A few months ago, I announced my popular Monday Mornings series was hitting the road due to an unexpected and exciting partnership with Allstate.

Allstate is an insurance company dedicated to protecting what matters most and there could be no better fit than a series dedicated to mothers, the people making sure their families are in good hands, everyday.

I'm not even saying that because Allstate agreed to fly my photographer around the country. I've been using Allstate insurance for almost twenty years— ever since my Mom traded up and gave me the keys to her old Honda Accord.

It was grey, beat-up and had a ski rack on top. I called her "Squirrel". Yes, my first car was a she.

RIP, Squirrel.

I also use Allstate for homeowner's insurance and have for the past ten years, so I was thrilled when they signed on to sponsor. I like to think it's because I have been such a loyal customer.

If you are new to the blog, Monday Mornings is a series I started last year with lifestyle photographer Raquel Bianca to prove there is beauty in every mother's morning, even if we need an outsider to see it. We select moms to photograph based on a brief written description of their mornings, having no idea what they look like or their homes look like.

None of that matters. You can find beauty even if someone isn't a supermodel and their home didn't come straight out of Elle Decor. There is beauty in small homes, large homes, messy homes, single parent homes and just about any other home you can imagine. There is beauty in a mom rushing around in her pajamas, a mom running off to work with spit-up on her sleeve and a mom waddling around in the last trimester of her pregnancy. Our goal is to find the beauty, surprise her with it and make every mother consider their mornings a little differently.

There were 688 entries and from them, we chose three moms in four different cities. The cities were chosen based on where we had the most entries and what gave us the greatest difference possible in familial set-ups and morning routines. They are Chicago, LA, Washington DC and we're combining a trip to Houston and Dallas.

A lot of people asked if we would also feature stay-at-home dads. Yes, absolutely. We asked for mothers to enter, but those mothers represent their families, which could obviously include a stay-at-home dad. In fact, of the twelve moms we selected, I believe two of them have stay-at-home dads that figure into their morning routines. We didn't even do that intentionally.

Without further ado, the moms are…

CHICAGO: Laura H, Shaneka F and Sara M

LOS ANGELES: Morgan S, Anna L and Andriana M

HOUSTON/DALLAS: Kristen W, Ashley M and Kristen B

WASHINGTON DC: Orisia G, Roxie H and Diane C

Raquel has already flown out to Chicago (Allstate's hometown) to photograph our first three moms. Next Monday, I will be posting our first Monday Mornings Mom. I am so excited to start sharing each unique family's photos with you. And so thankful every mom above was brave enough to participate.

Huge thanks to Allstate for making this possible.