Mommies have you met the 'Nose Frida'?

I had been looking endlessly for a quality nose suction aka nasal aspirator like the ones they give you in the hospital for newborns. They're strong, they appear to be made of the good stuff and they get the job done! The toddler age can be synonymous with germs, runny noses, and relentless coughs!

But of course as time passes and your kids grow you lose them; and end up running to the Walmart's of the world to find the perfect suction for your kiddie. Since, they're not quite able to grasp the concept of blowing their noses yet. But, let me be the first, or second to tell you that the drugstore ones just do not compare. They stink and are frankly too weak to aid in the wellness of your child.

I went to Amazon a few weeks ago and saw many suctions while searching for the perfect one. Some were high priced, looked "pretty" and said all the right things to make consumers like you and ME run out and buy it. Because of course, us mothers, aunties, and grandma's want the best for our little ones! Right? See, that's how they get us! But the reviews sucked! They were pretty, but they weren't practical!

I finally ran across the Nose Frida! It was ugly and looked weird! Plus, it was $15. I thought, "that looks really cheap, confusing, and quite nasty to be a whole $15". 

I read the reviews and suprisingly Moms seemed to be pretty pleased with the brand and its ability to get all that nasty mucus out of their children. I called my friend Shari and she said she had one for her son Cameron. That urged me to give it a try!

I LOVED IT!!!!!!!

This thing is light in weight and truly gets the job done. You put the tube in their nostrils, you suck on the suction (so you can control how hard or soft to blow), and the mucus comes out full force in the safe little tube. It's genius and germ free.

Keep in mind, your kid will still kick and scream at you out of fright!

Don't touch my nose!

But it's completely harmless!!!

This product can be used from infancy to even a child up to 10 years of age. Sometimes, they just don't know how to blow their noses properly and when they get really sick it can hurt to keep blowing with a tissue. In addition, to getting the scaly red nose from too much touching and blowing. 

The Nose Frida is a great product, it's easy to clean. It's a nose aspirator that really works!  #ThankMeLater

#ThatsSoJaded

-Jae

Spring Ahead with Banana Spring Rolls

For the most part my household is relatively healthy!  Quintin and I work out about 4x a week and try to enforce this lifestyle on our child. Every morning, we take a shot of freshly squeezed lemon juice, drink a green tea and take our gummy vitamins    . This is to help us detoxify from the day before   

But then, there are those days, especially when Spring and Summer hits that you have to indulge in all the goodness that life has to offer! So as we were lounging around the house I decided to make our favorite dessert "Banana Spring Rolls". Keep in mind, this will put them pounds on ya, so eat sparingly with caution!

Ingredients:

Bananas
Flour
Brown Sugar
Baking Soda
Cinnamon
Butter
Warm Water

Steps:

Cut up some bananas

Mix the flour, water, baking soda, butter and brown sugar

Dip the bananas in the flour mix

Heat up a frying pan with canola oil and place bananas in the pan

I pulled some vanilla ice cream out of the fridge, cut up some berries, grabbed the caramel, sprinkled some confectioner sugar and made an absolutely delicious dessert for the family! VOILA!!!

#LipstickAndAprons #ThatsSoJaded #JJHomeMaker

Street Style | Fab Frames for Tots!

I would never say "I'm into fashion" because for me that sounds so pretentious. However, I do enjoy adorning myself with pieces and garments that reflect my personality and personal style.

The same can be said for how I approach my daughter's style. I will search high and low for particular pieces for my Lolo. Don't get me wrong now, I love shopping at Target, Walmart, Carters etc. for my daughter because she grows so fast and it would be a total waste of money to shop otherwise. Yet, I like seeing my little girl in adult style clothing but made for kids. For example, Blazers, Knee high boots, trench coats, leather, lace and purses (just to name a few).

I like Lolo to be more chic and less girly if I can help it. In other words, I tend to stray from disney characters and cartoons on t-shirts etc. I absolutely think they're adorable and when I receive them as gifts she will wear them but I won't personally go out and buy them.

