A few years ago I took the minimalist approach when it came to my wardrobe. I learned so much about myself, and my wants/needs. It really made me reconsider running to the stores every second, and simply shopping my closet. You never know what gems you’ll find. Below, I’m sharing some of my favorite shop you closet tips.

Google

If you have somewhere to go, and you’re not sure what to wear. Use Pinterest/Google as inspiration. I’ve created so many cute looks that I was inspired from.

Get Organized

As the season changes, it’s the perfect time to keep your transitional pieces insight, and transformation in that season’s wardrobe.

Fix

Fix whatever is broken, and you can always color pieces that have faded and/or have stains.

Later seasonal pieces

I’m big on layering seasonal pieces. I have so many staple pieces that I wear throughout the wear. Plenty of spring/summer dresses I’ll dress up or down depending on the season simply by adding a blazer/jacket.

Mother’s is quickly approaching, and whether you’re thinking about going out to eat or hosting the ultimate Mother’s Day brunch with your besties. I wanted to share a few menu ideas. What I love about these items, is a lot of them can be purchased pre-made from most stores. Like most moms, the last thing we want to do is spend all day in the kitchen.


What’s your favorite brunch item?

Mother’s Day Brunch Menu Ideas

Quiche

Fruit Platter

Cheese and cracker platter

Croissants

Macaroons

Cinnamon rolls

Juice (orange juice, cranberry)

Bagels and cream cheese

Bacon, sausages

Salad

Yogurt and granola

Pastry’s

Cold Cuts

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Attire Breakdown

As the saying goes "A Sunday Well-Spent Brings a Week of Good Content". I get it, no one is perfect. However, I’ve learned throughout the year things that have really helped me along the way. For instance, when my son was smaller I would batch iron his clothing for the week, and get everything ready from his socks to his sneakers. It made the week run so much smoother for my family. It may seem so simple, however planning for the week ahead really does simplifies things.  

Below, I'm sharing Things To Do Every Sunday for a Productive Week.

Things To Do Every Sunday for a Productive Week

Contact Family

As simple as it sounds, it's so easy to lose touch with friends and family, even with social media. Why not have a block of time on Sundays where you check in with friends/family. It's a great way to stay connected with loved ones, and abrest of upcoming events.

Take your clothes out for the week

This is something that I've been doing since my son was in preschool. Not only do I take out his clothes. I take out my clothes for the week as well. I'll typically have several outfit looks put together just in case I need to leave on a whim. I'm not spending hours putting looks together.

Wellness

Whether you exercise daily or weekly. Why not include a little wellness into your day? Whether you decide to go for a walk or do your normal workout routine. This is such a great way to kickstart a new week and healthy routines.

Journal

I've incorporated journaling into my daily routines, however, if you can't journal on a daily basis. I would at least suggest journaling every Sunday to decompress and get your thoughts out from the prior week. There are so many writing prompts for journaling. Just do a quick Google search to get inspired. You don't need a fancy journal. I just use the one that I purchased from Target.

Go Grocery Shopping

Based on my menu plan, it makes it a lot easier for me to go grocery shopping. I know what I need for the week, and I'm able to get my home fully stocked, especially since winter is fast approaching, and snow days will be following closely after. Since I tend to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, I tend to go to the grocery once a week. However, do what works for your family, maybe based on your needs you only need to go to the grocery store once or twice a month. Do what works best for you and your family.

Meal plan for the week

If you've been following me for a while, you know that I meal plan weekly, for myself, and my family. It takes a ton out of the stress of "what's for dinner" everyone already knows what for dinner. I don't have to run to the store to pick up items, and a lot of times. I can place the items in the crockpot, and it's done prior to everyone returning home for the day.

Wash clothing

Though I typically try to was load clothes at least every other day. I try my best to make sure that all of the clothing in our home is washed by Sunday. It just makes for a better transition into the new week, especially with having children who play sports.

Clean your home

I'm not sure if I'm the only person, but I can not function properly if my home is dirty. Let not forget about taking twice as long to look for something due to it not being properly placed in the correct destination, and/or it's covered over a pile. Take a moment to clean your home.

Review Your Planner and/or Schedule

I know this may sound simple. But it's super easy to add stuff to your planner, and/or phone, and totally forget about it. Trust me, get into the routine of checking all of your planners/calendars on Sunday in order to properly prepare for the week ahead.

Schedule/plan your week out

As the saying goes, a goal without a plan is just a wish. Plan your week out, create goals for yourself. This really does cut back on forgetting to do stuff. Do you need a refill on your prescription, do you have to return a call or follow up on email. This is the perfect time to plan out your week.

