Hello my friends, it’s been a while

As life has gone the last few years, a lot has changed in my world.

Amongst the chaos of COVID, I have gotten divorced, became a single mom of my two beautiful girls, broken my right ankle so badly I was on crutches for three months, moved from Florida to Tennessee, and most recently – accepted a promotion at work.

To say my life has been busy is an understatement. My life has had so many changes my head is still spinning. But through all the constant change and absolute chaos, I have still been relying on my writing to get me through every moment of my life – the good, the bad, and all the lessons in between.

With that said, I have recently been inspired to start focusing more on things that make my soul happy, which for me, is writing about my life experiences so I can share them with all of you.

However, with this new season comes a new website – www.partofjordansworld.com – which will be live soon.

My new blog will still contain all of my usual content; travel, motherhood, dating… all the things A Blonde’s Point of View had to offer, just with a 30-year-old attitude and even more hilarious life stories to share.

I thank you for reading along with me for the last 10 years of my life, and I am hoping you follow me for the next 10…as I can guarantee they are going to be even more wonderful.

Looking forward to closing this chapter, and beginning a new one.

xx,

Jordan

I’m Wishing – A Snow White Parody

Well, with Elsa being such a hit, I decided to use this extra time at home as a creative outlet for my inner Disney Princess.

b1b0208e-90df-4806-b8a9-b16cb0aaaef2That’s right, I made ANOTHER video.

This time, the ORIGINAL of the Disney Princesses, Snow White, was the star of the show.

After creating this video, I realized just how underrated Snow White is when compared to all the other princesses.

Listen, Snow White has to sing SO MUCH HIGHER than any other princesses…this girl deserves some real applause, those notes are NOT easy to hit.

Click the link below to check out Snow White’s video on social distancing 🙂

I’m Wishing – A Snow White Parody

Stay At Home – A Frozen Parody

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Laying in bed on night, my mind could not shut itself off enough for me to fall asleep… this is when I came up with the idea of parodying a Disney Princess song into #Coronavirus videos. 

Obviously, starting with Elsa was the best idea. Luckily for me, turning “Let it go” into “Stay at home” came naturally.

The next morning I got to work coming up with the lyrics and videos shots I would need to make this little PSA video.

Full make-up, a wig and costume, and an iphone of takes later — this little gem was created.

Click the link below to check it out 🙂

Stay At Home – A Frozen Parody

#SelfLove2020

IMG_0465Everyone has a New Years resolution, but let’s be real…most of those resolutions fizzle out come February and we are left beating ourselves up about it until the next year rolls around.

In 2019, my resolution was the prioritize myself more; Take time for myself, work out, brunch with friends… things I had been putting to the side since I became a mom.

In 2020, I wanted to continue on from my resolution prior… this year, my resolution is to love myself again.

Yup, SELF LOVE. That is what I want to accomplish this year.

I have started this year with continuing the prioritization of myself – working out, spending time with friends and over-all doing things that make me happy.

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The majority of what I don’t love about myself comes from my mom-bod. This body grew and birthed and fed two beautiful baby girls. It deserves a lot more respect and love than I have been giving it.

So, you bet I am going to buy those shorts and love these thighs. And I will buy the form fitting dress that accentuates all my curves, and love every roll and curve I have.

Why? Well, because…

I AM BEAUTIFUL.

I AM VALUED.

I AM WORTH IT.

And because I should be damn proud of all the changes this body has made and how much work this body has put in, especially in the last 4 years.

So, here’s to #SelfLove2020. Time to start loving ALL of yourself, not just bits and pieces.

 

 

A beautiful cause, for a beautiful dress

While cleaning up my girls’ bedroom one day, I stopped to stare at my wedding dress. Beautifully preserved in its box, looking like something a Barbie doll would wear.

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Man, how I loved that dress.

It was the first dress I tried on. It was nothing like I thought I wanted for my wedding day. It was beautifully white, with light pink cherry blossoms designed on it. I added a light pink sash.. the moment I tried it on, I knew it was made for me.

As I saw it sitting there, I began to wonder if my girls would ever want to wear it. It was so uniquely me…and one day I hope they find a dress that is so uniquely them.

Realizing that, I began to wonder what I should do with my dress. I don’t think I would ever have the heart to “trash” it, but seeing it sit in its box for the next 20 years seemed silly.

A few days later, I heard a friend of mine talking about how she donated her dress to this student in Orlando who, in her spare time, takes donated wedding dresses and creates beautiful little bereavement gowns for babies who lose their fight and don’t make it home from the hospital.

What a wonderful cause, bringing a little bit of light to families going through a horrific, unimaginable situation. Brings tears to my eyes thinking about it.

I found the girl’s facebook page, Wings for Baby Angels and immediately reached out to find out how to donate.

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I was able to donate my dress, sash and veil, and she turned those items into FIVE beautiful gowns and headbands for five sweet baby girls to wear in the future.

