::Weekend Snapshots:: #HoustonFlood Edition

 {This is a weekly link-up with Jessica and Ariana for their #WeekendSnapshots series.  You can see more here: http://www.reinventingjess.com/ &  http://www.3twentysix.com/}

I think that the first two days of rain in Houston last week, we were all in a bit of shock. While our home thankfully didn't have any water damage others were not so lucky. I am grateful for that because as you will see, the damage and reality of flooding is not pretty. After the first two days of school cancellations and not being able to leave our neighborhood without being stuck in massive traffic and horrible downpours, I realized that I wasn't going anywhere. I think it was Wednesday when I decided to go to work but soon gave up. I decided that we should just make the most of our "flood-cation", one that now I am thankful for. 

The kids and I did a lot of lounging and resting, something we don't get to do often. Then we started getting creative with our activities. I cooked and cleaned all week. We baked cookies and made green cake batter from vanilla funfetti Pillsbury cake mix. The kids decorated cupcakes and we even colored and made puppets. Santiago entertained himself with piles of legos. Which is always fun, for him, because I have to sit and build it all. And, it wasn't until Friday that the skies finally cleared and we were able to leave the house. I found a route to work and felt a little relief to be able to leave my area. 

By Saturday, we had a full day of sun and heat. We went to the kids baseball games and practice. The day was good. Then we drove around a neighborhood about 5-8 minutes from us, on Little York and Addicks Satsuma , where the flooding was evident.  Homes that were basically being gutted to start over. The site was shocking, but for what it was people were out working hard and in good spirits. Not something I think I would recover from easily but I guess when you have no other option, recovery is the only way to move forward. If you are looking to help in the affected area I recommend helping, anywhere you can! I know that people would appreciate the extra hands to haul trash, sweep out mud or pull wet walls out. The true faces of the flood live in neighborhoods like this. This is only a couple of streets but the entire neighborhood was affected. 

::Camila's Outfit of the Day:: Western Wear

::Momma Disclosure:: 

Momma of Dos, has partnered with Tender Nest Portraits as a brand ambassador, this post is a result of that partnership.  All photographs belong to Tender Nest Portraits.  
Also, in collaboration with this post outfit by Rose and Rhodes clothing. 

Houston Rodeo kicks off this week and along with some of the most exciting weeks in Houston, comes some pretty big boots to fill. The entire city lights up with cowboy gleam and makes sure their attire is up to par. No excuse for even the tiniest of cowboys and in our case cowgirls! 

My siblings and I grew up dressing western for this special occasion here in Houston every year. My parents had such pride in us being vaqueras; my Sister even won best dressed in Elementary school. It's one of those deep down local traditions that if  you ain't from Texas, well you better get here soon, cause you wouldn't understand. But, we can teach you the basics. 

Today we are showing off Camila's cowgirl look with this colorful, jean and flower print dress from Rose and Rhodes Clothing, Momma of Dos, has a special $5 off coupon {USE CODE: MD5} for you to use towards your next purchase! Thanks to the amazing photography skills of Annelle of Tender Nest Portraits here in Houston, we can showcase Cami's western outfit like never before. 

:: More about Tender Nest Portraits::

Annelle is a local photographer who owns and runs Tender Nest Portraits. 

She owns a studio and does natural light photography 

in Houston, Katy and the Sugarland area.  

Her work can be seen on her social media sites and website below. 

Website: http://www.tendernestportraits.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tendernestportraits/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tendernestportraits/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TenderNest

Photo Credit: All photos taken by Tender Nest Portraits. 

Some quick Cowgirl attire facts {taken from Google/Wikipedia}:

• Most cowboy attire, sometimes termed Western wear, grew out of practical need and the environment in which the cowboy worked. 
• Most items were adapted from the Mexican vaqueros, though sources from other cultures, including Native Americans and Mountain Men contributed.
• Many of these items show marked regional variations. Parameters such as hat brim width, or chap length and material were adjusted to accommodate the various environmental conditions encountered by working cowboys.
•  In the modern world, remnants of two major and distinct cowboy traditions remain, known today as the "Texas" tradition and the "Spanish", "Vaquero", or "California" tradition. 
• Rodeo competition for women changed in the 1920s due to several factors. Also, the public had difficulties with seeing women seriously injured or killed, and in particular, the death of Bonnie McCarroll at the 1929Pendleton Round-Up led to the elimination of women's bronc riding from rodeo competition.
• The history of women in the west, and women who worked on cattle ranches in particular, is not as well documented as that of men. 
• It wasn't until the advent of Wild West Shows that "cowgirls" came into their own. These adult women were skilled performers, demonstrating riding, expert marksmanship, and trick roping that entertained audiences around the world.

And, usually, the attire is simple: a bandana, cowboy boots, cowboy hat, chaps, gloves and jeans. 

Obtain the outfit above with purse at Rose and Rhodes Clothing, don't forget to use your $5 discount code {MD5} today!!! 

Are you ready for the rodeo??

::Weekend Snapshots:: Link Up with 3TwentySix

I love the link-up over at 3TwentySix, Ari is one of my favorite series creators and I love following her posts. This weekend I decided that I would join her on Monday for the Weekend Snapshot series. 

Here we go. 

Friday. 

Last week, I had a very long week. Deadlines at work and tons to do made me eh, the whole week. When Friday came I was ready for some me-time. I did something I seldom do. I headed to the mall right after work. Glad, I did. I found some great deals and something to wear for an event on Saturday. 

