Tis the season for advent calendars! This year I splurged on a few.
I got my daughter a unicorn-focused one with jewelry and toys.
My cats are sharing one filled with toys.
I splurged on a whiskey one for my husband. Bonus it came with two glasses 😉.
Since I’m looking to learn how to crochet, I got myself a Wooble advent calendar, and I’ll be crocheting cute little animals 🥰.
Are you an advent calendar fan? What is yours?
I must say, my daughter has been booked and busy with Halloween parties this year.
Last Friday, we attended the YMCA’s Fall Family Festival.
On Saturday, we went to a party at my daughter’s dance school.
On Tuesday, we went to the New York Junior League’s annual Lil Goblins party.
Today, Maxi played and made slime at Puzzles in Astoria. We also did some trick and treating on Ditmars.
Fun times!! Now, I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving.
Happy Halloween! 🎃👻 Two weeks ago, we visited the Bronx Zoo for Pumpkin Nights. We had a blast. They had fun games, a great exhibit, and food. The zoo was definitely creepy at night. 😜
Here are some pictures of the night.
My daughter had the opportunity to go to camp for three weeks this summer. For two weeks, she went to the Long Island City YMCA, and then she spent the last week at another school called Puzzles.
Maxine had a great experience at both locations. The YMCA was a more extended day, and she had access to a pool and more activities, but she enjoyed both.
Here are pictures of her artwork, which she made at the YMCA. She also made a necklace, bracelet, and tie-dyed shirt.
As a camper at the YMCA, she had to wear a yellow shirt and use their bag.
I also had to prepare her a nut-free/no-refrigeration lunch each day for both the YMCA and Puzzles, something I’m not used to since she usually gets lunch at school.
Here are some of the pics of her lunches.
She’ll definitely do camp again next year!
Summer is here, and I’m all for it! This year, I decided to turn my bucket list into a bingo game to motivate myself and keep me present. Most of the time, I get caught up with life, so I hope this will keep me focused throughout the summer and, most importantly, have fun with my family. I’ll report back on how I’m doing.
In the blink of an eye, it’s already Summer! I went creative and simple this year for Mother’s and Father’s Day.
For Mother’s Day, I had Maxi make cards or color on cards. I also gave each Grandma a photo of them with Maxi and one of her latest art projects, sticker art.
For Father’s Day, I bought my husband a cell phone stand with sound. I also bought each Grandpa a shirt. Maxi also made cards for all the fathers celebrating and created some dinosaur sticker art.
Overall, super cute!
This past Sunday, I got a guided look at the Old Masters and 19th Century European paintings and works of art at Sotheby’s with the New York Junior League’s WOC Affinity Group.
I’ve never been to Sotheby’s before. It has a museum-like feel but with the bonus of being able to touch the art.
Our Sotheby’s specialists went over some beautiful pieces. What I loved the most was that they spoke about the art itself, the framing and significance of the touch-ups, and the caring of the artwork. One of the highlights of the experience was looking at some artwork under black light to make comparisons.
Overall, it was an amazing experience. I look forward to visiting again and checking out a collection before it is auctioned off or experiencing a live auction.
Here are some photos of the day.
Early last month, I had a pretty awesome ladies’ night out at Pearl & The Beast.
You pick a muscle, open it up, collect the pearls, clean them, and decide what to do with them. I got a good haul of pearls, so I got two rings and two earrings done. They had someone onsite who put together the jewelry. Bonus; I actually got the earrings for free because they were doing a promotion at the time.
It was hands-on, informative, and fun! I highly recommend checking it out.
These past few months, my daughter has been into painting, coloring, and making cards. Here are some of her latest and greatest.
In February, I got to take part in the legendary Amateur Night at the Apollo. I had a blast! I got tickets through the New York Junior League’s Women of Color Affinity Group. League members got tickets together and it was a straight-up party when we got there. Amazing vibe and great people.
The kid portion of the competition was cute. The girl who won was so talented. With the adult portion, not all performers were great and many got booed pretty badly. The top three winners was definitely well-deserved though.
Overall, I had a blast and would love to do it again.
The Casual Explorer 