Day one of summer break. I’m using this week to Day one of summer break. I’m using this week to ease into our summer routine. Everyone gets to choose when they do their summer reading and their chores. As long as it’s done by the end of the day it’s all good. As for me, I’m working this morning and it looks like our afternoon plans of swimming may not happen with this rain.
.
.
How do you start your summer?  Low and slow or fast and furious?  I’ll pick a winner from the comments for a surprise gift. 
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.

#swimmingfun #swimday #swimming_pool #summersports #swimforlife #swimtrunks #swim #swimming #swimmingtime #pool #swimmingpooltime #kids #kidscrafts #summersoff #epicadventures #almostbacktoschool #summersofficialpage #outsideisbetter #summeradventure #changeofscenery #freshairandfreedom #familyfuntime #memorymaking #summerbreak #summervibes #longweekend #bringonsummer #funinthesun
First day, last day. One my simple joys in May is First day, last day. One my simple joys in May is seeing how everyone’s kids have changed in the last year. This year I see the biggest change in Peyton from first day to last day!!
On Wednesday’s we wear pink! Last night @blaums On Wednesday’s we wear pink!  Last night @blaumshavemorefun and I went to see Mean Girls at the Saenger Theater. Dinner at Domenica and  French 75’s at The Sazerac…. It was so fetch. Thank you again to @broadwayneworleans for bringing all of these amazing shows to the city!  Can’t wait for next season!! 
.
.
#broadwayinneworleans #meangirls #saengertheatre #meangirlsbroadway #theaternight #girlsnight #onwednesdayswewearpink #youcantsitwithus
4.5 days left of school until we are in our #summe 4.5 days left of school until we are in our #summerofyes. We’ve added a few new things to our summer schedule like me trying a three day work week, art and sports camps, homeschool summer curriculum (more on that later) and season passes to the water park. Summer has become one of my favorite seasons with the kids even though it can be hot and miserable. What are your plans for summer? 
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.
Swimmie is @target. Coverup is @biglove_fonda. Tan is @planetbeach_mandeville. 
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.

#brightswimwear #swimsuitshoot #newbikinis #poolfloats #onepieceswimwear #newbikini #swimwear #outfitinspiration #styleoftheday #fashionpost #beachfashion #twopiece #bathingsuits #bikinioftheday #lifeisbetterinabikini #bikini #swimsuit #plussizeswim #boldcurvyfashionista #embracemycurves #plussizeswimsuits #swimsuitsforall #plussizebikini #curvygirlstyle #embraceyourcurves #celebratemycurves #plussizeswimwear
This suit 😍. Y’all know I love a pattern and This suit 😍. Y’all know I love a pattern and this three piece set is just perfect. The skirt is swimmable or you can remove it because it is separate from the bottoms. Liked on @shop.ltk. 
.
.
PS my summer glow is courtesy of @planetbeach_mandeville. 
.
.

#brightswimwear #swimsuitshoot #newbikinis #poolfloats #onepieceswimwear #newbikini #swimwear #outfitinspiration #styleoftheday #fashionpost #beachfashion #twopiece #bathingsuits #bikinioftheday #lifeisbetterinabikini #bikini #swimsuit #plussizeswim #boldcurvyfashionista #embracemycurves #plussizeswimsuits #swimsuitsforall #plussizebikini #curvygirlstyle #embraceyourcurves #celebratemycurves #plussizeswimwear
@walmart has some great summer finds! I rounded u @walmart has some great summer finds!  I rounded up a few of my favorites on @shop.ltk. Make sure you are following me in their app. 
.
.

#welovestyle #runwaylook #fashionbloggerlife #fashionmusthave #womensfashionblog #styleandcurve #fashionplus #plussizebloggersunite #fashionforallsizes #plussizeblogger #plussizefashion #plussizegirls #curvesarebeautiful #plussizebloggers #fashionista #plusclothing #boldcurvyfashionista #curvyfashionstyle #curvestyle #plussizeinfluencer #curvygirlfashion #curvyfashion #curvyfashionista #curvychic #fashioncurvy #boldandcurvy #fashionblogger #ootd #womensstyle #personalstyle
You can have a nice day or you can have family pic You can have a nice day or you can have family pictures. 
.
.
#mothersday #family #mom #momlife #familypics #mandeville #mandevilleblogger #louisiananorthshore #northshore #familypictures #familyphotography #lifewithboys
Mother’s Day can be complicated. I’ve spoken m Mother’s Day can be complicated. I’ve spoken many times about my own relationship with the holiday. For a lot of women this day is hard. I want you to know that I see you and I am holding space for you… if you have a child in foster care, if you placed your baby for adoption, if you are trying to have a baby, if you have lost a baby or child, foster parents, if you are waiting to adopt.  Please know that today you are in my heart. XO. 
.
.
#mothersday #fostercare #adoption #infantloss #childloss
What are your Mother’s Day plans this weekend? What are your Mother’s Day plans this weekend?  Justin asked me what I wanted to do and I said two things. First, I don’t want to make any decisions and second, I want a nice picture where everyone is smiling. LOL to the second one. So tell me your perfect Mother’s Day below. 
.
.

