More murders of African American men have taken place by the boys in blue. This takes me back to just 2 weekends ago when a friend of mine and myself were pulled over...by a white cop. Back up to even 2 weeks before that. I was pulled over by a black cop... Doing 70 in a 60. This cop was very calm, very easy to talk to (considering the fact I was being written a ticket). He properly stated his named, told me why I was being pulled over, and asked for my license and insurance. He even sped the process up because he saw my kids in the car and noticed we were hot. No angry tones, no sense of attitudes, no sense of fear. Now, fast forward to when my friend and I were pulled over. She was pulled over for the same thing, doing 70 in a 60. Her kids were in the car as well. She had Ohio tags on her car, so of course this was the initial reason as to why he chose us, out of all the vehicles going 75 and above. This cop, though, approached her waaaay differently. He stepped up to her vehicle and IMMEDIATELY began yelling at the top of his lungs "LICENSE & REGISTRATION NOW!!!" We looked at each other, then back at him. She handed him her license and asked me to get her insurance out the glove compartment. His body language was so unsure, his voice quivered as he yelled, and he kept his hand near his waist...near his gun. My friend then stated to him "you don't have to yell"... He yelled again, "I'M NOT YELLING" then checked his tone and quickly blamed it on passing traffic. I can't help but recant that situation as I see all the news stories, social media posts, and text messages and think 'damn that really could have been us'... Then I rethink if we were men, AND black, it would have been us!! 

 It makes me sick to my stomach to know that these cops are really claiming to be THAT afraid of us that they feel they HAVE TO kill us. At the same time it freaks me out! I've NEVER in all my 27 years of being on this Earth have ever felt threatened by someone because of the pigmentation of their skin. I am more threatened by actions. In the case of my friend being pulled over, there were no actions on her end. He was volatile...all because we were black! 

I think about my Daddy, my brother, my best friends, my cousins, my godson, my close friends... I think about every black male that has made an impact on my life as if it were them....because it very well could be. I'm exhausted with seeing it. I want to do something! Not just talk but REALLY organize something to make a difference and take the necessary steps needed to stop this nonsensical bullshit!! I hope this reaches someone, somewhere that feels the same passion and ACTUALLY want to be the change!!! I'm tired of it y'all!! We have to fight the right way! 

White Poppies & Warwick Avenue

It's like I'm caught in freshly laid cement, slowly turning into concrete, engulfing me, not allowing me to get back ... Back to fresh air, to growing, patching up the petals, healing my roots. How silly of me to think I was the only flower in your garden...or at least the most tended to, the most nourished, the one you shed your light to, ultimately. Over time I grew dehydrated, gasping for a drop of something, anything to quench my longing thirst, something to fulfill me. The sun...or maybe the storm...yes the storm cast over on me. Out from the clouds poured down the serum that I was searching for-something deeper than water. This serum, extinguished every memory, not just of you... Her too. Every elation, every delight, every bliss. Every laugh. 

Now what do I do with this? This serum has overtaken my natural yearning for Adam's ale. This is all that has been comforting my foundation. I needed to medicate, meditate... Rejuvenate. The only way I can bloom again. Spring, blossom...plant new seeds around me. Drink from new streams, I have to let these summer rains in to fructify my crop. 

I said all this to say... I forgive you... Both. I needed this to happen. I became swallowed and distracted by others' woes and life battles that I could not see my own. I thank you...both. For bringing LIFE to my forefront. This was a very difficult assessment for me, one that I did not think I would pass at all. Rage, fire, blackouts, blank outs and all. I want more for myself. This helped me get out of my writer's rut. This helped me to begin again. So once more...thank you. To be continued... 

Supanaptural Ree is back!!!

