Living – Page 26

Living• travel

Family Friendly Things to Do in Miami

My husband is from Miami. The struggle of getting someone who was born in a highly popular tourist destination to take you to do touristy things is absolutely real. This past weekend we travelled to Miami for his family reunion. Our free time offered up the opportunity to do touristy things, and we absolutely made the most of the limited amount of time we had. We were able to see a few very neat places in Miami that I am looking forward to going back and exploring when we make it back, and have more time. One of the things I’m thinking about doing is checking out the fascinating famous people from Miami, Florida. This is just one of the things you to consider if you want to maximize what you get out of your trip.

If you are headed to South Florida here are a few family friendly things to do.

SOUTH BEACH DUCK TOUR

The South Beach Duck Tour is a 90 minute tour that rolls through the streets of South Beach offering an up high view of the city, along with a in-depth history and architecture lesson on the inception and growth of South Beach. After about 20 minutes our ride turned into a boat and afloat the water we toured the mansions of stars and learned more about the history of Miami.

The ride was full of energy and music.

Once aboard land again we cruised the strip, a.k.a. Collins learning more about the rich history and architecture of South Beach

SOUTH BEACH

After the tour we took a quick walk down to the beach. In the past I have assumed that South Beach wasn’t for kids, while crowded there wasn’t anything inappropriate for little eyes. At least when we were there. I will say it was extremely crowded and it was very hot. I would recommend an umbrella if you intend on taking kids out there in the heat of the day.

We ventured back the next day in the evening after the family reunion cookout. It was much better in the evening, the breeze and the sound of the waves at high tide was everything.

WYNWOOD

Miami, like many major cities undergoing regentrification there is new life being breathed into areas that were once forgotten . This section of Miami really intrigued me. The area was full of walls decorated with graffiti, its known as the Wynwood Walls. I really would have loved to have gotten out and walked the area taking photos. The art scene in Miami is very vibrant. The kids were intrigued. We definitely have to make this a priority when we go back.

I did capture this one.

Across from the wall above was an open air food truck area that seemed like it might be all kinds of lit once the sun goes down. The sun was up while we were there and it was HOT. The ambiance nonetheless was right up my alley.

Much like many other major cities, Miami has a Children’s musueum and zoo that we are looking forward to exploring once we make it back. I really enjoyed our short little getaway. The change of scenery and fun in the sun was just what we all needed.

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Living• MOMing• Summer

Our Go With the Flow Structure Free Summer

Summer vacation is in full swing and I have a confession. I’m not for all of the structured activities that I’ve seen floating on every one of my social timelines. I don’t particularly care about the “summer slide,” I’ve printed out worksheets but have not policed their completion and probably won’t. I’ve let them sleep in until noon, enjoying the quiet and the break from their rigorous schedules that is our life for about 10 months of the year.

Like every other mother that halfway lives her life on the internets, is smitten with Pinterest and Facebook groups, and can withstand convos with other moms about how important it is to keep structure over the summer I grabbed those workbooks with lofty goals of having daily work hours and have failed miserably the past three weeks. I may just print off one of those summer bucket lists just to say I did. It won’t get completed either. However, I have made a conscious effort to make sure we spend time outdoors reducing screen time, that’s about as strong as it has been so far.

They need a rest and so do I.

To be honest, I don’t remember doing work over the summer. Outside of reading books my summer memories are of playing outdoors, jumping double dutch, swimming, traveling and hanging out with friends. Ever seen those memes where they compare how growing up in the 80s looks compared to now. I have literally spit out water laughing at the stark difference in how we parent versus how we were parented.

Do kids need to be challenged over the summer? Probably

Will they perish from ignorance if they aren’t challenged? Probably not, I mean look at me….or not.

We’ve been taking it easy these first three weeks of summer. Casually going with the flow and spending our evenings under the water from the hose, taking in late night runs to Sonic for half off milkshakes after 8 and a trip to Ikea. It doesn’t take a lot to create summer memories.

I don’t subscribe to mom guilt. If my kids start school behind because I let them be kids and do a worksheet all helter skelter as the days of summer pass them by in exchange for a little outdoor fun and relaxation I’ll take the heat. Just remember we all parent differently, what works for one may not work for another and that in no way says anything about the way you or any one else parents, it simply means you do what you want with your kids.

If you are failing at summer structure don’t feel bad girl. I don’t.

How’s your summer going?

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Living

Gift Giving with UnCommonGoods

Thank you to UnCommonGoods for sponsoring this conversation. I was compensated for this post

This time of year is about as busy as Christmas when it comes to gift giving. From teacher appreciation to graduations, to Father’s Day, to bridal and baby showers, May and June abound with gift giving opportunities.

