ALWAYS SPEAK LOVE!

We all go through writer's block.

I especially have been very stuck when it comes to writing about trends, how to wear, or why did I wear X or Y? So I'm going to share 10 random things about this month so far and I'd love for you to tell me something!

1. The BABY SHOWER is next week. After getting quotes from a few places, I couldn't believe how expensive everything is in the U.S. I decided to make it a DIY and just have fun with it. I know some things will be far from perfect but I'll be fun because I made them.

2. Gabe's birthday was yesterday (the 24th). He turned 31 and I still amazes me how time flies. We met when he was 19.  He has been working non-stop so we just had lunch with his family and then sang happy birthday with some of our closest friends. 

3. We live in a one-bedroom apartment and we were thinking about moving because of the baby- we decided to stay at least until the beginning of 2019.  It's been challenging, a lot of cleaning, selling, donating. But I think we will make it work with the little one.

4. I'm very confused about fashion trends right now. I'm hating the big sneakers everyone is wearing lately.  They remind me of the 2000s sketchers and  they kill every outfit.  But again, that's me! If you love them, have fun with them!

5. I miss traveling. I can't wait to take baby in all these fun adventures. We really don't want to change our lifestyle THAT much. We actually are very excited to bring him along as soon as we can. I see families like Amber FIllerup's and we are very inspired to see little ones who have been to 20 countries before the age of 5.

6. I'm really inspired seeing all these young girls and boys talking about gun regulation and stopping gun violence. It makes me tear up every time and if you follow me on Twitter you probably have seen how passionate I am about this topic.

7. Talking about moving (on #2) I've been thinking about moving to another city lately. I love Miami but I think it would be nice for us to move to another city for a little bit (or a while who knows). I was thinking Dallas just because I loved it when I visited a few years ago, and it has one of the biggest airports so we could go visit our families in a heartbeat.

8. Maybe some of you noticed, I've stopped writing in Spanish. It hurts my soul and I won't stop 100%!! BUT, it was double the work and sometimes I felt I cut myself short because I didn't want to write it twice. I didn't use google translate or anything like that, it was truly writing it again (and the message even differed from time to time).  This doesn't mean I'm not proud of my roots, or that we don't speak it at home. Just career-wise, it felt like the right thing to do in order to share more with you guys.

9.  Our friends Gaby (@VoguishDiet) and Alex (@LegendaryAlex) got a puppy , a maltipoo (a maltese & poodle mix) and he is so adorable. You can follow him at @ItsErniesLife.

10. Talking about puppy accounts. I opened an account for Chiki @ChikitheMalteseDog and I'm so excited to be talking in third person haha such a weird crazy mama!

OK, so I need to stop procrastinating and start posting photos because I already feel this was ages ago. We took these photos last month and I already feel my belly is twice the size (6.5 months vs 7.5 months NOW!). 

I wore this to a few events in February. The first one was to a Victoria's Secret lunch celebrating the launch of their new perfume part of the Bombshell line. If you follow me on IG, you probably saw the stunning set-up and we all got beautiful denim jackets that said "HELLO BOMBSHELL" in the back. You all know I'm a sucker for denim jackets.

I was the first one there and basically the last-one to leave. I loved seeing all my blogger friends, especially in such a cute environment with delicious food.

Then I headed to my first baby event with Baby Dove. It was really interesting to hear from a pediatrician and start learning as much as I could.

This outfit was comfortable to wear all day, but still cute and put-together...plus perfect for SPRING!!!

Hope you have an amazing week ! XOXO

I'm going to start with the cliché (just in case you found me recently, or even through this article) I started blogging way too long ago (2009) , I've learned A LOT by making several mistakes, AND I've seen the blogging industry changed in all ways possible. I'm finishing an article with the 10 mistakes I made as a new blogger, and not knowing my worth was definitely one of them. So let's get started!

Because of my "OG" status, as some name it, many blogger friends that are relatively new to the industry always come up to me asking me if they should charge for X, Y, or Z. And the answer, no matter what, is YES! YES! and 100 times YES!

If a brand reaches out to YOU, they found some sort of value IN YOU. It might have been your amazing pictures. Maybe they liked your witty way of writing or they loved your product reviews.  When a brand reaches out, it isn't by chance (or it shouldn't be by chance). They probably did their research and spent countless hours finding people that align with their brand and messaging.

A few months ago, a big-tier blogger discouraged "small" bloggers from not following their dreams because they might not have X amount of followers.  She actually said NOT to charge if you had less than 100k. It just made my blood boil because that's simply not true.

you are never "too small" to charge on social media.  Period

Let's break it down. Let's imagine you have ZERO followers (just to exaggerate, we all know that moms and aunts make great fans..so let's make it 3 followers), and a brand contacts you for content creation: IGNORE the number of followers in your profile and take all these things  (and the hours they take) into consideration.

- PRE- PRODUCTION:

Inspiration board, buying props, location scouting, talent scouting,  and equipment rental.

- PRODUCTION

Hair and makeup, photographer, gas and parking, and modeling

- POST PRODUCTION:

Editing, writing, proof-reading, and social media planning.

