News & Events – Page 24

Anniversary

Filed under: Mom Life · June 3, 2017

Today is officially my 2nd Anniversary as FemCity (formerly Femfessionals) Miami President. I always told my friends that I would serve 2 years as President and pass the torch to someone else. I actually said that up until January of this year. Being the President of a group definitely has its ups and downs. There is a lot of expectation. People show up when it’s beneficial to them. They ask you for a million things and when you ask them for one thing, they cannot be found. Most importantly, there is always someone waiting to take your place. This journey has led to many life lessons for me. So I figured that I should share them with you.

I learned that it is okay to say no to others. If it doesn’t sound right, feel right, look right, guess what, it ain’t right.
To always be clear on your intentions. What do you really want from this?
You have the power to change your path.

Being a part of this group of women has been life changing. I have had to step out of my comfort zone and embrace some of my flaws. I am spoiled. Very spoiled. When I don’t get my way or things don’t go as planned I withdraw from whatever it is that caused me to feel like that. But as a leader, you can’t just turn and walk away. You have to decide if you can do something differently to make it better, ask for help or maybe step down. It is very easy to walk away. But when it is your calling to empower others, you have to fight on. As I enter into this 3rd year I know there is so much room for growth. I have already grown so much as you can see from my pictures and events. I have been told several times in the past 3 months this is my time to shine. I believe it. There is no better time than now to stop making excuses and walk in your greatness. I told Violette in our last meeting it is go big or go home. In my case stay home (my SAHM will get that one) lol.

So if you have been using the kids, husband, weight, time, money as an excuse not to step out of the box, I am here to say I feel you momma! But it is time. Life is too short and it is up to us as natural-born leaders to step up to the plate and use our gifts. Go back to school, take a photography class, submit those images or audition pieces and step into your greatness. I am ready and I know that you are too.

XO,

Sharonda

Top 5 Reasons to Make Bone Broth

Filed under: Mom Life, Recipes · April 17, 2017

I was out to lunch with another Sporty Momma the other day and I was sharing with her some of the things that I have learned on this health journey. I started telling her how I have to go to Whole Foods to prep for my bone broth for the week. Once I told her all of the benefits of bone broth she said that I should definitely share this with my readers. So here we are. If you are interested to see the top 11 bone broths that excel in flavor, nutrition, quality, and price, buoy heath is the place to go.

Bone Broth is amazing! It has been around since the beginning of time. It is the real “Chicken Soup for your soul”. Drinking bone broth daily can have tremendous health benefits. It is soothing and girl I learned it can help reduce cellulite! Did you see that? It helps reduce cellulite!!! Here are my top 5 reasons to get your bone broth started tonight.

Reduces Inflammation
Promotes Strong Bones
Fights Colds and Flu
Calms Mind and Promotes Sleep
Banish Cellulite

Beef Bone Broth Recipe

Ingredients:

3 pounds organic grassfed beef soup bones (I get mine from Whole Foods)
1 onion, chopped in quarters
2-3 large carrots
2-3 celery stalks
thyme
parsely
¼ cup Braggs apple cider vinegar
Filtered cold water

Roast the raw bones at 400 degrees in oven, which you can view here, for about 45 min to an hour.
Put the roasted bones, veggies, and Apple Cider Vinegar into your crockpot or oven roaster and fill with water to cover the bones.
Let the mixture sit for 30-60 minutes. DO NOT TURN THE HEAT ON YET. This allows the vinegar to extract minerals from the bones.
Turn the crockpot on low or oven roaster at 200-225 degrees for 48 hours. And if you have a broken oven that needs repair, a good place like Appliance Hunter is the best place to go!
Strain the broth. Store in the fridge up to 7 days, in the freezer 3-6 months, or deep freezer up to a year. Let the broth come to room temp before putting into the freezer. Leave the top off for 24 hours to freeze if you are storing in glass jars in the freezer to allow for expanding (or you will be very sad to see your cracked jar in a few days!).

Weigh Your Options

Filed under: Mom Life · March 20, 2017

A few weeks ago I shared that our family was hit with some not so good news. Since then I have been reading, meeting with specialists and well simply educating myself on the options we have available. One of the hardest things as a mom is the guilt that you feel when things don’t go as planned. Did I do everything right? Am I feeding them good foods? Should they be taking these medicines or vaccines? It is all trial and error. What worked for one kid definitely won’t work for all kids. It is the same thing with medications. One pill might work wonders for my child but cause your child to become ill. So the next step is picking a treatment plan. Do you jump on meds that really don’t fix anything just mask the symptoms or do you choose alternative treatments? What I have learned is that the things that they put in our foods are not always good for you and most illnesses starts in the gut. Follow up appointments later this week. Will keep you posted.

P.S.

Bananas are good for you!

The Unexpected

Filed under: Mom Life · February 28, 2017

I know that most people see me as the Mom who has it all! The amazing husband that doesn’t mind grocery shopping or packing the kid’s lunches. Three beautiful, smart, kind, and loving kids. And yes the home of my dreams. Some days are definitely better than others. To tell you the truth the last 3 months have sucked big time. I keep going back asking when did it all begin to take a downward turn or let’s say a more challenging turn and well it was after that crazy election. Yes, November which is normally one of my favorite months turned out to be the month that everything changed.

After the stress of the election and looking at all of the post election drama it really hit me. We are living in some wild times. Little did I know what was coming next. I won’t go into a whole lot of detail but I will tell you that in three months we have lost 3 loved ones unexpectedly. One of our kids came down with a stomach virus that turned into 3 months of visiting different doctors. There have been days of questioning why, why right now, why are we experiencing all of this back to back?

