Good morning, friends. Before you read any further, I’m going to prep you:

1. Grab some tissues.
2. Pour your coffee.
3. This is important.

Three years ago, I was introduced to Ruby’s Rainbow and met Liz, its founder, for the first time when we hugged outside an airport and roomed together in a Hampton Inn near a college we were visiting where two students with Down syndrome were attending. For me, it was a game changer in how I viewed Nella’s future and the opportunities that were available for her. Not only were the students we visited attending college away from their parents in a program designed for individuals with special needs–still a new concept in the small realm of opportunities available for people with intellectual disabilities, but they were thriving–managing day-to-day activities independently, balancing social schedules and talking about post college work opportunities with real hope. Since then, Liz and I have joined together every year to celebrate World Down Syndrome Awareness Day (two weeks away!) by bringing you stories of young people with Down syndrome who are following a path they’ve dreamed of–to leave home and pursue more education after high school like many of their friends.

Last year, in between shopping for backpacks and notebooks and making sure my kids’ gym shoes still fit as we prepared for the first week of school, I had the opportunity to slip away to St. Paul, Minnesota where another family prepared for the first week of school, but in this case it was college. Kirsta Graf, a 22-year old girl who has Down syndrome, was moving away from home and into her dorm to begin the BUILD program at Bethel University. For her parents who years before could barely comprehend what it would look like for their daughter to step on a bus and be away from them for seven hours, this was a big deal. And to Kirsta who was obviously feeling the impact of what this move meant for her as we talked to her the night before the big move, this was even bigger.

I’m not going to tell you the story today because Jay & Michelle, the videographers who accompanied us to document this journey, captured it in the most beautiful way. I cannot watch this video without ugly crying. I see Nella, ten years from now, in that car on the way to college. I see me in Alicia, hugging her and crying and telling her she’s going to do great. I see Brett sitting at the kitchen table, saying he’s worried he’s going to miss her because he likes having her around. I see Lainey and Dash in Kirsta’s sisters, locked in an embrace, sobbing before she walks up those stairs to her new home. It represents everything we want for all of our kids–to feel what it’s like to be nervous and scared as they bravely walk toward what they want in life and the shift from dependence on their parents to the trust in themselves and the strength and capabilities they posses. As Kirsta’s mom says in the video the night before we dropped Kirsta off as she explained how she raised Kirsta to think beyond staying with them forever, “I was just trying to cast a vision for her…beyond these four little walls.”

So I’m going to ask you to sit down and watch this. Whether you are a parent or not, whether you have a child with special needs or not, I know you will relate to every one of these beloved people in this story in some way.

And before you watch it, let me tell you what this video is for. Yes, it’s for so many parents and kids out there–to show them what is possible and give them hope. But Ruby’s Rainbow works countless hours behind the scenes, day after day, trying to raise money to help send students like Kirsta to college or pay for classes and post secondary education opportunities in their communities. In two weeks, we will celebrate World Down Syndrome Awareness Day. Today begins the 3-21 Pledge where we ask you to help us raise money so that more Kirstas can experience what you will see in this video. Here’s how you can help:

Take the 3-21 Pledge. 

1. Donate $21–more if you can, less if it’s a tight time–to Ruby’s Rainbow.
2. Pledge to be kind to people of all abilities. (that’s easy!)
3. Share the pledge with THREE friends, asking them to do the same.

Social media has given us so many opportunities to raise awareness and invite people to feel more than their own story, and sharing is a big component of Ruby’s Rainbow’s success with their mission. If you’re a parent of a child with Down syndrome, here’s how you can share the pledge:

“Friends and family, if you’re ever wondering how you can help parents of kids with special needs feel supported and loved, how you can help make the world a more accepting place for our kids, I have something you can do. It would mean a lot to us if you donated $21 to Ruby’s Rainbow. For our child and his peers, it grants them the opportunity to dreams we all want for our kids. For your child, it grants him a college experience that includes knowing someone with Down syndrome.”

