lionsorchid

[lionsorchid]

My kind of a night in, pampering myself to start the weekend on a relaxing note thanks to @influenster for sending me these free things to try.. what about you what do you like to do to unwind after a busy week?! #livecleancoco #yestotomatoes #skinnypop #daisyvoxbox #free #movienight #popcorn #facemask . . . . . . . #babygirl #girlmom #igdaily #momsofig #cutebaby #momlife #vscomom #liveauthentic #postthepeople #motherhoodrising #mama #thatsdarling #mommyhood #ohheymama #letthembelittle #instagood #joyfulmamas #seekthesimplicity #babiesofig #mommylife #babylife #mamarazzi #motherhoodsimplified #thehappynow #instamom #ig_motherhood

[lionsorchid]

Lucky enough to be one of the few selected to try out a box full of samples, I'll be reviewing and providing my own opinions throughout the month keep an eye out to see what's in this wonderful box of surprises @influenster #daisyvoxbox . . . . . . . . . . . #daisy #skinnypop #yestomasktime #yesto #dowhatfitsyou #betteroffhealthy #livecleancoco #alwaysattarget #igmotherhood #mommyblog #momlife #motherhood #communityovercompetition #supportpoc #orlandocreative

[lionsorchid]

The morning of our wedding day was totally relaxed, my secret was I used a @lush bath bomb the night before and had a hydrating skin mask with my gorgeous bridesmaids, always take the time to pamper yourself. A fancy robe helps too 😉 . . . . . . #weddingplanning #bridalinspo #bridalstyle #bridetobe #bridalhair #wedding #weddingplanning #weddingplanner #blogher #weddingblog #brides #bridalstory #makeup #hair #bloggerstyle

[lionsorchid]

The first dance, how stressful it is to pick the perfect song that completely sums up your relationship. Ours was You and I sang by Michael Buble, what was yours? Would love to hear them and maybe can help some couples find a song too . . . . . . . . . . . #weddinginspo #weddingideas #weddingmusic #music #firstdance #weddingblog #weddingplanning #weddingdress #bride #bridetobe #bridalinspo #bridalstyle #bridestory #songs #weddingsongs #fiance #husband #wife #wedding #weddingfun #instagood #blogher #girlboss #bossgirl #bossbride

[lionsorchid]

Creative market coffee shop- out of home office brought the babe along for some inspiration, a lot of exciting things in the works follow my Facebook page and check me out on the blog (link in profile). Happy productive Saturday! . . . . . . . #momblogger #momboss #momblog #pregnancy #weddinginspo #blogher #coffeeshop #orlandoblogger #orlando #supportlocal #mommyblog #weddingblog #lifestyleblogger #lifestyleblog #instafollow #orlandocreative #mommyandme #wineandcoffee #blogtopics #breastisbest #fedisbest #breastfeeding #tommeetippee #evenflo (at Canvas Restaurant & Market)

[lionsorchid]

Want to know my go to tips on making the most of your pump time at work? I'll be sure to make a post all about it, and what things I do to make the most milk I can for my little nugget. What questions do you fellow moms have? Drop them below and I'll include them in my post! 🤗 . . . . . . . . . #breastfeeding #pregnant #breastmilk #pumping #medela #pumpatwork #workingmoms #momblogger #momblog #momboss #fedisbest #liquidgold #breastfeedingmoms #mothersmilk #pregnant #pregnancy #mommytobe

[lionsorchid]

I've gotten some new followers in the last few days, I wanted to welcome you all, I'm so excited you have decided to join me on my journey from wife to mom and all the party planning in between.If you head over to the blog, I'll be sharing all the tips and tricks I have gathered along the way. I'd love to know more about you so drop me a line below, and tag some friends. . . . . . . . . . #mommyblogger #weddinginspo #partyplanning #blogher #blogger #dominicanbloggers #mommytobe #mommyandme #momblog #momboss #support #latinxcreate #latina #girlboss #bossgirl #myunicornlife #proptoit #handsin #pregnant #pregnancytips #pregnancy #babiesofinstagram #pregobelly #maternity #wedding #bridal #party #lionsorchid #instalikes #instafollow

