The pretty and fun ankara fabrics and adire (tie dye) carefully selected, designed by Creative Director, Folake Kuye Huntoon. “It’s all about the kids having fun and being free spirited. Their clothes should always compliment their feelings”, she said.

We’ll keep you updated every step of the way until we launch the Ijinle collection in a few weeks. We are currently in Production, well, finalizing the patterns, so stay tuned, Lovers!

Cheers,

WeWe Team

Hope you are all well. Sorry to keep you waiting for far too long. It’s a good thing, though. We have a lot of exciting stuff cooking up. As the title reads: we are rebranding and refocusing our line. Our new collection, which consists of only kids, will be launched in a few weeks.

Yes, that’s right. We are no longer making pieces for adults. Just kids! We did some soul searching and decided that we wanted to go back to our roots; strictly designing for the “WeWe”(s), the kids.

While making all of these changes, we are also working on private labels for stores in US/Europe.

Oh, you are so going to love the new stuff. The colors, designs, shapes, so fun. In addition, our prices are changing. Yes, like drastically. Affordable pieces. Like Forever 21 for kids. That doesn’t mean that you can’t still buy the adult pieces. As a matter of fact, we are repricing those too, so get your credit cards ready.

Hope you are ready for the ride!

Cheers,

WeWe Team

If you have been following my blog, then you know that I had my third child back in April, and took some time off to focus on motherhood, etc. I have had a lot on my plate, which includes new and existing business ventures, but it looks like I may be able to post on here on a regular basis. Well, a few days a week.

Thank you all for being so patient. Many thanks to all who sent their wishes and constantly asked for me to come back!

I think my last few posts were about loosing weight?!? Yes, I lost all the baby weight…quite excited about that. Tried to post some pics., but I guess I’ve been gone for so long that I may need to update the wordpress theme. Lol. If you are following us on FB or Twitter, you’d see pics.

In the interim, I will work on getting this fixed, so stay tuned.

Hope you are all well.

Muah!

When my kids are old enough to make the choice, and be responsible for the consequences of colorful language, well, then I’ll have little to say. Until then, I don’t need my kids swearing like the lil’ guy in Role Models (by the way, if you haven’t seen this movie, I highly recommend it).

Once my son hit like seven years old, I had to change my language in the house, because he had seen an episode of Cosby Show or some family-ish program where the parents had to pay into a jar for every time they cursed. And quickly I started to adopt all of those wonderful substitute phrases we use in the stead of the more expressive language we’d rather…

So, this post is meant to be a lightning rod for those phrases and words, and to serve as a bit of a dictionary for parents. Please, feel free to add whatever you’d like in the comments, and I’ll update this periodically. Let’s just have fun with this…when submitting phrases/words, think about whether you’d be okay with your kids using the phrase.

I also have to keep you updated on the workout plan. I have 12 lbs to go - Yay! The last few ones are the hardest, but I’m as determined as ever. After all, I started from 60 lbs. By the way, I realized that the way I was updating you all was a little daunting, so I have decided that if any of you have questions about diet or exercise tips, you can simply email me/leave a comment. I’m happy to help/share.

By the way, I will put up pictures of the end result. Lol!

I have a pretty interesting post coming up tomorrow, so stay tuned…

Z? Boy! Different story. She is becoming a girly girl already, and it’s weird because she started off as a tomboy (she still is - kinda), but these days, she is really observing and doing things I do.

When, I’m fixing my hair, same goes for her. When I apply baby powder on my face, yup, she does. She asked to put on a necklace the other day - because she saw mine.

This weekend, as we were leaving out, I grabbed my sunglasses, she grabbed one out of MY collection (she broke hers), put it on, and strutted away with an attitude.

The list goes on for days!

Well, this morning as we were going to drop them off at school, I grabbed my purse, and why did missy grab a bag too. But guess what? The bag she grabbed was big enough to stuff her in. Literally. Are you all familiar with a blow-up mattress? Well, have you seen the bag that comes with a queen size one? Yes, that’s the bag she grabbed to take to school with her - as a purse. Lol!

Dad tried to take it from her and it was a complete riot. She won’t let go. Eventually, he won. But she didn’t give up without a fight.

I have been trying to keep a journal of my meals, but I have a pretty serious case of baby brain that I don’t even remember the last thing I said - not to mention what I had to eat an hour ago, so if I don’t write it down immediately, that’s valid information gone down the drain. Lol.

