Thursday, June 30, 2016

Life with Grayson: 2 Years Old


Grayson's been 2 years old for 4 days now, and it feels like it's been much longer than that! 

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Prep for Summer Travel & Avoid the Oops

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Walmart; all opinions expressed are my own.


If there's one thing you know about my family from following my blog it's that we like to go places. We were in Tennessee last month and NYC this month followed by Montreal this upcoming holiday weekend then my hometown of Columbus, Ohio in August. One of my top tips for successful travel is making sure to be prepared for returning home and that means making sure we're stocked on basic necessities like diapers, body wash and toothpaste. 


Monday, June 27, 2016

Lovebirds' 7th Anniversary Weekend in NYC


Happy Monday! It's our busiest time of year between the ending of Nia's school year (she started camp today!), our wedding anniversary (yesterday!) and Grayson's 2nd birthday (today), and we did it up big this time around with a quick trip to NYC.


Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Working Out With Michael Strahan & Meta Appetite Control

Disclosure: I was invited by Influence Central to attend a private fitness event as a guest of Meta; all opinions expressed are my own. 


Last week I was back in NYC as a special guest of Meta Appetite Control attending a private fitness event with Michael Strahan, his trainer Latreal "La" Mitchell and nutritionist Jessica Fishman Levinson. I was excited for a fitness challenge as I've been consistent with PiYo since last spring and as a fellow gap-toothed cutie, I've enjoyed watching Michael Strahan's post-football career take off. I was also intrigued by Meta's new product line - it's come a long way since being the fiber supplement of my parents' generation, and I was excited to see how they could help me control my cravings, of which I have many!  


Monday, June 20, 2016

Our Chill Father's Day Weekend


It's the official first day of summer, and we're already off to a running start! We had a relaxing weekend kicking off a beautiful stretch of weather at last over the next few days here in Portsmouth. I asked Uka a few times what he wanted to do for Father's Day, and he said he wanted to keep it quiet and most importantly, watch last night's game. That worked for me!

An Easy Father's Day Fix From Urban Armor Gear

Disclosure: I received samples from Urban Arbor Gear to facilitate this review; all opinions expressed are my own. 


Mr. Lovebird often laments my bad luck with technology especially my penchant for running through devices. Case in point: I'm currently on my 4th Galaxy S6 Edge in just over a year. This Father's Day when Urban Armor Gear reached out to me to review their cases I decided it would be a good idea to upgrade Mr. Lovebird's case. I've been using Urban Armor Gear cases for my Galaxy phones for years and no other case has ever protected my phone so well. The phone issues I've had lately are due to a faulty USB port, but when it comes to protecting my phone's screen from drops Urban Armor Gear wins hands down. 


Thursday, June 16, 2016

Why I'm a Fan of Blogging Small


I spent Tuesday in NYC for a special fitness event, and it was a welcome break to have a bit of "me time." I decided to take the bus down instead of driving since it'd give me time to read, write and be with my thoughts. It was a good day and made me realize it's something I need to try to do more often. Thank you to Mr. Lovebird and our amazing babysitter (who our kids love!) for making it possible for me to go. 

Monday, June 13, 2016

Quiet, But Here

What a way to come back from being MIA. 


I had to re-write and re-write this re-entry post, and while I don't think any words will do justice to the atrocity that just happened in Orlando I stand by my previous posts regarding taking action (here in 2012 with Newtown, here in 2015 with Paris and again here with San Bernadino). You can take action right here, right now:

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

June Expectations


Memorial Day weekend was quite the adventure for us down in the Smoky Mountains, and while I'm feeling a bit bowled over in recovery mode I'm so thankful for the time I got to spend with my family.  

I'd like to properly recap the weekend, and in the interim I have a few pre-summer thoughts to share before I run out the door for the day...