It's Time to Go Outside Again!

In partnership with IPEMA/Voice of Play.

Anyone else miss freely enjoying the outdoors? I know I do! For the last year we have been at a standstill! My family had a big trip planned to Disney World in April of 2020 but Covid-19 said otherwise!

March 2020, the entire world stopped- like legit stopped! Everyone felt the effects in some manner and honestly, your race, religion, or economic status played no factor; COVID-19 caused EVERYONE to take a pause. Parents all over the world were left wondering what to do when schools and daycares closed left and right. Needless to say, we were all traumatized.

Now, while we all were affected, I believe children were hit the hardest. They were forced away from their friends, routine and were expected to simply adjust. Our kitchen tables became classrooms and parents were required to juggle school, work and everything in-between.

Personally, I was STRUGGLING! The first few months were the hardest on me and my family. We were stuck in the house with internet issues while attempting to balance virtual school, Zoom meetings and normal everyday family life.

By October 2020, I was comfortable enough for our first park visit. It was awesome to FINALLY go outside again! While it was very different interacting with social distancing guidelines and mandatory masks, it was nice to see my children outside again just being kids. Although we went on daily walks, it just was not the same. They needed their own element to be free and just PLAY!

Voice of Play is a non-profit organization that promotes growth in the quality and quantity of children’s free play and the use of playgrounds. Through unbiased, scientifically-based information and resources, the Voice of Play aims to increase education and awareness about the many benefits of children’s play, including the development of critical physical, emotional, social and cognitive skills. Now more than ever before, the Voice of Play initiative is focused on getting kids (and their families!) back outside so everyone can reap the many benefits of free play. We’re encouraging you and your little ones to sign the Voice of Play “Play Pledge” and commit to at least one hour of outdoor play each and every day.(via https://voiceofplay.org/about/)

How do you plan to spend time outdoors this summer? Here are a few tips to help you get your kids back outside!

Tips for Visiting A Public Park or Playground

If you’re ready to head to your local park or playground, kudos to you! Here are a few things I recommend that you do to remain safe:

1.      Bring Hand Sanitizer

2.      Disposable Masks

3.      Bottled Water or drinks

4.      Snacks

5.      Disinfecting Wipes

6.      Hand soap

That’s it! Do what naturally feels comfortable and follow the guidelines of your local park and community. Allow your children to engage with others! Trust me, they truly miss the interaction! And remember, before you leave, wash your hands with soap and water.

Not so sure about visiting your parks or playgrounds just yet? That’s okay and totally understandable, Everyone has a different comfort level but what matters is your child returning to outside play time! Let’s ditch the electronics and PLAY! You will be surprised where their imagination takes them!

Tips for at Home Play

1.      Go outside! Take a walk or run; fresh air is good for your overall health!

2.      Allow your child to pick an activity for the day.

3.      Purchase outdoor toys and place them in a basket. These will be only used for outdoor play and encourage your littles to go outside.

4.      Have a playdate! Invite friends over with children – this not only gives you a chance to see others but allows your child/ren to play with others.

5.      Plan rainy day activities! (i.e. arts and crafts, dramatic play, reading books)

Getting back to outside play time has done wonders for not only me but also my children’s mental health. I see more smiles and less arguments. This has also taught me to intentionally take “outside timeout breaks” for my house that means we drop everything and go outside. I’ll be the first to admit that work can be overwhelming and with a toddler in tow, television and toys will only have his attention for so long. He’s ready to get in the open air and just run or kick around the ball and I will definitely allow that.

I challenge you to join me in taking the Voice of Play “Play Pledge” to spend more time OUTSIDE playing with your child! Sign the pledge here and be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see your pledge!

Spring is Here - Creative Cedar Designs Octagon Wooden Sandbox

Spring is here! Let the Outdoor Fun Begin.

Spring is one of the best times of year. I love seeing the flowers bloom and the beautiful weather. I even enjoy the seldom rainy warm days! Spring is my jam!!!

