The Things She Says

This little girl never ceases to amaze me! My daughter is three going on 13!!! It's so funny looking at her because I see myself staring back at me. Not only does she look like me, she acts and talks like me LOL it's very ummm.. SCARY!

So the other day this is the conversation that she had with Hubby:
Hubby: Tanya have you seen my belt?
Tanya: Yes, mommy whoop my butt with it!!!

Whew! Ok, can you say HILARIOUS I was on the floor laughing hysterically at that. It was the funniest thing to me, especially since I had not whooped her but she said it so matter of fact that I almost believed her! And I never know when she's going to come out of her mouth with some fairy tale either.

So we're out for a walk, I'm pushing her in the stroller trying to get my work out on. This man trying to flirt passes me and this is how the conversation went:
Man: Tell your man that he is lucky.
Tanya: Daddy gone (with the saddest look on her face)
Man: Aww it's ok sista keep your head up, I know it's not easy doing it all on your own
Me: (Looking dumbstruck) I'm not sure what she's talking about since I'm married
Man: (Looking at me like I'm crazy) Yeah ok

LOL WOW!!!! Where oh where does she come up with this stuff??? We can be in a grocery store and she'll say mommy is that my daddy? LOL It's sooo embarrassing! The fact that I am married to her father and she has seen him everyday of her 3 1/2 years on this earth makes me wonder if she is embarrassing me on purpose... hmmmm LOL
How do kids come up with the things they say?

Best Taco I Ever Had

A couple weeks ago I took my daughter to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live downtown. When the show was over Hubby came to pick us up and as we were heading back to Lake Shore Drive we passed a Mexican restaurant called Mercadito; hubby said that he wanted to go there with me one day. Since this past Saturday was Sweeties Day, and me being the thoughtful wife that I am, I made dinner reservations for the two of us.

Walking into the restaurant you know that you are in an upscale Mexican restaurant. The decorations are enriched with culture, but not overdone like some Cantinas you may encounter. The restaurant is tapas style, which I guess is becoming popular these days. We decided to order chipotle, roja, and verde salsas and margaritas on the rocks to start. The salsas were good and unique, especially the chipotle. The margaritas were perfect! We then ordered steak tacos and shrimp enchiladas.

The first bite into my steak taco and my taste buds were doing the tango! This was the best taco I had ever eaten in my life! It was so good that we ordered a second round of tacos just so we would have left overs. The shrimp enchiladas were perfect and practically melted in my mouth, which is not a term normally used to describe Mexican food, but it's the only way to describe it.

If you are a lover of Mexican food and are looking for a more upscale environment I would definitely recommend Mercaditos. Even if you don't want to dine in, just grab an order of tacos to go and treat yourself to the best tasting taco you will ever have the pleasure of eating!

You Know You Like It

Hubby and I always watch television together, we have been t.v. partners for many years now. The funny thing is we have completely different tastes in what we like to watch. He likes to watch of course ESPN as well as the History channel, Biography channel, and cartoon central. I on the other hand HATE watching anything with commercials, I tend to only watch HBO series and the Bravo Housewives (each city).

He is always complaining about what I want to watch BUT I often find him laughing at my shows. Take Sex and the City for instance. I watched this show faithfully every Sunday for six years and he would be right by my side complaining, "why are you always watching shows about rich white women" LOL ok well MR why do you know each character's name as well as their hair color and their personality, and who they are dating on the show????

Fast forward to last night, we were watching the Real Housewives of D.C. reunion show. Well I had already watched the original airing of it, but then the rerun came on later in the night. So this is our conversation: Me: "you can turn if you want to" Mr. "no watch what you want to watch" Me: "well I've already watched it" Mr. : "silence"... his silence let me know he wanted to watch it so I went ahead and left the channel where it was.

Not even ten minutes into the show he is laughing, no not laughing, cracking up at what is going on. I started to dose off and woke up and he was still engrossed in the show. I didn't say anything because my immediate thought was, "I'm going to write about this in the morning" LOL he talks so much stuff about me liking to watch "rich white women" but hmmm it seems like every time I tune in he's right by my side... HMMMM I think he likes it just as much as I do, so why won't he admit it?!?!? Anyone have a hubby/significant other like this?

