::Ela Designs:: La Catrina #DiadelosMuertos

::Momma Disclosure:: This is a compensated product review. All statements are my true and honest opinion. 

Ela Designs is a local vendor, I found Ale and her beautiful hair designs on Instagram and instantly fell in love. Once I contacted her about sponsoring a post, she immediately agreed. Then my inspiration for the following shoot came to life. It's no secret that my daughter is my favorite model, but she truly brought these images to life for me and she remained in character throughout. 

La Catrina for el Dia de los Muertos. 

You can read more about how she came to be and the significance here: 

http://culturacolectiva.com/origen-e-historia-de-la-catrina/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Calavera_Catrina

And, it wouldn't be a classic Camila photo-shoot without her silly pose outtakes. She really was in character until I asked her to relax. 

All hair pieces are from Ela Designs you can find Ale on Facebook and Instagram:

https://www.facebook.com/elabyalexsandraurdaneta/?fref=ts

https://instagram.com/eladesigns/

Camila's Dress and accessories came from Cuernavaca, Mexico; my Momma and Aunt have brought her a large collection of traditional dresses and wear. 

Life is about doing what you love and enjoying every moment... 

::Wordless Wednesday:: Kinda Sorta...

This week has already been exhausting. But, these Dos make my days go by real fast.... The weekend can't come fast enough... 

Be You-nique

En serio! BE YOU-NIQUE, y no mires hace atras! 

Once people get to know you, no hay vuelta atras; there is no fake, no lie and no recreating you. Just be you. Simple as that. Will everyone love you? Probably not. Will some people Love you? Claro que si! 

Never give up on who you are, evolve and grow but always be true to who you want to be, what you believe in and where you want to go. 

My children are being taught that life is about being real, being themselves and loving the toasty brown skin we were born with. We know we are Mexican's born in the "states of America" as my Santi would say. 

We never attempt to be anything other than who we are and we embrace life as it comes. 

What about you? Are you embracing who you are and loving the skin you were born with and in? 

::Wordless Wednesday:: #miercolesmudo

When I think about life, inspiration and motivation...I think about them...

These Dos. 

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS {Meca}

{Momma Disclosure: This is not a sponsored or paid post. All thoughts expressed are my own beliefs and honest opinion.} 

Houston is filled with so many vibrant cultures and traditions. I of coarse love the Mexican {Hispanic/Latino} traditions. One that I want my children to learn about is El Dia de Los Muertos. It's not only a great way to learn more about our family history but also appreciate life as a whole. 

El Dia de los Muertos is traditionally celebrated by placing items at the deceased family members grave site or tomb. Not only bringing food offerings that the family member liked but also those things that you believe he or she would enjoy on this day. The altars are created with festive colors, fresh fruits and homemade dishes as well as pictures and personal items that belonged to the deceased; as a way to remember the life that this person lead while they were still among us. The belief is that on November 2nd your loved ones spirit returns to sit and enjoy those items brought to their grave site. 

It's difficult now to show my children this exact replica since most my family is buried in Reynosa, Tamaulipas and Cuernavaca, Morelos. I hope that one day they can accompany me to Mexico where we can fully celebrate life and honor those who have left our lives but still live deep within our hearts. 

On this day I remember not only one but several Woman who have some how impacted my life. From my father's family; my Grandmother Soccorro who passed away a couple of week before my 14th birthday, my Tia Lucy {My Dad's Sister} who passed away when I was a Senior in H.S., and my Tia Angelica {even her name means Angel} who passed away when I was 21. From my Mom's family; my Great Grandmother whom I was ultimately named after Maria del Consuelo and my Tia Nieves both whom passed away long before I was born and my Tia Lola our most recent loss she was a amazing woman of great faith and great impact in her family and community. Along with, my Great Grandfather Titos who passed away at 99 years old and several uncles.

From my Husband's family and someone that my kids will learn a lot about is his Grandfather, Don Victor, who passed away 9 months before we found out we would have our first baby. My Husband was very close to his Grandfather and he is someone who was very important to him. 

Next year I think we will create an altar. My children are more aware of their surroundings these days and the questions flow like clock-work. I know they will learn from the experience and enjoy creating an altar. In the mean time for the second year in a row we visited Meca for their annual Altar Exhibit. The colors, the items brought forth, the history and lost loved ones remembered just fill me with knowledge of how deep and rich our culture is. As well as how fragile and short life can be. 

Meca will also have their Calavera Rendezvous Fundraiser this Friday November 1st from 7 to 11pm and then their Dia de Los Muertos Festival on Saturday November 2nd and Sunday November 3rd this event is free and open to the public! Great way to explore Houston and find out more about El Dia de Los Muertos' history. Please visit their website for more information on all of the upcoming festivities. 

www.Meca-Houston.org

Raising Bi-Cultural Children {Toddlers Mexicanos}

I think that when most people think of Bi-Cultural children you look for them to have parents with two different races or nationalities. It's not the case in our home. Both my Husband and I are born and raised Texans. I was born in Brenham and he was born here in Houston. 

The difference is that both of us have parents that were born in Mexico and came to the U.S. many years ago to work. 

From September 15th thru October 15th Hispanics all over the U.S. celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/ Being of Mexican descendant,  I not only celebrate U.S. holidays but I also celebrate many Mexican holidays. Such as, Mexico's Independence day which is September 16th, not to be confused with 5 de Mayo which is when Mexico won the Battle of Puebla. 

Here in Houston there are several places that you can go to help your children learn more about and celebrate the Hispanic culture. Places like the Houston Library have family friendly events that are free and open to the public, http://www.houstonlibrary.org/hhm-events . And, the Miller Outdoor Theater which has presentations such as Traditional Folkloric dance presentation called Mexicanisimo; http://milleroutdoortheatre.com/events/464/

There are also places that have events year round such as Talento Biligue de Houston http://www.talentobilingue.org/ and MECCA http://meca-houston.org/. Both places on the top of my list to visit in the next few months as the Day of Dead {El Dia de Los Muertos} approaches. 

I believe in embracing my roots and teaching my children to do the same; we celebrate a variety of holidays in our home which will help them learn not only about our America culture but also about our Mexican background.