Mimi – Page 26

Living

Eight Years Blogging | My Thoughts + Will I Continue

I started this blog as a means to connect with the outside world when I found myself being a SAHM, something I never saw on the radar for my life. However, there I was, at home with two small children feeling a sense of loss and trying to fit into my new life. One of my best friends, Erika (you might know her) was in the beginning stages of building her interior design business and mentioned she was starting a blog.

What’s a blog? After her explanation, I decided I wanted one too. On August 10, 2010 I hit publish on my first post and eight years later, through a brand change and all, I’m still here.

When I started in this game, the love and connection was genuine, and there was little money to be made. I met mothers all across the world that I’ve laughed, rejoiced and cried with over the years. I’ve nursed a sleeping baby while pecking comments with my free hand during late night/early morning feedings. I’d be remiss to not say, I’m not sure where my life would be had I not discovered this community on a crash course with Blogger one night in 2010.

Over the years, this platform has afforded me graphic design, back end coding and all sorts of technical skills I never went to school for. I’ve learned the intricacies of social media and what it takes to build a connected audience by just being genuine. It’s allowed me to stay home with my kids during their formative years while earning an income. There was no mistake that I stumbled into creating and building via this little space on the web.

The game has changed, and I’ve decided not to play it by inauthentic rules. I tried it for awhile, and realized I came through when we valued what this space meant. It was (and still is for the most part) a place for women to connect in whatever stage life has them in. I wonder if people starting in the game now, wanting us to covet their expertise and beauty and travels and fashion while portraying their “perfect lives” and “perfect homes” and “perfect everything” for likes and opportunity really understand that the underbelly of this thing is powerful when you use it to connect and inspire folks by just being you.

Will I continue? Absolutely, so much of my personal growth has been documented here.

My outwardly struggles to make peace with my purpose, buying our forever home, the chronicles of trying to build a business, and my children’s milestones amongst a gamut of fashion, food and life posts all live here. They are documented and stamped in history, embellished by written words and photos that were my life at the time.

In essence I chronicled my raw, uncut life without really trying, and in the process connected with people I will cherish until I leave this earth. No perfect Instagram feed, or earnings will ever make up for that. So, I will continue to come here, albeit not as often as I used to, but often enough to make an attempt at bringing back the essence of why I started this place eight years ago today.

Simply put I want to connect, inspire and be inspired by you.

Thank you for continuing to come here, thank you for connecting with me, and thank you for allowing me to be me all of these years. Last year, I did a post outlining some of the milestones I’ve shared over the years, complete with photos and links to the special moments. You can find that post here!

As for the future of this space? Before, there was a plan about how I had to have these pictures and post this many times. I’m throwing caution to the wind and just being me moving forward. As my girl MJ put it, I’m putting the blinders on and doing what feels right to me, and not what is poppin’ in these blog streets. I can’t worry about the next person, I’ll do what comes natural, and that is mind my business.

I hope brands value my authenticity, and I will continue to only work with brands that matter to me, which in turn I hope matter to you.

All I can hope is that you continue to support, and share this space with your respective communities in anticipation that it continues to grow in an authentic manner. We all have a voice, and experiences to share, this is the medium I’ve chosen.

Again thank you for your support. Cheers to another year!

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Food• Living

Chicken Tikka Masala Meal Kit

“This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits. All opinions are 100% mine”

My children spent three weeks away with their grandmother this summer. The entire time they were away, I made sure to steer clear of the kitchen, as in no cleaning or cooking. My kitchen hiatus is over and it’s time for me to ease back into cooking nightly meals. New at Publix, FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits are making my transition back into cooking a little bit easier.

We are into the new school year, I’ve begun planning meals and mostly decluttered the house to ensure things move smoothly during the week. Thinking about all of the ripping and running we’ll being doing starting next week with each child having to be somewhere in the evenings EVERY. DAY. OF. THE. WEEK. has me exhausted already.

The reality of the situation is it will take a lot of team work and everyone pulling their load to make sure this house doesn’t turn into a den of chaos now that school is back in session.

While the kids are back in school, make no mistake about it, I’m still in summer chill mode. Chill mode consists of doing the least, which means meals need to be quick and preferably prepared in one pot. FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits fit the criteria and are one of my quick, go to meal options. The flavor is robust, chef-level quality and food is ready in 30 minutes.

These FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits are made with real ingredients, and come in additional flavors such as Tuscan-Style Mushroom Risotto, Shrimp Scampi and Spicy Szechuan-Style Chicken & Rice. Just add in the stated ingredients found on the back of the box, which you can pick up at your neighborhood Publix, and you are on your way to a tasty, 30-minute meal.

One thing I’ve learned in this process of learning to give myself grace is to embrace easy….and in this case tasty. As much as I would love to whip up a home cooked meal every day, I know my limitations and items like the FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits are the next best thing. Just because my time is limited, our dinner options shouldn’t be.

Let’s not forget I have a pre-teen who loves to cook. I think I’ll assign him a night to cook dinner, with my supervision of course!

Y’all know I’m all for sharing resources to make life easy, and the FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits are worth a try. I’ll be stacking them up, they are perfect to have on hand for those nights you feel like cooking a quick and easy meal.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN™ Inspirations Meal Kits.

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Beauty

My Skincare Routine with PURENEW

Thank you to PURENEW for sponsoring this conversation on skincare. All opinions are mine.

My makeup arsenal is about as basic as it gets. I like makeup, I really do. I don’t own much of it but I can pull together a decent look with the bare basics that I own, you know foundation, blush, primer, eyeliner etc. etc. etc.

