Letters From War

God gives us freedom but it takes men and women to preserve that freedom.

Thank you, military families, for your sacrifice.

For giving up your loved ones so that we can be free.

To all those who have fought, currently fight, and those who have given their lives,

THANK YOU!

May we always treasure our freedom and honor those who protect it.

May we never take it for granted or stop fighting for it at any level.

Happy Memorial Day!

All new TuTu Dress by TiTi's TuTu's

I love my customers!

They empower me to dream and create beauty beyond my own imagination.

A personal friend of mine told a someone she met while shopping about my site.

The person contact me to describe her dream for her baby girl...

This is the outcome:

Thanks to this amazing customer who challenged me out of my box,

I am proud to present The 4th of July TuTu Dress.

Adorning the heart of my Patriotic Collection, the Tutu Dress is a must for

Photo Shoots, Pageants, or 4th of July Parade Floats.

More styles coming soon. Order yours today!

Bee Themed Party by A to Zebra Celebrations

Just ran into this amazing Bee Themed Party at

A to Zebra Celebrations.

Check it out! Not a detail overlooked.

Beating Mommy-Guilt

This post is more for me than for you, but you are welcome to eavesdrop...

One of our rules as parents is that when it comes to discipline we punish deliberate disobedience and re-teach rules for all other offenses. I learned this in Grad School. I practiced it as a Kindergarten teacher. Yet, I just slipped.

Granted, its been a long day...

My baby girl is teething and has been crabby all day. And we just returned home from an out of state trip where we had to drive 6 hours each way, which turns into at least 8 hours when you have two under 2.

Earlier, while I was tending to a potty training accident with my son, my baby girl reached over the table and knocked down one of the ceramic planters I just bought and painted for her birthday centerpiece. Now it is more like center-pieces.

Then, I served my 2 year old lunch while I nursed. He took a few bites here and there but was totally distracted. My phone beeped, so I went to read my text message. When I returned to the table, he had reached over to the glitter and dumped it out on the table.

In an abrupt response, I got him off the table and made him go take a nap because he was playing with his food and now he had made a huge mess.

Now, I am alone, both kids sleeping and remorse is creeping up. He was just being 2. Who wouldn't want to explore glitter when it is within arms reach?! He has no idea why I suddenly made him go to bed. He was not intentionally trying to upset me.

My own rule - broken.

Instead of teaching him the proper way to use glitter, I snapped.

It's a good thing I know about grace. Assuredly, I am still a great mom. And I guarantee you , I'm getting some sweet snuggles when he wakes up. He won't even remember what happened. If he remembers, he will soon forget. I need to do the same.

You see, parenthood is more about love than perfection. I will mess up. I will do things wrong even when I know how to do them right. That is why it's important for me to pray, be patient, and resist the urge to react.

I am working on that one.

As a mommy, I am so wired to take care of everything. To respond. To react. Seldom do I have the luxury of taking my time. But I must be slow to react when it comes to discipline.

I believe discipline is a teaching process. We teach them directly about proper behavior such as how to use glitter. But we also teach them indirect lessons, such as what to do when you are upset (make the other person go to bed?).

Break out the duster. Time to dust off the incident, shake it off, and move on. If I torment myself by replaying it in my mind, I would be guilt-ridden and even less capable to be a good mom. I've got to forgive myself and learn from the experience.

That is what I'm doing...right after I find some chocolate.

*TuTuLu*

Gymboree Glam Boots

I just got home from an adventure-filled morning shopping with my kiddos. Thankfully, I powered up at Ladies Prayer this morning! I was looking for lavender or purple accessories for my kids to coordinate with us at an upcoming graduation when I ran into these:

This glittery pair of cowgirl boots from Gymboree, is the ultimate accessory for my Americana collection due out later this month. Seriously, could these be any cuter?!?! I can picture little Princesses wearing these at 4th of July parades accompanied, of course, by one of my red, white and blue TuTu's.

