Because I said so

I have been in Chicago for the past couple of days and I have really been enjoying myself. It is such a relief to be around my family and for them to volunteer to take my daughter from me and give me a break. I don't know if I told you all but my child is a handful. She is really spoiled and she screams VERY loudly. All in good manipulation because she stops as soon as she is placed in my arms... most of the time. My mother and sister hosted a Meet Mallory party for my Chicago friends and family. It was very nice and Mallory got a lot of much needed things: clothes, diapers, wipes, money and most of all love. I so appreciate all of my family and friends who came. It means so much to me, they probably would never understand how grateful I am to have such sweet and loyal friends. My mother does not live close to any other them, everyone made at least a half an hour drive in the freezing cold, a day after a snow storm. Love those guys.

I have a cousin who is mixed and I remember how jealous I used to be of her growing up because she was so pretty with her fair skin and long beautiful hair. What I didn't know at that age is all the pain she had to endure for those very reasons. It's hard enough being a kid, but mixed children tend to have it a little harder because they are more than one race and may continue live a life of torment way beyond school age depending on which race they chose to identify with. I remember being teased because of my glasses, because I was skinny but most of all because of my name. People would call me Ariel the little Mermaid, Oreo (because it rhymes with Aerial) and Earl because it's the fast country was of saying Aerial. It's funny because I am far from school age and I am still being called Earl but I love the nickname now and I adore the three people who call me that nickname. I said that when I had a child, she would have the simplest name, like Amy so no one would missp...

I hate when people tell me something that they were trying to surprise me about. I don't know why I hate it so much but I'm going to try to figure it out right now, while talking to you guys. It's as if the person is not capable of doing anything on their own. Why couldn't they follow through to the end? Would it had hurt you to try a little harder? It would have been such a nice surprise, me finally getting a gift I knew nothing about. Doesn't that sound a lot better than me getting something kind of, sort of like I would have gotten if things would have worked out the way you planned them before you told me about the surprise. Huh? Exactly.

There is a such thing as guest etiquette my dear friends but I don't believe any of you know how to use it. Sure everyone knows that you should ask before doing almost anything in someone else's home but what if you are a regular? What if this home was your home away from home? Do you think that the rules no longer apply to you? No? Well you're wrong. No matter how many times I go to my "in laws" I always put my coat, bag and daughter's things in one particular spot in the living room by the door. Although they sometimes take my coat and hang it up, I personally do not like to go into people's closets to insert or retrieve anything because once something is out of place, you're the first person they look at. Not at all implying anything bad towards my "in laws" because I love them and enjoy their company BUT it is there home and I am a guest so I act as such. Did you know that you should take your shoes off when you coming into someone's ...

My daughter is fourteen weeks old today and on this day she drank four ounces of breastmilk from a bottle! It has been torture but I have been pushing a bottle down her throat twice daily since she refused to eat in my absence on Saturday. I don't want my baby to starve but I do want to be able to leave her with family while I take a few hours to better myself. So I had to do it and I am very pleased with her today, lets just hope she continues on this path in making life a lot easier for Mommy.

So we all know that sometimes our eyes are much bigger than our bellies and we sometimes ask for more than we can eat. But how about when our hearts are much bigger than our hands and we bite off way more than we can chew? This past weekend I babysat three of my six sisters. Now mind you, I have a three month old at home so one child would meet my quota but they come in a package and just one is not enough. The three sisters are Erin, my favorite sister, who is one and a half years old and my eleven month old twin sisters, Aaliyah and Aniyah. Whew, just the thought of them took me back and gave me a headache. Erin wasn't bad at all, she listens, understands and tells you when she has to use the restroom. Those twins though, in their crawling, walking, whining, begging, playful stage proved to be way more than I can chew with my cry baby in tow. But it was fun and I was glad I could help but Lord knows that won't happen again anytime soon. Maybe when my baby is able to crawl or ...

My baby got her first shots today. Now we can travel. Praise the Good Lord. I thought it would be worse but it actually went pretty well other than the fact that the establishment was ran down and full of hot ghetto messes. The doctor and nurse was really nice and professional so because of those ladies and ONLY because of them, will I return to that hell hole of a doctors office. First of all when I placed the initial call the receptionist was rude! She spoke with a stank attitude and responded with a drag that only meant she was rolling her eyes at the same time. She then began to speak to the doctor next to her, while I was talking to her, without even saying hold on maam or pausing the freakin phone. How disgusting is that? She had very little patience with me, which is unacceptable for a person working in a darn children's clinic. But to top it off, she gives me the address and hangs up the phone without saying thank you, you're welcome, goodbye, feliz navidad... nothing. ...

