Motherhood didn’t just give me children—it gave me a new version of myself to understand. As an INFP, I’ve always lived in my thoughts, my emotions, and my dreams. But becoming a mother forced me to step into a version of myself that needed more courage, more grace, and more self-awareness than ever before. This is my journey of growth, healing, and becoming.

Finding out that you're being laid off while pregnant can be a daunting and overwhelming experience. Not only are you dealing with the anxiety of job loss, but you also have the added uncertainty of preparing for the arrival of your baby. In such a situation, it's vital to stay focused, positive, and take actions that will help you navigate this challenging phase. Here are six things you can do to navigate this difficult time.

I’m pregnant with my 2nd child. I’ve been out of the first trimester for 3 weeks now, so I wanted to share my symptoms and compare them to my first pregnancy which might help prepare first-time or second-time moms to know what symptoms might be in store for them when they become pregnant. Everyone’s body is different so you might experience fewer or more symptoms.

Being a mother is definitely the hardest job ever, but it is also the most rewarding experience any woman could have! I love being a mom, even when I have really tough days. I've always had this idea of what kind of mom I would be when I was growing up, and I’m happy to say I’m very close to what I imagined. When I first became a mother, it was rocky. I had to go through the learning stages of being patient even when I got frustrated from being tired or upset. Being a mom, in general, is such a learning process. Today, I want to share with you 5 things I learned so far as a mother, that every new mom should know.

Chirp, tweet, tweet. Buzz, buzz, buzz. The birds are singing, and the bees are buzzing, which means it’s finally Spring!! Spring is my second favorite season behind Fall of course! I’ve been dying for warmer weather and so ready for the Spring showers. Adora hates the cold so there will be more fun outside with her! So in order to get her ready for some outside fun this Spring, we have to update her clothing! If your little one needs new clothes this Spring, here are some cute outfit ideas that are perfect from OshKosh B’gosh.

OMG!! My toddler drew on the wall, what do I do now?! First, do not panic, this can actually be an easy fix. Second, don’t take away the crayons just yet!! Lastly, did I say don’t panic? I know how dramatic it can be when you see that your toddler has drew all over the walls! Especially when it’s done in multiple places in under a minute!! How can this happen so fast, weren’t you just drawing on the piece of paper I gave you?!?

Toys, toys, and more toys! I love shopping for toys during the holidays and seeing my daughter’s face when she opens her presents. Shopping for a 2 year old for Christmas can be difficult at times, they can’t really tell you what they want or they want everything, haha!! So, I’m going to share some awesome toys that you can buy for your toddler from Kohl’s this holiday season!!

Recently, I’ve noticed that my family isn’t as active as we should be. Fitness for us is like a rollercoaster ride. At one point we’re doing really good, next thing you know we’re back at square one. So I’ve been trying my best to stay motivated and exercise a little every day because a little bit of movement a day can go a long way! So I was happy when I got the new Fitbit Versa Ruby which is exclusive at Kohl’s! It’s a fitness smartwatch that can help motivate you to exercise and achieve your fitness goals.

It's summertime, which means it's time to stay cool in the pool!! Recently, my daughter Adora took her first swim lessons at the new Goldfish Swim School here in Richmond, Virginia. It's not too late to put your children into swim lessons! Drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional death; ranking 5th in the United States. Of people who die from drowning, about 1 in 5 are children younger than 14. Putting your children in swim lessons from the ages 1-4 reduces the risks of drowning. Goldfish Swim School offer swim lessons starting at 4 months - 12 years!

Looking for inexpensive, cute, toddler girl clothes(2T-5T) for this summer? Then head over to Walmart! I love buying Adora clothes from Walmart, especially when it's spring/summer. They have cute tops and bottoms by the Garanimals brand ranging from $2.88-$4.88.

Motherhood didn’t just give me children—it gave me a new version of myself to understand. As an INFP, I’ve always lived in my thoughts, my emotions, and my dreams. But becoming a mother forced me to step into a version of myself that needed more courage, more grace, and more self-awareness than ever before. This is my journey of growth, healing, and becoming.

