KATIE KENNEDY

Daily Dose of Vitamin C

Tee || Skirt || Wedges || Clutch || Earrings || Bracelet

An old tip for staying healthy is getting a generous amount of Vitamin C each day. In Florida, that’s a pretty easy request since it literally grows on trees here. Vitamin C has a long list of benefits, but the most impressive is its ability to boost your immunity. Although it’s not a cure all, it certainly isn’t going to hurt to add a little bit to your daily diet. On a less serious note, adding some Vitamin C to your wardrobe has non-scientifically been proven to boost your mood. To show it, I’ve rounded some of my favorite pieces that are certain to add something bright and cheerful to what you wear.

SERPUI MARIE Orange Clutch

This little gem has been my own latest addition to my ever-growing straw bag collection. Considering my blog name, it pretty much hits the nail on the head and is a must for any Floridian. I was surprised to find that all of my must have items (phone, wallet, lipstick) fit comfortable inside. Grip it as a clutch or utilize the included gold chain for a more hands free option.

SOUTH PARADE Spritz Sweater

Sometimes our daily dose of citrus comes in the form of a cocktail. That’s okay! I’ll be sharing my favorite quarantine drink later in the week, but this fun sweater is a great placeholder in the mean time. Summer is fast approaching and the Aperol Spritz is almost guaranteed to be a crowd favorite yet again. Say cheers with this cocktail inspired sweater and go ahead, poor yourself tall and strong. You deserve it!

J. CREW Short-Sleeve Pajama Set

If we’re being honest, I know many of us have been spending a lot of time in our comfiest pajamas and loungewear. That doesn’t mean you have to miss out on your daily dose of Vitamin C. This pajama set from J. Crew is absolutely perfect. The short-sleeves make it a great option for the increasingly warmer days. I can almost bet that you won’t feel weird at all wearing your PJs outside to get the mail.

GAL MEETS GLAM Lemon Dress

This dress is truly special. It’s from Julie Engel’s gorgeous collections of dresses, with the pattern designed by her equally talented sister. Midi dresses are always my favorite. They can dressed up for a more elegant evening or styled to be incredibly laidback. The tied shoulder details are just a charming element you can expect to find from anything in the GMG Collection. For the moms out there, it also is available in a darling romper set. If you are more orange inclined in your citrus choices, that’s available for you too!

Don’t you feel healthier already? Even though there’s no obvious benefits to wearing a piece of Vitamin C, I still want to bet that you’ll feel a little extra pep in your step. During these trying times, that alone can be worth its weight in gold. Shop more of my favorite and have fun!

Love from Florida,
Katie

As always, thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.

Teaching From Home with Erin Condren

Dress || Similar Sandals || Earrings || Bracelet || Teacher Planner (c/o)

Even though I’ve been spending nearly all of my time at home, my teaching life hasn’t turned into a picnic. There’s so much to juggle like the lesson plans, remembering who has consistent access to the internet, and always feeling like I should be on call for my students. I don’t regret my career choice for even a second, but it’s more important that ever to stay organized and keep my teacher brain in check. To give you the inside scoop, here’s a quick overview of how I’m scheduling out my day.

7:00- Morning Rituals

David may have gotten up long before the crack of dawn, but I’m letting myself sleep in until around 7. It’s kind of my little silver lining and I’m okay with taking advantage of it. From there, I get dressed, casually sip my morning coffee, and mentally get ready for the day. I also take this time to take care of any blog related elements, like responding to e-mails and getting ready for the day’s blog shoot. I live for this time of the day, especially with the morning light in our St. Pete bungalow.

8:00- The Starting Bell

Now I’m unofficially on the clock. My focus is solely on navigating my virtual classroom, making sure all of the links are live and that all of my directions are clear enough for my ten-year-olds. Believe it or not, some of my students are already online at this point. A few are ready to get started on work, but some just want a moment to talk with me. In my mind, being accessible to my students is more important than anything academic out there.

9:00- The Kids Start

Around this time, the students start trickling in. Although I try and make my lessons as straight forward as possible, I compulsively check my messages. One of the biggest challenges with teaching online is software error. Imagine a quarter of a million people in one area trying to get on the same website at the same time. There’s bound to be glitches in the system. The other side to that coin is not knowing what my children are struggling with. A huge portion of my day feels like tech support, trying to talk children through computer skills that some adults haven’t mastered.

11:30- A Quick Break

We all needs breaks and my school district has been very generous with ours. On the schedule, my lunch break is from 11:30 until 1:00, but I sometimes feel too guilty to be away from my computer for too long. Still, I take advantage of the break while I can. That usually means making lunch for David and I, and starting on some small chore around home. On particularly pretty mornings, we get ourselves out of the house and go on a walk through the neighborhood. Sometimes, that’s the most important piece of the day.

