Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in Houston?
I am a proud Houstonian, born and raised in the North Side of town.
Child(ren) and Age(s)?
Sebastian is my only child, but he definitely makes up for a whole football team. He is very adventurous and I always say he’s 4 going on 40!
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
After giving birth I suffered from post-partum depression, mainly in silence because I was in complete denial of my mental condition. I was able to really connect with my husband on a deeper level and we both were able to surpass a dark and hard time within our marriage and personal mental state.
Favorite local activities to do in Houston?
I wouldn’t say I’m an experienced runner nor a great one, but I really do enjoy a nice jog at the park, I really enjoy Buffalo Bayou along Allen Parkway or Kickerillo Mischer Preserve near Vintage Park! Also trying out different restaurants around the Houston area!
Do you have a favorite family-friendly restaurant in the area?
Pluckers Wing Bar! It’s our favorite guilty pleasure, we are also proud members of the Pluckers Club.
What local places do you go to for pampering and/or mom’s night out?
Nothing will ever beat Le Que Nail Spa in Spring, TX.
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
In April of 2018 I finally jumped the gun and started my food blog, Tacosandbubbly.
Backtrack to when Sandra lee had her show “Semi-Homemade Cooking” on the Food Network I fell in love with the semi-homemade concept, it was fast, easy, and so convenient for the working mom, someone who doesn’t want to be in the kitchen for 5 hours, or if you want to be the “Hostess with the Mostess”. Even at a young age I recognized the convenience of this fascinating concept. Fast forward to High School, I briefly attended Wunsche High School to study Culinary, and I absolutely loved it! Everything about working and learning in a full chef’s kitchen was extremely enjoyable for me all from learning how to cut to washing the dishes, the fast-paced environment is what created an adrenaline rush to want to continue to learn more and more.
After letting life take its course, I soon realized nothing could make me happy than being in the kitchen in any way, shape, or form. It was one of the escapes that I had when I was dealing with my Post-Partum depression and something that genuinely always keeps me happy. I would always post a few videos on Snapchat and on Instagram and a lot of my friends would always comment; “Wow that looks delicious”, “Omg I need to learn how to do that”, “Can you cook for me” (Mind you, this is before blogging was as big as it is now) I Kept telling my husband that I wanted to start a blog and add a few of the semi-homemade recipes I’ve created and perfected throughout the years, but I was always so scared in how it would be received so I left it on the back burner for a few years. Any time I would make something or go to a cute new restaurant I would always make a side comment to my husband like; “Omg how cute would it be to blog about this” “do you think people would recreate this at home” “I wish I could share this” until he was finally fed up, he took me to get a computer and told me, “Now you don’t have an excuse”
Now here we are ten months in and I couldn’t be any happier to share a few tips and tricks that I have in the kitchen. I’m not a professional Chef, but I’d like to think I’m a professional amateur Chef. Helping anyone master working around the kitchen they have in their home, and to make their family something delicious to eat is what makes me happy.
(Chicken Tinga, Salsa Verde, Chicken Tortilla Soup)
How has the Houston community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
Houston is an enormous city filled with a lot of different cultures so finding a small, but powerful group called Houston Latina Bloggers really helped me get my name and blog out to a lot of people within the community. Being invited to different events and being able to network with a lot of different bloggers and business owners helps tremendously with exposure!
(Picture of The Houston Latina Bloggers at our annual Christmas Brunch)
What is the best advice for juggling mommyhood and running a business (or volunteering, working, etc)?
Having those cute little ones become a part of what you do! Its so hard to have them playing or coloring in the other room while you work, because the more you try to keep them away and entertained with something else, the more they want to do and see what you’re doing.
Giving my son a spatula, having him grate some cheese, or crack an egg gets him excited. It grows his love for the kitchen and something we can bond over.
What would you tell the old “You” before you had kids?
SLEEP! Sleep as much as you can, and enjoy getting up and going whenever you want because after kids leaving the house even for a quick trip to the grocery store has to be planned out strategically.
Funniest shortcut/routine for helping you through parenthood?
Pretending to go to sleep all together so that your little one can fall asleep, and you slowly creeping away to sneak in an episode on Netflix.