HE IS

Some days I wonder how I got so lucky to have found a man that loves me through thick and thin, through my MANY mood swings, and indecisiveness about just about everything! But he's very patient with me and gives me my space to figure things out on my own without pressure. He gives me 100% unconditional love, he spoils me to no end and I know he is my biggest supporter in whatever crazy idea pops in my mind.

We have our differences, but we also know how to overcome them to keep peace in our home. Not everyone is lucky enough to have found a love like this and I am understanding that more and more as time goes by. So I want to take time out to say to my husband, my best friend, thank you for being you and loving me the way you do!

Heather Headly summed it up in this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3H5zMeD2Rs Enjoy and Happy Friday!

Losing weight SUCKS!!!!

Well losing weight does not suck, the process to lose weight definitely is not fun! I did not struggling with weight until my late teens, I was always an active child and I've always loved food! As I got older and became less active my love for food definitely caught up to me LOL

Now that I am 31 I know the importance of being healthy. I have a history of heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, and the list goes on in my family and I want to do everything I can to control my health, it's in my hands for the most part.

Yes, there are illnesses that I can't control such as cancer or lupus or something like that, but by controlling my diet and putting the right things in my body along with exercise, should help me decrease the chances of ending my life too soon.

About a month ago I posted about my weight loss goals. Well during the month of September I lost 5 pounds!!!! I'm very excited about that since I had been working out for over a month before I even saw one pound disappear. My goal for October is to lose another 5 pounds and increase my work outs to five days a week. I can do it!!!! Who's with me?

I LOVE YOU MOMMY

Being a mother is not always an easy job. Yes I said JOB because parenting is a 24 hour a day 7 day a week job. In my opinion it's the hardest job a person will ever have in their lifetime, but also one of the most rewarding jobs.

Sometimes with the hustle and bustle of everyday life we sometimes find ourselves going through the motions of life. Get up, get dressed, get ready for work, get the kids ready for daycare/school, come home, feed your family, prepare for the next day. Then get up and start all over again.

With everything going on it's easy to overlook the small things. So a couple weeks ago when I was really stressed out and just wanted to go to sleep, I had given my daughter a bath and we were looking on her bookshelf for a book (a very short book) to read for bedtime, when she looked up at me and said "I love you mommy" with a smile on her face. Those words coming from my three year old melted my heart and suddenly all the stress I was feeling went away.

All I could do was pick her up with tears in my eyes and say "I love you too cutie pie", she then gave me the biggest hug her little arms could manage and it felt so good. When we laid down that night for bed (nope she still doesn't fall asleep alone but that's another story lol) I felt so light and had the best sleep I'd had in a while.

I don't know if she knew I had been a little stressed and feeling a little sad, but I do know that those words lifted my spirit and made everything I was stressed about leave my mind. It reminded me that there is a little person depending on me and I can't lose focus of what is really important. I'm a mother and there is nothing more important than that!

Bitter Sweet

So, today is the last day of August. Tomorrow is September 1. Five years ago I would have said September was my favorite month. Now it's just a bitter sweet month that I dread as well as look forward to.

The sweet part of September is that both mine and my mother's birthdays are in September. It's the beginning of fall which is my favorite season. When I was in school I enjoyed returning to school for the new year.

The bitter part is that my sister Tayna's birthday was September 1, and the anniversary of her death is September 6. It has been four years since her accident yet most days it seems like yesterday that she was taken from us. She was my best friend. We did almost everything together once I became an adult. She was 9 years older than me, so as a child she was always a mother figure to me. I still remember the french fries she would make for me. She would cut them into the shape of a smiley face.

I remember the first time I saw Michael Jackson's Thriller. I used to sleep with my mom and my sister said she would flush the toilet to let me know it was on so I could sneak out of the bed since my mom didn't want me to watch it LOL My sister was a HUGE Michael Jackson fan, which in turn made me one as well.

