Sporty Mommas

Mommy Driver

Filed under: Mom Life ·

This week was bananas. No crazy is a better word. I will just start off saying that after 9 hours of sleep, I am still exhausted from the hustle and bustle of this past week. Let’s see there was a teacher planning day on Monday so it should have been easier cause its a short week but not with 3 kids going to separate schools.

If you are following my Instagram stories you know I spend most of my days in the car. That’s where most of my selfies take place. In my car. I am getting used to it again but it is quite stressful trying to get everyone where they need to be, get my work done, and you know all that other mom life stuff. I somehow managed to cook two days in a row this week and pick up snacks for the volleyball team lol. Oh and I forgot to mention that my mother in law had to go to the ER, have an unexpected surgery and spent the whole week in the hospital. Yep, it was one if those weeks.

I would say it was still quite a success.  I attended three meetings, two volleyball games, picked out furniture for my decorating project and worked out 3 days this week. Everyone got their homework done, had enough sleep, didn’t miss a meal and I didn’t hurt anybody lol. Whewww….so how was your week?


XO,

Sharonda

Tea Party, Anyone?

Filed under: Mom Life ·

My mom squad loves to celebrate our birthdays over lunch, drinks, laughs and gifts of course.  We are always trying out new restaurants and spas around Miami and last week we headed to Serendip-a-tea in Kendall. Serendip-a-tea is a super cute tea house full of trendy art and yes, amazing teas. I was pleasantly surprised with the menu and all of the varieties of teas and delicious treats. Iliana, one of the founders explained the menu and gave us a mini lesson on teas. Besides the wonderful atmosphere, the prices are very reasonable. We had a great time catching up from the summer and meeting the newest addition to the squad. (Baby Dash) If you are looking for a cute place to host an event, a meeting, celebrate a birthday or simply want to try a chic place, stop by Serendip-a-tea!

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

XO,

Sharonda

One HAPPY Island

Filed under: Mom Life ·

Boy did this summer fly by!!! We had our usual family trips to Orlando and Nassau. A few play dates and outings scheduled  here and there but the main event of the summer was turning 40. I was super anxious about turning 40 last month. I survived and turning 40 wasn’t as bad as I thought.  I got some really nice birthday gifts too. My kids made me three beaded bracelets with a little bling bling. My hubby got me the red Prada bag that I was watching for months at SAKS and I got a surprise trip to Aruba!!!!!

 

 

I had about three weeks to plan my outfits and itineraries. I spent hours on Pinterest looking at pictures, reviews, suggestions and outfit options. I even asked my Facebook peeps for travel advice. I shopped and shopped and shopped some more. New swimsuits, coverups, shoes you name it, I bought it. When August 2nd arrived I was ready!!!!

 

 

Aruba was amazing!!!! We spent 4 nights and 5 days at the beautiful Ritz Carlton Aruba. As soon as we arrived at the hotel we were greeted with Champagne. Everyone was smiling and so friendly and I loved all of the different accents. At check in I always ask if there were any upgrades available and sure enough there was an Executive Suite. The room was amazing. The best part was the breathtaking views of the sunsets. The room was so nice that I didn’t want to leave but we had a whole happy island to explore.

 

Most of the time we hopped in cabs to see the area. There were so many restaurants and bars to choose from. One night we ate at the on site steak house BLT. It was good soooo good. The mini doughnuts were to die for.  The next night we got out and headed to the Palm Beach shopping area. We had dinner at a place called Azia. The ambiance was so nice kinda South Beach like and the food was delicious too. I loved the vibes and the big Buddha statues that were all over the restaurant. We hit up the casino every night after dinner. The casino was a lot smaller than Atlantis but it was cool. Almost every hotel on the island has its own casino.

 

 

Everyday we spent time on the beach. The water was so beautiful. It was very windy though. Nobody warned me about the wind and how the sand blows really hard. Like it hurts so you have to be real or stay in the water lol! We rode the paddle boat and tried paddle boarding for the first time. I was so proud of myself for trying something new. They had these super cool floats too. We felt like young kids out there on the water.

