Celebrity Mocha Moms and Babies

Celebrity mocha mom, Tia Carrea, out shopping with husband Simon and daughter Bianca.

Faith Like A Child

One of the biggest things that my daughter has taught me is that of faith. Sure I have always been a spiritual, church attending woman with faith but I have never seen anything like my daughter's faith. Children have so much faith, trust and confidence in their moms. Faith that when they cry you will come running. Faith that when they are hungry you will feed them immediately and when we they are wet you will change them. They have no doubt in their sweet little minds that you won't be there. They have no idea how you are going to do it or what it may take for you to do this task. They just trust that it will be done. This kind of faith is what my daughter has taught me. My spiritual walk has been a growing process. My faith has been very strong at times and weaker at other times. When I look over my entire life, I see that the Lord has never forsaked me and has shown up everytime. In good times and not so good, he has always kept me from falling on my face. Since I'm not perfect there are still times when my faith is weaker. During these times, I remind myself of God's presence over my entire life and that undescribeable faith of my daughter. Her faith in me has taught me to have the same kind of trust and confidence in God. Never to doubt or question God's love and presence and to know that when I call him, he will answer.

Your Babies May See the First Black President

Moms can you believe it? Your babies may very well see the first black president of the United States! I never thought that I would see it in my life time but I may be wrong. I thought that I would see a woman in my life time as president before a black man. This time in history makes me extra proud. This is the role model we have been waiting for. Our babies deserve to see more than the famous black athlete and entertainer. The leader of the richest country on the planet and the free world and he looks just like them. My vote is for Obama and not just because he is black but because he truly stands for change. He can do the job. So called experienced leaders in the past have created a mess in our country. If we don't put the right person in office, what kind of legacy are we leaving our kids. I don't know about you but I want to leave an inheritance for my kids and not my debts and mess to clean up.

Mocha Moms please get out and do your thing. Vote for the best man.

Protecting Our Kids

Most of us will say that we love our kids and want to protect them. There seem to be a growing number of pedifiles just waiting on the opportunity to take advantage of children of all ages. As parents our number one priority should always be the safety of our babies. Thousands of kids are molested and raped by pedifiles and contrary to what most think, these sex offenders often are not strangers. They are family members and friends who prey on kids of all ages. I am surprised to hear people who still think they need to keep a closer eye on their more physically developed girl. Do they honestly think that a lesser developed girl or a boy isn't at the same risk? A former co worker of mine confided in me one day that she was raped at the age of 6 by her step father. My daughter's pediatrician told me on one of our visits that a 4 month old baby, who had been sodomized, was brought into her office. This child was raped by the family member of a babysitter and had to under go corrective surgery. These are not rare and isolated stories, they actually happen more times than not. Moms we have to pay close attention to who we bring into our kids lives. We must be selective about boyfriends, step fathers, uncles, friends and some time even biological fathers. All it takes is one time to devastate and ruin your child's life. We must also believe our kids when they come to us the first time, not let this linger and act quickly to get the child and yourself out of that situation. Our kids must feel that they can trust us. They must know that mom will protect them and will not put a boyfriend or step father ahead of them. Why would a woman want a man that is making sexual advances towards her child anyway? It is never the child's fault. It does not matter how developed or what that daughter was wearing. No adult man has the right to touch her inappropriately.

Another co worker of mine told me how she was raped by her mom's boyfriend when she was only 11. Not only did her mom take the word of the boyfriend over hers but didn't end things until this no good for nothing was caught with another woman. Stories like this repulse me. This woman didn't end things when her daughter was raped by this man but when he cheated with another woman. What did she tell her daughter in this situation? She told her that her words and life was not valuable. This co worker experienced years of emotional issues along with addictions trying to cope.

I encourage any child or teenager to tell a teacher or counselor at school if your parent won't listen. The school is obligated by law to report these matters. But seriously moms, our kids should not have to go to a 3rd party if we just listened to them the first time. You say you love them right?

Celebrity Mocha Moms and Babies

Kimora Lee Simmons is a shining example of a working, mocha mom doing her thing. While most of us are not in a glamorous, high paying career, we can still relate to the demands being mom, wife and mommypreneur.

