Homegirl Quel (kel) in Austin

30 Things: Summer 2010

My 2 year-old started Montessori School last week after being home with me since the day he was born. I'm going through all the expected emotions and anxieties associated with that, but mostly I'm excited for him. I also excited for me because I finally get to have real time off to start and complete projects that I've been meaning to get to and to explore options for the next chapter of my life, which will definitely include more babies (sooner than later) and any number of awesome opportunities to go back into my professional field (Market Research) on MY terms. But enough about that...

More yadayadayada and The List after the jump. FYI, this list lives in the "I Make Lists" section of the site menu up yonder.)

Also, that's his lunch bag he is holding, not a six pack.

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Michael Jackson, "Butterflies"

Everybody's talking about Michael Jackson today. I've always been a fan. Not a die hard, know all the lyrics to every song, own every album, tears at a concert fan--but definitely a fan. I don't own a single MJ album. I have a few songs on my iPod though. Last weekend, I was the singer in a game of Rock Band (the PlayStation Guitar Hero game thingy?) and the "band" picked "ABC" by Jackson 5. I was cool, 'cause I just knew that I knew the words to "ABC", because who doesn't know that song. Came to find out that I only know the chorus. I was like, "Where did all those lyrics come from?!" It was a very educational moment for me. I digress. You get the picture. That's the kind of Michael fan I am.

I never really thought twice about his actual singing voice. If you asked me a few months ago to name the top 5 male vocalists, Michael Jackson is not one of the names that would appear on that list. I ran across this version of Butterflies a few months ago on Youtube. I was actually going through a few live performance videos of Floetry. I like to browse Youtube for neo-soul performance videos every once in a while. I didn't even realize this was Michael Jackson's song until I saw all the videos that day.  Anyway, I listened to it a few times and noticed for the first time that Michael Jackson actually had a really nice singing voice. I even picked up the phone and called a friend to share my new discovery. She is a huge fan and was like, "Um, yeah? Where you been?" I was very late to the game, but I get it now. I truly hope he is at peace now.

Words I did not expect to hear at the gym today...

"You smell so good!"

We had just finished Body Jam (a choreographed fitness dance class) and as I was headed to the back of the class to grab my things, the woman who had been next to me tapped me on my shoulder. I turned around and she was all bleached teeth and blond hair and skinny and pretty (not because of all the aforementioned attributes, but she really was pretty) and sweaty and still high off those workout endorphins--we both were. Anyway, she was like, "Oh my goodness, you smell so good, what is that you're wearing?" Then she demonstrated just how good I smelled by sniffing me and pretending to faint in ecstasy. We laughed and I told her how glad I was that she said I smelled good, because halfway to the gym it occurred to me that I had forgotten to put on deodorant after my shower, so I was a little nervous about creating any potential odors during my workout. After revealing my secret, I told her it was my hair, "A natural hair product from Whole Foods."

That's what I told her. If she had had curly hair I would have told her that it was Kinky-Curly Curling Custard aka my new crack, which I will blab on about in a separate post sometime soon which will prob'ly be entitled, "Why I will pay $30 for 16oz of heaven in a jar" or "How the hell can Kinky-Curly charge $30 for hair styling jelly?! Oh! I get it. Because it really is THAT awesome!" Or something like that.

Crescent Moon and Venus

 

As a kid I would go outside and sit on the ground at the end of our driveway and stare up at the stars on nights when they were visible. Very often during the summers. I took a long time looking up at the beauty of the sky last night as well. The moon and this one bright star were the only light in the sky, which is why I noticed it and went for my camera. Took tons of photos. Happy to share these two with you guys. I took the first one in my driveway before I left home to make a grocery store run and the second, close-up one in the parking lot of the store before returning home.They're not the best quality photos, but I'm glad I had my camera handy.

World Cup Soccer 2010:Why I'm Convinced This Sport Might Be Worth Getting Into

It was a pretty fun morning for my son today. He loves it when all three of us (he, mom, dad) are home together. His dad worked from home until lunch time and totally coincidentally, I'm sure, the first official game of the 2010 World Cup Soccer championship just so happened to be playing on the television. As usual, the boy was drawn to the TV like a magnet once  the sound of sports is in the air. Y'all know the sound: a steady stream of horns, screaming fans with their indeterminable chants and sports announcers screaming above it all. If I never hear that sound ever again, I'd be happy, but It's like a beacon to my son. Whenever my husband tunes in to sports, my son drops whatever he might be holding at the moment, freezes and stares off into space for a moment to make sure his ears aren't deceiving him and the moment he's sure that sports are on, he wastes no time running for his spot right on dad's lap in front of the big flat screen. So that was the scene in our house this morning...along with my husband stealing glances at his work laptop, jumping up every now and then to kick the ball back and forth and into our mini soccer goal with the boy, and all the other requisite sports fan sounds and gestures you sports fans make while watching a game.

