I love listening to music while I’m doing the dishes and cleaning around the house, but headphones just don’t do it for me. I like my music LOUD but I still need to know what’s happening around me. I wanted a speaker that I could use in the kitchen and carry with me from room to room as I complete my tasks. It also had to have some power behind it to allow the melodic sounds of Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, The Foreign Exchange, and Jah Cure to fill the space. All my music is in iTunes so it was a requirement that the speaker be bluetooth enabled so I could play the iTunes playlists on my iPhone or Mac. It will link to any device buletooth enabled so if “you” are an android or blackberry no worries just turn on bluetooth settings and connect the device.

The Foreign Exchange

I looked online and read the reviews of a couple well known speakers. The contenders were the Pill Speaker by Beats by Dre of course, the BOSE Soundlink Mini, and the Jambox by Jawbone. A majority of the reviews were good but I am a hands on kind of gal. I went to the Apple store to test some of them out and I have to say that the sound quality that I was looking for was unmatched by comparison. Most of my music has a heavy bass in it and the Bose Soundlink handled that with ease. I also listened to multiple genres of music so I won’t consider my opinion biased. The range with the Bose Soundlink was great! I was that lady walking to the front of the store yelling “okay it’s still clear”. SOLD!

I have to admit now that I have one I play it all over the house and the range really is great! Also I have the ability to take a call from the speaker as well. Not that I want to listen to a phone conversation on high but the option is always nice! The thing that I love most about this speaker is that it has a nylon cover that allows it to look like a sleek accessory when not in use. The covers also come in red, brown, and black leather. I have seen more vibrant colors advertised but I am not sure how available they are. The BOSE website only had the black and brown listed.

So the price point for the BOSE Soundlink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker was $269.95. Not a grip, I thought the price was decent. I have purchased less for way more so to me this was definitely worth the investment.  If you are shopping for a portable bluetooth speaker…stop. This is it!

Let me know what you think in the comments section. Have you tested some of the contenders? What did you think?

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom takes smartphoneography to a whole new level. In this day and age with insta-everything, this phone breaks the mold for quality pictures right at your finger tips. The 16 mega pixels 10x optical zoom allows you to look like you were in the front row of the concert when really you were in row 42…but your friends would never guess when that picture hits Facebook via the instant sharing feature! Priced at $199.99 through AT&T with 2 year contract. The regular price for an unlocked device is $799.99 ouch! Contract please?

Who still wears a watch instead of toting around a cell phone in their back pocket…this girl! In my line of work we are not allowed to have our cells out on the floor so a watch is necessary but with the Pebble Watch you never miss a beat. Connect to your cell phone via bluetooth technology. It gives you access to see who’s calling,  download games, measure heart rate, connect with your social media apps, the possibilities are endless and fully customizable. Priced at $150.00 not bad at all!

Now time for the bling! Imagine going to make a presentation and taking off your arm candy to access your powerpoint file, so 007!!! The Swarovski Vilja USB Bracelet is everything fashionable and can hold all of your important documents,ha! I love this bracelet for no good reason, it’s just so damn pretty and functional. I have shiny object syndrome so I would need one in each color. They come in crystal, silver night (shown here) and tranznite (aka purple). This 8GB USB comes in a small or medium band and can be paired with any outfit! For $90.00 I would splurge on some of these and color coordinate my presentations!

This is the answer to every iPhone fashionista owners docking problems. You know we have fancy cases in all shapes and colors, some with jewels, or 3D additions, bunny ears etc. Don’t act like I’m the only one with seven cases. Anyway the Elevation Dock by Elevation Labs (accomplished Kickstarter)  allows for docking your phone without taking it out of the case. It also has  great grips that allow effortless un-docking. The design is beautiful and comes in blasted, polished blue, red, and black, and black matte. Price point $79.00. I would love one for the office and one for home!