[lionsorchid]

What to do Before Baby

The final month before you welcome your bundle of joy is when nesting goes into overdrive, you want to have everything ready for your new little addition. You’ll want to have the nursery ready, wash all their little clothes, have the car seat installed and your hospital bag packed and kept either in the car or by the door. These things I mentioned above are just a few of what I did to prepare for baby, I'm here to share some more advice of all the things that will help ease your nerves and keep you busy before baby comes.

Check out your local babies r us, they offer plenty of free parenting classes. So far my husband and I have taken the infant cpr and first aide class this class does have a fee but what is great about it is that it is taught by a certified nurse and at the end of it you are certified as well also full of peace of mind that you're now armed with the knowledge of if ever there was an emergency you have the tools to save your baby.

Another prenatal class that we took was a breastfeeding 101 this class was instructed by a certified lactation nurse who provided a ton of info and tips and tricks about breastfeeding your little one. Definitely a must take, and also a great one for your partner to attend with you, they'll learn a lot too. Baby care basics is another class we took that provides info about the first few weeks with baby at home, and how to take care of your newborn. Take all your questions and don't be afraid to ask them. Here's just a few of the ones I had above.

Touring your hospital is a big one to do before baby comes, it helps with not only figuring out where to park, where to triage, how to get admitted, pre check, figuring out how long it will take getting to the hospital from home on the day of. Touring your delivery hospital is a great benefit, you can ask all your questions about your birthplan, you can see the room where you'll potentially give birth, meet some nurses and see how the hospital runs on a normal day.

Washing clothes was the next big thing on my to do list, cyber Monday I may have gone a little crazy with purchasing clothes for my little one I mean when the sales are so good how could you pass it up? I got lots of clothes ranging in sizes all the way up through 18months, but I have only hand washed her clothes up to 6 months. Once she grows out of that I'll keep with her new clothes. It's very eye opening how dirty the water is after the first wash, I didn't use the machine on the first wash mostly because I didn't want anything to be on the baby’s clothes the first time she wears them but now moving forward I'll be using the washing machine, because trust me hand washing blankets and swaddles is hard! Something that made it easier was using dreft I definitely recommend it, it smells delicious, so delicious in fact that I may have used it for my own laundry.

Next up on the sterilizing block was boiling and washing all the bottles and nipples, breast pump attachments, it's easy to do get a big pot and fill it with all the attachments you wish to sterilize, add water and put to boil. Let it boil for about 5 minutes and then rinse. I used the boon grass to dry overnight.

Getting a corner ready for the baby is also important, we don't have a full nursery at this moment, so we've set up a make shift nursery with a changing table, hanging closet and a small bureau for all the babies onesies, socks, outfits and hats all fit.

As of now we have the bassinet set up beside the bed, but if you can see right behind is the window so next on our agenda is rearranging our bed so the bassinet is no longer in front of a window. I'll update you when we do.

 I hope all these tips have helped with your to do list and each time you check something off you feel that more proud of yourself and feel prepared for your new arrival.

Happy nesting

[lionsorchid]

tips and tricks for morning sickness

the first trimester is probably the most difficult of the three, with your body getting used to having a surge of extra hormones it can sometimes cause you to be nauseas there are a few who dont experience morning sickness however, these are the exception. I went through about 3 months of morning sickness, where even the sight of water made me feel sick, what helped me get through the worst of it? well thats what im here to share with you! 

multiple small meals, I know you must be saying huh? you just said you couldnt even have water, but, i found that when i was hungry is when i wanted to throw up more, so when i started having little snacks throughout the day my stomach didnt have a chance to feel queasy. i especially enjoyed green apples, they work wonders with nausea, also crackers, white rice, granola bars, yogurt was my saving grace it would make my throat feel so much relief. I want to highlight one tip in particular, always have something to chew on, by your bedside, so that in the middle of the night when you get up in one of your many bathroom trips just snack on a piece of fruit of granola bar so that when you wake in the morning the acid in your stomach isnt itching to come out. 

