Nourish ::Your Soul::

The prompts for this months NaBloPoMo are about nourishing your body... a lot of great posts and great prompts.. and I decided to take it into a different direction because the word has new meaning to me.

When it comes to being Nourished. How do you seek to find a balance? As a Momma my daily feelings are often challenged.  I can be ecstatic and energetic one minute and wore down and drained the next, as a Woman, I struggle some days to keep that balance. Not because I am some of kind crazy ::or maybe:: but because we have so many situations, issues and tantrums coming our way that it tends to happen. 

"You are not alone. You are not crazy." It's what I wish I could hear more often but some days... I just know that most won't understand. I crave 5 minutes alone. In silence. Does it happen? Rarely. And, at times forced. I have to make this time for myself or else my daily feelings explode. On my children, on my Husband and sometimes on my friends or people close to me.

This past weekend I attended an event that has become a tradition with one of my close Yvonne from Running in Faith. Yvonne and I have a history together. A lifetime if you will. We rarely get to see one another even though we live in the same city. Very common, Houston is ginormous! She lives though on the opposite end of Houston. I live in Cypress/Katy and she lives in Pearland. When she invited me 3 years ago to go to the Women's Event at her church I didn't know that we would go every year since. But, we have. It's been great and we have invited friends along the way.

These events have taught me 3 things:

1) I crave being nourished; by the word of God and my faith. No matter what your faith or religion is, believing helps me be renewed and refreshed.

2) I get a BREAK! Attending an all Women's event once a year is GREAT! No children or Husbands; as much as we LOVE and adore and would do anything and everything for our families...a little break is much needed.

3) Seeking a connection. Finally. I am constantly seeking that connection. With the only other human beings that will understand me and have some real and honest advice. Women. It's amazing how great that connection can become.

::Lauren:: {Being a Momma} #mommaseries2014

{Laren} is a new friend that through the awesomeness of social media became an instant connection here in Houston she is going to be a first time Momma and here is her response to our Momma's Day prompt:

Hello! My name is Lauren, my husband and I will have our first child a boy due at the end of August of this year. We will be naming him Jonathan Alexander (daddy's middle name).

What do you feel makes you the mother you are today? 

This past Saturday we felt him move for the first time together, and it's an amazing feeling to know soon we will become parents to our very own child. We suffered a miscarriage three years ago, and didn't know if I was able to have a child and behold we start the new year with this amazing gift after celebrating five years of marriage.

I am beyond happy to become a mother and being taught by my grandma and mom, I'm ready to take this on and of course learn as I go and have our child teach me and my husband!

What were those defining moments that made you realize Motherhood had just gotten REAL!? 

When I first heard his heartbeat didn't really believe after the home test, but once I heard the heartbeat it got real and now really real after I feel his movement in my stomach.

Finally; what is it that you hope/pray/wish that your children will learn from you that will shape their adulthood?

I hope I can be the best mother to our child, and hope that my husband and I can teach him things that has made us stronger and who we are today! We are very proud and can't wait to welcome him into this world in August, and have him teach us and we will teach him!

Thank you,

Lauren

::Melo:: {Being a Momma} #mommaseries2014

{Melo} is a sweet friend that I met as an employee at Workforce Solutions. We have stayed friends and I feel that Motherhood has been one of our biggest connections...as it is with most of my fellow Momma's. 

Here is her funny and ever so sincere response to our prompt:

Greetings Connie!

Thank you so much for asking us, as Mom's to be a part of this special series.  

Being a Mom is something that I have wanted and treasured.  I am a Mother of 3; Zach age 16, Lilly age 7 and Cody age 5. 

When Zach was less than a year old, I went through an awful divorce.  My Husband is such a Blessing and we were thrilled when we found out that we were going to have a baby together.  Unfortunately, something was not right and we suffered a miscarriage.  Thankfully, we did not give up and two beautiful Blessings followed.

Before Lilly & Cody were born, I took Zach to his first Texans Football game, he was around 7 or 8 years old.  We opted to use the family restroom, rather then to be separated.  He went first and washed his hands while I was squatting.  He finished and just opened the door and held it open.  Well, right outside was the main hallway and so many people were walking by and I just wanted to die.  When I screamed his name, it drew so much attention!  We just laughed and laughed, that is something that I will never forget!

Happy Mothers Day 2014!

::Being a Momma:: #mommaofdos

Thank you for joining me on this Momma's Day Series!

I did one a couple of years ago and had not had a chance to do another, so I am really excited to share these Momma's thoughts on Motherhood....

Many of us have children; many women have children daily but what was that one defining moment that you feel made you the Mother/Person you are today?

We are going to kick off the series with yours truly! 

Hello My name is Connie of Momma of Dos! I have DOS  children they are Santiago who is a little man at 4 years old and Camila my rebellious 3 year old Diva! They are my world. 