Check back for pictures soon!

*TuTuLu*

Marshmallow Pops

I've been MIA for a few days browsing the net looking to get a fix for my new addiction: beautiful party ideas. I am on creativity overload, right now. Check out this amazing idea from Hostess with the Mostess Blog.

They are easy to make, cost effective, and best of all, GORGEOUS!!! The possibilities are endless with this idea. Play around with colors, ingredients, sprinkles, and display options to make this idea truly unique for your party.

*TuTuLu*

Keeping it Real with Self-Reflection

Two weeks ago, I ran into an old college professor. I couldn't remember her name, but I will never forget what she taught me.

In the College of Education at the University of Florida, it is customary at the end of each internship to have student teachers complete a "Metacognitive Letter." Basically, we had to think about how we think and write about it.

These exercises went beyond "What went well?" and "What didn't go well?" To the WHY of things and HOW to make it better.

Metacognition is just a fancy word for Self-Reflection. Though my teaching years are long gone, I continue the metacognitive process in everything I do to this day.

As a parent, Self-Reflection is crucial in maintaining a positive relationship with my children. The more brutally honest I am with myself, the better my improvements become.

Self- Reflection is not about beating myself up nor about digging so deep that I end up in my childhood blaming my parents for everything. It's about uncovering the connection between my actions and my results so that I can shape my actions to achieve what I want to achieve.

Here are some ground rules for self-reflection:

1. Be HONEST! Remember, this process is not about judging yourself, but about helping yourself. You can't fix what you can't acknowledge.

2. Keep an open mind. Becoming overly sensitive will hinder the process. We all fall short at different levels. We only fail when we don't learn from our mistakes.

3. Look at yourself from another person's point of view. Ask your spouse or another trusted individual for help if you need to.

4. Stay focused. Self-Reflection is about SELF. Forget about all the other factors beyond your control. Keep the lens over your own actions.

5. Stay positive. Celebrate your successes and forgive yourself quickly if you become disappointed in yourself. Spring back up with a plan of action and begin to make changes!

You can reflect as often as you need to. I generally reflect on a daily basis. I do a mental run through of my day and make note of where I need to improve. Lack of reflection can lead to you becoming completely out of touch with yourself and your children.

Setting an example of Self-Reflection will cause your children to respect you and look up to you.

*TuTuLu*

Mother's Day Review

I hope everyone had a Happy Mother's Day yesterday. I had fun spending time with my own mom, my kids and getting spoiled by my husband.

The festivities began on Saturday when we turned a returns trip to Michael's into an impromptu family outing. They were having free Mother's Day crafts. I didn't even know they had classrooms in the back of the store! The kids got to make cards for their Abuelita and me with all kinds of fancy scrapbooking supplies. Then, they got to decorate their very own cookies with a little help from Mami and Daddy. We had so much fun!

After that, we ran a few errands and came back home to spend a lazy afternoon hanging out by the pool. We caught up with all the neighbors we had not seen since last summer and met some new friends too. The night was topped off with take out, CSI and my first Mother's Day Gift: a gift card to get a pedicure at a spa. I'm really excited because previously I've only been to nail places that do pedicures. This should be fancy fun!

On Sunday, the kids woke me up by walking up to my bed with cards in their hands. My son yelled, "Happy Birthday!!!" My daughter gave me the widest, open mouth, grin screaming "AAAHHHH!!!" (translation: hi) as she opened and closed her little fist at me. It was the best start to my day :)

We went to church, got some free pizza, took a long nap, ate dinner at Stonewood with my parents and sister, had my favorite shake at Coldstone and hung out by the fountain to finish our desserts.

The day was simple, just the way I like it! Don't get me wrong- I love big parties and fancy decor, but there is something about the simple things that is unmatched. Mother's Day is one of those times when I just like to reflect on my blessings and enjoy the people in my life.

Yesterday, I got everything I wanted. I hope you did too!