ZUMBA!

Sometimes you just have to pull away from your normal routine and do something different and exciting.

Tonight was that time for me. I was invited to Bally's for a Latin dance party, and I am so glad that I went. I have not tore up a dance floor in awhile. Give me some great music and I can stay on the dance floor all night. I don't even need a partner to dance, I will move and groove in my own little world. I didn't think that a party at a gym would be so exciting. The DJ was amazing, the latin sistas cooked up some good flava, and the energy was off the hook! The Warrior Princesses were apprehensive at first, but once they warmed up, they were just like their mommy. I went to go sit down, but they stayed out there, doing choreography, cartwheels, and handstands (hip hop dance artist, LOL). The person that invited us has two daughters the same age as my girls. The Warrior Princesses haven't seen their friends in awhile, so they freely gave up their Martial Arts class tonight to spend time with them. I thought that was sweet. Anyway, they all enjoyed themselves. I think it was a good thing for them to pause from their routine for one night.



One of the best parts of tonight was Zumba! I watched a video on it and immediately had to do it. The instructor was hip and fun, so the choreography was on point. Talk about a workout!

Well that was my little splurge, now back to the grind.

Check out this video on Zumba.

From Candles to Getaways!

I completely enjoy my networking group, Black Business Women Online! A chance to possibly network with over 2000 positive "black" women gives me a rush! Not only is the BBWO a mega networking arena, there are 5 full pages of other groups members can join. One of my groups is The Buy Black Collective. This is a group of over 100 women, and each week 2 members post their bio, business information, and needs for their business. In turn, the other members pledge support, and follow through.

I would like to introduce you to:

Company name: Scent-Sations, Inc - Mia Bella Gourmet Candles

Owner: Michelle Cobbs, Independent Distributor

Website: http://www.ibelieve.scent-team.com/shop/scart.php

Contact Info: supremecandlescents@gmail.com
Phone: 631-236-3391



Mia Bella cleaner burning candles are triple-scented, burn evenly every time, no more black soot on your jars or walls. Your house will smell like fresh spring air, fresh baked goods, from start to finish to end.

Travel Like The Pros!
Company name: Gottitravel, LLC
Owner: Teresa Johnson
Website: www.gottitravel.com
www.gottitravel.paradisenetwork.com
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/uticladyt
Contact Info: gottitravel@comcast.net
phone and fax: 484-879-6340

My Travel Blog;
http://www.gottitravel.blogspot.com

"Mmmm, you Smell Good!": Tip-Quickie Pedi

Alright you moms on the go! Here's a quick way to maintain those beautiful feet of yours! This Quickie Pedi will only take you 10 mins. If you do not have 10 mins. to spare, you may want to rethink your schedule.

"Mmmm, you Smell Good!": Tip-Quickie Pedi

Cultural Differences?

So, I was not going to post this early today, but I need to share this. I posted my entry Home Schooling? Forgotten Something? in the forum on one of my networking groups. This particular networking group is global so there are a lot of opinions due to culture.

These were some of the replies:

-Home-Schooling is mostly frowned at in Germany and illegal. I also admit I (personally) do not see the advantages. Most people here who want to teach their kids at home seem to belong to "conservative" religious groups.

-Apart from being illegal in my home country (Germany), I was actually asking myself, who who want to keep their kids at home to teach them by themselves? For me personally, this keeps the kids back in their development. Children need the social contact with other children to grow and to learn their way around. To give and take, to bargain and to get the guts to stand up for themselves. To learn, when it is better to shut up ;-)

To dare and to retreat, how to bitch.. and yes, to get into their first fistfight ;-)

I bet parents just want the best when deciding for home schooling, but I ask myself, the best for whom.. the children or for the parents?

-I teach at universities, being an external expert not affiliated with the university. I believe that any person being a teacher - regardless if at a university or undergraduate school - should have hands-on real-life experience related to the subject. The concept of persons lecturing for years full-time without gaining practical experience is odd in my point of view, probably except teachers at elementary schools.

So frankly home-schooling sounds even more odd to me, unless the parents would teach a subject they have professional experience with.


My response:

I can understand your outlook and thank you for sharing your opinions.

However, in America home-schooling is not taken on for religious purposes anymore. There are actually plenty of women leaving their well paying corporate jobs to return to the home to educate their children. There are actually educators that home-school their children, but refuse to put them in the school system.

Unfortunately, you have not met enough home-schooling children in your lifetime to see the advantages of a home education. Yes, there are some children who are reclusive, but there are many who are free spirit, soar academically, are more outgoing than an institutionalized child, who are humanitarians, who know how to defend themselves, who know how to handle confrontations, etc. You should not have to go to school just to experience your first fist fight, siblings and neighborhood children can help you with the experience.

As I think about it, it is also unfortunate that you would post contrary comments to a post that was posted to uplift women/mothers.

But regardless, I thank you for sharing.

So odd, home-schooling in America began because parents wanted to have the right to teach their children German.

What Do You Know About Ladybugs?

