Last night I went out with a few Blogger friends and fellow Mocha Moms to Mashable Social Media Day ATL! The event was held at Terminal West at King Plow in Atlanta, Ga. It was an event for anyone involved in all things social media. Whether you are a blogger, social media manger, tech gadget guru or more, this was the social networking place to be.
There were actually hundreds of people there but I never felt overcrowd. The event was FREE but you had to register. Also if you wanted to skip the FREE line you could pay $20 (Priority) to walk right on in. Shout out to Angela Sellari, who gave me 2 priority tickets!! So I invited Daphne Channel and we walked right on it, you know I love FREE & a Hook UP!
The event was inside and outside. They had a look of different hor'derves to choose from. And everything was creatively displayed. It was even a live band playing while you walked around and got to know people. There were a few vendors there as well. They wanted you to sign up for this or that, really to get you on their list!
Overall, I had a good time. I met some new bloggers that I talk to online but finally got to give them a real hug! I do wish that the people who were over the event would have said something to the crowd. Did more crowd participation or something. I was there for a little over 2 hours and no one said a word to the group. Not a hello, welcome, this is why we are here...... Just come in and network. Me and Daphne agreed to try to meet at least 5 new people. Mission accomplished!
OH! And one more thing... the coolest thing was my Flipbook. I stood infront of a camera for 7 seconds and they took a shot a second and made me a book! Too creative!
Hello everyone! I apologize that I haven't written a post in a while but I had a long weekend! I was able to go see my fellow HTL get married in Chicago! HTL stands for Hot Topic Ladies. 4 years ago, 9 of us got together via email and started doing a topic of the day hence the name Hot Topics. Fast forward 4 years, we are now like sisters and talk EVERY SINGLE day through email about every single topic under the sun. These girls know things about me (and vice versa) that no one else does. We trust each other and it has been a blast getting to know everyone. Now when we started our email group we all didn't know each other but everyone knew someone else in the group that connected us to each other. For the most part, most of us went to college together. Out of the nine, 2 live in GA, 3 in Alabama, 2 in Milwaukee, 1 in Chicago (the one who got married) and 1 in Boston (whose brother the one in Chicago married!). We try to do an HTL trip every other year because we all have families. 2 years ago we went to Miami and had a blast, this year we made our trip Chi-town because of the wedding. It was so good being home! So good. I got eat at all my favorite food places and see everyone I intended to see. ;) I love Chicago, that city is like my Love Jones. It's just something in the air. Well, enjoy the pictures and more post to come. Oh! I got some life altering news the day before I left for Chicago!! Shaking my head hard! That post will come soon..... stay tuned!
How was your Father's Day? I must say we had an enjoyable weekend. Saturday morning, I got the kids up, fed, dressed and out the door. We went to the Old Navy Sale, because they had a 50% sale off on all Men items. But of course when you get there, it's not all on sale. We got daddy a cute Fathers Day afternoon outfit and then headed out to lunch with the hubby. We took the kids to Mountasia to play games and then headed to Juneteenth. It was such beautiful weather that I didn't want to go in.
Sunday, we started off our day at church. After church we went home to change and headed downtown to Real Men Cook. It was the first time that we attended and we ate good. I will say if can .... do not take your "little" kids! My children are 6 and 4 and they didn't want to taste anything that looked like something unfamiliar. And because it was so many people there, we were maneuvering our children through the crowd the entire event. "Excuse me, Oh sorry, move!, Come here! Stop! Eat! Excuse me! Wait! OMG! Say Sorry! I'm sorry!" I found myself saying all of these yesterday! My kids just wanted the mini-burgers, waffles, fruit, cotton candy and popcorn!
My Family
Real Men cook was hosted by radio personality Michael Baisden and it was packed. We made it there on time. It started at 3pm and there were lines for the food already. As time went on, the lines became longer and even more crowded. The food was good if you were able to get what was supposed to be hot - HOT. The only thing I did not like > there was not enough drink suppliers and not enough seating for guest who want to sit and eat. It was elbow to elbow in this place and everyone was walking around trying to eat. The portion sizes were really small, just enough to get you interested. The good part is that you could come back for more and more. I tried some new dishes and some familiar dishes. I would surely go back, but it wouldn't be an every year event for us. And even though I love the kids....next time it's gonna be just the Hubby & I.
If you work like me then you either take your lunch everyday, buy it daily or do a combo of both. Lately, I have really been trying to save money and challenge myself not to spend money on lunch. I tell myself, I am going to treat myself out 1x a week. And usually when I do, it's a veggie quesadilla from Moe's. So what am I doing the other 4 days? Fruit and veggies. I have been bringing salads to work and keeping my dressing in the fridge in the break room or I have to pour it on in the morning. Well, earlier this week I was at Big Lot's looking for a gift to buy my secret sister and came across this Salad Jiggler! At first, I was like, "What is this?" Turning it upside down, reading the labels and looking puzzled. Then it hit me, "Oh, I put my salad here, my dressing here and my fork here!" Great SIMPLE easy concept for $3 (at Big Lots).