Spring Into Easter

Find great his and her matching outfits for your little ones at SimonesRoom.com. These cuties can be paired together for your twins, siblings or that one special sweetie. Angela Bassett would love this for her twins. Each come personalize with your child's name embroidered onto the front. These can be great Easter or spring time gifts for little ones sizes 6mo to 4 years. Also find personalized birthday apparel and a large selection of beautiful Easter dresses at BSwanky Kids Boutique.

Moms Stress Less!!

STRESS. "Yes, the S word'. Stress is the 'wear and tear' our bodies experience as we adjust to our constantly changing environment. Stress has both physical and emotional effects on us and can it can create positive or negative feelings.

As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action; it can result in a new consciousness and an exciting new perspective. As a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach, insomnia, ulcers and other health problems. As you can see, as we adjust to different situations, stress can either help or hinder us depending on how we react to it.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that you shouldn't let things concern you but what I do what to say is that you can slowly begin to reduce the stress in your life.

As women, we wear many hats and as moms, our hat racks are overflowing. Be sure to recognize stressful situations and take a notice of how you deal with them both mentally and physically.

You remember that saying? If mama' ain't happy, nobody is happy? Well, I tend to agree with it so I am very conscience of the stressful situations that I am confronted with and I am sure to time off when I can to replenish my mind, body, and spirit.

Sit back, relax, and see if you can apply some or all of the action steps below into your life and begin on the road to less stress.

Write it down. Write down goals, errands, chores, due dates etc and instead of creating just a "To Do" list, keep a "Have Done" list too. Move things from your To Do list to the Have Done list after having completed them. At the end of the day, review how productive you were.

Express yourself. Unloading your worries and concerns is a terrific way to clear your mind and reduce stress. It's very important not to keep everything inside so try finding a friend or a professional whom you can talk to. You can also write your feelings down in a journal. Moving things out of your head and onto paper can help you release a lot of the inner turmoil you may feeling.

Don't avoid. If there's something in your life that's causing you to worry; seek out things that will help you feel in control. For instance, if you're suffering from financial problems, try read some books on gaining control of your financial life or seek the help of a financial planner.

Drink some orange juice - Scientists have discovered that vitamin C can reduce the production of stress hormones. Try Eating an orange, drinking some juice, taking a Vitamin C supplement. Here are a few foods that are rich in vitamin C: broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, strawberries, grapefruit and cantaloupe.

Exercise. Studies have shown that taking a brief 10 minute walk during intense times will increase the amount of oxygen to your brain, allowing you to think more clearly and ultimately helping you to make better decisions.

Give yourself a license to be imperfect. No one is perfect. Give yourself a break. Try to reach a healthy balance between what really needs to be done now and what can wait. Also give yourself permission to ask others for help when you need it. Adjustments. Let's face it -- there comes a time when we have to make adjustments. Try to identify your stressors and adjust yourself so that you react differently to them.

Article by:
Aurelia Williams, certified Personal Life Coach and owner of Real Life Coaching, invites you to take advantage of a free consultation today. Isn't it time you lowered your Stress?

Check Out the Real Life Guidance .

Natural/Organic Products For Nursing Moms

Natural Nipple Butter - Sweetie, you got sore nipples? Has Mama got the Nipple Butter for you. The first organic, all natural, plant-based balm created without lanolin, so it’s certified vegan too. Earth Mama Angel Baby’s Natural Nipple Butter is a rich, organic cream, made with cocoa butter, shea butter, mango butter and healing calendula. It's safe for both nursing mamas and babies — no need to wash it off before nursing — and it’s hospital recommended!

Milkmaid Tea - Ladies presenting Mama’s most requested organic herbal tea: Milkmaid Tea! Herbal galactagogues wrangle lethargic milk ducts in this battle for the lactating-est bosoms in the universe.Sometimes mama’s milk needs some encouragement. Iced or hot, Milkmaid Tea is a delicious blend of herbal galactagogues, herbs traditionally used to help increase breast milk supply.

