Rose All Day Momma!

"Rose' All Day"! At least that's how I cope with the mom struggle, which is so real! As most new Moms know, navigating through this new territory is tough terrain. There are new rules, new routines and most of all new friends.

Do we still like to go out with our single friends and rage? Hell yeah, but who is going to understand our struggle when the babysitter goes home and our little ones get up at 6am the next morning while we are nursing our hangovers?!?!

From the outside looking in, you might think it would be easy to make new friends as a mom. There are playdates, and toddler classes plus you're all in the same "phase" of your life, but truth be told this is the most "social"- unsocial experience I have ever had. 

As a woman who believes strong women cheer each other on, this is a big departure from the camaraderie I learn by dancing on two professional sports teams in the NFL and NBA. I have always been a girl's - girl, so I am not used to stagnant small talk that seems to go nowhere. Maybe it's because making mom friends is like dating someone new? Is it possible that we are all afraid of making the first move? Could it be that we are all trying to play it cool?

I am so sick of going to the park and other events, meeting moms, and leaving disappointed because we did not exchange numbers. I thought we had a connection! What gives?!?!? 

Our kids are around the same age, they tolerated each other on the playground (because let's be honest, they aren't exactly playing together at this age. It's more like parallel play.) and most importantly, WE GOT ALONG! 

Here's the thing Y'all, we don't have to hit on all levels. I am willing to bet most women like two things, coffee, and wine. I am also willing to bet that some days we all really just crave adult conversation because contrary to the popular belief of our children, Puppy Dog Pals and Elmo get old! 

Thus, let's be open-minded and most importantly judgment-free with each other. Let's make friends and turn play dates into coffee dates for us too! Let's grow our friendships by having Mommy Manicure Mornings and be a sounding board for each other. 

I know as Moms we don't always have a lot of "me" time but that's why we need each other. Women are the BEST multitaskers in the world, so let's turn this issue into a solution! I personally downloaded the Peanut app which is like Tinder for Moms to make friends. I am also currently stocking up on rose' for the occasion! So hit me up Moms, I'll be the one in the "Rose' All Day" shirt! 

This "Rose' All Day" short sleeve sweatshirt is on sale right now at Target (link below). I paired this top with my favorite pair of white denim shorts, and throwback Adidas sneakers for a retro look. Just add wine and you've got the perfect "Mommy" playdate! Cheers! 

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Nanny Fails and Fringe

Yes, I know it's only Tuesday but WHEW... What a week! You guys know I share a lot of my life with you all and I feel like I write about this ad nauseam a ton but if I have to do one more flipping nanny interview I might scream!!!

Since April we have been in nanny limbo. Our long-time nanny took a leave of absence for an illness in her family and we loved her so much that we tried to wait for her return, just covering where we could. However, lately, that has added an abnormal about of stress to our lives and careers. Thus, we decided we needed to bring someone on board. 

Since then I have done close to fifty phone interviews and over a dozen in-person meetings. Yet, every time I find someone I like and they hear the words "five am" they run for the hills. I even had a VERY unprofessional experience with a girl who accepted the job and TEXTED me twelve hours before her first shift to cancel.

As you can imagine, I saw red! I thought, "What a selfish thing to do". Come to find out she had accepted two jobs and was probably afraid to tell me. Now, I am a very understanding person if you are upfront with me but the way it was handled was unacceptable. The kicker was that I kept asking her throughout the process if she was still okay with the early start and she proceeded to say "yes" every time! I gave her every opportunity to come clean, so I felt blindsided.

I won't lie to you this process has put an undue amount of stress on myself, my radio career and our marriage. I know we will get through this and find someone amazing for our son but there have definitely been times when I have laid in bed crying because I thought I was going to have to quit my job. 

This may sound cliche but I am a huge believer that you can have it all, but you're going to have to work your ass off to do it! One of my favorite quotes is "Hard work beats talent, when talent won't work harder", so I'll just keep chugging away until I find a solution to our situation. (Shameless plug if you have nanny experience and would like to apply, email me here.) 

