Self Confidence Building

If I have learned anything from this first half of January it's a big ol' lesson in confidence. Yes, I am talking about confidently rocking that little roll that sits right on top of my pants but I am also talking about speaking with confidence and having a firm trust in myself.

There is a tone of authority that comes with confidence. It's not an arrogant melody or sense of "I am better than you." It's a firm belief that you know what is best for your child, your family, and more importantly you know what is best for you. Self confidence.

I am in a season of life where my voice of confidence is being turned up. I think we can fear our confidence because we are worried about how something may sound or what someone else may think of our decision. I had someone last week tell me that my son told him he wanted his mom to put shoes on him cause his feet were cold. I quickly said, "my son is fine and his feet are plenty warm." Confidence.

I am so done with my confidence being quickly turned into insecurity because of fear. I want my voice of confidence to make me stronger, make me more decisive (especially when it comes to picking restaurants), allow me to forgive quickly, and walk around with a posture of gratitude.

Every little piece of life that God has entrusted me with is there for a reason. He has confidence in me and that should be all I need. Confidence doesn't come from likes, followers, or even my husband affirming my actions or my little roll above my pants.

My confidence is found within and it's growing on the outside so y'all better watch out!

-Bee

Whitening Sensitive Teeth at Home

*Enter to win a free whitening kit at the end of this post!

From newlywed to preggo to post partum, my smile has undergone a transformation. During my pregnancy I gained a lot of weight in my face and my smile seemed to have gotten lost. Now a little over 3 months post partum I finally feel like I am getting my grin back but I know it could be better.

Of course I am a coffee drinker, like most mamas out there I have coffee stains on my teeth. My stains are something that I thought I needed to live with, they didn't make me feel insecure but I definitely was aware of them. I had tried a couple at home whitening products that gave me no visible results and also made my sensitive teeth hurt so badly I never finished the whitening session.

When Smile Brilliant reached out to me and asked if I wanted to try their product, I began to get excited at the prospect of getting help with my grin. I quickly did my research by browsing through their website and instagram for real life reviews. I would have whitening trays of my teeth made and a dentist grade whitening service without actually visiting the dentist? You can't put a price on convenience and quality, well maybe you can. It's less than $200!

"Let's get this process started!" After I answered a few questions about my dental history I had a Smile Brilliant box delivered to my door two days later. I read through the instructions and started to make my molds, I was anxious to get them back and start the whitening process. Once the molds were solid and dry I sent them back to Smile Brilliant in the provided envelope. I received my custom whitening trays about a week later and started whitening. The entire process was simple, fast and very user-friendly. I read the instructions once and I was good to go!

#WhileIWhiten I have done house work, showered, laid on the couch and played candy crush until my son has woken up from his nap. One evening we went for a walk as a family and halfway through the walk I asked my husband if he could tell I was whitening my teeth and he had no clue! The whitening trays were barely visible and also didn't affect my speech so I was still able to have conversations while I whitened.

I whitened my teeth every night before bed for 21 days and saw my smile becoming whiter with every use. I have sensitive teeth like I mentioned before and that is a concern for me with any whitening products. Smile Brilliant has an awesome desensitizing gel you can use after whitening. I had zero sensitivity what so ever and was so impressed.

This mama's smile is back! I ended up really loving this product and totally recommend it to anyone looking for some serious whitening results without the sensitivity. I've already mentioned it to friends and co workers who have noticed my sparkling grin. Of course these opinions are my own and trust me, I would not recommend something to you if I didn't love it myself. Scroll down a little further to see my before and after!

Here's a good resource to read before thinking about getting your own Smile Brilliant kit, 7 things to know before buying teeth whitening. If reading isn't your thing go ahead and click here to watch their review video.

Okay now... it's your turn to get your smile back!
Do you want to WIN a FREE whitening kit of your own? Enter here to win and if you can't wait, use code lavidavera for $20 off your custom whitening trays.

*The giveaway is open for 1 week! Open to USA, UK, Australia, and Canadian residents. You must enter your email to be entered!

-B

New Season. New Day

I once heard Khloe Kardashian say, "you make a plan and then God laughs at it." Obviously that quote didn't originate with her but there is some truth to that statement. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think God is laughing at us because our plans are horrible. I think God sometimes may chuckle because He knows that His plan is way better than what we think we can do on our own.

With all that being said, my maternity leave has come to an end and God has told me to head back to my job. Let me be the first to tell you that I did not see this curveball coming. This was not the plan. Not my plan at all. This is the part where God is probably laughing because He knows the end goal of His plan. He knows that it's a real stretch of my faith to trust Him because my true desire is to be home raising our little Jax.

When I look back at all the different seasons of my life and all the plans that I thought were perfect, I am realizing that God pretty much took things into His own hands. He reworked what I thought was a flawless plan and rocked my world with something even better.

