No Plans....I'm Glad
I woke at 5:30 this morning for no reason at all. Well not exactly.... I'm quite sure Alvin stretched out across my back and Simon's obnoxious snoring has a lot to do with it.
I'm just glad I stayed up instead of rolling over and going back to sleep.
I got out of bed, drank some tea, caught up on my Youtube subscriptions, cleared out my email, wrote a blog post and relaxed. It was an excellent start to the day.
I came across this quote on Pinterest about 6:30 AM and decided this is how my day will be.
Instead of feeling guilty that I don't have any real plans for the day outside of making pancakes and tofu scramble for breakfast, I will just dream and live.
It Must Be Spring Break Because....
......I can't get little people out of my bed.
The boys are busy building forts again....
A Week In Pictures April 1st-7th 2012
I went into Wegmans to get these items to make cookies and cream milkshakes with the kids....
....and came out $100 lighter. How did a $15 trip turn into $100? I blame my chipmunks.
Theo reading in the laundry basket lol He is obsessed with geography
This skating thing is turning into a fun weekly family activity. :-)
Simon pointed this out to me at Target. I laughed but T-Pain is laughing all the way to the bank.
These robots invaded our house
One of our daily smoothies- In my J Cole voice, "Can't get enough"
The chipmunks never let me drive by Petsmart without stopping to explore.
33 Things I've Never Told You
I got this idea from Corbett Barr while reading his ebook.
I hope you enjoy the randomness. :-)
1. I never dated outside my race before my husband. I was actually against interracial relationships. When I started dating him it was weird at first (probably because of all the stares), but I got over it.
2. I really want to homeschool my children and travel the world with them.
3. I love tiny modern apartments with city views.
4. I plan to never buy another house or car.
5. My youngest son is on the autism spectrum (high-functioning). He remembers specific details about everything but prefers not to be held or touched for too long. When I was researching his disorder, I saw many parents don't allow their children to consume dairy.
6. I sometimes miss pizza with real cheese on it.
7. I wonder if my kids will resent some of the decisions I've make with their upbringing-vegan eating, no cable, not buying them a lot, etc.
8. I think mid-day naps should be mandatory for everyone. The world would be a better place. :-)
9. Even though I had 2 children when I married my husband, I don't think I could date a man with children.
10. I'm addicted to the Internet and when I unplug, I sit for a few minutes and say, "now what?" I recently installed Freedom, so I can actually get work done.
11. Up until very recently, I felt like I had to get approval before I did anything. I took a few weeks "off" and decided that my happiness depends on doing what's best for me. No apoligizes from here on out.
12. No matter what she does, I will always love and admire Oprah because she convinced me to tell my parents about my sexual abuse. My parents understood the importance of counseling and I attended sessions for six months. When I got older, I realized our insurance didn't cover that expense and they had to pay out of pocket. I'm thankful they had the resources.
13. I resent a lot of my maternal family because of how they respond to me about the abuse. They tried to push it under the rug. I have a feeling this is common in a lot of families.
14. I hope to never work for anyone else again.
15. I enjoy watching fashion and makeup tutorials on Youtube. I admire women who can put outfits & makeup together effortlessly.
16. My dream is to be location-independent-Live and work for myself anywhere in the world using the Internet and video chat.
17. I know too much celebrity gossip and not enough world history.
18. I'm pretty insecure about my writing, and often feel I can't articulate words on paper the way I think them. This is one of the reasons I post on the blog daily-Practice!
19. I listen to a lot of ratchet music. I used to be embarrassed but not so much anymore.
20. I can be snobby sometimes. Umm, I'm broke though. lol
21. I'm financially conservative but very liberal on social issues.
22. I yell a lot and talk too fast.
23. I don't buy a lot of physical things but I go overboard with digital items like Kindle books and iTunes.
24. Sometimes I want cable so I can watch OWN. I keep hearing about Oprah's Master Class & Next Chapter.
25. One of the reasons, I got rid of cable is because I knew it would be harder for me to compete with relentless advertisers trying to sell my kids junk food and toys. They do watch some shows online.
26. I've never smoked a cigarette and I didn't drink until I was 21-LAME lol
27. I am very nosey. In restaurants, I listen to multiple conversations at a time. I rationale it by saying I need to be aware of what's going on around me.
28. I set my home page to Webster to help filter out some of the propaganda news stories. Plus, I learn a new word each day.
29. I have three younger siblings (close to my kids' ages) that I don't know very well.
30. It's very easy for me to form new friendships but very hard for me to maintain them.
31. Most of my closest friends are single and childless-I find that funny considering I'm married with three kids.
32. It's liberating to know that I don't need much to be happy.
33. I sometimes wonder if my unconventional methods will hurt my kids long-term. Last week, Alvin asked if he could stay home and read all day. He literally stayed in bed and read all day.
You should do your own 33 Things. When you do, send me a link, so I can read it. :-)
Thanks for reading!
Happy HAIRnniversary to Me!
I can still remember how I felt watching Lauryn Hill in her Ex Factor video back in 1998. She was beautiful, conscious and most of all; her hair was different from all the other mainstream black artists.
In that video, she sported shoulder length dreadlocks and a tasteful cream pants suit. I remember thinking, now that's a woman with confidence...that's a woman who is sure of her place in the world! I immediately thought of locking my own shoulder length relaxed hair. I quickly changed my mind when I considered the response from my family and peers. I was a sophomore in high school and didn’t personally know any teenagers with locks, let alone natural hair.
I held on to the thought of "going natural" with my hair for many years, even though I continued to submit to the "creamy crack" of no-lye relaxers.
Me, in the brown skirt; hubby far right, 2003
In 2007, I started doing a lot of research on healthy eating habits and sustainable living. I began to eat more whole foods and learned a bit about meditation and composting. One day, while cleaning my kitchen, I suddenly had an epiphany. I thought to myself, you're so concerned about what you put into your body and have little regard for what you put ON your body.
I went into the bathroom and retrieved the yellow scissors from under the sink. I started cutting frantically and dropping locks into the trash can at my feet. I remember thinking, if I don't do it now, I will never make the change. I then pulled out my hubby's clippers to even out my hair length. This was a disaster because I had no idea how to cut hair, and since I cut one area too short, I had to completely SHAVE MY HEAD! I was mortified and immediately regretted my decision.
So there I was, staring at my baldhead in the mirror trying to decide what the next step would be. I put on a hoodie and headed to the nearest hair shop to find a wig. I settled on a cute bob and wore it for several weeks.
I soon grew tried of the wig and decided to rock my boy cut every day instead. Rather than feeling insecure, cutting my hair liberated me. The freedom of wash-and-go hair, swimming without a care, and no longer waiting hours in the hair salon made me feel so free and beautiful.
2008
Today marks three years since I gained the health of my hair back. Having locks hasn’t always been very easy (it took forever to lock and was so frizzy), but I now enjoy this simple, gorgeous hair of mine.
