I woke up like dis....#Beyonce

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Beyonce's artistry. I have been a fan of hers since the early Destiny's Child days. So when I received this beautiful t-shirt with Beyonce's album theme on it, I was ecstatic! My sorority sister gifted it to her, and it is FLAWLESS

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

If you bought it, and it's in the house that you pay for, and is being used by a child that you birthed then, by default that means you don't have to ask your child or anyone in your home for permission to do anything. See how that works? Like, can you imagine asking your child if you can enter their room? The room you furnished? In the home you go to work everyday to pay for?

EggggggXactly

Well, something similar to that happened to me yesterday. I picked up Lolo from school and on our way home we ran into my mom and she bought Lolo a bag of Animal Crackers. Thanks Mom! :)

We get home and Lo begs me to open the bag. I open it, after all, I wanted something sweet to snack on as well. So she sits on the kitchen floor eating the animal crackers and I sit beside her, reach in the bag and pop one in my mouth. I mean, I thought we were going to chill on the floor, gossip and snack on some free crackers.   

Suddenly! Everything stops! She looks at me with the blankest stare and less than 2 seconds later she is hollering, kicking and screaming on the kitchen floor.

She is literally so upset that I even had the audacity, to place my hand in a bag of crackers, that were sitting in a kitchen, that I pay to live in. Ok, so let me break this down some more for you, my hand that I used to cling on to the rails of the hospital bed, as I was in labor with her. The hand, I use to go to work everyday so that she can live a good life. The hand, I use to wipe her stinky poopy diapers. The hand I use to pay the cashier for the clothes she has on her back. Yessss.... that HAND!

I'm not going to lie; at first I was like.....

Then the tears got louder and more belligerent......

So finally I blurt out "Sorry Lolo". "I'm sorry. Mama is sorry"! This child looks at me like...

Lolo waiting for a more sincere apology

But because my daughter throws consistent SHADE on a daily basis, she was not giving in this easily. She got up off the kitchen floor and walked away. Oh, let me remind you, that I'm still sitting on the kitchen floor. So, she basically got up, walked away and left me sitting there like a remorseful dummy. In my own home.

I get up off the floor, and find her in my bedroom sitting on the bed eating her animal crackers "in peace". 

I sit next to her and say "Lolo can I have one please?" 

My baby goes in the bag, reaches in and gets not one but two crackers and places it in my mouth! I thought to myself, 'geeesh that was easy'. All I needed to do was ask and I could have avoided the total eclipse shade that happened almost 10 minutes ago. "Hmmm" I thought, perhaps, there are boundaries that I should adhere to. Maybe I should've respected her space. Maybe I should've respected her belongings. Maybe I should lead by example and ask before I take something that's not mine.

                                                        Then I pondered on those thoughts....

Yeahhhhhh RIGHT! That's So Jaded! This is my HOUSE

Lesson Unlearned!

That's So Jaded,

Jae

Ready, Set ... Not Yet #PottyTraining

 It wasn't until I was out of my last diaper mid-way through changing her, that I entertained the idea of potty training my little girl. She and Quintin had just flown home from Florida and our signals were crossed with what we needed for the week. I ran around the house frantically looking for a spare diaper. I checked all the diaper bags, my work purse, and the back seat of my car. NOTHING! Ugh, what am I going to do I thought? I looked over at Lolo as she stared at me, with her legs dangling in the air, waiting for her wet diaper replacement.

Lolo unamused by my antics 

It was at that moment that I said, I have to potty train her, because I just can't keep up. -- I'd heard many times that girls are easier to train than boys so sure I figured this would be a piece of cake. Right?! Additionally, she had already been showing interest in bathroom activities. Following me to the bathroom whenever I had to go, and sitting at the door like a watch dog until I was done. Her recent obsession was getting tissue so that she could "help" me after I used the bathroom.