In the meantime, here is an adorable new arrival look that will dress up your fall wardrobe from Page 6 Boutique in Fort Mill. (You can also order online here!) I LOVE this off the shoulder Madam sweater in grey! I personally love it styled oversized and I am wearing a medium in the photos. 

This stylish sweater goes great with this suede fringe skirt and black booties! I paired this look with a Page 6 necklace and my favorite Chanel handbag to be able to take this look from day to night! 

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Hurricane Florence Relief T-Shirts : Live Love GameDay

As Hurricane Florence descends on the Carolinas I am reminded of my time growing up in South Florida. Our family moved from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Ft Lauderdale, Florida when I was still in school and from that moment our summers were spent dodging storms like the plague. 

From June to October, I remember my father stocking up on plywood, batteries, and cases of water just in case the newest tropical depression took a turn and gained strength. (Which happened a lot.) I remember my Uncle Timmy telling us about Hurricane Andrew when we first moved to South Florida.  

His chilling accounts of that storm always scared me. I recall him telling us that it was one of the scariest moments of his life (and he had served in our military). My Uncle and his family lived in a high rise condo building in the heart of Miami and when the storm hit, it blew out their living room windows, which created a vacuum. Till this day I can't imagine what goes through your mind as you see the contents of your home literally being sucked out of the window. My Uncle and his family took refuge in a bathroom, holding the door shut so the door would stay on the hinges. 

Thus, my family has always taken hurricane prep very seriously. Hurricane Andrew was a big wind storm when it hit South Florida as a category 5 hurricane and years later I would have my own frightening encounter with Hurricane Wilma. 

When Hurricane Wilma came barreling towards my hometown, my family decided to evacuate. I, however, had just started dating my now husband and agreed to stay with him and ride out the storm. 

The eye of Wilma was supposed to travel right over Dallas's Boca Raton condo so we thought it would be safer to stay at my family's home out west. For some reason (I can't even remember why) we ended up not making it back to my Mom's house before the storm hit. Somehow, by the grace of God, Hurricane Wilma turned slightly and decided not to ravage Boca Raton but instead went right over my Mom's house! 

The storm created so much damage to our family's home it was uninhabitable for TWO YEARS! Two, eight-foot sections of our roof had been torn off, along with our entire screen enclosure and there was three feet of standing water on the first floor of our home. Unfortunately, FEMA and general contractors were overwhelmed for months after the storm, causing the water to produce mold throughout the walls of our home. We were not alone, half of South Florida was without power for weeks and the other half didn't have a sustainable home to live in. 

It makes me sad to think about our friends on the coast, who are currently going through this hell. As we sit in our homes, watching football waiting for the storm to pass please know that our friends out east will need us more than ever in the coming weeks. I know my station will be doing hurricane relief efforts soon (so stay tuned) but in the meantime, I did want to tell you about a company that I love. Live Love GameDay has created North and South Carolina t-shirts that will benefit the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army as they help the Carolinas. The shirts are $22 and shipping is FREE! 

This company is also the creators of my favorite football tee, which you can see above. 

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Friday Night In Miami

What an amazing night with my Miami Dolphin Cheerleader sisters! It is officially alumni weekend here in Miami! 

After the show Friday morning I hopped a flight from Charlotte Douglas International airport to join my dance sisters for a weekend of fun, hosted by my former team. 

If you are new to the blog, I cheered for the Miami Dolphins professionally from 2003 to 2006! I can honestly say these were some of the BEST years of my life, from being a cover girl on the highly anticipated swimsuit calendar to dancing on the field in front of 75,000 live fans and performing for our troops on USO tours overseas. I will never forget the memories or the friendships that I made during this time! 

I didn't join a sorority in college so this was my "squad". The Miami Dolphins believe in this sorority life and sisterhood and even gift us "rookie rings" after we complete our first season. A welcome to the legacy present if you will. 

Last night we attended a fabulous welcome cocktail party on the Intercoastal and I pulled out this beachy two-piece set from Free People for the occasion. I styled this comfy yet trendy look with my Artsy Louis Vuitton bag and nude heels from Red Dress Boutique. I also broke out my K.Brunini bangles for this event and accented them with a great pair of Kendra Scott earing!

I hope you enjoy this look as much as I did because you can shop the look below! 

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