another tip would have to be ginger tea, i found that the carbonation in the gingerale would just not sit right in my stomach so i turned to tea instead, i would have chamomile, and the occasional ginger tea not too much though and not too frequent as its been said that ginger could induce labor. 

when riding in the car just look straight on, dont get on instagram, dont try to send emails, just look straight ahead because youll be much less susceptible to getting motion sickness this way. 

motion sickness bands (sea bands) are a great thing, wearing one of these was the best thing for me, it sits on a pressure point on your wrist and helps fight against any nausea. 

prego pops are also a great candy to suck on i especially loved the raspberry flavor the tartness was just what i needed to fight away any sickness throughout the day. 

[lionsorchid]

Let them eat Cake!

Cake tasting, probably the one vendor meeting your groom will not want to miss out on. It’s the most interactive and almost always the most fun of the meetings. Plus you get to taste a selection of different cake flavors and toppings. Some things to remember when it comes time for your cake appointments; some venues have contracts with some vendors and the cake can already be included in your package, however, these cakes usually stick to a strict criteria such as 3 layers and buttercream frosting. there may be an extra fee if you decide to use fondant and make the cake larger. It is probably best that you ask your venue about their preferred bakeries, and if the cake comes included. When you call these preferred bakeries ask them about the cake policy and how much extra is fondant if you so wish to have that instead. 

You can always use an outside baker, and have your cake delivered to the venue, however, do not let your cake that already comes included go to waste, you can always make that cake the grooms cake for the reception. 

that’s the option I went with, I used an outside vendor and got a fondant cake, however the cake that was included in the venue package I surprised my groom with a golf themed cake.

[lionsorchid]

an expo for the mom to be

I’m a big fan of expos, case and point I went to a wedding expo just for fun with a girlfriend while she was planning her wedding. So when we registered at buy buy baby and they gave me a coupon for tickets for the upcoming baby expo I was jumping for joy! I told my friends about it and they asked, theres a baby expo? I know, it is a crazy thing but really it is the best thing i have ever been to!

As we walked in we got handed empty canvas bags that were just waiting to be filled, with coupons, and samples, and maybe even some full sized samples in them. with our bags in hand, and comfy shoes we were off to the races, walked around writing our email down to be signed up for some newsletters, got a bunch of samples and entered a few raffles. I got a lot of great information as I walked around, I met potential pediatricians for the little nugget and got to speak to a cord blood preservation specialist. I mean, this was all my googling history in one room. 

There was even a 3d/4d sonographer present offering free sonograms, I got one done we were with my in laws and so it was a special thing to have them present, however our little girl got camera shy when it was our turn to go, granted it was late afternoon, she was taking one of her many naps, although I was sad that I didn't get to see a 4d image of the her beautiful face, she's keeping her dashing looks a mystery until she arrives it seems, because she gave us her back the entire time. We did though, get a teddy bear with a recording of our little princesses heart beat, I may or may not listen to it each night before bed, I can't help it its just the best sound in the world, until she gets here of course and then I'm sure I’ll fall equally in love with her giggle and then how cute her voice will be when she starts to speak.... and I digress.

Then it came time for the raffle and I had my eye on the grand prize the Orbit stroller travel system. Of course they started raffling all the smaller items, nursing pillows, sound machines, changing pads, there were four of us so I figured our odds were pretty solid, I had my raffle ticket number memorized and as I hear my numbers being called out i scream ‘omg! thats me!!!’ and I won I really won, and ergo baby carrier that is, it even came with the newborn insert a whopping $250 prize I was ecstatic. Seems like my luck was on a high level, we still had three chances to win the big kahuna. finally its up and they start reading the ticket number and..... it is not my ticket, I know, I was broken hearted, alas it was someone elses lucky day, and the mommy to be was as unphased by the hottest ticket item on the stage, I am pretty sure i would have passed out so it worked out for the better that I didn't win, but walk away empty handed I did not. 