So I'm trying to get my daughter acquainted with her teddy bears and her dolly's but I think she doesn't like them because they don't respond to her. She is used to human interaction because I am always talking to her and since the age of eight weeks, she's been cooing and laughing back at me. I sit her in her playpen with her fuzzy friends and it starts off good. She is talking and waving until those words turn into cries and waves into hand tantrums. When I walk over to pick her up she smiles and I could swear she says "later losers," but it could just be me. As much as I would like a big family, I am now interested to see how my child would be if she were an only child. I know that it would be very beneficial to her in long run but right now I just can't see her doing well on her own. She can barely sit for two minutes without attention. She thinks that she is entitled to a peasant toting her around like a princess. Que her Daddy.

So I have a teenage sister and to be frank, she isn't the sharpest crayon in the box. I'm actually starting to think that all children her age are that dumb though, just look at her friends comments on her facebook page. Yea and about that facebook page, which I doubt VERY seriously my mother knows about because she is oh so protective; my fool sister is on there leaving her texting number on people's general page! What's a texting number you ask? Well she does not have a phone yet but she has an iPod and she is able to text on that. So I texted her around 10:30pm and said "Go to sleep!" She replied, "????? Who is this" so I decided to play a game to see if she is as gullible as I think she is. I said "Who is this?????" She surprisingly said "... U txted me lol." Good job little sister. So I kick it up a notch and said "Yea but the person I texted should know who I am so maybe this isn't who I think it is. So who are you?...

Good friends are hard to come by. Today Lisa, my roommate of three years and friend of seven years threw a Meet Mallory party since I was not able to have my baby showers because of my daughter's persistence to enter the world early. I had not even thought to do anything since the cancellation of my baby shower because I have been so enthralled in getting settled and making sure my daughter is okay with the new move. But that didn't stop Lisa from having something for us. Wasn't that sweet of her? Good friends are really hard to come by and I am so blessed to have a friend like Lisa because only Lord knows where I would be without her. Lisa's boyfriend is a blessing as well, he is always willing to help out and he keeps a smile on Mallory's face and a laugh on my lips. Lisa's son, who is my Godson is my breath of fresh air when Mallory takes me down with her endless cries. I thank my extended family for the continuous love shown to Mallory and I. You can't f...

Today my daughter gave me the works. She cried all day, for no darn reason. All in my ear, louder than a mickey fickey. Hey friends. I've missed you. It's not that I was on strike from writing, I was just allowing myself and you good people to enjoy your holidays without the pressure to run to a computer and check me out (smiles). But this child... on this day... whew. I needed her Daddies help today but he works at a night club so he thinks he is supposed to sleep all day. Anywho, how was your Christmas? Mallory got way more gifts than I thought she would but way less than I wanted her to. Her Dad bought her Christmas gifts a while ago but in transit from New Orleans to Atlanta he ran off the road into a ditch and wrecked his car causing us to loose everything in it. So it was great to still be able to celebrate his life and her first Christmas after such a horrific event. I can only hope that your New Years will be all that you wish as I end mine with my closest Atlanta frien...

What are the three things you want your ideal mate to have? Being in a relationship is hard work. You have to maintain a life of your own while incorporating this new person and all of their ways, likes, dislikes, habits and beliefs. If you have had your fair share of relationships you should know by now what you want your ideal mate to be like. Now I'm not talking about the typical "I want a tall, dark and handsome" or the "He must be kind and considerate" answers. I'm talking real life stuff. I think I'm pretty simple. 1. I would like a thinker. A man who is willing to sit and weigh the pros and the cons of a situation before diving in head first. I have been in relationships where the guy acts or reacts so abruptly that he surprises his damn self and that's a damn shame. You should know what you are capable of and you should know what result will come from the things that you do way before you do them. I can't take a man who will...

I have a secret... You don't know what it is. But you already know what it's about. You just don't know that you know. Well I'll give you a clue. It's a she. Her name is Mal. And I want her all to myself. The less people know about you, the less they can hurt you, so I want to keep the most important person in my life all to myself, for fear of going to jail behind her. I have not introduced her to Facebook because lets be honest, Facebook has gotten out of hand. It used to be fun, now everybody and they grandpaw on it, soliciters, weirdos and worst of all nosey ass, messy ass people. People that you wouldn't want in your immediate life... so why would I want to throw my precious little pumpkin face in the mix? I DON'T! And you guys know me. You know that I love me some pictures honey. But there is something that I love sooo much more than my hobby and I want to cherish every minute with her because it's personal, it's private and she deserves her e...

