Mommies Behind the Blog: Maritza of Milkshop

Today we have a young family of six. Maritza of Milkshop just welcomed a baby boy to their family. She's a personal shopper, stylist, and a closet detox specialist based in New York. With all that she does, I invited her to share some of her secrets at just how she keeps up with her family and her growing business.Please note that the interview took place before she welcomed her baby boy.1. Name, occupation, how many kids?Maritza Bernard, Owner of Milkshop < a personal shopping and wardrobe styling agency >. I have 3 kids and am 9 months pregnant with my 4th :)2. You are currently pregnant with your fourth baby. How have you been feeling and how is this pregnancy different than the rest?I am so thankful to say that I feel great. I think that the biggest difference this time around is that I am always HOT! My family sleeps in their sweats because i have the AC cranked down to 68 degrees! I also get tired a lot faster than in the past but I think it’s only because I am taking care of more kids this time around. OH! And I have acquired a nice little cluster of spider veins on one of my legs which I am praying will disappear after baby is born. The battle wounds of pregnancy are not pretty!3. Tell me how a typical day looks for you?Every day is different. I really try to get them outdoors as much as possible since our winters can be so long and cold. This summer has been amazing! Low humidity and only a few days over 87 degrees so we have been in heaven.A typical day for us usually look like this…Our days usually start around 6:30/7am, we say a morning prayer and then the girls will watch Nick Jr. or the Disney Channel while i make breakfast. After we eat breakfast we all get ready for the day and we are out the door. I prefer to get them out of the house early and either hit the park, library, farm, hang with friends etc. I pack lunch or we will grab something while we are out depending on what we are doing. I like getting back home by 2 so everyone can take a little break. They are usually pooped which means I can then work on emails, shop for clients, order groceries online while they play in their room, basement or nap. I feed my kids dinner around 4:30/5 if we are home so i make theirs and prep dinner for my husband and I. I will also pull out a craft, Playdoh, sticky sand etc. on the counter in the kitchen (something that doesn’t require my help so i can get dinner made). The girls eat and I hang with them and chit chat about whatever they are thinking about, which usually turns into us playing their favorite game “guess what animal”. We finish up, clean up and they get their jammies on, brush teeth, read 1-2 books, then lights out by 6:30/7. At that point my hubby will usually get home so we will eat dinner together and then sit down on the couch and watch out favorite show on Netflix which at this moment is Scandal or I will shop for clients and blog. I find it easier because I am not missing out on my kids day to work at night, plus I can do it while having a glass of wine! This sounds like such an easy breezy day when I am writing it out but as all moms know there are tears, fighting, and timeouts usually thrown in there :) My favorite days are those that have little to none of those things!4.Tell me about your mommy style?My style is eclectic, edgy and bohemian. I also love color and rarely find myself wearing black. This summer I have lived in cut off denim shorts, light weight tanks, kimonos and floral or global printed dresses. Since I am constantly hot, I have to wear something that is light-weight. I love love love shoes so i make sure to constantly rotate between my sandals and sneakers since I live in boots all fall and winter.5.What essentials do you carry inside your bag?If I am out with my kids I carry my larger Cleobella Deja bag. If I am out by myself, I’ll use something smaller like my Clare Vivier Maison messenger bag.Here is what usually goes with me on a daily basis:1. My Erin Condren planner, I cannot live without!2. A notebook and pen, i forget everything if i don’t make a list and write everything down.3. My cellphone and wallet (my husband got me this wallet, up until this point I never really had a nice wallet :))4. A doodle pad and crayons for my kids5. A little jute bag with Carmex lip balm in cherry flavor, Nars lipgloss in orgasm, Mabelline big eyes mascara, my prenatal vitamins and hairbands6. Another little jute bag with bandaids, Neosporin and purell (there is always someone who is getting a boo boo at some point during our day!)6. What's your favorite room in your house and why?I love the kids playroom. It is the room where we can all spend time in and play and be silly. We can watch movies together, sing, dance and play dress up, plus the laundry room is down there as well so I can catch up on that while whey have playdates. It is also bright and cheery so you automatically feel happy when you are in there.7. Your favorite thing to do when you have time alone?Getting a manicure/pedicure is my guilty pleasure.8. Three things you can't live without?1. yes to grapefruit face moisturizer2. Sunglasses3. Chips Ahoy! Candy Blasts cookies after dinner every night.9. Favorite go-to store for kids toys/clothes?I do a lot of online shopping since I have clients all over the country. So I end up shopping for my kids and myself online as well since when I am scanning the internet I always seem to find stuff I love. My go to for kids clothing are Minoukids, Peek, Roxy Kids, Crewcuts, Tea Collection … if I am in a pinch I will normally run to Gap because I live 5 minutes from it. For shoes I usually hit Zappos because they do free overnight shipping and I usually am ordering them because that morning they woke up and none of their shoes fit! lol. For toys, I go to our local toy store Try n Buy or Auntie Penny, both of these stores have great customer service and will gift wrap everything beautifully. You can even call ahead of time and ask them to pick something out for the birthday child in the amount you want and they always pick something fantastic!10. What's the biggest challenge with blogging, working, and being a mommy? Have you hired help?Being present in the moment. As mothers, we are so good at multi-tasking but sometimes I feel like it can truly get in the way on focusing on what really needs to get done. I have to make a huge effort to carve out time specifically to work and not get distracted with household things that need to get done. Same thing goes when I am spending time with my girls… I make an effort to not look at my phone or check email. I find that when I focus on what I am supposed to be doing in that moment everyone is so happy. I do have help, she watches the kids while I work and helps me around the house. Since all of my family lives in California, I feel blessed to be able to have someone that we love, trust and can depend on with our kids.11.What's your favorite activity to do with your daughters?I love when we get to picnic or go get frozen yogurt. I find that when activities revolve around food we have the conversations that are hilarious, touching and surprising. They are always thinking about things I would never expect. They ask really good questions about life and are very curious about funny things. Most of the time it ends up with me Google-ing their questions because i don’t know how large an elephant’s tusk can get or where we can find the world’s smallest puppy. In the winter time it’s definitely snowboarding together. My husband represents Burton Snowboards in the Mid-Atlantic so it’s been amazing getting our kids and their friends out on the snow, plus it makes the long winters go by faster doing something fun every weekend!12.What words do you live by?Live each day as if it were your last.13.What's a current goal you are working towards?Blogging more consistently. Since I am always shopping or doing closet detoxes for clients, it’s hard to make blogging a huge priority.Thank you Maritza for sharing bits of your life. You can catch more of Maritza through her blog, Pinterest, instagram, Facebook, and twitter.