Sparkpeople Day One

So I lost two pounds but what I ate today I probably gained it back. What I have done since I want to keep going is start over once again. Sparkpeople has some really great videos so I just going to start with workout one.
Join me. Why not? You know you want to. You are just like me, too busy to do anything else but a ten or fifteen minutes workout and then pass out.

PETA Banned Commercial Starring Whoopi

So you know I had to post it and let you be the judge about how silly this commercial really is. I thought she was inviting herself to be the meat in a big vat of stew. I wasn't sure. Come on, steamy hot water, broccoli, other veggies? It didn't make me want to become a vegetarian it made me want to pull out my slow cooker and make a nice pot of stew. Or better yet it put me in the mind of the old Bugs Bunny cartoon where he is seduced with carrots into water. Once he gets in and is eating his captors begin slicing fresh onions and other veggies into the water all while Bugs is wondering what smells so wonderful.
I dunno I am glad that this was banned from the Superbowl we need to be focused on the game not on veggies and booty.



I loved Whoopi's rendition of the commercial as well. Hey it's all for a good laugh.






Til Next Time

Mamma

The Power of Two

I wanted to go shopping this week for new clothes. How silly of me knowing that I own a consignment store along with my other businesses and should be using my own facility really to find great deals. At least I think I should be anyways. So after hours I went through some of the quality used items that were in my office on the intake rack. Some lovely pieces actually and I decided that I would go through them and see what I may actually be able to do in terms of saving some money myself by just buying the items myself.
Problem, problem, problem these dresses and suits are for big girls and why I am able to fit them? I mean ok yeah they are still too big in some places on my body but for me to be able to fit into some of these outfits absolutely mortified me. Didn't I just say that I was working out to get myself together for a new album project and photo shoot?
Well at this point it was not going to happen anytime soon. But this time without that sense of urgency that I normally get where I go through my home gym and "say" what I am going to do, I resolved to work out and eat right and that was it. Nothing else. No more ordering stuff I'm not going to use. No more diet pills, none of that cause one thing was for sure after all of that, I was still a bigger size. I have actually gained weight since KJ was born and not the other way around!
So I know I work a lot I have a lot on my plate. I literally wake up early and go to bed late making the strides I want to have my life on track. I don't have time to workout but you know what. looks like I had better make time. I don't even want to know what my cholesterol level looks like or my blood pressure. Oh and lets not forget that I am a short woman only five feet four inches so I should weigh at my height 130 lbs.
So I started looking back on all the times I said I was going to fit working out into my schedule per day and how many times I had to say no I can't because of this or that.
Time is my biggest problem, I just don't have it. Do I wake up at 4 now or do I wait til late at night and workout at 2 in the morning? But then when would I sleep?
I know there are loads of folks out there that know exactly what I am talking about. But now I have to do it. This is not cute by any means. All of a sudden I looked like Madea or... or worse Big Mama and saw how those wonderful women went from fabulous sisters in their day to heavy, women that loved their families. Life just started happening and they did what they had to do to survive and make it happen putting their lives and their health on hold.
So I have resorted to just this and only this.
Two pounds. That's it no more. I don't want to lose ten or twenty or drink a shake and think that I will be slim in a month that is not going to happen. I am just going to eat right and have some exercise time even if it is thirty minutes. I mean come on my workout bench is right next to my bed literally along with my stepper.
Two pounds per week no more than that. They say that is the healthiest weight loss anyway so you are less likely to gain it back.
So there you have it in a nutshell, my new goal. Two pounds. That's it.



Care to join me?

Til Next Time

Mamma

Bewitched Season 1 Episode 14

Samantha Meets The Folks

Darrin's parents arrive for their first visit to the Stephens home, and Darrin's mother, Phyllis, secretly hopes to find that her son's new wife is a poor housekeeper.

Who Are We In This New Administration?

