NS Nation - 10lbs down with Nutrisystem!

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I've been meaning to write this post a lot sooner but we have had so much going on in the past few weeks.  The worst was having to attend a funeral for a 7 year old child -- no one should ever have to go through that experience.  It's hard enough when the funeral is for an adult, but when you see your own daughter so upset about having to attend a child's funeral it makes it even worse.  It was the most emotional funeral I have ever been to, it was just terrible.  On top of that we have had our fair share of being sick around the house, Alayna was sick for the longest and she was just absolutely miserable.  Though, through it all I actually feel like Nutrisystem helped me from emotionally overeating, which is what I usually do during hard times.

Nutrisystem has been helping me for almost an entire month now and on the plan itself I lost 10 lbs. (And 10 lbs prior to that doing this on my own.)  Let's take a look at the two ways I had been losing weight since January.  From January to February I did it completely on my own and from February to March (almost) I've been on Nutrisystem.

Cost & Preparation:  Nutrisystem is actually fairly low in price, if you really think about how much you actually spend on healthy food each month.  Consider buying produce (which is almost never on sale), meats, cereals, etc...  From Jan-Feb when I did this on my own I spent a total of $489 on healthy food.  That's quite a bit.  On top of that, I had to take the time (between my two jobs) to actually figure out what to make and prepare the foods that I purchased.  Many times that actually made me late for my second job and absolutely exhausted. With Nutrisystem EVERYTHING is prepacakged for you.  The only thought process you have to use is to pick what foods you want to eat that day.  It's practically effortless.  All of the foods are quick to prepare (45 seconds to 2 minutes at the max) and you have a quick and easy breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert at your fingertips.

Taste:  I was on Nutrisystem once before in 2007 and the food wasn't bad at all, however I did feel like I had to doctor it up to make it taste a little better.  I'm actually very pleasantly surprised now (with their new programs & formulas) with the food.  It's absolutely delicious and needs little (or no) doctoring up at all.  The frozen foods on the program need no doctoring up at all -- they're amazing.  My favorite lunch foods are:

• The frozen flatbreads
• Chicken Soup
• Mexican Tortilla Soup

And my favorite dinners are:

• Chicken Pot Pie
• Risotto
• Frozen Pizza

I do have photos & reviews to post about these foods, this will start this coming week. I have much more detailed reviews to write about this program but due to everything that went on in the past month I haven't had the chance to post them.  They will be scheduled and posted this week, so keep your eyes peeled or subscribe to our RSS feed, twitter, facebook, etc...  to keep up to date with my journey.
So far I'm 21 lbs down and going strong. :)

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Grab-N-Go Fresh Food Is Expanding Non-Traditional Food Outlets

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Hot Dog Carts once a novelty, quickly became an acceptable option for ahot meal, snack or on the go ready-2-eat fresh lunch option in urbancenters.  Today hot dog carts are aliveand well, but crowed out is some cities by taco carts, carts offering wraps andsome focused on salads alone.
The grab-N-go fresh prepared ready-2-eat and heat-N-eat food aka thegrocerant niche is expanding beyond carts to food trucks, C-stores, Grocerystores and retail drug stores all adding made to order foods.  Walgreens is offering fresh prepared products from sushi, salads, wrapsand sandwiches all made fresh in the stores is select urban markets whileoffering fresh prepared packaged options in many suburban locations. Gone arethe days of roller grill hot food masked as fresh and better for you.
Consumers increasing are leveraging many platforms including restaurants,grocery stores, C-stores, food trucks, carts and C-stores for purchasing mealcomponents that can be bundled into a family meal.  Fresh prepared ready-2-eat and heat-N-eatfood that is “better for you” will continue to drive retail sales as long as itcontinues to get closer and closer to the consumer. What new avenues ofdistribution is your food in?
Interested in learning how FoodserviceSolutions® 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand whilecreating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiationand individualization contact us via Email us at: grocerant@q.comor visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerantortwitter.com/grocerant

Take-Away, Take-Out and Ready-2-Eat Fresh Food Sells

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The Grocerant niche filled with“better for you” Heat-N-Eat and Ready-2-Eat fresh prepared food can drivecustomer counts and frequency when consumers believe the food is “local”.
In a new study by A. T. Kearney found that Seventypercent of Americans would pay more for locally grown foods, survey says: 66%buy local because they believe it helps local economy, 60% because they thinkit offers better assortment of products, 45% because they believe it's morehealthful.
The food business is just that simple. Allmarketing is local. Consumers want to buy, eat and share fresh food.  Leverage restaurant and food marketing segmentation techniques, the ilk of Threep toaggregate messaging via groups by day-part, age, gender, and otherdemographics, reaching sports teams (little league to senior bowling), companyoffice workers, church groups, bridge clubs, birthday groups, and many more. Interested in learning how FoodserviceSolutions® 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand whilecreating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiationand individualization contact us via Email us at: grocerant@q.comor visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson,Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

Coffee a battle over market share is brewing and Burger King is throwing the first punch.

