Kids say the Darndest Things!

Your children are a reflection of you: The Good, Bad and the EMBARRASSING! 

Kids will say and do some crazy things and usually at the wrong times!

Yeah you find yourself laughing because they are so innocent and adorable however there are times when those moments are embarrassing and leave you speechless! 

Have you ever been in the store and your child decides that they are going to do what "they " want to do, get to acting all wild and excited and end up knocking down a display, making a complete mess--EMBARRASSING!  

Has your child ever repeated something you said in front of company and then YOU have the nerve to look at them “wondering” where they got it from--EMBARRASSING!

Just about all parents have been in those situations, sometimes more than we like. In my case, each day is a new opportunity for my son to surprise me with an embarrassing moment! As parents we have to be mindful of everything we do ALL the time because our kids mirror us! They are little “sponges” and like to emulate what they see from the people they are around most, YOU!

If you are wondering if you are setting a good example for your child…simply watch them to find out! The good thing about parenting is each day you have another chance to make things right!
Let's laugh together, share some of your most embarrassing stories of what your children have done in public or share stories of things you remember doing to your parents as a child…we all have a story!

I can't wait to see what my little one is going to do next!
THE TODDLER MOM CHRONICLES,
Miisha Clemons 
Edited by @royalbeautyV

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SuperMom is Tired!

How can I maintain my superpowers if I'm tired! Tired mommies aren't productive mommies.

Why must time work against us? Heck, is it ever on our side? If you're a mommy to one child, two, or three…married or single…it doesn't matter we are all always BUSY and on the go!

It's tough NOT to become slaves to time and that's an awful helpless feeling! Do you ever get the urge to break free!! Well we can't rewind the maternal clock but we do have to steal some time away for OURSELVES every now and then!  We are constantly moving, planning, scheduling, working the 9-5, cooking and blah blah blah. Is there any title that we don't hold?

Tired moms often unconsciously neglect themselves. The family and the children are the number one priority. If we never stop to take time for ourselves then how can we give our all to everyone else? Is it possible? Where's the balance?

It’s necessary that we recharge our internal batteries by doing things that are fulfilling to "US. Our personal lives are important too! Schedule time for YOURSELF each day, it can be 10 minutes! Those moments can make all the mental difference in the world! Go work out,  spend an hour a day in a good book! Attend a pampering party or have your own relaxation day! Chose a few days out the month to go and hang out with friends so that you don't lose a piece of yourself. 

It's ok to have some "you" time supermom! You deserve it!!

Grabbing my cape, 

Miisha Clemons!

article edited by @royalbeautyV

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The Toddler Mom

Hmmm, let's see..."marbles and sanity".
Will those two words ever go in the same sentence when you are blessed with the superpowers of being a toddler mom!?

We can't lose our marbles, no way! There are days when maintaining a healthy level of sanity isn't easy but hey...somebody has got to do it. After all "SuperMom" does mean we can do it ALL, right?

We can save the world 100% of the time dressed in heels, cooking the meals, wheeling the kids around town with an awesome shape and a killer smile. Right?!
Well moms, there's never an appropriate moment for us to have our own personal pitty parties because we are too busy tending to everyone else's! So grab your cape off the floor and strap up...we are going in!!
It's Mommy Chronicles Time!!!

I mean who are we kidding, waking up at 6am to a little voice demanding breakfast is pretty cool. Right? Listening to a whiney little voice reject the same breakfast they just got you up at 6 in the morning for, is even cooler. right? LOL. Can you feel the sarcasm dripping off these words? Wait now, don't get too sensitive being a toddler mom is a JOY but it's not always a walk in the park. In fact, some days those "walks in the park" are conveniently in the middle of torrential down pours and once again you were too busy putting out pitty party fires to grab your umbrella!

Now how exactly do you maintain some sense of sanity living in a world of a 2 year old. Wait, you did know it is their world right? Well, here's the answer...You have to speak their language!
Toddlers are at an age where they have begun to walk and discover. One thing they discover first is "Independence".

Each day of independence in a toddlers mind can be taxing on parenthood.  Of course we want our babies to be self-sufficient and independent but at this 'toddler stage' of life the child isn't the least bit conscience of “their position” lol. Let me make this simple. Repeat after me, "I am the PARENT, and you are the CHILD".  There's their position. That one phrase will save you from a lot of extra explaining in your daily parenting.

You most certainly want to encourage their freedom by engaging them in independent activities but they also have to understand the meaning of the word "NO". You are guiding them through this newfound independence but like everything else in this world, there are boundaries and this is the perfect stage for you to teach them this. The word “NO” is the beginning of the “breakdown” or breakup of the parent-toddler connection to say the least.

