how to nail your family pictures

I'm backkk, maybe. Probably not, but I wanted to share my latest Houston Moms Blog post with you all. Check it out here, How to Nail Your Family Pictures Every Time and share your favorite tips and tricks with me in the comments below!

©Lacy Dagerath

Emotions of a Second Pregnancy

Eeeeek! My first post for Houston Moms Blog is live this morning and I'm just so excited. I'm talking about all of the new and different emotions I've been experiencing during my second pregnancy. Head on over here --> Emotions of a Second Pregnancy and read all about it!

xoxo, 

Mandy

Photo Credit: Mommas Gonna Snap Photography

So, you're going to be a big sister

In case you haven't heard the good news...Travis and I are happy to announce that we are increasing the population of our little suburb by one! He or she is expected to arrive in September, we couldn't be more excited/nervous/happy/scared and all the other crazy emotions that come with bringing a child into the world. Hah!

Lessons from my First Blog Conference

I attended my first blogging conference this past weekend and I just can't wait to share what I learned with you. If you're a blogger, I highly suggest checking out a conference in your area and if you're in the Houston area and didn't attend the Thrive Blog Conference you HAVE got to come next year! 

{Photos by Meg Cady at Everyday Meg she was all over the conference getting some great shots}

Easter Basket Cupcakes

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays after Christmas of course. My parents and grandparents always made it so special with a new Easter dress for church, Easter baskets, a delicious feast and of course a huge Easter egg hunt for all of the kiddos. 

My mom is a talented baker, {I get it from my mama} growing up she made each holiday fun for us way before Pinterest creativity was the norm. For Easter we made Easter basket cupcakes and I've kept up this fun tradition in my household as well. They are always a huge hit with kids and adults because they are just so fun and delicious. If you haven't tried making these yet, pin this post and make it a tradition with your family this year. 

Here's what you'll need...so simple!

Fri-YAY!

I am so excited for this weekend! As I said in my last post this is one of my favorite times of the year. The HLSR BBQ cook-off is this weekend and rodeo kicks off next week. Although we won't be going to cook-off this year I'm excited to see all the pictures on my newsfeed and will be counting down the days until it's my time to rodeo. So let's get this party started. 

1. Go Texan Day -Today is Go Texan Day in Houston and that equals super cute kiddos heading to school in their cowboy/cowgirl best and their parents showing it off on social media all day. It's almost as fun as the first day of school but even better because they're celebrating being Texans! I just love it. Here is my buttercup being her typical toddler self and not letting me get a good picture to save my life. Still cute though!

2. Thrive Blog Conference I am super excited to be attending my first blogging conference and can't wait to learn a whole lot and meet some other great bloggers. I'm also looking forward to getting to know some of my blogging buddies a little better since it's not often that we actually get to see each other in real life. My friend's Chelsea, Amy and Michelle are all heading to the conference and we can hardly wait!

Date night at the Houston Rodeo

The spring time is a beautiful time of the year in Houston and when my friend Susannah at Simple Moments Stick asked me to share a spring date idea for her new series I knew immediately that I would have a lot to choose from. 

Houston and the surrounding areas have so much to offer to couples looking for some adventure but the weather isn't always on our side. Luckily, for a few short weeks we are blessed with just enough sunshine to make you want to stay outside all day and soak it all in. This time of the year brings, crawfish boils, wine festivals, bluebonnets and best of all the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. 

10 Things I would tell my pre-kid self

There are probably closer to like 100 things I would tell myself before having children but that would be a pretty long and boring list so I'm going with 10. Sound good? I thought so, here we go!

1. You know nothing about parenting. You think you do but you just don't, period. Your friends with children may let you share your thoughts and opinions on parenting with them but as much as they love you they are rolling their eyes on the inside and thinking, "You'll see." And they're right; parenting just is one of those things that you can't understand until you're in it. 

2. You're not busy. Scratch that, you may be busy but life after kids is a whole new level of busy. Enjoy the moments to yourself because they will be harder to come by after the kiddos start poppin' out. For the most part you won't mind how busy you are and you'll even enjoy most of it but there will be days where you just want 5 minutes to yourself and to actually finish something as stupid as reading your Facebook feed. It's selfish and silly but the 5 minutes of breathing room will make a huge difference and will re-charge for the next hour of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, crying for no reason and doing the same puzzle 50 times in a row. 