Now that all of the hype is still fresh in our minds from the inaugural festivities we all enjoyed and were a part of either in DC or not, it's now time for us all to get down to work to make this country work better and be better than it is right now.
If you did not catch President Obama's speech, you should check out the post right here. I was able to find the speech online and thought it only appropriate to post it since a great speech is great but now it's time for action and maybe we all need to be motivated.
I was thinking about all of the things that were talked about during his campaign where he talked about " Change We Can Believe In".

Let's see if I can do this from memory about what needs to be done.

1. economy
2. environment
3. ending the war
4. education
5. healthcare

Those are the ones I could think of off the top of my head. What I found out was that there are more people out there in the United States that are thinking like me and want to be as instrumental in the change as possible to move this country forward. Reinventing America is something that we should all be thinking about.
Now don't get me wrong this is not something that I believe is going to happen overnight or in the four years that President Obama will be in office. What I DO know is that for once in my life out of just voting the next president in, I want to make sure that I become a part of the force for change.
What I want to do is let you know about this site I found where that is exactly what they are talking about. There is a bold initiative that thousands of people are wanting to take part in and that's Reinventing America.
When you have a moment just check out this link Reinventing America and get familiar with the content and ideas.
When you are done, get involved right were you are in your communities and towns and cities.
Yes We WILL!

Til Next Time

Mamma

Our Part In History

This is what my store looked like this morning before the inauguration took place. I was so excited I felt like I was there. Well I was in spirit and online. We took that sound system and turned it up as loud as it could go and are cooking outside right now letting people come by and get burgers, chicken, hot dogs and sodas.
This has been an occasion and a day to remember forever. I will be telling my grandchildren about this day.
The night is not over we will be celebrating with the inaugural party right here in what we are setting up as the barbershop and really all over the store.
I'm glad that people came out and are coming out to hang out and live this moment with us.
This is something I pulled my son out of his playpen for so that he will know that one day whatever he puts his mind to he will be able to do. No matter what with hard work he will happen.
I am on my way back to the festivities and checking the live feed on CNN.com/live where I am on facebook live right now and twittering. I will just check back in later.

Til Next Time


Mamma

President Barack Obama's Speech

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

“Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].“

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Live Coverage Of Barack Obam Swearing In

Streaming .TV shows by Ustream

You Can Be A Part Too!

This just in!

I just got this email from the Obama campaign and I HAD to share it with my community of people.

Dear Paulette,

Today, Americans in all 50 states answered President-elect Obama's call to service.

Thousands of people stood up to renew America together, doing everything from working in homeless shelters and mentoring young people, to assembling more than 80,000 care packages for our troops at a service event here in Washington, D.C.

Thank you for a great day of service.

Tomorrow, Barack Obama and Joe Biden will be sworn-in as President and Vice President of the United States.

You can watch the Swearing-In ceremony live on our website beginning at 11:00 a.m.

http://www.pic2009.org/live

In the evening, we will be throwing the first-ever Neighborhood Ball, a nationwide celebration of change -- and you don't have to be in the nation's capital to join in the festivities.

ABC will broadcast the Washington, D.C. Neighborhood Ball beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST, and people at Neighborhood Balls across the country will be sending in photos and videos of their celebrations. Some may even be featured in the official Inaugural book.

I encourage you to share your own photos and stories:

http://www.pic2009.org/celebrate

You can also text OBAMA to 56333 for instructions on how to send in congratulation messages and pictures from your mobile phone.

This inauguration is more than just the beginning of a new administration. It is the beginning of a nationwide spirit of unity and service.

I hope you will stay involved in the effort to renew America together.

Thank you,

Emmett

Emmett S. Beliveau
Executive Director
Presidential Inaugural Committee

I encourage you all to make a point to send in your pictures of your celebrations and balls and parties and showing your support of this new administration.