Also, It seems like I’m only reporting what I eat on days that I workout, whereas I’m supposed to fill you in on my daily diet. Hmm…

So, please, help me. We need to figure something else out.

As mentioned in the previous workout post, each day, I up the distance/speed I run. On day six, I ran for 53 mins and burned 850 calories. It’s not my usual, but hey…baby steps.

I have any of the below for breakfast, lunch and dinner..

Breakfast: tea/coffee, apple or cottage cheese (again, I’m not the breakfast type - some say it’s bad, though.)

Lunch: Oatmeal, Greg’s baked chicken, Organic lentil soup from Trader J., quinoa and veggies, or quinoa and baked chicken

Mid-day snack: 80 calorie dannon yoghurt, cottage cheese, low calorie rice cake.

Dinner: Tofu salad, baked chicken & quinoa, salmon & veggies, lentil soup, or baked chicken & veggies.

We were watching a documentary on Turkey, the country. Our little man turned to us (his parents). “Why is it called turkey?” Before we could respond…he says, “Is it because there are a lot of turkeys there?” *crickets* Seriously, what do you say to that? Both my husband and I were dying on the inside, but just sat straight faced.

My husband managed, “Well, that’s just what it’s named. It’s just the way it is.”

Hahahahahaha…gotta love the kids and their brains! Have a fantastic weekend, lovers!

My exercise regimen started on Sunday, the 24th of May. Though, I have been watching my diet and completely cut out certain things as stated here, I cheated a couple of times. Lol. I had rice. It’s OK. As long as I don’t over do/eat.

So here goes it;

Day 1

I power walked/ran on the treadmill for 30 mins. Burned 450 calories. Since I haven’t exercised in months (duration of the pregnancy), I have to ease myself in. Same goes for starters - if this is your first time working out, or if you have not done so in ages. It felt good to be back on the treadmill again. What I don’t like about the first time, however, is the fact that my body itches. I dread it..it’s so distracting. That’s why I couldn’t do much, but it’s quite alright. It means I’m listening to my body, and so should you.

Meal: I had a huge cup of coffee for breakfast. I’m not a breakfast type of gal. Lunch, my mama’s oatmeal. Dinner, Greg’s salad w/low-fat Newman’s Honey Dijon dressing (Greg’s salad is a huge plate of lettuce, chicken/salmon, corn, Roma tomatoes, herbed fresh feta, and a bit of salt and pepper).

Day 2

I ran for 35 mins. Burned 550 calories. Again, easing my way into my 60 mins run - Which usually burns 1200 calories for me. It depends on how fast you run. I like to run fast. I love to sweat. Besides, running slow aka jogging makes me tired. I did weights and floor exercises for 20 mins.

Meal: Breakfast, a cup of coffee. Lunch, baked salmon and vegetables. Mid-day snack, 1 low cal rice cake. Dinner, 1 piece of baked chicken and a side of G’s salad.

Day 3

I ran and power walked for 43 mins. Burned 650 calories. For 35 mins, I did weights and floor exercises.

Meal: Breakfast, Lipton tea and an apple. Lunch, 1 piece of baked chicken with vegetables. Mid-day snack, 1 low cal rice cake. Dinner, Oatmeal.

I have lost 3 lbs since I started on Sunday. 21lbs to go.

Now, what got me as I listened to the story on the news (in addition to the disbelief that this child is going through this) is that while Hannah had surgery to remove part of the mass, they told her mother that it was not breast cancer. Why? “Because breast cancer does not happen to children,” they said.

I don’t think these doctors are alone in that belief. I think if we took a poll, majority of us would have thought the same thing. Lesson learned!

It took a series of tests and results that caught the doctors off guard: it turns out that Hannah had Stage IIA Invasive Ductal Carcinoma - supposedly, an adult form of breast cancer. This meant that the tumor would have to be removed, and as a result, Hannah had a mastectomy earlier this year. I can’t help but cry as I write this because my heart goes out to both Hannah and her mom. Equally.

Why? Why? Why? Urrggh!

It’s hard enough for kids to be kids, but to have health related issues on top of being a kid is unjust. Children should never be sick. Children should not have health issues. They are far too innocent to understand and deal. That said, I do believe that when kids are sick, it truly humbles your heart as an adult. They live with it with so much grace, and you never hear them complain.