In the past few months, I’ve become more concerned with my skincare. Okay, more like obsessed. I’ve started getting facials once a month and I’ve nailed down a skin care routine that is really working for me. It’s a mixture of Yes to Coconut products, the Mario Bedescu glycolic cleanser, a serum I picked up from Marshalls and Dermalogica. It’s a motley crue, but it works.

All of these products are topical, but as with anything from self love to clear skin, it all starts within. PURENEW, a fusion of the word pure and renew is a line of vitamin supplements developed to help improve your skin from the inside out. I’ll be the first to tell you that I am quite certain I don’t get all of the nutrients my body needs from the foods I eat. PURENEW supplements use premium ingredients and are backed by clinical studies and control standards enforced by the FDA to give your body and your skin an extra boost of nutrients to nourish your body on the inside and out.

The beauty (pun intended) of PURENEW is the products are optimized for skin health based on age related issues. So, since your girl is knock, knock, knocking on 40 the Professional Skin Clear I’m using is aimed at reducing wrinkles and promoting clear skin by increasing collagen and boosting moisture. Totally different from being in your 20s and 30s when the focus is on pores, fighting fine lines and dark spots.

A regimen of a healthy diet, lots of water and supplements where needed can help you feel and look your best. Always make the best decision for you. For more info on PURENEW be sure to visit their website.

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Living• Organization

Back to School | 10 Tips to Get Your Mind Right and House in Order

Growing up, I don’t ever remember going back to school prior to Labor day. While there are still school districts that abide by this trusty rule others are opting for earlier start times, to allow for more breaks during the school year.

July 30^th marks the end of 2 months of relaxation and no schedules and begins ten months of everything but. My children are heading back to the classroom and while a small part of me rejoices the other part of me is getting mentally prepared for all that going back to school entails and it includes more than shopping for school supplies and clothing.

Need some motivation? Here are 10 tips to help you get your mind right and your house in order for back to school:

PURGE

Throw ALL of the too little, no longer useful and unnecessary things away. From clothes, to broken crayons, to hair bows. If it’s broken, hasn’t been used or is no longer useful. Throw it away.

CREATE A STORAGE SYSTEM FOR SCHOOL WORK, CRAFTS, ETC.

Oh, the papers. I’m thankful for one in middle school that brings home minimal paperwork, but with one still in elementary, art work and a lot of ~~junk~~ stuff still manages to make its way home.

Setting aside a folder or a space to store these things make it easier to sort through later…. you know, the part where you decide on which art pieces get to stay and the ones you will toss when little eyes aren’t looking.

Here’s how I keep up with school work.

CREATE A SEPARATE EMAIL FOR SCHOOL CORRESPONDENCE

I can’t stress this one enough. It has been so helpful having one email address dedicated to my children and their teachers and extracurricular activities. It keeps me in the loop, and things like turning in field trip money doesn’t get mixed in with my Target emails.

I even made it cute with emojis.

ORGANIZE HAIRBOWS, ACCESSORIES AND OTHER SMALL ITEMS

Nothing creates stress like a bunch of little things just out and about. Corral those bows, hair pins, earrings etc. The Dollar Tree has exactly what you need to keep those things together so you know where to find them when you need them.

This $10 hair bow organization system has saved my sanity.

CREATE ROUTINES

Everybody needs a routine. What time will you get up, go to bed, cook and eat dinner, get ready for the next day? Not leaving these things to chance helps your day not get away from you. It also holds older kids accountable for doing what they need to do.

Post the routine up if necessary. Trina over at Babyshopaholic has a great morning chart printable for kids to use

SET TIMERS

When I’m moving, I’m just that. I tend to not pay attention to time so this method works for me. I set them for everything. I know when I should be starting dinner, walking out the door to get someone from practice, or when a meeting is set to start. Timers remove one more thing from the to-do list that lives in your head.

MEAL PLAN/COOK AHEAD

This part.

If I didn’t meal plan, we likely wouldn’t eat. I don’t like eating the same thing over and over again so meal planning is important to me.

If you are feeling ambitious, preparing foods ahead of time for a heat and eat option is great for busy mornings. My heat and eat breakfast sandwiches are perfect for having a good breakfast on the go. Make them at the beginning of the week and be on your way.

PUT THE SCHOOL SCHEDULE IN YOUR PLANNER OR PHONE FOR EASY ACCESS

Go to the school’s website and print out the entire schedule. Place it somewhere for easy access. Take a photo of it and save to your phone, put it in your planner, whatever works best for you. I’ve found this comes in handy when I’m trying to make appointments or schedule something and need to know the school schedule. Having it on hand versus having to look it up every time has been helpful.

CREATE A WEEKLY CHORE CHART

Cleaning the house needs to be a family affair. I tried doing the bulk of the work, and I’ll pass.

I’m still flushing out our new schedule and will share when I’m done. I’m certain the kids will be doing the dishes and folding their own laundry. Please, if your kids are older get them involved.

BULK SHOP FOR SNACKS, DETERGENT AND OTHER HOME ITEMS

Shopping for food and necessities can, and will eat up a lot of your time. Plan your store visits carefully, this not only saves time, it also saves money.

Think about getting a wholesale club membership for things like detergent, lunch snacks and cleaning products. They tend to be much cheaper in bulk and you aren’t shopping seemingly every week for home basics. In an average household paper products and detergent will likely last for three months. It is such a small relief to only have to worry about those things a few times a year versus every few weeks.

I hope these tips are helpful in getting your mind right and your home organized for the back to school rush. Have any you want to add, please do! Sharing is always caring.

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