"Memorial Day" - The Mommie in Me by Calandra Branch

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memorial day, military

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(Picture From http://www.ivn.us)

Memorial Day

May 28, 2012

 

Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. (Southern ladies’ organizations and southern schoolchildren had decorated Confederate graves in Richmond and other cities during the Civil War…By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars…

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"Girlafesto" - The Mommie in Me by Calandra Branch

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daughters, Mommie in Me, MortarNBrique

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Girlafesto

May 21, 2012

Shortly after my daughter was born, and as I was regaining my emotional strength from complications before her birth, I came to a sudden and frightening realization. “I have a GIRL!”  Immediately, my mind flooded with images of every painful situation, every insecurity I had ever had as a young girl and a teenager. I cringed at the thought of my daughter going through all the changes and stages I went through.

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Take Me to the Go-Go

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Chuck Brown, go-go, music

Taking a quick departure from my usual Adventures in Food & Family to reflect on the music of my youth: Go-Go.  Yesterday’s news of the passing of Chuck Brown took me straight back to my hometown of Arlington, VA and the music created and wholly owned in nearby Washington, DC.  Only those who grew up in the DC region (including parts of Virginia and Maryland) can appreciate go-go; I’ve met many outside of the area who scrunch up their faces and describe my favorite music as “banging on pots and pans”.  Black, white, Hispanic and everyone else who grew up and lived in the DC region appreciate go-go to some degree and have a sense of pride that it’s something only DC can claim.

Probably the best way to describe go-go is that it’s born out of funk with a percussion-heavy groove, lots of horns and always a tambourine (Wikipedia has a good description).  Live shows always include call and response and if you’re lucky you can hear your neighborhood or area code called out by the bandleader.  That’s probably what made go-go so fun…the lead singer knew the area and could easily incorporate the names of neighborhoods into his lyrics.  Small pockets of the crowd would go nuts once they heard “We got folks from the 301 (a Maryland area code) in here tonight” or “I see you Barry Farm (a SE DC neighborhood)”.  It’s like the singer knew you were in the crowd. 

The bands were also small businessmen.  Go-go was so loved that bands would sell recordings of live shows out of mall kiosks or locally owned record shops.  These were not flashy productions–the quality wasn’t always great and the music competed with the crowd.  But those tapes sold anyway, and I was a prime customer.  There was a kiosk in the mall across the street from my cousin’s house and every time I visited her we made a trip so I could pick up the latest tapes.  The groups were also local celebrities; if you had a go-go band playing at your fundraiser or public event you were sure to get a huge crowd.

Chuck Brown had mainstream success with his blues albums, even getting nominated last year for a Grammy. However only 1 or 2 other go-go bands received radio or video attention outside of DC. Everyone still starts rockin’ when EU’s “Da Butt” plays at a party but probably not everyone knows that a band called Rare Essence had a video on Yo! MTV Raps (though not the best representation of go-go). 

Since I no longer live in the DC area and all my tapes have disappeared with moves and no longer having a tape player I don’t hear go-go as much as I’d like.  Imagine my shock when I entered “Chuck Brown” into Pandora and not only was his music played but so also were a couple of other well-known go-go bands.  Of course I saved my new station and every time I listen I’m taken back to dancing at a live show, listening to it in my room, or hearing it blasting out of car windows as I drove around the region. 

DC radio will probably be playing Chuck Brown all day, and if the weather’s nice cars will be blasting him out of the windows.  All go-go roads lead back to Chuck and he will sorely be missed.  If you’ve never heard Chuck’s music, check out his 2010 performance at the NPR office, still crankin’ (DC lingo) at 73 years old!  Even if you’re not from DC I dare you to not nod your head just a little.

My Struggle With Infertility - "The Mommie in Me" by Calandra Branch

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infertility, MortarNBrique, motherhood

Reblogged from MortarNBrique:

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My Struggle With Infertility

May 14, 2012

 

So Mother’s Day is over. For many it was a happy celebration of motherhood. For others, it was a painful reminder of the fact that they were not able to celebrate because they either cannot bear, or are having difficulty bearing a child.

 

That was my reality for several Mother’s Days. For over 2 years, I endured the most painful emotional turmoil I had ever experienced.

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An Anti-Mother’s Day Tribute

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Mother's Day, motherhood

I’m going to confess: I’m not a fan of Mother’s Day.  Hopefully it’s understandable given my mom died when I was nine (see my February tribute to her).  Because I was so young my memories of her are dim, so no Mother’s Day reflections of good times or loving tributes to the fabulous relationship we had.  It was the relationship a nine year-old had with her mom: often times great but sometimes a (hidden) rolling of eyes when she told me I couldn’t do something I wanted.