I did a wee bit of research to find out how common this was, and while it’s not severely common (a handful of cases), it does happen. I read of another story in China where the husband suspected after one of the twins came out really big, weak and sickly. In addition both kids had different blood types. Eventually, the wife confessed to having an affair with her ex-boyfriend. Boy!

So is the story of 20 year old, Mia of Dallas, Texas. She claimed that she was shocked to find out that her twin sons had different dads. Justin and Jordan Washington were born seven minutes apart 11 months ago and doctors have since confirmed that they were fathered by different men. She had their DNA tested after noticing that the boys looked so different from each other. Mia did admit to cheating on her partner, James Harrison with another man.

According to medical experts, chances of twins having different dads are a million to one. However, the test showed that there was only a 0.001 per cent chance that Justin and Jordan have the same father. Apparently, since women release multiple eggs during ovulation, if one has more than one sexual partners in that period, two eggs can be fertilized by separate sperms.

The boys sort of look alike - I don’t think I’ll be able to tell otherwise until they are much older, or if they are standing side by side.

Luckily for Mia, her partner, James, decided to stick around and raise both boys as his. The identity of the other dad has not been disclosed. And check this, Mia is expecting another child again. This time she says “I can guarantee there’ll be no questions raised this time around.” OK, Mia.

Do you think the kids have a right to know? Or at least the unidentified father? I think so. Mia indicated that she won’t reveal the situation to the kids until they are old enough to make decisions on their own. I don’t think I agree with this, but curious to find out what others think.

photo credit: The Sun

I’m quite sure I’m not the first with three beautiful kids, which includes a newborn and staying up all night, a business, 2 blogs, 3 cats, 2 dogs, and 1 snake. All the while, I have all these different “social media” accounts to keep up with, phone calls to make and return, emails to read and respond to, and I seriously feel like I’m failing at it. (OK, this is the part where everyone says, “aww” and you feel sorry for me).

What makes it more insane is that somehow, I have to fit a 2-hour workout routine beginning next week. This was my life(style) before the new baby and I certainly love to keep it up. My workout regimen consists of 15 mins stretch, 30 mins weights, 60 mins run and another 15 mins stretch.

I promised you all that I was going to keep you updated about my weight loss, and we were going to go on this journey together - per your request.

So, I’m going to chat with you with all honesty. I gained 56 lbs with my third child. Yes, I didn’t think it was possible. Lol. I wondered why I kept running out of breath. Go figure! It’s been 3 weeks now, and I have lost 36 lbs. I have completely changed my diet. Nothing drastic because I’m nursing, but my next post will include my daily diet. It is safe to say that I don’t eat carbs: Rice, bread, pasta, bananas, sugar, or juice, etc. I’m also doing my best to avoid red meat.

I have 24 lbs to go, and I’m giving myself 3 more weeks. It will be a little bit below my pre pregnancy weight, but it’s OK. Then, of course, I will maintain it by continuing my workout regimen and eating right.

Will do my best to blog as much as I can - along with my daily posts on Style Pantry so keep the questions/email coming. Don’t be threatened by my schedule. I’m not. Hehhehe..

I could just imagine what was going on in that little brain of hers. She is so playful during the day - it could be anything. I’d ask, but she can’t really hold a conversation yet. She is barely two.

Here is what the conversation would sound like if I attempted;

Me: So, you were laughing really hard in your sleep

Zurhi: “Sheep”

Me: Ok, let’s try this again. Zurhi baby, why where you laughing so hard in your sleep?

Zurhi: “Sheep”

She is going through that phase - her brain can’t retain the entire sentence, so it captures the last word she hears and she repeats…lol

When he is eating steak, he goes, “Mom, can you please cut my chicken into pieces?” When he is eating lamb, “Mom, what type of chicken is this - it’s delicious.” When it’s oxtail, “Mom, I like this chicken with the bone in the middle.” When he is eating chicken, well, it’s just chicken and it’s delicious…especially when it’s fried.

My mom got in yesterday, and she was so excited to be with her grand kids. They had so much fun, but I couldn’t keep up. I clocked out early. She gets a kick out of the whole chicken thing too. The last time she visited us, I remember asking her, “Mom, is Sidney ever going to get it? Will he ever be able to tell them apart - chicken and beef?” She was on the floor dying with laughter.

Seriously, you have to witness it. It’s so innocent and he keeps a straight face too. Bear in mind, we have corrected him numerous times, but what the heck? It’s funny! He is super cute!!!