When my son got hungry enough, he finally sat down for breakfast. As he was eating, he paused and looked up at me. Then he asked the most unexpected question of me. He asked, "Mama? What's Africa?" Since the World Cup is taking place in South Africa this year, he must have heard the word repeated enough times for it to stick. It was such a loaded question, that all I could come up with at that moment was, "Papa, Africa is a place."  But I wasn't finished. Mentally, I was already planning my follow-up for our conversation time later. I was excited about the question for two reasons that should be obvious enough that I don't even have to say, but just in case you're not with me already on this, here are the reasons: 1. Hello? My black American/West Indian son just asked me about the frickin' land of our ancestors! And 2. My 2 year-old has asked about a place. He doesn't know it's a place yet, but still. What a teaching opportunity! We have talked about his dad's country and he recognizes the flag and all, but those are things we introduced to him. He never asked about them. The fact that he asked about Africa means he's curious about the word. So of course now, I get to introduce globes and maps and books and puzzles, because he's obviously ripe for his first real lesson in geography, right? And what better place to start than Africa? South Africa. And I think we'll start with the flag. 

My son's first lessons in Geography will begin in Africa. Where everything else began. For that reason, I totally dig World Cup Soccer 2010. And I will follow it along with the males who live in this house with me, just to teach Zack the flags of the countries represented in each game. Again, what an awesome teaching opportunity?! See?! I knew sports were good for something.

Video Fun! My Musical Toddler

I have tried to resist posting videos of my son here, but the older he gets, the cooler the things I'm getting to catch on tape! Since he was born, I have chronicled all his awesome moments (singing Itsy Bitsy Spider at 12 months, his ABC's at 18 months, even his first steps) on his youtube page. I think I've done a really good job of not posting every single one of them over here. My son loves to sing and dance...probably no more than the average 2 year old. But with a mom who sings probably way more than the average stay at home mom and a dad who plays instruments, he really had no choice.

This weekend, I caught him singing one of his favorite songs by the Black Eyed Peas and never doubted for one second that I would share this with you guys. If you know "Boom Boom Boom", you'll recognize that he's singing the first and second verse of the song. If you don't know "Boom Boom Boom",  I posted the original B.E.P. video after the jump.

First, here is a video of him at 2 years, 2 months old playing his guitar (right out of the box) and singing "Yes, Jesus Loves Me", which my mom sang to him nightly the last time she was here to visit. I had no idea he knew the song until he just sat in my lap and sang it one day.

And here he is this past weekend (2 years, 3 months old) singing "Boom Boom Boom" acapella by B.E.P.

The Latest Blogalicious 2009 Recap EVER...and a contest!

The Blogalicious 2009 conference in Atlanta was a blast! It was the inaugural year and was a hit! I was honored to be an ambassador last year to help spread the word about this first ever conference of its kind. I got to meet some of my favorite bloggers and tweeters in person, made great connections with new bloggers, and even made some friends. Attendees were treated to an exclusive performance by Priscilla Renea (pics and video of her performance here), an exclusive behind the scenes preview of The Princess and The Frog by Disney, star treatment at exclusive Blogalicious parties, and some awesome panel discussions lead by break-out bloggers and marketing pros.

The opportunities that have come my way as a direct result of having attended Blogalicious 2009 confirmed (for me at least) that blogging is the best hobby ever! I cannot wait to see what Blogalicious 2010 has in store. I know it's going to be bigger and even better this time around.

First, the organizers offer a discount to register early for Blogalicious 2010 in Miami and now, there's a contest to win a FREE night at the Ritz during the conference weekend! I  don't know about y'all, but I am all about any and every way to get to Blogalicious Weekend 2010 with as little expense as possible...or at least with a little more spending money. I am sure I can find one or two ways to spend the $65 I'll save by registering early ( plus the $199 I'll save on a night at the hotel--if I win) on a night out in South Beach.

You have to enter to win! Click here for details.

 
Me, Luvvie and Clumps at Blogalicious 2009. Blogstarras were out!

More pics from Blogalicious 2009 after the jump.

Just Felt This Flick: Sex And The City 2

Actually, I didn't feel this flick. The costumes and set designs are insanely pretty. Other than that, the film is just a hodgepodge of awkward dialogue and underdeveloped storyline. It's as if the creators had all these awesome (and they are awesome) fashion ensembles and needed an excuse to show them on film.  I went to see it with some girlfriends and was more entertained with our what-the-eff-moments chatter than I was by the actual film.

My rant review (and spoilers) begin now ...