While spending more time at home these days, I’ve had to find a way to get the kids outside and what better way than a sandbox! I seriously love the beach and one of my favorite things about the beach is the sand! So this made perfect sense to me.

I found this sandbox online at Amazon at a killer price under $150 and its wood. It was really easy to put together. It says all you need is a Philips screwdriver but we used a drill and I’m sure it helped things go faster. It took my daughter and I 40 minutes to put together.

After reading the reviews, people have found that 600-1000 pounds is a great range to filling the sandbox. I personally used 500 pounds because there was limit on how many I could purchase. I do plan to get 2-4 more 50 pound bags to help fill our sandbox.

My kids have had the chance to spend time in the sandbox on several occasions and they are loving it. The cover makes it easy to close at night time. I don’t worry about things getting in it and I place a brick in the center on nights that it’s expected to rain.

Check out this sandbox and a few others that will be worth checking out.

How are you and your family preparing for the warmer weather?

My Birthday Wish for 30

The good part about getting older is you stop trying to prove anything to anyone, including yourself. All you are in the pursuit of is collecting experiences - beautiful, fragile little soap bubbles that you store in your heart, and every once in a while you pull one out and gaze at the delicate pictures it shows you. –Twinkle Khanna

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

2020 was truly an eye opening experience. The world LEGIT stopped; it didn’t matter who you were, how much money you had we were all equal. COVID sucked and technically still does, but you know what there was some good. Being force to stay home for almost a year taught me a lot and I think it prepared me for the next season of my life. I learned resiliency and on my worst days I learned that God was still in control and is plan was and always will be best.

I’ve challenged myself to love me more, to reach out when I need help, and be the person I want to be. I know that my health must become a priority if I want to live the life I am working so hard to obtain. I’m choosing to put myself first; for years I’ve allowed life, kids, family and friends to become the priority while neglecting myself.

My wish for 30 is simple – may I be all that my heart desires.

I personally have not been a huge fan of affirmations – it seemed silly at first. It’s like for the last 3 or so years I’ve heard people speaking of “manifest this” or “affirm that” and I had to be reminded that the bible already taught us that! Sometimes, we just need a little reality check.

• Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.  Proverbs 18:21

• Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Phil 4:8

• And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. Matt 21:22

• So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

My Affirmations for 30

1.    I am capable of anything that I put my mind to.

2.    I am beautiful.

3.    I am raising free thinkers and generational cruse breakers!

4.    I choose me.

5.    I stand up for myself and I stand by my decisions.

6.    I am a strong black woman.

7.    My past experiences don’t define me.

8.    What is meant for me will not pass me by.

9.    I am proud of how far I’ve come.

10.   I love me.

In honor of my journey to loving myself more each day I took my own #dirtythirty photos. I must admit it was a little freeing to have to watch yourself and know how you feel most confident and accept the parts that you may not like as much.

Here’s to 30 being a WHOLE MOOD!

10 Things to Remember - Love, Life, and Relationships

Have you ever felt really…meh? Like you weren’t sure where you were going on how thing would turn out? Me too!

I do believe that’s just a part of life but I also believe that change can happen but it starts with YOU!

Today, I want to share 10 Things to Remember about love, life, and relationships!

1.     If a person WANTED to – they would.

2.     She is standing on a line between giving up and seeing how much she can take.

3.     A woman wants to be surprised, loved, and doted on.

4.     Let every man be swift to speak, slow to speak and slow to anger.

5.     The little details matter.

6.     Never trust a man/woman who tries to destroy you when he’s/she’s mad.

7.     We repeat what we don’t repair.

8.     Forgiveness is making the conscious decision to live in the present…even if the past still hurts.

9.     Tomorrow is not promised – so love the ones who love you.

10.  Be silly, have fun, be different because you only have one life to live.

One major change I’ve made recently is learning to care for myself. You would think that it’s an easy task, but honestly it’s not. Have you ever heard the saying “you can’t pour from an empty cup?” Well, honey I’ve been trying. Reality set in a few weeks ago for me and my body completely shut down. If you don’t take care of you…who will?