Archive for February, 2010

The First Tooth

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So Eli has his first tooth, at 8 months and boy am i not glad that tooth finally popped through. That boy chewed on anything that he could lay his hands on…Try rescuing your hair off a teething baby! Uh -ah Yep, always done with  an additional screetching, scream, wince…yeah you get the picture.

But this is just the beginning we have more teething to do.

He still is a good eater, so we have added meats and lots of other foods to his diet. We are trying to teach him to wave goodbye now. He is a talker and when he does, some words seem to sound real like ” hi” and “J” We call his big brother J and we think he has picked that. He says that in the morning when he wakes up, and looking towards the door, since his brother always comes in and wakes him if he isn’t up yet.

Parents keep track of the endless firsts… I mean, can you imagine being able torecord all those and share with your children when they are all grown up? I mean i think it is amazing. They will be a certain age only once , so why not enjoy as much as you can? My husband has been keeping a video diary of the boys  since birth and i think that is really cool. I never had that, so  if you are reading this and you are planning on having children of your own, or know someone that is expecting… hey i write  about my children, but video diaries are an absolute treasure!

Enjoy the firsts as they sure do pass fast!

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My Goodness… It has been a headache.

I am trying to travel overseas and of course, i waitd till the last minute to check my travel documents only to be greeted with an Expired passport, so of course my travel agent had to break news to me that the airline that i wanted to use will not accept travel documents, at least to get me home where i would gladly renew my good ol’ passport.

I really don’t want to have to use a different carrier as i am going to be stuck in long lay overs, and with 2 children…did i mention with a 9 month old baby? Dang! What was i thinking?

So, word of advice, renew  your IDs, passports etc  on time! Don’t do what this woman here did, now am left with limited options…. Yes i could go ahead and renew from here, but it is much longer process, and will not make it home for Easter …I know.. Yikes!

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The Michael Vic Project .. BET

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So I am sitting here catching up on my emails and i happen to catch Michael Vic’s speech to young kids and i could not have agreed more with what he was saying.  He said ” it is very easy to do the wrong things and it is very hard doing the right things “  He told the young kids to use him as an example and make sure that they strive to do the right things.  I like the fact that he took ownership of his mistake and is using that to educate others of how easy you can drop from the top and  find yourself hitting the ground face down if you just take the wrong turn somewhere. It doesn’t matter how famous, rich, poor, or big you are when you get caught up in scandals you have to pay a price. For Vic he found himself serving time,  and he is having to prove that he is as good as he used to be as a quarterback and yes, someone gave him a second chance.

As for Tiger Woods…that is another star athlete caught up in a scandal. It doesn’t matter how good he was at his sport, how much money people have made off him. Some big sponsors already cut him off, and the sad thing what happened was more between him and his wife, but no one cares about that ..privacy. ..All that was all folded up in the highly priced package of fame. You can’t afford to stray and get away with it. Now of course he has a marriage to fix and a public to please…He is still rich, but he is also human, all that still affects him.

Time will pass, people may not forget, but fans will always find away to forgive them.. it will take some time and with their God’s given talent still intact, they will emerge stronger, hope wiser and with some comeback!

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Daily blessings

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I wake up every morning to the sounds of crying baby reaching out to my chest with eyes closed, and open mouth…Sometimes i just lift him up and look at him and see him move his head from side to side looking for his mama’s milk and i can’t help myself but smile, that is my Eli.  He is now eight months old and he knows his mama very well. Tonight i surprised him. I came home early from work and that little boy was on the floor crawling like a little army trainee  on the ground but still fast enough to reach me, and of course trying to keep up with his big brother Julian. I scoop him up from the floor, while Julian hugs me, and i give them both kisses…There is nothing to descrive that feeling and that moment as what i call my Daily Blessings.

For me it is my children, my family, my inner joy. I believe you have your own moments too.

