V started kindergarten yesterday, which is mind-blowing. It's been a busy couple of weeks of shopping, attending classes, visiting her new school and meeting her teacher. We have tried to pump her up for the start of school and she seemed excited to go to a new school and make new friends. Yesterday morning we walked her to the school bus stop, because she wanted to ride with her friends in the ... Read more
How to Prepare for Family Photos
One of my favorite Flora family traditions is taking photos around the time of our wedding anniversary. It began when Graham and I moved to Chicago in 2015 and we were celebrating our first anniversary. I researched Chicago photographers and found Abigail Joyce Photography and I really liked her style. I chose a city skyline background and she suggested the perfect spot for our photos. This year ... Read more
Parenting Assumptions vs. the Reality of Motherhood
I was unsure if I would ever have kids. I always wanted to adopt but had no idea if I would be able to do it. I did, however, have opinions on things I would or wouldn't do as a parent. The past few years have taught me I was wrong on many of those assumptions. I'm sharing the things I said I would never do as a mom vs. what the reality has been. I said I would never cosleep. I never ... Read more
Amazon Favorites for Baby
** This post contains affiliate links. I am compensated for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting Floradise! I recently shared my lifestyle favorites but I left off baby/toddler products that have made life easier and more fun for us lately. These are items I've ordered from Amazon and they've all worked out well for us. Also, Prime shipping has ... Read more
Family-Friendly Florida Attractions on Our Wish List
** This post about family-friendly Florida destinations is sponsored by VISIT FLORIDA. All opinions are my own. #FindYourFlorida When we visited Florida for the first time as a family of three in 2017, I was pleasantly surprised by how familiar the state felt to me. When we pick a travel destination, we always prefer places where we can see an abundance of fauna and flora, and Florida has no ... Read more
Adelina’s 12-Month Update
My baby turns 1 today. I've been an emotional wreck lately ever since it hit me that Addi's birthday was approaching. This past year has been life-changing for all of us, in the best way. We all adore Adelina and she has been the perfect addition to our family. It's been four months since I shared a baby update, so here's what this little miss has been up to lately. This will likely be the last ... Read more
Adelina’s Doughnut First Birthday Party
** This post contains affiliate links. I am compensated for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting Floradise! My baby is almost one. This past year has been the quickest of my life and it was important for me to mark the milestone with a party even though she won't remember it. Adelina's first birthday is later this week, but we celebrated ... Read more
Struggling With Speaking Spanish
** Today's post contains my thoughts on speaking Spanish as the daughter of Mexican immigrants. I'm getting personal today to share more about myself, where I come from and some complicated feelings I have about language. My first language was Spanish. I learned English when I was about 5 years old when my family moved to Phoenix from Mexico. My parents encouraged me to learn to speak ... Read more
Christmas at the Flora House
This has been a special Christmas for us: It was the first in our new house, and it was Addi's first! V had some new traditions, too. Our Christmas recap: I love our tree this year despite never finding a tree topper after ours broke. I plan to also purchase a new tree skirt next year. We chose to stay in Chicago for Christmas this year vs. traveling to Arizona or Kentucky. We wanted to ... Read more
Adelina’s 7-Month Update
Every baby update I've read starts with disbelief about the child growing so quickly. You can go ahead and insert that statement here about Addi. As of today she is 7 months old! She's so much closer to 1 now and I can't handle it. I haven't posted an update since she was 4 months old, so I wanted to share a bit about how she's doing now. Sleep: Addi is still waking up at least three times a ... Read more