Did you know:

-Ladybugs are sometimes called ladybirds or ladybird beetles.
-Ladybugs flap their wings about 85 times in one second when they fly! (I know mommies who move that fast too.. LOL)
-Ladybugs have big appetites - by the end of its life, a ladybug will usually have eaten as many as 5,000 aphids!
-A ladybug's spots fade as it gets older.


Those silly buggies!
-What do you called a nervous beetle?
A jitter-bug!

-Why did the beetle get kicked out of the park?
Because he was a litter-bug!

-What do bugs have that no other animals have?
Baby buggies.

My $5 Sliver Slippers

I forgot to tell you. I got my silver slippers the other day! Pretty nice for $5! The maker is Bamboo, those shoes normally retail for about $25 and up.

"Go Batty for Baubles!"

And you will when you visit Beads In The Belfry. Nina Jackson is an amazing indie jewelry designer! I love purchasing from Indies (I am one myself), because everything is so one-of-a-kind. Nina has a beautiful Etsy store with a lot of eye candy, but don't just eye it, BUY IT!

Check out these silver Horn earrings (based on the ancient Greek design). I purchased these for myself, but ended up letting Warrior Princess Z have them.

It's All Blue Baby!!!

Last Thursday night the Warrior Princesses (WPs) earned their blue belts. They were the only two 2nd degree green belts that went to the next belt level! Most of the time most children go to the 3rd degree green belt level. Last year (1st degree green belts) Sensei Jarrod told the class that it was very rare for students to go from 2nd degree green belt to blue belt, but not impossible. The WPs made up their mines and said that they were not going to go through another level of green belt. I told them that was find and that I would help them achieve their goal;One day a week of class is not enough to achieve it. They worked hard on technique, balance, focus, power, rhythm, the very small details, and Kata.

They are moving forward! I am so very proud of them!

TCP-LOVE IT!!!

What I love about The Children's Place (TCP):

1) Girly, boutique-ish clothes at reasonable prices, but I never pay full price there. Why?
2) Monthly $3.99-$4.99 on everything in store including shoes!!
3) I use my 15%-20% coupons on sale merchandise!

Whoopie!!!!

Our last TCP Haul:

2 of these, one blue, one pink


Warrior Princess T eyed these when they were on semi-sale. Went in on Friday and got them for $3.99!

"Mmmm, you Smell Good!": Myla's Bags-Indie Designer

"Mmmm, you Smell Good!": Myla's Bags-Indie Designer

5 Things About This Mom Meme

MommyFest.com

1. Married at 21 years old.
2. My hair is 27" long.
3. I was an exchanged student to France.
4. I will be learning the art/sport of Fencing.
5. I had a molar pregnancy before my two blessings.
~i.

The $5 Shoes

I was about to shut down for the night...

Instead, went hereand purchased these




$5!!!

DIY Sweat Equity Sweepstakes

King T, loves the DIY channel. Some weekends he can sit and watch eye sores become diamonds for hours. And of course the two princesses are right there oooing and ahhing with him. Not me. Although I love the transformations and I could probably do some of those projects myself, I just cannot sit through diy after diy.

But now......


Yup, I can go online an enter contest to win remodels, money, and more! Love it!

The Sweat Equity Challenge Sweepstakes is happing now! You can enter daily for a chance to win $100,000, $10,000, or $1,000. Sweepstakes ends June 9th.

Amy Matthews mind as well tell her people to hand me over the $100,000 now!

"Mmmm, you Smell Good!": Let's Get This Party Started Right....

"Mmmm, you Smell Good!": Let's Get This Party Started Right....

Nappturosity

Natural hair? Thinking about going natural? Transitioning from relaxer to your beautiful natural crown? Not sure if you would love your hair or yourself natural? This book maybe for you.



Written by Erin Shell Anthony. Nappturosity will instruct you on how to maintain your natural hair or locs at home, best products to use for your hair type, how to save money by tlc-ing your hair at home, and much more! Purchase this e-book today.

Don't stop there! Join the Natural Success online community for FREE! "Meet" and communicate with other woman wanting to live a natural way of life!

~i.
loc-ing for 11 years

Friday Evenings

It always seems like a celebration in our home when Friday evening arrives. On Wednesday I long for Friday to come. Not just for the day itself, but what comes with it, my husband will be coming home to his girls, a rest from teaching, a rest from the business, resting of my mind and soul.... hang-out time, games, movies, late nights, silence, stillness. I completely enjoy being with my family, I love the memories that we make and the joy that we share.

This Friday we went out looking for someplace to eat, we ended up at Bravos! The food was absolutely delicious (note pic with my full cheeks). On today, I had the joy of hanging out with my parents. My daddy is 79 and still hanging like the big boys, and my mommy is 60. Yup! He was going into the military when she turned 1 years old. Oh, and yes, I still say, "Mommy and Daddy." :O)

Sixteen at WAR

We cannot afford to forget what our young females are dealing with on a daily basis. Young females from all walks of life need to be empowered.

Home Schooling? Forgot SOMETHING?

So, you have begun your home-schooling journey. You sit down to admire your to-do-list and feel so accomplished.