3.Travel. I've never had a desire to do a lot of traveling because I tend to be a homebody but even I wish we had done it more before Amelia. I'm so thankful for our trip to Mexico that we went on before we started trying to get pregnant but still wish we had done a few more trips like that. You can definitely still travel after babies but things are just different. Either your leaving your little tiny one at home which is like the MOST nerve racking and anxiety ridden thing you'll ever do or you'll bring them with you and let's be honest a vacation with kids is not really a vacation. {If you don't already know this, kids are a lot of work, like a lot.} Oh and some more free advice...if the resort you're at has a professional photographer, sign up for a session. I love good ole selfies but I'm so glad we have these beautiful pictures to help us remember our trip. Shout out to Excellence Playa Mujeres which I recommend over and over again to anyone who will listen to me.  

NO...the new four letter word

No...is it just a word that corrects behavior or does it go deeper than that? If I was asking my friend, Kathleen, she would say it goes much deeper and in fact it is a word that should be avoided in parenting when at all possible. I trust her opinion for sure because she studied early childhood as an undergrad and graduate student so she definitely knows a thing or two. That being said, we say no in our house. It's not the only term we use when correcting behavior or asking our daughter to stop doing something but I would say that it is the go to, especially when she's sticking her finger in a socket or attempting to ride her toddler four wheeler while standing up and time is of the essence. {Side note, she seriously may be related to Evil Knievel because she's always trying to do stunts while riding her little four wheeler! Crazy kid!}

I understand the psychology behind avoiding the word no but I'm not sure I see the benefit of it. The Millennials are probably the first product of the, don't say no parenting technique, and I'm almost positive we can all admit that this generation could have handled being told no a time or two while growing up. Heck, I'm part of that group and I can admit some weakness in this area as well. While I have been disappointed with most of the bratty behavior of my generation I also have a lot of pride for the ones who have made positive changes because they didn't take no for an answer. {As usual I see the good and bad} 

Friday Faves

On Friday's...I blog. Haha, really though. I have some great posts in the works but I just haven't had the time to wrap them up so this will be all you get this week. ;) I'm sure you're really disappointed...(insert sarcasm here) I don't know if I have many favorites this week and I may need to change the title of this series to something like..."Friday Highs and Lows," I'm not sure but I'm thinking "Friday Faves" just doesn't quite work. Anyway, let's get started. 

1. Vicks Filter-Free Cool Mist Humidifier- We rounded out the week with a trip to the Pediatrician's office. Pretty much my least favorite place ever. A recent post from Coffee + Crumbs describes the miserableness that is the pediatrician's office perfectly. The diagnosis was, "just a cold," and we were sent home to inevitably watch Amelia get more sick over this beautiful weekend but WHATEVER! A friend of mine, Amy Stewart over at New Mom Problems is trying out this humidifier with her precious little one so I decided to order it and try it out as well. Here's hoping it really is just a cold and we can actually get out of the house this weekend to enjoy what is forecasted to be a beautiful couple of days. 

Friday Faves

Hooray for Friday! I've got a jam packed weekend ahead of my and I'm prepared and excited for all of the fun. I have to include prepared because that definitely isn't always the case for me. Here are some of my faves from this week in no particular order for no particular reason. Happy Friday!

1. Ruffled Sweeteheart Swimsuit - I've had a few dreams about Mexico this week which may be because I'm impatiently planning our trip for 2016. (HAH...long way away, I know!) I'm loving this swimsuit but wishing I could find it in black. I'm not working with much up top so I love the ruffles in that area. I'm thinking if I can find a more neutral color this is the suit I'll be rocking this summer and I can't wait.   
2. Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos - A sweet friend shared this recipe with me recently. We tried it last night and it was DE-licious! 
   
