Mama's Shaking My Head

My Preschooler May Be A Gremlin

2012-08-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty sure you have no idea what a Mogwai is, unless you're and 80's baby completely into pop culture AND have a memory like an elephant, obviously neither are outside the realm of possibility, but I'll spare you the Google search, anyway.

Remember the Gremlins movie - yup! I think I just jogged your memory. Mogwai are what the gremlins used to be before they changed. You remember the cute and fuzzy Gizmo, all sweet and cuddly.

This is what my preschooler looks like before bedtime, kind of, I mean, except for the big ears and fuzzines, but absolutely all of the cuteness.

Like the movie though, I must have forgot all the instructions, or maybe there weren't any. Yeah, I think the latter is probably right, I definitely didn't get any instructions, I would have followed them for sure. I know there must have been something that I was supposed to do before dark, or after dark, no after 8, that must be it. At any rate, there is something that I'm supposed to do, or NOT do before bedtime to prevent this ...

This may be a little bit of an exaggeration but, in the moment, it just feels right. As soon as the word "bedtime" is uttered, it becomes total pandemonium. It starts with the screaming, stomping, tantrums, begging, and making excuses for getting out of bed. On any given night I can administer 17 hugs, take him to the bathroom 7 times, bring him 8 glasses of water, deliver 22 toys, answer 20 questions, and who knows what else.

All I know is, this little dude is not going to sleep and it's drastically affecting my bubbly disposition (if you know me personally - I know you just got a good laugh).

So tell me people - what instructions did I miss? Really? I'm running out of ideas.

Tasty Tuesday - Quick Bite - Bruschetta Recipe

2012-08-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Every now and then I get in the mood for snackage, but a little gourmet like. Don't get me wrong, I can eat chips and salsa with the best of them (literally, SMHDad is a salsa making fool), but I also like snacks that are a little more ... complex.

Now, for some reason, I usually have my best inspiration when transforming a prepared or left over ingredient. My most recent snack creation - freshly made bruschetta, was inspired by left over dinner rolls from the previous nights dinner from Bertuccis.

Here's what you'll need:

2 oz finely chopped fresh baby spinach

2 oz finely diced tomatoes

4 oz grated cheese (I used a mix of Dubliner and parmesan)

Black pepper

2 oz finely chopped prosciutto

3 - 4 dinner rolls (or 1 mini baguette)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut bread evenly in medium sized slices.

Lay bread slices out on a cookie tray

Layer cheese evenly on each slice.

Do the same with the spinach and prosciutto. Top with tomatoes and place in oven for approximately 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from oven and lightly top with cracked pepper and grated parmesan cheese.

Let cool for like 2 seconds - that's as long as you can reasonably allow yourself to wait before devouring.

You're welcome.

The Nokia 900 Smartphone - Does It Make Your Wish List?

2012-08-10T08:59:00.002-04:00

Here's a confession: I am a total gadget hog. I love tech toys. No matter where I go, I'm usually attached to my smartphone or my iPad - sometimes both. So when I was offered the opportunity to review smartphones and tablets, I couldn't say "yes" fast enough. I was all over it.

What was my first test subject? I'm glad you asked - it was the Nokia 900.

Design
When I opened the box, I immediately noticed it's size. It is larger than my current phone in length and width, however the weight didn't seem very different. The controls/buttons weren't really intuitive to me. There are 3 buttons on the right side, one is definitely for the volume, but the other two were confusing, there is no way to tell which one activates the display - absent reading a manual - which personally, I like to be able to jump right in with my devices without much of a learning curve.

As far as the size is concerned, it's a little large for me. I'm petite and have small hands so the width is a little awkward for me, definitely a good fit for someone with larger hands (jussayin'). I'm a busy mom, I have to be able to have a baby in one arm and my phone in the other and still make it work. With the Nokia 900, that just wasn't possible for me because of it's width. It was difficult for me to hold the phone and use my thumb to navigate the screens like I do with my current smartphone.

Setup
Set up was pretty straight forward and intuitive. As soon you turn on the phone it automatically requests you to log in to your windows live account to go through the set up process, this can be bypassed but it will negatively impact the way your device works. Basically, it's a windows phone, so it wants you to have a Windows Live account (kinda like Apple and with the Apple ID), but this can be a turn off to someone who doesn't want a new account just to use the smartphone.

Display

Nokia 900 Home Screen

Nokia 900 Apps List

The lock screen is nice and bright, and displays at a quick glance - the date and time, as well as pending messages. The home screen is bright and colorful. Personally it's a bit busy for me, but it's pretty comprehenshive. From this main screen, you have the ability to make a call, check your Facebook, messages, email, mobile browser, games, calendar, pictures, music, news radio, news, and more, however, you do have to scroll in order to see all these options, I personally prefer smaller icons that can fit on one screen. On the next page, there is a list view of the apps from the previous page and a host of others. This is the main apps display for the device, which I would prefer in icon fashion. I can imagine after having this smartphone for a few weeks, one could pick up quite a few apps and a list view would be difficult to navigate. This is a very large display screen however, it seems that the sizing of the items displayed makes this more of a negative than a plus. For comparison, on my current smartphone displays 10 email messages on one screen, on the Nokia 900, only 5 are displayed, due to the larger font size for headings. On the other hand, the navigation allows you to slide the screen to view all, unread, urgent, etc., as apposed to going through a folder structure to locate these items, this is pretty helpful.

