momspirational mondays: Jessica Cortez

Without further ado our first "momspirational monday" post comes from a good friend of mine that I met while going to school in Lubbock.  If you know me, you know I love all things girly and that I don't accept anything but the best when it comes to my hair.  I was lucky enough to get referred to the uber talented Jessica and we instantly connected.  I asked her to post first because she literally was the first mom I got to watch up close and in action and I've admired her mommy skills (among her many other skills) ever since! Here is a picture of her beautiful family and then her authentic and inspiring post starts below. Enjoy and tell her about it in the comments section below! 

Hello beautiful mommas :) my name is Jessica. First things first...... I love my lord and savior. I struggle with keeping him first in my life. But it is my goal to get to know him better and uncover his plans for my life. I know his love for me is greater than I can ever imagine. I try to keep my life in this order God, husband, family and my career. When I don't keep this order....... things get out of "ORDER" but the good news is tomorrow is a new day!

I am not perfect and I make mistakes daily. But you have to be able to laugh at yourself. It's not always easy. Honesty is my best and worst quality. I don't do fake. Don't have time for it. I am confident, I am creative. I am a good friend. I am passionate and caring. I'm a fighter. I'm selective, I don't need a ton of friends. I'll never settle, I am genuine. I rarely think before I speak. Its good stuff! I'm a listener, I'm witty, I'm a caregiver. I have a big heart for the elderly. An adult daycare full of little grannies sounds like a dream to me! I'm a whole lot of random. But I'm ME!

Now let's get to my family. I have been married to my best friend for 8 years this December. Angel is my best friend, he gets to see ALL sides of me. The not so fun crazy wife/momma side. If you would have told me that the silly boy in 7th grade with ugly hair would be my husband one day I would have laughed. My love for him continues to grow into something much more than I could have ever imagined. Angel is my leader. (I'm not always ok with that and I don't know when I will learn that it's the best thing for me but a little tiff is always fun right) We are silly, we laugh a lot, we are obnoxious, we are ridiculous, we love big, we over communicate. We rarely disagree. Angel is patent, quiet, soft, and he is a perfectionist. He thinks before he reacts. (Unlike me) He gives me lots of grace. He makes me better :)  I have to say watching Angel lead our girls spiritually has to be one of the sweetest things I have ever witnessed. He is the best daddy. Watching Angel be a father to our girls has made me fall in love with him in a whole new way all over again. I love this picture because it captures each of our personalities perfectly.  With that being said let me get to my two best friends. 

Chloie is my 7 year old beauty with amazing hair! She is the child you pray for and hope you get. AND WE DID! Chloie is patient. She is kind, she is thoughtful, she is caring, she has a big heart, she is obedient, she is sensitive. Chloie is a perfectionist, she is quite, she is genuine. Chloie has big emotions. But she doesn't show them to everyone. Chloie loves Jesus, she has accepted him into her heart. Chloie has a lot of her daddy's qualities. One thing Chloie gets from me is her wittiness. It's very subtle but it's the best! I love her to pieces. She will try anything once and never complain about it. Chloie is positive and always sees the best side of every situation. She teaches me so much. Chloie a lot like her daddy keeps me whole. Chloie was an only child for several years. When we told her she would be a big sister one day soon her first response was " I want a baby sister named Pumpkin" her wish came true she had a baby sister. Chloie is the best big sister! Her baby sister requires lots of grace. Chloie's best qualities come into play when it comes to being a big sister.

Now let's get to the pistol of the family. Her name is Kapri and she is NOT your average 2 year old. Kapri, a lot like her name is very unique. Kapri is strong, she is silly, she has the best SMILE. She loves big, she plays hard, she is loud. For being only 2 years old she has a powerful voice. Kapri is determined, she is a helper, she is sweet, she is rough, she is honest. (Even when she knows honesty will not work on her favor) She is a thinker, she is brave, she is confident, she is FEIRCE. Kapri is such a blast! As soon as her little feet hit the floor she owns her day. It's the most exciting thing to witness. She goes through her day without a "can't" in mind. Kapri will do big things. (As long as I make her think it's her idea) Kapri loves her big sister so much. They are the sweetest friends most days. Kapri wants to be big like sissy!

Hair is my passion. I love making people feel beautiful! I started my career as a hairstylist when I was just 18 years old. Nine years and lots of hard work later I own a hair salon with my best friend. How blessed am I! I am absolutely in love with what I do. I consider all of my clients friends and many of them are. I hope :) I get to make women feel MORE beautiful, confident and teach them how to recreate my work at home. If you have the right tools and knowledge you can recreate any hairstyle. Good hair no scratch that great hair makes my day 1000% better!  I'm good at what I do and I compete with who I was yesterday to be better at what I do tomorrow. We all have room to grow :)

I am a full time working wife and mom. I could never stay at home full time or part time. I am a better mommy when I have time away. I love my babies but I would be a terrible stay at home mom. (I would need a lot of wine for that) I am not patient. My husband on the other hand would rock at being a stay at home dad.   Our parenting techniques are very basic if you ask me. 

Chloie is easy to parent. Kapri  on the other hand will give you a run for your money. We parent them differently. We do not have one style straight across the board. We as parents believe that our children need different needs met in order to grow individually. Angel and I are always on the same page when it comes to disciplining our girls. We stand firm fair  consistent and together :)  One of the biggest things we try to teach our girls is to "capitalize on the positive" we teach them this through our actions. We try to always focus in on the positive in a negative situation. It does wonders! We all need a little boost and some days a BIG boost is necessary. Focusing on the positive really keeps me from over reacting and centering in on the negative (which does nothing good but fuel my fire) 

I don't want my girls to feel like they can't ever do anything good enough. Ever. The world is full of people who will tear us down. I want them to be bold, confident and own who they are. I try hard not to change them but to help them see the better choice. In hopes that one day when I'm not there they make the better choice. This positive reinforcement method doesn't always work but we always try to start there. Our girls are two totally different little people and we try to parent them according to their individual needs. It's hard and we don't always succeed. Like our children we have good and bad days and that's okay!

"Don’t fail to discipline your children. The rod of punishment won’t kill them." Proverbs 23:13

Have a fabulous Monday mommas :)

Jessica Cortez

*** If you're looking for a new stylist in the Lubbock area find Jessica and her great team at Kadiza Hair Studio.   Kadiza Hair Studio Facebook ***