Ozark Mama Deer

Monday, November 27, 2017

At Home and in the Garden with Tuchinda Designs

Hey. It's been a while. But I'm back and I'm excited to use this space to kind of expand on what I like to share on my Instagram project, Ozark Mama Deer.

I love children's fashion, I really do. Through my "job" as an "influencer," we are afforded the opportunity to style clothing from companies that we love to support and spread the word about. I try to be very selective about whom we work with because to be quite honest, for even just a single Instagram photo that a viewer may see posted- often a lot of effort was taken to not only make sure that the product or garment looks good for the brand, but also for my own space that I have created; that it all feels relevant and organic to what I share with my followers. Sometimes it truly is as easy as just living life and inserting items into moments that I happen to pull my phone out and capture a beautiful photo then instantly adding to my tiles, but often it's a lot more than that. So, it's exciting when I make connections with companies that I'm truly excited about- it makes everything go all the more smoothly, and I feel good about offering them to you.

The surge of joy that I attain from having been creative and producing something beautiful, like an in the moment portrait of us living our best life (laugh, I'm being funny), can become a bit of a vicious cycle. When it's flowing it feels great, and then when it's not... well, the little creative inside me tends to kind of experience a bit of a nagging sensation, like that of sore gums. So... I thought that perhaps, for me, and for those who sometimes message me asking where they can see more content from me, that I should produce more of what I love that I don't always want to flood my space and risk the precarious reception that can be the Instagram. (note: I do not go in to algorithm theory- I do not have time for that) But, I'd love to share a little more.

All of this to say: I'm going to be blogging again, and for you today I have a photo essay, an editorial if you'll allow, of my children coordinated in the most lovely tones of earth and clay, adorned in the Autumn/Winter fashions of Tuchinda Designs....

TUCHINDA A/W17 collection, available now.

My children genuinely love to wear Tuchinda Designs which I feel is important to say, on account of all the things that I sometimes wish they'd love to wear vs. what they actually love to wear. More than once, the boys have remarked on how nice the clothing looks and feels and the pieces that they had last year are still as loved this year, which is why I'm so excited about getting to add these garments to their wardrobe. They say they feel like Han Solo in these looks and I very fondly, agree. This is a major win for me.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop in and take a look at my work and read some of my thoughts, here. I truly enjoy the process of creating stories like these and it make me feel great to share them with you. Also, I want to mention that Tuchinda not only makes beautiful garments that are of quality and substance- they do so so very thoughtfully AND! (you guys!) they give a portion of their profits to organizations that care for abused and neglected children. (There's also a great holiday sale happening, btw- 20%off with a coupon that you can find on their Instagram.)

This has been fun.
I'll be back with more later this week.

xo
Nico

Monday, December 7, 2015

A Birthday Week/end

For a gal who likes to take photos, I sure do manage to skimp on them when it comes to our 'big' things like birthdays and parties and events. Probably because I'm self-conscious about having my camera all up in my face the whole time and I want to live in the moment, not hiding behind my lens. Still. I managed to capture a few choice little snaps from this past week/weekend as we celebrated our sweet Lou Fox.

His birthday fell on a Wednesday this year and since he is now a big Kindergartner, we had Lou finish most of the day of school before picking him up early with a car full of star wars balloons and taking him for an afternoon at the area's new children's museum. His grandpa joined us and it was really wonderful seeing them explore the facility together. Loukas' favorite meal these days is fish tacos, so we treated him to fancy Latin cuisine at a restaurant on the Bentonville square where his grandpa managed to get us the nicest seat in the house with a view of the christmas lights all around the town's center. I always love seeing the boys with their grandfather. He came to our home immediately after Loukas was born, and helped up clean up his home birth and since then has been present for all of our joys and there for us during the hard times as well. I don't exactly know the words to express how much that means to me, especially living so far from my own folks, who we see rarely.