John 4:13-14 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 

Fashionable And Thick: Changing The Way You View Sista Big Boned

When you hear the word 'fat' what comes to mind? Obese? Or someone just larger than your "average"? Well Dee Moore, creator of Fashionable And Thick, is here to put a twist to all of that! When asked about her reasoning behind the clothing line, her response was perfectly put: 'Society always frowns upon ladies who are a size 12 & up. We have so many negative stigmatizing outlooks on us such as we are lazy, slouchy, unhealthy, unattractive and just plain out FAT! My # 1 focus is for them to feel comfortable in their skin. I want every plus sized female to know you are not alone and that you can look and feel sexy without being so revealing.' FASHIONABLE AND THICK is a t-shirt line that's changing the way fat is used, created with the plus sized female in mind. It has also grown into an ambassador brand, so ladies that means send in your info to represent!!

Speaking of representing, this summer, July 9th, 2016, is the clothing line's 2nd fashion show Fashionable And Thick Presents: Glamour, Glitz, & Curves (which also benefits breast cancer research). So you know what that means...CASTING CALL TIME!! This is not your average fashion show. Dee will be casting ladies from sizes 12-24. Being a model is NOT a requirement. "It's not all about the latest fashion trends",says Dee, "for me, I do this show every year to help uplift and empower the next plus sized female. Glamour, Glitz, & Curves is an evening of confidence and style" As I mentioned before, it's casting call time! The first casting is FEBRUARY 21ST, in Houston, TX. The 2nd is March 6th, and the third is April 3rd!! So, if you are a curvy diva and would love to showcase it while showing its perfectly fine to not be a size 2, then this show is for you!! Make sure to visit http://www.fashionableandthick.net/ to learn more about the company and the founder, and to get your presale tickets for the show!! I fully support this movement, I feel I have to put on right along my fellow thick ladies!! Share this info with everyone you know, cuz it's about to go down!! And of course, I have visuals from last year's successful show and the following casting call info/dates! Enjoy.

Lady of the hour, Dee Moore

Thanks for reading, stay positive and empowered, and remember

Premiere Week!!! Bluemercury & Sprout Tv's New Series Floogals

Last week I got the chance to attend two great events. The 1st one was for the grand opening of Bluemercury, which is a luxury beauty shop-in-store located inside of Houston's Memorial City Mall (in Macy's). This was my first time attending an event like this so I was really pumped up about it. Seeing as how I'm trying to do a tad bit more on the makeup side and explore different brands and colors, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. There were two areas that caught my eye, the Lune + Aster bar and the Clinique Pencil Bar ::

So many gorgeous colors, so little time to choose!! The CEO's were in attendance and made sure they went around the shop to personally speak with everyone to let us know a bit about how it all began. 

Myself & the adorable Brittainy Perry of Styl'd Grace speaking with CEO Barry Beck

The company Bumble & Bumble were in the building, and the company Educator, Erin Armstrong, was showcasing their new line BB Curl which caters to curls...ALL curls! Pretty exciting since I'm a naturalista. She saw my hair and fell in love! Of course she tried a sample of the Primer and the Defining Creme on my puff!

I can honestly say the end result was given 5 thumbs up! This will be a product that I will invest in, in the near future! The Bumble & Bumble website website is hyperlinked above. And yes the line is alcohol, paraben, and sulfate free!! Make sure to go check them out! There were so many other awesome product lines, makeups, and smell good in one space so I made sure to take all the pics I could... and here's a collage to showcase the greatness of Bluemercury! Enjoy!

The 2nd event I attended was a luncheon for Sprout Tv's new original series Floogals (pronounced like Google but with an 's'). We got to sit and have group conversations with Lisa O'Brien, Sprout's Vice President of Original Programming & Development, Cady Meshnick, the Communications Coordinator, and a host of other individuals including fellow bloggers. I cannot even begin to explain how excited I was for this event simply because I'm a mom!

 With the age range being geared towards 2-6 year olds, this show is perfect for my 2 minis because it's about exploring life from their viewpoint...alien like if you will. Children see objects and places in a totally different light then adults, and this show portrays that very well. There are 3 main characters: Flo who is the only girl of the group. She also seems to be the smartest as she is the experimental, inquisitive one. Her character is a huge image for female scientists and I love that. There's Boomer who is the leader of the pack. He's the one that acts as the enthusiast. Then we have Fleeker- the klutz of the group that makes the show humorous.  Sprout sent us home with two sneak peaks of the show, which premiered January 23rd and airs daily at 8pm ET/ 7pm CST. I had my minis and my 'niece' watch it...they were glued to the screen. They absolutely loved it! 