I haven’t forgotten all those interior designer divas. This is a must for me. I have a tall wish list but this is on top. For everyone who becomes Beyonce in the shower this is for you! Somehow the acoustics of the shower turn me into a multi-platnium recording artist. You too I’m sure! The Moxie Bluetooth Speaker & Shower Head by Kohler is just the vehicle to take that dream to the next level. Hahaha! Kareoke or future recording artist this shower head is detachable and can pair with your mobile phone to make the shower and getting ready a party atmosphere.  The shower head comes in chrome, nickel, bronze, and white.  The inner speaker is available in  Navy Blue, Chartreuse, Retro Blue, Cherry Red and White. So you can mix and match to your hearts desire. The Moxie sells for $199.00!

There you have it a nice gift guide with the latest in technology and design! So go shopping for your significant others stat! PS you don’t need a holiday or anniversary to buy a gift for your loved one, Just Because gifts feel 100X better!!!

Dieting is the number one New Years Resolution that we hear about every year. A lot of people have the desire to stay fit and eat healthier for the New Year! The sad part is we also hear about people who did the distance for about the first two months and then the resolution dies.

January 1-7 is National Diet Resolution Week! It’s not about fasting or dropping massive pounds. This week is about the types of foods you choose to put on your plate & staying active.

Now people that know me personally will say I have never been on a diet and have no need for it so I should probably shut up! But the fact is that you don’t have to be a larger person to want & maintain a healthy lifestyle. There are so many categories of healthy that I am lacking in. In addition my son battles with childhood obesity and we walk this journey together everyday.

So in an effort to share what we have learned from the dieticians and nutritionist, and to embrace National Diet Resolution Week here are some steps that we have taken to change our eating habits.

Make A Tangible Goal

Nothing says disaster than an unrealistic goal. Goals should be measurable and rewarded in steps. In my case my baby needs to loose 12 pounds and reduce his Body Mass Index by his anniversary date. So we have one year to shed 12 pounds. You may think that’s easy but for someone who has a genetic disposition to be larger in size its not that easy. So every month when we visit the nutritionist we get a small token of “good job” like a sticker or maybe a small toy.  For an adult maybe a manicure or a movie would do the trick!

Planning & Practice Make Perfect

Planning makes life and goal keeping a lot easer when you can pinpoint exactly what you are supposed to be purchasing from the grocery store and planning meals. It allows you to avoid all impulse purchases and hold yourself accountable if you stray from the plan.  We use Menu Planner to keep us on track.

Change Your Plate Size

So with the forward movement of eating healthy and the changing from a food pyramid to plate the size of the plate should change too! When I was growing up we always had the four-piece table setting and used the small plate for salad and the large plate for dinner. Then our parents would tell us that we couldn’t get up unless we ate all of our food. In a Caribbean household that plate is a hefty size.

I have since dropped the habits of my parents and we use small plates for everyone! We also practice waiting 20 minutes before getting up for seconds because that’s how long it takes the brain to recognize if you are full or not (FACT).  During this time you can have great conversation sitting around the dinner table sans the TV.

Pair Your Foods

If you feel for a sweet treat know that everything is okay in moderation. Pair that sweet sugar or carb with a protein to counter act the spike in blood sugar. This is helpful for those prone to diabetes. So in my home we cut candy and soda but we still have some cookies lingering around that we may smear with peanut butter for a tasty bite while keeping our body in balance.

Drink Water

We all know this but very few of us successfully drink 8 glasses of water a day. All I can say is just try your best! Water is great for flushing the body of impurities and keeping us hydrated.  I have tried flavored water but don’t enjoy it so much. I have found one product that I fell in love with but can’t find in local markets called MASH. I would drink this all day and night if I could.

Move That Body

Keep active! Even 30 minutes a day of something truly simple can improve your energy level, circulation, endurance, stamina, and overall health. My son has committed to playing Just Dance or Wii Fit for an hour a day to attain his weight loss goals. It’s a video game; it’s fun and keeps him moving.  I have a simple trick of doing leg lifts while I brush my teeth. While I cook I may do arm circles or knee bends. Its small and simple but keeps me in motion.

I hope this motivates you to get past National Diet Resolution Week and stay consistent with your goals!

Happy New Year!