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Convenience Stores have be sipping / siphoningcoffee market share from the restaurant sector and as Mitch Morrison reportedin CSP Daily News C-stores “are finally growing their total hot beverage unit salesafter the economy fell in late 2008.(They) are now back and above historicalunit consumption levels.

Burger Kinghas taken notice. In fact Burger King following the lead once again ofMcDonalds has upgraded its coffee offerings with the help of an unusualrestaurant sector competitor Starbucks wholly owned subsidiary Seattle BestCoffee. 

Understandingthe importance of fresh brewed ready-2-eat food and “better for you” beveragesBurger King is levering one of the 5P’s of food marketing (Price) to introduceits new line and garner trial with consumers. Consumer can “Receive a 12-ounceSmooth Roast Coffee For Just 25 Cents Now Through March 10^th atParticipating BURGER KING^® Restaurants Nationwide”

Restaurants including Burger King have aplethora of advantages over coffee offering from C-stores and adding price todrive trial will be key.  However speedof service, available inside seating and bundling meal components will alsocontribute greatly.  Who’s food are yourselling and what channels would you like to be in next? The Grocerant Niche isfilled with opportunity. Is your company ready to get in the game?

FoodserviceSolutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help youidentify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities ora brand leveraging integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visitFacebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant ortwitter.com/grocerant

Does your Restaurant have seats to fill M-Th?

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If success leaves clues one clue is consumers are dynamic not static.  While consumers evolve it is critical that companies move with consumers.   In a new Technomic study found that “More than any other factor, 69 percent of consumers report that dining with friends contributes to a fun, exciting restaurant experience (2013 Menu Positioning & Occasion Driver Consumer Trend Report).
I would like to introduce you to Threep.  Threep is a mobile application that rewards users for visiting your business in groups of 3 or more people.  It is consumer interactive and participatory, with real time consumer relevance, adding value to your brand, building sales with incremental group size, and leveraging Micro groups for Macro results.  Threep is a sales building tool that complements restaurant LSM programs.By leveraging segmentation techniques, Threepcan aggregate groups by day-part, age, gender, and other demographics, reachingsports teams (little league to senior bowling), company office workers, churchgroups, bridge clubs, birthday groups, and many more. Threep can drive top linesales, leveraging micro groups for macro results. Bottom line: Threep puts buttsin seats.  
I look forward to hearing your thoughts onThreep,  Today you can download theThreep app on an iPhone or iPad from the iOS app store, and very soon it willbe available on all android phones as well. Visit www.threep.com  clickon the dark bar in the middle of the page of a 1 minute video for moreinformation. Interestedin learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify yourretail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenientmeal participation, differentiation and individualization contactus via Email us at: grocerant@q.com or visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

MoMA Design Store: Amber C. Jones “New York, Phew York: A Scratch and Sniff Adventure”

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The MoMA Design Store continues the success of the Children’s Author Events on Saturday, March 2nd with Amber C. Jones presenting her book “New York, Phew York: A Scratch and Sniff Adventure.”

Amber is a New York City Concierge and an active member of Les Clef D'or USA and the New York City Association of Hotel Concierge. She is a three-time nominee for the NYC Big Apple Award for "Best Hotel Concierge".




What: Amber C. Jones “New York, Phew York: A Scratch and Sniff Adventure”
Date : Saturday, March 2, 2013
Time: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.,
Age: Ages 4-12 years old

The story is told through the eyes of a child on a family vacation. It's an exciting, interactive journey through all of the New York City's neighborhoods, as recommended by a hotel concierge whom the family befriends. All of the books smells are synonymous with the city - both good and bad. From fresh bagels and pizza, to garbage and sewer steam, this book ventures into 19 neighborhoods and uncovers many eclectic scratch-and-sniff scents. Attendees will receive a scratch and sniff bookmark.

The event is free. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

To learn more visit - https://www.momastore.org


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Do babies need perfumes like Mustela Musti Eau de Soin Spray?

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I remember when my son was an infant, I was constantly smelling him. He smelled so good. There's something special about a new baby's scent. To be honest I still sniff him but that new baby scent is long gone. No more clean innocent baby smell for him. In a way I wish I could have bottled that scent to save. But I think some things just can't be bottled. Or can they?

I recently received a pitch about "a widespread trend we’ve been seeing recently – perfume for baby". Now my first reaction was, I can't see spraying my baby with "perfume. But the pitch claimed that this practice has been going on for while. Go figure what I know huh.


Scenting your little one has long been a popular practice in Europe and Latin America, and with new launches it is quickly catching on in the US – but perfuming isn’t just about deodorizing! It creates a bond with baby, and the scent can bring back memories in years to come.

Mustela Musti Eau de Soin Spray is ideal for baby because it is alcohol-free (won’t dry the skin), hypoallergenic, and helps skin stay moisturized with extracts of plants renowned for their softening properties. The delightful, light scent has tender aromas of flowers and fresh fruits.

