Welcome to the Super Mama Series! I created this as a way to showcase actual messy-but-beautiful lives of women who are mothers and live creatively. By no means are any of us perfect, but we are striving to do our very best. Super Mamas are women who mother sacrificially, love deeply, and acknowledge their weaknesses gracefully.

Meet Yasmin Campos. 

She is a graphic designer & portrait/lifestyle photographer residing in the sun city of El Paso, Texas. Yasmin works as a full time graphic designer during the day while also managing her own Photography & Graphic Design business, Coffee Creative LLC, with her husband. As a new mama, she fell in love with capturing the bond within children and families, though her favorite subject will always be her baby, Olive. She loves Christmas music, Diet Dr. Pepper, Amazon Prime, and Bravo. Follow along with her on instagram @yasmincampos and see her work at www.coffeecreativephotography.net

ON MOTHERHOOD

"I value my time a lot more. Everything revolves around my family and every action that I do begins with the question, how will this benefit/help my family? I see myself as a more complete human being and closer to the person that God created me to be.  

I wish someone would have told me that there is no perfect one way to do things. As a new mother with my daughter, I stressed myself out trying to do everything the right way. I'm not even sure what that meant, but I felt this big cloud of judgement if I didn't nurse exclusively, if I didn't buy only organic food, etc. etc. Again, the biggest person judging was myself. I needed to learn how to give myself grace, and someone to tell me that everything was going to be ok. I kinda wish someone would have warned me about all the craziness that happens when you give birth, and by craziness I don't mean the lack of sleep, but rather the month-long periods, and the recovery time. But I kinda get why no one wants to talk about it.

The best advice has been to always put my marriage first. With doing that, I am able to be a better mother and show my daughter what a healthy family and marriage looks like. I tend to block out the bad advice.

Recently, Olive was really into Melissa & Doug's Water Wow books. I love them because they allow her to be creative without the mess. Lately, I hate to admit it, but YouTube has been a life-saver for days where I have a work-filled evening. Olive loves watching educational videos on her ABC's and colors. I love to see how much she has learned from them."

ON THE WORK LIFE JUGGLE

"Family and work life is a balance that we all try to find, and the more I think about it, the more I wonder if it really exists. This was a biggest and most life changing thing that I've had to deal with. It was a lot easier when she was a baby, but now as she gets older it's been a struggle and I'm still trying to find that balance.

As a full time designer, with also a full time design + photography business, my time has never been more precious. I wouldn't be able to do half of the things I do without my husband's help, but that guilt of not always being able to be present is tough. I would definitely like to change the amount of time I spend with my family. I would love more time to work on things for myself and not just for work. I would love the time to be able to experiment with recipes on Pinterest, and be able to keep up with the household chores. I've always been a workaholic since the day I could work, and it's a quality that I've always admired in people, but as I get older, being a workaholic is something I admire less and less. Although my parents worked a lot to make ends meet, I always remember them being present, and making sure they made time for family vacations and celebrations. I want Olive to remember us the same way.

We both work full time and the chores at home are usually split equally. I do the cooking and he does the laundry, and we help each other with the stuff in between. One of the things I admire about our relationship has been our communication. If something isn't working or one of us is feeling defeated, we aren't afraid to speak up and let our feelings be heard in a healthy way. Because I am also a photographer, I tend to be on shoots after my 8-5 job or on weekends, so he's usually the one watching Olive when I'm working. It's just about teamwork and doing what's best for the family in the long run.

Seeing how quickly my daughter is growing up has helped me on being more selective on the projects I decide to take on. [So I'm] trying to not say yes to everything and make more time for my family."

ON SELF-CARE

"I like to relax and watch guilty pleasures like Bravo's Real Housewives. Not sure how I even have time to watch every season and city. Other times when I want to recharge and be inspired, I love going to a bookstore and flip through design and photography magazines as I sip on coffee.

Confession and prayer are what help me recenter my focus. These practices help me remember that everything in this world is temporary. Sometimes, it's easy to stress over the littlest problems, and when we take a step back, we realize how minute everything is when compared to His bigger plan.

I recently got a facial for the first time, so using my new facial cleansers and creams are my favorite, and my skin has never felt so soft. My faves are Dermalogica's precleanse balm, PCA Skin creamy cleanser, PCA Skin hydrator lotion, and Dermalogica's phyto replenish oil. And, I cannot do without my strawberry chapstick. 

Lately, my favorite outfit that I've worn for at least 3-4 times in the past 2 weeks has been a comfy beige sweater that I found at a second hand store, black skinnies, and my white vintage adidas. My go to style is casual and comfy.

I think it's just about making that decision to make time for [self-care] and knowing that in doing so, I will be a happier person, thus result in a happier marriage and life."

ON FAMILY TIME

"We recently took our first trip as a family to Los Angeles. I used to live there in my early 20s, so everytime I get to go back and visit, I am the happiest. Our most recent time was different because it was Olive's first time there. It was special in a different & new way. I loved taking her to art museums and to see the ocean for the 1st time. The most crucial part as a traveling parent is to always be overly prepared with everything; diapers, wipes, snacks, entertainment, the list goes on. My husband and I worked together in trying to make sure that Olive didn't get cranky and that everything went smoothly.

[A perfect weekend is] one where I completely unplugged with social media and work. Where we wake up without alarms and spend the entire day in pjs hanging out as a family. Just being fully present in the moment.  Celebrating Olive's 2nd birthday [was the best moment lately]. We mostly kept it simple between just the 3 of us. It was nice to not stress about the Pinterest-perfect party and cake, and just enjoy the occasion."

CHECK OUT YASMIN'S FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOKS & MUST-HAVES