Til Next Time


Mamma

Getting Ready To Be A Part Of History In Our Own Way

Sadly, there are some of us who have not been able to attend the historic event with our new president as well as millions of others who are able to leave their homes and businesses.
What we decided to do was just make this historic and be a part of it right where we are. We sent out a facebook blurb on it and have sent out a text wire if you will for folks to come and hang out with us for a while. We know so many of us will be working but we have decided to open the parking lot and move UHauls out the way to make room for Reverend Staten's flatbed truck and put the flat screen 65 inch tv on it and a sound system.
We have rounded up a bbq grill and food and drink and music so people come and just enjoy the day all day if they want or just stop by and grab a hot dog or nachos or a soda and just not be alone on this special day is really what we are looking for.
I don't think anyone in this part of the country where I am are not doing anything which is amazing to me. But we will be.
I hope we get at least five people or two that will be fine.

Check out my brother Edward and his friend Derrick on the flatbed truck getting in place for tomorrow.

The Rise of MLK

Shortly after the Supreme Court ruled that the Alabama and Montgomery laws requiring segregated buses were unconstitutional, NBC's Martin Agronsky sat down with Dr. Martin Luther King.

Happy Birthday Dr. King

Hi all I am going to keep this short since this is such a busy day for me. I won't be running Bewitched or any advertising because I want you all to really be focused on what is going on in this country.

This is the last speech Dr. Martin Luther King gave.
Reflect today.

Preparing For The Inauguration

Getting Ready For The Big Day

Change Began Long Ago

A wonderful man was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was named Michael Luther according to story tellers at the house where his birth home is now a national park. However his grandmother stated that he NEEDED to be called Martin Luther. Almost as if his assignment in life had come with him. (It Did)
But even before his speech, change was beginning. Blacks we growing businesses and townships and cities all over the United States. We were standing up even in the midst of beatings, rapes, murders and injustices, change was still coming. It was inevitable.
There was such a time as this for Dr. King. There was a time for Medgar Evers, for Rosa Parks, Emmett Till, for thousands of others who believed that there was a place for them in this United States. There was a time for Asian, Hispanic or Latino, Native American, Indian, all people to find their place. Not just Black people not just us but everyone. Poor, rich, uneducated, educated, people that feel like they don't count. Somewhere even in the midst of the tiniest towns people are making changes and have been.
The evidence showed that we as a people can make the change.
What I believe is this and since this is my blog I'll say what I want. This election is NOT I repeat NOT the end. It is NOT a victory to only be shared by African Americans only even though it touched me deeply and I cried with joy that Barack Obama won the election. This is election is really a representation of more than a black man winning. This is a representation that with hard work, determination, drive, positive people behind you, loving family, through all of the adversity of press, and blogs and death threats CHANGE continued to come. No matter what change was coming. This is NOT Brother Obama's fight alone, it is all of ours. (More to come on that later) In that statement I think we should all look at our lives and the change we made in it and how his walk to the White House can stand as an example of how we can fight on through whatever we are dealing with.
All bets are off now. No more excuses. I can't stop, I can't let adversity stop me any longer it didn't stop the Obama's, it didn't stop Dr. King, it didn't stop so many that are successful at what they do. They kept going.
Look at that part of the story. Not the end result but the struggle to get to the desired end which only begins another story.

To honor Dr. King I wanted to show his "I Have A Dream Speech"
Think about what he is saying and how his walk in life in some way affected the life you are living today.



Til Next Time

Mamma

How Black Is Black ...Black Enough ...AM I ....Are WE?