"No" is a word that has no positive meaning with a toddler. If we don't explain the “why” after the “no”; the child may not understand. In order for parents to have some comfort, joy, love, peace and happiness (yes all of that LOL) in their lives while raising a toddler; simple changes and words can make a world of difference.

You want to let children know their boundaries in the midst of your teachable moments so remember...that dirty word "no" may come up often.
Teaching and Guiding Independence
1. Incorporate your toddler in household chores.
2. Teach your child how to organize toys and how to clean their bedroom
3. Expose them to a variety of situations, people, places and things.
4. Give them a little responsibility outside of the home. Example: Grocery Shopping | let your child help put groceries in the cart
5. Manners. This is simple.  By displaying manners to your child, your child will reciprocate.

Practice what you preach. The toddler stage is a spongey one. They absorb everything around them. Be sure to let them absorb your SuperPowers and sometime supermoms just have to say "NO"!!

Signing Off,
Toddler Mom

The T. M. Chronicles

Written by @royalbeautyv and Miisha Clemons

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Prep your Kids School Clothes for the Week

September | 2013

Hey Moms!! How many of you all can relate to experiencing total chaos with getting your children ready in the mornings before school??!! Lol it can be a frustrating process DAILY! If your child is not a morning person (picture that :) then getting them ready in the mornings is not always pretty, in fact some mornings they are so uncooperative that you really want to just throw in the towel and tell them to do it themselves. Is that being too honest? 

Some kids are just too sleepy to even care in the morning so you are constantly repeating the same instructions...

"wash your face", 

"brush your teeth", 

"did you put lotion on?", 

"where's your other shoe"

"do you have everything you need in your book bag"

"why is your shirt on backwards"

I can go on and on because I know you all can relate but this post to to help SAVE THE DAY! The easiest way to avoid school morning frustrations is to 

PREP YOUR KIDS FOR THE SCHOOL WEEK! 

Use some time on Sundays to gather your kids clothes for the week! Yes pull out all 5 outfits for Monday-Friday and make sure everything is clean and presentable. Don't stop with just the outfits either! Grab the shoes for each outfit, socks, undies, and iron everything that needs to be pressed! Get it out the way and this is a HUGE task that you will not have to worry about each morning. It will save you a lot of time! You do this and you will surely eliminate some of your morning blues!

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Natural Kids

Natural KIDS

Meet Londyn Shanell, my 7 year old:) Oh my how time flies don't it! She is a natural just like her mommy and she understands the importance of proper hair care. I teach her about pre-pooing, shampooing, the harmful ingredients in shampoo's, conditioning, deep conditioning, the dangers in heat styling and moisturizing. She's only 7 but she is absorbing this knowledge early. It's vital that we teach our daughter's the do's and don'ts of black hair and how to enhance it's beautiful features.

Londyn's texture is very easy to work with due to genetics. LOL, let me clean that up…I'm not patting myself on the back either, that credit goes to her father who's hispanic so her texture is mixed, curly and silky. I would never ever put a relaxer in my daughter's hair. I remember how pretty my natural was when I was very young and I also remember my first perm…well we all know the damage relaxers do to black hair over time and I really wish I could have known that and learned how to maintenance natural hair early but I didn't have a clue until the age of 27. The mistakes I made with my hair I vow to never let my daughter go through. I heavily research this industry and we both we benefit from it.

This pictures shows the results of her quick 2strand twistout . Last night I put about 6 twists in her already damp hair, I even showed her how to do it herself and she caught on quick.  This morning when we took her twists out I noticed that her hair was still damp in some spots meaning her hair is high porosity and retains moisture very well. Porosity is simply defined as hair's ability to absorb moisture and it makes a difference in what products should be used. My hair on the other hand is low porosity and needs assistance maintaining moisture like "sealing" it in with an oil.

The 2013-2014 academic school year starts tomorrow and my daughter says she really doesn't want a lot of hair bows and ponytails this year. She wants her hair out. I think she's too young to start wearing it out all the time because in my opinion hair bows preserves the youthful innocence of children so to come to a happy medium for the both of us I decided that she can wear different variations of natural styles. Now I have to toss out the twisty hair balls and purchase clips, headbands and ribbons:) I'm going to have a lot of fun with this!

