MamaCare Monday
MAMACARE MONDAY


Like most women I love a good shoe game, in fact at one point in my life (much younger) I prided myself on having several pairs of shoes; pumps, sandal's, boots, wedges, vintage, contemporary, etc... If it was cute, I had to have it! However, my lifestyle has change quite drastically since becoming a mother and strutting around squeezing my foot into stilettos hardly seems practical and even less appealing, regardless of how gorgeous they are. Yet at the same time, just because I am a mother doesn't mean I need to sacrifice style nor comfort, can't I have it both? Lets face it, how you were and the taste you had in your 20's is not how you are going to be nor have in your 30's (God willing), the name of the game is evolution and your taste levels, ideas, thoughts, goals, etc... change and evolve as you age. In addition to that, being a mom added to the mix brings on a whole new crop of goals, ideas thoughts, taste, etc.... but I always say and am forever on the quest to merge my mommy-hood with my woman hood. As a mother, I still want to look and feel good, yet maintaining practicality for my current lifestyle, however not sacrificing one for the other.



Always being found of beautiful heels and how they make me feel, I was pleasantly surprised to discover the new physical store for Sarah Jessica Parker's shoe line "SJP collection" in North Harbor D.C. this weekend during a girls getaway trip.  Launching her line in 2014, and distributing to a few major retailers; Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom's and some Macey's, I haven't really seen nor heard much about her line since. Fast forward to this weekend in D.C. while browsing around the MGM casino shops there, I stumbled upon the store. I was definitely impressed and immediately attracted! wall to wall of beautiful colors and styles with the extra touch of her signature strip on the back of each pump, giving it that "cute and casual" look, what I like to call edgy sophistication. As I was browsing the store and watching patrons trying on and marveling at the collection as I was, I asked a few women what they thought and the big question: how do they feel? Its great to have a pretty shoe and all but if it cuts into your feet and you can't do the one function feet are for which is to walk, its not worth it, especially being a busy mom running behind kids.

MamaCare Monday



With Mothers Day looming just around the corner, it was amazing to see the ultimate mama, my "big mama" a.k.a my Grandmother, live in the moment and have the opportunity to take a chartered bus to DC to visit the new Natural History Museum of African American history and culture, https://nmaahc.si.edu/.  Although the museum opened September 2016, and there have been tons of visitors since, for my grandmother to be able to come full circle from the generation she was born in to seeing the this beautiful building erected and inside, installations acknowledging all of the major contributions African Americans have made to this country in arts, music, history, sports, literature, and so on had to be one of the most proudest moments in my nannie's 80+ years on this earth. What made the trip even more special was her first born daughter ( my mother) took her on the trip when Obama was just about to leave the oval office, so she was able to visit Washington with him still serving as our leader of the free world.




Seeing the pictures of my mother and grandmother together sight seeing around our capital, visiting historical monuments, getting to be there while Obama was still in office, and having the pleasure to visit the new museum with a huge grin and smile on her face.......priceless, and warms my heart to a whole other level. Before you know it, you look up and you are ten years older and I know I have questioned myself lately, am I living in the now? making sure every moment counts? Not wasting my happy worrying about things that are out of my control?





Trying to avoid sounding like an after school special, but its true the saying, tomorrow is not promised to anyone so it was completely inspiring to see my grandmother do something she always wanted to do in her senior years.  Mind you she doesn't like really leaving her house nor taking airplanes or even traveling period for that matter, but she moved out of her comfort zone, took a leap of faith and had an amazing trip! A mother of six, grandmother to 12, and a great-grandmother to 4, my "Big Mama" is living her life to the fullest, letting it be know via her actions, its never too late..... make and/or take your mommy moment starting now, doing something you always wanted to do being mindful and present. What activities, events, and/or places you might have been wanting to do or visit? reply back, I would love to hear! Remember mamas invest in yourself so you may continue to invest in others.....Until next Monday.
  

MamaCare Monday



I don't know about you all, but there are days when I am coming home from a long day of work, school, dealing with life in general, that the last thing I want to do is cook.  Although food is essential and vital to living, sorry, apparently I am not one of those fully domesticated moms because I really don't enjoy cooking? however I love to eat and so does my family. Disclaimer; I can cook even though I find the process exhausting, especially when I come home from a really long day, all I want is the food to be ready made to consume. It was suggested to me that maybe I should take the time to prep the meals me and my family want to eat for the week say on a Sunday night of the prior week great idea right! I actually remember doing something like this when I was a kid I scheduled out and created meal plans for the week and my mom would put the schedule up on the refrigerator. Unfortunately as an adult, I haven't been able to keep the same discipline and enthusiasm to continue that routine from childhood. So imagine my excitement when I had the opportunity to go to and cover an event last week Friday that I was invited to by FoodSavers food preservation brand. This was an event they put on to demonstrate how to use and introduce their new product FM1510 hand held food vacuum to the market.