Though I know her memory lives on through her two children as well as in my spirit, I still feel cheated. I feel let down. My life has been forever changed and not for the better. Yes, her death has made me a nicer person, a more understanding and patient person. But is has also made me a sheltered person. I shelter my feelings because I still don't know how to process it. This may sound crazy because it's four years later, but I am still processing losing my sister. Is this something you ever get over? I don't think it is.

Tomorrow September 1, 2010 would have been her 40th birthday. If she were still here we would be partying like it was 1999. Instead all I can do is remember the birthdays I did get to share with her and hope that one day our paths will cross again.

Hair Should be FUN

Recently I read an article in Essence magazine about a model with natural hair (I can't remember her name). The article was detailing her journey as an African American model and her transition to natural hair. She discussed the difficulties she's had with stylists on set, and her thoughts on styling her own hair. The one thing that stuck out to me was when she said that hair should not be a chore, but it should be fun.

I'll have to be honest, I hate washing my own hair. Of course I do it, but I do think of it as a chore. I have never liked washing or perming or twisting or whatever I was doing at the time, on my own hair. I'd much rather have someone else do it. Why is this? I think it comes from me never seeing my mom do her own hair. She NEVER washes her own hair. She is at the salon getting it done every other week, sometimes if she had the extra money she would go weekly.

I do remember a time when I was in high school where my hair didn't seem so much like a chore. I think that was the time I was really starting to notice boys! So you know I had to be on point with my looks, you know how teenage girls are LOL I would wake up at 6:00 every morning to glue in some tracks, put a few curls here and there, or pin up a ponytail, and back then we didn't have the ready made phony ponies we actually had to take the tracks and create our own ponytails...whew memories!

I would use spray dye to color my hair, my curling or flat irons were always in use. I'm not really sure where I lost the zest for switching up my hair styles. I think once I entered the 9-5 world my time became shorter and I just wanted to do what was quick and easy. This is probably why when I was perming my hair I wore a wrap daily, and as a natural I mainly wear my fro pulled back.

Since my birthday is nearing (September 18), I have decided to challenge myself and put the FUN back into my hair routine. I am going to rock a new style each week for the next month. I will post a picture of my new styles each week so that you all will know I'm serious. Anyone else want to join me? You can email pictures of your hair to: naturalmommy1@gmail.com and I will post your pictures along with mine.

Ok so I'm off to YouTube to find some hair videos. Stay tuned!

Taking Care of Our Faces

As women, well not just women but people in general, we need to be aware of what we do to our skin because it is the largest organ in our bodies. Our faces especially, since this part of our body is always exposed. Our faces are exposed to the sun, dust particles in the air, the oil our bodies naturally create, etc. Because of this we need to wash our faces twice a day as well as moisturize twice a day. We also need to exfoliate our faces at least once a week. Another tip that most Black women overlook is to make sure that our moisturizer has an SPF of at least 15, don't count on our melanin to keep the wrinkles and sun damage away!

Not only is it good to wash our faces daily, but we should also get facials. This is an extremely important part of maintaining facial health (did I just make up a word?) you should have a licensed esthetician evaluate your face, its pores and its overall general health at least once per month, twice if you can afford it.

I know that a trip to the spa is not always affordable. A facial can cost anywhere from $55-over $100 depending on the treatment you want, but hey ladies, aren't we worth it? Isn't the health of our skin worth it? I don't know about you but I don't want to look older than my age, I don't want to have blotchy skin, I want my skin to always be radiant.

If you can't afford a trip to the spa, then definitely invest in a quality facial scrub. There are many on the market. Or you can add some baking soda to your facial cleanser and scrub, scrub, scrub. You can always search for homemade facial products and start making them at home. It doesn't matter what you use, just use something.

Another thing we need to remember is that what we put into our bodies affects the way the outside of our bodies look. So please ladies drink your water, eat your fruit and veggies. Try to stay away from too much processed foods. Buy meat from grass fed animals whenever possible to avoid the excess hormones that some farmers use to mass produce meat. Make sure that you are having regular bowel movements so that all that waste doesn't stay in your body and affect your skin.

