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marriage

The One With The Unruly Hair

by Nellie January 28, 2014

The One With The Unruly Hair

Somewhere deep down in my heart when I was in my late teens, I realized that my high school boyfriend was going to be my husband. This meant babies! In my head we would have 3 little girls and we would sit around all day having multiple tea parties and doing our nails. God had other plans! 🙂

I was always so curious about the hair our kids would have. My husband’s hair is very thin and straight, and even though he is Puerto Rican he has no curl AT ALL in his hair. Meanwhile my hair is the kinkiest hair in the world. So somehow I thought we could get a nice perfectly flowing blend of our hair textures.

My eldest baby’s hair is a nice combination of the both of us. Somehow I thought I would be able to handle it–I totally wasn’t! My daycare provider gave him beautiful cornrows until he got his hair cut when he turned three.

My youngest is a different story. His hair is definitely more coarse and curly. The weirdest part? He has an insane amount of hair on the top of his head and the back just simply never caught up.

And since his hair is more coarser that his brothers, trying to comb it, or even undo braids is the struggle of all struggles.

But even though his hair is harder to manage he has the best curls ever! His little ringlets flop around the place and he loves it. I always wonder if he is going to grow his hair out like the Bulls player Joakim. That is if the back of his head ever catches up!

Then I think about what I would have to deal with if I had to put bows and clips in this type of hair everyday. Oh my.

I will just remain thankful to my girl at the daycare and enjoy the rare moments when his hair is wild and free (and untamed!).

p.s. I launched my newsletter today! If you have seen it, let me know what you think. If you haven’t signed up, what are you waiting for?! sign up here! 🙂

Do you love your hair texture? Were you surprised by the hair of your children?

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My Very First Trip to Atlantic City + Tanya Beardsley’s Dancing In The Light

by Nellie October 24, 2013

My very first trip to Atlantic City.

When I went to get my pro skills certification a couple of moths ago, I heard about an event that was being held in Atlantic City at the end of September. I was intrigued because if it got the approval of Jani Roberts then it had to be solid.

I looked up the pricing for the event: reasonable. Hotel stay? Even more reasonable. Just like that I planned a short one night getaway for me and my husband! Since the event was only 90 minutes, we’d be together practically the whole time.

Since we are not gamblers and the lure of winning money does nothing for us, we had no plans of going to the casinos.

When we got there however, the bus line gave us $60 in credits to use at a nearby casino. We decided to sit down at the 25c slots and play that $60 until it finished and called it a day. We ended up winning about $100 and the bus tickets were $40 each so we really rode for free plus made an additional $20. Not too shabby!

We entered the Borgata around 3pm and the lines to check in were so so long. I’ve never waited so long to get checked in!

The hotel grounds were flawless, beyond the casinos being the first thing you see there were also many many restaurants including fine dining right down to fast food. The choices are really endless.

After we checked in and got settled we jumped downstairs to fatburger, which was okay. We toured the grounds some more and then I had to get ready for Tanya!

A little backstory on Tanya Beardsley, she used to be one of the main girls of Zumba, she used to travel the world with her partner Gina Grant until she decided to step down from Zumba. This was not a Zumba event–it was dancing in the light.

The event was a lot of fun. Tanya does an amazing job of getting folks out of their heads and loosening up. Since I was by myself at the event, I was a little wary about dancing freely. She loosened us all up pretty quickly and before you knew it all of us were just freestyling and just having a great time.

Since there were no pictures allowed I didn’t have any from the actual event. The ballroom was beautiful, it was a wide open space with plenty of room to shake your tailfeather.

When that was over, I met my husband back in the room, got ready and headed off for dinner. We ate a meh dinner at the metropolitan and then I had gelato for the first time ever. It was pretty epic.

The next morning we slept in (8am!) And went to the indoor pool which was simply beautiful. After that we went to the breakfast buffet as it was pretty inexpensive ($15pp) I got full pretty quickly, the food was so great!

Somehow in an attempt to go home we ended up at the Tanger Outlets and we shopped and shopped. I picked up somethings for me, the kids and he picked up some clothes too.

Finally after a ton of traffiic, we made it home. I can’t wait to go back!!

Have you ever been to the casinos? Do you gamble your own money? When was your last getaway?

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Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 Review + Interview With Terry Crews!

by Nellie September 24, 2013

When you have young children cartoon movies become a part of the norm in your household.

Recently we were given the opportunity to see Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2! We have seen the first one many times so we were excited to see it. I actually think my husband was the most excited to see the movie–he was quoting lines from the trailer the entire time prior!

About the movie: Flint Lockwood now works at The Live Corp Company for his idol Chester V. But he’s forced to leave his post when he learns that his most infamous machine is still operational and is churning out menacing food-animal hybrids.

The movie was super fun! There are a lot of double meanings and quite honestly the movie was extremely clever. It was almost like there was an adult and a child version of the movie happening simultaneously. I laughed a LOT and I never laugh at kid movies. Usually I spend my time texting (bad Nellie!) or tweeting (even worse!).

The movie focused a lot on imagination and creativity, which I loved because you rarely see those themes present in kid flicks!

I had the opportunity to interview the awesome Terry Crews along with other media to talk a bit about his role as Earl Deveraux, the athletic and protective cop in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.

Q: Did you have any reservations about taking over for Mr. T?