Other perfumes for baby include:

• NEW Dolce & Gabbana Eau de Enfant
• Bonpoint Eau de Senteur
• TOUS Baby Eau de Cologne
• Philosophy Baby Grace Fragrance

Seems spraying babies with perfume is more wide spread then I thought. So I wanted to share this information and get some feedback. Would you perfume your baby?


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Macy's Celebrates Gordon Parks for Black History Month #MacysBHM13

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This past weekend, my son and I headed back to Brooklyn and into Macy's for their in-store celebrations for Black History Month. Since the Brooklyn Macy's store is located in one of the central areas for the African American community and families, it was great that it offered a variety of family friendly activities for Black History Month.


The first activity we joined in was at the children's "Design your own book" event with story telling. My son joined the other kids in crafting his own book, where he completed activities like drawing his hand and filling in questions about himself. While the kids filled up their book, an artist went around sketching portrait of the kids for their book covers. I thought that was such an cool idea.


After working on their book, the kids (and me) sat down for story time. A professional story teller read "of Thee I Sing" written by President Barack Obama. She also taught the kids a song in a African native language.


Our next stop was to the Soul Jam style dance party, where my son showed off his dance skills in a mini video that was turned into a mini book. A book he shared with Ann Tripp from the “Steve Harvey Show” on WBLS, who was there to share music and get the people dancing.


Later that day we took our seats for the "In Conversation" with Danny Simmons, Nelson George, Warrington Hudlin and Lauri Lyons for a discussion on Gordon Parks' influence on film and the future of African-American cinema.

Each of the panelists shared their memories and insights into Gordon Parks works as a filmmaker, author, musician and photographer. They discussed how Gordon Parks was really a renaissance man who was able to connect with anyone and share his vision.

What was remarkable to hear was that Gordon Parks was told he didn't need to go to school. That black people didn't need a higher education. Not only did Gordon Parks get his higher education but he went on to be extremely successful in many different areas including being a photographer for Life magazine and the director of the original Shaft movie.

The panelist also discussed current artist trends happening here in American, in African with Nolo films and online with independent media. For creative types within the African American community, there's lots of ways to produce work outside the mainstream.

For those interested, you can learn more about the American Black Film Festival and Macy's Sweepstakes for a trip for two to The American Black Film Festival in Miami, courtesy of American Airlines, a $1000 Macy’s shopping spree and Gordon Parks: Collected Works, a five-volume set of his photography. Enter by February 28!

Macy’s is continuing the celebration of the life of Gordon Parks with more "In Conversation" discussion with special guests and a photographic art installation featuring some of Gordon Parks most beloved works, such as American Gothic, Washington D.C. 1942 during the month of February! To learn more visit http://bit.ly/BHmonth

The life of Gordon Parks has shown.....if there's a will, you'll find the way. Keep being creative and adding your voice to both the artistic and to the human community. What a great lesson for Black History Month!

Note: As a member of Everywhere Society, I was invited as media to cover this event and was compensated for this post regarding Macy’s Celebration of Black History with Gordon Parks. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Posted in: Event

Taye Diggs & Kellogg's to Share 1 Million Breakfasts To Fight Childhood Hunger #ShareBreakfast

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In celebration of National Breakfast Week, Kellogg's is making a difference by sharing breakfast with children in need. Parents know that breakfast is essential to giving kids the start they need to help unlock their potential. But not every child gets this important start to their day. In fact, nearly one in five children across the U.S. goes without breakfast every day.


That's why Kellogg's, and their in-school breakfast partner Action For Healthy Kids®, have partnered with Taye Diggs for the third annual Share Breakfast™ program. Together, they are making it easy for families to help share one2 million breakfasts with kids who might otherwise go without.

"The Kellogg's Share Breakfast program is very personal and important to me. My mom was a teacher, and taught me at an early age that eating a good breakfast was key to succeeding in school," said Diggs. "Even now, from being on set to playing with my son, eating breakfast gives me the energy I need to start the day right, and keep going."

The Power of Breakfast in Action

Research shows that breakfast can help kick-start a child's metabolism, energy and focus for learning and can help set them up for a more successful day. Preliminary studies reveal that students participating in school breakfast programs generally had fewer school absences and tardiness than children who did not participate. Together, cereal plus one cup of milk is a leading source of ten nutrients important to growing bodies, and provides all four of the nutrients Americans are missing most7 – calcium, potassium, vitamin D and fiber.**

How to Join the Share Breakfast Movement

It is simple to join the movement. For every view, share, tweet and comment of the PSA and Great Starts videos, Kellogg's and Action for Healthy Kids will share breakfast with children in need.

