Because of the current worldwide pandemic, I personally do not feel comfortable traveling by plane- especially with a two year old. However, I love the idea of driving to another city in your state, changing the scenery, supporting local business and tourism, and enjoying life while still being safe.

The drive to Fort Myers & Sanibel is under 3 hours from South Florida. 3.5 from Orlando, and a little bit over 5 hours from Jacksonville- we were coming in from Miami so it was a really easy drive with a toddler.

Where we stayed: Matlacha Tiny Village

I was so excited about staying in a tiny home, I absolutely love the concept and it was adorable. The one we stayed in was “Flamingo” themed and everything had little flamingos on it.  This home sleeps 6 adults and it includes a full kitchenette.

The community has a few tiny homes and its amenities include BBQ grill, dock, deck and kayak launch. I also found very convenient that it had picnic tables outside because we liked picking up food at restaurants and eating outside.

We also loved the location, Matlacha is so colorful and the people were very nice.

Must-have eats:

- Blue Dog Bar & Grill: If you want local seafood, this is THE place! It was recommended by many locals and it did not disappoint! My favorite were the fish tacos.

-Cayo Costa State Park (we used Tropic Star of Pine Island to get there)
The second day we went to Cayo Costa, which is a state park island that is only accessible by boat or kayak and used to be a former fishing ground of the Calusa Indians.  We arrived via boat in the early morning (Tropic Star takes about an hour each way), it was nice that it wasn’t full and everyone was required to wear a mask. Many people were in their “hiking" gear and when we arrived there I was excited to see a lot campers with their tents. It looked really fun staying overnight (adding it to my bucketlist!). 

We headed to the beach since the island has nearly 9.5 miles of pristine beach on the Gulf of Mexico. The day was a bit cold and cloudy but the water was still so beautiful.

TIP: you need to bring everything you need as there is barely anything on the island- aka bring food, umbrella, towels…everything!

Because of Nico, we decided to stay until 1pm instead of 3pm- and it was a great decision, he was already super tired from all the playing in the sand and he napped the whole boat ride to Pine Island.

- Thrifting on Fort Myers
The third day we headed to Fort Myers and as I absolutely love finding gems in thrift stores, I googled the ones in the area. There are MANY thrift stores around Fort Myers and so many have amazing beach furniture.We might go back when we start decorating our home. I actually bought some gold beautiful frames that I can’t wait to repurpose, and some vintage jewelry!

- Biking on Fort Myers Beach (Fun Rentals- Fort Myers Beach)
if you want to enjoy the beach and shops, rent a bike! Toddler seats are available for your little one!
Sirenia Vista Park

- On our last day, before driving back to Miami, we stopped by Sirenia Vista Park to see if we were lucky enough to see manatees (as they are common during the colder months January/February). We didn’t see them but Nico had a blast running and we read some books after having breakfast with a view!

Have you been to The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel? I had a blast doing this little guide, let me know if you want to see more like this!

 *Sponsored by QVC and ShopStyle Collective. This post includes affiliate links. All opinions are my own.* 

As we move into the new house, I’m excited to partner with QVC as they have amazing deals in home and electronics (as well as apparel, beauty, and so much more).

In the previous apartment, we turned the balcony into our workout station. So, I knew that I wanted to have a small gym corner with items that wouldn’t take a lot of space, but we could use almost on the daily.

Here are some of the home gym essentials I recommend if you want to start your own little workout corner:

 [Sponsored by FabFitFun. All opinions are my own]

I’ve heard so much about FabFitFun over the years and I was so excited to finally try it out! Let me tell you all about it!

What is FabFitFun? It’s a seasonal (quarterly, not monthly) subscription box that includes full sized products…and it’s not only beauty products, I’m talking fashion, fitness, and lifestyle too! P

lus you can customize the box! You can either pay per box or pre-pay for the 4 boxes and get extra perks like earlier access and shipping!

I honestly can’t choose my favorite product of the box…so let me share you some of my faves that are available for all members to pick!

• Short Stories LED Indoor Planter**  & True Leaf Market Italian Large Leaf Basil Seeds*:  I’m VERY excited to put this one together. One of my goals for 2021 as we move to the new house is to start a little garden. And what better way than with an LED Indoor Planter. I’ll probably update you on how my green thumb goes!

• GAIAM Ultimate Core Toning Kit: another big thing for the new house and 2021 is to improve my little home gym! It consists of an 8’ Mini Ab Ball and a 4 looped Core reformer that mimics the pilates reformer with lightweight resistant bands!
  

• Alice + Olivia Reversible Bucket Hat: Bucket hats are very in this Spring/Summer too and can’t wait to wear this reversible one: it featured a fairy print on one side and a solid white on the other!
  

Then FFF surprises you with a few options they think you will love- like these super cute Flower Hair clips from Each Jewels, and some reusable cotton rounds!

Reasons why I would totally order another box next season:

1) Amazing value: some products are worth more than the entire box!
2) I love discovering new products and brands- and it’s amazing to know that many of the products are from female-founded companies!

3) I noticed that FabFitFun has committed to reduce waste, and the use 100% recycled Kraft box and paper! I’m a big fan of companies that are focusing in reducing the carbon footprint!

If you want to try it out, I have a little surprise! Get $10 off your FabFitFun box by using the promo code NANY!

This post is sponsored by Amazon. All opinions are my own.

2020 hasn’t been the year we all imagined it would be. It has taught us the importance of enjoying the little things in life and giving back to our community and those who need it most.

I love how AmazonSmile Charity Lists make it so easy to give back. 

At smile.amazon.com/charitylists, you can find an organization to give back to by browsing by cause (from Pets & Animals, Environment, and Health…to Veterans and Arts and Culture) or simply searching for your favorite organizations. I already knew I wanted to donate to an animal organization, so I added the keyword “Miami” in the search bar, and AmazonSmile gave me a list of animal organizations IN Miami. 

I was super excited to see that “Jamie’s Rescue” was on the list - that’s the rescue where we adopted Susy from in January. This organization was founded by Jamie Robinson, a past photographer for the White House in the 70s, who nurtures puppies and dogs back to health and puts them up for adoption.

To adopt Susy, we were interviewed by Jamie a few times - we visited the rescue twice and we were in complete awe by seeing all the dogs run freely around the house and backyard. It’s like she lives with the dogs, and not the other way around. You can tell it is a labor of love.

Once you select an AmazonSmile Charity List, you can view their full wish list – and in Jamie’s Rescue’s case, it mostly includes pet supplies and cleaning products. You can then purchase items to donate and have them directly delivered to the organization’s designated address.

I am very excited to give back to the place that gave us our precious little Susy. 

In addition to charity lists, you can also support your favorite charitable organization at no extra cost to you just by shopping through AmazonSmile. Visit smile.amazon.com/holiday and browse Amazon’s wide selection of holiday deals and low price items, receive fast and free delivery options, and more. The best part is, when you start your shopping at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will automatically donate a portion of the purchase price of eligible products to a charity of your choice.  

And it gets even earier than that! If you are in the giving spirit and wish to make a monetary donation, you can simply say “Alexa, I want to make a donation” to any Alexa enabled device to get started. 

Let’s make the holidays a bit more wonderful for those who need it most! Click here if you are ready to give back and browse AmazonSmile Charity Lists – and share how you’re giving back this season with #DeliveringSmiles.