There are many things we can do to maintain that healthy and radiant glow. I just hope we are all conscious about the importance of taking care of this particular part of our bodies. Afterall, isn't your face generally the first thing someone sees?

Welcome to the South Side, My Side

WOW is sometimes the only word I can use to explain my side of town. I see everything from homelessness to people rolling around in BMW's and everything in between. When I first moved to Chicago in 2000 I definitely had a culture shock to say the least. So many Black people in one area was a bit overwhelming for me. Now some may read this and go HMMM but I come from the Quad Cities and there you are lucky to see a Black person outside of a five block radius most days. So coming from that to the south side of Chicago which has the largest Black population in one area in the country is just overwhelmingly amazing.

The south side often gets a bad rep because of the high crime rate, but what I say to that is HELLO, we live in the third largest city in the United States (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763098.html#axzz0x4dSqRNT) and we have a high poverty rate, so crime is definitely going to happen. That being said, I think the news makes my side of town seem worse than what it is. You're not going to get shot or robbed as soon as you step out of your car (unless you're wearing a Cubs hat!) LOL

The south side has so much to offer. Take a ride down Stony Island and be treated by the awesome landscaping that runs down the center divider. Visit the South Shore neighborhood and relax at the beach or visit the Cultural Center to take a dance class or golf lessons. Cruise down King Drive to see the beautifully built buildings that have been in existence since Chicago has been on the map. Visit Hyde Park which is the most diverse neighborhood in Chicago, and enjoy a nice walk down 53rd street for shopping, eating, or just a relaxing stroll.

There is so much culture on the south side. You can ride down 47th, 79th or 87th streets and see a variety of mom and pop shops, clothing boutiques, African American book stores, and the abundant hair salons that stay jam packed from morning till the wee hours of the night. Not to mention the always stylish brothas and sistas that stay fly with the latest fashion trends!

Visit one of the many parks on a sunny Saturday to really get a taste of how we do it. You'll see multiple families out enjoying a bbq and you can always count on someone setting up a tent with turntables to give everyone something to jam to. There's the Bud Biliken parade down King Drive, there's the Old School picnic in Jackson Park, the Jazz Festival at the Cultural Center, and how could I dare forget the Chicago White Sox!!!

Welcome to the south side, my side.
SOUTH SIIIIDDDDEEEE!!!

Losing Weight

Why is losing weight so hard? I have been trying to lose these same 25-30 pounds since before my daughter was born. So for the last four years, I have been saying I'm going to lose 25-30 pounds. It's about time I stop saying that LOL

This summer I challenged myself to work out regularly and watch my calories. Just work out 5 times a day and don't overeat, that doesn't sound too hard... Then why is it so hard? It sure isn't that hard to drive to McDonald's and order a quarter pounder with cheese value meal, so why is it so hard to order a salad from the same place?

So, the summer is almost over and I have only managed to lose and regain the same four pounds. I have managed, however to tone up a bit and increase my stamina. These are two things I am proud of, though I could have done better.

I joined a challenge on my favorite dieting website, www.sparkpeople.com, to lose 10 lbs during the month of August. This is definitely an attainable goal, as long as I keep myself in check, which is the hard part. This is day 10 of the challenge and so far so good. I will be keeping all of you updated on my progress, 10 pounds is a whole clothing size!!!! If anyone wants to join me just shoot me an email, NaTuRalMommy1@gmail.com and we can encourage each other!

Kitchen Dance

She's potty trained, she can speak in sentences that I understand...you know we are communicating on a mommy and tot level LOL So just when I think it's safe to say things are going smoothly, here comes "I don't want to eat that" OMG no one told me the child would refuse to EAT! Now what am I supposed to do?

The Dr says make sure she gets her vitamins (check), make sure she is drinking milk since she'll drink anything (check), and try to be patient (...) We're still working on that one most days! So, I buy her the PediaSure so she'll at least get SOME nutrients in her little body.