So you know I had to bring this up and talk about the silliness of the blackness of Barack Obama. This is not going to take long because it is really a non issue. Let me tell you why.
I will start with me. Let's talk about my heritage who in all actuality is no one special just a chick with a really big mouth. I'm not famous and no one cares about my lineage. But here goes.
My father tells of a story of our family coming over from South Carolina with of course the slave owner to Tallulah, Louisiana. Once settled and our family was freed my great, great grandfather married or rather fathered children with a woman with grey eyes and jet black long hair. My Uncle Richard speaks of Blackfoot in his mother, my grandmother. Gotta be something cause my uncles love to wear their hair past their shoulders. I think they don't want you to forget or they don't want to.
My mother's father was Native American. My mother acutally "had papers" as she called them. Her mother was what they considered Geechee or Gichi from Nagitoches, Lousiana where they settled after slavery moving from the southern portion of Louisiana. My mother's mother claimed a Creole background which is French, Spanish and Black.
But when you look at me, when you really see me what do you see? How does America see me and my children and my family? No matter that we are all different colors and textures and shapes. Some of us have straight hair or curly or kinky. Some of us have green eyes or brown or grey. However when you see us, and when even I look in the mirror I see black. I see African American. Even with all that I know about my heritage and being told "You look like you are from India or could pass for this or that if you were over seas." None of that mess matters. I'm human and in this country, I am Black, African American period.
Now in the case of many people of multiracial heritages, including Barack Obama and no doubt Michelle Obama they are not just one race, they are many. So I was tickled to see many who were saying that he was not Black or Black enough.
Well my goodness would that not pertain to millions of us in this country who are multiracial? I would think so.
I felt like in some instances there were people who could not see a black man in the president's seat so they had to take away from his rich African heritage to make themselves feel better about a brother in the White House. Sad.
I think they should get over it.
I don't think there is one person really in this country who can claim one race and if there are, I think it is wonderful. If not it's still wonderful. We are people, one nation, who should stand behind this man and help make the change in this country that needs to be made to make this country better.
I have an idea why don't we just be like crayons in a box and just lay there...... together?
How bout that?
Congratulations to Obama and to all of us making this change possible.
Let the work begin.

Til Next Time


Mamma

Barack Obama DNC 2004 Speech

As then Illinois Senator Barack Obama spoke at the Democratic National Convention and here is that speech. Wonder if he was thinking about running for President of the United States at that time?

Enoy. Reflect.



Til Next Time

Mamma

Ready For Change

Alright you guys the time is coming near for the Presidential Inaugration of the first African American President of the United States of America. So for the next couple of days I will be posting my thoughts, friends thoughts and comments. I am also going to be post video leading up to the big day which you will be able to catch live right her at www.soimthemama.com.

Here is the acceptance speech Obama gave at the 2008 DNC. Enjoy and reflect.



Stay tuned.


Mamma

Wassup Boys In 2008

I had to post this.
Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend and getting ready to see the inauguration of our first African American President!



Til Next Time

Am I Addicted To The Internet?

Tyra Banks had a very interesting show today about people that are addicted to the Internet. There were people on the show who checked their Facebook, Myspace and cellphone text messaging literally all day long.
While they were going through what makes you an Internet addict I began to notice alot of the traits that some of the people had to be the same traits I have.



So poor Candiss is really addicted but I wanted to check and see if I am just as addicted.

My List

1. I check my email like I breathe air.
2. I check Facebook all the time matter of fact I keep it up and running.
3. I keep my Twitter running all day long both online and on my cell phone.
4. I Utter on Utterli.com all the time four or five times per week not as much though.
5. I am updating my Myspace page all the time.
6. I am checking my bank account balance all the time or my paypal account balance to confirm payments have been sent to me for work I have done online.
7. I try to keep my blogs updated especially this one.
8. I have my phone forwarded to my email and vice versa for instant messaging from Yahoo, AOL and Hotmail.
9. My job is in the virtual world so I own four desktops at home and two laptops. At the store I own one desktop and two laptops.
10. My consignment shop website has to be updated all the time with new products and services on a weekly basis.
11. I advertise online as well what I do.
12. My children's books for Lili and Friends were all done online through self publishing so I have to check sales and the website for it which I built.
13. I have an album that is available both online and offline worldwide and I have to check reports as they come available and see how to make it continue to sell.
14. I have a fan base in the United Kingdom that I hear from and want to know when the next project will be coming so they can get new songs from me so I keep them updated on Twitter, and Utter and personal emails to those who email me.
15. Sadly I am late to the game of creating a Squidoo account and my lens for that.

