70 degrees & sunshine came out to play in Vegas a few weeks ago and like most everyone after a long, cold winter, we were super excited to be able to get up and get out!!

Unfortunately for Jordyn, that hasn't been the case. 

Jordyn has extremely bad asthma and allergies so the seasonal allergens like pollen that are present in the air this time of year tend to get the better of her and cause her airways to become inflamed which then causes asthmatic flare-ups and attacks.....I read somewhere that pollen can blow for 50 miles so you don't even have to have a tree in your backyard to be affected by it

and that means instead of being out in the beautiful weather, we are often times stuck in the house.

A few weeks ago she was having a terrible time breathing..even using her inhaler didn't work. She ended up having to take a trip to Quick Care. It was scary of course, your child telling you that her chest is tight and she can't breathe is terrifying and we spent the next few days in the house trying to stay away from anything that might cause her to have another flare-up. 

She eventually got better and I sent her back to school and then BAM, Vegas was hit with an extremely windy day!....Just as my girl was starting to feel better, she was smacked straight in the face with all that wind and pollen.....and she was down for the count again. 

So again, we locked ourselves in the house and tried to stay away from anything that may cause a flare-up. Missing school & basketball practice. She even missed her teams championship game, that really upset her. I can only imagine how betrayed she feels by her own body especially because she doesnt fully understand WHY she goes through these types of things. 

Lately though, she's feeling better and the weather has been on our side! 

So of course, we got up and got out and went to the park!

Before Jordyn had gotten better, the folks over at Gymboree had reached out to me to take part in their #ONEBIGHAPPY campaign and when she was feeling well enough and the weather was on our side, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to get fancied up and celebrate this win. See, Gymborees brand platform, "ONE BIG HAPPY", is all about celebrating lifes moments....big and small. And although to most people not dealing with asthma and allergies, getting out and enjoying the weather may be something they take for granted, for us....for Jordyn, this is a big win. 

Gymboree had sent over a beautiful dress for Jordyn that I had planned on her wearing on a spring time mommy/daughter date idea post but celebrating being able to take a trip to the park without coughing and wheezing seemed like more of a #ONEBIGHAPPY celebration, and in truth, is more authentic. 

You all know i'm a big fan of children dressing like children and this dress absolutely fits that bill. It fits well and she looked so stunning and age appropriate. 

It's also beautiful.....I mean, the detailing is absolutely gorgeous. 

I also really love Gymborees jewelry. They have snap on backs that make it easy for little hands to get on and off.

They also sent Jordyn over some scalloped sandals that have a bit of a heel....and let me tell you, I die whenever I think about how dramatic she acted about the heel! LOL! 

And of course, the coordinating bow ties the whole outfit together. 

After being stuck in the house for almost 2 weeks, it was so nice to get outside for a bit of fresh air. As anyone dealing with or raising a child with asthma knows, the best way to steer clear of an asthma attack is to stay indoors when trigger levels are high,but that isn't always fun so heres just a few ways to battle spring time asthma and keep flare-ups and attacks to a minimum in addition to using a rescue inhaler.

1. STAY INDOORS WHEN POLLEN LEVELS ARE HIGH.

Thankfully, pollen counts are almost always predictable and there are tons of resources and apps that can help track it. 

2. ON HOT DAYS, USE AIR CONDITIONING INSTEAD OF OPENING WINDOWS.

In your car, be sure to set it to recirculate so you're not bringing in the air from outside. 

3. GET AN ALLERGY TEST.

It helps to know what your kiddos triggers are so you know what to avoid. 

4. SHOWER AT NIGHT.

Pollen and other allergens stick to your skin, hair, and clothing during the day. Showering at night helps remove those allergens from your body and helps reduce possible night time reactions.

5. USE A NEBULIZER.

Jordyns doctor told me that nebulizers work better for at home care. Inhalers are designed to administer quick relief medicine if you feel an attack or shortness of breath coming on and while nebulizers are designed to administer those same quick relief medicines if needed, they are also designed to administer long term control medicines. Nebulizers turn liquid medicine into a mist that the child breathes in through a mask. During spring on high pollen days or days when breathing has been a bit harder, Jordyn uses her inhaler twice a day. 

Being able to get up and get out was definitely a #ONEBIGHAPPY moment for us so I want to give a huge thank you to Gymboree for sponsoring this post!

And of course, I can't share my #ONEBIGHAPPY moment without asking you all what yours is?

Your kiddos first visit from the tooth fairy? Spontaneous dance parties? Picnics in the park? Trips to grandmas house? 

Head over to my Instagram and make sure you're following me & @Gymboree, comment your favorite #ONGBIGHAPPY moment for a chance to win a $50 dollar e-giftcard to Gymboree!

Xo, Jeanice :)

(This post is sponsored by Gymboree however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Raising a feminist daughter; How I teach my daughter to use her voice and break down gender barriers.

I am a feminist, a proud one. I advocate strongly for womens rights and equality. My wardrobe is filled with clothing that reads "revolutionary", " Power to the girls", or " The future is female". My pillow talk is less on the sexy side and more on the " isn't it a shame that women in the U.S. have such inadequate maternity care?!"