I still wake up at night and sit by my boys and watch them sleep, and as a mother a lot go through your mind. You want all that is great for them,  and you worry about everything about them. When they are safely sleeping, this is when i am able to even rub their backs and their little feets, their hands and just give them even more little kisses on their cheeks.  When they are peacefully sleeping, it is when i let it sink in that these two little gifts are truly my Daily Blessings.

It is funny watching my own husband sleeping on the couch right now, and yes he reminds me so much of our two boys. I am seeing a lot of resemblance especially in Julian, i guess it is not a surprise they are conencted and will always be part of each other’s lives. I see the bond and love they share every day and i can’t help but recognize and thank God for all this and more, as i know it is truly a blessing. My children. My husband. My family. Good health, and joyful moments.

Take time daily and reflect on your own blessings.

Sleeping Angels…

Enjoy the week. Good night!

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Shakira’s performance on All Stars

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So am watching All stars and i see Shakira perform… Is it just me ? or does Shakira look on this new video looks more and more like Beyonce.

I know sexy looks pay more,  and i know what Shakira wore tonight was just  a costume, but please… families are watching these events. Families have teens watching this shows and Shakira should have covered up a little.  I wonder what people are going to say about this, all those dancers in their costume lingeries… Remember how annoyed people got during Janet Jackson’s  and JT  mishap? Well.. let’s wait and see..

Alicia Keys was fully dressed.. very decent, and she was still sexy and lovely performance.

Shakira, you should have covered up a bit!

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Happy Valentine’s day

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It was a beautiful day, Julian woke me up this morning with a heart shaped basket with a teddy bear and girl’s best friend chocolate. He kissed me and said here’s for you mama from daddy.  I was so tired from staying up with Eli… I didn’t even wake up to open it right away, he had already run out of the room and back to his play.

I hope you had a good valentine’s day, as i did. We went to church , came back and had an early dinner and Julian’s uncle came over as well, so  it was all good.  Last night we watched a chick flick movie :) and baked some cupcakes for the boys.

If you don’t know what to do this valentine hey you can never go wrong with doing this things…

 1. Flowers… Girls love flowers from roses to daisies to Tulips, you can never go wrong.

2. chocolate… It’s all about chocolate

3. Dinner and a movie… From a home cooked dinner for two , make it candle light , music on the background and while you are at it, open up a nice bottle of wine and just enjoy each other’s company…can’t cook? Go to your favorite restaurant or order in as long as you feed each other, and have fun doing it is all that counts :)

4. A massage… If you have some oil at home, come on you can do this…you don’t want to do this? then how about a gift certificate to a beauty spa!

5.  Hair care , manicure and pedi… If you can’t afford all three, either one of them is a great treat for your woman. It could be a certificate  to a hair salon for a cut and color or a new do. A mani and a pedi on top of that is just that valentine’s package.

6. Lingerie… I don’t care how much lingerie you have, i think every valentine’s day is like a girl’s excuse to add a new pair or two, and while you are at it make it a matching set, and red is the color of the day, so if you can splurge, go to your favorite store and give yourself a treat.

7. A valentine’s card …Not really that serious about each other, or are miles and miles away from each other? A valentine’s card would be a good choice.

8. A Teddy bear… Whether you are a young couple or old couple, or plain crashes, giving that someone a teddy bear say’s it all for you.

9. Electronics… We are in such a technology forward generation that, any sort of special day gives us every excuse to want to add on those electronic devices and they come at all price ranges. It depends on your budget.

10. A sitter for a night off… I said it! Trust me when you have children, and you don’t want to drag them all around town especially at night, so if you can get  someone to babysit them, so you and your partner can take the night off? … Now that is  wrap …

Enjoy your day!

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So, if you never experienced the winter weather in your life, and had to travel abroad like myself here to experience this…then my dear either stay the heck away from this 10 cities, or go there for a day or a week and live it then make your decision.

I can tell you right now, i will stop complaining about our upto 7 inches of snow here in Kansas City.

