YESSIRRR!

Another photo shoot came and went without a hitch. You can click the post title to view more photos. But here are a few candids. THANK YOU, MEL!

Shout Out to Alf

Ever see someone and think, "He looks like someone I've seen before but I don't know exactly who?" Well, I've been saying that about "He's Just Not That Into You"-guy Greg Berhendt since the day I saw him. And it just occurred to me...





Does anyone else see the resemblance? Look again...









Spooky, huh?

HOLLERRRRRR!

Sleep is for the Weak

What do I do when Hayes isn't around? I eat lemons and attend Khalym's birthday parties! This particular moment happened over a month ago--hey, I've been a little busy. Despite the usual 30 days, November was a big month...mainly for Khalym, who celebrated her birthday three times! {No rest for the worthy}. Here's the last of the last of the last of the November pics {and I didn't post even 1/3 of them}.


Khalym & Chakaras (Not subtle, guys)!


Johanna, our Chef Girl-ardee


Kareem & Me (Mmmm-hmmm, I swallowed the whole lemon, folks...what).

Get it Girlz...and Boyz!

Beans and Other Green Things

As much as I like to pretend to throw down in the kitchen, it's hard to get creative with the cuisine when your biggest fan is a fastidious toddler who won't eat anything green. No sweet peas, no green apples, and definitely no asparagus. {Tasty as they may be}.
Scouring the grocery store aisle yesterday for a clever vegetable disguise, a recipe came to me from way back. Probably an old southern dish, it calls for fresh sweet corn, a drained can of french cut green beans and a pat of butter all in a pot with just a little water.
It was just as good as I remember. And Hayes ate every bean on his plate. {Green as they were}.
Here are some other green things Hayes is into these days...




Oscar





Sir Hayes T available in stores and at sirhayes.com this spring














A bedtime favorite





Cedi pinky ring. That's one of MY faves. Thanks Khalym!

Babar the Elephant Man

I can barely recall the character Babar from storybooks when I was a child, so I most certainly was not a fan. Consequently, Hayes knows nothing of the elephant...king, is it? But yesterday when a life-size Babar showed up at the neighborhood bookstore for storytime, I didn't know how creepy these things can be. Remind you of anything?...

Hey, Nice Hat!

I picked up this chapeau by 7 A.M. Enfant in Park Slope on one of those days that starts out warm and gets progressively colder as the day goes on. I love it! It saved me from looking like an unfit mother. And it's fly enough for the kid too.

Hustlenomics Holla Back

For those of you who were there, here it is again. For those of you who missed it, here's Hustlenomics the remix...




Khalym (who needs no introduction) & Brandon (BS Shirts)



Leroy Jenkins in the house! Upendo showin' off



Momma!



Me, Khalym and Ms. Dona Dee



Chris (BS Shirts hits Cali right after the party)



The artist formerly known as Our Man Ron (Leroy Jenkins)



Hana...and is that Ron?



Check out the Sir Hayes display...super cute! (if I may say so myself)



Aysha (Posh Media Group), Khalym and Kecia (Victoria's Secret)



Pen doin' his thing



Carmen & Steve...and is that Ron?



Lady Khalym (and lil' Poppa)



Purple stuff, y'all!

All Guilt Aside

I suppose the difference between me and any other lady at a newsstand is the guilt that always creeps up at the thought of a purchase for myself, however small it may be. That is, unless the other woman happens to also be the mother of a small child. Afterall, it’s not a much needed spa day or Victoria’s Secret trip I’m contemplating. Magazines are superfluous compared to children with real needs like new winter hats, another box of diapers and wipes, more learning tools with Elmo on it…{You get my point}.
However, I admit to giving in to selfish indulgences when the opportunities arise. Afterall, I simply refuse to completely lose myself in this whole mommy-thing. And hey, it’s just a magazine! A few pages, a few dollars, a brief moment of escape. Right? Well, three actually. I couldn’t decide between Harper’s Bazaar, Jane and Real Simple because there isn’t one out there that appeases the appetites of my multiple personalities in a single issue. Harper’s Bazaar is for the fashionista in me, however closeted my inner glamourpuss might be. Jane is for the girl in me that’s not always so girly. You know, the one that likes to discuss new music and kicks, smart women and stupid politics. And the neat-freak mommy in me makes a bible of Real Simple for all the tips that make homemaking easier than it really is. So I grab all three. It’s just a few pages and a few dollars for a brief moment of escape. Right?
I was pleased—each and every one of me. I found a recipe in Jane for one of the most delicious and reasonably priced meals {$10} I have ever made, eaten, thoroughly enjoyed, and shared with friends. I referenced Real Simple for the shelf life of a package of mushrooms I found in the back of my fridge. {After three days, chuck ‘em}. And I was pleasantly surprised by Harper’s Bazaar. I mean, I do like to hear from the fashion gods about what’s hot and not. Really I just like to poke fun at fashion taken so seriously. But if it weren’t for the articles about Gwyneth Paltrow and Debi Mazar, both moms talking mommyhood, I might still be feeling small pangs of regret. One talks about the type of mom she aspires to be and the other can’t stop talking about the twenty extra pounds of baby weight. I cringed when one described how motherhood requires so much of her life and she "doesn't even have to change sheets and clean toilets." Albeit my life is different from any movie stars'--or anyone for that matter--still, being a mom is the most relatable experience I have with women with children everywhere. And I'm just glad my little self-centered splurge reminded me of it.

HUSTLENOMICS

Dona Dee does it again. Don't miss Hustlenomics III this Friday. {Hayes and I will be there}!

The Video

To the left
To the left
Everything you own
In a box to the left

Told ya one day this would all make sense. Here's the Beyonce video I saw in the making... Irreplaceable (give it a few seconds to start).

Totally Random

This weekend, the DUMBO block party brought all the usual family fun we have come to expect--food, music, graffiti art, one of those big blow-up bouncy houses, and two of the most random things I've ever seen in Brooklyn.


bales of hay!


It's one of those toy machines. But instead of dispensing a toy, for fifty cents this one will give you a collector's item miniature building made of clay. {Please email me if you can figure this one out}.