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.  

A Very Special Family Election Moment

How has it been a week since the announcement of the election results?!

Tee via @always.southern (and updated here!) 

I'm popping in briefly as we finish up a weekend at safe at home to share a bit of post-election joy...

Black Girl Joy Indeed

Nia had been baking and the TV was off when we got the big news in the family text. We turned on the TV and she lept for joy! 

My daughter's tears of despair 4 years ago have now turned to tears of joy.

This is when I really got choked up...

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. 

Back-to-School Snacking with Hood Milk

This post was sponsored by Hood as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Remember that color-coded schedule going around during the first round of distance learning? My kids' favorite color was "snack time!" With a few more weeks left until school starts, I'm partnering with Hood Milk to share my family's back-to-school snacking strategy. Hood Milk contains no artificial growth hormones and has important nutrients for my growing kids!

Here's what's working for us this back-to-school snacking season...

#TBT Decade Edition: Happy 10th Birthday Nia!

Left by my BFF Julie McGee; Right by Sweet Escape Photography

 

Yesterday, my Nia turned 10 years old! I originally shared this caption on this Instagram post and wanted to capture it here on the blog too:

Celebrating in the Midst of Covid

*This post contains affiliate links; thank you for your support!*

A couple weeks ago when Grayson declared he was going to have a "dumb birthday" due to Covid-19, I set out to make sure that wouldn't be the case. I get that we're all having to make adjustments, but especially for the kids I'm saddened at how things have turned upside down for them.

2019 - 10 year vow renewal in Puerto Rico
{Photographer: 1982 Creative Studios}

 

Those of you who have been following me for years know how big of a celebration the month of June is for me and my family. Of course there's Father's Day and the end of school here in Boston - we ended on the 22nd (it was supposed to be the 19th, but they just *had* to tack on a Monday as a make-up snow day), and the complications of distance learning made it even more celebratory.

We ended the week with our 11th anniversary followed by Grayson's 6th birthday.

Here's how we made it a good week...

Book Giveaway: When Pencil Met Eraser

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book for review purposes; all opinions expressed are my own. 

One of my favorite experiences reading to my kids is when we're reading and they let out a chuckle - or even better, a full blown laugh! That's exactly what happened when I read my Kindergartner When Pencil Met Eraser, by Karen Kilpatrick. It's a tale of friendship, cooperation, and creativity!

Ready for Paris with Whistlefritz

Disclosure: Whistlefritz provided complimentary language products to facilitate this review; all opinions expressed are my own. 

When Nia was a toddler we traveled to Nigeria with a brief layover in Paris. Basically the closest we got to experiencing any part of the city was grabbing a sleeve of macarons before hopping on our connecting flight! Since then we've discussed returning for a dedicated trip and in a few short weeks we'll finally have that chance as a family. 

While we've been careful not to over plan our trip and allow plenty of time for just wandering around the city, one thing we've been doing to prepare is learning a bit of French and doing it in a fun way thanks to Whistlefritz, an award-winning, immersion-based language program.

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...

Happy 9th Birthday, Nia!

As I type this, Nia is just a couple hours shy of officially turning 9. She is quite serious lately and has specifically requested no birthday party this year. I knew there was a shift when for the first time last year she decided to have a birthday party at the house. It turned out that it rained for the first time ever on her party day, so it was perfect!  

Easy Summer Birthdays at Chuck E. Cheese's

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Chuck E. Cheese's . The opinions and text are all mine.

Summer birthday season is in full effect in our household and that includes making a plan for each of my children's birthdays that keep the intense summer weather in mind. 

That's where Chuck E. Cheese's comes in! 

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...

10 Years and 5 Years

It's good to be back in Puerto Rico...

10 years married for me and Mr. Lovebird

5 years on Earth for the Littlest Lovebird.

Back to airplane mode...

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). 

What a Weekend: Wellesley, Wear Orange and DanceNastics

At Boston's Wear Orange Day

This past weekend ALL the things converged! Was it like that for you too? I had 3 annual events on my calendar: Wellesley's reunion, Moms Demand Action's Wear Orange Day and my daughter's dance recital. 

It was a lot so when I woke up Sunday early evening after a 3 hour nap it truly felt like a dream that I had made it (SUCCESSFULLY!) to the other side of all of those big events.

I'm deeply affected by sunshine so when I saw the forecast called for sun all weekend here in Boston it immediately made me feel like I was one step ahead of the game!

It made all the difference...

4 Reasons Why We Love Goldfish Swim School - Needham

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Goldfish Swim School. All opinions expressed are my own.

Grayson's duck lips! I never know what I'm gonna get when I take a pic!

So much has happened since we first signed up to partner with Goldfish Swim School in Needham, MA including an amazing spring break cruise and our decision to drop a couple extracurriculars and add in more pool time!

Let me explain...

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...

Spring Break: We. Just. Beach.

Waiting to leave Miami...

Last year's dramatic start to our spring break cruise experience is something I *still* haven't shared yet on social media, but this year came a close second! We flew for the first time out of Islip on Frontier Airlines (hooray for saving money!), and it was great except for the ridiculously increasing traffic on the drive down. Next time we'll take the ferry O_o. Once we got over the madness of running to our flight, everything was mostly smooth sailing from there (pun intended!)...

Water Safety at Goldfish Swim

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Goldfish Swim School. All opinions expressed are my own.

We are in full-on spring break readiness mode over here, and I thought it'd be the perfect chance to give a quick update on how our experience at Goldfish Swim School is going. We partnered with the Needham, MA location, and I've been thrilled by my kids' progress and enthusiasm for swimming!

Check out how they're doing...