What do you feel makes you the momma you are today? I believe that my Momma and how she raised me has made me the Momma I am today! She was understanding and open about our relationship. She always gave me great advice and was there for me in so many ways. She was respected and determined to make young respectful and respected ladies out of my sister and myself. 

What were those defining moments that made you realize Momma-hood had just gotten REAL!? From the moment that I brought Santiago home I realized that my selfish ways had come to an end and my life was no longer about me. Now I had this tiny human being depending on me, needing me, and wanting to be with me 24/7. The reality that we were not 2 anymore set in and the mentality of 3 or more began to grow and nurture life! It has been amazing ever since, everyday is a new day, new tantrums, new milestones reached. 

Finally; what is it that you hope/pray/wish that your children will learn from you that will shape their adulthood? 

I would hope that they could learn that nothing in this life will ever be handed to you, that they will have to be committed and work hard to achieve their true dreams. And, I pray that they never,ever give up and always strive for their best to be respectful and true people of integrity. 

::Children's Books:: #RealCincodeMayo Blog Hop Edition

In an effort to constantly educate my children about our culture, where we come from and the history of Texas and yes, Mexico; I wanted to create a short book list that could help my toddlers learn a little more about Cinco de Mayo. 

I am pretty sure I have written about Cinco de Mayo once before, because just like my children I also love learning about Mexico and it's history. I grew up in Texas and spent most of my grade school summer vacations and winter breaks in Mexico; mostly the border town of Reynosa and a few summers in Cuernavaca. I have since vacationed with my Husband to several places in Mexico such as San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato and Michoacan. 

Due to the current problems in Mexico my children have only visited Mexico once {Reynosa} and it was for about 2 days. But, they love books and they love what they already know about Mexico. My son calls it the "republic of Mexica". Slowly but surely they have come to realize that we live in a home with diverse cultures. We embrace our home, the U.S. but we also love to learn about where our parents, Grand-Parents and Great-Grand Parents came from, Mexico.

This list was created with my 3 and 4 year old in mind; there are plenty of other age appropriate books that will assist older children learn more about Cinco de Mayo, why it's celebrated and it's traditions. 

When I am trying to teach my children more about the Mexican culture, I seek books with the following characteristics; 

1.I look for at least one of the authors to be Hispanic to teach my children about Hispanic/Latino authors.

2.I look for colorful pictures because my children are toddlers they love pictures.

3.And, finally I love Bilingual or books written in Spanish because it helps my children learn our second language, Español.  

The following books were my Top 3 online choices to help us learn about Cinco de Mayo in a toddler friendly manner: 

Two of the books are bilingual and they have great illustrations!

{Book Pictures from: AMAZON.COM}

I have teamed up with a great group of Ladies from Texas Latino Bloggers to create this Blog Hop ::PLEASE VISIT THEIR SITES FOR MORE #REALCINCODEMAYO POST::

04/28 Tejana Made

04/29 Que Means What

04/30 Candypolooza

05/01 Mejorando Mi Hogar

05/02 ME

05/03 Family Love In My City

05/05  Your Sassy Self

::MAY:: Nourish

Definition by: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/nourish

nour·ish  (nûr′ĭsh, nŭr′-)

tr.v. nour·ished, nour·ish·ing, nour·ish·es

1. To provide with food or other substances necessary for life and growth; feed.

2. To foster the development of; promote: "Athens was an imperial city, nourished by the tribute of subjects"(V. Gordon Childe).

3. To keep alive; maintain: nourish a hope.

I like marking off calenders and starting a new month, seems like a new beginning. New possibilities and new opportunities. Like a complete life cycle. The old is gone, the new is yet to be written. It's refreshing.

The theme for this months NaBloPoMo is Nourish. What a great word. It means to provide substances necessary for life and growth. To foster or promote development. To keep alive. 

In life we need moments of nourishment that will provide true growth for life. ~Momma of Dos 

As a Momma of Dos toddlers this is so necessary. A refresher. Everyday. Sometimes, twice a day. Just a moment to breath, to remember the why of our life and grow continuously as a Momma, Wife, Employee, Friend, Sister, Daughter,Writer, etc. It is in those moments of silence and peace that we are able to regroup and learn from our life experiences. 

This month I want to nourish my body not just with the most effective exercises and healthiest foods possible but my mind and soul as well with the most positive and change driven words and thoughts. Because, in my mind we must nourish our bodies in better ways as well as strive to nourish our hearts with those words and true substance that will allow us to grow, develop and motivate us to move forward, to seek more and go beyond our biggest dreams. 

No matter how you do this, because we are unique and our minds and bodies respond differently to different ideas and movements, we should do this with our whole hearts and open minds. 

I usually fast in the mornings and then take in small meals during the day, this month I will combine this with taking more breaks at work and seeking words in places like my Bible that will allow me to find new ways to nourish my life for the better. 

What about you? How do you Nourish your body, mind and soul? How will you provide the substance that you need to grow and live a full life?