My finds came from; 

Teavana, I had been wanting to visit this store but had not been able to in the past. I didn't realize they actually make you fresh tea there. I was looking for a loose tea strainer since mine broke. I love tea and drink it almost daily. This store was heaven. Glad I finally visited and found the cutest strainer. 

Francesca's where my Sister-in-Law had given me a Christmas gift card and I was ready to use it. It's a great store, but not quite my style. I feel I am at times, not as "whimsical" as I like to be, this store has great clothing just not quite what I wear. But, I did find some great t-shirts. I also love all of their accessories. 

Icing they have some great accessories and word graphic art. I found a great quote which I love, She believed she could so she did. Obviously, I had to buy it, I don't know yet if I will take it to work or keep it at home. It's a great reminder that no matter what if we believe in ourselves, we can do anything. 

Finally, I was looking for something to wear for Saturday, since I would be moderating and speaking on a panel for Career Day with the Houston Hispanic Forum. Since, I didn't really find anything that suit me at Francesca's I headed over to my favorite store, New York and Company. I buy all my work clothes there and of course most of my casual clothes too. I can never go wrong. I ended up with a great blouse and 2 pair of soft sole flats. Which I love and also found 2 black dress pants, all for $88.00, yes, winning for sure! Everything was on sale. Loved it. 

In all my trip to the mall was very good, I got a lot of things I needed and wanted. 

Saturday. 

Saturday turned out to be a great experience. A while back my good friend Sybil invited myself and our HLB co-founder Jihane, to speak on the Print and Digital Media panels for Career Day which is hosted by the Houston Hispanic Forum. This past week before the event, she also asked us to moderate the panels we were on. This was a first for me. I honestly like it more than just speaking. It was a very fun experience. I loved seeing all the young kids there who are considering different career paths and obtaining the information they need to succeed. I met a lot of local writers, news anchors and radio personalities whom I follow online and had not had a chance to meet in person.  

Something that I love and thought about was that, as Speakers, we were all volunteers to the event, there are certain connections and knowledge that you just can't pay for or be paid to obtain. Everyone was very nice and informative, so willing to give out their best career advice. And, reminded everyone that sometimes it's not a straight shot into a set career, the journey can be long. Don't focus on how you will get there, simply work hard and do what you love. I will be writing more about some of the panelist and what I learned later this week. 

Sunday. 

Sunday was Valentine's Day, the Hubby and I don't do big gifts or fancy dinners, for years we have decided that it's just a day. But, with the kids now, we always try to do something special. Last year we started a double date lunch, we took them out to a "fancy" lunch. This year, I went and bought them kolaches and donuts for breakfast and we decided to try a late lunch, early dinner. After all the whining and complaining,  and prying my couch potato, home-bodies away from the house, we finally made it through a good meal and even got some good pictures of the two best dates ever. 

The rest of my day consisted of napping, laundry and cleaning two very messy kid rooms. But, it was a super productive weekend. So, I have no complaints! 

Now off to my Monday!! Have a great week everyone. 

::Weekend Snapshots:: Link-up with 3TwentySix

This weekend is now a blur.

I had a long 8-hour training today, that cancelled out my weekend high and placed my brain into a permanent state of FUEGO. Has that ever happened to you? A busy start to your week after a busy weekend? Happens to me often and some times things that I thought I would do, have to be scratched from the list. More on that later. 

Between my nephews 6th birthday, his photoshoot, and a one-year-old photo shoot, I lost my sense of time. I have also been sick, but for some reason, I can't rest and have been extra busy. Life. I guess.  I am sure one day soon, I will need to stop. For now, a Momma in motion remains in motion. It's my motto. Now on to my weekend snapshots. I am linking up with our Houston Latina Bloggers Social Media director Ari of 3TwentySix. Her weekend snapshot are always so great, she along with our with HLB co-founder Jihane, attended some great events this weekend.  

Let me start my snapshots with a little sneak peek of my weekend photo shoots- 

And, after all the great weather and fun pictures we went on to celebrate this little man. He is only 3 1/2 months younger than my Santi, they could be cousin twins. Kinda. Ha.

We had a lot of fun this weekend we celebrated with family and enjoyed the lovely outdoors as you can tell by the pictures above. But, first our weekends usually start with toys arranged in a manner that only Santiago can explain. By the way, that's a back massager not a toy at the end of the line there.

Our Saturdays also always start with morning hugs and snuggles with a little bit of eye boogers mixed in. Just to add to the fun.

Then I went off for my afternoon adventure... 

Finally, we celebrated my nephews 6th birthday with family and you know...the cool kids! My good friend of Entrepernuer and Blogger of Madre T Creations made us an amazing cake. The kids had fun and are always so happy to just see one another. 

My Momma actually got a semi-decent picture of my Dad and brothers. And, all was well in the universe for a couple of days... now on to the finish off my Monday with some sleep. Maybe. 

::FLASH:: Friday #canon

I started practicing my photography skills. Mostly because I am obsessed with pretty pictures. I love seeing photographers' work and often wonder, could I ever have that kind of unique vision? 

So, I started seeking it. 

Usually when I set my mind on something, I get it done. There is not much that can stop me from an end product that I love and want to share. I try really hard. I might not be the best but I do love everything I do. 

Here is what I have come up with. 

::March Momma of Dos Photography::

{PLEASE NOTE ALL PHOTOGRAPHY IS PROPERTY OF MOMMA OF DOS, PLEASE DO NOT USE OR REPLICATE UNLESS YOU HAVE ASKED FOR PERMISSION. 

THANK YOU.}