Navigation

The screen transitions are reminiscent of PowerPoint slides, which is kind of cool. Scrolling up and down works pretty much like most touch screen devices, the same with sliding left and right. No hiccups there.

Productivity Tools

I use my smartphone for business as well as for personal life, so it's awesome that the Offices suite comes preinstalled on the device. I love the ability to view and edit my documents on the go. As far as other apps go it's hit or miss.

I use my calendar extensively so, this feature is very important to me. The standard calendar which comes with the Nokia 900 was not up to my standards. The agenda view does a good job of showing current appointments. You can also slide the screen to see your to-do lists and your appointments for that given day. What I don't really like is the month view. When scheduling appointments I use the month view very often because it allows me to see the months appointments at a quick glance, however, on the Nokia, it is difficult to do this because the appointments are presented in list form, instead of graphically represented like in other calendar apps. You have to go into the day to tell what time the appointment is scheduled for. This makes it difficult to schedule appointments quickly.

I also use several other apps to help me stay productive and connected.

The apps I found:

Evernote

Twitter

kindle

ebay

facebook

Google+

The apps I could not find:

Hootsuite

ColorNote

MyDays

Instagram

My Favorite app on the device is the local scout - which uses your location to find things near you like restaurants bars, attractions, events, shopping, etc. I love that this comes already on the home screen.

All in all - it's an okay phone, but it won't be making my Christmas list.

So I'm Excited About A Mop

2012-07-25T09:40:00.001-04:00

I'm a little sad that I've been so busy I missed my very own blogoversary. It's officially been over a year since starting this little ole blog and for what it's worth, I'm pretty happy with it. Now I'm not balling or making money, or anything, but, I have made some pretty sweet connections online and I've already gone to my first conference, and I'm off to another one next month (BlogHer '12 here I come) to hopefully make some new relationships a little stronger.

Even though I'm not getting any book deals or anything, I'm totally excited about getting chosen by Mom Central for my first review program. Today I received a Hoover TwinTank Steam Mop and I couldn't be more excited.

I know it doesn't sound very glamorous, but, here's some perspective:

1. I live in a condo - it's pretty large, but only one floor, no real family room - dust and everything else travels from room to room

2. I have bamboo floors - I know what you're thinking, ooh girl, look at you with your bamboo floors, but no, it's not that great. I mean, it's definitely great to look at but, it makes me kind of house conscious when the floor is a mess. I see it, and worst of all, I feel it ... under my feet, so I can get a little obsessed about sweeping and such.

3. Um, have you seen these boys? Not the poster children for cleanliness, that's for sure.

Over the years, I've bought just about every type of mop I could find trying to make cleaning my floors a little less like a chore. you name it, I've bought it- Swiffer, Clorox, Mop and Glow, etc., so I'm pretty siked to have something as heavy duty as a Hoover to give a whirl.

Writing this post is not part of the program, but I couldn't help myself, I had to share. If you live in a home with a hard surface, you know the drama of the two step cleaning process and how many times, you just down right skip a step. Sweep, mop, what's the difference, just get it clean, right?

Do you have a favorite cleaning tool? What is it?

Sweet Potato Meatballs and Biscuits - Tasty Tuesday Recipe

2012-07-17T13:35:00.005-04:00

Ever since I met Julie and Cristy from the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission, I've been on a mission to get creative with every day ingredients, starting with, over course, sweet potatoes. I met Julie and Cristy at Type-A-Con last month and was totally intrigued by the way their recipes transformed such a well known ingredient. I have to admit it took until practically the last day of the conference before I even visited their booth because at first, I just didn't get it.

When I finally, sauntered over and tasted the sweet potato turkey meatballs and scone, I was hooked.

I took the recipe card for home and as soon as I had the opportunity, I tried the meatball recipe and it was hit. The boys loved it! I admit, I don't have picky eaters so I'm usually not worried about what they'll eat (except for J-Dilla who has forged a personal war against fruit), but it's more how they'll eat - distraction is the name of the game. I knew that burgers would be great for them so I made sweet potato turkey sliders (with cheese).

The recipe went over so well, that I couldn't wait to try another one (also, we had a bunch of sweet potatoes that we didn't want going bad). That's when I thought about making biscuits for breakfast on Saturday, and turned to the sweet potato again.

This sweet potato biscuit recipe worried me a little because I had to decrease the measurements and had to make a substitution, but it still turned out great.

Here is the original recipe:

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shortening
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 F.
Into large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
Using pastry blender or two knives, cut shortening into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.
Blend in sweet potatoes and spices. Add milk and stir with fork until mixture comes together.
On lightly floured board, knead 10 times. Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness.
Cut with biscuit cutter dipped in flour. Arrange on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake in oven for 12 minutes or until golden and puffed.

Quick notes

Yield: 18 biscuits

In my recipe I replaced the shortening with good old fashion unsalted butter. I also cut all the measurements in half (which in retrospect was a bad idea because we had no leftovers - they were just that good).

I Didn't Mean To Traumatize My Kid in New Orleans

2012-07-13T10:18:00.000-04:00

Seriously! I had no idea what I was doing, really. Here's what happened.

Me and the family were in New Orleans for a wedding at the beginning of March. It was a great trip and everyone had a blast but there was one night when we took the boys out to get something to eat and took a wrong turn. It was me and the hubs' first time in the "Big Easy" so we wre just as excited as the kids.

An actual transformer - For Real!

Silver dude?