*Spouse agreed to home-schooling [check]
*Find home-schooling resources [check]
*Decide on curriculum [check]
*Find home-schooling group [check]
*Purchase school supplies [check]
*Find home-schooling Mommies to hang out with [check]
*Find extra-curricula activities for children [check]

Yes, so accomplished!

Did you forget something? You! "Me. Who is ME?" In between creative writing lessons, martial arts class, washing clothes, and giving tlc to spouse, ME went missing. Women who have the dual role of wife and mommy/teacher "forget" that they too have skills, talents, knowledge, and know-how. When the realization sets in that they have forgotten about themselves other negative feelings have started to move in on their mind and heart. "I can't do this anymore, I am giving up! I must be kidding myself! No one in this house is showing me any appreciation!" Put on the brakes! It is not as serious as you think it is, you have simply forgotten about yourself. Take the bull by the horns, highlight your strengths and act on them, stir up that entrepreneurial spirit, look into WAHM opportunities, share your expertise via blogging. Channel your energy into all the aspects of your life that you love, wife, mommy, teacher, and self, to have a perfect balance.

I love finding home-schooling women who are doing something that they love. Kreation Domains. This home-schooling mom is moving forward with her business and assisting other women who want to do the same.


Itiel McVay is a wife, home-schooling mom, and the owner of Smell Goods '98™

Taken For Granted

I thought I was finish posting for the night (posted on both blogs). But before turning off the computer, I visited my blogging friends. I read this post on Silver Mine, and the end of #5 made me think about taking those who serve us for granted. Not necessarily not saying, "thank you" or anything like that, but just not thinking about them once their job of serving us is completed. Last year I was driving in my car and for some odd reason I started to think about the postal workers. I started to think about the service that they give to me by picking up my packages;I ship Priority Mail to places on the West Coast and to Canada and abroad. I never once, until that moment, thought about the pilots or truck drivers who fly or drive over night to get those packages to their destination, I never thought about their families who maybe concern about them flying or driving long distances. So from that moment on, until this day, I don't just send up a prayer for the packages to arrive safely to my customers, I also pray that those pilots and truck drivers will arrive safely and return to their loved ones.

As I have matured so much over the last 5 years, and allowed myself to get back that child-like compassion, I see people and situations so differently. One of those things is not taking people for granted, it doesn't matter if they are a pauper or a star.

Calculus Without Tears

To those who frequently stop by to visit me, you know that I LOVE HOME EDUCATION. Well let me share with you, not only do I love home education, I also love the home-schooling and unschooling groups that I am apart of. Recently a mom sent over this, Calculus Without Tears. A curriculum designed for a 4th grader to complete fairly independently. I was like, "Hmmm, I have got to check this out." Warrior Princess Z wants to be an Aviator, so I thought this would be good for her. Before you purchase, your child can work on some sample sheets (actual work from books)

Words from the Professor:
'...since children are MOST in-tuned with motion and movement, that they are the ideal group or population for understanding Calculus, which deals with motion, velocity, distance etc.
Unfortunately, we well meaning grown-ups wait until tooo late into their adult life to teach calculus to them, and by then, we find, most adults are out of touch with spinning in circles, getting dizzy until you collapse into laughter!'

I Just Love Purchasing from Artisans!

I visited Aseyori the other night and I fell in love with these earrings! Not only are they handmade, but they are from the Massai people, one of my favorite tribes to learn about. I will be getting something from Aseyori, beautiful goods and low prices, I don't think I want to pass that up.


Aseyori African Arts Market, specializes in a wide range of artistic items from Africa. From our wood-carved and leather items to our masks, bags, jewelry, and drums, we provide quality products that are expertly made, beautiful items that have been brought straight from Africa, and are waiting to come to you!

About Us:
Aseyori-Market.com is a Black owned e-business created out of a love for the ancient cultural heritage of Africa. We seek to promote the beauty and creativity of Africa and its diaspora. Our purpose and goal is to encourage the international trade of African-created products. Through the cultivation and enhancement of a Pan-African market online, we intend to generate prosperity for Africa and its diaspora.

Huh???

Last night I decided to make this la vie est aromatique, and what was la vie est aromatique, "Mmmm, you smell good!". So the post below were transferred over from that blog. As you will see they are not in perfect order, but I am sure you will enjoy reading nonetheless. From here on out all post will be in "order".

Thanks,
~i.

He is...

'Brown skin, you know I love your brown skin I can't tell where yours begins, I can't tell where mine ends.'India Arie

My husband is the most amazing person that I know. He has been 13 years of pure inspiration to me. I admire him. He is tough, he is loving, he is kind, he is a man, he is so creative, and more. His creativity is what I want to focus on in this post. Tovijah, my man, loves to video and photograph. He then sits at the MAC and edits to make family memories. Here is one, you can find the others on Blue Nile Studios

You will need to pause my playlist before playing video. Very simple. Located the pause (||) symbol and click.

My Birthday Month -Pt. 3 Glee

Older post (2/08) from Smell Goods blog

Yesterday

California Pizza Kitchen is where my yesterday began. Gail, Krisitana, Zion, Toviel, and I, having a "girls'day out" lunch--Gail's treat, in honor of my b'day. Fun! Food! Laughter! Conversation! Sharing time! I completely enjoyed myself.