Dear Boylan Bottling Co.,

Whenever I go to Dame’s Chicken And Waffles (celebrated gourmet chicken restaurant in Durham, NC) I order a Classy Hen with Mac n’ Cheese, Collard Greens, and for my drink the best flavored water in the world a Pomegranate BlueBerry MASH.

My issue with this is, visiting Dame’s which I love to do…is the only place that I can find MASH. What happens if I want to buy a case or two or three for the house? I’m SOL! I googled MASH a couple months ago and the website said coming soon! Guess what….it still says coming soon. So I researched the bottling company. Great!  It’s great to know that the Boylan brand is behind one of my favorite drinks because even though I have limited my soda intake I love their sodas. I love the ones infused with natural fruit flavors like Black Cherry, Orange, and Grape.  You know them as soon as you see the bottle! I can grab them from Harris Teeter or Food Lion.

I went to the Boylan Bottling Co. website and you have not updated your product listing to show MASH! I’m sadly disappointed.  Boylan has its roots in New Jersey since 1891 and  you state;

Today the Boylan brand’s strongest following still resides near its birthplace around the New York Metro and MidAtlantic areas, but as Boylan follows the demand of its passionate fans, our sodas are now available in over twenty states and on three different continents. Today more people than ever have the chance to experience Boylan’s bold flavors and appreciate the way sodas can taste when they’re done right.

Okay Boyland Bottling Co. I am there with you all the way, I’m a true supporter and fan so I am going to need you to bring MASH to the retail market and work on updating both websites! Because you have great products, the natural ingredients justify the cost, and you have built a great brand over the years that only improves so ummm let’s get to it! Please and thanks.

Sincerely

MASH Lover Laing

I personally am not sure which transgression was worse the fact that Instagram took away my right to choose if I wanted to participate in allowing advertising companies to use my photos or that they were not willing to compensate me for the usage of my images.  Either way they should have inserted an opt in- or opt out button somewhere.

So I took to the internet to find a solution to my photo sharing issues. I sought out an application that would allow me to share my food, latest pedicure, and cute dog faces without trying to sell my fabulous-ness.

After scowling the ends of the digital earth I happened upon the greatest google+ conversation ever. It is not new news that Google recently purchased Nik Software the developer of Snapseed. If comparing apples to apples then Google’s photo application Snapseed is the same as Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram.

So Snapseed is my new photo editing quick sharing application. For all you Instagram lovers Snapseed is FREE and ad free (for the moment) it has all kinds of filters and accessories to make your photo genius shine! The bonus to all of this is that unlike Instagram Snapseed’s functionality allows you to share with Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. So if you were lacking in your google activities now’s that chance to increase your influence, klout, peer index and whatever other analytic formulas are required to be on top! Oh don’t let me forget that with Snapseed you don’t have the social pressure of following and being followed. No ratios to worry about! Just sharing great moments in your journey.

The interface is very nice and the functions go beyond Instagrams 19 filters. Snapseed was designed for, pardon my usage of the word but “REAL” photographers as a great photo editing tool.

So after all this Instagram decided to take a moment to revise the wording of their Privacy Policy & Terms of Service agreements, stating that the legal language in the document allowed for interpretation that was not the company’s intention. With that said I am not deleting Instagram but I am showing my love to Google and I can’t wait to see how they revamp this application (which  is not needed). I am going to turn my pedicure photos into art cause I have crossed over and am perpetrating  as a real photographer.

Marzetti says that they excluded all that bad stuff (preservatives, trans fat, high fructose corn syrup, MSG and artificial flavors) to give you a clean all natural bold taste. As Jen of Jael Custom Designs says the flavor is “orgasmic“. Now that’s a must have salad! Bonus all the flavors with the exception of the Ginger Sesame are Gluten Free! These dressing can do more that just cover a salad, the Ginger Sesame and I made a date with some chicken that night and it was good!

Simply Dress your salad, marinades, or any other creation you can come up with for a bold all natural taste with Marzetti Simply Dressed!

Eat healthy and enjoy!

