

::Connections:: Real life and in-person. It's just so different once you meet all of the amazing writers, photographers and inspiration speakers in person and can actually talk to them! 

::Perspective:: I usually come away with a new perspective in so many different areas of life and blogging. Everything just seems to shift into a positive and hopeful direction. 

::New Tips Acquired:: I am not a newbie blogger but I learn something new everyday! 

::A Mini-Girls Getaway:: The past few conference have just felt like fun little girlfriend getaways and it's so relaxing and a great way to relieve some daily stress for this Momma of Dos. 

::Inspiration/Motivation:: Every writer and person at the conference adds a little to my spirit and motivation. I am always so inspired when I listen to other's story, their struggles and how they have overcome all obstacles to be where they are. 

{TOMORROW :: HUGE PICTURE POST!}

Traveling with Toddlers #sanantonio #begreatb6

I don’t know about you but traveling with toddlers is a pain in my rear. 

Come on, being real here. 

It’s not my favorite thing to do but it’s also not something that can be avoided forever. Eventually you will want to take a vacation with your lovely little family. Up until about a year ago, I dreaded traveling with two kids, who are only 18 months apart. It was my worst nightmare. But, one day we did it. We traveled a 3 hour trip to visit my Dad in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  

And, guess what? 

We survived.  ::kinda::

We did everything possible to travel when it was most convenient for us, during a time when the kids would maybe fall asleep and cause minimal havoc on our trip. I made sure to pack plenty of snacks, coloring books, toys, and we took as many stops as needed. The kids are now a little older and traveling late at night is not always the best so now we dare to travel at any time of the day and have pretty much mastered that part. {totally different post coming up this week; our top 10 travel musts for busy toddlers.}

We always figure that the travel portion is half the battle, but no. Not with my kids, there is no half battle! They have a full on all the time battle. This past weekend we visited San Antonio. Don't get me wrong my kids are good kids, they love to explore and once we get going it's not too bad. We do have our moments. The tantrums are real, the stress builds and this Momma usually needs a Margarita..or dos. 

How do we manage? 

Today, I will share my top 3 ways to deal with fussy toddlers so that we can enjoy our travels and make the most out of every situation.

1) We select kid friendly activities as well as kid friendly places & restaurants to visit. While in San Antonio we walked the River Walk of course and my son took it upon himself to create a moment of "trail exploring". We handed him and Camila a map and they led the way until Santiago thought we should cross the River at a spot where there was no bridge or boat! We didn't have swim gear so yeah, not gonna happen.  It was pretty hilarious though.  We also opted for eating at Fuddruckers and Poblanos at the San Fernando Cathedral.  Both were the best kid/family friendly, inexpensive choices with open fun surroundings. 

2) We ignore then address tantrum related situations. At times the best thing to do is just ignore the situation and it will diffuse itself, this method only works if we then follow it up with a reassurance that we care about what is really wrong with them. We know our kids really well; sometimes they have just had enough and are ready to eat, change activities or have some down time. As parents we get carried away and want our kids to experience everything... not always possible for a tired and irritable 3 1/2 or 5 year old. Of course sometimes your kids are just being spoiled and want to rant and cry in which case I usually panic. Haha. No but really. In these cases my Husband then becomes the Ying to my Yang and helps me diffuse the situation. #teamgomez 

3) We relax, enjoy and take a lot of fun pictures. It's the best way to divert any bad situation, sometimes we just need to relax and not be so worried about those around us. I used to become overly paranoid about what everyone else would think about my kids running about freely and exploring in public. These days, not so much. I have learned to relax and simply enjoy our site-seeing or trips, it creates some pretty amazing memories. I am also all about taking a ton of pictures to help us have great visuals of where we have been. 

What are some of your tips for traveling with toddlers?

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Pre-Conference Jitters #beblogalicious #begreatb6

                                                     http://beblogalicious.com/conference/

I know. I am not a newbie. But, this is really the first year that I get invited to "so many" different conferences and that I am able to attend. Therefore, most the conferences I attend are new to me. Even Blog Elevated which I attended last year, but this year the venue was new, there were so many new people and opportunities! 

When I first got invited to Blogalicious, I thought, "Oh sure, no biggie. Just another conference." But then, I registered and was added into the Facebook group. And, OH.MY.WOW. Within a day I realized how huge this will be and how awesome it is that I am ending this year's conference run with Blogalicious! I can just feel that it will be another amazing experience to share and learn from. 

After I had my major "O.M.W!" moment my next thought was; what am I going to wear?!?! Haha. Such a girl.  Here are a few looks and outfits from the conferences I have attended so far this year...

Also, it's midnight on Thursday and I am not yet finished packing! I leave tomorrow morning...if you want to follow my little adventure and conference wardrobe follow me on:

::Facebook:: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Momma-of-Dos/167499493284586

::Pintrest:: http://pinterest.com/mommaofdos/

::Twitter:: https://twitter.com/MommaofDosTX

::Instagram:: http://instagram.com/mommaofdos

       

::Time Change~Seasons:: #motivationalmonday

http://conference.beblogalicious.com

Our lives have many seasons of change, growth and just everyday life filled experiences.

This year I am definitely thankful to have not only a full-time job but also that my blog has been filled with work and opportunity. It’s been one of the biggest seasons for me and this little here journey of sharing and pouring my heart out. 

After almost 7 years of working, writing, and attempting to take my blog to the next level, it’s happened.

But, funny thing is, now that I am living this season. I want something different. Something more “personally” fulfilling. Just can’t quite put my keyboard on what it is yet… and I know, people would probably think; what else do you want? But, trust me, I know there is more out there, I just have to keep working towards the goal of turning my passion into something that everyone can see and will want to be a part of!

I have figured out that too much hustle and bustle is not the perfect fit for my family. Yet, I keep doing it anyway. I told myself in June that the Ford conference was the last conference I would attend in 2014. But, here I am in October and getting ready to go to my second conference since June.  

I told myself I would take a break from October to November for about a month, but guess what? October is gone and I worked more than I did in September. Now November is here and all I can think is, why would I take a break now?

While I know that extensive traveling is not exactly what I want for myself and my family life, I do love it. I love the adventure of it all and this month my little family will join me in the travel to one of my conferences. That’s a blessing for sure.

I have in recent years lacked in my planning, so these days we tend to do a lot of “spur of the moment” type things. I think Blogging can be a combination of both being prepared and then just taking it one day at a time. Which is why I feel it has worked me and I have been able to get through this season and prepare for what is to come... 

And, as this season comes to an end and I feel a new one coming in… while the fears and doubt fill my mind and clutter my heart. I am ready. I want this place to be filled with so much more and I am want to make it all happen.

Are you going through a new season right now? How will you handle it?