Bosom Buddies -
Sometimes a breastfeeding mama and her angel baby have to do some experimenting before the Milk of Momness flows freely. And during that adjustment period there can be some engorgement, clogged milk ducts, and sore, cracked nipples. Bosom Buddies™ is a blend of healing herbs, cabbage leaves and black tea (ever hear a grandma say that nursing women should put cabbage leaves or tea bags on their breasts? Turns out grandma is right!) along with organic calendula blossoms, organic plantain and organic marshmallow root. Fill the included muslin bags with the Bosom Buddies™ herbal blend to create a soothing poultice that will relieve those achy breasts. Follow with Natural Nipple Butter to help moisturize and nourish your breasts and tender nipples so they can nourish your angel baby — naturally.

Find the Earth Mama Angel Baby ad on the left side of the site.

Celebrity Mocha Moms and Babies

Jennifer Lopez is definitely a mocha diva in her first pregnancy with her mocha husband, Mark Anthony. Together they will have a beautiful mocha baby.

Adoptions of Color

With over 500,000 (mostlyblack) kids in the American foster system, I applaud anyone who will step up to care for America's unwanted children. This number don't even count for the millions of African kids orphaned by aids. Are the middle and upper middle class African American families simply ignoring this crisis? Are we investing more into our pricey life styles of sports utilities, flat screen tvs and fashion to even care for one of our own?

It is heart breaking when I hear that other cultures have to adopt our kids because so few of us are willing to do so. Madonna and Angelina should not have had to adopt their black kids if African Americans enjoying the American dream were paying more attention to this matter.

The first thing we have to do is to change the way we think about the topic. It is amazing how much of a taboo topic it is in our community. How can someone think that they can't love a child that they didn't carry for 9 months? Not only is that heartless but also not true. We love people all the time who didn't come out of our bodies. We love our spouses, friends, nieces, nephews and so on.

I don't pretend to be perfect in this area because I have not adopted myself but it is something that I plan on doing in the near future. I am just curious to know what others out there think of this matter.

Celebrity Mocha Moms and Babies

Pregnant, over 40 and just as fabulous as ever. After seeing Demi Moore, Christina Aguilera and other pregnant stars grace covers glamorously while pregnant, I am happy to see this caramel diva show the world how sistas can do it to.

Black History Month

This is Black history month and looking back over history, we have definitely come a long way. Our babies don't have to be escorted into school by federal marshals in order to get a public education. I have to admit that Ruby Bridges' parents were far more brave than I am. Never would I be willing to put my daughter in the line of fire. A line that contained angry mobs standing outside of the school. Racist teachers that refused to teach a black student and having both her parents and grand parents lose their jobs over it all. Some people were destined to be civil rights trail blazers. Maybe that's not me.

I can't even imagine personally experiencing such hatred. Sure, I experience subtle racism like most but nothing this extreme. My experience was one of attending predominantly white, private schools in Georgia my entire life up until high school graduation in the early 90's. I didn't even attend school with black males until I was in college but even after that I can't ever remember not being treated fairly at school. Sure there were occasional incidents where a black student argued with a white student over cultural differences but that can happen anywhere. My friends who went to black public schools actually found themselves in far more confrontations than I ever had.

I know that I was blessed. There are many stories of students from ethnic back grounds with much different experiences then and now in 2008. We just can't forget how far we have come. Although we still have a ways to go, we have so much to be thankful for. Our ancestors before us made so many sacrifices. I thank God for my opportunities daily.