Families across the country can share a breakfast with a child in need in a number of ways:

• Watching and sharing the Cypress Elementary and Hodge Elementary Great Starts videos on ShareBreakfast.com
• Sharing the public service announcement with friends
• Liking or commenting on the Share Breakfast Facebook page
• Posting on Twitter with the #ShareBreakfast
• Sharing and repining on Pinterest
• Viewing the Got Milk? Ad with Taye Diggs and his son Walker on ShareBreakfast.com
• Visiting spoon installation events in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. to "raise a spoon" and give a breakfast to a child in need

To learn about all the ways families can get involved for Share Breakfast 2013, Visit www.ShareBreakfast.com


1 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2012. Breakfast: Percentages of Selected Nutrients Contributed by Foods Eaten at Breakfast, by Gender and Age, What We Eat in America, NHANES 2009-2010. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/fsrg
2 Each time you share, Kellogg will donate the monetary equivalent of a school breakfast shared. Kellogg will donate up to $250,000 – the equivalent of 1.25 million school breakfasts shared. Program ends 4/15/2013.
3 Kleinman RE, Hall S, Green H, Korzec-Ramirez D, Patton K, Pagano ME, Murphy JM. Diet, breakfast, and academic performance in children. Ann Nutr Metab. 2002;46 Suppl 1:24-30.
4 Kosti RI, Panagiotakos DB, Zampelas A, Mihas C, Alevizos A, Leonard C, Tountas Y, Mariolis A. The association between consumption of breakfast cereals and BMI in schoolchildren aged 12-17 years: the VYRONAS study. Public Health Nutr. 2008 Oct;11(10):1015-21.
5 Cooper SB, Bandelow S, Nevill ME. Breakfast consumption and cognitive function in adolescent schoolchildren. Physiol Behav. 2011 Jul 6;103(5):431-9.
6 Kleinman RE, Hall S, Green H, Korzec-Ramirez D, Patton K, Pagano ME, Murphy JM. Diet, breakfast, and academic performance in children. Ann Nutr Metab. 2002;46 Suppl 1:24-30.
7 NHANES, 2003-2006.
**When eating a cereal that contains fiber
8 U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), 2010. 7th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, December 2010.
9 The goal of one billion servings is based on an approximate serving size of one ounce.

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Posted in: CelebNews, Food

Michelle Obama & Sesame Street Let's Move! PSA

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First Lady Michelle Obama and Big Bird have Team Up to get kids healthy and active in these new Let’s Move! Public Service Announcements Filmed in the White House.


The new PSAs, are launched as part of the third anniversary celebration of Let’s Move! – Mrs. Obama’s initiative to ensure that all our children grow up healthy and reach their full potential.



The new PSAs feature Mrs. Obama and Big Bird in the White House showing kids how easy and delicious it is to eat healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables and demonstrating fun ways to get active like dancing and jumping.

Soon, the First Lady will kick off a two day nation-wide tour celebrating the anniversary by showcasing progress and announcing new ways the country is coming together around the health of our children.

Mrs. Obama launched Let’s Move! on February 9, 2010 to unite the country around kids’ health and create real support for families to live healthier lives. Thanks to these efforts,

• Families now have access to more information to make healthier decisions for their children. 
• Young people now have more opportunities for physical activity in their communities. 
• Food in schools has been dramatically improved. 
• More Americans now have access to healthy, affordable food closer to home. 
• And the national childhood obesity rate has leveled off, and even declined in some cities and states.

More information on three years of healthy changes can be found here.

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Posted in: Health

Michelle Obama & Sesame Street Let's Move! PSA

To contact us Click HERE

First Lady Michelle Obama and Big Bird have Team Up to get kids healthy and active in these new Let’s Move! Public Service Announcements Filmed in the White House.


The new PSAs, are launched as part of the third anniversary celebration of Let’s Move! – Mrs. Obama’s initiative to ensure that all our children grow up healthy and reach their full potential.



The new PSAs feature Mrs. Obama and Big Bird in the White House showing kids how easy and delicious it is to eat healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables and demonstrating fun ways to get active like dancing and jumping.

Soon, the First Lady will kick off a two day nation-wide tour celebrating the anniversary by showcasing progress and announcing new ways the country is coming together around the health of our children.

Mrs. Obama launched Let’s Move! on February 9, 2010 to unite the country around kids’ health and create real support for families to live healthier lives. Thanks to these efforts,

• Families now have access to more information to make healthier decisions for their children. 
• Young people now have more opportunities for physical activity in their communities. 
• Food in schools has been dramatically improved. 
• More Americans now have access to healthy, affordable food closer to home. 
• And the national childhood obesity rate has leveled off, and even declined in some cities and states.

More information on three years of healthy changes can be found here.

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Posted in: Health

PlusMotif Interchangeable Cases for Tablets, Kindles & iPads

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PlusMotif are these AMAZING cases for iPads, Kindles, and Android Tablets with interchangeable Motif designs, PlusMotif also includes a notepad with a dual stylus/pen.


You never have to be stuck with the same case forever again, and with PlusMotif you can keep your style changing with the seasons, holidays, or even your moods. You can look up recipes, the latest fashion trends, or information about the newest tech gadget and then write down all the information you need right then and there.

PlusMotif variety of covers range from $17.99 - $39.99, and the interchangeable designs range from $3.99-$5.99.