I told myself, I am going to give this to my secret sister - just let me find another one for myself. But guess what? It was only one left. Ummmm, I kept it for myself. I bought her something else. This is just a quick post on my SIMPLE find. Today is my first day using it. I didn't have to worry about a fork or dressing! I love the dressing compartment. I don't have to worry about my salad getting soggy, because I can pour it on when I am ready. You know when I get something new or find something that makes life easier, I want to share it so..... I came to work ready to show the world my new salad jiggler! I showed my first co-worker, "Come here, look!" She shot me down quick! "Oh yeah, Tina has one of those! I have seen those before!" I just stand there like, "Oh!" She busted my little salad jiggler trailblazing bubble.
Well, I still have you all. If you want to know more information about the company that makes the Salad Jiggler, their website is http://www.bramli.com/. I went to their site and they have many creative dishes for different occasions. I was quite impressed. Making eating easy! Maybe that should be their tag line.
BernettaStyle Living Smart, Simple & Stylish
Bramli is a leading manufacturer of plastic kitchenware and houseware renowned for its fun, functional, trendsetting and safe designs. Until over a decade ago, the Bram company manufactured traditional plastic ware for a growing clientele. In 1999 founder - Eli Bramli wanted to create a new global venture under the name Bramli that developed brand conscious, trend setting home ware at affordable prices. Our mission soon became - to deliver innovative designer homeware at affordable prices that bring fun, joy and functionality to as many households as possible while exploring new ways to recycle plastic products.
Have you ever tried Dry Brushing you skin? I have been trying this technique for the past three days and I can feel a difference in my skin. This past weekend, I went to my husbands family reunion and we started joking about how ashy my husbands legs were while we at the beach. His aunt Martha is a health guru! She eats and only uses all natural things on her body - so you know I love my talks with her. I just soak it in. She mentioned he needs to dry brush his skin. I asked what is that? And it started from there. (There is a video at the end of this blog showing you how to do this!) By the way, his aunt is 54 and skin is so smooth and soft and she definitely doesn't look her age. Not a wrinkle anywhere!She takes awesome care of herself.
Dry brushing involves rubbing the skin with a dry natural bristle brush. The process, which can be gentle or rough, may help slough off some dead skin cells.
The Benefits Of Dry Skin Brushing• Dry skin brushing helps to shed dead skin cells, which can help improve skin texture and cell renewal.
• Dry skin brushing increases circulation to skin, encouraging your body’s discharge of metabolic wastes, which greatly aids the lymphatic drainage of the entire body. When the body rids itself of toxins, it is able to run more efficiently in all areas.
• Dry skin brushing also helps to tighten the skin because it increases the flow of blood. Increasing the circulation to the skin can also help lessen the appearance of cellulite.
• Dry skin brushing stimulates the lymph canals to drain toxic mucoid matter into the colon, thereby purifying the entire system. This enables the lymph to perform its house-cleaning duties by keeping the blood and other vital tissues detoxified. After several days of dry brushing, you may notice the gelatinous mucoid material in your stools.
• Dry skin brushing helps with muscle tone and more even distribution of fat deposits.
• Dry skin brushing also rejuvenates the nervous system by stimulating nerve endings in the skin.
• Dry skin brushing helps your skin to absorb nutrients by eliminating clogged pores. Healthy, breathing skin contributes to overall body health.
• Individuals who sit at a computer screen all day long will particularly take pleasure in the benefits of skin brushing. People who have inactive lifestyles or jobs usually experience stiff and sore necks and shoulders that reach even into their arms and down their spines and into their lower backs. Increased blood flow begins entering the areas brushed and you will experience an increase in electromagnetic energy that permits you to feel energized and invigorated.
How to Get Started With Your Skin Brushing Regimen
1. Purchase a natural, NOT a synthetic, bristle brush. (vegetable bristle) 2. Purchase a brush with a long handle, so that you are able to reach all areas of your body. Best-case scenario would be one that had a removable head with a strap for your hand. 3. Skin brushing should be performed once a day, preferably first thing in the morning. If you are feeling ill, please do it twice a day until you feel better. 4. Skin brushing should be performed prior to your bath or shower and your body dry and naked. 5. Begin brushing your skin in long sweeping strokes starting from the bottom of your feet upwards, and from the hands towards the shoulders, and on the torso in an upward direction. Always brush towards the heart. Try and brush several times in each area, over-lapping as you go. 6. Avoid sensitive areas and anywhere the skin is broken.