#welovestyle #runwaylook #fashionbloggerlife #fashionmusthave #womensfashionblog #styleandcurve #fashionplus #plussizebloggersunite #fashionforallsizes #plussizeblogger #plussizefashion #plussizegirls #curvesarebeautiful #plussizebloggers #fashionista #plusclothing #boldcurvyfashionista #curvyfashionstyle #curvestyle #plussizeinfluencer #curvygirlfashion #curvyfashion #curvyfashionista #curvychic #fashioncurvy #boldandcurvy #fashionblogger #ootd #womensstyle #personalstyle
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Adoption & Foster Care, At Home, Life · September 28, 2018

Why We Celebrate Gotcha Day

Monday morning is Paxton’s Gotcha Day so I wanted to share some thoughts on why and how we celebrate.  November is National Adoption Month and I will be doing a series of posts to talk about our experience with adoption.

A Gotcha Day may or may not be a term that you have heard before.  To be honest, I heard a few people use the term before I became an adoptive mom but I hadn’t thought a lot about it.  When we got the dates to finalize the boys adoptions in October 2014 we started having more conversations of how we saw this celebration going.  I also reached out to our adoptive network to ask how they celebrated the day and to get ideas.

In case you aren’t familiar with the term Gotcha Day it is the anniversary of the day your child’s adoption was finalized.  It is really important to note that in our family we celebrate the day the adoption was finalized and not the day they came to live with us.  We make a big effort to be respectful of our boys stories and they biological parents so not celebrating the day they came to us is important.  While they were young the day that custody moves from one family to another can be traumatic and carry a lot of emotion.  We try to be reverent of that.

This is another reason why you will often hear me say that adoption is beautifully broken or brutally beautiful.  There are good parts, hard parts, happy parts and sad parts.

We have done a lot of different things over the years for the boys Gotcha Days but recently we have been letting them choose a day that is all about them.  For the most part we keep it to just our immediate family and then they get to dictate the day.  We have done everything from spending the day at the Children’s Museum in Mississippi and getting popsicle to going to the zoo to having brunch in the city.  Basically anything goes and the cool thing is they never ask for anything really over the top.

This year they will be in school on their gotcha days so I have offered to go and read one of our favorite adoption books to their class if they want me to and told them I would send a special snack to school.  I want this to be THEIR day.  I don’t want it to be about celebrating me or our choice to adopt.  It’s a special way to highlight that they came to our family in a unique way.  If one day they tell me they don’t want to celebrate that will be fine too.

We also use this day to tell them their adoption story again and use it as a time to answer any questions they may have.  We always talk about how special it is that in this big world we found one another because we were always meant to be a family.  Although adoption is always an open conversation in our house this gives them the chance to ask any questions they may have or questions they have about their brothers.

I think the part that is the most important for them is that it is an opportunity for them to celebrate the fact that they are different.  Everyone has a birthday but not everyone has a gotcha day.  Being adopted is special.  I want them to know that.  My boys always ask to do something all together and it’s just one more opportunity for our family to bond.

I was curious of how other families we know celebrate their children’s adoption days.  I asked a few friends if they would mind me sharing what they do for their gotcha days so here they are…

“So a few things we do: eat Chinese food, bake a cake together because when we were waiting for him to come home we baked a cake that said “waiting for brother”.  We also do some of the things that we did in China like getting green tea from Starbucks and eating noodles.  We also look at pictures from that day and our trip to China and watch the video of his adoption.  We go to the bookstore and pick out a new book about China to honor his heritage and listen to Chinese music.”

“We have celebrated a lot of ways over the years but as our kids have gotten older we go out for hibachi because there aren’t any Russian restaurants locally.  We call it Gotcha Hibachi!”

“For our daughter’s gotcha day we talk about her adoption story and how much we love adoption and do a special breakfast as a family.”

Adoption is wonderful and in our family we don’t really need an extra reason to celebrate!  Looking forward to celebrating this week!

XO,

Tippy

 

In: Adoption & Foster Care, At Home, Life · Tagged: Adoption, family, foster care, justin king, love makes a family, tiffany king, tiffany morgan king, we five kings

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About Me
I'm Tiffany. Although some of my favorite people call me Tippy. My favorite color is pattern. Seriously, I've never met a pattern I didn't like. My style is as bold as my personality and you should never trust my hair color. I am all about size inclusive style on a Nordstrom Sale budget.

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Day one of summer break. I’m using this week to Day one of summer break. I’m using this week to ease into our summer routine. Everyone gets to choose when they do their summer reading and their chores. As long as it’s done by the end of the day it’s all good. As for me, I’m working this morning and it looks like our afternoon plans of swimming may not happen with this rain.
.
.
How do you start your summer?  Low and slow or fast and furious?  I’ll pick a winner from the comments for a surprise gift. 
.
.

