A Heart To Heart From One Mom To Another

This Mother’s Day marks my third as Maizah’s mom. I literally don’t remember what it feels like to not be her mom. It’s one the greatest honors of my life. But the thing I strive for the most is to be more myself as I grow as a mother.

DRESS // c/o Rent The Runway — NECKLACE // Hallmark c/o JCPenney — SHOES // Windsor

PHOTOGRAPHY // Christopher Jamar Payne

This post is sponsored by JCPenney and Hallmark. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Being Maizah’s mom has easily been one of the greatest blessings of my life. While it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle of the demands of parenting, being a mother has made me more of myself – truly understanding what matters to me most and loving the skin that I am in.

Many times when women become mothers, we’re thought to be these one dimensional creatures who only care for their children. But we’re way more than that. We’re resilient – we’re planners, cooks, stylists, chauffeurs…superheroes if you ask me. But the thing we’re most is human. And that is the greatest lesson motherhood has taught: how fantastically human I am.

For Mother’s Day, it was really important to me to take sometime out for myself. Throughout my day to day life, I give and pour so much into others, especially my daughter, which is awesome and I love to do. But self-care is imperative to being a good mom, because it allows you to have to energy and bandwidth to properly take care of others.

I’ve been working out lately and really prioritizing my health. That has allowed me to have more energy and feel more confident when I get dressed, especially for shoots like this. While this dress is sleek and sexy, I love this Hallmark Diamonds Heart of Hallmark Collection for JCPenney necklace I paired with it. It’s a silver cross with delicate gold and diamond details. I love pieces like this because they go with a formal look like this or can be worn everyday. It’s such a quality piece while subtle yet beautiful enough for any occasion. A great gift from the heart. The best kind of Mother’s Day gift.

This Mother’s Day, I encourage you to take some time out for yourself. Go to the spa, dress just because or go buy yourself your favorite meal have lunch alone while daydreaming about your future. Everyone will be ok, you’ll be refreshed and refueled and be a happier mom with a little more energy.