It was our first night there and we were trying to get the kids some dinner. It was a warm night so it was a great night for a walk. We were staying in the Hilton on St. Charles Avenue so we were right in the middle of downtown and very close to everything.

It was a Friday night so everything was still open. I tried to do a quick search to find a place to eat before we left, but SMHDad was sure we could find someplace along the way, and why not, we're in a strange city, not a clue where we're going and out schlepping about with two hungry kids, yeah, perfect time to just wing it, right?

I won't even answer that.

Sad we had to leave the transformer.

So off we went with the soon to be 2 year old in an umbrella stroller, and the almost 4 year old on foot, down Canal Street. The place was pretty busy, duh. We stopped at a corner where a few "young"- teenage boys were setting up to start playing live music. There was a few drummers and a sax player. It was kind of cool until Master M started holding his ears and saying it was too loud. That was the first hint that we were in the wrong place. I got the message, but SMHDad wanted to keep plugging on, so we made a right turn and started our decent onto Bourbon Street.

I know, I know, but I plead ignorance, total and complete ignorance. I didn't know. Walking down the street pushing a baby stroller ...

Let's just say I felt wrong, very wrong, immediately. To make it worse, it was so crowded that we couldn't easily just turn around, so we pressed on, furiously trying to find our way back to normalcy.

My poor son, completely upset trying to walk covering his ears, which was completely useless because SMHDad was struggling to keep a hold of him as we navigated through the crowd. Luckily, the toddler in the stroller was half asleep and totally unaware of what was going on.

We finally made it back to Canal Street and found a police officer who, after laughing in amusement at our folley, give us a few recommendations, which landed us at the IHOP, a perfectly safe place for kids.

Have you ever taken your child someplace then realized - uh oh bad idea? Tell us about it. I don't want to feel alone.

Didn't Go To #Typeacon? Here's What You Missed

2012-06-27T12:35:00.000-04:00

If you're thinking about going to a blog conference for the first time and are still on the fence, Amanda, has a few tidbits from her experience that may give you a little nudge.

So you're thinking about going to #TypeACon next year? Maybe I can convince you?!parentingbydummies.com/2012...

parentingbydummies

2 hours ago

Reply Retweet
For the brands out there not sure a blog conference is for you, here are some words of advice from CecilyK, a frequent conference attendee and speaker, who for the first time, worked a sponsor booth at #typeacon.
So working at a booth at #Typeacon was VERY different from just attending. My suggestions for approaching a booth! bit.ly/KMF8qB

Cecily

2 hours ago

Reply Retweet
Besides all the great networking events, parties, and random social gatherings, #typeacon was a great conference to learn essential skills for growing your brand. Skills like pitching to brands and bloggers. Sessions like these really helped to fule our confidence and help us be more prepared to manage our careers and land more jobs and clients.
Why Pitching is Like Dating and more from@dbinkowski & @centsiblelife – #TypeACon bit.ly/LG3eAQ

Christina Gleason

an hour ago

Reply Retweet
#Typeacon was an extremely enlightening experience, especially for a blog con newbie like myself. It was amazing to meet some of the bloggers I've been tweeting with and following for months, and to make new connections with awesome folks I hadn't gotten around to yet.
W/ @roundrockgal @smhmama @4hatsandfrugal @saramomof2 at #typeacon BlogWorld Party

The Chatty Momma

Making Breakfast For Dinner - Let The Eggs Be The Star

2012-06-26T00:14:00.000-04:00

You all know I'm a reluctant cook, so sometimes, when I am getting ready to make dinner for the boys, I am usually scrambling trying to throw things together. Recently, I through up my hands and decided to make breakfast for dinner. Who doesn't like pancakes, right?

Even though I was making pancakes and eggs, I still wanted to make sure the boys got all the right nutrients. That's why I focused on the eggs.

Eggs are totally easy and versatile so it was the perfect vessel to infuse some vegetables into the meal. Doing this is the perfect way to keep things simple for yourself, give the kids something they'll love, AND, we get to give our kids a proper meal.

What you need:
3 stalks of asparagus
1 medium size tomato
1/4 cup shredded cheese
3 to 4 eggs (you can use more or less depending on how much your little ones eat)
1 tbsn butter

Dice asparagus and tomato in small pieces. In a saucepan melt about 1 tspn of butter on medium heat. Toss in asparagus and saute lightly with salt and pepper until tender and browned. Turn off the heat and toss in the tomatoes and lightly mix together. In a separate pan, melt the remaining butter on medium heat. Scramble eggs. Once the eggs begin to firm, add in the asparagus and tomatoes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle eggs with shredded cheese. Cover for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Voila! Your eggs are ready to serve.

How do you infuse vegetables into your meals in a kid friendly way?

Gone Fishing Or Somewhere Else Really Cool Like Type-A-Con

2012-06-22T01:18:00.001-04:00

Thank goodness it's not the fishing thing ...

Could you see me sitting in a little boat for hours waiting for a fish to decide to saunter onto my hook?

NOT.

I'm at Type-A-Con, my very first conference for blogging and social media and stuff, that's right! and I'm totally excited (and scared out of my wits).

I seriously feel like a kid waiting for the first day of school, and tomorrow when the conference starts, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be wandering the halls not sure where to go, like a lost kid looking for homeroom.

Pray for me. Let's hope that if I stick my foot in my mouth, I'll at least dazzle them with my bitchin taste in shoes.