Moving along, I was shopping one day looking for toddler size sunglasses and all that was available were these plastic, bright pink, super kiddie and colorful sunglasses. Now, that's fun for the beach and hot summer days but I was really hoping I could find something that would reflect our style but in her size.

Yeah! No.. not really my style

A few weeks ago, I was doing some online shopping at The Children's Place and FINALLY!!!!!!!! I found some kiddie sunglasses right up my alley! They were AVIATORS!!! I love aviators! They are my style of choice and I wear them winter or summer as long as it's sunny out! These style of glasses can be worn by men and women and it looks awesome on all face shapes (round, oval, heart shaped). I was so happy to find them in a size suitable for my daughter. They are so darn stylish yet subtle in its appeal.

HOW CUTE!!! I bought 2 pairs; black and gold!

It was 50 degrees in Boston yesterday! So we put on our matching khaki trench coats, we both had our hair braided up and threw on our aviators to conquer the world together!

My aviators can be found on Ray Ban. The larger size retails for about $160

#ThatsSoJaded #RockMomEssentials

Tantrums ! Toddlers ! & Terrible Two's!

I'm not going to lie. As a black child, or rather growing up in a black household, we [or I] was conditioned to think that only certain kind of folks kids had tantrums in public places. We [or I]  was conditioned to think black/minority kids just didn't behave that way because they just knew better. And we knew that if we acted out in public in front of our mama's that it would be our behinds when we got home. 


Even today as an adult, I would see kids throw tantrums in public places and I would just shake my head.  Thinking, "you know, if that were my child that would never happen!". I imagined that "I would do this... and say this...and do all these things, that I never even saw my own mother do because guess what? I wasn't crazy enough to have a tantrum in a public place.     So at this point, I was really just guessing the kind of hell I would give my kid if they embarrassed me. 

Ohhhhhhh... But ONE SWEET DAY!! 

Quintin and I went to Home Goods because we are  I am re-decorating our formal living room. We had been shopping for about an hour, when Lolo started to get a bit fussy. So I asked him to run to the car and get her snacks and juice box to calm her down. She continued to fuss and whine the whole time he was gone. So, I had the bright idea to take her out of the shopping cart and let her walk beside me as I shop. You know, let her stretch her legs a little bit. 

Don't you know that out of the clear blue heavenly skies, this girl threw herself down on the floor like she was caught by the holy spirit? Lolo started kicking, screaming and hollering on the floor of these peoples store!!?!?

Exactly what it looked like

I turned around with the speed of lightening and couldn't believe my eyes!!! 

Complete and Utter Shock! 

I whisper "Jade get up"... she gets louder. "Lolo Up-Up" (trying to use baby talk) she becomes more belligerent. It's like at this very moment, I was on stage. It was my chance to do all the things, I swore up and down that I'd do when I saw other children acting out in public with tantrums. I panicked! "OMG where is Q" I need some male authority over here. At this point, folks were starting to stop and look at us. The same way I would look at those women whose children chose the wrong place and time to want to show off. It's like all these women knew I had casted judgement in the past and they wanted to see me squirm and suffer.

I swear this is how they looked!

After a few minutes of what felt like hours had passed. Lolo was still acting up, and most people started walking in opposite directions as if not to embarrass me more. I gave Miss Jade Lois a piece of my mind:

I mean.. in so many words!


I was so upset and quite frankly embarrassed at this point. I yelled "Lolo if you do not get up I'm going to leave you right here!!!!" I thought I was in the aisle by myself,  until I turn around and see Mrs. Perfect with her well behaved toddler in his green little jacket sitting in his cart both staring at me. 

And what are you looking at? 

I could have wrung that woman's neck! I wanted to be like "BOO"! 

The nerve of her to judge me! 

Quintin finally shows up with the snacks! I snatch it out his hands; mad at him, Lolo and everybody! But, at this point Lolo is more calm because I basically went from Susie Homemaker Perfect Mom to Shaquita Neck Breaker Ratchet Mama! and I think she saw the rage and drank a cup of that "act right", that I was serving her. 