Love is not a simple task people learn to give or receive. Learning to love does not happen overnight. Multiple experiences can change a person's ability to receive and give love. People never know what someone goes through in life which is why it's best to always lead with love. However, it’s not always that easy and it damn sure isn’t easy loving yourself.

“The social season is upon us.” Being single on Valentine’s Day can be a tad bit dreadful. Everyone is celebrating with their significant other, posting what they got for Valentine’s Day. Some of your friends will be posting their engagements, wedding, or pregnancy announcements. Posting beautiful couples and family photos. The list goes on!! Even though being single on Valentine’s Day has its cons, it still has its pros. Use this day to give yourself some much-needed self-love!! The key to being happy in a relationship is first able to love yourself when you’re alone and to be able to do that; you need to spend a lot of time in solitude and figure out what you enjoy and are passionate about. Remember, “just because something is not perfect does not make it any less worthy of love.” -Daphne

Is 2020 over yet, are we at the end of the rollercoaster ride? The death of influential people and loved ones, Covid-19, being stuck in quarantine, murder hornets, protesting police brutality, wildfires, the election. This year has been so tough, especially if you’re black. Being an African American, the senseless killings of my brothers and sisters by the hands of racist police have taken a toll on me mentally. With that said, I do know that I am tired; the black community is tired. Today I want to share 10 things to do when you don’t feel like doing anything for those of us who are just tired.

If you’ve been noticing, I haven’t been posting much on social media lately. Especially on Instagram, the leading social platform I use daily. I haven’t posted on my feed in a few weeks now. I’ve been posting in my Instastories from time to time to let you know I’m still alive, haha. Just in case you were wondering, I wanted to share why I’ve been cutting down my social media time. I posted that I was close to reaching 30 minutes a day on Instagram, which is huge for me, haha. However, I still felt like it wasn’t enough.

As you may know, I love to read. I’m not picky by how I read; whether it’s physical, kindle, or audio, I don’t mind. Today, I’m sharing with you 15 books I plan to read or listen to this year. Last year, my reading goal was 24, which I did not reach since I DNF(did not finish) a lot of books(reached it if I included the books I read to my daughter, haha). Plus, I’m also trying to write a novel. So, for this year, I cut my reading goal down to 15.

It’s that time of year again. Time to bring in the new year. First, I want to say that I am so grateful to be alive to see the year 2020. Usually, I write a post on what my goals for the new year are and reflecting on what goals I achieved in the last year. This post will be a little different. Mainly because the year 2019 was a year of reflecting in itself, and even though I’m thankful for achieving the goals I did last year, I don’t want to review them. 2019 seemed as if it was a grace period before 2020, I guess that is the best way to put it. I’m hoping 2020 is more active, but for it to be more dynamic, it starts with me, right? The problem is, how does a person who is forever stuck in their mind, get into action?

Happy New Year everyone!! Pops champagne bottle. I really hope you had an amazing year and that you achieved everything that you wanted to pursue in 2018. Personally, the main goal for me this year was growth. Growth as a mother, growth as a partner, growth as an entrepreneur, growth in every aspect of my life. I achieved a lot of my goals in 2018.

Recently, I’ve noticed that my family isn’t as active as we should be. Fitness for us is like a rollercoaster ride. At one point we’re doing really good, next thing you know we’re back at square one. So I’ve been trying my best to stay motivated and exercise a little every day because a little bit of movement a day can go a long way! So I was happy when I got the new Fitbit Versa Ruby which is exclusive at Kohl’s! It’s a fitness smartwatch that can help motivate you to exercise and achieve your fitness goals.

If you follow me on Instagram(@adoredonnie), then you always see me posting quotes or articles about something called an INFP. Well, that is my MBTI(Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) personality. You may have taken a personality test before you started a new job or in college for class. It asks you questions about how you would feel about something or are you more likely to do this or that. For instance, one of the questions can be, "in a crowd, are you more likely to stand by a wall away from attention?" and you will answer yes, kinda, uncertain, not really, or no. It's better to not answer uncertain, but you can if you're really not sure. In the end, it will share your results and tell you your MBTI personality.