If you are an expecting mommy I highly suggest researching a baby expo near you, because it really is an experience, a great one I’ll admit a bit overwhelming at first but, all in all it was informative, and fun seeing all the many items out there to help make the journey of parenthood a little bit easier. 

[lionsorchid]

A New Adventure Is On The Horizon

I’m back, and you know what? far too many posts have begun this same way. I came here and professed to you that I would be better about posting as my new year resolution and guess what? Yes, I’ll admit it, I failed miserably. However, I come to you again hoping you give me another try because this time I am serious. Hear me out, last year when I decided to begin this blog, it was to fill the void I felt from missing wedding planning, I still want to continue this but in a larger capacity, together with my designer husband we want to start an etsy shop where we can sell some invitation suites, and party design collateral, I would love to be a day of coordinator, or possibly a consultant to others on their big day and on other events as well. I want this blog and the Lionsorchid business endeavor as a creative outlet for me, I think it's something I've been lacking, being able to have ideas and see them come to fruition with the help of my talented husband. I think the sudden urge to do more, work more, may be due to the other little secret I’ve been keeping...!  

Our little family of two will be getting a new addition January 2017! A bouncing baby girl is coming and we could not be any more excited. Leave it to a baby to put things into perspective, and make you want to be better, do better, not for yourself but for them, to allot them all the things they ever dream of. So I will be back to a usual  posting schedule now adding my journey into a business, and parenthood. Hold tight we’re in for a bumpy ride! 

[lionsorchid]

Nailed it!

365, well since it's a leap year 366 days down and a lifetime to go! We made it, the first year of marriage and it was as cool as an ocean breeze! Time is so complex, it passes by so quickly but there's instances you want to just freeze it (I wish I had zack Morris abilities and I could stop time) you want to be able to stop and soak up every second because you know it will be a day that you'll never want to forget. 

That is how our wedding day was for me, I wish I could have somehow made time go by so slow just so I could record it to memory. They say the first year of marriage is the most difficult, and much like anything else it comes with its ups and downs but the ups outweighed the downs ten fold. Marriage is the best journey I've ever taken, it's a true partnership, a team, knowing someone will be there for you no matter what, having a best friend to talk to, to share your life with support and succeed together. 

 So on our anniversary we watched our wedding video, we thought about that day and we remembered it with such fondness, it's funny how even the little blips and mishaps become a funny story. We also looked back on our first year and realized we've been through so much already, we had the best honeymoon, I moved hundreds of miles away and relocated to Florida, we moved in to our first apartment, we survived multiple trips to ikea! traveled, decorated our first tree, traveled some more, and just had the best year yet! What's an even greater thought, is that there are so many more years to come. So what's your favorite thing about being in a relationship? Any sage advice for a newlywed? Am I considered a newlywed after a year of marriage?

Since the ocean plays a significant role in our love story, we met on a cruise, engaged on a cruise, honeymooned on you guessed it......a cruise, it was only appropriate we celebrated our first anniversary by the sea. We travelled to new Smyrna what I like to think is a hidden gem of a beach town, we stayed at hotel by the beach and on the Main Street near all the local cafes, if you ever find yourself in new Smyrna please have a brick oven pizza at third wave, enjoy happy hour at Flagler tavern, and hangout with the locals at traders. Also rent a fun car and drive all along the coast to the point where you can see Daytona beach. We did all these things and loved every second of it, we even caught the sunrise one morning,am sunrise by the sea is there anything more spectacular? That's an easy question, no! 

Tourists in our own state, we love to get to know more parts of Florida. 

By the sea, our happy place. 

We even managed to find an authentic Philly cheesesteak made on amaroso bread and with cheese wiz! you guys know how seriously I take Philly cheesesteaks so of course if they claim it I have to ask and when on the rare occasions I find authentic philly natives I always support, it makes my heart and tummy happy! 

