Wednesday, November 30, 2016

My Best DIY Advent Calendar Yet


We still have quite a bit of boxes over here since we moved in September and in a flash of panic yesterday it dawned on me that I need to dig through them to find the Advent calendar I made for Nia last year inspired by This Little Street's feature I saw on The Holiday Collective's Instagram account. I remembered I posted this teaser and realized I never shared the tutorial so here we go!


Monday, November 28, 2016

Zutano Cuteness on Cyber Monday

Disclosure: I received clothing to facilitate this review; all opinions expressed are my own. 



I'm back with more Cyber Monday awesomeness cause there's just too many good deals to share! Zutano's been adding extra cuteness to my children's wardrobes for many years now and this season is no exception (remember Grayson in his fuzzy bear suit???).


Cyber Monday with Minted Holiday Cards

Disclosure: I received a promo code to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.



While I'm in a bit of recovery mode post-Thanksgiving weekend, there's one thing I'm proud of myself for handling ahead of schedule: our holiday cards. For the 8th year in a row we're sending out our traditional New Year's cards and while I relish in the fact that I get a bit of extra time sending them out after the regular Christmas card influx, this year Minted's again made it super easy for me to finish them in advance.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Wordless Wednesday: Thankful Edition

    


Tuesday, November 22, 2016

My Emotional Response to W.E.L.L. Summit 2016


Last year was my first time attending W.E.L.L. Summit and it didn't take long for me to realize that it was going to be a must for 2016. Gianne Doherty, the founder, has curated an outstanding line-up of speakers which draw attendees that are kind, thoughtful and generous. This year was no exception and it was only made better by the fact that the location moved from Boston to NYC and that I got to attend with my two sisters who live there.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Winners: My Muse Dolls (& a Discount Code!)

Good morning, friends! I loved seeing all the positive feedback for my My Muse Dolls giveaway - thank you to everyone who entered to win and shared the giveaway. 




Here are the lucky winners:


Friday, November 18, 2016

Score Name Brand Fashion Finds at Kids for Less

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Kids for Less. All opinions expressed are my own.


Each season there's one truth that resonates with me as I consider my children's wardrobe: they grow too fast! Nia and Grayson both inherited their father's height (he's 6'8"), and while it's easier to ignore the crazy growth of their legs in the spring and summer months, by the time we hit fall and need long pants those pesky jeans genes smack me right in the face

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Review & Giveaway: Inspiring a Healthy Self-Image with My Muse Dolls

Disclosure: I received a My Muse Doll for review purposes; all opinions expressed are my own.




Watching my children in creative moments is one of the most rewarding parts of parenting. Seeing them focused on scenarios that they've created and even stumbling upon sometimes hilarious vignettes they've staged around the house brings humor to my day. With the holidays approaching, I'm looking for gifts that will inspire more of this creative play in my children so when My Muse Dolls reached out to me I was excited to learn more about their high-quality, diverse dolls. 

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Keeping Track of Things with Minted Labels

Disclosure: I received complimentary labels from Minted to facilitate this post; all opinions expressed are my own. 

 
Little did I know just a few months ago that we'd be in a complete upheaval suddenly moving from Portsmouth, NH to Boston, MA in about a month's notice. Although it's only about an hour's drive apart, as new home owners it's been quite the transition and that's included getting acclimated to Nia's new school.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Beyond Black & White: Breaking Down the Election in 5 Points

*Due to the the unique polarization of this election and how so many marginalized members of my community and readers are adversely affected I've decided to write this post.*


Oppression is beyond black and white - there are levels to this.
What happened last week was a symptom of something that's bigger than party lines, and I've spent the days since attempting to sort it all out. I keep coming back to our basic needs as humans and what motivates us. I've appreciated the thoughtful posts immediately following the election regarding what a vote for a hate-monger stands for, but I'm thinking beyond that.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

What We All Want

Early voting with my Lovebirds on October 26!
I returned from Blogalicious this past Saturday night in Atlanta, and two weeks before that I returned from W.E.L.L. Summit in New York City. These were repeat conferences for me, the former touching on blogging, and the latter touching on wellness (recaps forthcoming...). Driving home from W.E.L.L. Summit I suddenly got very emotional and started crying thinking of all the wonderful women I met and how, in the midst of so much hatred this election season (THANK GOD it's almost over), we all really want the same thing:

To live our best lives. 

Friday, November 4, 2016

I'm in Atlanta at Blogalcious (& a Winner!)


TGIF! I spoke yesterday here in Atlanta at Blogalicious 8 with Ashley Seward-Marshall aka Mommy Week so today I've just been soaking in the full Blogalicious experience. Oh and my little travel buddy's been making it EXTRA fun (did you see his little Blogalicious dance???).

Ashley and I spoke about Blogging Big

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

FLASH Giveaway: Kids' Movie Night with Kidfresh and Ice Age: Collision Course

Disclosure: I received promotional items to facilitate this post; all opinions expressed are my own. 



My kids and I have been longtime fans of Kidfresh so when I learned about their partnership with the newly released DVD Ice Age: Collision Course I was thrilled to surprise them. Nia saw the movie in the theater as part of our church's play date over the summer, and she raved about it and even asked to watch it again a few weeks ago before she knew she'd be receiving the DVD.