To make the sharing even more meaningful, you can send this video and the link to the pledge to your closest friends in an e-mail, asking them to join you in the pledge.

Okay, get your tissues, and watch the story.

Please help us these next two weeks as we support Ruby’s Rainbow. Eight years into this journey, and I never forget the incredible support this community has provided. Even if you don’t have a child with special needs, so many of you have been champions for individuals with Down syndrome in so many ways, and we are forever grateful that you join us in celebrating them and advocating for them.

As Alicia, Kirsta’s mom, told Kirsta on the drive to college…”Steady as she goes. Keep your eyes on the horizon, baby.”

Happy Monday! Did you watch the Oscars last night? We brought back our Pajama Glama Oscar party, but mostly just celebrated through red carpet arrivals and the first few speeches before the kids were off to bed, so I missed a lot. My favorite dress of the evening was Emily Blunt’s romantic dress, and while I didn’t see it live last night, I watched the “This is Me” song performance from Keala Settle this morning, and it was amazing.

Now that we have those important things behind us, we are diving into Monday with a little more motivation this week, knowing Friday marks the beginning of a nice long (and much needed) spring break for us. I’ve been working on a vacation (or staycation in our case) guide to Southwest Florida for about two years now and will get it up later this week. In the meantime, I have a fun candy alternative for the Easter eggs today. I have nothing against some good ol’ holiday candy, but we get so much of it–Peeps and chocolate eggs in the baskets–that the candy in the eggs was getting old–not eaten, thrown on the floor and basically a huge waste. Also, can we talk about how expensive candy is these days? Not to sound like a total grandma here, but back in my day, you could get  bag of M&M’s for a dollar.

There are a number of candy alternatives for eggs–coins, erasers, scavenger hunt clues–but this year, I thought it would be fun to fill them with puzzle pieces they have to bring back to complete a puzzle together that will lead them to the hiding spots for each of their baskets.

You can have anything printed into a puzzle pretty inexpensively at places like Walmart or Collage.com. Most 8 x 10 puzzles are 100-110 pieces which is doable for kids, but you can get them printed into less–but bigger–individual pieces for smaller kids. You can also pick up any puzzle at the dollar store and paint over it with acrylic paint (prime it with white first) to write your message on it. To create a recognizable pattern that would make putting it together easier, I included rainbow stripes on ours, along with the hiding places for each basket.

I’m using larger eggs to make sure the puzzle pieces fit inside. Target sells a slightly larger Spritz brand egg that holds our pieces as well as jumbo eggs that can fit several pieces in one egg.

The puzzle adds a little more Easter morning fun and heightens the basket hunt anticipation.

If you didn’t catch it last week, I shared a list of 37 Easter Basket Goodies along with a few new children’s books to include this year.

And if puzzle pieces don’t work, I know I can also just scoop Nutella into all our eggs, pass spoons out to the kids and let them loose on the hunt for the best Easter ever.

Anyone else fill their eggs with something besides candy?

Happy Monday!

This post is sponsored by thredUP, the world’s largest online thrift store. If you’ve never shopped thredUP before, stick around because I’m sharing some tips and tricks for browsing their site to find the best on-trend items for a fraction of retail price, and because there’s a code for 30% off your first order at the end of this post (applies to new US customers only, items priced under $150).

I officially made it!
I, the “I could never do a capsule wardrobe” girl, have maintained the capsule for over a month now, cheating only a few minor times (I can’t help it with the shoes!). What I’ve learned and am sticking with: SMALLER CLOSETS WORK FOR ME. As much as the thought of whittling down my closet to 38 staples felt limiting at first, I felt more creative and more inclined to wear fun fashion, partly because I purposely chose fun items as part of my 38 staples. I’m more likely to wear the fun overalls or the frilly skirt I had forgotten about when it’s standing out among a handful of clothes rather than being buried between drawers of things I hardly wear. Plus, my brain felt more free with less clutter in my closet and a very manageable laundry basket. (The selection guide I used for choosing my capsule items can be found here.)

