Our PB&J Adventure Book

Ask Me Anything!
Two weeks ago on my Instagram I opened up a Q&A to everyone to ask me anything and everything. For this week's Mama Monday, I'd like to answer a few of those amazing questions for you all! Here's 10 of the most frequently asked questions you sent my way:

Do you work? What did you do pre-mom life? Are you a stay at home mom?
My current occupation is being a stay at home mama to my sweet Ben. Prior to having him I worked for close to a decade in the area of Special Education. After graduating college I worked in a high school Special Education Inclusion Program. I worked with students with a range of special needs such as Down Syndrome, Autism (moderate to severe) as well as students with learning and physical disabilities. When we moved to our now hometown, I counted my career in Special Education by working at an elementary school with the pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st grade set of students in a special day class for children with Autism (Moderate to Severe). Working in this classroom were some of the most amazing, challenging, and rewarding years of my life until I became a mom. I loved each day working with my students, and yes there were days that were tough on so many levels but my students taught me so much about patience, compassion and care.

While pregnant with Ben, I left work because the classroom environment became too high risk for my pregnancy due to the physical nature of some of the students. I had full intentions of returning after his birth, but once I got to hold Ben in my arms that kind of went out the window and here I am now, a full time Stay at Home mama.

Do you plan on going back to work/teaching in the future?
I'm not sure. As of right now, I love being at home with Ben. I don't get to miss any of the moments with him, no matter how big or small. I cherish this time being at home with him because I know he won't be this little for long. I do have to point out that I'm very thankful that PB has the ability to take care of our family so I have the option to stay home. I know not everyone can do that, so I don't take being a stay at home mom for granted.

That being said, I do miss work. I miss the camaraderie that I had with my co-workers and fellow staff at my school site. I miss the routine and having that fulfilling purpose of helping these students. I miss having my own individual income, LOL. But as I said above, all of the little moments I get to have with Ben while at home are priceless. So in regards to if I'd ever go back to work? Maybe in the future, like when Ben is school age and I have more time for myself. Then yes, I'd seriously consider a career comeback!

How did you get into being a blogger/creator?
Ahh, this question makes me chuckle a bit because the whole "insta/blogger/creator" life still blows me away! I never had the intention of becoming a blogger, it just kind of...happened. I credit my online life to a lot of luck and just wanting to share a bit of our life/journey with everyone. If I'm really being honest, I don't know how it all started. My Instagram was created many years before anyone really followed me. It was my personal account that I used for the "cool filters" at the time. I didn't think anything of it. As time went on, I think people started to follow because I'd post a lot of Disney, like our international Disney travels or the merchandise we'd pick up. There wasn't a specific "AHA!" kind of moment for my Insta. It just naturally evolved over time and for some reason people decided to follow along. On that note, I do believe that there was a lot of people who started to follow along when I started to open up about our family journey, during our loss, then then our journey with Ben. Although I might not have an exact cause or reason for this life on here, I can say that I'm very thankful for it now.

Any tips for anyone wanting to start blogging?
Best advice? Be YOU. I think it makes a world of difference being true to yourself and being authentic online. This is what will set you apart from everyone else. Be you, tell your own story, keep it real.

Also, from my own personal perspective? Be kind. I know that this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but being kind, being respectful and positive towards others is something that will shine through.

Overall, remember the reason why you get into blogging or content creating in the first place? What is your overall intention and what goals do you have for yourself? Are you doing it just for "instafame"? Or are you doing it because you truly want to make a difference in the social media world?

Is it hard being a blogger?
Honestly? I love what I do, I love the content that I put out there and I love being able to share our story and provide some hope out there for anyone else that may need a little dose of magic. But the blogger life can also have its harder times, especially in regards to time. There's a whole business side to blogging that isn't seen as often. All most people see are the polished and cute photos that go up, the finished pieces of posts or the highlights of life. Behind the scenes there's a lot more going on. There's a plethora of planning, posting schedules, working on content ideas and emails for current or future projects. I pour my heart into everything I create from the initial post ideas, to the creation, all the way to the final posting. All of this takes time and as a mom, that can definitely get difficult. I'm a mom, first and foremost, so much of what you see created on here or on my other pages are all done in the "down times" like when my son is napping or after everyone has fallen asleep. Although it can get tiring, I do love what I get to do, so it's completely worth it!

How often do we go to Disney?
Not as often as you might think. We live in the Bay Area in Northern California, so about 6-7hrs away from Disneyland. We try to visit the parks every 4-6 weeks since we're Annual Passholders and want to get our money's worth out of the thing (lol), so Ben can get a dose of magic and so I can create new content for my Instagram page!

Most of what you see on my Instagram page are stockpiled photos from previous trips! So no, we aren't in the parks everyday, but at least we can feel like we are with past photo memories.

Where does the inspiration come from for all of the mommy and me looks?
Everywhere! I usually get inspiration from the seasons, any fun celebrations going on at the parks for Disney outfits or just from things I personally love about Disney or in general.

A lot of ideas for these mommy and me costumes are spur of the moment things. For example, for our upcoming Walt Disney World trip, I'm starting to get outfit ideas from the festivals going on at some of the parks or from specific treats or characters that WDW is known for!

Do we ever plan on having more kids?
Unfortunately no. Ben will be our one and only. I've covered this in detail on my Instagram stories (now highlight) CLICK HERE TO WATCH, but due to an ongoing medical condition involving the vein system in a part of my brain, it was deemed unsafe for me to have any future pregnancies. I won't go any further into this, but just know that I'm okay presently! I'm happy, I'm healthy and I'm doing great. It's something that was scary to find out about and it's still being monitored. I'm deemed low risk, but that can change as I get older or in the future. As wonderful as it would have been to have more kids, I'm thankful for our one and only Ben! He's more than enough to fill our hearts a million times over!

Is it weird for us to say hi to you if we see you?
No! I love meeting you all whether in the parks or when we're out and about! I'm thankful for all of you that follow along with us and take the time to read this blog. So to be able to say hello is always truly a highlight for me! So please don't ever be afraid to say hello to us, it's always a pleasure to meet you!

How do you style your hair?
This has to be one of the top most questions that I get anytime I do a Mama Monday! I'm so incredibly flattered that you all like how I style my hair. It's honestly nothing crazy! My natural hair texture is really thick and coarse. It was actually something I was super self conscious about as a kid because it was so unmanageable. But over the years I discovered that heat, mainly a curling iron would help tame the crazy hair. It's part hair texture, another part years of experience but my hair only takes about 5 minutes to style with a standard curling iron! I don't use any special iron, it's just a regular 1 1/2 inch ceramic curling iron by ConAir that has a clamp.

More to Come...
Once again, thank you for all of the amazing questions! I wasn't able to get to all of the questions sent my way, but I will for sure be doing more of these Mama Monday type Q&A sessions in the future! Thank you for reading along and take care. 💜