• Monday: Schedule a Dentist Appointment
• Tuesday: Follow up on Ambers Email
• Wednesday: Looking into Doctoral Degree Programs
• Thursday: See about any new job opening
• Friday: Schedule a Lunch date with Marina

Create a To-Do List

I've learned that I'm highly productive during the week when I create a to-do list on Monday. You can easily section the list down to items that need to be completed by a certain day of the week of prioritizing your list in any way that you see fit. This really cuts out constantly thinking on Monday or even trying to remember everything that needs to get done. You can also always add to your list.

Create an At-Home Spa Day

I know this might sound silly, however for me personally, it's so nice to start off my week rejuvenated from just simply having an at-home spa day. This honestly doesn't have to take much, and you can do what works best for you.

Do you have any Sunday routines?

This post is sponsored by TakeActionForHealth.org. All opinions are of my own.

I’ve always been really transparent about my passion for educating others to take action with their health. Growing up, my maternal and paternal grandmother passed away at a very young age due to health complications. My maternal grandmother passed away when I was just a few months old. My paternal grandmother was in the hospital all of my life, due to going into a diabetic coma, and she never fully recovered after coming out of her coma. I’ve always questioned what preventative measures could have taken place to have them here with me today, and what resources my family could use to stay on top of our health. 

Like many people growing up without both of my grandmother’s was hard. Now that I’m raising a young adult it’s so important to pass on resources to my son, family and community so that they can make better choices in life, and really educate themselves, and reduce being at higher risk.

One of my goals for this year is to focus on my overall health and to continue to lead by example with my son. Black men are at greater risk with heart health, and resources like TakeActionForHealth.org really allow me to give my son access to the resources he needs at his fingertips.

Emotional health is such an oversight in the Black community. I once read a quote that read “your friends and family are not your therapist.”, With resources like TakeActionForHealth.org, it makes it so much more accessible for people in the Black community to get the help Emotional help that they need. I know your family is their to support and listen, and be there for you in any way. However, it's just nice to not always have a draining conversation or feel as if you're a burden to someone else. You can easily access TakeActionForHealth.org for your Emotional Health needs. 

 

What I love about TakeActionForHealth.org is that this site aims to reduce some of the greatest health risks facing the Black community today:

• Emotional Health
• Cancer
• Heart Health
• Prediabetes
• Kidney Health

TakeActionForHealth.org is exclusively developed for the Black community. I’m thankful for TakeActionForHealth.org for providing the cultural sensitivity that the Black Community needs and trying to reduce the health disparities. What I love about this site is that it’s super easy to use and navigate through. Plus, it’s also FREE.

Visit and register for TakeActionForHealth.org today!

TakeActionForHealth.org is in partnership with Anthem, Inc., Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Golden State Medical Association, National Urban League, Pfizer Inc., and 100 Black Men of America, Inc.

It officially a year since the pandemic has started, and I just wanted to share a few tips to keep you safe while traveling whether it's for leisure or to spend time with friends, and family. It's so important more now than ever to just take little extra precautions. Below, I'm sharing a few tips to stay healthy while traveling.

Learn Your Body

It's so important to learn and know your body. Pay attention, at the first sign of not feeling well start to track your systems, and at that point, it may be a good idea for you to take natural remedies.

Water

Water plays such an important role in flushing out toxins. Make sure you're drinking plenty of water during your travels.

Wash Your Hands

I’m not sure why we sometimes forget how important and effective just washing your hands with soap and water is. I know it sounds simple, however, it works. I was always taught to sing the happy birthday song while washing my hands to ensure that I’m actually walking them long enough. It’s a great indicator for children and adults. Of course, use hand sanitizer when you do not have access to clean running water and soap.

Surface Wipes

Wipe down your surface. I like to travel with surface wipes. When they’re provided at the grocery store during your travels use them on your shopping carts. Don’t forget to wipe down your phone and other items that you use on a regular basis during your travels. Surface wipes are not the same as hand wipes and they should only be used on the surfaces recommended. Purchase surface wipes to sanitize the hard surfaces around you.

Take Supplements

I’m big on taking supplements and using immune boosters. I’ve been using a few this year and I must say that I’ve seen a huge difference. Travel with an immune booster, make sure to take your supplements regularly. This plays a major role in you continuing to stay healthy during and after your travels.

Hand Wipes

I know when always do not have access to soap and water. I try my best to always carry wipes along with me. It’s so easy to touch a doorknob or an elevator button and then use that same finger to grab and eat fries with. I see it all the time, and I think it's just a habit for most. Try to keep hand wipes on you. I love the individually wrapped ones to have on hand.

What are your favorite ways to stay healthy while traveling?

Pin for Later! 