1:00- Back to Work

Most of my students get their work out of the way ASAP in the morning. That’s fine by me. It gives me an opportunity to get my lessons ready for the next day or go over the classwork. Yes, I’m trying to take grades during this time, but please know I’m being very lenient. This is also the time where I touch base with my teacher friends around the area, typically finding a good laugh.

3:00- Done For the Day

Trying to be respectful of my own time, I call it at around 3. Since it has been so gorgeous in St. Pete, the first thing I want to do is go for a quick run and get in a workout for the day. The downside is its the hottest time of the day, but it feels so refreshing to sweat it out. Tripp, my dog-baby, also gets a full piece of my attention with a long walk through the neighborhood. Don’t worry, he’s not starved for love because I am constantly petting him through out the day.

6:00- Last Minute Details

Now that my teacher brain is unplugged, I take care of everything else of my to-do list. Dragging David out for a quick blog picture is frequent, but usually I just want to veg and watch something easy on Netflix. We make dinner together, relax, and share our nightly dessert. This downtime is the perfect way to finish off the day.

11:00- Winding Down

David and I both have issues with ‘turning off’ our brains. If we have something on our minds, we will work on it right in the moment. When that happens, and we’re on a roll, we have a hard cutoff time of 11 pm. Funny enough, Tripp is usually the one to tell us to go bed when he makes his way to the couch and tries to steal a spot. He’s honestly more consistent that any alarm clock. From here, it’s time to say goodnight and recharge for the next day.

Whether you’re a teacher, or anyone else working from home, finding a consistent schedule and staying organized are both critical elements. My Erin Condren Teacher Planner has been my lifelong for several years, but that rings so true now. It gives me an opportunity to keep track of lessons, grades, and attendance without needing to stay online. These planners are fully customizable and are made just for what you need. If you have any burning questions about how I utilize my planner, be sure to reach out!

Love from Florida,
Katie

As always, thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.

Thank you so much to Erin Condren for gifting their latest Teacher Planner and inspiring this post.

Celebrating Easter at Home

Dress || Heels || Clutch || Earrings

I know this was not the Easter Sunday that we were hoping for. A month ago, I was looking forward to a long weekend, a dinner with my family, and my dad’s world class cooking. Everyone has been learning new levels of compromise and perseverance that they didn’t even know were possible. I’m in the exact same boat. Instead of focusing on missed opportunities (and trust me, there’s been quite a few), I spent my Easter enjoying the day and measuring what I’m thankful.

Long Walks Through the Neighborhood

David and I have been taking daily walks through the neighborhood and Easter Sunday was no exception. I’m turning into quite the shutterbug and bring my camera each time. Old Northeast is the most charming part of St. Pete, although I’m incredibly biased, and I love snapping the historic homes and landscaping. Each time we venture out, it seems like a new plant is in full bloom. I will never get enough of the local jasmine, plumeria, and hibiscus plants.

Reese’s Eggs (Courtesy of My Parents)

Our trips to the grocery store have gotten less frequent and when we do go, it’s typically for the essentials. We try to limit the amount of sweets we buy because it just begs to be eaten. The one exception I wanted to make was for the holiday Easter candy, but my parents beat me to it. They sent us a care package of Reese’s Eggs, the good stuff, and David and I have been snacking on it since. Even in these strange times, it’s comforting to know that some things just don’t change.

Family Recipes

Like I’ve said several times, family dinners mean the world to me and my dad is an amazing cook. One of the biggest blows of staying at home is not being able to gather with my parents. Luckily, before we moved to New York, my mom made me a cookbook of our family recipes. I spent the better part of Easter Sunday cooking some personal favorites like my grandma’s cheese potato casserole, southern lima beans, and key lime pie. Between all of that and the Easter candy, we ate very well!

Getting Dressed Up With Nowhere To Go

One of the best things about Easter is wearing your Sunday best at your place of worship or family dinner. David and I opted to still take the opportunity for dress-up and have a more formal meal. This sweet little dress from J. Crew couldn’t have been better for the occasion. While it was fine at home, it’s going to be even better when it makes its actually debut. David was looking equally dapper and may be the better dressed of us.

Even though Easter has come and gone, it still feels so good to count our blessings. I hope everyone is making the most of their time, reaching out to loved ones, and maybe even picking up a new hobby. We will all get through this soon!

Love from Florida,
Katie

As always, thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.