1. Cleveland
Average Snowfall: 58.9 inches

2. Boston
Average Snowfall: 43.2 inches

3. New York City
Average Snowfall: 28.9 inches

4. Milwaukee
Average Snowfall: 47.5 inches

5. Chicago
Average Snowfall: 38.2 inches

6. Minneapolis

7. IndianaPolis

8. Columbus

9. Detroit

10. Baltimore

For more on this worst winter cities to be in see  Tim Kiladze’s  post on Forbes.com  http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/05/weather-snow-storm-lifestyle-travel-winter-snowfall_slide_2.html?partner=yahoore

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weekend..

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The weekend is gone with a blast !with the New Orlean’s football team snaching  the win  from the Colts through an interception by Tracy Porter …which by the way awesome, but of course sad for Manning!

My boys weren’t feeling too well Julian caught a cold and that triggered his asthma. He was rubbing his nose so hard, so of course he ended up nose bleeding very bad on Saturday. I had to lay him down on his back and placed a support pillow under his head and placed a warm washcloth on his forehead and that helped with the nose bleed.

Today he was doing much better. This time his asthma wasn’t as bad as before, and could be because we had been giving him his flovent daily. We placed him on the yellow zone and again we have it under control, so we did not have to take him to the hospital…which is truly  great.

Eli kind picked up some of the cold symptoms from his brother, and had been a bit fussy, but not too bad either. Eli has been trying to stand up while holding onto things and has been balancing himself pretty good. I spent time with him on the floor and my Goodness, i don’t need the gym at all. If you have been around children, i am sure you know the feeling. There is the bending, sitting, reaching, lifting , carrying and if you are breastfeeding like i am too… I mean that is a work out on it’s own :)

Julian has been doing great. He was able to tell us that he was feeling sick, even before we could tell, and he asked for his medicine, and has been able to say when he felt better.

The boys are both asleep right now and am tired and ready to retire too.

I am sure if you are in New Orlean’s right now, the party is yet to stop and chances are you are either going to call in sick tomorrow or your company has already announced they will close tomorrow, and either way..I don’t blame you, i would have been in there with you!

So goodnight, and good morning to you!

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Who Dat?

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And the Saints won the super bowl! I am relieved actually. I could not take to see them lose, the entire city of New Orleans was praying fo this, and given what had happened during Katrina, i can go to sleep happy tonight, because no one deserved this win better than those Saints.

So here’s to you . Who dat? who dat?  Goo Saints! Congratulations on your win. Peyton Manning has been a winner before, so this was a long time coming for the saints… I am a very big fan of Peyton but tonight i wanted Drew Brees to take home the win and they did.

Yaay to those Saints!

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Should you let your baby watch Tv?

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We know this topic has been debated over and over again by experts and parents. Those who are for it and those against it, both have strong points about it. Let’s face it, even the experts can’t really seem to agree on it.  I believe parental instinct should be the determining factor, only you can decide what’s best for your child and be able to live with whatever the consequences if any.

I let my 2 boys watch TV . They watch educational programs, absolutely no adult or violent shows, though except for sports.

I have found that  because i am not being too restrictive of their TV time they are not even watching  2 – 3 hours of  TV. They are on the floor playing with toys, we have time to read books and some time on computer too.

I believe the key thing is moderation.  I watched TV  growing up and so did my siblings, we turned out ok. My son can read, count, etc  and for a 3 year old that is good. I am not going to lie that some of this he didn’t learn from watching TV or playing some games on pbs kids, but hey people need to be  realistic.

Let’s be serious…how many times as a mother or father  don’t you just want to go into the kitchen and fix yourself a cup of tea or coffee, or cook and be able to just do that without having to keep on carrying  your baby around. Yes, when am cooking in the kitchen, my baby is usually on his exersaucer playing with his toys and on the background there is of course good ol’ TV,  and so far they are just fine.

For the parents that just feel awfully guilty because you are not following what experts say here or there , i mean … Follow your parental instincts and i don’t believe your child is going to end up with ADHD or so because you let them watch a little TV or too much TV.

love them, hug them, kiss them, read to them, and sing to them daily even if you can’t carry a tune and if you have to let them watch a little TV is not bad either.

Happy Friday!

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