My heart is so happy with how these gowns turned out. I can only hope they bring a little happiness to the parents who will be burying their baby in one. My heart breaks for those families. Even if I never know them, I hope they feel my prayers and thoughts for them through my donation.

Please enjoy the beautiful pictures of the gowns, they look like mini versions of my dress! I will forever cherish these photos, and am so happy I chose to donate my dress for such a heartfelt, beautiful cause.

If you are looking for an amazing way to touch lives, please look into donating your wedding dress to Wings for Baby Angels.

 

 

Decade Challenge: Reflecting on the last 10 years

The current trend sweeping social media is the “Decade Challenge” or “10 year challenge”, so of course I couldn’t help but join the bandwagon.

Looking back at pictures of my 20-year-old self (2009), it’s hard not to think how much I have learned since then.

2009 was the year I moved back home from the college I was attending due to a hurt shoulder which kept me from competing in my sport (Diving).

It was also the year I thought going back to my natural hair color, brown, was a good life choice. Don’t worry, I realized my mistake and by the end of 2009 I had started getting back to blonde.

Since then I have loved, lost, and learned thousands of valuable lessons that make me who I am today, in 2019.

In the last 10 years I have earned my BA & MA.

Lived in London.

Had jobs in radio, teaching and administration.

Made many new friends, and also lost some along the journey.

I have fallen in love, and had my heart completely broken.

My favorite part of this decade? I’ve been blessed with two beautiful daughters who motivate me to be my BEST.

While 2019 has proven to be one of my toughest, life changing years yet… I have learned so much about myself.

What I deserve. What I need. What I want.

Looking forward to see what adventures and blessings the next decade brings.

Feeling blessed – a little Monday morning happy.

This morning I came into an email from the Managing Director of my department at work. It was an email thanking me for my hard work and quality of service since starting the position in April. (We call this “Real Time Recognition” or “RTR”).

As I read this RTR, all I can do is tear up as the sense of caring washes over me, its amazing how valued I feel, not only as an employee but as a person. I emailed a ‘thank you’ back to the MD, and to my manager, so they knew just how much I appreciate them for taking the time to show us such value and care.

Lately, feeling valued and appreciated are feelings I have been struggling with obtaining – in all aspects of my life.

I never knew I could feel like this about a job. This company has so many positive points, but the sense of belonging and care I feel is one of the best parts.

This company has truly blown me away with the caring they show their employees across the board. Whether I need help with a task, or just need a friend to talk to, there is always someone willing to help.

I truly feel extremely blessed to have this job. 

So today, I just want to take the moment to share not only how blessed I feel, but to also remind each and every person who reads this just how valued YOU are.

There are days we all feel worthless, lonely, unappreciated… just know that I appreciate YOU and remind yourself today just how amazing YOU are.

Bye, Felicia – unfriending “friends”

The other day, someone posted on social media about having all of these “friends” following your posts — just behind the scenes creeping on your life… and that got me thinking.

Why do we add all these people as “friends” on social media sites, when the reality is I would not want either am NOT their friend, and in some cases I don’t even know who they are and accepted their friend request due to the mutual friends we have.

Seems silly to let complete strangers see into my personal life. See my children. See my vacations. See things I am sharing for real friends and family.

With the mindset today, why is it we find it necessary to have as many “friends” as possible, when in reality it doesn’t make us any more lonely that we all really are?

Looking at my Facebook page, I looked at the 1,628 “friends” I have and decided to start weeding out the ones I don’t know…and in some cases the ones I don’t care to associate with anymore.

This was quite an eye-opening experience.

As I started making my way alphabetically through my friends list, I realized how many people I did not know.

UNFRIEND.

Sadly, I already realized within the first couple hundred how many of my friends had passed away.

After spending too much time unfriending people — I only managed to get my list down to 1,236. I clearly have more sorting to do, but it was a step in the right direction.

We bank so much of our worth on how many friends we have, or how many “likes” we get on our posts and pictures — I think we forget what is REALLY important in life.

Social media can be such a cool tool to use in life, but it can always be a burden in the sense that it adds impractical pressure on ourselves to be “perfect”.

Anyways, that is my thought for the day — if we are still Facebook friends, congratulations, you made it to see another day of my posts and pictures.

You’re welcome 😉

 

A weekend momcation in NYC

img_2607As some of you saw, I went to NYC this weekend for a little momcation to visit my sister. We had an absolutely BLAST, so I wanted to share what all we did in the short span of 2 days.