I’m one of those rare people that think gift cards are highly impersonal although I toss them around with wreckless abandon, simply because I’m usually waiting until the last minute and gift cards are easy.

I have a friend that gives the best gifts. Her gifts are always so thoughtful, it’s like she listens to your inner thoughts and they show up on your doorstep unannounced and unexpected. I want to be that friend.

Brooklyn based UncommonGoods is known for offering products that are environmentally friendly and responsibly sourced. It is here you will find a variety of items that are handmade, and crafted from organic materials. They are dedicated to offering products that do not harm people or animals in production.

If you find yourself slacking in the gift giving department, UnCommonGoods has a little of something for everyone whether it be for a holiday or just because.

They offer a variety of gifting items for this time of year.

Find great gifts for men and dads at UncommonGoods here

Visit UncommonGoods to see more bridal shower gifts

Go to UncommonGoods website to see the great selection of personalized wedding gifts

I can attest to the fact that every time I have gotten a thoughtful and unique gift I always remember who gave it to me. Social Media has inadvertently made everything less personal. Giving gifts that show some thought and effort go a very long way in this climate. Take a look at UnCommonGoods the next time you have a gift giving need!

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Living

5 Habits to Track for a More Organized & Healthy Life + Free Printable

Planning really and truly is necessary to living an organized life. When you think of planning on an overall scale you naturally document your normal activities to include places you need to be, along with children’s activities etc., but there are other activities you can track that add another dimension to creating a more organized life.

Bullet journaling is one aspect of planning that I don’t really indulge in but I take bits and pieces from this method to track certain areas that involve my health and home related activities. Here is a great source to learn more about the ins and outs of bullet journaling. One aspect of bullet journaling that I use is habit tracking. Habit tracking essentially is a way to keep track of more mundane tasks, and in turn you may find you need to increase certain habits and decrease others in a quest for a more organized, healthy and balanced life.

Creating an organized life is a process. One of the first steps I took in starting the process of getting organized was creating these weekly lists that made my life easier. I then moved on to a more in-depth method of planning utilizing a planner. Now I’m adding in habit tracking.

There are so many pieces of our lives that are moving simultaneously that there really isn’t a one size fits all solution. Creating a system of your own that works to fit your lifestyle will ensure you stay consistent in planning the idiosyncrasies of your own life.

Here are 5 habits that are easy to track via paper or app. A quick google search will get you the best apps to track your habits. If paper is your thing this free habit tracker printable from Life on Waller is a great start.

WATER + FOOD CONSUMPTION

Half your body weight in ounces per day they say. Tracking your water consumption is a great place to start. You may not hit your goal everyday, but with tracking you at least know where you are lacking or what happens on certain days that may hinder you from reaching your goal and how you can counter those issues.

Tracking food consumption is quite common. This habit tracking doesn’t have to always be tied to losing weight it can simply be to make sure you aren’t eating beef and broccoli on the same day every week.

EXERCISE

Your schedule may not allow for a set exercise regimen but setting a goal for at least 3 times a week and tracking your progress in meeting that goal is a start to seeing where you may be able to add in a few more minutes.

CLEANING + HOME MAINTENANCE

Our air conditioner recently went out and we went around and around on when we thought the unit was last serviced. Tracking home maintenance is a great way to stay on top of things that need to be maintained in your home. Had we realized it had been 3 years since our system was last serviced we could’ve been proactive and saved ourselves a ton of money and aggravation.

As far as cleaning goes, I pick up here and there utilizing this cleaning schedule. This schedule doesn’t account for those deep cleans that need to be done periodically. A great way to add a habit tracker to this is documenting when you dusted, cleaned the baseboards or did a more in-depth cleaning. Your goal may be to attack these tasks once a month. Tracking when these activities were last done will keep your house more clean and organized. This is a great way to know if you need to call in the cleaning service or roll up your sleeves and get to work!

HEALTH RELATED ACTIVITIES

I have hypertension and I make it a habit to track my blood pressure. I don’t do it as often as I should but it gives me an idea of where my pressure averages. I’ve seen spikes that I can relate to what I was doing at the time, like traveling or a stressful time in my life. This is very helpful in helping me manage my stress levels, exercise and food intake.

Other health related activities that I track include my cycle and sex! With busy lives it is hard to remember when these things happen so to make sure I’m prepared and my marriage stays happy I like to see when these things occur for my personal record.

There are tons of health related items you can track depending on your individual needs.

WHAT YOU WORE

How many times have you wondered, “When was the last time I wore this.” If your desire is to get the most out of your wardrobe, tracking what you wear is a great way to do that. We all have our favorite wardrobe pieces that we can wear in the ground, forgetting that we have tons of other options that need love as well. Something as simple as taking a daily photo or jotting your daily ensemble in the notes section on your phone can help you keep track of your fashion sense.

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