I was introduced to the ReCYCLEry NC by one of my best divas Dionne aka @LoisLaneNC. She is a bike enthusiast and marathon trained cyclist. The mere invitation to go on a bike ride with her is intimidating. My bike rides maybe 10 minutes of straight lines up and down the sidewalk, @LoisLaneNC rides like she’s on a mission to rack up miles and minutes up hills, down hills, nature trails, you name it she can do it!

One day we got into a conversation about my daughter’s bike being stolen and I how never replaced it. She clutched her pearls at the thought of a child without a bike and introduced me and my girls (daughter & niece) to the ReCYCLEry. There I met one of the founders of the ReCYCLEry NC, Rich Giorgi who walked the girls step by step on how to make & care for a bike, BIKING:101.

The girls were able to choose their bike frames from an assortment of donated bikes some in need of a little TLC others in dire need of full make over. They were fitted based on height and potential development. I know that sounds a bit much for just getting a bike but there is a true science to choosing a bike beyond the realm of the avid rider.

Rich is such an inspiration to these girls. He had them select a good frame, choose parts based on their body type and taught them how to replace the inner tubing of the bike tires. They were fixing chain links and replacing all kinds of nuts and bolts. I was truly impressed.

What an awesome opportunity to make your own bike and learn all the dynamics of what goes into making a bike, how to fix it and just the enjoyment of accomplishing something on your own. My daughter now rides her bike everyday after school and when my niece comes over they ride together all around the community. I have to dedicate some time to go in and show my appreciation for such a wonderful gift. As for the girls, next up…hitting the trails!

The ReCYCLEry is a non-profit organization that teaches bicycle repair and maintenance using a learn and earn approach, the ReCYCLEry accepts monetary donations as well as bike donations please click here for additional information. Remember RIDE YOUR BIKE!

On September 15th I had the pleasure of walking to End Alzheimer’s with the Hendrick Family. It was a sunny morning, nice breeze, not too hot, a great day for a walk. As I approached the Durham Bulls Athletic Park everything before me was a sea of purple and white, the colors for supporters who want to End Alzheimer’s. My kids kept asking me why I was power walking, “If you’re gonna walk that fast the entire time then I’m not walking with you”. I wasn’t power walking I was just truly excited to see my extended family and to hear David Hendrick be honored. I support many causes but the dearest to me are the ones in which I have witnessed. It’s human nature to feel a connection and naturally build a different kind of appreciation for the struggle.

After I was situated with registration I began looking for the Hendricks. They were all seated in the front of the stadium by the podium. As I listened to the narrator read  a speech from David Hendrick my heart swelled with emotion. (You know that kind of choked up feeling when you want to cry but don’t want everyone around to see you so you start swallowing really hard.) Then I took a good look around and stared in the faces of many older men and women who suffer with this debilitating disease. Some were enjoying the day while you could see in the eyes of others, they were lost.

In his speech David Hendrick said, “There was a time when I took care of EVERYTHING and EVERYONE.  Now EVERYONE is taking care of EVERYTHING for me. I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the summer of 2007 – right before my 65^th birthday. It was a shock, but I had known for a while that something was “NOT RIGHT” with me. Alzheimer’s has taken away my ability to drive, take care of my lawn and sing on the choir.  I can no longer help with my grandchildren or help my wife with day to day chores around the house. I get lost in conversations.  I get lost in my own home. Alzheimer’s is a runaway thief that needs to be stopped in its tracks.  Not only has it robbed me, but it has robbed my family of the man I would still be if it hadn’t entered our lives”.

Hearing these words makes me fear the unknown. Alzheimer’s does not discriminate, does not come with a warning label, or make an appointment. When it attacks it impacts everyone around you and changes lives forever. Please take some time out to visit the Alzheimer’s Association website to learn more about this disease and show support for Team David, click here .  Also join a walk in your community to raise awareness and funds to END Alzheimer’s.

Crossing the finish line!

Getting A Squeeze From Dad At The Finish Line

Rally Up Team David #Love&Support

Helpful Links:

What Is Alzheimer’s?

Know The 10 Signs

Join The Cause