She will eat pizza, french fries, pancakes, and turkey sausage on a pretty regular basis. She loves yogurt and cheese so that's good. Spaghetti used to be my go to meal but NOPE not anymore. Now it's Pizza because I can hide other ingredients like spinach, turkey pepperoni... under the cheese LOL Needless to say, we eat a lot of Pizza!

Sometimes we have good days where she'll eat anything I give her, but then other days I'm doing the kitchen dance, as my friend Tara would say, making two meals making sure everyone eats...I'm really hoping this phase ends VERY SOON :)

favorite HAIR products

I find myself trying out different hair products all the time. I don't think I'm a full blown product junkie, but rather a semi p.j. :)

Over the years I've tried some products that make my hair feel and look horrible, like that nasty brown hair gel! But I've also tried some products that I absolutely LOVE, not only for my own hair, but also my daughter's.

My hair routine is pretty simple, co-wash and deep condition weekly. Maintain my moisture by spritzing my hair with a mixture of water and jojoba oil daily. And the times I need that added moisture I apply a little raw shea butter.

To co-wash my hair, meaning I wash my hair with conditioner only, I use VO5 Moisture Milks Conditioner. I love this conditioner because it smells good, it is great for detangling, and it leaves my hair feeling soft and smooth.











So once I'm done washing and detangling with the VO5 I apply Oyin's Handmade Honey Hemp conditioner and leave in for about 20 minutes. I love, love, love this conditioner. My hair feels so soft and fluffy after using this, and it's all natural! I also use this conditioner on my daughter's hair.












These products have been my staples for about a year now and they never fail me. I would definitely recommend this combination to anyone looking for extra moisture and manageability.

I also like these products for added moisture and shine:

Kinky Curly Knot Today leave in conditioner








Cantu Shea Butter









For washing my daughter's hair I use Oyin's Handmade Honey Wash, I have been using this in Tanya's hair since she was about one year old. It's made from all natural products so it won't irritate her skin or eyes. You can also use this as a body wash!











Finding the right hair products for your particular hair type is like hitting the lottery, it's not that easy to do but once you find the right products your hair will feel like a million bucks!

Mr and Mrs Harvey

So, I met my husband a few weeks shy of my 18th birthday on the campus of SIUC. He graduated from high school with my roommate, and they were good friends. One day I walk into my dorm room and there he was sitting in MY desk chair leaned back smoking bidi (an Indian cigarette). My first thought was, who is this dude sitting in MY chair and on top of that SMOKING in my room? My second thought was, he's kind of cute and definitely my type (dark skinned, basketball player frame, with a nice smile). After a couple of weeks we started hanging out together, and the rest is history!
Next month will make 13 years that we have been dating each other. It's still hard to believe that I found my soul mate at the tender age of 17 and 3/4 :). Over the past 13 years we have had our ups and downs, we even called it quits for about 2 1/2 years. But through everything he has remained my best friend. The one that I can run to with anything and the only person that makes me feel truly safe and understood. Even those couple of years we were broken up and living in different cities our friendship remained.
After about 10 years of dating guess what happens? HE KNOCKED ME UP!!! This was totally unexpected, not that I don't know how babies are made but I still didn't understand how I got pregnant LOL All I can say is the man must have some slow moving sperm!!! Which is ok with me because having a baby in my early twenties would have been, ummm not such a good thing.
Marriage was not really in our plan but once we became pregnant we decided that it was the best thing to do since one- we had not intentions on breaking up, and two- we wanted our baby to grow up in a family with everyone having the same last name. So on May 5, 2007 at eight months pregnant we jumped the broom! Or more like I wobbled to the court house and we said "I Do".
I can honestly say that being married has opened my eyes to a whole new world. It's very hard to explain but I look at things differently. I am a lot more protective of my relationship, I try a lot harder to understand his point of view, I enjoy taking care of him, even the sex is better as a married couple :) I have no regrets and can't even imagine not being his wife.
The road that Marvin and I have traveled has not been an easy one. Since we started out so young, at a time when we did not know ourselves very well, we made a few mistakes early on. We have helped each other through family crisis, including the death of his mother, the death of my sister, as well as my grandmother. These are things that rocks a person to their core, but together we made it through. When one person wasn't strong enough, the other one became stronger.
I could not imagine going through my life without my husband. I couldn't imagine having any one else be my "baby's daddy" LOL and I could not imagine loving anyone else with this much intensity and passion. He is my rock, my lover, my best friend and I love being the Mrs. in Mr and Mrs Harvey.