Getting to know a person that I share some part of time and space with is a side of me that has matured. There were two questions that I asked Gail: 1) When you go to lecture what are you speaking on? Gail lectures on journaling! I for one find journaling to be somewhat of a challenge! So, I admire Gail to be able to stand in front of a class of adults and have them look inside themselves and search for feelings that need to be put on paper. It all makes sense now! No wonder Gail's blog reads with such eloquence. I have put Journal Class on my list of Things To Accomplish! 2)When you go to Spain what are you doing? Vacationing!

Sitting in Gail's presence, I realized that I have always gravitated to women that are 6 or more years older than myself. Not just any type of woman, but one that is a lady, one that is not ashamed to show her weaknesses, one that is living life, one that I can learn from.

My stunning handcrafted (card and earrings) gift from Gail! How did she know that these are the things that move me?


I WENT TO BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP!!! YAY!!
Hey, I am a kid at heart. I am not one of those adults who collects stuffed toys. Build-a-Bear has quite a niche, and I like it. So my princesses treated mommy to BABW. They knew I thought the Triceratop was a cutie. Very thoughtful.


A wonderful evening out with the ones I cannot see my world without.
Great food! Laughter! Love! P.F. Chang's



TODAY...34! The day I was born.
Received plenty of birthday phone calls!

Today, as a treat to myself I went to the spa. I made an appointment for two spa treatments, and planned to stay in the spa for 2 hours. My appointment was at 3:00 pm, I arrived at 2:50 pm, my service began at 3:40 pm. I anticipated a Papaya Pineapple Body Scrub. I was told that the menu changed and I would be receiving a Citrus Body Scrub. The product did not feel good on my skin. I got into the shower to rinse off. BRRRR! NO HOT WATER. Oh, yeah, this is a salon and spa, so the stylists were using the water to rinse hair. I had to be toweled off with hot towels. That wasn't a bad alternative, so I thought. The towels did not remove all the grains. During the hot oil massage I was grainy. My server was sincerely apologetic, and offered me a discount. I also told her that due to my 1st treatment getting off to a late start, I would not be getting the 2nd.

So that is how today went. I am still living in the moment of GLEE!

Feel the burn

I have always enjoyed some form of exercise from
age 6. Before having my first child, I was heavy into lifting weights
and training others. I loved my program because of the burn, results,
and how I felt afterwards. The only downside was not being able to get into my jeans, because of my large quads (front thighs). But that was because of my pyramid workout. To this day working out is still very much a part of my lifestyle. I have to have it at least twice a week, and my workout has to be on point. Free weights (squats, lunges,deadlifts,etc), kickboxing, boot camp, cardio core, you name it, I enjoy it. My favorite tv instructor at this time is Cathe Friedrich, on FitTV. Lately, I have been getting into All Star Workouts, cardio core with Petra Kobler. This workout has really made a difference in how my body handles my other workouts. Ladies, it is important to have a strong core! Upper body strength is the key!

The benefits from years of exercising for me:
*No cramps during menstruation. Cramps have never been a problem for me. I contribute this to years of being physically active. Oxygen is a wonderful thing for muscles!
*Maintaining my same size in clothes.
*Being healthy and strong.

I enjoy trying different forms of exercise. Shocking the body is a plus when working out. So,if you have a form that you enjoy, share it with me.

Breathe Deeply

A lot of us go about our day doing the typical shallow breathing. Never stopping to think that our body (cells and organs) is not gaining any benefit from that type of breathing. From previous post I mentioned how I love high intensity workouts, at least 2-3 days a week. One of the reasons I do enjoy it so much, is because of euphoric and calming effects from breathing.

I was sent an article on breathing the other day from Bloom. Cool, because now when I miss my workouts, I can do these breathing exercises to give my body what it is yarning for, OXYGEN!

I do these exercises with my daughters in between lessons and throughout the day. Try them with your children--not to young to learn how to take control of their bodies.

Calming breath:
Close one nostril and inhale. Exhale from the other nostril.

This technique helps in relaxation, overcoming insomnia and fatigue, decreasing headaches, improving digestion and decreasing anxiety and depression.


Relaxing breath:
Exhale twice as long as the inhale.

This technique releases more toxins and stress from the body and can help you fall asleep, decrease anger and reduce physical discomfort or pain.



Stimulating breath:
Take rapid inhales and exhales of equal length through your nose.

This stimulates your nervous system and delivers more oxygen to the cells, helping them function more efficiently.

Here's the complete write-up from Bloom

To your health,
i.~

What a difference a day makes

Older post from Smell Goods blog

I woke up this morning feeling unbalanced. So I went threw my thoughts and noted that I am happy, but something is off. The night of the 23rd I caught this bad bug that came into the house with Zion. She caught it from a peer in her theatre class. Anyways, Toviel caught it the same night I did. This germ completely drains you! So I went through the hot/cold symptoms, aches and pains, etc. I did both the western and eastern methods of treating my body. In 48 hours I was much better. NOT Toviel. She is better than two days ago, but is still in need of mommy. As strong and self sufficient as she is (6 years old), mommy still does the trick. I was telling her to "work through it", you know because of the whining. HA! What kind of mess is that. Woman rub that child's back, give her hugs/kisses, and make her as comfortable as possible. With me being sick, taking care of Zion and Toviel, I know I got drained. I just had to pull out my super mom cape. I am grateful to have had super dad jumping right in.