 

 

On day 3, we rented a car and headed to the downtown area and Baby Beach. I really wanted to do the jeep excursion but my back can’t handle those terrains. Downtown had a strip called the Renaissance mall. It was adjacent to the Renaissance Hotel.  They had a lot of the high end stores like Gucci, Dolce, Prada, LV and Michael Kors to name a few. We stopped at the famous Dutch Pancake House and had delicious berry pancakes. The line was wrapped around the front of the building so we had to wait like 30 minutes but it was so worth it. Everyone wanted those famous pancakes! They are kinda like big crepes and come in like 50 combinations.

 

 

It took about 45 minutes to get to Baby Beach. It was so peaceful and serene. There were cool rocks everywhere. We got there to late to enjoy the water but it was nice to sit and take it all in. We took pictures and actually played in the sand. It was just what we needed!!! On the last night we did the sunset cruise. It started off really nice and everyone was having a ball. We met some really cool people from Maryland and Texas. The further we sailed out, the more the waves started crashing harder and harder and I got a little paranoid. I thought that I was going to get sea sick. Thank God we survived, but I told my hubby that I won’t be going on another catamaran for a few years.

 

I was really impressed that this little island had so much to offer. We could have stayed a few more days because there were so many other sights that we wanted to see. I am so thankful that the grandmas cheerfully agreed to watch the kids for us.  And I am so grateful for such a loving, thoughtful, handsome hubby that spoils me rotten.  Aruba is definitely one happy island and we can’t wait to go back!!! We agreed that the next time we would definitely take the kids. Hope you enjoyed the pics and had an amazing summer too!!!

 

XO,

Sharonda

Freshly Picked

Filed under: Mom Life ·

I absolutely love flowers. You probably know this by now if you are following me on Instagram. When I was a kid I use to pick the little yellow weeds from the yard and make tiny arrangements. I had no idea that they were weeds lol! I love the colors and how they can uplift the spirit as soon as you look at them. I use to spend a lot of money buying flowers to decorate our home until I started going to Trader Joe’s. I found out that I can get the same dozen roses that I normally got at Whole Foods for half the price. Yep! So if you love fresh flowers and want to save some cash or buy more flowers for less I highly recommend Trader Joe’s floral department. What’s your favorite flower?


XO,

Sharonda

Sporty 40

Filed under: Mom Life ·

Well it has been about three weeks since my 40th birthday and let me tell you it has been quite busy. The weeks leading up to the big 40 were filled with questions, anxiety and a lot of uneasiness. OMG! I was a mess. Am I where I should be by 40? Did I make the right decisions? Should I have done more? Have more friends? Went back to college by now? Do I need to workout harder? Why are all of these damn gray hairs popping up? Yes, all of these questions were driving me crazy.

 

 

Two days before the big day, my husband surprised me with an intimate birthday dinner at Prime 112. I really thought it was just going to be the two of us at Komodo’s so I was delighted to see a few of our good friends come out to celebrate ME. We ate and drank so much. Some strangers even sent me a shot of tequila. Their food is outstanding. The colossal shrimp cocktail were huge. My favorite appetizer was the ceviche. It was amazing. After dinner we indulged in an assortment of desserts but my absolute favorite was the deep fried Oreos with vanilla ice cream. If you go to Prime 112 you have to try them. After posing for pictures we headed back to the Fountainbleu for drinks and dancing. By the time I looked at the alarm clock and climbed into bed it was 4 a.m. Yes, we had a ball!

 

 

 

After brunch the hubby and I relaxed by the ocean and it hit me, this is 40. I am here. I made it. Some people didn’t get to see 40. So even if I am not exactly where I thought that I would be, I am exactly where I am meant to be. I have an amazing husband, three beautiful kids, a warm home, loving family, I am healthy, happy and able to do whatever I choose to do and that right there is enough. I am enough! This year I pledge to take it easy on me. To live lighter and free and spread more love.

 

 

XO,

Sharonda

Summer Fun at Dolphin Mall

Filed under: Mom Life ·

Happy July!!!!! Summer is officially in full swing and if your kids are going stir crazy in the house like mine, you should consider heading to Dolphin Mall.  Dolphin Mall is Miami’s largest indoor outlet center featuring over 240 stores and theme entertainment. Dolphin Mall is celebrating summer with tons of great promotions and activities for kids. The Stew Crew was super excited when I told them that we were heading to the Dolphin Mall Mommy Blogger event. This event gave us a preview of all of the amazing things that Dolphin Mall has to offer.

