Happy New Year 2022

{Photo credit: Angle formerly Shoot My Travel}

It's been a minute, hasn't it? I've been in a reflective mood and wanted to return to this space for a "where I've been post." 

Let's start with my Word of the Year:

July Feature: I'm on Work Like a Mother Podcast!

Today I look a look at my schedule and realized the summer is basically over! One stop in Staples and seeing all the school supplies perfectly lined up seemed to solidify that. 

It's been quite the hiatus here in this space! I'm most active on Instagram - specifically my stories - but am excited to share that I was recently featured on Work Like a Mother Podcast produced by Neighborhood Schools. 

Check it out (you can also search "Work Like a Mother on Spotify or Apple too!):

Here's a link to the summary transcript here! 

I'm excited to be doing a lot of cool projects offline, but please check out my personal website Quiana for all things brand me. 

For now I'm settling into 2 more weeks of camp for my kids then a few fun family adventures as things continue to re-open and we safely reunite with family and friends across the US. 

Safe travels to those of you traveling this summer as well!

Happy April!: Where I've Been

I had this post as a draft to go up last week and was going to say how excited I was to post monthly but alas, here we are at April! It amazes me how much social media has changed since I started this space in 2009 as a digital journal of young family life. While I continue to stay most active on Instagram, I'm grateful to still have this space to return to document important updates.

Here's where I've been lately...

Kicking Off 2021 with MEFA's U.Fund 529 College Investing Plan

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by MEFA's U.Fund College Investing Plan; all opinions expressed are my own. 

A New Year feels like a fresh start and 2021 feels like it is even more so than years past. In place of traditional resolutions, I like to create a list of 10 things I’m looking forward to each year and this year it definitely looks different. 2020 reinforced how important our family connections are as well as the importance of forward thinking. In sponsorship with MEFA's U.Fund 529 College Investing Plan, I’m sharing three things I’m looking forward to this year that center around our family’s plans for the future.  

Welcome 2021: Time to Align (& a Giveaway)

{Mug via Mud LOVE}

Exhale.

That's exactly what this Monday feels like to me.

I was over on IG TV this morning with a Happy New Year message explaining a bit more.

Check it out...

Zoo To You with MEFA’s U.Fund College Investing Plan

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by MEFA's U.Fund College Investing Plan; all opinions expressed are my own.

One of my family’s challenges this season has been staying engaged with many of our favorite sites including our local zoo. Thankfully, ZooToYou, brought to you by MEFA’s U.Fund College Investing Plan, brings the zoo experience right to you via Facebook Live!

Our Family's Boston Globe Feature

This past Friday, October 23 my family was included in the Boston Globe's "In the Family Way" feature showcasing how 3 local families are currently coping given all that's going on. In it I shared a day-in-the-life including what it's like balancing remote and hybrid learning for Grayson and Nia, respectively, as well as managing with Uka recovering from surgery. 

A Round-Up: Where I've Been

{via Images by Amber Robinson}

The silver lining of the social unrest this year is that I've been invited to share my voice in more prominent spaces. It's been both gratifying and unnerving as for the longest time I felt unheard and unseen, but even still in the face of Black Lives Matter as a trending topic interest is indeed waning. 

I'll still be here, steadfast whatever happens beyond this "awakening."

Anyway...

Here's a round-up of a few places I've been showing up ICYMI:

OK 40

For the past few years, rather than make New Years resolutions, I've curated a list of 10 things I'm looking forward to. As 2019 ended I had trepidation about creating my list and as the first quarter ended I realized it was good that I didn't. Most things I would've put on that list ended up canceling. Now, a few days into 40 years old, I'm recommitted to continuing to be thankful for my family and my health.

Mom-ing During Covid

Like Easter, Mother's Day 2020 was quiet and undocumented. I spent mine peacefully and was mostly left alone, but for 2021 I'm already plotting to get away solo for the whole weekend! 