#swimmingfun #swimday #swimming_pool #summersports #swimforlife #swimtrunks #swim #swimming #swimmingtime #pool #swimmingpooltime #kids #kidscrafts #summersoff #epicadventures #almostbacktoschool #summersofficialpage #outsideisbetter #summeradventure #changeofscenery #freshairandfreedom #familyfuntime #memorymaking #summerbreak #summervibes #longweekend #bringonsummer #funinthesun
First day, last day. One my simple joys in May is First day, last day. One my simple joys in May is seeing how everyone’s kids have changed in the last year. This year I see the biggest change in Peyton from first day to last day!!
On Wednesday’s we wear pink! Last night @blaums On Wednesday’s we wear pink!  Last night @blaumshavemorefun and I went to see Mean Girls at the Saenger Theater. Dinner at Domenica and  French 75’s at The Sazerac…. It was so fetch. Thank you again to @broadwayneworleans for bringing all of these amazing shows to the city!  Can’t wait for next season!! 
.
.
#broadwayinneworleans #meangirls #saengertheatre #meangirlsbroadway #theaternight #girlsnight #onwednesdayswewearpink #youcantsitwithus
4.5 days left of school until we are in our #summe 4.5 days left of school until we are in our #summerofyes. We’ve added a few new things to our summer schedule like me trying a three day work week, art and sports camps, homeschool summer curriculum (more on that later) and season passes to the water park. Summer has become one of my favorite seasons with the kids even though it can be hot and miserable. What are your plans for summer? 
.
.
Swimmie is @target. Coverup is @biglove_fonda. Tan is @planetbeach_mandeville. 
.
.

#brightswimwear #swimsuitshoot #newbikinis #poolfloats #onepieceswimwear #newbikini #swimwear #outfitinspiration #styleoftheday #fashionpost #beachfashion #twopiece #bathingsuits #bikinioftheday #lifeisbetterinabikini #bikini #swimsuit #plussizeswim #boldcurvyfashionista #embracemycurves #plussizeswimsuits #swimsuitsforall #plussizebikini #curvygirlstyle #embraceyourcurves #celebratemycurves #plussizeswimwear
This suit 😍. Y’all know I love a pattern and This suit 😍. Y’all know I love a pattern and this three piece set is just perfect. The skirt is swimmable or you can remove it because it is separate from the bottoms. Liked on @shop.ltk. 
.
.
PS my summer glow is courtesy of @planetbeach_mandeville. 
.
.

#brightswimwear #swimsuitshoot #newbikinis #poolfloats #onepieceswimwear #newbikini #swimwear #outfitinspiration #styleoftheday #fashionpost #beachfashion #twopiece #bathingsuits #bikinioftheday #lifeisbetterinabikini #bikini #swimsuit #plussizeswim #boldcurvyfashionista #embracemycurves #plussizeswimsuits #swimsuitsforall #plussizebikini #curvygirlstyle #embraceyourcurves #celebratemycurves #plussizeswimwear
@walmart has some great summer finds! I rounded u @walmart has some great summer finds!  I rounded up a few of my favorites on @shop.ltk. Make sure you are following me in their app. 
.
.

#welovestyle #runwaylook #fashionbloggerlife #fashionmusthave #womensfashionblog #styleandcurve #fashionplus #plussizebloggersunite #fashionforallsizes #plussizeblogger #plussizefashion #plussizegirls #curvesarebeautiful #plussizebloggers #fashionista #plusclothing #boldcurvyfashionista #curvyfashionstyle #curvestyle #plussizeinfluencer #curvygirlfashion #curvyfashion #curvyfashionista #curvychic #fashioncurvy #boldandcurvy #fashionblogger #ootd #womensstyle #personalstyle
You can have a nice day or you can have family pic You can have a nice day or you can have family pictures. 
.
.
#mothersday #family #mom #momlife #familypics #mandeville #mandevilleblogger #louisiananorthshore #northshore #familypictures #familyphotography #lifewithboys
Mother’s Day can be complicated. I’ve spoken m Mother’s Day can be complicated. I’ve spoken many times about my own relationship with the holiday. For a lot of women this day is hard. I want you to know that I see you and I am holding space for you… if you have a child in foster care, if you placed your baby for adoption, if you are trying to have a baby, if you have lost a baby or child, foster parents, if you are waiting to adopt.  Please know that today you are in my heart. XO. 
.
.
#mothersday #fostercare #adoption #infantloss #childloss
What are your Mother’s Day plans this weekend? What are your Mother’s Day plans this weekend?  Justin asked me what I wanted to do and I said two things. First, I don’t want to make any decisions and second, I want a nice picture where everyone is smiling. LOL to the second one. So tell me your perfect Mother’s Day below. 
.
.

#welovestyle #runwaylook #fashionbloggerlife #fashionmusthave #womensfashionblog #styleandcurve #fashionplus #plussizebloggersunite #fashionforallsizes #plussizeblogger #plussizefashion #plussizegirls #curvesarebeautiful #plussizebloggers #fashionista #plusclothing #boldcurvyfashionista #curvyfashionstyle #curvestyle #plussizeinfluencer #curvygirlfashion #curvyfashion #curvyfashionista #curvychic #fashioncurvy #boldandcurvy #fashionblogger #ootd #womensstyle #personalstyle
May the 4th be with you. . . #throwback #maythe4t May the 4th be with you.
.
. 
#throwback #maythe4thbewithyou #starwars

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