I have this one ex friend who is in love with a new broad every month. The man can't be alone for even the slightest second. He would conclude his breakup with one woman by crying in the arms of another woman. I have known him for all of two years and he has been with maybe five mains that I have met and 20 of them behind the scenes. He's a pretty boy heart breaker and it's sad because the real heartbreak lies within himself. He masks the pain that he has self inflicted by surrounding himself with beautiful women all the time. And he really goes all in. Only a lame would want to be in fake love so darn much. Can't you start with loving yourself? Once that daunting task is complete he will in turn find the one to truly share his love with. Or so the story goes. Until then he will continue being the needy, greedy, lonely but never alone, lame ex friend of mine.

So how many of you all have been in a relationship where there was a major age difference? Was it better if you were younger or older than your partner? My mother always told me to get a man older than me so I could be taken care of, but I was never into older men. There are many occasions where one would wish they had a young hot tender or maybe an old sugar daddy but living everyday like that... nothing that I would recommend to my worse enemy. You fight about the things the younger man does, the things they older man wears and always how they were raised, be them young or old. After college I decided to do things a little different and listen to my mom for a change. I met a few older guys in the club and at work and I gave them a second of my time, allowing them to take me out to dinner but it was never more than that because I was simply not interested. I just did it to say I had done it. I hated being seen with an older man because I didn't want to look like I was usin...

So I went to this church yesterday for the second time since moving back to Atlanta. The very first time I went, I was pretty impressed at the abundance of people, especially young people up bright and early for the Lord. But with yesterday being my second time there, I see why I liked it so much the first time and why all the young people gather there week after week. They dilute the good word with the glitz and glam. Now I am in no way trying to be struck down by lightning nor am I trying to discredit the church for their hefty turnouts but I am saying that golf cart rides from the parking lot to the front door, a cool cafe and a kids play room would sway favor from the best of them. And don't get me started on the service... smh, lets just say it is a drastic change from the quiet, organized hymn singing, Bible based word I grew up on. There was a live band, composed of young adults singing three VERY LOUD and interactive gospel songs before the preacher jumps on stage with his ...

Today is my home girl Shana's birthday. Two years ago today I was on my first date with this little light skinned number that I now call my boyfriend. Two years and two days ago I met my him in the club. The day that I consider to be our anniversary. And although we neither celebrate or even acknowledge the day, we were together for it this year. I remember it as if it were yesterday... I had taken Shana out for her birthday, both of us still fairly new to Atlanta. Took her to Pearl Bistro and Bar for two dollar Tuesdays. I saw this yellow boy in VIP. He had a colorful plaid shirt and he seemed very reserved compared to his counterparts who were standing on sofas and what not. The trickery I tell you. Because he is definitely the bad seed of that bunch... Now two years later we have a beautiful baby girl. Even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. So I owe Shana, even though I was the driver that night, she was clearly the reason for the outing and the reason that I have ...

I think we're going to treat this thing like a full time job. I will post every weekday and on the weekends you will just have to miss me... unless I post small things that are on my mind for that day. I don't know yet family, I'm still getting back into the swing of writing on a regular. I must admit that I am enjoying you all, your time and your comments so don't fret, I will return. Have a good weekend. See you on Monday!

I had a nice fluffy, positive post in mind for today, but my positive thoughts were bombarded by negativity that I know will hit home for all of us: liars. I put emphasis on liars and not the actually lie itself because usually it isn't the words that hurt you, it's how the liar said it, what they lied about or the mere fact that they needed to lie in the first place. I'm sure everyone would agree that little white liars aren't that bad. It's when they turn into bald face liars that you start to regret allowing them to lie to you in the first place. The type of liar that will look you square in the eye, with the straighest of faces and lie. The type of liars that won't admit the truth until you catch them dead in the middle of a lie. Them reckless, tasteless, tacky ass liars...

Now people I have said a few times here, on Facebook and on twitter that matching braws and draws are super important to me as it is a reflection of who you are as a person. I have really took some time to sit down and evaluate the severity of the situation and I find that women who care if their finger nails and toe nails are matching would definitely care if their undergarments are matching. That is unless you are a fronter and stunner whose outside appearance is only for catching men when clearly the lack of camaraderie in the undie department shows just how unsuccessful you really are. Now the great pantie and bra debate begins with this question: Do you buy your underwear from Victoria Secret or from Burlington Coat Factory? If you tend to be the Vicky's shopper then you know that a lot of the separates can be mixed and matched, that is if you are not into buying the set initially. If you are a bargain retail shopper then Marshalls, Target and BCF are your best friends with th...