I mean how adorable is this little car? It's so fun to drive too, it's street legal so it was fun to drive up and down the beach and all around the town.

We found a lookout point with some bluffs, such a beautiful day, and such a peaceful view. 

[lionsorchid]

My hubby and his cousin are starting a lifestyle blog! Yup, that blog post up there, it's their very first post! I'm so proud, let's show some support and go follow these guys they've got a cool concept. Looking forward to seeing more from them aren't you??

Welcome to Field & Tailor.

The page is run by us, two cousins, Herman and Leo.

Here you’ll find style inspiration, how-to guides, some good reads, old photos, products we trust, things we’ve learned, and more.

The pursuit of the gentleman’s style is something we found that matters to us. More specifically, it was looking back at our heritage to understand the function, utility, and the timelessness of style in order to apply it to today and the future.

It’s the balance between rugged and sophisticated; utility and style; the field and the tailor.

- L & H

[lionsorchid]

Treat yo’ self

I've failed you all, yes I can admit defeat, a few weeks ago I came on to this little corner of the Internet to profess accountability, and have since failed terribly. Life gets hard and busy, and full of unexpected events but there must be a way to handle it all right? So I'm here to ask you how you all deal with stress, because lately I haven't been doing a great job at it. What are some tips and tricks to unwind after a long day? So far I have tried some different tactics and I'm here to share them with you. Some have helped but some have had no effect at all they are all great ways though so drop me a few of your suggestions

For Valentine's Day my fantastic husband booked us a couples massage, and it was the best 60 minutes I've had in a long time, very peaceful, relaxing. The masseuse was brilliant, they didn't try and sell to you while massaging, mine in particular would find a knot and really focus there, and any other high stress areas she felt. That was probably why I enjoyed it so much, for my first massage experience I walked out of it like I was floating. 

I've been on a mission to find a scent that signifies our home, you know what I mean each home has a smell so when you have your sweater on throughout the day you get a whiff every once and a while and go ‘ahhhhh home’. Am I alone there? alot of my memories are tied to smells and so it's important to me that our home had a smell that would remind me of it when I was out of home and having a bad day. While at the mall -excuse me; the anti mall- Artegon which I whole heartedly recommend if you ever find yourself in the Orlando area,  we purchased an oil lamp and a fresh linen scented oil. It adds a refreshing clean scent to our place each time we come through the front door we are greeted by fresh air, also the lamp provides nice ambient lighting as well which is fantastic. 

I have also started using a sound machine overnight I tune in to the ocean sounds, the only drawback to that is waking up rushing to the bathroom multiple times but ocean waves do have a way of getting me to bed fast

Also while doing other home tasks, and getting some work done I listen to the spa radio on pandora, I'm a Pandora fan much more so than any music streaming, the spa radio is possibly the most calming mix of sounds everything is just so soothing you can't help but be relaxed especially when Enya starts to play. 

I've found winding down with a cup of hot tea cinnamon tea preferably has also helped me turn down and get ready to turn in for a nights rest. A hot cup of tea and nice little snack and off to bed 

Now it's your turn what helps you get ready for bedtime, what helps you manage stress, and how do you avoid getting overwhelmed. Especially all my brides to be, it's very common to get stressed and overwhelmed while planning the wedding, all the above things I've been trying should apply to you as well, perhaps eating into a routine of pampering is also a great way of having me time where you don't have to plan anything at all, schedule an hour or so a day where you aren't doing anything at all, just relax take a breath, go for a walk, read a book, get a manicure, anything that isn't whatever gets you overwhelmed. So go ahead ladies as the wise words of tom haverford ‘treat yo self!’ 

P.s don't forget to check out my other little project duhmericanapodcast.wordpress.com 

Checkout the soundcloud for new episodes https://soundcloud.com/duhmericana-podcast

[lionsorchid]

Is the wedding planning market too saturated?