For more information, visit www.plusmotif.com

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Posted in: TechFocus

Red Carpet Ready Oscar de la Renta Children Fashion

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This weekend the Oscars will take place. There's sure to be lots of glam and beautiful clothing on everyone. Want to get your children Oscar ready? Here is a selection of red-carpet-worthy Oscar de la Renta childrenwear.


BOYS SOLID LONG SLEEVED SHIRT, $85.00
BOYS CLASSIC TWILL TROUSERS, $115.00
BOYS COTTON TWILL BLAZER, $250.00
BOYS CLASSIC TWILL TROUSERS $115.00
BOYS LINEN BLAZER $275.00
BOYS WIDE STRIPE LONG SLEEVED SHIRT $85.00


LEATHER MOCCASINS $110.00


LINEN PARTY DRESS WITH LACE SASH $275.00
GIRLS FLORAL PINAFORE DRESS $195.00
GIRLS SOPHIE PARTY DRESS $295.00
BOUQUET PRINT CHINE DRESS WITH SHORT SKIRT
ICE BLUE SILK FAILLE DRESS WITH LONG SKIRT


SABRINA VELVET BALLETS $145.00

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Posted in: kidsfashion

Giving Laundry "Spring" Scents with Gain Fabric Softeners & Dryer Sheets #GainFresh

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As we go into the last week in February, my thoughts are turning to Spring. Yes it's still cold here and many places still have snow on the ground, but that groundhog saw his shadow so Spring will (hopefully) be here soon.


And with Spring comes warmer weather and fresh clean scents on the wind. It was with this thought in mind that I started my pre-spring time laundry using a few Gain laundry products. I wanted my clothing and house linens to be clean and smelling spring time fresh.




Usually when I do my laundry, I mostly use the Gain laundry detergent. But this time I wanted to make sure my laundry would be surrounded with clean fresh "spring" like smells so I used Gain's Laundry Detergent, Fabric Softener AND Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets.

When my laundry was done, it all smelled so GOOD. I confess I took a few extra minutes standing there "smelling" the spring scents before heading back outside into the cold and snowy streets. Spring might not be here yet but thanks to Gain I can at least enjoy "spring time" scents.


Gain has a large selection of detergents and fabric softeners, dryer sheets, dishwashing liquids, scent boosters, dryer bars and more that fill every room in your home with clean fresh scents.

To learn more about Gain detergent, visit www.ilovegain.com

Note: I'm working with Gain and will receive products samples and compensation. As always any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

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AMNH Kwanzaa 2012 & Black History Month "Stories We Tell" Event

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One of the things I like about living in New York City is the many ways the city celebrates Black American culture and history. Different festivals, films and live events can be enjoyed by families in many areas and places. One place that is holding different activities that celebrate the culture of the Black community is The American Museum of Natural History.


It's no secret that we LOVE this museum. There's always something going on there! Back in December, we visited the AMNH for their 44th annual Kwanzaa celebration with Kwanzaa 2012: First Fruits of the Harvest.


Sadly we were still recovering from being sick over the holidays so my son spent most of his time sleeping in the stroller. Still it was good to be there. While my son slept I enjoyed the music and dancing. I was able to catch master storyteller and actress Linda Humes on the below video for the opening performance





I was also able to visit with the different vendors showcasing during the event.


So many wonderful crafts and amazing back stories.


I was hoping to stay the whole day for the other activities, but since my son was sick we needed to head back home and rest. So I missed out on the following

• Karamu with B. Smith, where shares her reflections on what Kwanzaa and offered tips on creating a Kwanzaa Karamu feast that inspires togetherness and unity.

• Balance Dance Theatre, dance performance “Guardians” from Higher Ground: Still Rising!, based on African folklore, which lead into Black in the Box, an electrifying new work.

• Film Screening: The Black Candle, narrated by Maya Angelou, is a landmark documentary film that uses Kwanzaa as a vehicle to explore and celebrate the African-American experience. Popcorn was included!

While I was sad to miss out on the rest of the AMNH Kwanzaa 2012 celebration, I knew that for Black History Month the AMNH would have Global Weekends: Stories We Tell


The American Museum of Natural History celebrates Black History Month with Global Weekends: Stories We Tell on Saturday, February 23, from 11 am to 5 pm. The festivities, which include family-friendly activities and live musical performances, are presented in association with Community Works and New Heritage Theatre Group.

The day’s activities, performers, and artists include:

• 11 am to 4 pm in the Grand Gallery: Jerry Craft, creator of Mama’s Boyz, an award- winning comic strip, and contributor to Essence and Ebony magazines, will show visitors how to use simple shapes to create comic book characters and stories. In celebration of opening their Manhattan Showcase School in Harlem this spring, Edible Schoolyard NYC will run seedsprouting workshops all day long and provide seed packets to visitors.