Yeah, I am a full fledged, flaming feminist. And it wasnt until I heard Jordyn call herself a "FEMALE-IST" that I realized my feminist heart was rubbing off onto her......and let me teeeellllll you, I was overjoyed!!

if you've read my I taught my daughter feminism, my daughter taught me activism post you know a little bit about my journey growing into a strong, active, feminist. You also know how proud I am that  at such a young age, Jordyn stands up for what is right to her.....

Let me tell you a quick story.....

A few weeks ago at school Jordyn was sorting items into piles of "man made" or "natural" and as she was sorting her items she was saying " woman made, girl made, natural, woman made.." etc...A boy in her class questioned her " why are you saying woman made?" to which she responded " because women make stuff too" The boy then said " women don't do anything" and that caused a 20 minute argument between her and 2 other boys about a womens role in history...because you simply cannot tell Jordyn that women and girls don't do anything and get away with it. The other boy was on her side and he is now my favorite classmate of hers. He said " women did a lot, when men came home from war, who do you think helped take care of them? Who do you think nursed wounded soldiers back to health?. They're arguments may not all have been accurate but its the principle and i'd be lying if I said I didn't swell with pride....

So ok, her issues don't include closing the wage gap, or the governments continuous efforts to chip away at womens reproductive rights, and instead include things like girls can play basketball too and never backing down from a challenge just because a boy says she can't do something. 

But still, she is standing up for what is right and that is what being a feminist is all about.

I never put much thought into HOW I started raising Jordyn as a feminist, it was something that happened naturally but I have gotten quite a few questions on how to start that conversation with your kiddos so i've put together a few tips that have worked for me.  

1.PRACTICE SELF-CARE.

This is especially important. Our girls soak up each and every little thing we do so it's vital that they see us making ourselves a priority. We need to show our daughters the importance of loving, empowering, and supporting ourselves so they grow to give themselves that same respect and support. 

2. DON'T JUDGE OTHER WOMEN.

The worst thing we can do is talk bad about and judge other women in front of our young girls. We can't show them that their mommy is a mean girl and expect them to grow up and be different. Instead, support, and praise other women....show them that girl power is real and that every woman is worthwhile.

3. HAVE BODY POSITIVE CONVERSATIONS.

Using words like vagina and breasts with our daughters may seem a bit awkward at first but instilling a strong sense of body positivity and awareness at a young age helps build a foundation of a healthy sexuality that they will carry with them as they grow. Having body positive conversations and honoring our children bodies instead of being bashful and shying away from it, increases their self confidence and helps create that lifelong conversation about health and sexuality we all hope to have with out kiddos. 

4. BE MORE THAN MOM

It's important that our girls see us pursuing our own dreams, having our own friends, having our own hobbies and interests outside of being mom....so that they can see that they can aspire to be more because the woman they look up to most, does too.

5 WATCH THEIR MEDIA.

Mainstream media does a good job of reinforcing gender roles and stereotypes that influence the way young girls view and value themselves. Monitoring what they are reading, watching, and listening to is vitally important in making sure they don't fall victim to the pressures of stereotyping.

6. HONOR STRONG WOMEN THAT CAME BEFORE YOU.

Representation matters! Fill your conversations with talk about women in history. Our daughters need to know about the strong women who came and fought for gender freedom before us. 

7. TAKE THEM TO ATTEND PROTESTS WITH YOU.

When our daughters witness first hand, moments of protest and activism, it is empowering. Bring them with you and encourage them to use their voices to speak out against injustice. Just be sure you are in a safe situation. 

8. DITCH THE STEREOTYPES

Don't teach young girls that "boys will be boys" and when it comes to toys, clothes, hobbies, books, or sports make sure your daughter knows that she has freedom of choice. So much of what limits our daughters is us pushing this social norm of gender roles. I have never told my daughter to "be more lady like" or to " act like a girl"....I mean, If the girl wants to wear baggy clothes and play football, let her!

9. FILL YOUR HOME WITH BOOKS ABOUT FEMINISM.

Whether its written by a female author or has a strong female lead, books are how children explore the world...why not expose them to books that portray how strong women and girls really are. 

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST....

10. TEACH HER TO REJECT LIKEABILITY.

I've always raised Jordyn to understand that not everyone will like her and that she does not have to like everyone. I've never been that parent that said " you have to be friends with all your classmates".

If you worry too much about being liked, you will never have an authentic thought, feeling, or idea of your own.You will always be bound by that nagging pressure to please people and be liked. 

Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, said it best: 

“Her job is not to make herself likeable, her job is to be her full self, a self that is honest and aware of the equal humanity of other people...Please do not ever put this pressure on your daughter. We teach girls to be likeable, to be nice, to be false. And we do not teach boys the same. This is dangerous. Many sexual predators have capitalized on this. Many girls remain silent when abused because they want to be nice. Many girls spend too much time trying to be ‘nice’ to people who do them harm. Many girls think of the ‘feelings’ of those who are hurting them. This is the catastrophic consequence of likeability.”

The most important thing to me is to teach my daughter that feminism isn't about making women and girls strong....we are already strong. It's not about women being better than men.

 It's about equality. Plain and simple.

Xo,

Jeanice :)