Food Network star celebrity chef Damaris Phillips did an awesome job illustrating how easy, convenient, super simple, and efficient using this system is showing us how to meal prep and create fast healthy flavorable foods for the week. Essentially shaving off the cooking time, preventing waste, and preserving a variety of different foods with their integrative vacuum systems.  One of the things she mentioned in the demo that stuck with me was when we go out and eat at restaurants we are not getting made to order rice nor any other type of starch or provision. Those items have been prepped and preserved so that when people come in to order, its reheated maintaining flavor and off the plate it goes to fill some happy customers belly. This FoodSaver system was designed to build flavor, prep, and preserve like a chef for the home. I can't tell you the many of nights I have come home and I am scrambling racking my brain of what it is I want to cook and once I have the dish in mind that I am going to make, now I have to get to chopping, squeezing, mincing, or whichever it requires to actually start the meal. Learning about this new product and how efficient and simple it is to use is truly an answer and solution to my dilemma. Not to mention that it saves so much money because all of those healthy quality foods and produce that go rancid easily due to the fact that they are actually fresh, now get to stay fresh a lot longer with the storage containers that comes along with the system. You literally vacuum out all of the air so the food stays dry, fresh, preserved, ready to make when you need to without going bad, its amazing!  You can actually keep items like strawberries or avocados longer than three days without having to worry about trying to eat them quickly before they go off.




So the next time you are in the kitchen and you possibly feel the anxiety coming on, maybe try this system and start prepping your meals for either on the go to take to lunch or building for your weekly meal plan. I am supper excited because Food Saver will be sending me my very own FM1510 to try and see how it works and fits into my family's schedule, stay tuned once I receive and use it. I will definitely share what the experience is like.  I bet you this system would work well for parents interested in and/or currently make their own baby food/toddler meals. I imagine this product working well with a Baby Brezza food processor and being able to create multiple quality healthy baby food and meals that can be frozen and/or kept in the fridge ready to go without going bad.....Hey any product that can help a busy working woman or mom, whether she is stay home or out in an office somewhere who has her hands in all the pots literally and figuratively, is definitely worth investigating and trying out. Means less time in the kitchen, more quality time with family. Check out the cool swag bag I got from the event!



Remember mamas to continue to invest in yourselves so you have something left to invest in others..........until next Monday.

Like what you read and look forward to more stories and informational tips like it? don't be a stranger, subscribe to our blog today!

MamaCare Monday



The topic for this Monday is very dear and near to my heart and an issue that gets more and more difficult as the years go by staying in this community.......quality education.  I have always heard many times prior to having a child that doing this particular job (motherhood) is hard work, expensive, challenging as equally rewarding, etc... I agree with most of those things and another adjective I would like to add to the pot is anxiety filled.  Not because I am so much worried that she is going to hurt herself or get hurt, children getting hurt comes with the territory, its to be expected. Its the angst and the anxiety I feel every year as my daughter is becoming of school age, trying to sort out where she will go for school and summer camp activities to occupy her time and provide her with the best education.  Trust it has been no small feat and each year as she gets older and older, it becomes that much more difficult especially as she becomes more perceptive and aware.

As great as the area of JC is with our blended community of diversity, young, and transplant families and singles, with high rises popping up everywhere, small emerging businesses, plethora of developmental programs for young children, one thing that this city seems to be lacking and hasn't gotten quite right is the educational component. Its like being stuck between a rock and a hard place as a parent going through the constant rat race every year to make sure I secure a spot somewhere and/or discover a school that is a good fit for my child, its like a full time job.........oh wait, it is a full time job, I am her mom so its always ongoing.  It has gotten so ridiculous and competitive that you have parents camping out, sleeping on the street for days (yes we were one of those parents) in front of schools for the Abbot pre-K programs in the rain, sleet, or snow so their children can go to and be in a descent school for just one year! There are about a handful of charter schools around and I don't even want to get into the crazed lottery and wait-list system with those, it is enough to pull your hair out!



http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2017/03/snow_doesnt_deter_parents_camping_outside_jersey_c.htmlhttp://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2017/03/snow_doesnt_deter_parents_camping_outside_jersey_c.html