Options For Introducing Healthy Meals Into Your Little Ones' Diet

Almost everyone may remember when classroom bulletin boards displayed the food pyramid. The pyramid – there was only one. One size fit all. Everyone needed to subscribe to the same nutritional guidelines. Everyone was told to merely glance at the pyramid to figure out how many servings were needed each day.Almost all would agree that it is a good thing that obsolete food pyramid has gone by the wayside! It may have taken a while, but the idea that not all people require the same food intake finally caught on. Nor are children expected to follow the same nutritional guidelines as the adults.If you're hoping we'll show you the "kid's guidelines" there unfortunately isn't a predetermined guideline. The amount of food from each food group that each person needs to eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle is dependent on their age, sex and physical activity level. One size doesn’t fit all. You can go to http://mypyramid.gov/ to type in some search criteria to get an idea of how much from each food category to eat every day.Remember balance is the name of the game. Make sure your little ones are eating fruits and vegetables, dairy, meats and beans and grains every day. Then round it off with water, fresh air and exercise. To help you get started, below you will find a couple of nutritious meals for children. This turkey avocado sandwich wrap uses kid-friendly ingredients for a nutritious lunch or treat.INGREDIENTS:• Whole wheat tortillas• 1 avocado mashed• Sliced deli turkey• Shredded carrots• Shredded lettuce• Shredded Monterey jack cheesePREPARATION:Assemble wraps in the following order: Spread mashed avocado on tortilla; Sprinkle shredded carrots and lettuce on avocado; Lay on slices of deli turkey; Sprinkle with shredded cheese.In addition, you won't get any looks of disappointment if you inform the children you're making chicken nuggets for supper. This kid favorite is just as good in the low-fat, oven-baked version. For quick clean-up and extra crispiness, lay a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet; and, then place a wire rack on top of the foil.INGREDIENTS:• skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in 1-2 inch squares• non-fat or low-fat buttermilk• flour for dredging• finely crushed corn flakes for dredging• salt and pepper to tastePREPARATION:Preheat oven to 375. Prepare three large bowls for dredging chicken - 1 with flour seasoned with salt and pepper, 1 with buttermilk, and 1 with crushed corn flakes. Prepare baking pan by laying a sheet of foil over a cookie sheet; and then place a wire rack on top of the foil. Season chicken with salt and cut into 1-2 inch pieces. Drag chicken pieces in flour. Shake off excess flour and coat with buttermilk. Next, generously coat chicken with corn flakes, and place on rack of your baking pan. Bake nuggets for 15 minutes. These keep well for the next day's lunch box so make plenty!The next time you reach into the pantry or freezer to grab something simple to prepare for dinner, take a good analytical look at the ingredients. The idea is not to serve food that is adequate but rather food that is nutritious. Remember that not all of your little ones may require the same servings of food.----------

Would you like more Kid-Friendly Recipes? Christine Steendahl – “The Menu Mom” invites you to visit Kid Approved Meals to download your personal 13 week breakfast and lunch menu made just for kids! Check Out the Kid Approved Meals Ad On the Right Side of the Site.

Pamper Your Princess

What mother doesn't love to pamper their daughters and online shopping is convenient and affordable. The great thing about boutique shopping is that you get unique, one of a kind products that aren't massed produced and in every major department store. Online shopping also gives you the opportunity to shop for bargains. These adorable pieces above are from the online boutique, Kids WearHouse. You can pair either sweet, little, cotton knit, dresses with the the coordinating, chocolate, brown, pants. These adorable pieces come in sizes 0-24 months and sell for $20-$25. The precious shoes would be a perfect match, comes in sizes 0-24months and sell for $24.95.

Check Out the Kids Wear House Ad At the Top of the Site.

Beauty and Our Babies

Hair means everything to the african american community, especially hair texture. For generations we have judged one another by the texture of each others hair. The straighter the hair the better we considered it. It is shocking that even to this day in 2008, we still buy into the good hair bad hair concept. There was a time when many people even chose their partners based on that person's hair texture. More thought was put into producing kids with "good hair" than good character.

I was also personally guilty of this. I am an african american woman who comes from a family of by all standards beautiful hair. My grandmother had long, flowing, silky hair that hung down to her butt. Most of my life was spent wishing that I reached back and got her genetics. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I deeply wanted her to inherit that "good hair" dna from her great grandma and when she didn't I was disapointed. Because I love my daughter far more than these ridiculous standards that were passed down from one generation to another, I let that go. Deciding to celebrate her natural beauty wasn't hard at all. What I want for her is to be confident and to love herself. She should see the beauty in her caramel skin, curly hair and full lips. I want her to know that she determines her self worth and not worldly standards. In a world that does not value black females, we should encourage, uplift and celebrate our children's natural beauty. Encouraging inferiority is what we some times do without even realizing it. There are many beautiful, natural, alternatives to chemically altering curly hair. There is a line of products by the name of Miss Jessies that really brings out the beauty in curly or even very kinky hair. I have decided to keep my daughters hair natural for as long as I can and allow her to decide at an older age what she wants.

I hope no one takes my decision the wrong way. By no means am I saying that deciding to straighten your hair automatically means you feel inferior. I just encourage everyone to celebrate their children's ethnic beauty in a world that rarely to never does.