Home Girl Blog

Wordless Wednesday: Austin Auto Show 2012

Girl, Did You See The Season Finale of Scandal on ABC?

We did! And we talked it out.

What did you think about the finale? What do you hope will happen next season? So many questions! 

Who is Rita Ora?

I like her. Apparently she's been around for a minute. I'm not hip, so maybe I'm a little late here. I first saw her name on some versus Rihanna thing a gossip blogger posted a few days ago. I googled her and found this video. Her vibe seems really positive and fun--like she's not trying to prove anything to anyone or be anything in particular. After watching this video, I think she's refreshing. 

Girl, Did You See Scandal?

Here is the latest episode of Girl, Did You See! We watched the first season of Scandal on ABC, and these are our Five Favorite Things about this show. 

Did you watch? What did you think about the show?

Wordless Wednesday: His First & Last Bite of A Cheese Sandwich

Beyoncé: "Resentment" Live At Wynn Las Vegas

B Day is my jam from beginning to end--the whole album period. 

I love it when Beyoncé goes Diana Ross in her concerts--having a conversation with the audience and finding an intimate spot to sing in. She's such a classy broad. And so beautiful. And all I know is she betta sang this song. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Me: "Thank you for making me a mom."

My son: "Mom! I'm not God, or Jesus. I didn't make me, God did, so you should thank him and Jesus."

"Mom, I want to keep my shirt open, I look like a hip hop dancer!"

Mom Fail: I Fed My Son Food He Is Allergic To

My son is allergic to everything. Except fruit, vegetables, meat and rice. He has the protein allergy that causes him to be allergic to all nuts, dairy, eggs, seafood and soy. So he's never had a sandwich. I hadn't found a bread or bread mix that were free of everything until yesterday. After reading all the boxes of bread mixes on the shelf to make sure they were allergen free, I chose one. When we got home, I mixed it using rice milk where the recipe called for cows milk and apple sauce and baking powder where it called for eggs (1 egg= 1/4 cup applesauce + 1/2 tsp baking powder). The bread turned out perfectly. When it cooled, I sliced it and put it in the freezer per the instructions, but I kept a few slices out for my son to eat when he woke up today. 

Isn't it perfect?!

 He was so excited to try his new bread--he had been asking for bread and cheese to eat like his friends at school. He and my husband took their first bites and there were happy dances and a mini celebration that Zee could finally eat sandwiches now. My husband asked me if I was sure it was allergen free and I recounted my thorough package-reading at the store while reaching for the box. It was then that I realized I had bought the wrong box. That mix had whey in it--a milk protein. 

While I was reading in bold print "Contains Milk", my son had already fallen in love with the slice of bread in his hand and exclaimed, while giggling, "I'm eating my special bread like the big boys at school." *sigh* I had a choice to make. His allergy to milk is second to the bottom of the list in terms of the reaction we could expect. I had to decide if I wanted to send him to school upset and deflated just to save his skin, or allow him to bask in the joy of his new-found big-boy-food-eatingness that he couldn't wait to show to his teacher and friends at lunchtime, and deal with the inevitable eczema flare-up over the weekend. I chose the latter. Then I beelined to Whole Foods after dropping him off at school and he will have a new loaf of "special bread" (and vegan cheese slices that will cause him no harm) when he gets home from school. 

He will have a glorious day at school and an itchy weekend, but it will have been worth it. The Applegate hot dog era may be coming to an end soon, as the cheese sandwich will soon rule his lunchbox. 

Here's the new bread mix and cheese that I found for him...

Black Stay-At-Home Moms, Welfare, Public Perception & The Media

Me with my son in 2010.

I wasn't going to write about this for two reasons: 1. I 'd be too emotional about it since it is my life--as you'll see in one of the articles I will link to below--I can't look back too fondly on my entry into this life. It was a disheartening experience that I went through with the support of my sister and one of my best friends. It took the wind out of my sails and dashed the dream I had about what being a stay-at-home mom would be like. As a result, most of my stay-at-home-mom friends don't live in my neighborhood--and that's okay. And 2. Other writers, like the ones I will link to below are way more informed and well-versed on the topics, have done a great job of making lots of points that I agree with, and are probably way smarter than me. 

What I will say though, is that I have seen some other sites pick these articles up and some of the comments there and on Facebook make it very clear that some people see the title of the pieces, get angry at seeing the word " black", and don't read it before sharing their opinions. One person asked, how are black-stay-at home moms any different from other stay-at-home mom. The answer is that our existence isn't accepted as easily as that of white stay-at-home moms and we constantly have to justify our existence and explain our choices. Historically, black mothers have moved from working side-by-side with their men in the fields, to working alone taking care of the homes and families of white women, to gaining access to education and working in other careers. Historically, black mothers work. This stay-at-home mom business is seen as a "white woman thing". In Lashaun Williams' post on The L Factor, she explains,

"The female experience has differed for white women in this country, as they have historically been expected to simply look pretty, stay home and have babies. While they felt trapped in a sea of domestication, black mothers longed to devote more time to their own children."  

One comment I saw online said that a black stay-at-home mom is called a welfare mom. It is so sad how in political, and lets face it, plain terms "stay-at-home mom" connotes white, married moms who live in the suburbs and "welfare moms", black, single moms living in the hood. I can't even start on the unfair stereotypes assigned to black single moms vs white single moms, but rest assured I'm annoyed by that too. 

I blame the media. Yep, I said it. Why else would the prevailing opinions about welfare recipients be so completely unaffected by the actual facts?

• Public Perceptions: Most welfare moms are black. Mostly black people benefit from welfare and food stamps. 
• Fact: Nine(9) percent of food stamp recipients are black — and 84 percent are white. 
• Fact: Nationally, 39 percent of welfare recipients are white, 37 percent are black.

My Son Plans To "Get A Mommy"

From the back seat of our car, he says to me:

"Mommy? When I'm a big dad like Dada, I'm going to get a mommy like Dada got you. And I'm going to name her Honey like Dada named you. And I'm going to get a Ford. And if you're still a mommy, then you can drive a Toyota, okay?"

Children are like sugar. Just making things sweet for no good reason. 

Who Needs Paper Plates When You Can Have Palm!

Kwai Home is a company that my sister told me about. It's owned by a friend of a friend...ahem...black-owned...and it's awesome! 

Kwai products are simple, elegant, and sustainably made. 100% natural and fully compostable, the plates are crafted from areca palm fronds without any adhesives or additives. Each plate bears the unique imprint of the leaf from which it was made. By choosing Kwai products you support socially and ecologically sustainable business practices and enjoy beautiful, functional tableware that is perfect for any occasion.

 

Photo from Kwaihome.com

 

 

I Heart Christina Perri

The first time I heard her song, "Jar of Hearts",  was on Glee, when Rachel sang it at prom to Finn. I remember thinking how perfect the song was for them and how much I love how the Glee kids over-sing dramatic songs with their faces. They open their mouths as wide as possible and keep the most distressed look in their eyes. I love it. 

After that, I heard it on the radio and it plays almost every time I'm in my car. So often, in fact, that my four year old knows and loves the whole song. I live...live... to hear him sing the chrous of that song. 

Today, for the first time, I googled the video to see what it was like and have fallen in love with this girl. Christina Perri.

I watched lots of videos on her youtube page and am an instant huge fan! I love her hair, her tattoos, her voice. The video for "A Thousand Years " makes me almost want to see the Bella and Edward vampire movies. I have an iTunes gift card that I've had since last fall. I'm totally buying Chrstina Perri's music.