At any rate, I plan to have boat loads of fun (what's with the boat analogies? .... never mind the boats), and enjoy meeting great people.

Follow me on Twitter @SMHMama or @zonicaspeaks to experience my first conference with me.

Oh, if you're at Type-A-Con too, I really want to meet you, but only if you're nice, cause I'm shy (ish) and scare easily. Tweet me.

Finding My Village

2012-06-11T08:36:00.000-04:00

Every now an then I get requests from moms asking to do a guest post. As you can see I don't do it that often, but usually, when I do, it's for a good reason. Like this one. One of the most important things for a mom is having support. We have a rough job but having people in our corner helps immensely, especially when we're hit with a crisis. This is Heather's story ...

There’s a popular phrase, “it takes a village,” that is offered by well-meaning people to expecting mothers, and I can vouch for the validity of the saying. I gave birth to my daughter on August 4, 2005, with no complications, except for an emergency C-section. Our village was quick to surround us. My husband’s family joined my parents, along with so many of our friends, in coming to wish us well as they met Lily. With such a wonderful beginning, we had no expectation of the verging storm, and nothing could have prepared us for it.

My return to full-time employment a month later, is when things began to go downhill. My energy was gone. I felt tired and breathless, and while these might have easily been attributed to my recent pregnancy and my becoming a new mother, I sensed that something wasn’t right. A doctor visit and a slew of tests produced the culprit.

Lily was only three and one-half months old when I was diagnosed. November 21, 2005 was the date that I learned that I was contending with malignant pleural mesothelioma. This cancer affects the lining of the lung and is primarily caused by exposure to asbestos. My childhood exposure didn’t manifest until this point, 30 years later, and my symptoms were serious, indicative of mesothelioma.

My initial concerns weren’t for myself but for my baby. My appointment didn’t result in the great news that I hoped for. Rather, I was informed that if I did nothing, I would have approximately 15 months to live. My thoughts turned to my infant as I looked at my husband. The idea of them going on without me was devastating, and I knew that I needed to do everything possible to save my life. The prognosis of mesothelioma is grim, so we took the most drastic approach offered. I flew to Boston with my husband in order to receive care from one the best doctors dealing with mesothelioma. The treatment I underwent on February 2 was called extrapleural pneumenectomy, and it required that my left lung be removed. 18 days of recovery in the hospital were followed by another two months of recovery time. This was followed by chemotherapy and radiation, all during the important months of early motherhood. This wasn’t how I pictured my first months as a parent.

Our village provided the support system that we desperately needed, surrounding us with their love, prayers and support. This village included a variety of people from many parts of our lives, many we hadn’t expected to come to our aid. Many that we thought we could depend on, meanwhile, fled. Cancer is an unusual catalyst in relationships, and it’s interesting to see those that stand close while others fade from sight.

Lily stayed with my parents during our time in Boston, moving into the role of raising her rather than simply enjoying their position as grandparents. They had their own circle of supporters, their village, supporting them. Volunteers came from all sorts of places. Children I babysat as a teenager were now grown ups, parenting their own children but ready to help watch Lily when my parents needed them. My childhood church family surrounded my parents with love and support while we were away. We managed each new day because of this support system.

My sweet daughter was learning to eat food while I was away, and began to become quite mobile. I witnessed these events through printouts of photos in grainy black and white. My nurses admired and joined in the appreciation of these photos, trying not to cry. My daughter was the reason I was there, fighting for my live. She was in wonderful hands, and my parents’ bond with her is deep as a result.

Our family tries to embrace life fully now, and we realize how fragile it truly is. An easy road was never promised, but we’ve battled and done the best we can. My favorite quote says, “Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death.” How true this is.

Embrace life vibrantly, no matter what it sends your way. The effects of cancer have been odd. While there is bad, there has also been a lot of good. Dire as my diagnosis was, a great deal of good has come of it, for which I am thankful.

Heather Von St James is a 43-year-old wife and mother. Upon her diagnosis of mesothelioma, she vowed to be a source of hope for other patients who found themselves with the same diagnosis. Now, over 6 years later, her story has been helping people all over the globe. She continues her advocacy and awareness work by blogging, speaking and sharing her message of hope and healing with others. Check out her story at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog

Are You Still Feeding Your Preschooler?

2012-05-29T13:44:00.004-04:00

Dinner time was a time of great power struggle in the SMH camp. My now four year old preschooler is a complete mess and I'm pretty sure it's my fault.

Yep! I said it.

Good thing is, I'm aware of it and I've had enough. Here is the issue, my preschooler, is a socializer and a dreamer. He spends way too much time (during dinner) day dreaming and trying to talk about everything under the sun. He lacks focus and that means a 20 to 30 minute dinner can last over an hour. Let's face it, spending over an hour at the table reminding your kid to eat is kind of exhausting.

Now, just to be clear, I don't expect to not have to help him through a meal at all, that is a bit unreasonable, but I do expect to NOT have to feed him. I mean really, he can use a fork and spoon by himself, there is no reason for me to have to sit there and shovel food into his mouth just to get through a meal.

But alas, that was the norm for quite some time. It was the only way to finish the meal and move on to other things. I know, my fault, and I accept that, it's a patience thing, but, no more.

I finally took a stand.

A few weeks ago, it dawned on me I was having to spend more time with my preschooler at dinner time than I had to spend with my toddler. Enough was enough.

That's when the time limit rule was enforced.

What's the time limit rule?

Glad you asked.