With a party planned for Sunday, the whole rest the week was spent preparing for and talking (both boys super excited) about the party. Loukas even woke at 4:30am on Sunday (!) and could not get back to sleep. He was so excited to see his "old friends" and have a slice of the s'mores cake that we all dreamed up and describe to our pastry chef friend- whose creation far exceeded our expectations! Jerrmy and I were giddy while preparing for the party- it was truly fun and easy. I decorated minimally with Loukas' choice color from the Target decoration isle, greens, and we were all just happy to see our friends and build a fire and watch the kids run laps around the house. Good, Good times. I just wish I'd taken more photos.

I'm pretty proud of our little six year old. There's probably a lot I could say about how he's growing so fast and I miss his littleness but he's still pretty little and I love all that he is today. The kid is precious. He's smart and kind and energetic and creative and I feel like we are having this very real happily ever after moment in our lives with our growing family.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

We're having a baby... GIRL!

We're having a baby... and it's a GIRL. After two surprise-ending pregnancies that blessed us with much-loved and desired little boys, we found ourselves a little less willing to wait to til the end this time around. I found out that I was expecting in late July and since then we have been pretty certain that we'd need to know what were are in for- not that I think a boy and girl children are really all that different. (Let's be honest they kind of are, though.) Something within me, at least, needed to know to prepare.

Honestly, it was my heart's desire to conceive a daughter and while I know that having healthy children comes first, I cannot shy away from the truth of that matter that it is the adult relationship with a female-child that I most felt I'd miss in this life if I did try one more time for the opportunity to experience it. So when the technician at our 20 week sonogram scanned down to the baby's bottom and I did not see any boy parts, I did burst into some very real tears. Calling her a her and saying she make my tummy do a little jump for joy. I cannot even believe it. And it's not because I'm surrounded by three dudes, either- I happen to have some very well versed in the ways of gals guys, because I make it my mission around here. We shy away from gender stereotypes and try our best to never place our sex organ assignments above our human-ness.

I am a feminist, a humanist- who believes that we are all equal and valid. My boys like tea parties and pink and dresses among their rowdiness and in between pretending every other item in the house is a blaster, they cuddle their pretend animal babies and put them to bed. I can't recall ever having once told my sons something that they were interested in was, "for girls." They are gentle and curious and kind humans, I am beyond grateful for them. They look up to a lot of strong, smart little ladies and while they are rough and tumble for the most part, their birthday party guest lists are comprised mostly of their female peers. And in the same vein, these sons of ours have never been made to feel that their emotions or more gentle sensibilities are not for them because they are male. I don't know why I feel the need to go into all of this- perhaps because I want it to be clear that as much as I can say that I wanted this baby to be a girl, that doesn't make my feelings about equality or that fact that I have two little boys already, less relevant.

It's not really the frilly pink overly fem things that I felt I'd miss, I think, had the baby been a boy. There is something to be said for the mysteries of girlhood and womanhood that only a woman and female child can understand of each other. I do not really have a first hand experience of being a little boy and am often asking my husband and dad what it was like for them as a male child in order to kind of have a reflective adult's perspective to relate to my sons. Who knows, though, this child that is coming is a person who will belong to themselves and I will just be their guider, their secret-sharer in and of womanhood, and hopefully we can celebrate being ladies together- I'm excited for the challenge and new experience. Well, and girl power.

;;;

I think this series of photos of the guys with pink roses is just darling and hilarious. They weren't really that into it, but you can't tell from some of the pics- and then some you really can. My favorite quote was from Jasper (who said it again when he saw the pics again this morning) "It's like we're getting May-weed!"

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Not October -or- Since July

There's no time right just now pre-dinner and bedtime to add much in the way of prose to this post I'm posting for the first time in months. And the time I've been spending in the evenings, post-mom duties days that feel oh so full lately, are spent soaking in my tub reading fiction. All to say- I haven't much to say other than to offer these images captured over the past few days. The fire that was the center of the time we spent together is not present but the awe of it is present in the boys' little looks of wonderment.

I love our little yard hangs, and I'm falling back in love with fall- the start of the season was very hard on me health-wise and I all but missed the Anne Shirley gratitude-full bliss of a world with Octobers.