News & Events - Page 3 of 58

MLB Opening Day 2020

Filed under: Mom Life · July 18, 2020

Have you all heard that Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is right around the corner? As a matter of fact, save the date, July 23rd! Most of the teams have already reported back to camp and are fighting for a spot in the starting lineup.

This season will look totally different due to COVID-19 but we are still looking forward to America’s favorite pastime. Some of you reading this might be wondering, “What is Opening Day?” Well, this is like Christmas morning for most baseball fans! Baseball enthusiasts of all ages have been anxiously waiting for months to see their favorite players back in action. We may not be able to attend games in person this season, but we can still celebrate and cheer our teams on. So get your jerseys, popcorn, and peanuts ready!

A Wife’s Perspective

First, of all I have had my share of Opening Days as the wife of a former MLB player. Opening Day means a lot for different people. The fans and players can’t wait to get the season started. However, the wives and family members sometimes see Opening Day a little differently.

How to plan the perfect Summer date night: Picnic Style

Filed under: Mom Life · July 16, 2020

It’s no secret that this summer has been challenging. I think everyone that I know is having a quarantine birthday party this year due to Covid. Well I am here to tell you that just because we are experiencing a new normal doesn’t mean that we can’t make the best of it. Besides the famous birthday parade how about planning the ultimate birthday picnic! The best part about it is that you don’t need a reason to have a picnic.

Since we are much safer at home, I decided to try a birthday picnic. I found the cutest picnic set with everything that we needed for the perfect date. This backpack comes with a blanket, plates, plastic glasses, napkins and utensils. The best thing about it is that we didn’t even have to leave our backyard. All you need is a blanket, little wine and cheese, some fresh fruit and your significant other and tada…you have the perfect picnic.

Must Have Picnic Items

Blanket
Wine
Cheese
Fruit tray or snacks
Music
Disposable dinnerware

Have you tried the Black Girl Magic Wines yet? This Riesling from the McBride Sisters is amazing. The McBride Sisters are two black women who turned their passion for wine into the largest African American winery in the United States. I have purchased a few bundles as birthday gifts for friends. Trust me they will love them. (Target and most wine and spirit stores carry them too)

Oh and you can shop my picnic style below!

Hope this helps you plan the perfect picnic!

XO,

Sharonda

Beautycounter X Sephora

Filed under: Mom Life · July 13, 2020

Have you all heard the great news? Beautycounter has partnered with Sephora for a four month partnership which is sure to be a win win for all beauty lovers. I have been using Beautycounter for years and I love their products. Beautycounter was one of the first brands to stand up and clean up the beauty industry.

The move to safer beauty has been trending for the past few years and that makes me so happy. I had no idea what was in my products until Beautycounter started sharing the lists of chemicals that other brands use. Especially in the lipsticks that we literally eat sometimes without knowing it. I am so excited to see my favorites on the shelves at Sephora.

I keep the charcoal mask, cleansing balm and face oil number 1 in stock. If I had to choose the one product that I can’t live without it is the Brightening Face Oil number 1. This is my go to in the mornings and evenings after cleansing. It gives me that glow that I love so much and it smells great too. So if you are heading to the mall or you want to purchase online here are some my recommendations.

Happy Shopping!

Summer Workout Essentials

Filed under: Mom Life · June 29, 2020

Just because we are having a crazy 2020 doesn’t mean we stop working out. To be honest with you working out is the only thing keeping me sane these days. If you follow my IG, you know that I love my Peloton! So does my hubby. It was the best purchase that we made in 2020. Another mood booster has been looking good while working out. Since I don’t leave the house much I like to coordinate my workout gear and look cute when I pass by the mirror. LOL! Check out some of my summer faves! Shop

Happy Shopping,

Sharonda

How to Restore Peace in a Storm

Filed under: Mom Life · June 19, 2020

My heart aches a lot these days. Every time that I turn on the television or get one of those news alerts on my cell phone my heart sinks a little deeper. It has been over three months of quarantine and the lockdown is easing up a little, but are we really safe? Let’s not forget about the lives lost due to social injustices. Will this storm ever end? Am I the only one feeling like this? What do you do when you just simply don’t have the answers?

During these extremely difficult times I have had to go back to my roots. I remember what my grandmother use to say, “Keep the faith baby!” When everything seems like it is falling apart we have to trust and believe that things are really just coming together the way God intended for them to be. It is a hard pill to swallow. However, it is so true.

Something that I can attest to is that some of my biggest personal growth has taken place during a storm. I created a business during a rough patch in my life. I have stretched out of my comfort zone and developed new relationships. Bet you can share a story or two about how you overcame a storm? When you come out of the storm you are nine out of ten times much stronger than you were before the storm.

How to support the Movement!

Filed under: Mom Life · June 6, 2020

The past week or perhaps I should say year has been extremely overwhelming for most of us. For the first time in our lifetimes we have experienced a global pandemic, lockdown and now the awakening of what the Black Lives Matter movement is all about in one month. Yes it is an awakening to most of you but it is what we have lived through every single day of our lives.

I have received so many private messages, calls and texts over the past week from my White American and Latino friends asking how to get involved. We all have a role to fill and it is not going to change overnight. After a very powerful multi-ethnic Zoom call on Wednesday night with my friend Galia, I know in my heart that change is coming. It is going to take strong women and yes I will say it again women like you to step up, call out and reach out for change. It starts in our hearts, homes and in our communities.

Here are a few ideas if you don’t know where to start.

Call out your family and friends when they are participating in racist behaviors.
Support Black owned businesses.
Volunteer in Black communities.
Donate to charities that support the cause.
Complete the 21 Day Challenge by Debbie Irving

Black Owned Businesses in S. Florida

XO,

Sharonda

The ART of Balancing it ALL!