Master M, I realized, needed an incentive to stay focused during mealtime. To help keep him motivated, we put him on a timer during dinner. Depending on when we sit down to dinner, we put 30 to 60 minutes on the clock. When the time runs out, dinnertime is over and The plate gets taken away. Now by itself, taking the plate away does nothing, but combine it with an "off to bed" sentence and ... Voila! Instant self feeding child.

You're welcome.

I know it may sound a bit harsh, but it's really not that bad. They're not going to allow themselves to starve, it's just their natural instinct of survival, not to mention the fact they spend most of their day snacking anyway. Believe me, after two or three times, he got the message.

Do you have dinnertime blues? What's your secret to hassle free dinner?

Wordless Wednesday - First Day Of Day Care

2012-05-16T11:40:00.001-04:00

I guess I've been pretty preoccupied lately, what with running my business, getting geared up to trade up from our condo, planning conference travel for Type-A-Parent Con, and the most of important of all ...

Preparing myself for my number 2's first day of day care. Notice I said preparing myself (not him). This has been just an overwhelming few weeks. It took literally no time at all between being notified there was a spot opening up for him (he's been on the waiting list since before birth), and the first day actually happening.

Luckily, I had help, and so did Jay, big brother M was there to take care of him, you know, show him the ropes.

So proud watching my two big boys growing up.

Wordless Wednesday - On The List Of Reasons I Love My Husband

2012-04-25T11:16:00.000-04:00

Who says food is just the way to a man's heart?

Not this girl, that's for sure.

Don't get me wrong, the hubs, is the man. He's an awesome Dad, and an attentive husband, but if he EVER stopped cooking, we're gonna have some problems.

Seafood Paella

What's the one thing your hubby does, that if he stopped, it would give you a heart attack?

Kreativ Blogger Award

2012-04-24T11:36:00.001-04:00

Not only have I been too busy to post to my little bloggity blog, tweet, update my FB status or anything resembling modern normalcy, I've also been too busy to follow simple directions (boo!). But it's not too late. Right? I mean better late than sorry. Don't judge me, I got kids (okay that I know that was weak, but I'm running out of excuses).

Wait, what was I supposed to be doing again? Oh right! The Kreativ Blooger Award.

Okay, so my friends Aisha and Christine over at Hartlyn Kids nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award and I really am very thankful and surprised, and a little scared because now I have to tell you seven interesting things about me and um, well, not that I'm not interesting, I mean if being overworked, and sleep deprived is interesting to you, then you'll love it.

But no really, I kid, I kid.

Here goes it ...
1. I was born in Georgetown, Guyana and came to the United States when I was 5 years old.

2. I just recently changed careers in the last 12 months and I'm now a certified tech geek.

3. I planned my wedding in 45 days (no joke, I got engaged on 8/28/07 and was married on 10/14/07).

4. I have no idea what my name means because my mom made it up.

5. I have been writing short stories and poetry since I was in elementary schools and have had my poetry published in literary magazines when I was in High School.

6. I just launched my website for my consulting business Zonica Inc.

7. I enjoy watching Japanese Anime (don't judge me).

And now, I have to nominate 7 other great blogs for the award. And the nominees are (imagine the drum roll, I did):

1. Parenting By Dummies

2. The Young Mommy Life

3. The Life and Times of a Self-Proclaimed Saucy Bitch

4. Nice Girl Notes

5. philZENdia

6. Chocolate Hair Vanilla Care

7. Putting the FUN in DysFunctional

Thanks again to awesome moms of HartlynKids for the nomination and we hope you learned a little more about me. Now go visit these other cool bloggers and show them some Kreative blogger love.

Bloggers above! Please share seven interesting things about yourselves and nominate seven other blogs!! It's ~~painless~~ fun!

The Birthdays Just Keep Coming

2012-04-13T09:39:00.000-04:00

It's a good thing I opted out of parties this year because I am truly out of my element. I just can't keep up. As soon as one birthday passes I have to start planning for the next one.

It's vicious cycle.

But what can you do? Nothing.

It goes by so fast, I don't think I've had time to process J'dilla's birthday and the ceremonial (not really) first haircut. Now it's M's birthday and I don't have enough fingers to count his milestones. It's ridiculous how much and how fast my number 1 son is growing. He is such a little smarty pants (good and bad, I often have to pull him back from the dark side).

I can't tell you how many times I just look at him in total bewilderment. Like when he said earlier this week, "Mommy, I want to go see Jack Fitzgerald on Hudson Street because he buys you cars." or when he declared last month that he wanted our next trip to be to India, and I definitely was amazed when he started reading, like, words.

Who knew that after 26 hours of labor, my strongest memory was the first time me and my (not so much a baby anymore) first child looked at each other for the first time.

No matter how much he has grown, that will be my favorite memory of him. Even today, when I look into his ginormous brown eyes, I still melt.

I'ts in these eyes that I see the promise of something major. I'm not sure what yet, but I trust I'll be proud. I mean, he hasn't disappointed yet.

Happy Birthday number 1!

How Evernote Saved My Blogging Groove

2012-04-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm a pretty busy person. Let's face it, we all are. We are constantly trying to find ways to balance our day to day lives. Managing our careers, school, family, and our own personal interests can be a losing battle. I'll admit to any and everyone that I'm still trying to figure it out.