3. Amelia had a great week! She is repeating everything these days and reminding me why I need to watch my mouth more than ever before. I love Jesus but I can't lie I have a terrible habit of using some four letter words. Currently practicing biting my tongue. She's also on the move like every second of the day so good pictures are pretty much impossible but here she is riding her pony before school the other day and being adorable, of course! Her headband is from Willow Crowns I even got a matching one to go with it. #sorrynotsorry
   
4. SUPER BOWL- said in my best announcer voice...but really though, haha. We used to go to watch parties every year but our weekly schedule is so ridiculous that it's just not possible. Amelia is in bed by 7pm and up at 5:30am and we are in bed by 9pm and up by 4am so needless to say we don't do much on Sunday nights these days. We will however watch from home and my goal is to make it through half time. I'm a big Katy Perry fan (her music not really anything else in life that she supports or does) and I know it's going to be a good show! My bestie, Katie, and I have seen her live twice and she is a great performer and live singer.  
   

   

                                                             
5. Baby Shower Time-We are showering my sweet friend, Jessica, tomorrow. She is having her third little boy and I just can't wait to celebrate with her. She has two year old twin boys, Hayden and Connor, and they are just the cutest things ever and have already spoken for Amelia when they all get a little older. They are going to be the best big brothers and none of us can wait to meet the newest Baby Lewis! P.S. they haven't decided on a name so if you have a great boy name for this sweet family post in the comments below!! 
   

   

What are your plans this weekend? What will you make for your super bowl party?? Don't leave me hanging and share your best recipes below!

Linking up:

 

Dear teenager that thinks my toddler is SO CUTE...

First of all, she is really cute, like the kind of cute that my 64gb phone can't hold anymore pictures or videos kind of cute...but I'm also annoyingly biased because she is my sweet baby girl. 

{Image by the talented Lacy Dagerath}

BUT...she's not always cute. Yes, when we saw you in the doctor's office on Friday she was well behaved and saying hello to everyone and waving bye to the fish and speaking all kinds of gibberish that made everyone smile and laugh. 

Friday Faves

Cheers to the weekend! It's been a long week for me and I'm so ready to get the weekend started. I'll be working a half day today and then taking Amelia in for her 18 month check up. It will be nice to go in for a check up instead of a sick visit for once. 

So, Friday Faves, several of my fellow blogger friends have similar Friday posts and so I decided to join in on the fun. I'll be sharing some of my favorite things as well as Amelia's on Fridays when I get the chance. Some of my favorite things may be products they may also just be things to do or milestones Amelia is reaching. The fun thing about this little corner of the internet is that I get to decide. {Sidenote, some products may contain affiliate links where the company will give me a tiny percentage of any shopping you do through that link, thank you in advance for your support and contribution toward the maintenance of my little piece of the internet} So here we go...

1. White Converse-They have been all over hollywood lately and are becoming the go to for my weekend wardrobe. Converse Chuck Taylor 
   
   
2. Amelia's speech has BLOWN up over the past couple of months and this week she said, "I want milk." I mean! Sentences, really?!? A few weeks ago it was, "I see dada," along with, "I see ball." I don't know what it is about these sentences but they've definitely made me see how quickly she's growing up and I'm loving it and hating it all at the same time. 
   

Why Losing Weight Isn't One of My New Year's Resolutions

New year, new you! For me it was more like new year, new flu. Hah! I've been wanting to post my thoughts on new year's resolutions and more specifically on why losing weight isn't on my list this year but I started off the year with the flu instead. {womp womp}

Thankfully, I'm feeling much better now and am ready to talk resolutions. For years and years losing weight has ALWAYS been not only a new year's resolution but a life struggle. I've been on the curvier side my whole life and my whole life I've felt less than perfect because of it.  

A few years ago I stopped all of that nonsense. I stopped agonizing over every pound and dress size. I stopped letting the scale dictate how the rest of my day went. I stopped silently torturing myself with self hatred. I STARTED LOVING MYSELF. I started trying to make good choices and forgiving myself when I didn't. I started exercising because I enjoy exercising not because if I didn't I wouldn't be able to fit into a smaller pair of jeans. Don't get me wrong, that evil hater inside of me still rears her ugly head every now and then but I shut her up as quickly as I can and go on living my life. 

I'm not a Proverbs 31 woman and that's okay

Whoa! It feels good just writing that. I've been feeling pretty inadequate lately and today just pushed me over the hypothetical ledge.

This month has felt never ending and way too busy. Mostly because I overcommitted and made things priorities that should have just been options. Like most of us, I wanted Christmas to be perfect this year and for the most part it was but I'm not sure it was worth the added stress for me or my family. In fact, I know it wasn't.