Hmmm sounds like I might have figured out a way to actually get the Internet to work for me and help offset the bills that I have coming in. So now I don't feel so bad. I mean I'm not nervous to the point that I have to check messages all day if I am not near a computer. These poor things on the Tyra Banks show were beside themselves with tears over virtual characters and WII games, things that are not real.
I think there needs to be a place where you draw the line and know and understand that one can help and enhance your real life where there is constant real human touch and interaction.
By the way yes I do carry my laptop, my digital camera and my cell phone with me everywhere I go because I need to make sure I am in the know and that people know what I am doing in terms of the new album project, and the new Lili series books and really just to stay in touch with people from yesteryear.
Personally, the Internet is where I see the the majority of opportunities for many of us in this country as jobs have become more scarce. Many of us have been working from home for some time and have not gone back to regular brick and mortar jobs and don't want to. The Internet has made it possible for us to live where we want, and work when we want.
For me it is a God send because I am a mother of four ages 18, 14, 5 and 1 so I need to have time available to see about my family and my significant other Kevin who works as an engineer in the oil business. Which by the way we keep in touch via the Internet and cell phones when he can get a signal.
So many of us rely on the Internet and technology to make an honest dollar. I think what is going to happen is we will see more of us turning to the Internet for our livelihood and the social networking sites that are so much fun will turn into careers. So the people that are addicted right now may be onto something that will prepare them for a new life and a new career.
I think we are seeing that right now and many work at home moms are the pioneers of that.



Til Next Time

Mamma

Refresher on Clean Eating and Tosca Reno

I just bought this book here you see on your left. In my younger days I was a big fan of weight training and eating a certain type of way to keep my girlish figure if you will.
Funny how time does not change much of anything in the world only the way things are packaged. I have been a fan of Oxygen Magazine for women for some time and notices that one of their columnists had a book that she was promoting called the "Eat Clean Diet". Ok I thought when I get around to getting to the city I will buy it.
I picked it up this weekend that just passed and here is what is interesting. There is nothing in this book that we don't already know we just won't do it. Especially for someone like me that KNOWS better that lived to train on a regular basis and then train some more and then eat to get the results. However this was a good refresher for people like me and not just that its a darn good book. Easy on the eyes and easy to understand for those that don't understand a lot of the bodybuilding jargon that is out there.
I give this book a thumbs up on because it puts information out there in an easy format for peopel that are seeking simple answers to a complex issue like weight loss and control.
I hear that there are other books that accompany this book as well and a DVD. I will have to make a decision as to wether or not I will make that purchase or not because this book was great all by itself. For others who may need some help in diet and exercise the others in the series are great companions to consider.
I have some changes I have to make now that I completed the Master Cleanse which by the way led to an eight pound weight loss for me but left me ill. So I was not happy about that. So I am pulling back out my book and I have no choice to make this happen since I have a music project I have to get ready for.

Til Next Time


Mamma

Bewitched Season 1 Episode 13

Love Is Blind

Samantha plays matchmaker and tries to set up her friend Gertrude with one of Darrin's, and Darrin is none to pleased. Adam West guest stars as Kermit, Gertrude's love interest.

Chinese Food and Me

After all of that master cleansing I decided I should treat Mamma to an all you can eat buffet and only ate one plate. Which was ok. I didn't go to fill up and fall asleep later on behind the wheel. So what I did was took a picture of what I ate to remind myself that "THIS WAS A TREAT" and not a daily meal for me.
I had not eaten anything at all that day before I got this meal. I mean I had to open the store, give instruction to my little staff on what had to be priced and what needed to be thrown out.
I had an appointment with my optometrist and then it was back to the store for another meeting to help get the points on where things needed to go for the barber shop and the lottery before it comes available. Talk about a busy day and it wasn't even two oclock.
So the meal of chinese food and me alone was just what I needed because it looks like for a while now anyways being alone will not be something I will have a lot of.

Til Next Time

Mamma (Did I mention that hurricane? I AM THE HURRICANE)

Church, Daddy and All The Stuff In Between

My Dad at his home with my little man KJ


Daddy and my Aunt Pearlie Mae before Uncle George's Funeral - Old Southern names right? and my dad's name is Hill!