Oh yeah, the location of the luncheon was a restaurant called Benjy's- "a modern American dining experience with warm Texas hospitality". Beautiful decor and even better menu selections!!! I will be dining there again! And as always I took photos for your viewing pleasures...happy looking lol. 

Top row: Sneak peak of an episode of Floogals,my babies and niece enjoying the show
Middle: A main entree of shrimp & grits, dessert from Benjy's
Bottom: Lisa O'Brien speking with us about the background of Sprout and Floogals

Thanks for reading, I hope you guys enjoyed. Be sure to check out all the good stuff mentioned here today! Have a great day and remember 

B.I.F.C:: Home Is Where The Heart Is

I've been so focused on life and brainstorming other blog ideas that I didn't take the time out to make this post...my trip home to Cleveland, Ohio. 

I was blessed to go home twice in the same year-the 1st trip was for my brother's high school graduation. This time was for the holidays, & I decided to surprise my sister and brother. My Daddy, my Aunt, and my stepmom were the only ones who knew I would be there...outside of friends. I wish I could have caught their reaction to seeing me and my babies as they walked through the door. It was one of those heart warmers lol. What I did capture though, is a few moments of the tree decorating process, late as heck, around 12 am; still fun nonetheless. My oldest daughter, my brother, his girlfriend, my Dad playing director lol, and me...taking pics savoring the memories.

My brother Spencer, his girlfriend Keisha, and my baby Samara

House decor...& my Pops

Family time/traditions are always the best! Here are a few more snaps of fam fun for the holidays:

Left to right: my sister Zavy, my Dad, my Bestie Boo James, Great Lakes Christmas Ale, Dad & minis, my best friend Tim, & my big little brother Spencer

Now I couldn't just go home and not hit up a couple of my favorite places!! I was feening for a polish boy in true C-town fashion, a corned beef sandwich, and some wings...I only got to get the 1st two but it's all good! I also stopped by my favorite nostalgic shop called Big Fun (see what I did there lol)  which is located in the heart of the Coventry area. Of course I took LOTS of photos, it's only right since Big Fun takes you back down memory lane to your favorite gadgets, toys, and trinkets, and more! Here are the visuals, enjoy!

First the food::

Slyman's Deli located on 31st & St. Clair Ave; famous corned beef sandwhich

Slyman's Deli...it was my first time going there out of all the years I've been in Cleveland. It ABSOLUTELY lives up to it's hype!! This place has been plastered all over the place in the culinary world. Rachael Ray even featured them on the Food Network series $40 A Day!! I loved everything about Slyman's from the food all the way up to the decor. The deli has a Three Stooges theme.. one of the owners names is Moe so they took that and the rest is history. There's is also a pretty dope wall photo:

This photo literally take the entire wall up...couldn't get it all to fit

If you ever want to try what a real corned beef sandwich tastes like, go there! But make sure you go before 1:30 pm...they close at 2 and the lines are always around the corner!

Next...

B&M Lakeshore Location

What you are witnessing is magic. A closeup of a polish boy. What is a polish boy you ask? It's a polish sausage placed smack dab in the middle of a bun surrounded by coleslaw and french fries....topped with BBQ sauce!!!! Finger lickin' excellence!! Lots of local bbq/wing places in Cleveland have polish boys. This particular spot is B & M's... they are best known for their wings. They have a couple other locations on different sides of town to suit everyone's needs. 

And now the grand finale: 

Playing around in the funhouse mirror

Big Fun Flagship Location: Coventry, Cleveland Heights

If you have random thoughts of "I wonder what happened to this toy/game/old school ______", then Big Fun is where you should be. Walking through here had me saying alot of awws and oh my Gods. They literally have everything you can think of from whatever era you grew up in!! This place is like a Twilight Zone...only...fun...and colorful! They have comic books, baseball/basketball/football collector cards, throw back gaming systems...you name it, I'm sure they have it or can get it. A great site to see. 