7. After brushing your skin, rinse off in the shower. Paavo Airola, author of Swedish Beauty Secrets, recommends alternating temperatures in the shower from hot to cold. This will further invigorate the skin and stimulate blood circulation, bring more blood to the outer layers of the skin. 8. After getting out of the shower, dry off vigorously and massage your skin with pure plant oil, such as almond, jojoba, sesame or coconut.
9. Don’t forget to clean your skin brush using soap and water once a week. After rinsing, dry your skin brush in an open, sunny spot to prevent mildew.
10. For a thorough lymphatic cleansing, perform skin brushing daily for a minimum of three months Source
Is there one activity that your children just really enjoy doing? For mine, it's skating. Of course my son L-O-V-E-S his Wii and Nintendo DS. And of course my daughter LOVES her dolls and leappad tablet. They both even dabble in sports and dance, but their hobby that they want to do when they come home is > SKATE! I bought both my children skates for Christmas 2011 and that was all she wrote! My son could NOT SKATE AT ALL when I bought his skates and now he is off and running. In fact he was invited to a skate party last June and got off the skate floor because he couldn't skate and hated the pain of falling. It all changed when he got his own skates. We let him skate around the house and since they can not watch TV or play the Wii during the week, after homework he put on his skates. He became very good and I am very impressed. Now his sister......she has gotten better. Her skates are the ones that she can still wear her shoes with! So she needs less help from me. Just recently my mother bought her "real" skates and she did well, but they were too fast for her. I couldn't let her go! But she is not giving up so I think she will be an independent skater zooming off just like her big brother real soon.
Ok ok, down to business. I found out of Kids Skate Free on where else, Facebook. I went to the site to learn more about it and I was very surprised that they offered the program in my State, city and local skate rink that we go to! A win win for us! Of course I wanted to share this information with you all.
All you have to do is go to this site and click on your state. It will bring up the participating skate rinks in your area. You will register yourself and then list your children. The program is for children 12 and under. If you have older children you can still get passes, just not free. Then, every Sunday they will email you FREE passes for your children to come and skate! Can't beat FREE FUN!
Roller Skating is ...
A fun way to increase muscular strength and cardiorespiratory endurance.
A way to burn anywhere from 330 to 600 calories per hour!
Yes! Yes! Yes! I did it. I cut my hair all off. Why? Why? Why? That is the question of the day. People seem to look at me with wonderment and some disgust (even though they try to fix their face real quick!). But guess what, I have peace about it.
I cut my hair because in October 2011, I colored it. December 2011 & January 2012 I put Henna over that. Immediately, I noticed my curl pattern was looser. And that part didn't bother me. But what did bother me was the fact my hair would no longer hold a twist. Being natural, I twisted my hair often so that was a big disappointment. I had to start braiding my hair to get a new look. And if you don't keep your hair moisturized (with Color & Henna) it will dry out. And dry hair equals breakage. I was doing well the first few months with maintenance, but the last few months not so good. I was doing alot, LIFE-WISE and was actually taking my hair for granted. My hair became more dry, I wasn't deep conditioning at all. I wasn't wearing my protective styles, I wasn't moisturizing like I knew I should have. Again taking my hair for granted. Well, in comes the new growth. The new growth was visually thicker, fuller and stronger than the colored & henna portion of my hair. It was actually WEAK.
I do not want to get a relaxer but I wanted my hair to be like it used to be pre-color etc. I want my full head of hair to be like my new growth. So, I cut my hair to start fresh. That was not easy because my husband DID NOT want me to cut my hair. He told me to trim my ends, but it wasn't the same. My hubby is a long hair dude but when he met me, my hair was super short (but relaxed). I always remind him of that. He says, "I saw your potential!" WTW!
Well, I cut my hair on my lunch break and didn't tell him. His facial expression was priceless when I walked through the door. He just outright said, "I do not like it! Why did you cut it so short?" He was M-A-D! What was funny was my daughter (who is 4) didn't like it either! She asked me was it a wig! And told me to go back to the beautician and tell them to do it over!!!
But again.... I cut my hair to grow it back longer and stronger. It will not be short forever. I have been natural since 2007. I know how to grow my hair and maintain length. I plan on blogging about my hair journey and if you newly natural or just plan on "growing" with me .... let's do it together!
Ladies, unleash your inner Lebanese Blonde (thanks, Thievery Corporation)! Pay just $10 and get a $50 gift certificate to spend on a six-class drop-in punch card or on a five-week choreography course.
