Health

This post is in partnership with Genius of Play. All opinions are my own.

Unstructured playtime is one of the most important gifts you can give your children. In a world full of tech, tv and video games, kids today seem to be glued to their electronics and mine are no different. No matter how much I try to limit their screen time. Growing up in the city, there was never a shortage of neighborhood kids to play with. Sure, we had tv and video games were just becoming popular, but we all wanted to be outside. It was a neighborhood ritual that after dinner time passed the entire block moved outside. The adults would mingle and talk like old friends while the kids played tag, dodgeball, catch lightning bugs or just use our imaginations to play in our own little made up worlds. My childhood was amazing, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. [Read more…] about 3 Ways Incorporate More Playtime Into Your Day

This post is in partnership with EyeCare 20/20. 

If you’ve been thinking about getting LASIK only to be told you weren’t a candidate like I was, you probably learned what you were a candidate for – PRK Surgery. It’s been 60 days since I had my PRK surgery and while I had planned on posting a 30-day follow up, I just wasn’t ready. To say this procedure has been life changing would be an understatement. Prior to my surgery, I wore contacts (and glasses occasionally) for as long as I could remember. In fact, I don’t remember a time when I didn’t wear them, it’s been that long and without them, I couldn’t see much of anything. So just the fact that I can see all around me is nothing short of amazing. [Read more…] about My PRK Surgery Journey | Sixty Day Follow Up

This post is in partnership with EyeCare 20/20. All opinions are my own.

Having an eye surgery like PRK is a big investment into yourself. Whether you had it done already or are just thinking of getting it done, once your vision is great without your contact lenses or your glasses, you’ll want to do everything you can to keep your vision in tip top shop. So eating healthy, simple meals was a priority for me after the surgery. Since I didn’t know what I’d be like after the procedure, I planned ahead and prepped several different lunch and dinners to make it easy on my husband and kids. For breakfast, I prepped these Blueberry Mango Smoothies in freezer bags, so my oldest could whip up a smoothie for me (or for the kids as a snack). Since our diet plays a pivotal role in our overall health, including our eye health, what we eat and drink can help keep our eyes seeing great for years to come and after having PRK, I wanted to make sure I was eating plenty of eye healthy dishes. This Blueberry Mango Smoothie is packed full of delicious sources of vitamins that help prevent damage to our eyes plus it tastes delicious anytime of the day. More on the smoothie in a bit, but first let’s talk about how the surgery went.

[Read more…] about My PRK Surgery Journey | Post Surgery Update and a Delicious Blueberry Mango Smoothie Recipe

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Depend®. The opinions and text are all mine.

My favorite time of year is upon us. October through December are my happy months. I love decorating the house for the holidays (all of them), shopping, entertaining friends and most of all, spending time with family. Truthfully, it feels like just yesterday I was saying things like “next Christmas I’m going to do this” or next year “we’re going to do that instead”: time has a funny way of sneaking up on me quicker than I’d like. But now that the holiday season is here, I’m busy trying to get a head start on the season. It’s already October and my schedule is filling up quickly but I didn’t want to get overwhelmed. Between traveling, family parties and everything that goes along with it, I made a promise to myself that holiday season, I’m going to own my greatness and live the life I love without trying to be superwomen and doing it all.  [Read more…] about 5 Tips to Help You Live the Life You Love with Depend® During the Holidays and Beyond

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

There is no great joy than seeing my kids smile and that they’re happy. Parenthood has been quite the journey, filled with so many ups and downs. I can confidently say that things with my second baby were so much easier than with my first but I’m still learning. Every day is something new but one thing that never gets easier is watching your little ones when they’re sick. It’s such a helpless feeling just watching and wanting them to get better. Since it’s October, I wanted to use this as a chance to warn parents of something I wasn’t familiar with prior to my first pregnancy – RSV disease or Respiratory Syncytial Virus. My son had RSV when he was only days old and it was scary. One of the scariest moments of my life.  [Read more…] about October is RSV Awareness Month – Learn the Signs & Symptoms to Keep Your Little One Healthy