 

Our first stop was Dave and Busters! This summer they are open early at 10 a.m. This was their absolute favorite part of the day. What kid doesn’t love to play video games all day? There is an exciting new Jurassic Park 3D ride that came out just in time for the movie release. They also added new basketball games, food items and more ways to win those prizes!!!! We played skee ball, table hockey, Mario Brothers, and shot lots of hoops. On Wednesdays, Dave and Busters will offer half price games all day long. Sounds like the perfect place for a play date, right?

 

 

Next we had about an hour to shop. I really wanted to go to IKEA but everyone knows that you need more than an hour at IKEA.  We strolled through the mall and almost every store had some kind of huge sale going on. It was a shopaholics dream come true. Some of my favorite stores there are True Religion, Neiman Marcus and the Saks outlets. It is not easy shopping with 3 kids so I just window shopped that day. We grabbed a little snack from Starbucks and headed to Cinebistro.

 

 

 

 

Have you ever been to Cinebistro? It is where dinner and a movie really mean just that. They have an amazing menu full of gourmet dishes and delicious desserts. You can get your traditional movie snacks like candy, popcorn and nachos but you can also have fettuccini Alfredo, cheesecake  and a martini. The comfy plush seats and extra room made my kids feel right at home. We enjoyed watching the Incredibles 2 with all of the other families. Cinebistro is kid friendly until 6 p.m.

 

 

The next time we go back I promised to take them to Bowlero. On Mondays they have $14.19 unlimited bowling and shoe rental. Bowlero is really cool too because they have laser tag. Cobb theaters will offer free admission to kids every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. so you definitely should check that out. The Stew Crew had a blast and can’t wait till we plan our next Dolphin Mall outing. For more information you can visit www.shopdolphinmall.com!!!

 

 

 

XO,

Sharonda

 

*Sponsored post

The Bikini Slump

Filed under: Mom Life ·

I have a confession to make. I have been slipping a bit since Mother’s Day weekend. I have been skipping out on my workouts. I mean I did a barre class here and there. Had a weekly private yoga class and even made it to the track a few times but I haven’t been working out or eating like I should. I know most of you are probably like oh please you are small, you don’t have to worry about your weight but yes I do and so should you.

For I while I let myself go. I could blame it on the busy May schedule and end of the school year  activities or the basketball tournaments and party planning. But, the truth is, I really didn’t feel like working out. Every day I would say I will go tomorrow. It’s not a big deal. But I was eating more carbs than usual and hitting the Starbucks drive thru daily. Pound after pound and week after week it was becoming a big deal and then it slapped me in the face.

I went to the mall last week with the family to have dinner. Our wait time for a table was around 45 minutes so I figured that I would walk around and look for a new swimsuit for our upcoming vacation. I went to a few stores before actually trying on a swimsuit because I honestly wasn’t ready. I knew what was coming. I even bumped into my mommy friend Jess as I browsed through Everything But Water. She too complained about not being the size that she wanted for bikini season. We laughed and just encouraged each other to just enjoy life and embrace our “2018” summer bodies. Then I proceeded into the fitting room with 4 swimsuits.

 

 

As I undressed I already knew what was going to happen. I saw the extra jiggle in the mirror. I was honestly so disappointed at first. The hot pink suit that I loved didn’t have enough support up top and my second favorite suit called for a larger size bottom. At least they had it in stock right? I even jokingly said to myself “Hey don’t worry, big booties are in these days. People are paying to have a bigger ass. You better work with whatcha got”! So I purchased a swimsuit in a larger size and said the heck with it.

 

But the truth is that it was a painful reminder that I have been slipping and deep down inside I don’t really like it. I have to take action and do something about it real fast. So if you find yourself in my situation don’t beat yourself up over it. Buy the larger suit but don’t just settle there. Acknowledge that you may have fallen off the plan and do whatever it takes to get back on it. This month I pledge to do better. I pledge to say no to the junk food cravings and the tall white mochas from Starbucks. I pledge to get my butt on the elliptical machine because it is to freaking hot to walk the track. I pledge to drop 5 pounds by August first. Are you in a bikini slump? What is your pledge?

 

XO,

Sharonda

Kid Approved Father’s Day Fun

Filed under: Mom Life ·

Are you ready for Father’s Day? To be honest with you, I am not. I always wait until the last minute because well lately that is just how it goes. Between running errands, planning vacations, and the normal day to day tasks, Father’s Day always sneaks up on me.  My husband is an amazing father and we really want to make sure that he knows how much we appreciate him. So this week we are trying to plan something really fun for him. Last week I asked my kids what are some of their favorite things to do with Dad and this is what they came up with. 

