1. OMG those babies. My heart breaks everytime I hear something else about the shooting. Frankly, I would like to go back to the cozy little bubble known as T4 that I live in. While so many ppl are arguing gun laws and mental issues, I just want to hug my baby a little tighter and kiss her more. (And maybe possibly sleep with her so that I know no crazed lunatics tried to kidnap her during the middle of the night…)
  2. I hate the “B” word. I was spoiled. My siblings were/are spoiled. Needless to say I don’t find anything wrong with spoiling a child. But my mom was also hard on me. I think I have a nice balance. So maybe spoiled is the wrong word. Maybe showered. Showered with love, affection and really nice gifts :-P. Either way I think it’s all about balance. Having someone show you they love you does not make you a brat. And there are many ways to express and interpret love. Read the Five Love Languages.
  3. As much as Temi’s screaming drives me up a wall. I realize that her communication skills aren’t very developed. So when she gets frustrated, angry or sad, she will scream and cry. It’s my job to help her learn how to be an effective communicator. (Hey that’s what my degree is in, so maybe I’ll get to use it after all. :-)) At least I can drink on this job. 😉
  4. Lately, the Mama Bear is coming out full force. I’ve always spoken my mind with those closest to me, but I generally try not to offend or hurt people. It’s becoming harder to do that when my family (T4) is involved. I love my extended family and friends. And I want to help and protect them. But the urge I feel to protect the family I helped create is so much stronger and primal. It’s almost uncontrollable and I’m okay with that.
  5. I need to do a better job of staying connected with those I love. In my perfect world, keeping in touch is a two-way street. And for the most part, it is. But there are still those family members that simply don’t pick up the phone (or tablet/PC), yet still expect the communication to keep flowing their way. It’s not in my nature to put effort into relationships that the other party does not. Yet, I still feel bad that Temi is growing everyday and so many of those people have never seen her or have only seen her once since she was born. As much as I hate it, I know that it’s on me to put go the extra mile.
  6. I want Todd and me to be better than our parents. Not that our parents were necessarily bad. But I want us to take the good (or the things we liked) and build upon it while learning from our parents’ mistakes.
  7. There was a certain class of 2005 that said it was “Sweeter the Second Time Around.” Well, I knew back then they lied and now I can say with absolute certainty: “It gets no SWEETer than the first.” I have the various aches, hormones and morning sickness to prove it.
  8. I think my daughter is absolutely superly duperly the best. She is my heart and I fall in love with her over and over at least a million times a day. My love for her makes me want to give her the world. I just hope it doesn’t blind me to her shortcomings. Cuz I want to be able to help her accept and overcome her weaknesses so that she can be a blessing to herself and others. I don’t want to hinder or harm her.
  9. My daughter has an awesome smile. And it’s not just me saying that because I’m her mommy. Her teachers call her “Smiles” because she’s always smiling. She is smiley, bubbly and affectionate and I never want her to lose that.
  10. I know that Temi watches me way more than I watch her and so she’s inspired me to make some changes in my life. I plan to give back more by volunteering and paying it forward, removing negativity from my life as much as possible, and being more positive. I want to uplift people more than I tear them down.
  11. Temi is going to give me a run for my money. She is so independent. She wants to do everything herself. I hope she doesn’t become a perfectionist like her Mommy.
  12. While most parents get annoyed with kids programming, I think I’m going to be that parent that likes the shows more than my children. After all, I did watch the Disney channel all the way up to college.
  13. I’m pretty sure Temi has her aunt’s hair texture which is funny on so many levels to me. My sister was my first “baby” and till this day, I’m protective of her. I guess you can say I have a little Mama Bear instinct towards her. I was combing Temi’s hair when I realized that Temi pulled her hair out in the exact same spot that Myahna cut hers when she was about Temi’s age. At the time, I was styling her hair the same way I used to style Myahna’s. Which is awesome to me because the love I have for them both, they also have for each other.
  14. I was talking to Keisha and realized that because of the age difference between me and my siblings, our children will never grow up together. Makes me thankful for the opportunity to know Todd’s side of the family. At least my kids will have some cousins to grow up with. (Some of my fondest childhood memories are with my cousins, not my school friends. Cousins are special because they’re siblings with different parents.)
  15. Most of my friends that have kids live in different states and cities. It’s sad because these are the people whose kids I imagined my kids would grow up with and be best friends. I think they should all move back to Chicago so they can be near me and my kids 🙂
  16. My best friend needs to hurry up and have a child before my kids are too old to play with her kids and she has to hire them as babysitters.
  17. I need more videos of Temi. I have lotsa pictures. Not so many videos.
  18. I can’t wait to have Mommy/Daughter dates with Temi. In my head, we will get our nails done together and go for movies and ice cream and lunch and just have a good time. I want to start now, but I don’t know any places that she can really enjoy. Ideas?
  19. I need to get out the house more. With Temi, with Todd, with Temi and Todd, with my friends, with/by myself. I’ve never really been a club/bar person, but I was never stationary for too long. I’m turning into a homebody and I don’t like it.
  20. There’s not enough time in my day but I am determined to be super mom/girlfriend. One day Todd is going to look up and the house will be clean all the time, there will always be a homecooked meal, I will be doing stuff with Temi, having plenty of Taija time and still make time for him. I may become addicted to Limitless pills, but one day it will happen.
  21. Did I mention that I love, Love, LOVE my daughter? Oh, I didn’t well I love her so much.
  22. I just realized I never blogged about Temi’s first time saying “Ma.” I actually don’t know the first time she said it. She says so many words (and have said so many before “Ma”) that it kinda didn’t phase me. It did, however, make me stop in my cooking tracks when she stood by the oven and sang “Ma, Ma, MaMa, Ma, Ma, Ma, Ma, Ma” for about a good minute or two. That was earlier this week and that would be when it hit me, that according to Temi’s world, I now have a name. Is the infamous “Maaaaaaa” terror about to begin?? We shall see.
  23. Temi plays her grandparents and plays them well. Her Nana and Granny are like putty in her hand. And she knows this.
  24. Temi is so sweet that’s it’s just OMG, but I think she’s starting to use her sweetness to her advantage. Don’t wanna go to sleep, oh that’s fine, I’ll just give Mommy a kiss and play with her nose.
  25. I absolutely, positively love my family. T4 is awesome and I just want to give us the world. My outlook on life and my priorities have shifted majorly and they revolve around T4 and I’m unapologetic about that. I want and need my own life outside of my family. I get the healthy value blah blah for all of that. But I’m a mother and family woman now. I’m not single. I’m not childless. And I don’t mind.