 I purchased these mules shoes last fall, and honestly, I wish I would have purchased a few pairs in any, and every color they came in. They've honestly been my go-to shoe this spring. They pretty much go with everything, and they're so comfortable. I haven't recently purchased too many shoes that are slide on, I loved the trend years ago, and I just wasn't sure about it this time around. I'm so happy that I did decide to add a pair to my collection. These shoes are truly where style and comfort meet. 

Are you a fan of mule shoes? How was your weekend? 

My Attire Breakdown

I'm always looking for ways to improve my wellness needs, and I'm so happy that I had the opportunity to try Red Ace Organics. Not only does this taste amazing! It's only two ounces and is perfect to carry along with you whether to the gym, your day-to-day life, or simply during your travels. I love that I do not have to worry about the ingredients. There are no fillers, no sugar added, and no sodium added. Just key nutrients! Red Ace Organics is so versatile. It can be added to your meals used as a marinade, salad dressing, or mixed in your yogurt and for drinks such as mocktails and cocktails, smoothies, or even hummus dip. Red Ace Organics has been the perfect pick-me-up for me and has now become a part of my daily routine.

To be honest, I never had a Rose Sangria until last year. I was visiting one of my favorite brunch spots and decided to give it a try. I was blown away by how refreshing this sangria was. Months later, I decided to give this a try for Easter, and my family loved the recipe. Not only is this recipe super easy to make. It's such a nice twist to a regular sangria recipe. I didn't add ice to my cups. because everything was already chilled. However, please feel free to add as much ice as you like.

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 bottle rose wine
• 1 – 2 oranges, sliced
• 1 cup sparkling water 
• 2 tablespoons (vodka, optional) 

Instructions

1. In a large pitcher, combine pineapple, sugar. Stir until sugar has dissolved.
2. Stir in wine, orange slices. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Top with sparkling water before serving. 

Pin for Later! 

This past weekend I went to a few parks, and I was so insipred by all of the picnics I seen people having. As I've mentioned in the past. One of my gavorite places to have a picnic at is at our local rose gareden. However, We have so many amzing parks in my state as well that are by the water, and would be perfect to have a picnic at as well. Below, I'm sharing 6 Tips to have an Epic Picnic.

6 Tips To Have an Epic Picnic.

Schedule
I love going on picnics on a whim, however, if you truly love going on picnics why not schedule them into your life? It makes it so much easier if you go on a date with your spouse or have a picnic with your besties. Schedule the time to really have a well-thought-out expeiernece.

Plan
Why not plan for the ultimate experience, I know, a picnic doesn't have to be this in-depth. However, with everything going on. It's really nice to have something to plan, even if it's on a small scale. Planing can be as simple as what you're going to wear or if you're going to go with a theme.

Location
What I love about picnics is that you really could have them pretty much anywhere I have several places in my state that I love to visit however even having a picnic in your backyard really is fun as well. So as you’re looking for the perfect spot to have your picnic if you have a hard time finding a perfect location what about your backyard what about a local park what about a local flower a rose garden. Ask around, your friends and coworkers might have a place that they've enjoyed visiting.

Food
Food is one of the most important parts of any picnic however this doesn’t have to be a stressful situation. You can easily go to your local grocery store and pick up the items that you need prior to going to your picnic destinations. There are times where everything is homemade and there are also times where the Mr. and I will pick up a bottle of wine and our favorite Chinese food and go to our favorite destination and enjoy a meal. Don’t feel like you have to create the perfect meal and spend hours in the kitchen, decide on what you would love to have to eat, and then work around that.

Budget
What I love is that about our picnics is that we typically create a budget for them. This is something that you don’t necessarily have to do however we love finding creative ways to have budget-friendly date nights. It’s really amazing we surprise each other each time with how well we're able to stay under budget. Create a budget and a list of the items that you want and need in order to execute the perfect picnic for you and your and spouse or guest.

Essentials
Is also very important to have your essentials like your picnic basket blanket and of course items like hand sanitizer. Make sure that you have your essentials on hand and in a designated spot so if you do decide to go on a picnic on a whim, you know where everything is located at I typically will have a blanket in my trunk in the spring and summer months just in case we decide to go to a local park or beach and have a picnic.

Do you have any tips for planning the perfect picnic?

Pin for Later!  

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Attire Breakdown

 Ikea is one of my favorite places to shop at. Last week I decided to take the trip on a whim, and I'm so happy that I did. Last summer was the last time that I visited, and I had to wait outside due to all of the restrictions. This time, I was able to walk right in, and really walk around, and look. As prior mentioned, I'm in the process of transforming my office, and Ikea is one of the places that really gets my creative juices flowing. Below, are a few photos from my trip. 

My Spring 2021 Ikea Trip