In the middle of all this I have learned who my real friends are. I have also learned that it is okay to ask for help. I know that everything happens for a reason and that this too shall pass. Most importantly I have learned that we go through things so that we can share with others. So in the next few weeks I will share my journey of going through the unexpected.

FemCity Miami: Girl’s Night Out

Filed under: News & Events · February 28, 2017

Join us on March 30th for the perfect Girls Night Out for a good cause!

Check out Sporty Mommas and 19 other interactive shoppes, delicious bite size treats, and toasting scenarios along the way, FemCity GNO is a must attend event. Purchase tickets at http://www.femcity.com/events/femcity-girls-night-miami/

Coco Plum Woman’s Club

1375 Sunset Drive

Miami, FL 33143

10% of Event Ticket Sales will be donated to Lotus House.

Keep the Faith

Filed under: Mom Life · January 24, 2017

This post is for those of you moms that may be going through a storm right now. Before you panic or throw in the towel remember that you are not alone. I have realized over the past few weeks that a lot of us are going through different trials and some are worse than others but when you are going through it, it doesn’t feel good. Be encouraged. Know that trouble doesn’t last always and yes, joy does come in the morning. If we just keep the faith and keep moving forward, everything will work out for the best. Keep smiling and don’t be afraid to ask for help. We are strong women but even the strongest woman needs a hug sometimes!

Be Blessed,

Sharonda

“2016”

Filed under: Mom Life · December 26, 2016

This year has been quite interesting. I have learned a lot about myself and those around me. It is true what they say, one minute you can be on top of the world with everything going your way and the next minute well you can be laid out wondering WTF just happened. It is the roller coaster of life and some parts just plain suck.

But instead of venting and stressing over all that didn’t go as planned let’s be thankful and celebrate all of the victories that we had this year. Like, we are still here. Still standing. Still breathing. We have another chance to get it right. Another chance to love those around us. To forgive those that hurt us. And a chance to reach those goals that we didn’t quite conquer in 2016.

Motherhood is hard. Being a wife is hard. Life is hard, but you are strong, beautiful, brilliant and a survivor. So adios 2016 and all of the politics, failures, loses, disappointments. I am ready for 2017. Ready for the challenges. Ready for the blessings. Ready to make a difference. Are you ready?

Let’s do this!

XO,

Sharonda

Sporty Momma’s Charitable Fund

Filed under: News & Events · December 5, 2016

On Friday, December 2, we had the privilege to take a tour of the Jackson Health Breast Cancer Treatment Center. It was so nice to meet some of the nurses and doctors who work so hard to treat women who have been affected by breast cancer. We learned that they see up to 100 ladies per day. After a tour, we presented a check that will go towards purchasing a blanket warmer from reliable suppliers like In2Green. This warmer will help keep the women warm and comfortable during their treatments. We are so blessed and thankful that we can contribute to this center. Thank you to all of you that came out to our 4th annual bowling bash. It takes teamwork to make the dream work!

Spinach Puffs

Filed under: Recipes · November 15, 2016

Looking for a quick appetizer? These look yummy for the holidays!

INGREDIENTS

1 – 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chopped fresh dill or parsley
1 tsp garlic, pressed
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 large eggs, separated
Coupons
1 – 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed but still cold (leave it in the fridge to thaw)

HOW TO MAKE IT

Press the thawed spinach against a strainer with your hands until all of the water is out – you want to get as much out as possible so you don’t have a soggy filling
Mix the spinach, feta, scallions, olive oil, dill/parsley, garlic and some salt and pepper – taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings as you please
Beat one of the eggs in a small bowl and then fold it into the spinach mixture
Roll out the defrosted puff pastry dough on a floured surface and cut it into approximately 12-16 squares if you’re planning on using mini muffin tins (this takes a little trial and error to get the right size)
Place a square of dough into the muffin tin, push it against the sides and leave the corners draped over the edge – then spoon some of the spinach mixture into the center and fold the corners of the dough over the filling and pinch them together in the center
Once you’ve used up all of the filling, beat the remaining egg with a tbsp of water and brush the tops of the puff pastry with the egg wash and bake at 400°F until the pastry is golden and puffed – approximately 20 minutes
Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan to loosen and turn them out onto a rack to cool a bit before serving
- If you’re planning on serving these at a later date, do not brush with egg wash and just freeze them in the muffin tins wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. If you want to remove them from the pans, freeze them first and then pop them out once frozen and store them in plastic freezer bags. Just don’t forget to brush them with the egg wash before baking them!

Source: Recipe adapted from Bon Appet

Via Pinterest

See Your Strong Challenge

Filed under: Fit Moms · November 15, 2016

About a month ago, Pure Barre announced that they would be doing a challenge leading into the holidays. In order to complete the challenge you have to take 20 barre classes in 31 days. Your reward will be an exclusive See your strong hat! My first response was oh that is easy. I will just take a class 5 days a week. I told my hubby I was going to do the challenge and he laughed. (He knows I don’t like to workout everyday) I said watch me. I got this!

The first week was easy. I was a little sore but I did 5 classes in a row. The second week became more of a challenge. The schedule of school activities and well #momlife came up. I ended up taking a class on a Sunday to keep up. By the third week I was starting to notice muscle toning that wasn’t there before. The back to back classes were bringing quicker results than ever before. Omg! I can see the finish line.

I am so proud to share that on Monday, I completed the challenge of 20 classes in 28 days! I feel great and I see a difference in my whole body. It was not easy and now the hard part is maintaining the results that I have gained over the past month. So I leave you with this. Set a goal and crush it. No pain, no gain! You got this!