This wraps up a piece of my trip back home. The next time I go I'll definitely make the time to go to a few more of my favorite spots.... thanks for reading...and as always...

2015...Thanks for growing me...

Five days into 2016. I woke up one morning and did my daily scroll session. I came across a tweet about Myleik Teele's (creator of CurlBox/mytaughtyou.com) podcast 'What To Leave in 2015'. I totally forgot to listen to it when she originally posted it, so the tweet was a reminder. And I opened it up right on time!! While I listened, something gave me the confirmation to go ahead and gather my own list of things to leave in the year of 2015. I was in my hometown (Cleveland baby, baaaaby) when I started this post-relaxed and chilled. I just went through a brief shift- losses if you will- but moving forward, I see exactly why they had to happen. Actually that shift is a piece of the inspiration for this post! Now that I'm back in H-Town, my mind/spirit is back on track, and I'm preparing for what's up next!

There are ALOT of things that I personally will be leaving behind for good and not just because a new year is coming. 2015 was eye opening, full of love, had some extreme rough patches that I didn't think I would get through, new friendships blossomed, people/places/things came and went, and overall I did some growing- a crap load of growing. So here's a tad bit of what I will be leaving behind::

1. Not handling my funds properly- credit score included

2. Fixing dead relationships (friends, associates, etc) trying to figure out what went wrong

3. Taking on other people's problems/emotions without looking at my own first

4. Accepting EXCUSES & JUSTIFICATIONS from anyone

5. Getting in my own way

6.  Expecting...anything from anybody

7. NOT speaking up when I need something

8. Not giving myself enough credit

9. Not having balance

10. Taking it personal if other people don't see situations the way that I see them


These are the most important things I decided to let go of. My sanity is so much more important than anything else (outside of being a mother). I've decided to get back to SHERECE (yes, that is my government)...there have been way too many times where I put others before myself, and it's mainly because I'm a nice person with a huge heart. While I won't let anything I went through towards the end of 2015 harden my heart (thx Deneka lol), I WILL be alot more aware and alot more cautious; I will listen to my instincts the 1st go 'round. Everything that occurred last year has made me stronger, wiser, and I know I have a helluva lot of character. IDK how, but it's calmed my spirit too...GINORMOUS PLUS.

I hope this encouraged somebody to sit down and make their own lists of what they're gonna let go of and leave behind for a better them!!

Thanks for reading, Happy New Year and remember

Believe in yourself...for that's the place to start

In a society full of "likes" and "followers" there seems to be a very small amount of room for leaders. Author Yales Smith aims to change that with our upcoming mini generation in his book Kid Miracle.

Kid Miracle is aimed towards 3rd-6th graders, but if your child isn't quite up there yet (like mine), you can still read the book to them. This book is absolutely great for teaching our growing babies life lessons such as being accountable for your actions, the value of hard work, the power of prayer, the true meaning of friendship, communication, and most importantly BELIEVING IN YOURSELF.

Not only is it an excellent read for our future, it is a great read for parents as well. It teaches us (myself included of course) to LISTEN to our children when they are trying to tell us about ways in which they may need to feel encouraged/ supported by us. Not just listen, but apply what is being stated to our daily routine, to encourage our children's friendships (the right ones of course), and to support our children.

One of my favorite things that Smith did was incorporate different quotes in between chapters that are dedicated to why it is important to read. This is inspiration and a stepping stone for our young leaders to see that there were others before them who also loved to read.

And at the end of the book, he inserted pages of goals for the kids to write down any goals or dreams that they want to accomplish. 

I more than highly recommend this to all families with little ones involved. If you want to see your youngster do exceedingly well throughout the school year, have them read Kid Miracle. The inspiration and the message is more than enough reason to do so. 

Kid Miracle can be purchased on kidmiracle.com or on Amazon. The kidmiracle.com site also includes tips on parenting and helping your child to be successful every school year. 

Believe in Yourself, encourage your children and remember