I was in angst over a natural product that I make. Not necessarily the product itself, but the satisfaction of a customer. But at the end of the day things worked out. And I have one more idea on how to make this product even better. I never throw in the towel.

Tomorrow I have to put on my super wife cape. My husband will be having a medical procedure. He more than likely will have to take painkillers. So whatever I need to do for him, I will do. I love this man not because I have to, but looking back on our life together, he deserves every ounce of my love.

So all these thoughts weighed on my mine and heart today. I finally decided to look at the calendar and it confirmed my physical/mental/emotional feelings. Yep, my period is coming.

i.~

Date Night 4/4/08

Older post (4/08) from Smell Goods blog

Even with the ominous elements of hard blowing rain, luminous lightning ripping through the sky, and tornado watches, my husband and I were filled with euphoria last night! Date night, yay! The weather was not a show stopper, it actually added something special to the night. He in his stylish tailored suit, and me in my black off the shoulder dress and stilletos, "Bye girls, we love you". Doors opened for me (that is 24/7 service, I'm a lady, I don't play that...LOL), chair pulled out, umbrella over my head, arm securely around my waist (don't worry baby, I'm not going no where). Dinner was delicious, off to House Of Jazz! The band was rocking, lighting just right, table-to-table people, well alright, "Let's order something sweet!" The songtress of Queen City Jazz Band was working the crowd, "Who knows the words to this song? Do you? How about you?" "Who me! Yeah!" 'Baby we can do it, take your time do it right, we can do it baby, do it tonight... take your tiiiiiiime (took the mic. out of her hand on that note...LOL)' She's working the crowd again, with the song Doin' The Butt. How about my man sings the chorus, verse, and hook!! We high fived! High fived. Mingling and sharing laughter with complete strangers. Laughing. Eyes gleaming. Affectionate touches. A special night.

Tovijah and Itiel once 21 and 24 with love and affection in their hearts, now 34 and 37 with more of that love and affection. Tovijah and Itiel, still friends. Here's to 13 years of marriage.

~i.

My 144 hours (almost 144 hrs)

Older post(4/08)-transferring from Smell Goods blog

My Week:

-Being motivated by Warrior Princess Z and Warrior Princess T's love for learning. Enjoying core lessons (multiplication, division, grammer, geography, money). Reciting speeches from phenonomenal women, Marva Collins' Creed and Sojourner Truth's Ain't I A Woman?. Playing smoothly and accurately on their Recorders. Helping mommy with putting together orders. Taking care of the house by taking the dishes out the dishwasher, dusting, cleaning glass on coffee table, and just keeping things neat and in order.

- Processing (making goodies) Smell Goods' orders. Gift wrapping. Dipping incense. Emailing reminder about SG's FREE fragrance oil week! Giving folks an opportunity to see what all the rave is about, for FREE!

- Sending out "thank you" emails and processing the orders of those who supported the Mothudi Family by purchasing the Spa Combo of the month.

- Networking. Getting to know other professionals and brain storming ideas to bring more success our way. Purchasing some fantastic goodies from other entrepreneurs/artisans. Creating a banner for an affiliate marketing program. Reaching out to empowerment organizations for young females.

- Checking in on my fellow group members of "Who's In The Kitchen?". A group I created for sisters who are blending, whipping, hand pouring, and blending bath & body goodies, and making candles, in their own personal kitchen.

- Becoming a member of Empowerment for Girls.

- Worked out once. Blah! It was a great workout, but I like a good three days.

- Took a break and went out to do some girly stuff with my girls.

- Peeked in on some of my blog "friends". Some are making conscious changes in their lives. Others are taking me down memory lane with their interaction with little ones (I actually took Princess Z & T from this mom. I thought it was cute, and since I do call my girls princesses, why not. I added Warrior, because I actually do call them Warrior Princess___. )

- Tried out three new recipes that I got from the magazine Taste of Home, healthy cooking. Carrot radish salad, chicken broccoli bake, and tomato-walnut pesto on linguine.


My Day:

- Shipped out orders.

- Completed a gift for a couple. Going to their 1 year of marriage celebration tomorrow.

- Listened to a webinar by Vistaprint.

- Washing clothes.

- Read Lozette Moreau, Look To The Hills, Diary of a French Slave Girl, to the girls.

- Mop up kitchen floor, entry way floor, and downstairs bathroom floor.

- Listened to my sister friend's (from age 19) desire to leave her 9 to 5 that is depressing her. Listened to her vision of what she so dearly wants to accomplish. Her concept is great. Encouraged her to go for it and gave her the sources and helpful information to help her go for it.


Right Now:

-Typing this post.