Well thought I would stop by and say hi to all my buddies that check me out on a regular basis. You all won't believe this, I actually went to church today! How bout that? See with me in a building with an Elder in the ministry, you get a chance to see and hear all kinds of people from the ministry come in and out and they are always asking me when I will be attending? So I decided to go this morning.
First off I don't do devotion services cause I want you to get to the meat of church service and that's the preaching so we can go home. I know, I know so mean of me right? But I have never been a fan of the deacons and the praying and the screaming and shouting. So it has been a struggle for me to find a church here in this part of the country where there has not been a whole lot of it.
Well I walk in and you can hear the Bishop speaking, he wasn't screaming or shouting he got right to the point. My goodness could it be that he doesn't shout? I was waiting around holding my breath and crossing fingers hoping and praying that he didn't go into the whole singing and shouting thing cause then you lose me and I only want the word, that's it.
Sadly he did but not for long. He went right back to the sermon and closed the service after prayer. Wow I actually got home from church by one o'clock! Not to mention they served lunch afterward of barbeque chicken and ribs, chicken strips, green beans, potato salad and warm rolls slathered with butter in their dining hall. How nice but I took mine to go since I had cooked at home already.
While I was there and during prayer however I did get a chance to pray for my dad who had his hand crushed at work and goodness knows how long he will be out of work along with the fact that he lost a finger. This was caused by someone else's error and this guy gets to keep his job! I don't get it. I prayed for clarity in my business and what I am doing and to make sure that I do it right. I prayed for my home life, for me and Kevin and the children yes even his daughter whom we can't see anymore thanks to her mother.
I am a quiet person when it comes to my faith and I would rather not be bothered during my quiet time in prayer nor do I want to be called out in church during service because of my so called position in the community. Leader? Who me? Nah. So I quietly slipped in and out of the service so not to cause attention.
I think for now I will stick to live internet services with Bishop TD Jakes or Dr. Creflo Dollar. Yeah .......for now.

Til Next Time


Mamma

The Barber Shop Is Taking Place Finally!

Drier ...of course

First barber chair classic beat up chair but gets the job done.

Reverend Staten working on the wash station

Well the time is getting near to put the fire under ourselves to make this place generate more revenue. With the advent of the new Super Walmart right in our view we need to make sure that we have all of our services and things in place.
I'm glad to see this taking place right before my eyes that's a good thing I think. Even in the midst of January being a slow month and almost closing down the consignment shop today since it was so slow I decided rather to think about new advertising and marketing ideas.
This is a challenge. Let me tell you why. How do you take what you see in your mind and make it real and still find the time and space and place somewhere to continue to keep living right where you are,..until CHANGE happens. Which by the way you have to work to make happen.
Wish us luck. No not luck ,......success.

Til Next Time

Mamma

Me, My Locks and I Five

Well I am tightening my locks right now and using Imani's mirror. I was just marveling at how beautiful they are and how they make me look. First off sister girl is relaxed cause I don't have a relaxer that's number one. The second one is that damn I look good with locks. I feel like now that I look back at pictures of me with perms and curls and gels and updos and bobby pins all over the place that I was just trying to fit in. I can remember trying to find someone else's hair to fit mine and then rushing home to put that stuff in my hair hoping no one could recognize the bulky track.
Now don't get me wrong weaves and perms and all of that is wonderful but for me uuuh no.
This seems sooooo natural to me to be looking like this with this kind of hair, doing my hair after a long day at the store and working my work at home job. Not to mention I just left the hospital where my dad was seriously injured on his job today. So I was looking good the whole way through without having to stop check myself or unwrap anything. It was just get up and go right now.
Well let me show the length my hair is at now as opposed to where I was when I first cut off my braids. This is such a beautiful length.
Please forgive the fact that I am sleepy, Imani is not yet back from Little Rock from a game so I am waiting for her to get home.
Still dang I look good and so does the hair. I suggest to anyone that is considering locks, make it happen.