Natural Kids are blessed:)

Products Used
To Twist:

• Water and Aloe Vera juice mixture
• Cashmere Curls Leave-in Conditioner
• Wetline Extreme Styling Gel

To Untwist (in the morning):

• Shea Moisture Gel Soufflé
• Beautiful Textures Curl Definer Mousse

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Great Friends are Hard to Come By

Meet a Woman of Virtue and Strength...

Author Monique Yesenia is ALL Substance with a ton of Love, Understanding and even more Personality!

"Friends" are the family that you chose for yourself and "kin" are the "family" that God gives you. Well thank God for the ability to chose your family right lol! Having this woman as a friend is equivalent to having a valuable diamond in your possession at all times. This virtuous woman right here is the sister I always wanted, I'm blessed to have her as a great friend.

She is a two-time published Author and the creator of M.Y. (Monique Yesenia) Cosmetics.  Her publications include the titles "Lessons Learned" and "Think like the Original Woman". I did say she was virtuous right! I mean those titles alone show what this beauty is all about. As if that wasn't enough, Monique is also a motivational speaker and the force behind "the Evolution of Ethic Beauties" a Women's Empowerment and Social Group. Most notable of all she is one of my best friends and I learn from her daily. How amazing is it to have a best friend who possess such strength and worth.

A woman who can build her own successful brand from ground level, publish two novels, lead a powerful organization, and be an influential force in the lives of her family and friends allllllllll while battling Lupus is a woman who deserves to be honored!
Today, Beauty Intoxicated is honoring you and your brand! Thank you for being a strong Black woman. A powerful African Queen!

Monique Yesenia's Next event: 
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Time 2pm-until
House of Consciousness Debate Panel (Battle of the Sexes)
600 W. 35th St.
Norfolk, VA 23508
for more info call (757) 553-4663

For more info on Monique Yesenia and her upcoming events visit her site www.MoniqueYesenia.com

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Stocking Stuffing

Christmas 2012

I had so much fun stuffing these cute little stockings last night after my little ones had gone to bed!! They are great inexpensive additions to the gifts under the Christmas tree!!!

The origin of the Christmas stocking came from a popular legend about a generous villager by the name of Saint Nick. It is said that he would climb roof tops in the middle of cold winter nights and throw gold coins down the chimney's of the less-fortunate. These gold coins would land in the stockings that the commoners hung by their fireplaces and it brought cheer to many children in the village on Christmas Day.

I have 2 children and four stockings lol. That's how PACKED these stockings are! Of course they had to be hung by the fire place and they do their job in adding to the Christmas spirit.

Just looking at them underneath the white Christmas lights takes me back in time to my childhood when I desired simple things like this. I don't remember many Christmas mornings where I had a load of Christmas gifts under a beautifully decorated tree. Christmas just wasn't heavily celebrated in my family due to lack of finances. I wish I had memories of a 8ft tall tree decorated with 1000 lights, 1000 more ornaments, sprayed in artificial snow and adorned with more presents than I could visibly count underneath. I wish.
My family was poverty stricken and with a single parent mother who's only income was disability, we just could never afford it. We had what we needed to survive and that was about it. We were happy with what we had because we knew nothing else. "You can't miss what you never had", right?

You can go your whole life without those "precious moments" and sadly they will become unimportant to you.  The entire preparation stages of Christmas will mean nothing to you. The tree, the shopping expierence, decorating, cooking, gift wrapping….it will all mean nothing. In circumstances as such, when you grow older you have to be careful not to fall into that poverty stricken mind frame of "have nothing, do nothing".

That's an unfortunate way of thinking and for years I was like this because of my childhood. I would celebrate Christmas but at the bare minimum. I didn't have the genuine love for the traditions of the holiday embedded in my soul because I was never fortunate enough to practice it as a youngin. Now in my adulthood I have learned to simply make due with what you have. You can make a little go a very long way if you are creative and thoughtful. It's not about how much money you spend but merely about the "love" that you put into those gestures around this holiday.

The spirt of Christmas is NOT all about buying gifts but traditions surrounding this holiday give you something so much more precious and that's--Great Memories.

The Tree-- The Centerpiece for Christmas. It is the most recognized symbol for the holiday. 

The Gifts-- Material things aren't the most important things in life and we all know this, hopefully. Gift giving dates back to the birth of Jesus when the wise men presented baby Jesus with gifts, these were the first gifts exchanged on this day which is now a huge tradition the Christmas holiday. When searching for that special gift for a loved-one you should be looking for something meaningful, something that you know they will enjoy. Something that's sure to put a smile on their face. Search for something that they will get great use out of. Gift Giving requires you to be Thoughtful and thoughtfulness is a beautiful part of the holidays.  It's about taking a moment away from "yourself" to think of someone else.