A: He was really nervous, he is a huge fan of Mr. T, He saw Rocky III 5 times in the theater. He was happy to receive a blessing from Mr. T via twitter where he said “We want your best Terry Crews”

Q: How does live acting compare to voice over?

A: They have its own benefits and take backs. It’s easier to show up in the booth but there are other drawbacks to cartoons as well. He believes that cartoons are powerful, he LOVED “The Incredibles!”

Q: *My Question*: The theme of Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 is imagination. How do you encourage imagination in kids?

A: Kids are automatically imaginative. It is key not to damage the imagination. Parents tend to suck the life out of kids by defining them. They put children back in line based on their own beliefs. They should let the kids enjoy and try everything {different experiences} for example” snowboarding. Parents get caught up in the fact that they don’t like something and they put it on their own kids.

Q: What advice do you have for someone that is transitioning careers?

A: The true key to changing is humility. When you leave one high place do expect to jump into another high place. His first job was a security guard on a set. He had the insight to learn everything he could from that position. “Be willing to start from the bottom”

Q: How is the character Earl Deveraux like you?

A: Very passionate. Earl cares about what happens to his friends and family. Real men must be compassionate. Earl uses his strength and he is not afraid to have feelings.

Q: You have been married for 24 years– What is the key to a successful marriage?

A: You cannot control a person and love them at the same time.

Q: You are a parent to 5 children and one grandbaby, what is one piece of parenting advice that you want to share?

A: Be a kid yourself and see yourself in the eyes of kids.

Q: *My Question* Just to keep things on the lighter side, in the movie your character owned a cupcake shop for a little bit. What is your favorite kind of cupcake?

A: My cheat days are legendary. If I had to choose one cupcake it would be the richest Carrot Cake Cupcake with Cream Cheese Icing.

Q: What is your advice for working out?

A: Never be intimidated by the gym. The gym should feel like a spa. You should be excited to go, otherwise you will never stick with it.

Q: How did you celebrate the wrap of the movie Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2?

A: Took the kids to Sony Studios to see the 500 people in a room and all that it actually takes to create an animated movie.

If you have seen the first movie, you will LOVE the second! The movie is great for adults as well as kids.

Would you go see Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2? Are you a Terry Crews fan? What was the last animated movie you saw?

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Essence Mommy Meet Up – Food For The Mommy Soul

by Nellie May 28, 2013

Essence Mommy Meet Up

The one thing I love most about being invited to different events is the connection that face to face meetings bring. Since I was an only child I think I have some weird over compensation side effect because I absolutely adore meeting new people. Its why I go to conferences and events. There are so many good people in the world and meeting them is so much fun!

So I was more than excited to attend the Essence Mommy meet up thrown by essence magazine and the Chic Busy Mom. When I rsvp’d yes I really was not expecting to leave the event with such a sense of fulfillment, pride, joy, and relief.

The event was held at the Essence Magazine offices just a short walk from my job in midtown Manhattan. When I entered the extremely elegant offices I was overwhelmed to see my friends–I only knew two people were going to be there prior to the event. I got to finally meet Monica from SoFamilyOnline and yes she is even more fabulous in person! All of my favorite girls were lined up on the other side of the table from me including Aliah, Ghada, Kim, Cass, and Onika. Candace was in the house too! There were around 20-25 very influential mom bloggers of color in the room and I was simply excited to be in their presence!

There was a lavish spread for lunch, and Svedka sponsored drinks for everyone. We got started with a quick toast and an introduction of ourselves.

A Conversation for Mommies

We started talking and I realized quickly that I was in the right place. We talked about our favorite tv shows and our favorite social media. We traded tips and tricks and resources. We laughed, a lot.

Then we broached the subject of mommy guilt. Most of us in the room works outside of the home so this was a sensitive subject for us. As a full time working mom there are real drawbacks to bringing in a paycheck. Sometimes there are issues with the daycare, sometimes you have to work late, sometimes you have to get in past your child’s bedtime. Its tough.

We all agreed that we need to make a conscious effort to be present for not only our children but our husbands. We also must take time for ourselves to recharge and be better for those we take care of. As women we are always the caretakers, we must remember to take care of our bodies, spirits and soul. We also talked about working with blog brands and other aspects of blogging. I was absolutely floored by the sheer beauty, intelligence and influence gathered in one room. Unlike what the media portrays, there were 25 or so African-American women in a room sharing very similar stories, laughing, sharing and agreeing with one another in an extraordinary way.

I’ve noticed in the bloggy world there has been a lot of competitiveness lately, seems like a few folks are clawing their way to the top. This environment was the exact opposite of that. It really brought me full circle because when I started blogging I did it for the love. My job does not allow me to write about my passions so I do so here. Getting to interact with amazing people through events like these, is one of the absolute reasons why I blog. Any money or trinkets that are associated are just icing on my very yummy blogging cake. Do I want to grow my blog? Of course…but only to make genuine connections.

Blogging is very much like several different sororities. There is that one person that joins to be popular, there is that one person that joins to get a free ride or connection, then there is the person that joins for the sisterhood. I am so here for the sisterhood. But I digress. 🙂

The Essence Mommy meet up was food for my soul is the best way possible. I’m just happy to have been a part of such an amazing event.

Have you done anything lately for your soul? Tell me about it.

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