Last weekend I went to my very first wedding expo. Yes, you read that correctly the self proclaimed wannabe wedding planner, attended a bridal expo for the first time. I’ll preface this shocking turn of events with, when it was my time to plan my wedding I was never in town when an expo was occurring and so I could never go. Instead there was a time where my mom and sister attended on my behalf, they enjoyed themselves so much we ended up meeting our baker and florist through them attending. Having had such a good experience and not actually attending myself when the opportunity popped up, allowing me to attend an expo with a friend who is getting married this summer, I jumped in! I was excited that I would experience an expo and also become more informed about Florida wedding vendors. However, my comments about it? It was completely overwhelming, and a surprisingly opportunistic event, meant to feed off of impulse.

 There is a certain air about being engaged there's a joy, an excitement it's like you're the only engaged person who ever was. Planning a wedding comes with a lot of hard decisions mostly having to do with money and sticking to a budget. However, it is easy to stray from said budget when you see something possibly on Pinterest that you absolutely must have. Coming from a once engaged bride to be, to a now married Mrs. Bridal expos are overwhelming! My biggest advice would be to go with a designated plan, what do you need to focus on, firstly does your venue have any vendor suggestions? If they do, try and find them at the expo so you can see some displays. It's best to go in with a plan because trust me you will get swept up in the aura, I even imagined having another wedding just to incorporate some new trends featured at this event. As an example there was an ice cream cart complete with a toppings bar, an on the spot spa lounge that comes to your venue that gives guests a la cart spa treatments during the reception, I mean as absurd as you can reach with an idea it was there. There were 20 different florists, 16 different djs, 25 or more wedding planners and what seems like every venue in central Florida. 

When I describe this event as opportunistic I mean it in multiple ways, stay with me here when you register for the event before going into the space you get a bag with about $300 in coupons for different vendors that are willing to accept them. Now these coupons you can only use one at a time of course, and they only work if you book onsite before you leave, so you really don't get to have much one on one time and honestly it's not enough time to really get all your questions answered. You are battling with all the other soon to be brides in your midst, you feel like you are getting a generic memorized speech about why this vendor is the best of the bunch and why you should go with them. Most times brides are not there with their grooms to be and so they make these decisions because they are feeling like well hey I'm saving $100 but my advice is take a step back and $100 isn't really all that it seems, it definitely is not worth having a change of heart and losing the $100 anyway, you should always think it over talk it over, never buy on impulse. Never 

So that part of the system really turned me off. I will say it brought back an experience I encountered while wedding planning. I made an impulse buy, left a deposit and ended up having a change of heart, after going home and thinking it over, luckily it was arranged where I wouldn't lose my deposit so I had a fairly good experience however, not many end that way. And more often than not you end up losing your money so my best advice is go already knowing you want to book a vendor and ultimately play the system go to the expo knowing you will receive the discount. 

Overall, this was an excellent learning experience for me I met a lot of wedding planners, I saw what is popular among some brides but, the thing I noticed the most is how saturated the wedding planning business is, and if I'm honest it was quite intimidating. I began questioning if there was any room for me, I started doubting if I was even prepared for all the work and competition, I began to question my own abilities at being creative, if I was good enough I only have my own wedding planning as experience. However, I did take the experience and I'm going to use it as motivation, motivation to be better to work hard to find a space in this business because I did realize how much I enjoyed being there and enjoyed seeing all the booths and interacting asking questions and suggesting different ideas to my friend, I had a great time so the answer to my title question is that there may seem like wedding planning is overly saturated but there's always space for new ideas. That goes for pretty much anything else you may be striving for there's always room for you and what you have to offer so don't ever back down. 

Till next time guys! 

Also please feel free to check out the podcast duhmericanapodcast.wordpress.com there's 3 episodes up so far I would so greatly appreciate any feedback. 

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram I will say, I'm not the most frequent poster but I try! 

TGIF and have a great weekend filled with love.