Long story shorter, don't let life deal you a slice of humble pie that you can't chew. Judge Not!

#ThatsSoJaded

Afrique Chic #GetTheLook

I recently attended my cousins wedding and had a blast. Since, we are Liberian it is customary for us to wear African clothes, styles or designs to such events. I, on the other hand opted for a mixture of styles. I wanted my look to embody the essence of West Africa, with a European/Western/American flare. African pieces are very bold in color and pattern. In fact, sometimes I feel as though African Attire can be over the top (which can be a great thing). But,  for me, it all depends on my mood and I was not in the mood to be in a head to toe costume. [Wait, was that shade?]

Usually what an African event looks like

Below is the look I opted for.

I went for a floor length emerald green satin dress with a keyhole in the chest area. In fact, the keyhole was open from my chest to the middle of my bosom. I took the dress to my seamstress to sew a clip in between to minimize the sex appeal of the dress. After all, it was a wedding and we'd be in a church.

Most of my cousins and family members wore extravagant headdresses and mine was gold with a hint of silver. I paired the headdress with gold pumps. The accessory that brought the look together was my Kente Cloth (African) clutch. It had the bold African style that I loved but it was subtle. This small accessory made a loud statement, even more so than the headdress in my opinion. I put some royal purple eyeshadow on my lid which brought my primary color palette to a full circle. Green, Purple, and Gold. All colors of ROYALTY!

Color blocking is an exciting way to express individuality. It says a lot about yourself by the colors you choose to pair.

Fun Fact: I dressed my daughter in purple to match my clutch

Jade Lois aka Lolo

Here's How You Can Get The Look:

Top Shop $180

ASOS Gold Headpiece $20

  

ASOS Pyramid Clutch $37

Mommy, what's a hater??

A snowstorm was hitting Boston. I left the office early to beat the traffic. My mom had offered to pick up my daughter and bring her home for me. I was unsettled though. Something didn't feel right, I kept thinking about my Lolo. The snow was starting to come down heavily and I asked my mom if she was sure she'd be able to drive in all of that snow?

It's so weird but I had a pit in my stomach. Finally, I reach home and my mom asks me to come down and help her bring Lolo up. I see my baby safe and sound and I'm good.

Thank Ya Jesus!

But in an instant my mom says, Lolo's teacher said there's a letter in her backpack for you and Q! Damnnnn. Something happened, just like I had been feeling.

I open the letter and the first thing I see is "Incident Report". I'm like "lawd what happened with my child!?!? " Let me tell you, the incident report said "Jade Mitchell was bitten today at school, please be assured that ......" it doesn't even matter what the rest said, I slowly starting seeing red.

Lord, whose parent I gotta smack?

I immediately became very upset that as my child sat during story time another young child (a girl) went over and bit her on the finger. That crazy little child bit skin off of my baby. What in the cannibalistic HELL???? I immediately thought of how scared my child must have been as she screamed out, while being attacked. I'm not even going to lie, I was really hurt by this.... but more importantly, I was....

So here I am with an 18 month old and I have to explain to her in the best way I can, what a hater is.

"Mommy what is a hater?"
Well in your case my precious baby, it's another person who doesn't want to see you happy and winning. It's someone who wants to be you so badly, that they jump out of no where and bite you! Like a damn Ms. Pacman. 

I mean sure, Lolo is a shade connoisseur, she is. She's mad stank at times. And no one likes a stank girl. But, is that grounds to bite her? Oh you're mad because her hair is neatly braided for school each day? You mad because her mama makes her lunch extra pretty each day? You mad because she's the youngest in the class and you miss being that young, even if it was just 3 months ago? WHY ARE YOU MAD?

Sure, I may be a little overzealous with calling this other toddler a hater... ok ok! Maybe a little mean but geesh she bit my baby!!!! Do NOT BITE MY BABY!!!

END OF STORY!!!

-Still So Jaded,
Jae

Be Inspiring - Be inspired