I’m not the only one who feels this way.  One of my best friends lost her mom 10 years ago after battling a long illness.  My friend was an adult so had many more years with her mother than I; you’d think she would definitely be the one who would celebrate Mother’s Day with fond memories.  The first Mother’s Day after her mom’s death, she called me to go to the mall to get her mind off of her grief.  As we walked through the mall we saw families in restaurants celebrating mom, store specials for Mother’s Day, moms and daughters walking with bags in hand.  Looking back, probably not the best place to go to try and forget Mother’s Day.  Over drinks, we formed the “Motherless Child Club” (motto: we’re not looking for new members) and decided we no longer liked Mother’s Day.

I thought my feelings would change when I became a mother but they didn’t.  They did mellow a little where I can tolerate it a little more, and yes the hand-made school cards are very cute keepsakes.  But when my husband asks “what do you want to do for Mother’s Day?” I just shrug and say “whatever”. Don’t get me wrong–I absolutely love being a mom.  But since my mom’s been gone over 20 years Mother’s Day brings me sadness instead of joy.  And it probably doesn’t help that my mother-in-law, to whom I became very close over the 14 years I knew her, also died in 2008.

My girlfriend hasn’t changed her opinion though.  I still call her to check in and cheer her up, and since she is a mother of a 5 year-old I acknowledge her honored position in life. Maybe both of our outlooks will change as our children get older and we are more than just “mommy”.  Maybe it’ll change when we’re also a friend, confidant and advisor to our kids. Maybe my opinion will change when I have the kind of relationship with Beverly that I’ve always wanted to have with my mom.

"I'll Always Love My Mama" - The Mommie in me by Calandra Branch

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MortarNBrique, Mother's Day, motherhood

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I’ll Always Love My Mama

May 7, 2012

 

“I’ll always love my Mama, she’s my favorite girl.

I’ll always love my Mama, she brought me in this world.”

 

So sang The Intruders in the R & B Mother’s Day classic, “I’ll Always Love My Mama.”

 

Barbara Lee Walker Campbell was born in Jacksonville, Florida and worked as a nurse for over 40 years.

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Here's a special Mother's Day tribute to MY Momma. My latest column in MortarNBrique.

A Battle Over Breasts In Newark, NJ

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Breastfeeding, childhood obesity, food, Jasmine Ratliff

This is a companion piece to Calandra’s post today on mortarnbrique.

Over the weekend I read an article on TimeHealthland that left me a little perturbed.  The article, titled Can a Formula Company Really Promote Breast-Feeding and Fight Child Obesity?, discussed the criticisms that Newark Mayor Cory Booker has recieved in his decision to accept funding from Nestle Corporation of his Let’s Move Newark! initiative.  Nestle provided a $100,000 grant to support the education of families on nutrition and physical activity.  The issue at hand is that breastfeeding advocates feel (a) it’s inapropriate for a childhood obesity prevention initiative to partner with a formula company and (b) Nestle has some hidden agenda to promote formula over breastfeeding when it’s a proven fact that breastfeeding reduces the risk for childhood obesity.  Mayor Booker responded through his regular radio program that there are no strings attached to this funding.

This could easily be compared to the skepticism that occurred when tobacco manufacturers started providing information through their websites (and lots of grant dollars) on smoking prevention.  Isn’t there a conflict of interest in both cases?

Personally, in this particular case, I don’t think so.  Smoking isn’t a necessity, but eating is.  In her post, Calandra describes her decision to formula-feed her children.  Well here’s mine: After the first 2 nights of trying with minimal success latching on (and incredibly painful boobs) I had to feed my baby something, and it was formula.  For the next 5 months it was the same–repeated attempts with maybe a third of them being successful and lots of supplemental formula feeding.  My child had to eat, so after my boobs gave up she became a formula baby.  I was frustrated and guilt-ridden but after much family support I moved forward.  If I’m blessed to have another child I’ll definitely try again but if again we’re unsuccessful then Similac it will be!

A couple of weeks ago I read a heartbreaking blog post about a woman who was very guilty about her inability to breastfeed after TWO breast infections.  Her health was being threatened yet lactation consultants were urging continued breastfeeding.  In the end she was frustrated that they didn’t even mention formula options and advise this as an alternative. 

Nestle knows that children have to eat, and through this grant they’re supporting the healthy eating option–breastfeeding.   Will Nestle hand out formula coupons with their breastfeeding information? Possibly.  But I wouldn’t go so far to say that they’re in conflict with advising breastfeeding.  They make so much money from the women who don’t choose to breastfeed that I don’t think promoting breastfeeding will cause a big dent in their revenue budget.

"Breastfeeding: The Choice is Yours" - The Mommie in Me by Calandra Branch

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Breastfeeding, MortarNBrique

Reblogged from MortarNBrique:

Breastfeeding: The Choice is Yours

April 30, 2012

 

The other day, I heard that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is encouraging local hospitals to push breastfeeding education to new mothers. I think this is a great idea. The AmericanAcademyof Pediatrics has long advocated breastfeeding for its health benefits. Since the debate is back in the news, I thought I would express…

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Here's today's The Mommie in Me column on MortarNBrique. Today's topic - Breasfeeding: The Choice is Yours. Enjoy!

