Harlem Lovebirds: Hey June: Thoughts on Fun, Guilt, and Sponsored Posts

June is a celebratory month for my family, and I'll admit it's been hard in the wake of everything happening lately in the world to balance festivities while being concerned and informed. There's some level of guilt there, and I'm thankful to have finally started therapy earlier this spring to help manage it (amongst other things).

This past weekend it rained here on Father's Day (a goofy pic honoring Mr. Lovebird is here), but we still had an enjoyable weekend visiting our community's new playground and making a delicious chocolate cake as part of Test Kitchen Kids recipe testing program (not sponsored - I'm just obsessed with ATK!). Grayson handled the cake batter and Nia continued the following morning by making the icing. It was our first time making a homemade chocolate cake, and it was so good! The only person that didn't eat it though was Grayson - somehow he inherited a recessive gene that makes him averse to cake and cookies.

Her shirt read "Self Made" - she wore it on purpose knowing it was awards day!

The kids have half-days today and tomorrow then we have some last minute prep before heading to Puerto Rico. Speaking of balancing fun and concern, we have a community service project in the midst of celebrating our anniversary and Grayson's birthday while we're there. It's been 3 years since we've been to Puerto Rico, and I'm curious to see what's changed since Hurricane Maria. I know it'll be an emotional visit, but I'm thankful to be able to make the return trip with family and friends.

Where I'm at lately: @HarlemLovebirds

Before we head out this weekend Nia and I have a special sponsored event which I'll be documenting on my Instagram Stories - that's where I am mostly lately! I remember when I used to poo poo on Instagram, but now I find it's my #1 platform for not only where I find myself going, but where I engage most with my followers. And speaking of sponsored events, while I've had light sponsored content vs. years past I'm definitely more selective now with who I partner with and look forward to a few more summer campaigns coming up.

As the summer kicks off I want to thank my followers who have traipsed around between here and my various social media platforms. This blog has opened up quite a few opportunities for me including these two recent podcast and Facebook Live features below. I appreciate everyone who's watched/listened, shared, and given me feedback on them so far:

AMAZE Parents: Facebook Live

My Greater Now: Go-Getter Podcast