So on this Monday as I am entering my office again, sipping my coffee from my Mom mug, I am going to remember that I am a Mom who is following God's plan for her family. That this once again, is a new season. I am going to remember that God already knows the reason, the purpose, and the why behind this plan. I am excited for the moment when my family will look back on this season and say, "God knew it all along."

-B

Two Months!

As each month of our son's life passes we learn more and more about him and about each other. Jax is now successfully sleeping 7.5 hours through the night! We have been doing some sleep training with him and it's totally paying off. He wakes up so much happier and also has longer stretches of play between each nap. He is a night owl like his parents and likes to party with us until 11 or so before knocking out for the night.

This month was full of family! Jax was able to party until midnight and celebrate his tía Jenni's quinceanera while meeting members of his extended family that came into town for the party. This boy has no idea how loved he is by all his family members. 

Jax loves to stare at the ceiling fan and chilling on his changing table while dad sings to him in Spanish. Our osito has become more vocal and has a cute little sing song voice. He is smiling more and responding to our voices. He's also figured out that he has hands! It's the cutest thing watching him stare at his hands and try and figure out how his fingers work. He has started grabbing onto some of his toys on his playmat. He's almost fully transitioned into 3-6 mth clothes and will leave some 0-3 mth unworn outfits behind. 

Seeing him grow up right before our very eyes is the best! I think every month we watch him grow we become even stronger as husband and wife. Jax, you are making us the best parents that we can be for you! 

-F & B

5 Mama Life Hacks

Yesterday was one of those Monday's that nothing got done at my home. However, the reason nothing got done at my home was because my husband took the day off and we spent it together as a family. I loved yesterday but the mama in me wanted to get the laundry done, finish my grocery list, and for the love of all things holy...take out the garbage that was stinking up the kitchen.

When Amanda from allthatsdarling tagged me on instagram to share my #mumlifehacks I thought how perfect! I am a new mom (7 weeks and 3 days to be exact) so my mama hacks are still under construction. But, yesterday I was able to put one of them to the test.

1. Family over everything, and that includes the laundry. 
What doesn't get done today will get done tomorrow. We've all left a load of laundry in the washer, dirty dishes in the sink, and gotten McDonalds because we still haven't gotten groceries. It's ok, your family functions better when you're connecting and spending quality time with one another.
2. Say yes to the help.

Whether it's your baby daddy, grandparents, or a grocery store employee. Say yes to the help. I am learning this even with my husband, it's like I want to be this super mom who does it all. Obviously I have a pride issue that is still being worked on. But when he says, "I got it love." I need to let him. When someone offers to load up my groceries, I need to let them.

3. Your life is great but it's not just about you.

Conversations when you have a newborn can be very self centered. I've been consciously reminding myself in conversations to really make the other person the focus. Turn it back on them and remember their life is just as cool (if not more) than mine. I need to ask them about it!

4. Your crockpot is your bestie! 

I've been letting my crockpot cook my dinner one night a week. Not only does it make my husband think I've been slaving away in the kitchen all day because our house smells amazing but it saves me mucho time! 

5. Celebrate your success.

Sometimes as a mama you feel like you're doing nothing right. Take the time to celebrate your success. Whether it's a conversation with your baby daddy talking about how your teamwork was awesome that day or arriving to an event clean and on time. (looking passed the fact that only one hand has nail polish on it because you didn't have time to paint your other nails.) Celebrate the fact that your a mom and you're killing it! 

-B

My Mama Moment

I found myself using the phrase, "I need a mama moment" yesterday as I was talking to my husband on the phone in the Target parking lot while a waterfall of frustrated tears were streaming down my already makeup free face. Despite having a child constantly attached to me I was feeling alone. Here I was, this stay at home mama who was doing everything for her family and her home to function smoothly but I was feeling like I was flying solo. Can you relate?

I needed a couple hours to check myself before I wrecked myself. A couple hours to regroup and stop any selfishness that was trying to creep up and steal my joy. A couple hours to find the root of my emotions. A couple hours to remember that when I feel alone, God is right along side me cheering me on. A couple hours to really step back and look at my life to see how blessed our little family has been. A couple hours to realize that my communication in my marriage needs some work. A couple hours to really appreciate how hard my husband has been working for our family in order for me to be a stay at home mama. A couple hours to smell the popcorn that permeates the Target aisles to snap me back into reality. A reality that is pretty amazing. 

This mama moment for me was significant. I needed it in order to put me back in a truly selfless position. To help organize my emotions in order to allow myself to communicate them successfully to my husband. I am discovering that feeling alone is only a small price to pay for the experience of bringing my son into this world and growing together as a family. Instead of "sucking it up" (my hormonal cry fest Target parking lot solution), I am going to embrace this season. This God given season of Motherhood. A season where in the solitude of my home, while I hear the little toots coming from my son's crib, that I truly feel whole in Him.

-B