But with spring on its way, I’m ready to put the long sleeve items and wintery things away (sadly, I think Florida is done with its cold fronts) and add in some colors and trends I’m craving as I peruse new catalogues and spring fashion magazines. The best part? I can do this without breaking the bank.  With $150 budget that might get me 1-2 items full retail, I’m stretching that to buy SIX new spring pieces by shopping thredUP for like-new items up to 90% retail price. I bought two new dresses, a skirt, a shirt, a clutch and a pair of sandals, all for $150.

There are several ways to shop thredUP, and if you’re not looking for something in particular, might I suggest pouring a drink on a free evening, sitting down at your computer, typing in your size on thredUP and scrolling through pages just for fun. With over 35 thousand brands to choose from and thousands of items added every day, you’ll no doubt find something you didn’t know you needed.

I love to use thredUP’s filters though. People always ask me how I find such great stuff on thredUP, and it’s all about knowing what you love. As I’m shopping my favorite brand sites, flipping through new catalogues or scrolling Instagram, I make note of what’s inspiring me and what’s giving me “the wants.” For spring, my wardrobe inspiration board in my brain looks a little bit like this:

• Bright, fun colors that pop: hot pinks, greens, yellow. Spring flower field.
• Sweet and feminine details: light sundresses, blush, whites, off whites
• White leather slides/sandals (easy to pull off in Southern Florida)
• Tie-front button-up shirts: I’m obsessed with them right now because they go with everything (skirts, jeans, shorts), and they are so flattering. They draw the eye in to define your waist.

Then I take those inspirations to thredUP’s site to see if I can find them for less. I use their search bar to find the brands I love as well as their fine-tuned filters that help me narrow my search down to color palettes and particular styles. I score every time. And when you know you’ve done good, you freak out a little bit when that polka dot box hits your steps.

Let’s start with the sandals. I know white shoes with gold accents could be categorized as Chic Old Lady Gone Yachting, but if Chic Old Lady Gone Yachting is wrong, then I don’t want to be right. These Nieman Marcus leather sandals could pass as brand new and were only $30.99 on thredUP, a fraction of their estimated $143 value. They feel a little Chanel.

I texted Heidi a picture of them when they came with “You like?”

“Oh my God, they look like what my grandmother in Italy used to wear to get gelato,” she texted back.

“Exactly what I was going for.”

The white sundress is also thredUP and came up under my “Anthropologie sundress” search. The brand is Maeve, an Antro dress brand, and this dress is perfection. It was $119 retail; thredUP price: $19.99. The fold on the collar is the sweetest detail, and it has textured polka dots all over it.

Now for my spring color pops.

I never met a yellow I didn’t like, and this sunny Shoshanna dress (new, with tags!) is no exception. The price on the tag? $330. thredUP price I paid? Wait for it…$58.99.

It fits like a glove, and is begging to be paired with bright contrasting colors. I went for turquoise earrings and royal blue shoes with the added accessory of a daughter in a rainbow shirt.

And finally, my favorite…this Nanette Lapore silk shirt I’ve been wearing non-stop. Estimated retail: $278, and I paid $24.99 on thredUP.

I’m loving the super flattering tie-front detail on shirts lately, and this one’s another fun one to pair with other bold colors to scream Spring! rather than whisper it. I love it paired with bright green (Gap skirt, thredUP price $7.99). The finishing touch? This blush Who What Wear leather clutch. Retail price $45; thredUP price: $19.99.

And because my little capsule closet is all organized and doesn’t take up too much space, these new items were slipped on pretty hangers and tucked right into place, ready to be chosen when a day calls for sunshine and happiness.

If you’re ready to try thredUP for the first time, you can click right here to start shopping. The first 100 people to enter the code KELLE30 at checkout will get an extra 30% off their first order (applies to new US customers only, items priced under $150).