• 12 pm in Kaufmann Theater: Internationally renowned master storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston, performing on the traditional 21-stringed kora, will breathe life and spirit into traditional and contemporary stories from African and African-American oral and cultural traditions.

• 1 pm in Kaufmann Theater: Composers Concordance will explore the influence of African-American and Native American music on classical and contemporary music. The performance will include a commissioned narrative poem by two-time National Slam Champion and HBO Def Poetry Jam performer Roger Bonair-Agard; exciting new music from Valerie Coleman, founder of the Grammy-nominated quintet Imani Winds; and works by Dan Cooper, Otto Luening, Milica Paranosic, and Gene Pritsker.

• 2 pm in Kaufmann Theater: Camille A. Brown, 2012 Mariam McGlone Emerging Choreographer Award winner, will perform a solo excerpt from her new work Mr. TOL E. RAncE, which celebrates the humor and perseverance of the black performer and examines stereotypical roles dominating current popular black culture. A Q&A and workshop to follow.

• 4 pm in the Cullman Hall of the Universe: The event concludes with the world premiere of “Rites of Passage,” a special hip-hop, jazz, and youth performance group collaboration by Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Delfeayo Marsalis, and IMPACT Repertory Theatre. A Q&A will follow, moderated by Museum Assistant Director of Cultural Education Monique Scott.

Thank you to The American Museum of Natural History for honoring the Black American cultures in so many ways. I hope some of my readers visit AMNH and enjoy the events for Black History Month.

For more information, visit www.amnh.org

Please Note: As media, I received tickets to review the exhibit. No other compensation was received. Views expressed are always 100% my own.

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Preschool self dressing - Wordless Wednesday

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For the past few weeks, I've allowed my son more independence. I let him do as much as he can on his own in different areas....like getting dressed.....without my help. This naturally leads to some very interesting "styling" on his part


One morning my son chose a white t-shirt, sweat pants (that he wore backwards) and one boot as his outfit of choice to go to school. One boot?!

While I was impressed that he put on his boot on the right foot, I suggested it was a good idea to wear the other boot.....and a bit more clothing.

Does your child dress themselves? Do they make good fashion choices?

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Posted in: Blog, WordlessWed

Macy's Celebrates Gordon Parks for Black History Month #MacysBHM13

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This past weekend, my son and I headed back to Brooklyn and into Macy's for their in-store celebrations for Black History Month. Since the Brooklyn Macy's store is located in one of the central areas for the African American community and families, it was great that it offered a variety of family friendly activities for Black History Month.


The first activity we joined in was at the children's "Design your own book" event with story telling. My son joined the other kids in crafting his own book, where he completed activities like drawing his hand and filling in questions about himself. While the kids filled up their book, an artist went around sketching portrait of the kids for their book covers. I thought that was such an cool idea.


After working on their book, the kids (and me) sat down for story time. A professional story teller read "of Thee I Sing" written by President Barack Obama. She also taught the kids a song in a African native language.


Our next stop was to the Soul Jam style dance party, where my son showed off his dance skills in a mini video that was turned into a mini book. A book he shared with Ann Tripp from the “Steve Harvey Show” on WBLS, who was there to share music and get the people dancing.


Later that day we took our seats for the "In Conversation" with Danny Simmons, Nelson George, Warrington Hudlin and Lauri Lyons for a discussion on Gordon Parks' influence on film and the future of African-American cinema.

Each of the panelists shared their memories and insights into Gordon Parks works as a filmmaker, author, musician and photographer. They discussed how Gordon Parks was really a renaissance man who was able to connect with anyone and share his vision.

What was remarkable to hear was that Gordon Parks was told he didn't need to go to school. That black people didn't need a higher education. Not only did Gordon Parks get his higher education but he went on to be extremely successful in many different areas including being a photographer for Life magazine and the director of the original Shaft movie.

The panelist also discussed current artist trends happening here in American, in African with Nolo films and online with independent media. For creative types within the African American community, there's lots of ways to produce work outside the mainstream.

For those interested, you can learn more about the American Black Film Festival and Macy's Sweepstakes for a trip for two to The American Black Film Festival in Miami, courtesy of American Airlines, a $1000 Macy’s shopping spree and Gordon Parks: Collected Works, a five-volume set of his photography. Enter by February 28!

Macy’s is continuing the celebration of the life of Gordon Parks with more "In Conversation" discussion with special guests and a photographic art installation featuring some of Gordon Parks most beloved works, such as American Gothic, Washington D.C. 1942 during the month of February! To learn more visit http://bit.ly/BHmonth

The life of Gordon Parks has shown.....if there's a will, you'll find the way. Keep being creative and adding your voice to both the artistic and to the human community. What a great lesson for Black History Month!

Note: As a member of Everywhere Society, I was invited as media to cover this event and was compensated for this post regarding Macy’s Celebration of Black History with Gordon Parks. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Posted in: Event

Taye Diggs & Kellogg's to Share 1 Million Breakfasts To Fight Childhood Hunger #ShareBreakfast

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In celebration of National Breakfast Week, Kellogg's is making a difference by sharing breakfast with children in need. Parents know that breakfast is essential to giving kids the start they need to help unlock their potential. But not every child gets this important start to their day. In fact, nearly one in five children across the U.S. goes without breakfast every day.