Apologies to the vegetarians.

I’m sure this is sort of normal for every new mom parent - at least I hope so. To assure us that we are not insane. I’m sure this is a temporary feeling, and it will come to pass. The good Lord will help us.

She is asleep here, and I still made her take a pic with her big bro and sis.

How many of us will do this? Raise your hand….

Seriously, I remember going through it with Sidney and Zurhi temporarily, but the pain was not this serious, and I didn’t bleed. Yup! So, I have been swallowing Ibuprofen every three hours to alleviate the pain. I have also been using Lansinoh by Lanolin; an ointment for breastfeeding mothers to prevent cracked nipples and scabbing. It looks like it’s helping.

More importantly, I have continued to nurse with that sore, cracked, bleeding nipple/breast. According to my mom, that’s the best way to heal. My mom, who is a self proclaimed mid-wife, said the baby’s mouth is the best medicine (by the way, I confirmed this on other websites too). Isn’t it great how the body works?

I also tried having her latch on differently, which made a huge difference!

I love the act of nursing and everything that it entails. The bonding experience, when your baby stares in your eyes…like “thank you mommy for this delicious milk.” Hehehe..priceless!

Feel free to add on any additional tips and suggestions by leaving a comment. Thanks.

photo credit: google images

A big thank you to Dr. Jay Goldberg who delivered Ameenah (and Zurhi, too). Thank you to the team at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. What a fantastic hospital and workers.

Now that I got all of my shoutouts out of the way, I’d like to share my exit with you all. It’s nothing sophisticated - lol.

Here is the conversation that took place…

Nurse: “So, congratulations again and see you next time, right?”

Greg & I: Oh, for sure! Absolutely! We’ll be back with #4…hehehe.”

Nurse: “Alright, mom your wheelchair is right outside the door.”

Me: “Wheelchair? I’m rolling outta here in a wheelchair…oh noooooo. I’m OK! Trust me, I’m OK to walk.”

Nurse: “No ma’am. Sorry, it’s the hospital protocol. Don’t your remember from the last time?”

Me: “No!”

Greg: “Don’t worry, honey, the paparazzis are not outside yet.”

Me: “They are not???” Dumbfounded.

Greg: “No hon, we didn’t call them yet.”

Me: “Shoot! Well, you never know. To be safe, I’ll put on my big glasses, hold on to my fancy bag and still go ahead and exit in style.”

Nurse: “Uhm…maam, No. You need to carry the baby on your lap.”

Me: “I do? Shoot! So, who carries my bag?”

Aunt Em: “I will take it.”

All of this drama to find out that we were parked in a gated, roofed, secured, valet parking lot, and didn’t run into a soul. Not even patients or visitors. Lol. No one noticed us. We exited quietly, and with no hassle. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a drama queen!

Stay fab, lovelies.

So, as stated in a previous post, I’m not ignoring any of your thoughtful direct msgs/concerns/comments on the blog. You know I always respond. I really appreciate you - I feel like we are all family at this point. We are a community that continues to grow. I will update you all here as much as I can.

As always, keep checking back. Everyday! And you never know, I may surprise you with something…like maybe some pictures of our new addition this week. *smiles*

PS- Don’t forget to keep checking us out over at our lifestyle blog, Style Pantry -  it’s not just me working over there. It will be updated regularly with fun stuff. Lots of pictures too. Enjoy and get involved.

Much love to you all.

Folks, do I need to remind us that it costs absolutely nothing to be kind and everything if you aren’t? Let’s think of others this week. What can you do to help someone other than yourself or family?

You don’t have to show off what you can do. We should live for the good of others, and not ourselves. Self centeredness is the root of every strife. The generation behind us is following us with stride, so let’s lead by example. Your kids are watching and learning from you, so set the record straight.

Kill with an act of kindness. When you are at a drive-thru, pay for the car behind you. Get the door for the mother struggling with her stroller. Settle a mis-communication with a friend. Buy lunch for the homeless guy you see on the corner every day. Something so minute to you, can be grand for someone else.

Visit a patient at your local hospital and read to them, or bring them flowers. Bake cookies for your neighbors, say a prayer for a friend. Do a random act, and see how amazing it makes the person on the receiving end feel. Spread the love and make the world a better place.

Feel free to tell us about what/how someone has been to kind to you. Or like a dear friend would say, “share your bright moments.” Let’s keep the circle of love going.