Shandean Reid's Blog, page 9

DoubleTree by Hilton, Toronto Review

My husband and I stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Toronto (Chestnut St.) for a few days in November. I’d been looking for a hotel in Downtown, Toronto that I feel safe (and clean) staying at. I landed on DoubleTree.

The hotel is about a 20-minute drive from Pearson International Airport. If you book this hotel beware you’ll pass by another DoubleTree by Hilton hotel. Note that both hotels have the exact same name. The Chestnut Avenue one, however, is the one that is Downtown and the one ...

Welcome to Blogmas 2021! (Blogmas Day 1)

Welcome to Blogmas 2021, ladies and gentlemen! Eek! I’m too excited. The truth is I’ve been looking forward to this all year, pretty much since I participated last year. If my relatively early Blogmas Ideas post was no indication, I am ready, baby!

Blogmas is a fun time. It is a fun way to network and discover other blogs and bloggers you may just fall in love with and want to keep reading or subscribe to. It also has the added benefit of creating a stockpile of content for the blogger tha...

Welcome to Blogmas 2021!

Welcome to Blogmas 2021, ladies and gentlemen! Eek! I’m too excited. The truth is I’ve been looking forward to this all year, pretty much since I participated last year. If my relatively early Blogmas Ideas post was no indication, I am ready, baby!

Blogmas is a fun time. It is a fun way to network and discover other blogs and bloggers you may just fall in love with and want to keep reading or subscribe to. It also has the added benefit of creating a stockpile of content for the blogger tha...

Family Life Update – A New Season

It’s been a little while since I’ve done a family life update. Family life has been especially tough these past few years with imposed restrictions courtesy of the pandemic. Blessedly though, we seem to be on the mend as vaccination rates rise and case loads lower. *Knock on wood* We’ve recently been able to visit some family members and close friends, though we’re still keeping our ‘regular’ circle to a minimum.

The world may have come to a grinding halt, but a lot has been happening. Slowly...

Quick Dinner Recipes For The Family

During lockdowns, I got so bored I tried all sorts of things, including quick dinners I’d never made before. I did fancy recipes and baked bread, too, but since cooking isn’t really my thing, I got tired of the cooking pretty quickly since supplementary take-out we were used to wasn’t as available during those early days.

As a Jamaican, quick dinner typically mean steamed rice and some vegetables or canned protein, but not in my house. My husband doesn’t not eat seafood and I have food ...

6 Tips for Shopping Abroad for The Family

If your family is anything like mine and you do the majority of your clothes shopping for the family abroad, then you can benefit from a few tips for making the most out of a trip. I was never big on shopping, but I’ve had to do more of it in the last few years since my body started changing with age. Since I also have a kid and have to shop for said kid, I learned very quickly that shopping in Jamaica en-masse for my constantly growing child is a giant no-no. Simply put, I cannot afford it.

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One Year Natural Hair Growth Update

This month marks two years since I had my last relaxer and one year natural hair growth. I’ve been completely and wholly natural for a whole year. To say that I’m surprised, even as I write this post, is an understatement. I thought for sure I would have folded by now. Significantly since the beckon of the relaxer hasn’t yet dimmed enough to stop the daydreams, it’s truly a wonder.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that curiosity is a big part of continuing this journey. I know what my hair is l...

5 Reasons to Do Holiday Shopping Early (November)

Holiday Shopping at the last minute. Whew. I love Christmas, but honestly, this is one thing I don’t enjoy. Shopping for gifts. Bt I love to give them, so it’s a Catch 22. I do think, though, that there are ways to maximize the effort, and one of those ways is to do your holiday shopping early and by early in November rather than December. Why put yourself through the hassle?

Once was all it took for me to realize that is my new standard. Here are a few valid points on why.

1. Black F...

The Cost of Having a Child in Jamaica (Kingston) 2021

The true cost of having a child is sometimes sugar-coated. As matter of fact, a lot of people are ragged on for not reproducing. I can’t see why. We can’t al; reproduce. We shouldn’t even attempt it, but that is another story for another day. One of the things that are typically glossed over in this conversation about how expensive it is to have children in the 21st century is never-ending.

If you’re not careful, you might hear things like, “the kids won’t starve” or ‘it will work out“. Of ...

Tips for Balancing Motherhood and School

I’ve been balancing motherhood and school life for over a month now and it is one of those things that I’ve never considered until it was time to actually do it. I now think about how women are encouraged to have this plan (you know the one), where you get an education followed by a career, then pursue marriage and the family last.

Well, true to form, my millennial ass didn’t do that. I went for the first degree, hopped on the marriage train before that was even finished, went on to the intr...