This and That This Week: The Bubble Babez Bath Company, LLC

Tags

bubble babez, product review

My package of goodies from Bubble Babez!

This is a product review that is long overdue. I have known of this company, co-owned by Nicole Davis and Tristan Jackson, for a year…then it took me a while to actually place an order…then it took me over a month to write my review. But hopefully, it will be well worth the wait!

I first met co-owner Nicole through the makeup tutorials on her YouTube channel. It was here that she introduced her company, The Bubble Babez Bath Company, LLC (bubblebabez.com), which makes soaps, bath cocktails and more, using natural ingredients. It took me a while to place an order, because there were SO many things to choose from!

But this was my catalyst…in January 2012, my friends and I sponsored our first NYC Hair Revival and I reached out to Nicole, asking her suggestions for a mix of products I could purchase to make a basket for our raffle. She graciously offered to make the basket herself, at no cost to us! I was so excited when the basket came – it was full of bath goodies, and our raffle winner LOVED it! So then I placed my first order, and tried out the whipped body mousse in Le Cougar.

Whipped Body Mousse

Let’s just say…this stuff is AMAZING! Soft, smooth and fragrant! If you wear it, there’s no need for perfume, and the fragrance lasts ALL DAY! I have to commend Nicole and Tristan on finding quality fragrances and ingredients! This is no cheap kitchen operative, although they do work out of their home! Knowing that their products were all natural, I had a concern about how long the body mousse would last. A little bit goes a long way, and I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t go bad if I held on to it too long. She assured me the tub would last for 6 months, and longer if I refrigerated it. YAY!

So after falling in love with the body mousse, I purchased another tub of the same fragrance, and added a few more goodies. Bubble Babez sells these amazing massage candles. You light the candle, allow some of the surface wax to melt, then extinguish the candle. The pooled wax can then be used as a massage oil!! It burns at a low temperature, and so it forms a warm, not hot, oil that is ready to be shared with your special someone. I bought it in the scent, Aphrodisiac, which is described by the company as having “ top notes of grapefruit, lemon, mandarin, and green tomato leaf; followed by middle notes of jasmine and dry base notes of eucalyptus and woods.” Their product descriptions are accurate, especially regarding their fragrances. And although I was skeptical about the “hot wax,” it was cool enough to handle, yet warm enough to get the job done!

Massage Candle, along with Nicole and Tristan's Thank You note!

The third products I purchased were candle melts in various scents. You KNOW how I am about customer service and packaging, right??? Well Bubble Babez hit a home run with me…one of the scents I had ordered was out of stock…they sent me a substitute scent to try, AND said they would send me the original scent I had purchased when it came back in stock! They also included a sample of their lotion bar in Eternity…it is shaped like a small bar of soap and you just let it melt in your hands a bit and smooth it all over. Very cool!! I forgot to take a picture of it, because I couldn’t wait to open it and start using it…it’s just about gone now! LOL. And on top of all that, they sent me a personalized Thank You note and coupons for future purchases…and y’all KNOW how I feel about coupons and personalized notes!

Wax Melts

Bubble Babez is a triple-P threat – offering great product, packaging and professionalism! There are SO many other products I have yet to try, but I support all that they do. They are currently having a 50% off sale to clear the shelves for new products, so check them out today at bubblebabez.com.

Music Notes – Mr. Fresh Interviews Incognito’s Bluey Maunick on Vibesnscribes.com

Tags

incognito, Mr Fresh, music, vibes and scribes

Photo courtesy of vibesnscribes.com

Earlier this month, I introduced Vibes and Scribes, the official home of Mr. Fresh and the Sunday Soundtrack Podcast, by sharing a link to Mr. Fresh’s very comprehensive review of a recent Incognito concert (click HERE for his review). Well he has certainly taken his Incognito tribute to the next level, with an amazing interview with Jean Paul “Bluey” Maunick, leader of this awesome British Soul Jazz Funk band. There was so much musical wisdom being shared, I had to listen to it twice!

I was introduced to Incognito in my college years, after having heard them on my then-favorite Smooth Jazz station, CD-101.9. Now offering their 15th studio album release Surreal, the collective is on a European/Asian tour for the rest of the year. Mr. Fresh caught up with Bluey Maunick during a tour break and had a great one on one session with this music genius. It was more of a conversation than an actual interview (the BEST kind of ‘interview,’ in my opinion!). I listened, feeling as if I were sitting at the feet of two cool musicians chewing the fat about their craft, the music industry and the genius behind Incognito.

An interesting point was made about the universality of their music. The sounds of Incognito range from jazz to soul to funk to almost any genre you can imagine. As music is a universal language, it’s great to see that their international, cross-genre vibe allows a wider audience to enjoy their music. Their sound may vary from project to project, but they don’t ‘reinvent’ themselves – they merely expand their aura, incorporating other artists into the Incognito sound.

But let me not give away the interview…click HERE to hear the audio of Mr. Fresh’s conversation with the legendary Bluey Maunick!