I AM NOT MY HAIR

I was 22 years old before I knew what my natural hair looked like. Yes, you read that right. 22 years of going through life and not knowing what my REAL hair texture felt and looked like. At the age of 5 I started getting... Jerri Curls... LOL yes you read right. I am a child of the 80's and myself, my sisters and brother, as well as my dad all wore CURLS!!! I remember getting a fresh curl and having to carry my activator spray to school for the first few days because I had to keep it moist or it would look like a dry brillo pad... Don't laugh, my family is not the only one that shared in the joy of the greasy gunk!
At the age of 11 I told my mother I could not take the curl any longer and started to grow it out. In the process of growing it out I started rocking the press and curl. Once we thought it was safe, I applied my very first perm, or creamy crack, as some of us Naturals call it! I never knew why I was putting myself through the torture every 5-6 weeks of burned scalp, fried hair, and the smell always made me sick to my stomach, but I was told by my mother that all Black girls must have a perm or something to take the NAPS away. So I continued to relax my hair through my teen years because I never saw any different. I grew up in the Quad Cities and if anyone has ever been there, you know it's not fun being the one to stand out so everyone goes with the flow.
People that I did see with natural hair either had locks, which I never considered for myself, or their hair looked a very dry hot mess, further embedding in my mind that Black women needed a perm.
It wasn't until I went away to college (the first time) and had the experience of being around different types of Black people. I saw Black girls rocking all types of naturals from fros to twist outs to locks. I thought their hair was so beautiful but was still afraid to take the plunge and wean myself off of the creamy crack.
When I moved to Chicago at the age of 20 I saw even more natural haired ladies, and at this point the perm had thinned my hair so much that it was breaking and I was so sick of it. One day at the age of 22 I came home from work and just cut it all off. I then went to the barber shop to get lined up (yes it was that short). I wore my hair in a TWA (teeny weeny afro) for close to a year before I let it grow out. Once it started to grow is where things got difficult. I had no clue what to do with it, and at that time I didn't know of any websites that would help me since the internet was nothing like it is today. There were no Youtube tutorials or hair blogs. I mainly wore my fro pulled back with a scarf. When I wanted to switch it up I would wear a wig. I wore my hair like this for about 3 years when I had finally given up because I was just sick of not knowing what to do, I went back to relaxing my hair because of course I knew how to style my hair when it was silky straight since that was what I was used to.
When I decided to perm my hair again after 3 years my family and some friends were so happy. During my natural time I took so much flack from family and close friends. "Why are you wearing your hair like that" "Don't you know Black girls need perms?" "Why don't you do something with your head" all of these were words I heard from people very close to me. It was hurtful but I have never been one to let the words of others dictate what I did.
Let me tell you, I really regretted relaxing my hair, I wished that I had tried harder to learn how to care for and style my hair in it's natural state. After almost 3 years of relaxing, I finally said enough is enough and I went ahead and grew my perm out. I have been natural this time for about a year and a half, I haven't permed my hair in over two years. I LOVE my hair in it's natural state, it's so beautiful and soft.
Yes, I do get the same comments from friends and family, mainly my mother, but I just shrug them off. Why is it that no one wonders why White, Mexican, Asian or Indian women wear their hair in it's natural state. It's never even a thought. But when a Black woman decides to do it, everyone wants to know why. "Oh she must be into the Neo Soul movement" oh she is "going through a phase". Why can't I just wear my hair the way it grows out of my head and people accept it for what it is? I am the same person I was when I permed my hair, I have the same thoughts. I still love the same, I still act the same.
When women ask me how it was to go natural it is very sad to me. I always tell them that there is nothing wrong with wearing your hair natural but you have to become thick skinned because there will be HATERS which is very very very sad. If Black society was more accepting of natural hair then I know the amount of women wearing their hair natural would triple. I hear women say that they WISH they could go natural.... HMMMMM
This time around I have learned how to style my hair, I know how to care for it and how to switch up the styles so I don't get bored. It does take work, contrary to what some people think, in my opinion it's more work than perming but it's all me and I like it!
I'm not saying there is anything wrong with wearing a relaxer. What I do find concerning are the women that think they HAVE to wear a relaxer or use some tool to keep their hair straight. Those are the women that concern me. The women that put perms into their child's hair as early as 3 and 4 years old because they do not want to deal with the NAPS. I find it very scary. I myself will not put any chemical in my daughter's hair. I will let her make that decision for herself when she is old enough. She will have the choice that I did not have.

