Wordful Wednesday: Celebrating Black Love On the Dance Floor

My good friends over at BlackAndMarriedWithKids.com hipped me to this beautiful video of a couples' dance ministry at Chicago's own Trinity United Church of Christ. I mean, they had me at Babyface, but how lovely to see husbands and wives so publicly expressing their love for and commitment to one another through an art form so meaningful to us.

*sigh*

Indeed, love's the place to be.

Wordful Wednesday: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas At MyBrownBaby's Place

The Christmas tree is up, the lights are shining bright, and everybody in the MyBrownBaby house is getting giddy about December 25, 2009.

The presents are all wrapped in this gorgeous blue, maroon, brown, and sparkly gold wrapping paper I found at Target (I ♥ wrapping paper—especially when it's coordinated. 'Cause you gotta coordinate.)

I think I might like the ornaments (almost) better than wrapped presents, especially the ones my babies make—like this reindeer, which Mari fashioned out of an old '70s tree light, googly eyes and a few other recyclables...

and this beautiful ballerina, one of the only ones I could find with features that look like my daughters (peep the Afro—Alvin Ailey beautiful!)...

and simple, delicate creations, like this bronze leaf I found at Crate & Barrel a few years ago.

These Peanut Butter Chocolate Kisses were such a hit with Santa last year, the girls will probably whip them up again for Christmas '09.

Our goldendoodle, Teddy, doesn't seem like he's in the Christmas spirit just yet.

Perhaps because he remembers that this silliness happened on Christmas Day last year...

He'll snap out of it, though—Mari, Lila, Mari, Nick, and I will make sure of it. And Brian McKnight, too! Enjoy his beautiful rendition of "The Christmas Song," and make sure you check back on MyBrownBaby tomorrow for a super special treat!

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Wordful Wednesday: The MyBrownBaby Princess and the Frog Photo Diary

I have to tell you, I was ALL giggles this weekend when Nick, the girls and I went to see the new animated film, The Princess and the Frog—not only because I was excited to take the babies to see Disney's first African American princess, but because the theater in our teeny weeny little town in the-middle-of-nowhere Georgia was packed with little girls dressed up in fancy princess gowns and tiaras, just waiting to get their first glimpse of Princess Tiana on the big screen. Even Mazi, my burly, 17-year-old football player son, couldn't resist the big, gushing, "Awww—they're so CUTE!"

And our theater wasn't the only one full of little princesses, either. For sure, The Princess and the Frog hopped to the top spot at the box office this weekend, grossing $25 million—buoyed, for sure, by the legions of mommies who took their daughters, nieces, cousins, aunties, grandmas and everybody else they knew to the movie. We even saw grown women with other grown women—sans kids—loading up on popcorn and heading in to get their Princess Tiana on.

To celebrate The Princess and the Frog, last week I asked MyBrownBaby moms to email or post on their blogs pictures of their sweeties at the film to be entered into the MyBrownBaby Princess Tiana Swag Giveaway, and I got some AWESOME pictures. And I just couldn't keep them to myself. Check out these pretty little princesses...

MARI AND LILA GETTING THEIR PRINCESS TIANA PAPARAZZI ON AT OUR LOCAL THEATER

SIERRA WITH PRINCESS TIANA (!) AT THE ULTIMATE DISNEY EXPERIENCE IN NYC (Click HERE for more info.)

COCOAMOMMY'S LITTLE DIVA, IN HER TIARA, ON HER WAY TO SEE PRINCESS TIANA. (Read her blog post HERE)

UNLUCKYMOM'S CUTIES HAVING A PRINCESS TIANA MOMENT! (Click HERE to read her post.)

"A" BREAKS DOWN HER PRINCESS AND THE FROG EXPERIENCE ON HER MOM, NIKKI'S SITE, BEADSBRAIDSBEYOND. (Click HERE to read Nikki's post.)

CHOCOLATECOVEREDDAYDREAMS' BABY BOO SO HEARTS TIANA! (Check out her mom's post HERE.)

Vanessa of FoodLoversLikeMe went to a The Princess and the Frog showing 20 princesses deep, including these adorable girls: Madison (Vanessa's daughter); Amalya (her goddaughter, in plaid), and Jelyn (a friend, in floral crown).

AND, I used Random.org to pick the lucky winner of the $200 in Princess Tiana Swag—including a twin comforter, a snow globe, a Princess Tiana toddler doll, and a tree ornament; it picked No. 26—Ann, A.K.A. UNLUCKYMOM, who, it turns out, was veeery lucky today! Congratulations, Ann!