This is so hard for me to admit. I am a typical Type A personality and not someone who enjoys making mistakes. {not that anyone really does but you know what I mean}

Replaying today's events brought me back to leaning on Jesus, the only one that can truly bring my spirit rest. It also leaves me kicking myself for not turning to Him sooner which starts a vicious cycle of self deprecation.

Christmas Jammies

We've made it to the week of Christmas and I am so excited. I can't wait to take some time off with my sweet little family. I've been meaning to share some of the beautiful images my friend Lacy took for our Christmas cards this year but just hadn't gotten around to it. Luckily, I came across The Fancy Ashley's Holly Jolly PJ Party and decided to link up. 

I had grand plans of tutus and fringe booties for this year's Christmas card which I talked about here. The more I thought about the more I changed my mind...typical for me. I finally decided to go with matching Christmas Jammies and I LOVE the way everything turned out.  

My fabulous friend Daphne and I teamed up and put this set up together and we shot out at our local Christmas tree farm, Holiday Acres. Winter has been nonexistent in Houston this year but of course on the day we took pictures the high was in the 40's. I know, I know, not terribly cold compared to other parts of the world and country but we live in South Texas and 'round here that's downright frigid.  Needless to say, the shoot was a little challenging for our toddlers but we got through it and Lacy's work turned out amazing! Thank you again sweet friend!

Amelia's adorable headband is from Willow Crowns ,her jammies are from Carter's and ours are from Hannah Anderson.

 Amelia was pretty much over it at this point. I brought along along everything I could think of to keep her happy during the shoot but as you can see I wasn't very successful. 

       

 We kept trying to keep her warm and our photographer was oh so patient with us.

Everyone asked me how in the world I got my husband to wear long johns for our pictures. The simple truth is that he's a great sport and I don't think there is much he wouldn't do for Amelia and I. 

 Here is our Christmas card, I just love the way it turned out. Merry Christmas, everyone!

And just for fun here are some pictures I snapped this morning before sending my sweet girl to school for the last day before Christmas break. 

Holiday Baking: The Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls

I love to bake but I find every excuse not to throughout the year. No time, watching what I eat, no one will eat it, are just a few of my excuses. Sound familiar? When the holidays come around I throw all of that out the window and start finding excuses to bake. 

I've had my eye on The Pioneer Woman's cinnamon roll recipe for a few years and decided it would make the perfect small gift for close friends and Amelia's teachers at school. Who doesn't love cinnamon rolls, right? 

I picked up the supplies for two batches on Saturday night. {believe or not I still had to send my husband to the store the next morning for more butter and powdered sugar} 

I made the dough that night and left it covered in the fridge to roll and bake first thing in the morning. 

This part is pretty simple but time consuming because between each of the 3 steps you have to let it sit for about an hour. Sunday morning I started at 5am with Christmas lights and music to set the mood. 

First, I preheated the oven and left some butter on the stove to start the melting process and then I started rolling out the dough. 

Yum! Notice all that butter on the stove! Next, roll that dough, cut it and place in your butter lined pans. {I know you wouldn't expect any less butter from The Pioneer Woman}

You may have a little cinnamon/sugar/butter ooze but it's okay, embrace it ;)

I threw these bad boys in the oven and got started on the icing. Her recipe for maple icing calls for a 1/4 cup brewed coffee. It's kind of different but I went with it because, I mean, she clearly knows what she's doing. 

Next time I would make sure I had some lighter coffee to use instead of the dark roast that I had on hand or I might just use an 1/8 of cup of a dark roast. I liked the flavor though and couldn't really taste the coffee. 

Amelia was up at this point and jumped in to help mommy roll out the rest of the dough. 

I really dress up while baking as you can see. 

Here is one of the finished products. I was able to make 19 pans from the two batches and believe it or not I may have to do another batch because I still didn't make enough for everyone on my list! 

I'm actually looking forward to it though because it was such an easy recipe and I definitely want to make some for my parents when they come in town next week. 

For some legit instructions head on over here and let the pro show you how it's really done. What do you bake for your family and friends during the holidays? I'm adding this one as a Christmas tradition for our family.