Filed under: Mom Life · May 23, 2020

What is a mom to do with 3 kids, and multiple sports? Well, she blogs it (Diary of of a Sporty Momma), shares her day with other moms, and of course enjoy each journey knowing that one day her kids will be all grown up and there will be no more driving them around.

Based in Miami, Florida; Sharonda a.ka. ‘Sporty Momma’ is also the wife of former Toronto Blue Jays player Shannon H. Stewart, she’s found a way to balance it all in a very artistic, informative and fashionable way.

With 3 active kids in various sports such as basketball and volleyball, she is not just a baller mom but a fun loving and a busy Sporty Momma.

In addition to driving, scheduling and cheering on her kids, she is also passionate and focused on empowering other baller moms to look and feel their very best.

Read more to find more on how she manages it all and then some as a baller mom in this month’s feature.

BM: What sports are your kids in?

SM: All three of my kids are currently playing basketball. The oldest also played volleyball earlier this year.

BM: What do you love about being a sports mom?

SM: I come from an active family. Everyone was either on a team, in a band, or creating something. I knew that when I had kids I would try to encourage them to be active as well.

What I love the most as a sports mom is watching their growth. It’s amazing to see them get better and better. I also love bonding with the families on the teams that we are part of.

BM: As a mom, what’s your hope for your kids in their chosen field of sports?

SM: I really just want them to have fun. Everyone wants to play professional sports but it isn’t easy. We know this first hand.

BM: How do you split your time between the kids schedule with sports, school and family?

SM: Our household is not your average household. My husband and I are both stay at home parents so everything we do is kinda based around the kids and their schedules.

We share the drop off/pick up routines and grocery shopping. It is definitely a tag team effort around here. This year is the first time that all three will be playing basketball at the same time.

Read more from my interview at ballroom.ca!!!

XO,

Sharonda

Time for Your Checkup!

Filed under: Fit Moms · May 11, 2020

Calling all busy mommas! Did you schedule your annual checkups yet? National Women’s Checkup Day is Monday, May 11th. The goal of this national initiative is to encourage women to create healthy habits that may improve their long term health. Most of the time we moms put ourselves on the back burner so it’s important to take time out of our busy routines and schedule our annuals!

National Women’s Checkup Day is part of a bigger initiative–National Women’s Health Week! This weektakes place the Monday after Mother’s Day. It is a reminder that regular health exams and screenings can help prevent future illnesses. Important screenings include breast exams, pap smears, cholesterol, high blood pressure, skin cancer, immunization schedule, HIV, eye exams, and oral health. I didn’t know how important annual skin screenings were until I got older. Now I book my yearly dermatologist appointment around my birthday too. You know what they say, early detection is key! Read more

2020 Census: Make it Count

Filed under: Mom Life · April 6, 2020

Have you completed the 2020 Census yet? If not, it is not too late. For the first time, you can complete your census by mail, phone or online. The 2020 Census is the first U.S. census to offer a full internet response option and the first to extensively use technology instead of paper. I completed ours online a few weeks ago and it only took a few minutes. After receiving the notification in the mail, I logged onto the site 2020census.gov and entered the access code provided. From there, I simply followed each step and submitted our family’s data. I was done in less than ten minutes.

Love Your Smile with Smile Brilliant

Filed under: Mom Life · March 25, 2020

As a busy mom of three, sometimes I find it hard to get things done. For years I have been eager to whiten my teeth but never made the time. The last time that I used a teeth whitening system was in 2005 for my wedding. First, I had to make an extra appointment, get my impressions done, wait weeks for them to arrive in the doctors office and then pick them up. Oh and my gums were so irritated that I was afraid to try it again. Every time my dentist asked me about whitening again I always said “oh I will be back for that.”

Like most moms I love my daily cup of coffee and occasional glass of wine. However, I never really thought about what these habits were doing to my teeth. Guess what it was doing? You got it…years and years of staining!!!! Now I will admit that I have tried charcoal toothpaste, baking soda, and other whitening toothpastes but nothing really helped.

Well…things have definitely changed in the teeth whitening industry since 2005. There are tons of at home whitening options but Smile Brilliant is a professional system that is a fraction of the cost of most treatments. I was so thrilled when Smile brilliant asked me to try their teeth whitening system in exchange for sharing my experience with all of you. Oh and did you know that now you can get Smile Brilliant delivered right to your door? That’s right no extra dentist appointments so you are instantly saving time and money!

My Smile Brilliant Experience

Due to my extreme teeth sensitivity, I knew that I had to get a kit with desensitizing gel. My package arrived with pre-filled syringes and instructions on how to create my custom impressions. This was the hardest step and trust me it wasn’t that hard if you follow directions. The impressions took a few minutes to make and then they have to harden. After they dry, you place them in the envelope provided and ship them back.

About a week later my custom trays arrived and I was ready to begin my at home teeth whitening! I started with 30 minute sessions of whitening followed by 15 minutes desensitizing gel. After about a week I increased my session to 45 minutes. I was nervous to wear them longer because my gums are extremely sensitive. The suggested time for whitening is 45 minutes to 3 hours a day. I always tried to whiten at night before bed. Yes I missed a few session falling asleep putting the kids to bed!

It took me about 3 weeks to complete the Smile Brilliant kit. I must say that I was very thrilled with the results. I was even more excited when others started noticing that my teeth looked brighter. The only thing that I was disappointed in was not trying Smile Brilliant sooner.

If you are thinking about trying an at home whitening system, I have the best surprise for you. Smile Brilliant will be giving one of my readers a FREE Sensitive Whitening System. Giveaway is open to residents in the US, UK, Australia, & Canada. Even if you are not selected you will receive a discount just for entering. Click here to enter and simply follow the steps. Good Luck and Happy Whitening!

XO,

Sharonda