Decorating-- The decorative lights and candles symbolize Christ as he is the light that brightens the Earth. The wreath's most symbolic feature is it's shape: the circle, which has no beginning and no end which is equivalent to eternity and God's love for us. The mistletoe is in invitation of Love. Christmas Angels represents the shepherds at the birth of Jesus. Christmas cards are decorated and covered with meaningful pictures and thoughtful words. The cookies are presented as simple tokens of love and appreciation. The icicles date back to an old story about when Christ was a child and one frosty winter night he had to find shelter under a pine tree, when the tree realized that it was sheltering the son of God, it shed tears and the tears froze under the cold night air and turned to icicles. The Christmas Star represents the Star of Bethlehem which guided the 3 Wise Men to Jesus on the night of his birth. 


Christmas Dinner-- Cooking a festival meal is the best way to gather loved ones and celebrate the reasons for the season together as a family. The pictures taken and the memories created will most definitely last a lifetime.



Happy Holidays everyone! Remember to give with your hearts and Love with the Love of God. I hope  you enjoyed my article and I pray that you share it along the way:)
Peace, Blessings and a Merry Christmas to all of you!

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Holidays with Family

Thanksgiving has came and gone and Christmas is on it's way, the best part about the holidays is time spent with family.

Plan your holiday with love ones and make sure you have a fantastic time!
Now-a-days families aren't as close as they should be or used to be back in the good ole days but that can easily be changed. We all have a little disfunction but that's life and unimportant.

Your friends are classified as family too. They are the family we chose for ourselves, what a blessing lol!!

Whatever you decide to do just make sure you plan this holiday season with the ones you LOVE.

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Great Friends, Great Times

My past few weekends have been consecutively awesome!!
Looking forward to the weekend is something many working professionals do. When you dedicate your work week to the grind, when Friday rolls around you suddenly feel like sliding allllllll that to the side and getting wild. In my case, crazy wild!!
I really don't be giving 5 damns who watching, who talking, who judging, who hating...if you watching me I'm gonna give you what you are wishing for!!




I get a kick out of people watching me get loose because I don't care what people think. No ignorance involved at all, you DON'T have to act a plum fool to enjoy yourself. I work hard so I play hard. I'm so comfortable in my own skin that it's ridiculous. When I step out my number 1 goal is having an amazing time. I love to dance and drink and the combination of the two is always EPIC LOL.


This weekend's celebration was in honor of a few birthday's. My circle is getting old, aging and like wine, getting better with time. I'm happy to have such positive, inspirational and goal-orientated women in my life. We truly compliment one another on a professional level and in our personal lives. I especially appreciate being amongst friends of different professional genres. I really don't prefer being around folks that do the exact same sh*t I do, market saturation--"that's that sh*t I don't like! *Chief Keith voice* LOL!!


Anywho, Catch 31 on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront was the dining venue of choice Saturday and you really get what you pay for as far of the atmosphere is concerned. The scenery is truly beautiful. For me it really gives me a Miami feel. Grown and sexy isshhh. The beach breeze, tropical drinks, weave blowing in the wind, sundress, oversized sunshades is all I need to set my mind free.

Great friends, great times---what more can you ask for?

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Trayvon Martin VA Rally

Yesterday I had the humble pleasure in being a part of history. The Zulu Nation, The Nation of Islam, 'Taking back our Hoods' and countless other organizations and VA citizens decided to come together and take a bold stand for Justice.

The painful details surrounding the unfortunate demise of yet another young brother prompted a nationwide protest. People across the globe are grabbing their hoodies, skittles, and ice teas and demonstrating to the jackasses that think they can just murder innocent men and women that we are not a THREAT!!

A hoodie was exactly what 17 year Trayvon Martin had on when he was killed in cold blood and skittles and an ice tea were the only items in his pocket when he was accused of having a weapon. If that ain't a pretty picture of BULLSHIT then I don't know what is. This act of racial profiling directly hits home in our communities because we experience it all too often and it's time for a change!

"Too many Murders, Too Little Justice" was the theme for the flyers and rally posters and "No Justice, No Justice NO Peace" were the words roaring in unity among the protesters. Every race, religion and age group was represented as we stood tall for Trayvon out in the pouring rain. The VA Hoodie Rally made CNN news and the passion for the cause was well captured. There were so many emotional moments as mothers and fathers took to the makeshift platform that the organizers used as a stage. They stood on this platform and shared words of empowerment and inspiration. They sparked a fire in our hearts to unite as a young generation and take back our Hoods, to be PROUD of the color of our skin, and to educate our minds in the TRUE history of our people.