 

Top 10 ways to spend Father’s Day 

 

  1. Playing basketball
  2. Going to Disney World
  3. Top Golf Miami is a blast
  4. Bowling at King’s Bowl Doral
  5. Dinner at Aoki (They want to eat there every week)
  6. Riding the slides at Volcano Bay
  7. Movies at Brickell City Center
  8. Going to a ballgame
  9. Walking the Dogs (yep, they love walking with him)
  10. Playing Catch

 

XO,

Sharonda

 

 

Ballin’

Filed under: Mom Life ·

Being a mom of three is so much fun but a lot of work. I find myself always trying to make sure that all three feel equally loved, special …..and you know all of that mom stuff. Am I spending enough time with them? Do they need anything that I am not providing? Do they feel left out? Well my son is the middle child and most moms or middle children know how that goes. I am the oldest so I had no clue. Not only is he the middle child, he has a late summer birthday so that means that he rarely gets to celebrate with his friends. Most of them travel or go to sleep away camp so his parties consisted of family gatherings and trips to Disney World.

Well this year he turns 10 (yes double digits) and we wanted to celebrate him. He is an amazing kid with a huge heart. He loves basketball, video games and MJ (that’s Michael Jackson btw) He never really asks for much but I thought it would be awesome if we went all out for him. And boy did we!!!  There was a video game truck, 2 cakes, 36 cupcakes, chicken kitchen build your own chop, pizza, popscicles, candy, popcorn, hover boards, football, basketball games and about 25 boys running around. There was so much food leftover because the boys just wanted to play. It was so great to see him having fun with all of his friends.

@soler_lina

 

Since everyone loved the custom basketball table that my friend Monica Pardo suggested that I rent, I figured that I would share the details on it. Monica helped me as a favor with locating all of the decorations and extras but I highly recommend that you hire a party planner. I ran around so much the day of the party that by 6 p.m. I had a headache and literally thought that I was going to pass out. If you can’t hire a planner, Pinterest and google are your best friends. I saw so many cute ideas once I plugged in the basketball theme. Oh and don’t be afraid to ask a friend to help you. Usually my mom is around to help me set up but she was out of town all week. I begged one of my mommy friends to come help me set the tables.  Thanks Cheri!! And a special shout out to my hubby who let me do my thing and did all of the heavy lifting!!!

Go Mobile Games

 

 

 

XO,

Sharonda

 

 

 

 

Summer Self Care

Filed under: Mom Life ·

Yayyy! Summer is like really here!  Well not officially according to the calendar but most of our kids will be out of school soon and that means that we don’t have to wake up as early to rush to school but we do have to find ways to keep them busy. For SAHM summer can be really challenging. You don’t get your usual free time to workout, or time to clean and do chores without yelling “stop that” every ten minutes. Between camps, vacations, play dates and all of the down time, we moms will probably work harder in the summer than during the school year. It is still extremely important that we make some time for ourselves to de-stress and stay sane over the next 10 weeks.  As June approaches, I wanted to share a few self care tips for the summer. And for the record I am not just preaching to the choir, I have to remind myself of this too.

Top 5 Tips

 

  1. Power walking: It helps release stress and burns calories
  2. Meditation a few minutes a day preferably in the morning to set the tone for the day. Evenings are great too. I find that it helps me settle down before bedtime. There are some great guided meditations on YOUTube. I personally like Gabby Bernstein or Headspace
  3. Take a yoga class or self practice with Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube! She has a lot of 21 day challenges and you pick your level.
  4. Mom’s Night Out. Call up your mom squad and schedule a happy hour. Town and House have great ladies night specials on Monday and Tuesday nights.
  5. Stay-Cation!!! Squeeze in a quick overnight trip to your favorite hotel in your city and just enjoy the quiet time. If you can’t stay the night, just spend the day and enjoy the spa and relax by the pool. Trust me you will feel refreshed. I highly recommend the Mandarin Oriental. The spa is amazing!!!!!

 

I hope that these tips help you to keep calm and have a magical summer. The most important thing is to remember it is okay to take a break, you deserve it!!!!

 

XO,

Sharonda

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