While researching Mother's Day gifts that give back I came across Musee Bath, a Mississippi company that hires women in recovery, individuals with disabilities and people who have not had the opportunities of education. Their bath bombs, or balms, as they call them, looked nice and were fairly priced, so I ordered several for myself and for my sister-in-law. I have found my new favorite bath ... Read more
Finding the Joy During Social Isolation
In the first few weeks of social distancing, I was panicked, stressed and, frankly, depressed. I could not wrap my mind around what was happening. I was in denial about the changes we would have to make in the coming months. I told myself then that I would not force myself to be productive. I read a tweet that offered an important reminder: You are in a pandemic while still trying to work. It ... Read more
V’s Frozen 2 Birthday Party During Quarantine
** This post about V's Frozen 2 birthday party contains affiliate links. I am compensated for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting Floradise! My strong, brave, smart, funny and beautiful V turned 6 this week, and we celebrated her birthday quarantine style, that is via Zoom with our family. She is an Elsa fan, so she chose Frozen 2 as the theme ... Read more
Teacher Appreciation Day in Quarantine
Teachers deserve all the praise and much more. I've appreciated V's teachers before the pandemic forced me to facilitate my child's learning, but now even more so. V's teachers created lessons for the remaining weeks of school that contain activities for each subject. Each Monday-Thursday we find new lessons on her school iPad, while Fridays are catch-up days. I struggle with not only balancing ... Read more
New Tailwind for Instagram Features to Try
** This post contains affiliate links. I am compensated for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. I have shared in the past my experience with Tailwind for Instagram to improve and simpify my Instagram posting process and increase my engagement. The Hashtag Finder feature has been immensely helpful in switching up my hashtags and expanding my reach, as well as ... Read more
Things That Won’t Be the Same
These past couple of months have been eye opening. Every day I see social media posts by people wishing life would go back to normal. "When this is over ..., " they say. But some things won't be the same. Some of our behaviors will change, and some should. I've been thinking about some of the ways life will look different from now on and things that won't be the same, some minor and some ... Read more
Mother’s Day Gifts That Give Back
** This post about Mother's Day gifts that give back contains affiliate links. I am compensated for purchases made after clicking these links at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting Floradise! Now more than ever I am looking to support businesses that are giving back to their communities. With Mother's Day approaching, it's the perfect time to find a gift that is meaningful and ... Read more
Master Bedroom Reveal: Before and After
** This post about our master bedroom reveal features a gifted item from Photowall. This post contains affiliate links. I am compensated for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting Floradise! Our bedroom is becoming a relaxing sanctuary for us and that's taken some time. It is not 100 percent finished, but it's close enough to share and about as ... Read more
Working From Home With Kids During the Pandemic
You would think that since I've worked from home with at least one child at home for a few years now I would be a pro at it now that both my girls are home every day, but I am not. The truth is the reason I was able to do it before the stay-at-home order was that one of my girls was in school until 3 p.m. and that I hired a babysitter to come over and care for my youngest on my busy workdays. Now ... Read more
Keeping Kids Entertained With WE Events Chicago Craft Kits
Like so many parents, I've been looking for ways to keep my kids entertained and happy during this difficult time. It seems so unfair to them to tell them they can't go to playgrounds, attend swim lessons, play with friends or see family members in person, even though it's necessary. At the same time, I have tried to support local businesses, so I picked up some craft kits from WE Events Chicago ... Read more