Day 1:

  • Got some delicious oatmeal from OatMeals. I got S’mores and it was SO GOOD! Highly recommend for a breakfast treat before hitting the sites!img_2598
  • Next stop — we walked over the Perry Street to see where Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment was in SATC. Did I cry in excitement? Maybe. This was such a cool thing to check out, since who doesn’t love the show and know of this iconic apartment?!
  • After taking a million pics at the apartments, we started walking and enjoying all the sites — we walked through West Village, Washington Square Park, Union Square, Flatiron, and Bryant Park.
  • At some point during our miles of walking, did make a quick stop into the Museum of Sex. Can’t walk past that without having a cheeky look.
  • Seeing we had tome time before dinner, we popped into a little pub and treated ourselves to a Cosmo. Can’t be in NYC and pass up the opportunity to have a Comso!
  • img_2655For dinner we went to the rooftop of Eataly to a restaurant called SERRA by Birreria. It was basically every white girls Fall dream. It was head-to-toe decorated in Fall and the menu did not disappoint! I enjoyed beet risotto for dinner and ordered a spiked apple cider to drink. This cider was literally the best thing I have EVER TASTED. You were able to pick what liquor was put in it — I chose a hazelnut liqueur and it did not disappoint. I am pretty sure I will be dreaming of that cider for the rest of my life.
  • After dinner we made our way to Times Square to see Frozen on Broadway. Easily one of my top musicals. If you get the chance, definitely go see it!
  • Being exhausted from the 28,000 steps we did earlier in the day, we grabbed a slice of NY pizza on the way to the train station and headed home.

Day 2: 

  • We slept in a little bit on Saturday, which was nice! Once we got moving we made our way by Uber into the city for brunch (The Uber driver nearly killed us a few times…but it’s fine.)img_2768.jpg
  • For brunch we went to PS450. The bartender instantly handed us a BOTTLE of champagne and some orange juice, letting the mimosa-fest begin! We were starving so quickly ordered food — I picked the chicken and waffle sandwich. IT WAS HEAVEN. I don’t think I have ever had something so delicious in my life (apart from Day 1’s spiked cider). We spent two hours enjoying our brunch and chatting with the bartender, who even gave us a shot* in celebration of my momcation.
  • Two bottle of champagne later — we decided to start walking towards Central Park. We walked through the park taking tons of pictures. The Fall colors of the trees were absolutely stunning.
  • After Central Park we channeled our inner Gossip Girls and walked to the Upper East Side and sat on the steps of The Met. A nice stranger even took a picture of us together. We felt pretty fancy.
  • img_2832.jpgSince we were already feeling fancy, we decided to walk to Midtown and browse the SJP store. OH MY GOSH I NEED HER SHOES. If you have never checked out Sarah Jessica Parker’s shoe line, you are missing out. They are beautiful! I’m going to start saving up NOW, as her shoes are all around $400 a pair. Sigh, one day.
  • We were absolutely exhausted come 5p, so we changed up the plans and went back to my sister’s apartment and ordered in food and watched SATC//Gossip Girl. I don’t remember the last time I was able to watch a movie without a child interrupting me, so a relaxing night in was SO AMAZING.

*The shot I mentioned above was tequila. I hate tequila, but you can’t say no to a free shot. Especially when the bartender is commending you for your momcation. So, I did the shot and the bartender laughed at the face I made, clearly I am NOT a shot girl. haha. 

Day 3:

  • We slept in some again and then went to grab breakfast before heading to the airport. We went to City Diner in Jersey City and enjoyed all the good breakfast foods! They have a massive menu and the food was soooo yummy!
  • After breakfast my sister took my to the airport, where I grabbed my flight and went back home.

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This weekend was something I needed more than I realized. I enjoyed letting my hair down some. I did my hair and make up each morning, looked super cute, and actually had pictures taken of myself. 

I think all moms need a weekend to themselves on occasion.

For me, two days was just enough time to enjoy myself, but even with enjoying myself I still missing my kids. I am happy to now be back home with them and enjoyed so many cuddles and kisses from them since I have been back.

Guess now I will need to start planning my next momcation… hmm, where to go next?

 

My first Momcation!

img_0718My bag is packed. Outfits picked out. Hair washed and straightened. Diapers and snacks stocked up.

Tomorrow is the day, I am flying to NYC for the weekend to visit my sister — BY MYSELF!

No kids. No husband. Only me, Jordan, enjoying a weekend of being more than just a mom.

My sister is a crazy organizer (love you!) and has the entire weekend planned out by the hour in a nice, neat, color coded, excel itinerary.

We are site seeing, eating tons of delicious food, seeing FROZEN ON BROADWAY, and of course…drinking!

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Don’t get me wrong — I will miss being away from my girls. This will be my first weekend away since…well..becoming a mom. And I have never been THIS far away from them. So, yes, I will miss them and it will be hard. But this mama NEEDS a little time to herself. 

*As seen in this picture of the conversation I had with my sister this morning*

As I mentioned in my last post, I am really working on self-love this year. And while I have focused more on my physical well-being, mentally I am still in tired-mom-brain-all-the-time mode.

If you are a mom, you understand. Mom guilt is a real thing and it creeps in any time you try to do something for yourself. Planning a weekend away and leaving the kids at home with your husband?

SO MUCH MOM GUILT.

But there comes a time when every mom needs to tell the guilt to get over itself and do something FOR YOU!

So, this trip will be about just having a good time, making memories with my sister and the two of us taking on NYC.

Goodbye mom guilt, HELLO New York City! 😉