We are talking about a production that would cost the brand THOUSANDS of dollars. So why shouldn't YOU charge? Even with absolutely no followers.

Your worth is more the number on your profile, it's your time, effort, talent, and creativity. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

Ok. So the main reason my husband Gabe wanted to go to St. Petersburg was to visit the Dalí Museum. Not necessarily because he is the biggest Salvador Dalí fan, but because he really wanted to photograph it (photographer first world problems, I know!).

We got there and it was breathtaking, a little smaller than expected but still BEAUTIFUL. When you get there,  the first floor has a souvenir section and a little cafe. The second floor has the permanent and current exhibits. And finally, there is the garden. It is a must- visit if you go to St. Pete.

My favorite piece was Dali's Lincoln. When you look at it up close, it looks like a naked woman staring at a beautiful sunset. However, if you take your phone out or go back enough, it turns into a portrait of President Lincoln.

About my look: I got these plaid maternity leggings a few months ago at ASOS. I thought they were fun, young, and still comfortable for pregnancy. I want to do a remix with them because I know they look a bit harder to style than they actually are.

I also LOVE the shirt, I wasn't sure if I should get the "preggers" tee or this one that says "Le Bump". I thought this one was cuter, but I still like them both.  Final touch: a pop of red and a cool sunnies!

Have you ever been to this museum? Are you a fan of Dalí?

YOU MAKE ME MELT!

ASOS MATERNITY plaid leggings

ASOS MATERNITY "le bump" shirt

BAUBLEBAR red earrings

PROENZA SCHOULER ps11 bag

CLUSE watch

BODA SKINS leather jacket

ALDO red slides

I love planning trips...especially road trips! I like spending hours and hours looking at Airbnbs and hotels for every stop.  Maybe you remember our trip to California or the one at a gorgeous glass cabin in Georgia.

As freelancers (with a baby on the way), we have been trying to take as much work as we can . We have months that are non-stop and then weeks when we are staring at the wall thinking how to make money. That uncertainty of the upcoming months can be nerve-wracking. 

We definitely wanted to go on a baby moon. However, without even noticing, weeks went by and I wasn't allowed on cruises anymore and planes get a little stricter...so the options for a babymoon kept getting more limited! 

Last month, Gabe and I had a few days off. I told him, let's just pack out bags and go to a city in North Florida. We got in the car (with Chiki, of course!) basically without no destination, no hotel, no plan!! 

Last year, when our flight got cancelled to Fashion Week because of Hurricane Irma, I was able to get the reimbursement of our hotel as credit in an app called Hotel Tonight. So I thought, let's just go and I'll find a hotel for a cheaper price and use that credit.

While in the car, I posted something on IG stories and a friend who went to school with Gabe sent me a message asking where we heading. Honestly, I thought she lived in Georgia or North Carolina and I quickly answered "Around St Pete!!!". Little did I know that she lived 15 minutes from there, and we ended up staying with her, her husband, and their cute puppy: LUNA. 

It ended up not being a baby moon but an amazing adventure with friends. They took us out to a few restaurants, to  a pet friendly Clearwater beach, and to the Dali Museum (more on the museum later!).  

It's true that magic moments in life are definitely spontaneous!

 Have you ever hopped in a car with absolutely no plan or destination? Or were we a bit crazy?

Like I've said, I'm trying to buy only maternity essentials and I've been wearing a lot of pre-baby clothes that had an elastic around the waist. This one barely closed but I thought it was still cute!

Chiki was so happy at the beach. It wasn't alarmingly hot- actually there was a delicious chilly breeze. We put some umbrellas down, and together we fell asleep while reading a book in the sand. Chiki has been so cute during the pregnancy.

This is LUNA! My friend's pup!

St. Petersburg, its charm, and this gorgeous tree! 

I'm reading this book called BIG MAGIC- well, I have been reading it slowly since forever. Don't judge me. It's just that every little story gives me so much to think about that I like to take my time. I

 recently read about "ORIGINALITY VS AUTHENTICITY" and I wanted to share it with you gals. 

When I was asked about the "key to success" when becoming a blogger, I would always talk about originality- finding what would make you unique or that gap of "what has never been seen before".

 And I was wrong, it isn't originality what makes you unique is AUTHENTICITY. Whatever you chose to do in life probably has been done before (and by far more experienced, talented, and overall "better" people), but nobody has ever done it like YOU. 

So if you ever doubt yourself because there is someone already out there doing it, remember that if it comes from your heart, without trying to imitate anybody or fake originality, it will work. I promise! or at least you will enjoy every second of it!

I love being a blogger. I love the flexibility of it.  I love being able to travel,  sleep until noon, and choose my own schedule.

However, just like anything- all of that comes at a price.

Sleeping until noon turns into writing at 3am, traveling turns into non-stop "content creation" trips, and choosing your own schedule becomes into "you are always working" schedule. Reason why it's really important to manage your time correctly- to keep you sane, to keep you productive, and to keep you inspired.

So here are 5 tips to manage yourself as a blogger, a creative, or a freelancer.