What are our alternatives? what do you do as a parent? remember we are talking about education for barely school age children 5 and under, not even Kindergarten yet, I know its ridiculous, however for working parents, especially those in business for themselves, it has become to me a growing issue in my community. Sure we can pay out of pocket and go the private route but once again being an entrepreneur and trying to maintain the educational expenses for a child not even really considered in school until Kindergarten gets extremely pricey and can become an exorbitant cost.  So the question again, what do you do?
Well first thing is don't panic and try not to worry, trust that is easier said than done especially coming from me, but if you can reserve some of that heightened energy, bottle it, and try to redirect and focus it on making the best decision for your family, it will serve you much better.  When you are relaxed you can see opportunities on the horizon that you might not have noticed prior to being in a frenzy, and with that said opportunity has presented itself in the form of BLMS Montessori school http://www.bergenlafayettemontessori.com/




My daughter Isa had the pleasure of attending this school and being exposed to Montessori education at Bergen Lafayette Montessori when she was 18mnths old to 3yrs.  In an effort to save money with some strategic financial planning, my husband and I being entrepreneurs, we took advantage of JC's free education Abbott program for Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4.  Loved and love both of her teachers she had for both years but next year for K in the public school system is when the real intense curriculum begins and I just want to make sure she is prepared. So I was over the moon when I caught wind of the news that BLMS is not only expanding into elementary but they currently have a petition going to try to get their school program WITHIN the Jersey City Public Schools system.  Not just another charter school, but alternative public school curriculum to offer more available and proven successful education options for the JC community of parents whose children are in the primary years of school. Someone who has experienced this program first hand and has seen the strong learning foundation it has given my daughter even though she has been out of the Montessori school system for 2yrs, I can't say enough great things. If you are a parent like me where you are looking for something different and want to explore other educational options for your child and/or children than just what is available and what public school area you are zoned for, please spread the word and sign the petition here:

https://www.change.org/p/jersey-city-board-of-education-public-montessori-program-in-jersey-city-public-schools?recruiter=193329911&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink



The big meeting with the school board is this coming Tuesday March 14th where our voices as a community can be heard and possibly effect change. Not to sound like an after school special (no pun intended) but the journey to a thousand miles begins with one step. If as a community we want to have better or rather more educational opportunities/options to fit the learning styles and needs of all children, here is your chance to help make a difference and create something new. The goal is to reach 500 votes, so far they have 291, lets carry them over the finish line........

Remember mamas invest in yourself so you can continue to invest in others, until next Monday.......

MamaCare Monday




Given the climate of our country right now with the new government administration and what seems like their growing platform of intolerance, bigotry, and hate masked and buried in trying to protect us and our borders, keeping the "bad dudes" out (literally verbatim, our new president said these words....)with the oh so infamous travel ban, and in honor of Women's History month, a declared month that highlights and celebrates the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society, it is definitely time to raise the vibration. In response to what I stated in the first paragraph about our current government, like most things you try to protect, repress, hide, deny, etc.... the opposite is sure to happen. One of the best sayings, the rode to hell is paved with good intentions. With all this type of energy floating out there within the quantum field, and atmosphere, its always a nice gesture to do the "opposite" again to counteract the energy or rather neutralize it as best as possible.

With that said, I was so happy, pleased, and honored when a couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure to participate in Mommies heart to heart (a local JC non-for-profit charity organization) "Teach Our Children" about diversity and acceptance cultural event. At the event it was great to see all ranges of children from newborn to pre-school age dressed in traditional ethnic clothing of their parents, displaying a beautiful rainbow of diversity and the cherry on top was I had the opportunity to vend next to an organization; "Church World Service" that sponsors and assist refugee women and families in JC, helping them to resettle and get situated being that Mayor Fulop the other day in a town hall gathering stated that JC was considered a or rather deemed a safe haven for immigrant and refugee families.  Lastly it was extremely moving and touching to see this video created by Ali Asaei to shed some light on the immigration situation happening globally and even if its not affecting us directly, it still effects all of us as a whole, please watch but I must add the disclaimer that this video is very raw and documents live refugees traveling a great distance in hopes for something better.....click "video" link to watch and hopefully donate to the cause.

Here are a few pics from the day below, hope you enjoy and if you are local to Jersey City whether you have children or not, please come to the next Mommies heart to heart charity event https://www.facebook.com/mommiesh2h this dynamic duo comprised of Sarah Cho and Kasur Rasul together are a powerful momprenuer brand making a difference by teaching our children how to care, be considerate, and give back. It all begins within the home then branches out into the world......