Being somewhat of a tech geek and business analyst, I'm always trying to figure out ways to improve my "process", how I get things done. So I look for productivity tools that help me schedule, manage, organize, etc. Ever since starting this blog, I have been trying to get a grip on managing my posting schedule, and it has been difficult to say the least. All the schedules I've ever created have been ignored, forgotten, and completely dismissed.

Ugh, post ideas! that's another thorn in my side. I think I probably come up with at least three post ideas every day, but they're usually fleeting thoughts that are never captured or developed. My system of documenting my ideas was to capture them on a post it note on my Droid, by writing down the subject or possible title. The problem is, when I get a good idea, it usually comes along with the first few sentences, so when I try to write a post, whatever number of days later, from just a a vague subject, or idea, the thoughts, inspiration, and general direction of the post are usually completely gone.

Photo Credit: spinsucks.com

Recently, I tried something new, and it seems to be working out quite nicely, thanks to my trusty iPad and Evernote app.

Sitting in my office, I started writing a blog post I intended to write since last month. While writing, I started getting ideas for other posts.

Instead of using my usual post it list, I used Evernote and jotted down the first few lines of the post as they came to me. By the end of the day, I had written three complete posts, and started three others.

Being able to get my thoughts out quickly, has been so helpful. Now when I'm ready to write, I can go back to my notebook and just choose something to finish. It has become so much easier now, and I think I'm finally getting into a good blogging groove. My favorite thing about Evernote is that you can sync it across all of your devices. If I don't have my iPad around, I can start a note on my Android phone, then pick up where I left off on my iPad, or my computer. No emailing notes to myself, or retyping. It saves time and energy. The other think I really love is that you can have notebook stacks, or notebooks within a notebook. This works great for me to capture my drafts and completed work and keep them separate, so I can always tell what posts are unfinished.

What's your "this saved my life" app"? Share! I'm an app junkie and would love to hear what you're using.

A Birth Story For My Birthday Boy

2012-03-27T10:14:00.000-04:00

It's been a whole 2 years since he was born but it feels shorter and longer all at the same time. I'm still figuring him out even though I think he's got me pegged already. Thinking about how much he's grown it's hard not to remember the day I finally got to meet him.

My pregnancy with J was pretty easy, kind of. He blessed me with very minimal morning sickness unlike my first... Yea! However, in place of that was sciatica, boo. I tried my best to enjoy this pregnancy and didn't really engage in any extra curricula activities. I took maternity photos, kept my hair done, and tried to be stylish... mostly.

As the time grew closer to my March 27th due date I took long walks around my neighborhood trying to edge the process along. My thought process was that since my older son's birthday was April 13th, it would be

nice to have a few more days in between birthdays, not to mention the fact that my first child was born 9 days before his due date, why wouldn't the second?

Those of you who have more than one understand why this logic is completely flawed. No two births are alike.

So when March 26th came along, and I was still pregnant, and going to work, I became determined that this would be the last weekend I spent pregnant. That Fridy after work, me and the hubs decided to have a date night since we were pretty sure we'd have a tough time getting out after the baby was born. We went to the movies and saw Hot Tub Time Machine, and got a late dinner. The plan was if I didn't go into labor over the weekend, I was going to get induced that Monday.

Well, that didn't have to happen. Right at 5 A.M., my contractions started. They say the second child comes faster, but my frame of reference was my first, and I was in labor for 26 hours, so I figured I had at least 12 with the second. I was wrong.

Here's where things went awry. After realizing I was in labor, I woke my husband to let him know my contractions started, he turned to look at me and said, "well you should time them" and went back to sleep. So, I went back to slee too and woke up to check the clock when I felt another contraction. I know a normal person would have gotten up and, well maybe, got dressed, called the doctor, made arrangements for the older child, you know, normal I'm about to have a baby stuff. Not me. Nope. As my contractions started to come closer together, I moved to the living room to continue resting and timing them with the cable box.

By 8am my contractions were about 15 minutes a part and had become pretty intense,that meant "go time.". We had already called my mother in law to come and pick up my almost two year old, who had just woken up. I was showered and dressed when she got there, by this time I was at my limit with the contractions, when, the hubs asks if he had time to rewatch the birthing video. Luckily, I didn't have the strength to respond, and his mother was there to snap him out of his delusional suggestion. Screaming, " you need to leave NOW!".

We were at the hospital by 9am and after getting triaged, were checked right into a birthing room after they discovered I was already 8cm dialated. In other words, I almost had this kid in the car.

An hour later, at 10:14 A.M. on March 27th, 2010, I fell in love all over again.

Happy Birthday J!

Baltimore Mom Uses Fashion To Fight Autism

2012-03-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's been almost four years since I first met Nikki Stokes-Harris at the African American Cultural Festival in Towson, MD. My oldest son was only about 6 months old at the time and summer was coming to an end. I remember pushing the stroller around the festival and coming up on a vendor with crochet designs. My first thought was to look for a warm hat for my baby boy, but Nikki didn't have any. Instead of letting that be the end of it, Nikki, on the spot, offered to make one for me, right then and there. That's when I knew I was in presence of talent. In a little over an hour, I had a handmade, originally designed, wool hat for my little boy. Since then, I have had 2 other hats made for both my sons.

Nikki works for the Baltimore City Fire Department but she has been crocheting for about 6 years. Because their household income exceeds the income guidelines for any assistance to help with her son, Roman's needs, Nikki, turned her hobby into a business that provides additional financial support for her 7 year old son who is living with autism.

"We need to replace furniture, paint, screen doors, and appliances far more frequently than the average family," Nikki says.

