Growing Up Strong 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.

I recently took my children to their annual wellness visits and thankfully they received healthy reports, and our doctor also confirmed something we see every time we visit: their heights are nearly off the charts! Staying on top of their health is something that's important now so more than ever and continuing to focus on nutrition is top priority for my family. Thankfully, Hood Milk has been a staple in our home and I'm confident in knowing that each serving provides my kids with 8g of protein and 9 essential nutrients. 

Winter Entertaining with Paperless Post

Disclosure: This post is in partnership with Paperless Post; all opinions expressed are my own.

Flake Fall

We are enjoying a quiet holiday break at home, but not without a few parties to celebrate! One of my favorite parties to throw is an Open House party where we literally have an open door for about 4-6 hours alleviating the pressure for everyone to show up at a certain time. We stock plenty of easy-to-heat-and-eat apps, delicious drinks and tasty treats. Here are a few Paperless Post invitation options to inspire your guests to show up and show out!

5 Ways to Experience "Christmas on Nantucket"

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

Yesterday we had our first snow of the season, and I'll admit it: I picked up a couple mini-Christmas trees for our mantle decor. The Christmas season is upon us! We're looking forward to sticking close to home and spending some time on Cape Cod which will be a fun opportunity for my family's first visit to Nantucket, an island 30 miles off the Cape. The new book Christmas on Nantucket is a beautiful guide of what to expect during our visit, and I just have to cross my fingers that it snows so it looks as dreamy as the photos!

Author Leslie Linsley's way of describing Nantucket interspersed with over 200 gorgeous images of the island makes planning my family's visit truly enjoyable. I'm excited to share 5 ways that I'm looking forward to experiencing Christmas on Nantucket:

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.

My Favorite Paperless Post 5th Birthday Party Invitations

Disclosure: This post is in partnership with Paperless Post; all opinions expressed are my own. 

Grayson may have turned 5 years old while we were away, but it didn't stop me from wanting to at least host a play date with his little buddies when we get back. 

Paperless Post has the best designs and awesome customization for electronic invitations! Here are a few of my faves for a 5th birthday celebration...

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...

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...

Prepping for Galentine's Day 2019 with Paperless Post

Disclosure: This is sponsored post in partnership with Paperless Post; all opinions expressed are my own. 

We've just about made it to 2019 and can you believe Valentine's Day merchandise is already in stores? I don't mind because I'm excited to throw another Galentine's Day party! Last year was my first time throwing one, and it was super simple to set up especially with the help of Paperless Post. 

Promoting Kids' Brain Health with Vitamin Friends Just Focus Vegan Gummies

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

As an 80s baby I still remember the chalky taste of my morning vitamin each school day - they somehow seemed like a treat to me. Fast forward to now as a mom of a 4 and 8 year old and there are so many more options available. My kids have become self-appointed vitamin connoisseurs!

Easy Holiday Cards with Minted

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Minted and contains affiliate links; all opinions expressed are my own. 

 

I have a confession: if you send me a holiday card I save it forever! Moving 5 times across 4 states since we became a family has helped us make many friends over the years, so when the holiday season comes it's such a joy to see the updates come through the mail. Social media is great and all, but there's something to be said for getting a piece of mail and slowing down to relish in how old friends are doing, displaying the cards prominently as they arrive. 

This season will be our 4th partnering with Minted, and I love how stress-free they make it. I have something extra special planned for this year's card, and today I'm sharing my top 3 tips that have worked for me over the years:

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.

inherQuests: Fun Financial Education for Girls

Disclosure: I received a sample from inherQuests for review purposes; all opinions expressed are my own. 

Last week we had Nia's 3rd grade parent/teacher conference and there were no surprises: she continues to do exceedingly well and we are grateful for stability as we just celebrated the one year anniversary of her transfer to a new school after years of transitioning between 5 other schools. 

We are in a good place, but we are not complacent. 

Back to School with PhysicianOne Urgent Care

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by PhysicianOne Urgent Care as part of an influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

This week has been a big one for my family: with my son starting his second year of preschool yesterday he and his sister are now at the same school and will continue to be there through the entire school year. While it's been quite the celebration, we've also had a rough week health-wise, but we are thankful for the care we received at our local PhysicianOne Urgent Care facility.

Planning a Perfect Party with Paperless Post

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

My Baby Boo at his 1st birthday

It's hard to believe that Grayson turns 4 years old in just a few short weeks, and this year since I'm traveling his birthday weekend I pushed his party out by a week. He is quite the opinionated preschooler and has requested a train themed birthday party so when Paperless Post reached out to partner together it was perfect timing! I've always loved seeing the beautiful details when I receive a Paperless Post invitation (the most recent being my sister's upcoming bridal shower), and I was happy to see they have quite a few adorable train-themed invitations. 

Take a look...

My Peter Rabbit Movie Garden Party

Disclosure: I received samples to facilitate this review in partnership with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment; all opinions expressed are my own. 

This was my 9th Mother's Day and if there's anything I've learned is that there's nothing wrong with making your own day special. When a special Peter Rabbit Movie surprise arrived for me and my family I knew it'd be perfect for a Mother's Day Garden Party. We had seen the movie in the theater when it was first released and absolutely loved it so when I set up everything for my kids to see they were so excited!

Princess Awesome on Spring Break

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

Last week's re-entry from spring break has been a bit rough, but today some warmth finally arrived here in Boston! We've been looking back at some of our favorite moments from the cruise, and I love this one especially:

Isn't Nia everything? 

Eating Local with Just Add Cooking

Disclosure: I received a Just Add Cooking meal kit to facilitate this review; all opinions expressed are my own. 

As the seasons change I'm inspired to start switching up our meals accordingly to lighter fare (hello grilling season!) as we ease into spring here in Boston, so when I was invited to try Just Add Cooking, a meal kit subscription, I was especially excited because it's New England-based.

Here's what I love most about Just Add Cooking...

Grayson and His superMOPI

Disclosure: I received a complimentary superMOPI for review purposes; all opinions expressed are my own.

If you've followed me on social media for some time there's probably something you've noticed about my 3 year old son, Grayson: he stays living his best life. From his Michael Jackson re-enactments to being his big sister Virginia's best dancing partner ever (remember this?), he is one of the happiest kids I've ever met. 

When superMOPI reached out to us during our recent cold snap here in Boston to see if Grayson would be interested in giving the bike a try, I gave a resounding yes! We get a bit stir crazy inside the house and one quick glance at the awesomeness of superMopi, and I knew Grayson would love it. 

I was right!

Celebrating Chinese New Year with Ling Ling Asian Kitchen

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Ling Ling, all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Since moving to Boston there's something my family has been in search of, mostly motivated by the New York City upbringing of Mr. Lovebird: delicious Chinese food. When I was invited by Ling Ling to cook alongside Chef Katie Chin, author of Katie Chin's Everyday Chinese Cookbook, I knew it might help with my family's search. Perhaps I could pick up some techniques so that I could create the meals my family misses from our time in NYC.