That's why Kellogg's, and their in-school breakfast partner Action For Healthy Kids®, have partnered with Taye Diggs for the third annual Share Breakfast™ program. Together, they are making it easy for families to help share one2 million breakfasts with kids who might otherwise go without.

"The Kellogg's Share Breakfast program is very personal and important to me. My mom was a teacher, and taught me at an early age that eating a good breakfast was key to succeeding in school," said Diggs. "Even now, from being on set to playing with my son, eating breakfast gives me the energy I need to start the day right, and keep going."

The Power of Breakfast in Action

Research shows that breakfast can help kick-start a child's metabolism, energy and focus for learning and can help set them up for a more successful day. Preliminary studies reveal that students participating in school breakfast programs generally had fewer school absences and tardiness than children who did not participate. Together, cereal plus one cup of milk is a leading source of ten nutrients important to growing bodies, and provides all four of the nutrients Americans are missing most7 – calcium, potassium, vitamin D and fiber.**

How to Join the Share Breakfast Movement

It is simple to join the movement. For every view, share, tweet and comment of the PSA and Great Starts videos, Kellogg's and Action for Healthy Kids will share breakfast with children in need.

Families across the country can share a breakfast with a child in need in a number of ways:

• Watching and sharing the Cypress Elementary and Hodge Elementary Great Starts videos on ShareBreakfast.com
• Sharing the public service announcement with friends
• Liking or commenting on the Share Breakfast Facebook page
• Posting on Twitter with the #ShareBreakfast
• Sharing and repining on Pinterest
• Viewing the Got Milk? Ad with Taye Diggs and his son Walker on ShareBreakfast.com
• Visiting spoon installation events in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. to "raise a spoon" and give a breakfast to a child in need

To learn about all the ways families can get involved for Share Breakfast 2013, Visit www.ShareBreakfast.com


1 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2012. Breakfast: Percentages of Selected Nutrients Contributed by Foods Eaten at Breakfast, by Gender and Age, What We Eat in America, NHANES 2009-2010. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/fsrg
2 Each time you share, Kellogg will donate the monetary equivalent of a school breakfast shared. Kellogg will donate up to $250,000 – the equivalent of 1.25 million school breakfasts shared. Program ends 4/15/2013.
3 Kleinman RE, Hall S, Green H, Korzec-Ramirez D, Patton K, Pagano ME, Murphy JM. Diet, breakfast, and academic performance in children. Ann Nutr Metab. 2002;46 Suppl 1:24-30.
4 Kosti RI, Panagiotakos DB, Zampelas A, Mihas C, Alevizos A, Leonard C, Tountas Y, Mariolis A. The association between consumption of breakfast cereals and BMI in schoolchildren aged 12-17 years: the VYRONAS study. Public Health Nutr. 2008 Oct;11(10):1015-21.
5 Cooper SB, Bandelow S, Nevill ME. Breakfast consumption and cognitive function in adolescent schoolchildren. Physiol Behav. 2011 Jul 6;103(5):431-9.
6 Kleinman RE, Hall S, Green H, Korzec-Ramirez D, Patton K, Pagano ME, Murphy JM. Diet, breakfast, and academic performance in children. Ann Nutr Metab. 2002;46 Suppl 1:24-30.
7 NHANES, 2003-2006.
**When eating a cereal that contains fiber
8 U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), 2010. 7th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, December 2010.
9 The goal of one billion servings is based on an approximate serving size of one ounce.

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Posted in: CelebNews, Food

KAPSYS SmartConnect Smartphone for Seniors, Like my Mom

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As a digital family, I cover a lot of tech products for children and their parents on this blog. However, they are not the only ones who use technology these days. More and more "seniors" are getting tech savvy including my own mother (grandma to my son). My mom has slowly but steadily staring making technology part of her life.

I remember the first time my mom sent me a text message. It took her about 20 minutes to write 3 words but it was a proud moment for her. Now my mother is a texting pro and looking to join social media sites like Facebook. She hasn't joined yet but it's just a matter of time before she's updating her status and liking photos of my son.

Now that my mother is trying to keep up with technology, she needs technology that can keep up with her. Technology like SmartConnect by KAPSYS

KAPSYS, a specialist in mobility and wireless communication devices for seniors and visually impaired people has launched two smartphones specifically created for people with specific needs.

Based on Android, SmartConnect by KAPSYS is the first smartphone with touchscreen and keypad designed for seniors that also is adapted to low vision.

Designed to be easy to learn and to use, SmartConnect by KAPSYS delivers the power of a state-of-the-art Android smartphone through a user-interface combining a 3.5" touchscreen, a keypad and an advanced voice interface. Particularly suited to senior technology enthusiasts, SmartConnect by KAPSYS offers a rich and user-friendly smartphone experience through a set of simple, easy-to-read list menus, featuring large icons and backed-up, when needed, by a voice assistance mode with voice recognition and text-to-speech.