A young brother from the 'Zulu Nation' got up and profoundly read excerpts from "The Willie Lynch letter, The Making of a Slave", that cut us all so deep that some of the protestors began to shed tears and others will visibly angry. Angry at the truth in the words and how we as a race allowed it to become a reality. "The Making of a Slave" was a speech delivered by Willie Lynch in 1712 on the banks of the James River right here in VA and gave clear direction on how to physically and mentally control a slave. This "secret" that he shared with other slave owners was to simply "set them (Blacks) against one another". I have one word for this--"Wow"!

I'm going to leave that at THAT and hopefully others will begin to retrain their thinking and begin standing for worthy causes. If you don't stand for something then you will certainly fall for anything. We Stand in Solidarity with Trayvon Martin's family in their quest for Justice.

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Moving Day

Finally settled!!!
Just moved out of my huge house into something more intimate and controllable. LOL, yes I used the word controllable because my last home was so BIG I had to hire "the help" to assist me in maintaining it and keep it clean. I was exhausted and completely done with the responsibility of having something so overwhelming so I decided to downsize just a wee-bit:)

Moving is exhausting in itself isn't it!!! Talk about drained...I AM BEAT! I did so much of the work myself because my husband has so many jobs and really couldn't be there to take on his share of the work. After all the packing and moving some boxes my brothers came through and completely took over the remainder of the work. THANK GOD FOR THEM!!! I was stressed, aggravated and in a horrible mood because I just wanted to snap my fingers like a genie and be done with the whole process. In some ways I feel like God granted me that wish when my brothers showed up with smiles on their faces, full of energy and ready to work:)

Let's face it, who likes the actual moving process? My brothers came and worked faster that any moving company could've and that was after they left their own jobs working a double shift!! I have a whole new respect for them. A few hours later they were done and my headache is over:)

So what are the TOP 5 things needed for a Stress-Free Inexpensive Move?
First- you need you Get packing supplies/tools. Get more than enough boxes because it's always better to have more than enough than "not enough".
You don't have to be all fancy and get special boxes either. A box is a box lol. Some people like to get those kitchen boxes that separates their glassware with little dividers. Ugh PLEASE! Save yourself a dime or two and wrap those glasses/plates up in some newspaper! They will be just as safe.

Second- Find some packing help! Grab a spouse/friend and start with one room at a time. My best friend Monique Yesenia came through without me even asking and starting packing. I'm so lucky to have a BFF like her. We sat down and discussed what we were going to work on first. It's easier when you have some direction of what you are actually doing. When you do one room at a time you start to see some progress and that does wonders for you mentally lol.

Third-Call your city's free trash removal service and schedule a pickup of the items that you are not taking. Instead of throwing away things that you don't want anymore call the Salvation Army and have them come and collect those items.

Forth-Set up your Moving Service. Call a moving company and reserve a truck at least 6-7days before your move. Don't forget to get a dolly as well, it helps move your boxes faster saving you 50% of the time.

Fifth-If you didn't hire men to help you move then call some male friends/fam at least a week in advance to assist you. Nobody likes last minute requests for help so be sure to get that out the way asap!!


Take this advice and your Moving Day will be a little less stressful than mine was lol!!
Ok I wish you a Happy Moving Day....and I do mean "Happy" :)

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Mama was the Cornerstone

Ya'll remember the days when grandma (big ma) use to be the cornerstone of the black family? This use to be true for majority of African American households. Big ma use to hold the family together and make sure to plan family gatherings on the regular. Some big ma's use to prepare family dinners every Sunday and the entire family would come to enjoy each other's company and an Thanksgiving like feast.


Big ma use to have the big southern style home with the wrap around porch with the rocking chair swing out front. She would have a vegetable garden out back and a flower garden out front. The trees in her yard would even grow some type of fruit. This is an illustration of a happy southern family. Everyone would be in good company with long time family friends and the good Soulfood cooking would fill the home with it's aroma. No one in the family come close to touching big ma's cooking! She had the best food in the world it seemed. Even when someone would fall ill or hurt themselves Grandma had her way with lots of old school home remedies and they all miraculously worked!Grandma meant a lot to the family because she had a hand in raising them all. Those were the days.

Now a days...grandmother's are barely in their 30's, still hanging in the club and don't have time to deal with the most precious thing life has to offer: FAMILY. You can see the shift in this cultural tradition by the lack of values and morals people have now towards family.

I pray one day we will get back to this tradition.

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