A former spoken word poet, known as HoneGrynEyz, Nikki now struts her stuff as a designer through her brand HGE Designs.

HGE currently has a line which includes hats, scarves, mittens, shrugs, ponchos, halter tops, and dresses. Each piece is custom designed with one or more special touches to keep you styling in a "HGE" original.

HGE also offers a "do-it-yourself" series where existing patterns are adjusted to fit the "curvy fluffy diva." - Nikki says.

Being a working mom, starting and running a business, and on top of that, raising a child with autism, I can't even imagine how she does it.

"I have a very supportive husband, family and friends. They help vend at events, handle web designs and get models dressed for fashion shows. Once they saw my vision and knew it was going to help Roman, they jumped right on board."- Nikki

After six years building her business and defining her path, she has a few words of advice for others just starting out.

"...do your homework. Figure out who you are serving. Know what they want. Learn how to service them all year long."

Through trial and error, she's learned to work smarter, not harder. For herself, Nikki is celebrating her biggest success- being able to support her family.

Nikki is a true inspiration to moms everywhere who want to make a difference. She used her talents and created a way to provide financial support for her family, and is making strides towards turning a fundraising event into a nonprofit mission to help children with autism. Nikki is currently working on securing her nonprofit status, and is hopeful that it will provide more opportunities to help The Forbush Therapeutic Preschool and children with autism.

"I learned quickly the benefits of becoming a nonprofit and how much easier it is to get help when you are viewed as legitimate on paper. "

HGE's current project, is their fashion show, Puzzling Disorder 2, Saturday March 31, 2012. Puzzling Disorder is an annual show for autism awareness. Last years show raised money for The Forbush Therapeutic Preschool’s playground fund. This year, proceeds from the show will be going towards purchasing iPads for each preschool classroom.

"Apple has an amazing application that will give these children a voice! " - Nikki

Tickets are available for online at MissionTix.

To learn more about the Puzzling Disorder 2 fashion show and connect with Nikki on twitter @hgedesigns or on Facebook.

Are You A Brand Loyalist?

2012-03-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

A few moths ago, I wrote about my facial moisturizer brand, Boots No 7, being taken off the shelves at Target. I was completely disappointed and inconvenienced, but took small comfort in being able to order it online. That was back in November. Here I am again looking to replenish my stock and I can't find my favorite skin care product ANYWHERE.

Want makes it worse is that, it's not the product itself that I can find, just the shade I need. Boots No 7 comes in fair, medium, and dark. In all the places I've found carrying this brand, none of them carry the dark shade. Conspiracy? Maybe, but to what end?

I'm not a heavy make up wearer so this is my standard. I keep my foundation for nights out and such, and use the tinted moisturizer for everyday wear. I also don't like spending a lot of money on my make up either, I do pretty well with Covergirl, thank you very much, so finding something as good as Boots No 7 for only $11.99 was awesome.

Unfortunately that ship has sailed and now I have to find a new go to moisturizer. On recommendation from a friend, I'm giving Smashbox a try. Hopefully it works out. I'm a firm believer in finding something that works and sticking with it.

Do you switch brands or are you a loyalist like me?

Children's Birthday Parties - A Must Or Too Much Fuss?

2012-03-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Spring is pretty much here. That should be a good thing right? Technically, it is, but for me spring means the beginning of the birthday season in my family. Yippee for me, I've been blessed with two hell raising Aries boys with birthdays just two weeks apart, March 27th and April 13th.

J-Dilla's First Birthday

So while everyone is planning for Easter, I'm busy planning birthday parties. Last year was particularly brutal because it was also SMH Dad's 30th birthday in May, so I threw him a party too.

That's right! Three parties in a row. So of course, by the end of it, I was exhausted and completely weary with the idea of planning parties. This is where I got bold and decreed "there will be no parties in 2012".

Master M's 2nd Birthday

Now here we are. It's 2012 and the birthday season is upon me once again. I haven't planned a single party and decided to take the boys to see the Fresh Beat Band instead, but I can't help thinking I went too far. Both boys have had parties every year so far, granted the youngest is only going to be two, but still, there's a precedent.

Master M's 3rd Birthday Cake

Is it that terrible for a kid NOT to have a birthday party? Clearly this is not end of the world stuff, but I can't help feeling that nagging little bit of guilt (self inflicted of course, but still real).

Of course there are parents out there who go to extremes to throw parties for their children, but I've never considered myself one.

My parties were always simple, the park or backyard with simple toys for the kids to play with, no hired entertainment or moon bounces, nothing major. Even so, planning a party is still work, there's invitations, decorations, food, cake, and other logistics to organize.

Is it wrong of me to opt out of the drama this year and not deal with the fuss? Or are birthday parties really a MUST?

Don't Ask Your Kid How Old They Think You Are

2012-03-14T23:33:00.001-04:00

I think is one of those innocent questions children ask that after a while start to appear less innocent. I'm not ashamed of my age, in fact I'd like to think I'm still pretty young. So when my soon to be four year old (jeepers! 4 already) asks this question, it's not a big deal, you know, still innocent.

So we were all at the dinner table earlier this week discussing the boys' upcoming birthdays. J-dilla's birthday is coming up at the end of this month.

So SMH Dad asked, "Jay how old are you?".

"One" Jay says. We all give him an attaboy for getting it right.

"Do you know how old you're going to be?" SMH Dad asks.

"Two", Jay replies. Again, we give him an attaboy for getting it right.