In the interim my family and I are kicking off week 9 at home and week 8 of distance learning here in Boston. With 5 more weeks to go after this one (Lord help me!), it's been quite the test of patience and motivation. I've found the hardest part is imagining what the summer and beyond will look like, and rather than let speculation get the best of me (I tend to spiral into an abyss when I do), I've just been focusing on one day at a time.

2020: A Kevin McCallister Moment

Grayson meeting his Great Grandma Mary for the first time

A while back I was speaking with my Grandma Mary in Columbus, Ohio - my last living grandparent. I was lamenting over the fact that while there were a lot of positive things happening, I really would like for everything to pause for about 2 weeks so I could just breathe for a moment and catch up.

Yesterday, I called my Grandma Mary to check on her, and explained that it seems that I got what I wished for but in a twisted kind of way.

My Kevin McCallister Moment.

A Decade of Harlem Lovebirds: Where Am I?

Thank you Terrence Adderley for our fall photos!

October 1 marked 10 years of our family starting in Harlem. 

Ten. Years. 

Now more than ever I continue to see how this online space translates into incredible offline opportunities. 

A bit of what I've been up to...

How to Stay Married for 40 Plus Years

{Image via 1982 Creative Studios; bag by my mom: Designs by Lady Bee}

Today my parents celebrate 41 years of marriage. 

Without saying anything directly, they've taught me a lot about what it takes to be successful in marriage just by their actions...

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). 

GROUNDED!: A (Picture Heavy) Life Update

When I picked him up he told me nothing happened at school. Then his teacher shared this picture! 

Last weekend ended a 5 week streak of being on airplanes. It was so nice not to have to be in an airport! As my family gears up for a staycation Memorial Day Weekend I am absolutely thrilled to be grounded for the next 5 weeks until we return to Puerto Rico to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. 

Here's what we've been up to...

On The Shoulders of Giants: An Annual Black History Month Celebration

Last January when I wrote Quiana in Action I had no idea what the rest of 2018 would entail. It was a year of putting my head down and getting to work. I went into the year thinking I'd get a couple opportunities to share my voice through speaking at two conferences whereas by year's end I had been invited to speak 7 times. It was a stellar year and heading into 2019 I knew it'd only be grander.

Galentine's Day or Valentine's Day: It's Complicated

I want to say "Happy Valentine's Day," but I'm still relishing in the beauty that was my 2nd annual Galentine's Day party I hosted last weekend. Remember when I posted about my first one?

Galentine's Day 2019

Heading into it this time around was a bit different as my sister Ariane was in town visiting for a few days, and we sat down for the first time on Facebook Live to chat about our relationships with women...

Continuing to Raise Resilient Children

Saying that mothering through the current state of affairs is rough is a gross understatement. 

Literally, as a I type this the radio broadcaster is asking, "How are you coping with the avalanche of all this horrible news?"

Avalanche, yes.  

While it's tempting to put your head in the sand and continue to send "thoughts and prayers," going about sharing only tone-deaf posts of recipes, puppies and rainbows on social media, it's going to take more than that. 

My Top 3 Tips for Voting with Kids

Disclosure: I received a copy of Voting with a Porpoise for review purposes; all opinions expressed are my own. 

Tomorrow's a big day: Election Day 2018. 

I've taken my responsibility to raise civically engaged children very seriously and while my current state of activism was ignited by our time spent in New Hampshire leading up to the last presidential election, I wasn't always so civically minded. 

The first presidential election I had the opportunity to vote in was while I was in college. I could've voted absentee registered in Ohio, but I abstained as I didn't like any of the candidates. I wrestled with the thought and moved on. I now realize my mistake, steeped in privilege. 

Know better, do better.

What Happens on Your 9th Wedding Anniversary

Uka and I met in September 1999 - we were 18 years old, and I just a few weeks shy of my 19th birthday. It really does feel like it was yesterday.