For its users to always feel comfortable and safe, SmartConnect by KAPSYS supports a web-based assistance mode enabling any authorized person to remotely (re)configure the smartphone and an emergency call button with address send function.

To learn more about KAPSYS products, visit - http://www.kapsys.com

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Posted in: TechFocus

Michelle Obama & Sesame Street Let's Move! PSA

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First Lady Michelle Obama and Big Bird have Team Up to get kids healthy and active in these new Let’s Move! Public Service Announcements Filmed in the White House.


The new PSAs, are launched as part of the third anniversary celebration of Let’s Move! – Mrs. Obama’s initiative to ensure that all our children grow up healthy and reach their full potential.



The new PSAs feature Mrs. Obama and Big Bird in the White House showing kids how easy and delicious it is to eat healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables and demonstrating fun ways to get active like dancing and jumping.

Soon, the First Lady will kick off a two day nation-wide tour celebrating the anniversary by showcasing progress and announcing new ways the country is coming together around the health of our children.

Mrs. Obama launched Let’s Move! on February 9, 2010 to unite the country around kids’ health and create real support for families to live healthier lives. Thanks to these efforts,

• Families now have access to more information to make healthier decisions for their children. 
• Young people now have more opportunities for physical activity in their communities. 
• Food in schools has been dramatically improved. 
• More Americans now have access to healthy, affordable food closer to home. 
• And the national childhood obesity rate has leveled off, and even declined in some cities and states.

More information on three years of healthy changes can be found here.

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Posted in: Health

Mommy Gone Crazy -- Where's my sanity?

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This is my day after I leave work today.  
I usually work until 4pm with my day job and get home by 4:30pm, I work about 30-35 minutes away from where I live.  Today I have absolutely no free time at all today, not even after 11:30 when I finally get home from finishing shopping.  
A few weeks ago I found out that I have a leak in my air valve on my front passenger side tire and it keeps losing air. I finally just put electrical tape around the air valve, it did help, but when it rains it looses it's sticky and it starts losing air more rapidly again.  The only time I can get to the dealer is on Saturdays and they have no time until after Christmas to see me.  Finally, I called Firestone and asked if they can do anything for me.  Thankfully they said that they can replace the air valve for me instead of the whole sensor -- but my air pressure light will still be on my dashboard.  Who cares about the damn light, I just don't want to have to constantly fill my damn tire with air every other day!  I set up an appointment at 4:40pm for that, directly after I get home.  
Yesterday my oldest, Alayna, woke up with a fever, horrible cough and very scratchy throat.  I figured it was just a 24 hour thing and gave her Tylenol while she stayed home from school.  Optimism is definitely my thing because I thought she would be better this morning.  WRONG!  She still had a fever this morning and felt even worse so I kept her home again and made a doctors appointment for her at 5:15 today.  Now I have to run home from Firestone after that is done, get Alayna, my mom and Olivia and go to the doctors office.  Why do I have to bring them all with me?  I have a job interview at 5:45 with H&R Block.
For the past 7 years I have worked seasonally at H&R Block as a receptionist and this year will probably be no different.  Yes, I do have a day job but unfortunately I need a second job to help catch up on the bills we were late on when I was unemployed.  I figure that this seasonal job (jan-april) will help with paying those bills down so we are current on all of our bills.  Right now we don't have too much leeway with money after paying bills and I wish we had some extra. So basically I have to leave my mom and the girls at the pediatrician's office while I run to the interview and then pick them back up.
After that (bored yet?) I have to finish Christmas shopping, I'm going out with one of my friends for a few hours of sanity tonight and then come home and make:

• 18 Christmas bags for Alayna's class
• 22 Christmas bags for Olivia's class
• 22 Birthday/Christmas cupcakes for Olivia's birthday tomorrow. (Class)
• 15 Birthday/Minnie Mouse cupcakes for Olivia's birthday party tomorrow night
• 15 Goody bags for Olivia's birthday party tomorrow night

I also have to prep her Birthday activity for her party since we are having a bunch of 4-5 year old making foam gingerbread houses at the party.  I'm going to be up until probably 3 am doing all of this and I don't know how I'm going to do it.  Nobody better bother me tomorrow, I'm sleeping for as long as I can before I have to do a million more things....

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I'm officially a Nutrisystem Nation Blogger!

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I know I've been sort of mentioning this for the past few posts but it's official now -- I'm finally a Nutrisystem Nation blogger!  I'm extremely excited to have Nutrisystem as one of our sponsors for the next few months.  Hopefully with the help of the new way of eating (not diet!) I will be able to lose a considerable amount of weight to motivate and share with everyone here. :)  I'm going to be making my Wednesday Weigh-In posts into a Wednesday Weigh-In as well as a review of some Nutrisystem foods!  Can't wait to get started!
Want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem? Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting http://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog

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