Of course now, Master M wants to get in on the action.

"Mommy, how old are you? M asks.

"Old enough to be your mother", I respond with a chuckle.

"How old do you think Mommy is?, asks SMH Dad.

M makes a feeble attempt at pretending to think and replies, "mmmm, a hundred!"

I laugh. His answer was definitely unexpected, but he was by no means finished.

He now turns to SMH Dad, "Daddy, how old are you?"

"How old do you think I am?, SMH Dad replies.

Once again, M pretends to think (you know where this is going right?),

then belts out,

"thirty!" (this happens to be the right answer).

I laughed so hard I couldn't speak for a few minutes.

I'm not sure what the true lesson was here, but at a minimum, I won't be giving my kids another opportunity to guess my age.

This post was inspired by Mama Kat's should be famous by now Writer's Workshop.

Puerto Rican Good Eats

2012-03-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things about traveling is experiencing new and different food. Maybe you haven't noticed but I'm a die hard foodie and I'm not afraid to admit it. I love to eat and will eat almost anything as long as its cooked right and tastes good.

If you travel a lot, one thing you will notice is much of your day is spent looking for food, not intentionally, but by necessity, unless you're staying somewhere with a kitchen. You wake up, shower, get dressed, and start thinking about where to get breakfast. You make plans for the days events and make sure there is a designated lunch spot nearby. You regroup back at your hotel after a day out only to start planning where to have dinner. This goes until your flight back home.

My advice, is to stay clear away from the offerings at your hotel or resort (unless they have free breakfast, you can't pass that up, cause technically, it ain't really free). Go local or go home. What's the point on traveling if you don't partake in the local fare.

If you're headed to Puerto Rico, here are my favorites:

Antejitoes del Katrinche (Katrina's Restaraunt) - I don't know Katrina, but whoever she is, or whoever they have in that kitchen, can throw down. OMG the food was awesome. The place is not fancy to say the least, but it it's beach front and has a down home atmosphere.

If you can stand the birds (in cages), you'll be just fine. the restaurant is in a little golf resort town called Dorado east of San Juan.

What we ate

We had a party of 6 (including the pip squeaks) so we just got a bunch of stuff and shared it around the table. We had empanadillas (small empanadas - stuffed fried or baked pastry), conche salad, octopus salad, mofungo (mashed plantain), carne fritas con tostones, arroz con pollo (chicken with yellow rice), and so much more.

Emapanadillas

Octopus Salad

Conch Salad

We loved it so much, we ate there a second night and it was even better. They had a great red snapper. Their seafood was fresh and everything came out hot and just in time.

Cafeteria Mallorca - This restaurant is right in Old San Juan. It was a great little local place with a pretty good bakery. They were named for the huge sweet bread they make called mallorcas. You know had to get some. The cafe was a small but homey place with uniformed waiters.

What we ate

They were friendly and fast. It was like down home fast food. The food was good and came out quickly. My mother in law ordered the chicken soup and seriously, no one could keep their hands off of it. It was the best chicken soup we've had in a restaurant, with huge pieces of chicken. I had carne fritas and tostones (fried pork and fried green plantain), the boys had the chicken mofungo.

Mofungo is a really good dish for kids. It's mashed plantain that can be mixed with different types of meat then covers with a yummy butter sauce. Very easy to eat, and filling.

Bedtime Blues - Getting Your Kids To Stay In Bed

2012-02-24T08:13:00.000-05:00

Bedtime used to be pretty easy in the SMH camp. J-dilla was the easiest, in fact he would almost leap out of my arms to get into his crib. Now, He's straight up just leaping out of the crib. Overnight, he became a trained gymnast and is literally doing athletic maneuvers to get out of his crib once the lights are out.

Master M used to be easy too, until he turned 2 years then all heck broke loose and he became convinced that after he was put to bed, me and his Dad were having a party without him. Now, after we put him to bed, it's not a matter of "if" but when he'll come out of his room.

Usually, we can hear his door opening, but on some nights, the little dude gets on stealth and it takes 10 to 15 minutes before we realize he's sitting in the dark hallway right next to us.

Now with J-dilla climbing out of his crib, we've got two of them running around like it's a playground, and they seriously think it's a game running and hiding from me like I'm trying to tag them or something. NOT!

So I got curious and took to Facebook to find out how long it takes for other parents to get their kids to stay in bed. Visit my page and take the poll.

Mama's Shaking My Head asked: How long does it take for your little one to stay in bed at night?

0 - 20 minutes

30 minutes

1 hour or more

11 minutes ago

I'm Guest Blogging About My Trip To Puerto Rico

2012-02-23T10:36:00.001-05:00

Bienvenidos!

Two weeks ago I was in beautiful Puerto Rico with my family and had a spectacular time. I took my two little ~~devils~~ dudes along for the ride and they were great little travels. I can't wait for our next trip.

Check out my post, Puerto Rico! Ho! at Hartlyn Kids and see what we did and what we saw. Like ...

Fort del Morro

Next week I'll tell you where and what we ate.

I've Got The Dress. Help Me Decide On The Shoes

2012-02-17T14:31:00.000-05:00

Okay bloggy buds, I need your help.

I'm going to a wedding in New Orleans next month and I'm working on getting my outfit together. I have the dress but I can't decide what shoes to wear.

Help!

I know there are some divas out there with a really good eye for fashion, so hook a sista up.

Vote for you favorite shoe and complete my outfit.

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