Till Next Time


Mamma

Time To Protest Save Second Hand Children's Items!

OMG stop the presses! We are all going to jail! Seriously if you all have not heard about this, ...you need to read this NOW!
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) requires all children's products to get tested for lead and certified before they can be sold and it's leaving thrift store and consignment shop owners panicking including me.
Even though I do not have a large children's clothing section, I have to say that it will affect me because it does not make sense to me that I would have to pay for testing of an item that is in my store at or around two hundred bucks and I the item is only $45. Uh no just don't see it.
Hopefully the time you see this post they will kind enough to leave consignment and resale shops and charities off of this ridiculous list.
I can see it now, hiding in shadows and under bridges to purchase used children's items. Now does that make sense?
Contact your congressman today.

Till next time

Mamma

MYA Cosmetic Surgery Options

The closer that I get to forty, the more I am seriously considering cosmetic surgery. One in particular that I am considering is a breast reduction so I started to do some research and found MYA Cosmetic Surgery which is located in the UK.
What I found about this site is they give you options in terms of several different procedures. I wanted to see before and after of their breast reduction work and didn't find any but found plenty of the breast enlargement. MYA boob jobs so far from all of the cosmetic surgery websites I have been to had the most natural looking after photos I have ever seen.
I also noticed that they actually took time to offer you information on how long the procedure takes, your recovery time and that this is not an outpatient procedure. I really liked that.
Something else about the site was the payment options from interest free financing to discounted offers. It let me know they are really serious about making you the customer feel happy with your decision and happy about spending your money for good work. So far this is the only cosmetic surgery site that does that that I have seen.
I know when I am ready to have cosmetic surgery, I want to make sure that I am monitored for a couple days by a medical staff and not a distant relative getting me tea and pain killers.
If I were in the market for breast enlargement, I have to say that MYA boob jobs would certainly be on the top my list. With several different locations in the UK to choose from, I would be able to take a vacation and come back with everyone thinking I dyed my hair!
I have provided the link if you are interested and most certainly interested in their MYA boob jobs.
Do your research and look them up for yourself you will be glad that you did.

MYA Cosmetic Surgery

Til Next Time

Mamma

KJ Feeds Himself

It is official I think I have a toddler on my hands now! I say that because Mr. Kevon fed himself for the first time today without making a mess of himself. He is almost two and I am really funny about my furniture and making sure that things remain clean so I had been putting him on my lap and feeding him myself.
I know sad right? But who the hell wants to be cleaning floors and smiling like they do on the commercials? I don't and I really don't have time so the best thing is either I or Imani feeds him or his dad when he is home off the ship.
I just had to post photos of my little man feeding himself and with a spoon in a chair all by himself! It was really Lili's plate but she fell asleep and KJ began to help himself so Imani put him in the chair and this is what we got.
I took pictures and sent them to his dad and others. Now for some it's not a big deal to me this is one more step to kindergarten, junior high and prom and college and my old age. This is one more step to a young man with hormones and changing voices and facial hair and being taller than mom.
Damn where did all the time go? Wasn't I just pregnant with him like a year ago? I think I was! Now look. Seems like I didn't take enough time to savor everything or maybe I am taking this waaay outta proportion?
I don't think so.



Til Next Time

Mamma

Bewitched Season One Episode 12

The Time Has Finally Come New MUSIC Yaaay!

Well I just wanted to do a short post today and talk about the new music I will be working on to prepare for an EP. Yeah yeah I know its not a whole album but I made a deal to just do a few songs see how they do.
I am really excited about it and beyond belief that I am going into 2009 already with a plan that was basically handed to me less than 48 hours ago! I am nervous, scared, ill prepared what with them saying I will have to do a photo shoot and image consulting?! OMG Me?
I think no I KNOW that the HURRICANE has made land.

Here is my link for shameless promotion ok?

www.cdbaby.com/yvekemp

www.myspace.com/yvekemp and check out some of the stuff that didn't make the album!


Til Next Time

Mamma