That weekend I went into Buy Buy Baby and literally bought everything I would need to potty train little miss Jade. I got the Dora Potty Toilet , I got the big girl, potty training seat that goes on the big toilet, bought the portable seat for public restrooms, a step stool so she could climb up, baby hand soap to wash her hands, and even got the soft toilet tissue so it could be soft on her privates.  I think I dropped like $130 on all these accessories and "things" that I thought would make my life easier in terms of potty training her. I was so excited! My baby is growing up. No more diapers. Just cute little panties that say, "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday" on them; and of course she would ALWAYS wear the right day of the week because that's what Mitchell's do.

No MORE DIAPERS! What! What! 

Leaving Buy Buy Baby, I just knew Lo was gonna be all into this. And since she's my baby, she'd likely ace it on her first try (insert proud mommy *smirk* here). I get home and set everything up for this grand affair. You have to understand that in my mind, this was going to be an epic right of passage to her little-lady/womanhood

I pull down her diapers and sit her on the baby toilet. The thought just excited me, I start to clap loudly. She's so amused at the sight of Dora on the toilet seat that she won't even concentrate. "Mama ah Dora, ah Dora" Yes, Lolo that's Dora! Then she says, "Mama Sit". No, Lolo I don't have to go to the bathroom, but you should go though. "No sit". So, yeah, I sit      . Then she starts looking down at her private area and at that moment I'm sure that things are finally clicking for her. Sure, she's seen me on the toilet countless times so I know the big reveal is close by.

You can do it Lolo! 

A few moments pass and she gets up and says "Mama All Done". For a second I was excited. "OMG, my baby pottied, I just gave birth to her the other day". But then it dawned on me that of course she didn't use the potty because I would have heard it. She starts clapping for herself   and walks away; diapers at her ankles, bare booty just fading into the darkness....

I try to contain my disappointment but all I could do was look her in the eye, and whisper in my head.....

Don't Judge Me! Ok! OK you can judge me! 

What boggled me most is that she knows and understands quite well when she has to use the bathroom. So I was a bit perplexed why she wouldn't go on the potty. Like it's right there, it's so easy. Just do it.

That moment, when you realize that your baby is just as normal as all the other kids can be quite a rude awakening. As moms we swear up and down that our children have these super powers that they don't. We think they're the best, the smartest, the prettiest, the kindest child that has ever graced this planet. I'm pretty sure that some of you reading this believe your child will cure cancer one day. And, maybe they will... but then again.. maybe they won't and that's ok too. But, what I am learning most from this potty training process is that you can't rush perfection. It will take time, Lot's of time and one day it will click for her. That one day just hasn't happened yet. So... off to Costco I go.

Huggies! Size 5 please..... 

What are some of your potty training woes or successes?

That's So Jaded,
Jae

Statement Jewelry for Tots

Ugh! It was a sad day in mommy accessory land when Lolo took my necklace which I've worn on countless occasions and broke it. I loved this necklace. It was multifaceted. It was chic, bold, colorful, sassy and fun. This necklace was truly a statement piece. 

Necklace - Dressed Down

Necklace - Dressed Up

Lolo and I had a family trip to Kansas City, MO to attend my cousins wedding. I love our airport outfits to be comfy yet stylish! 

I still had the necklace that she broke, hoping, dreaming and wishing that one day it would come back to life. Well, it did. I was able to gather some of the missing links and make a necklace for Lolo to wear.

I got crazy glue, needle and thread and a magnifying glass and I went to work. 

• For the gems that had fallen out of the necklace, I glued those back on and used the heat from blow dryer to reinforce them.

•I used the needle and thread to piece together the links. I did this over many times to ensure the necklace wouldnt come apart due to the heaviness of the links. 

• The final product is below

Denim Trill

Moms, if ever you're shopping for

your kid and you see something that doesnt quite fit them, buy it anyway and alter it yourself. You be the fashion designer and let your little one be the star.

That's So Jaded,

Jae