TANYA'S MOMMY

"MOMMY" Oh my God, is this my new name? Really? My three year old is constantly calling me, and not in a regular voice but in a high pitched very loud (who knew a three year old could talk so loud) voice M-O-M-M-Y... My response is always, "yes" but what I'm really thinking is "who told you that I was your mommy?" LOL
When I drop her off at daycare it's "Goodmorning Tanya's Mommy" or "See you tomorrow Tanya's Mommy" when I pick her up. At home my husband says "go tell mommy" "where is mommy" HELLO I do have a name or did everyone forget???
Now if that's not bad enough, my own family and friends get me mixed up. They'll say "Tanya oops I mean Meka" OMG really??? So I guess from now on I'll be known as Tanya's Mommy LOL
Now that I got all of that off my chest let me say I love being a mom. I mean LOVE being a mom. Motherhood is the best thing that could have happened to me. It has given me the motivation to reach my goals so that one day I can say to my daughter to never give up on her dreams.
Before becoming MOMMY my life had been stagnant. I wasn't pursuing any of the goals I had for myself. I let everyday life take away my motivation. Having my daughter made me realize that I not only need to get things back on track for myself but also for her. I cringed at the thought of telling my daughter she had to go to college when I myself had dropped out TWICE, I could just see her at 17 years old saying "if you didn't why should I?" and me saying "Because I said so" (wincing at those words)
So I went back to school, not only did I finish but I finished Cum Laude!!! I was determined. Now I have positioned myself and my family in a much better position to live comfortably and not have the stresses of money that I had growing up.
So I guess being TANYA'S MOMMY isn't all that bad :) I'll keep the title...

Giving back

I would like to give a shout out to the lovely ladies of Cocoa Butterflies for showing up and donating so many beautiful items that will help out many women in homeless shelters. I hosted the meet-up at my home, the original idea was to do a social meet-up for the ladies to exchange accessories, as they say one man's trash is another man's treasure. But the idea grew into a community service project, which is what Cocoa Butterflies is all about.
Each person in attendance donated purses, necklaces, bracelets, and other small trinkets that would make a woman feel beautiful. Some of the items were claimed by fellow members, but the vast majority of the items will be donated to a local women's shelter.
It's always great to get together with other like minded women and enjoy each others company with food, wine, and good conversation, all while trying to make a difference in the lives of others.

Welcome to" The NaTuRal Mommy"

I am a 30 year old wife and mother. My husband is 31 and my daughter is 3. My husband and I have been together for 13 years and married for 3. Let me tell you right off, being married is a whole new ball game!!!
I wanted to create a blog to chronicle my life as a black, natural hair wearing woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and so much more... This is not just a blog about being a mother, but more about being a Black woman living on the south side of Chicago and trying to survive in a world that is full of adventures, interesting people, and lots of things that make you say hmmm...
I do not intend for only Black women to relate to this blog, it is my goal to entertain and enlighten women of all races and ethnicity. Sit back and relax while I take you on my life's journey!