Later:

- I have a 5:30 appointment at a nail salon. I made an appointment for the Zoe Spa Manicure-- A more intense manicure for hands and cuticles. Involving Crystalline citric acid and Vit. E exfoliants. finishing touches include a hand and arm massage, creamy moisturizer and hydrating hand paraffin which helps to restore elasticity and a youthful appearance to your hands and nails. Sounds good, right? Well, I will keep you posted. You guys know what happened on my last spa trip. This is a different salon. I actually received a gift certificate as a b'day gift to visit this salon. I did have a service at this salon years ago, when it first opened, it was nice, so I think things will go smoothly.

- Be with my family: play video games, eat good, watch a movie, cozy up to King T, laugh, probably eat something sweet ( I think I hear Cold Stone Creamery calling).


So what is happening in your world? Share.

~i.

B. beautiful mind body spirit

I am honored to be featured on B. beautiful mind body spirit blog. I am sharing about my second date night of the 4/4/08 weekend.

~i.

Sunset to Sunset

Peaceful Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread.
Exodus 12, Leviticus 23, Matthew 26;27, Mark 14;15, Luke 22;23, John 19

Older post(2/08)-transferring from Smell Goods blog



So February is the month I was born in. During the month I like to try new things, purchase little, meaningful keepsakes, think of things I can improve on until the next birthday, praise the Most High, and pat myself on the back for the improvements that I made during the last year, and take more than the usual time for myself.

Yesterday a little box came for me... a treat to myself. Beautiful Fiber and Cooper earrings from jewelry designer Djenaba Kai Jones, owner of Earth Spirit! The earrings looked like me when I was on the site, but when I opened the box, I was totally happy and immediately sported them.

i~

My Birthday Month Pt.2- Hot Chocolate

Older post(2/08)-transferring from Smell Goods Blog


Tar Baby + Callebaut Belgian dark chocolate + Vanilla Soymilk = YUM

Ondine poured a tiny bit of water into a saucepan and plopped a chocolate square into it.When I read this, I thought, "Hmmm, I never had hot chocolate that way. I think I'll do that before February is up. A weekend. With me and Tovijah in the kitchen together. Mmmm, can't wait." So, Tovijah plops chocolate into the Fondu pot and I add the milk.

It's the little things that make me feel.....

~i.

??

Older post-transferring from Smell Goods Blog

I don't even have a title for this post. Smile.

I haven't been here to post in a few days. Decided to come by tonight to tell myself that I am alive and well. LOL! Everything is going well in my world. Moving along with the girls' lessons, my little wiz kids are amazing, always making me proud. Business has been pumping, I have more than once considered hiring someone. Now, don't infer anything there, I could really just use another pair of hands. But, until then, I will schedule everything out like I am doing and have been doing.

Spring is here and my head is literally buzzing with ideas for Smell Goods! Sometimes I have to make myself stop thinking and just breathe. At present my thoughts are on the Combos of the Month. Something new that I started this year (as part of celebrating 10 years), that is only exclusive to Smell Goods' email subscribers. So far so good, but I have to be thinking and putting into action what I want to offer two months out and that can be overly exciting. I fill up notebooks with tons of ideas: new fragrance collection, try new recipes, marketing strategies, who to network with, what to add to the website, etc. Another idea that I am putting out, after pondering it for two years, is online spa parties. So, I am looking forward to that. One thing owning and operating Smell Goods (and my husband) has taught me, is to enjoy the process of what I am doing. I am enjoying the process of building this business. I may not have everything in place where I want it right now, but it will happen, and I am happy with where I am now, a long way from the beginning (1998).

Things I wanted to share these past few days, but did not have the time:

Designer Myisha Croom-Turner
Photos taken by my children.




I finally went belly dancing! It was fun, interesting, and educational. Have not decided if I want to put more time into. Took a class at Lotus.


Celebrating daddy's and mommy's baby! Yes, two birthday's back- to- back! She had a blast, amazing presents, bowling, build-a-bear! Everything that she wrote on her list, she did!



i.~

Hey Mann, Lizz Wright

Lizz Wright's Latest Album- The Orchard
Hey Mann
Hey mann, Whatcha doing here? I don't remember letting you in.
Hey mann,
How'd you get in here?
You're in my heart without consent.
I always took pride in my self control, To my heart only I had the key.
But something's gone wrong
in my radar screen.
You slipped by
and you captured me.
I done all I could to keep my head clear, Logic tells me that this should never be, But there's no mistaken the shape I'm in,
Love has filled my every waking day.
Now here's the strangest thing, A day has come I thought I'd never see, I walk smiling in a light glow
and I'm calling out your name,
I've lost the battle,
and I'm quite well pleased

~i.

I'm Inviting YOU To A PARTY!!

Let's do something fun together! Want to get to know other cyber-mommies? Do you love luxe giveaways? Need a break from the regular mommy/wife stuff? Well, turn on your computer, grab your favorite beverage, and start clicking and reading. It's time for MommyFest! MommyFest will be on May 12-16, 2008 and moms all over the net will be blog hopping through other participating mom blogs.

Join in on the excitement!
Click the above banner to learn how to get in on the F-U-N!