Have you ever belly danced? It is not as easy as it looks! A couple of months ago I actually tried belly dancing with the Mocha Moms for our Moms Night Out and it was so much fun. We learned a routine in one hour and my abs, thighs & arms were sore! I even started to perspire. I couldn't believe it. You think you are going to go and just shake your shimmy but you are going to work muscles you didn't even know you had. The teachers stomach was so flat and toned! She moved with grace and ease. She took her time and even explained the story behind each movement. I was there for only an hour, but learned about culture, history and a new way to exercise. I currently do Zumba at home, so you can see a dance pattern with me huh? Well, I was emailed this deal and it's too good to pass up! The individual drop in classes are $10, not bad right? Well, this special is $10 for a $50 Gift Certificate!! That's 6 session for $10! Now you know that is a GREAT DEAL! I am going to get it today. What about you?
A few nights ago we (my granny, my mom and I) appeared as guest on the new Iyanla Vanzant show, "Fix My Life", on the OWN network. The show was about the dynamics of my relationship with my mother & grandmother. Did you see it? What did you really think? Well I wasn't able to view it because I was in Las Vegas with my husband on a business trip, but believe me I got the calls, text, fb, twitter and more! I went online when I got back to the resort but they still didn't have the show on in it's entirety. I was able to see about 5 clips. I then went to Iyanla's, OWN & Oprah's facebook and twitter page to read the comments, bracing myself for what I was about to see. And to be quite honest 97% of what I read was positive.
There are a few things I would like to set straight though.....
1) It appeared from the viewers comments that most people thought I lived with my granny all of my childhood and my mother came back into my life 6 years ago > FALSE > My mother did NOT ABANDON ME! I have lived with my mother my entire childhood (birth thru 17). The first 7 years we lived with my grandmother and we moved out when my mother got married ( I was 7). It's just that in those first 7 years, my grandmother was VERY INSTRUMENTAL in my development. And continued to be hands on when we moved. In 2006 (6 years ago) my brother was killed and my mom moved to GA 3 months later and that's where the unbalanced truth of our relationship was now front and center.
2) Where was my father? He is alive! He just didn't have a hand in raising me. I still talk to him often. He still lives in Chicago, but that is another show. He also knows how I feel about him too! We have had our talk about his lack thereof. And you can't cover everything in one hour.
3) My grandmother! I got feedback from friends that really know me & my family that they didn't like they way Iyanla spoke to my grandmother. I would have to agree. While we were taping, that really made me uneasy because, I wasn't expecting her to take it there. My grandmother did what she thought to do at that time. I am blessed because my grandmother stepped up. I actually thought the show was going to be more about me and my mom, but my grandmother ended up being a BIG part of the process. I do understand how.
4) Me DE-Friending my mother on FB > My mom knows why I did it when it happened. I was surprised that was even mentioned because you all didn't know the WHY. We are FB friends again, if that matters (which it shouldn't) for all the masses that cared.
5) Was there any follow up/assistance with us after the show? No. (Besides the 6 week check-up) A few comments that really stuck in my head were that of a good friend (and a few fb post).... they mentioned that it would have been beneficial if we were given follow-up. Follow up by Iyanla or even recommending assistance from someone in our local area. But to allow all that came out and just go back to your lives could hurt more than help. Very interesting point indeed ......
6) Do you regret doing the show? No. Why? I learned some things. I learned something MAJOR about my mother that I never knew. And after that revelation, I looked at her totally different. Different in a good way. I have a new understanding.
7) Do you love you mother? Absolutely!
8) Do I appreciate what my grandmother did? AB-SO-Freaking-Lute-LY!
9) Do I want a better relationship with my mother? YES! That's why we went on the show. I have a great respect for Iyanla and have read so many of her books (even saw her speak in person YEARS AGO). So when the chance came around for her to help us work on our relationship, I thought it was pretty cool. The assistance just happened to be on TV. People can say whatever they want (good or bad...but this is for the ney-sayers >) everyone deals with something. Whether it's a parent, spouse, friend, secrets or just life situations....everyone deals with something. Whether you choose to air your issues on tv (or worse never confront them head on) or not, that up to you. This was our step 1. And like I said, 97% of the feedback was GOOD! So many people said they saw themselves in our story. We are not alone in our M/D issues and we are not alone in the process of trying to make it better.
Last night I went out with a few Blogger friends and fellow Mocha Moms to Mashable Social Media Day ATL! The event was held at Terminal West at King Plow in Atlanta, Ga. It was an event for anyone involved in all things social media. Whether you are a blogger, social media manger, tech gadget guru or more, this was the social networking place to be. 
The event was inside and outside. They had a look of different hor'derves to choose from. And everything was creatively displayed. It was even a live band playing while you walked around and got to know people. There were a few vendors there as well. They wanted you to sign up for this or that, really to get you on their list! 