Wordless Wednesday: How Not To Talk About Africa

I just adore this video, a satire piece by Binyavanga Wainaina of Kenya—and not just because it stars the absolutely delicious Djimon Hounsou. Wainaina uses this thought-provoking, at times comical commentary to point out the more ignorant attitudes that find their way into Western literature and other written stories about Africa. Personally, I think we could sub in pretty much any group—black folks, Latinos, other developing countries, poor people, urban and rural folk, teenagers, women—and make the same point. At the base of it, Wainaina's video is commentary on stereotypes, and our need to open our eyes, dig a little deeper, and suspend judgement before we pretend like we can claim any authority over subjects with which we're only minimally familiar. Really think about what Djimon is saying, and pay attention to the beautiful images that flash in the end. Really, really smart.

(With nods to Kiss My Black Ads, the terrific advertising blog where I first saw this video. Keep doing what you do!)

Wordless Wednesday: The Cousins In a New York State of Mind

This is, for sure, one of my favorite pictures of Lila, Miles, Mari, and Cole—taken in the middle of Times Square on the first day of one of our family vacations to New York City. We're native New Yorkers, and when we were living there, it was way too hokey to get caught doing the touristy thing. That's for, like, tourists. But then we all moved South, and when we visited home for the first time, we lost our natural born minds doing all of the most touristy stuff we could—horse carriage rides through Central Park, ice skating and a visit to the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, a romp through FAO Schwarz, (window) shopping on Madison Ave., lunch at Serendipity, and a ride up to Harlem on the A train. The best time of all, though, was watching the kids cut up in the middle of traffic in the busiest, loudest, brightest, tallest, most famous intersection on the planet—Broadway and Seventh Ave.

New York, New York!



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Wordless Wednesday: What Happens When Three Brown Girls Have Too Much Time On Their Hands (and unrestricted access to a MacBook)

Wordless Wednesday—A Black Butterfly's Pretty Wings

I'm no fan of bugs—not even genteel lady bugs or butterflies with pretty wings. My girls, however, don't hesitate to get up close and personal looks at creepy crawlies (as I recounted in Girls Are Made of Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, Too!), and so when they found this colorful Monarch fluttering about in our driveway, they couldn't resist picking it up and giving it a looksie. Isn't it lovely?

I ♥ Faces “Blue” Photo Challenge: Scary Cole

This is my nephew, Cole—fiery, funky, super scary, and all awesome. I super ♥ taking pictures of this child. Could be because he has the most amazingly expressive eyes. Or that he gives good camera face. Me thinks it's probably because he's my adorable nephew who, when he isn't flirting with my camera lens, is an amazingly intelligent, thoughtful, huggable little boy. I do adore him so!

This picture is part of the I ♥ Faces “Blue” Photo Challenge, over at I ♥ Faces, the photo sharing website co-founded and co-run by my bloggy buddy, the amazing Angie of The Arthur Clan. Click HERE to check out some of the other amazing "Blue" photos being shared around the blogosphere.

Wordful Wednesday: Our Friday Night Lights

Around these parts, football and Fridays go together like hot BBQ and cold beer at a tailgate party. And after three years of watching my stepson, Mazi, play for his high school team (and a pretty intense Football 101 For Moms session with his coach), I'm finally starting to actually understand the game—and like it. Which is big. Because I much prefer the TV show Friday Night Lights to actually sitting under real ones. It's amazing what you'll start liking when your kid is involved! (The funnel cake at the concession stand certainly helps!) Here, my favorite shots from Mazi's season opener. Go South!

Dang, Am I REALLY This Old? Seriously?

See, this is just all kinds of wrong.

I go to the mailbox and this is there—a detailed listing of how much cash I can expect to get from the Social Security Administration when I retire, and how much the hubs and babies can expect if I go on to the great office in the sky, um, prematurely.

The breakdown of my Social Security benefits started showing up a few years ago, which was foul enough. But now the doggone thing is coming more regularly than my Pottery Barn catalogues. And you know Pottery Barn believes in sending some catalogues on the regular.

I mean, I appreciate the info, SSA. But the constant reminder that I’m A) getting old; B) that I’m going to die; and, C) that I’ll be a broke ass if I manage to live past age 62 just doesn’t feel as warm and fuzzy as the Pierce 4-piece Suede Chaise Sectional in the PB book.

I’m good if the Social Security Administration saves a tree or two and keeps these little notices in the files until I’m ready for the info and actually, like, ask for it.

I mean, I’m just sayin’.

Wordless Wednesday—If You Think This is Bad, You Should See The Other Kid!

Okay, so Lila didn't lose her two front teeth throwing 'bows. Well, not really. Let Mari tell it, and an unfortunate jostling incident with her sister over a bowl of pasta just "helped" the first tooth fall out. The second tooth is somewhere on the soccer field, having been "helped" into the grass when it made an unfortunate connection with a fellow teammate's forehead.

Yeah.

Anyway, I just got a kick out of the snaggle-tooth phase. Too cute.

Lila would like the tooth fairy to know that she prefers cash, but checks are fine, too. Just leave all monies by the door, please. You may be world renowned and all, but she doesn't really dig strangers all up in her room in the middle of the night.

Thanks.