Night Sky, Moon, Eclipse

Marcus Garvey School of Thought

EGGsperiment

Home Science Tools

The Case of the Disappearing Eggshell

An egg is covered by a hard shell to help protect the chick growing inside. When the chick is ready to hatch, it breaks the shell open. Try this experiment to find out what a shell is made of:

What You Will Need:

An egg from the grocery store
A drinking glass
White vinegar
What To Do:

Set a raw egg in a glass of white vinegar so that it's completely covered in the liquid. Bubbles should start to form on the surface of the egg.

Let the egg sit in the vinegar for about 3 days and then take it out and rinse it in water, being careful not to pop it. Does it feel different from when you put it in the vinegar? Does it still have a white shell?



What's Happening?

The eggshell disappeared! But there might be some chalky white stuff left on the egg. This is because vinegar is a type of acid that "ate" away and dissolved the calcium carbonate that the shell is made out of. (Chalk is also made out of calcium carbonate!) When something dissolves, it breaks into very tiny pieces and mixes with a liquid. You can see it happening if you put a sugar cube into a cup of hot water and stir. The sugar cube disappears as the sugar dissolves into the water.

You might be wondering why the egg white and yolk inside the shell stayed in the shape of an egg even though the shell is gone. This is because the egg has another covering underneath the shell; called a membrane. It is very thin and you can see the yellow yolk through it. The vinegar can't dissolve the egg membrane, but some of it was able to get through the membrane, making the egg swell up.

Shrinking Egg

In the last project, the egg membrane let liquid in, making the egg swell a little bit. Do this project to see if you can get the egg to shrink!

What You Will Need:

The egg without its shell from the previous project
A drinking glass
Corn syrup
What To Do:
Carefully place the egg in a glass of corn syrup, so the egg is covered.
Let the egg sit in the corn syrup for about 3 days. Then take it out and see what happened!




What's Happening?

The egg shrank! This is because the egg membrane let a bunch of water pass out of the egg to try to balance how much water was inside the egg and how much water was outside it in the glass. The very tiny parts that make up corn syrup (called molecules) were still too big to pass through the membrane, so none of the corn syrup got inside the egg. The egg lost a lot of water, but didn't get anything to take the water's place, so it looks a little funny! Do you think it would fill up again if you put it in a glass of water? Try it out!

The fact that the egg membrane can let some things through is very important for a baby chick. Air passes through the membrane, just like water did in this experiment, and that allows the baby chick to breathe while it's inside the egg.

Marcus Garvey School of Thought

Origami Day

Origami and Photography by Warrior Princess Z and Warrior Princess T





Marcus Garvey School of Thought

6 Quirks MeMe

I was tagged by Almighty Green Queen, aka The Ramblings of a Woman. She has tagged me for this 6 Quirks Meme.

Rules:
Link the person who tagged you.
Mention the rules in your blog.
Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

Ok, here we go...:

1) I do not like to see sauce or any food on people's hands while they are eating. Wipe it off!

2) I can't stand mall shopping for clothes. I have certain places I shop outside the mall and only go to those places. (I share that quirk with my tagger). I also prefer searching online for an item, call the store and have them hold it, and go pick it up.

3) I don't like seeing chipped nail polish. Re-polish or remove it!

4) For some reason I think just about everything has a smell. So, I have a habit of smelling things before or after touching them. Childhood I guess.

5) I do not like people talking to me from a distance, in the house or out. That annoys me. LOL. I know it is not always possible, but try to come closer to me to talk. Not to close though, I have a problem with my space too. LOL

6) I don't like to hear the sound of dragging feet. Please walk properly. LOL It really bothers me. I find myself staring at dragging feet wanting to remove them from the person's body.

I am tagging: Silvermine,B. beautiful mind body spirit,Black Domestic Goddess, Fascinating Womanhood, My 2 Cents, the life and times of a hopeless romantic

Taggees can opt out. :O)

Baubles Are A Girl's Best Friend....

....... especially if they are from jewelry designer Myisha Croom-Turner of Brace Yourself Boutique! When becoming a member of the BBWO, I came across Myisha's page she had photos of her creations posted, just a 2 minute glance and I was off spending my money on her website. Why? First, she is a bbwo member, and if I am here to network and to gain support, so is she, so why not put out what I want in return. Second, she is a wife, mother, and a indie business woman like myself. Third, I could not stop salivating over all the pretty things!

Myisha's baubles are fabulously bohemian! Perfectly accenting my wardrobe, but of course a sista gotta have more just to be sure all outfits are covered (wink). Complementing my lavender roseli, cocoa blu, green mango, and bushman moods!

So whether I am taking care of Smell Goods business, picking up some goodies from Trader Joe's, having park day with my girls, or out on a date with my husband, a Brace Yourself original is always on my left.

Riddle Me This

1. A man spends one fifth of the money in his wallet. He then spends one fifth of what remains in the wallet. He spends $36.00 in all. Question: How much money did he have to begin with?

2. Y Y U R Y Y U B I C U R Y Y 4 M E

3.My brother, the local bus driver, was telling me that recently he was driving a bus full of people and no-one got off on the way. However, at the end of the journey, there was not a single person left on the bus. How?

4.Food Item: You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What did you eat?

5. A drawer contains ten brown socks and ten black socks. Question: How many socks must you remove (in total darkness) before being sure of having a pair of brown socks?

Looking forward to seeing your answers. See if your answers are the same.

~i.

What Do I Want

Yesterday I had all the words in my head that are supposed to be before your eyes right now. Needless to say, I did not get around to posting yesterday. So this morning I sit here with a lost of words to post. Instead I visited some friends to see what happenings are going on in their beautiful lives. First stop Fascinating Womanhood, she, like me, forgets what she wants to post, but has a beautiful Love List that I will be starting soon. Next stop, The Ramblings of a Woman, a mom solely dedicated to be "green". And then, Silvermine, Gail is just so genuine (in my opinion). She inspires you to forgive, she embraces her weaknesses, we are sharing a road (without her knowing it), a road that I decided to get on in my late 20's and that I choose to remain on. So after reading, laughing, smiling, and posting to these blogs, all my thoughts became clear.

I wanted to post about home-schooling yesterday. I love home-schooling for the pure fact that my children are able to LEARN. Not bragging, but very proud, Warrior Princess (WP) Z and WP T, are so SMART, I mean out-of-the-box BRILLIANT! They blow my mind with the knowledge that they possess! The other reason for my love of home-schooling is tweeking. If the WPs can't quite grasp a subject one way, I can find another resource to help them out or shift the lesson plan. Yesterday, I realized that I need to tweek WP T's math. Now WP Z loves math, I mean the girl is age 8 and can work through long division, adding fractions, simplifying, and inverse math independently. She is also quick with mental math and critical thinking. The other day while working on encyclopedia skills, we were trying to find the age of Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration Of Independence. So here I have her looking through wikipedia for the exact answer. She says, "Mommy, why don't we just subtract the year the DoI was written and the year TJ was born?" Ok!!! Moving on to WP T (7 as of last month). My baby loves to read, anything to do with writing a story, letters that her toys give to each other, grammar! She taught herself to read from watching her sister, and listening to me read, by age 4 she was off. So, getting back to yesterday. WP T was working on subtraction with borrowing. She likes it, she can do the steps independently, etc. But I noticed an indifference. No light in the eyes. We had a heart-to-heart and out of all the maths, she lights up for fractions and money. So, fractions and money is what we will move forward with. Sounds like I solved that smoothly. Right? But I did not, I had all these concerns, and foreshadowing of her future, I felt a heavy sense of responsibility. Over what, SUBTRACTION!? "Girl grab this thing by the horns, it is not that serious, look at her strengths, work on what she loves and still slip in what she also needs to learn." So as I stated about I visited my blogger friends today. It was this post by Gail that brought me back to the person I choose to be, in all aspects of my life, including being a "teacher". I love home education!



I am also looking into Everyday Math. There are mixed opinions about it, but I like living math and it sounds like something we will enjoy. Here is one review from a mom on one of my yahoo groups:
From what I see, it is geared for conceptual understanding. The
materials are presented/practiced in many different ways. Ds is
deathly "allergic" to mechanical drills, but he can handle this kind
of "repetition" because it hardly feels like repetition. Also, there
have been no problems using it out of sequence.

Since it challenges you with the same topic in many different ways,
it is more likely to actually get you the "a ha" moment with one of
those ways. It stretches your understanding a bit farther each time
you approach the same topic from a different angle. It is also
easier to catch you if your understanding is off in any way. It
actually caught ds's misunderstanding of a concept that otherwise
wouldn't have been caught in a traditional curriculum.

An example: fraction is practiced by using pattern blocks and clock
faces, in addition to other kinds of tiles and cubes, number lines in
several different ways, many different shapes in various ways, also
coupled with many different measurement reviews including cooking,
building or any other living math situations. Had any experience with EM? Please share.

~i.

A Credo For My Relationships With Others

A Credo For My Relationships With Others
by Dr. Thomas Gordon

You and I are in a relationship, which I value and want to keep. Yet each of us is a separate person with unique needs and the right to meet those needs.

When you are having problems meeting your needs I will listen with genuine acceptance so as to facilitate your finding your own solutions instead of depending on mine. I also will respect your right to choose your own beliefs and develop your own values, different though they may be from mine.

However, when your behavior interferes with what I must do to get my own needs met, I will tell you openly and honestly how your behavior affects me, trusting that you respect my needs and feelings enough to try to change the behavior that is unacceptable to me. Also, whenever some behavior of mine is unacceptable to you, I hope you will tell me openly and honestly so I can change my behavior.

At those times when one of us cannot change to meet the other's needs, let us acknowledge that we have a conflict and commit ourselves to resolve each such conflict without either of us resorting to the use of power to win at the expense of the other's losing. I respect your needs, but I also must respect my own. So let us always strive to search for a solution that will be acceptable to both of us. Your needs will be met, and so will mine - neither will lose, both will win.

In this way, you can continue to develop as a person through satisfying your needs, and so can I. Thus, ours can be a healthy relationship in which both of us can strive to become what we are capable of being. And we can continue to relate to each other with mutual respect, love and peace.