My Take-Insecure

I’m late to the Insecure craze but I’ve gone back to season one and watched at the start of the quarantine.  From my view; Molly and Issa have had the same “in your face, tumultuous” banter the entire series. At Issa’s event in Baldwin Hills, season one for instance, the fight was very reminiscent of the fight at the Block Party during this past season. Calling each other out and hitting below the belt with personal jabs🤷🏾‍♀️ For me female friendships are surface, I’m private by nature, so I’ve never been the type of girlfriend that spills intimate “secrets” I’m a great listener and will give feedback when asked. But female relationships for me have been having those around me that have something in common with me and we enjoy each other’s company...laughing, supporting one another, or just being a sounding board...and I’m out ✌️ when or IF it gets too toxic. However, (unpopular opinion) while everyone is saying Molly is a toxic friend; I think she and Issa mirror each other. I think sometimes people in relationships grow or mature and most times the other person is not in the same level so what would be a mirror image to you, has turned into a “toxic” relationship. No! Just call it what it it...Issa desires to do, or see, things differently and now all the traits about herself that brought her and her best friend together are irksome, annoying, and downright unacceptable to Issa.  

I’ll be watching next season along with everyone else and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for their friendship AND what’s going to happen between she and Lawrence now that he’s expecting a baby with Condola.

25 Days of Christmas (Day 25)

Open gifts and enjoy family!

Photo courtesy of County Living! Update to follow...as I’m still playing Santa and assembling a Barbie Dream House 😓 

...then baking cookies...the kids were sleep...Karson woke up to eat at 3:30am...prayerfully Khloé stays asleep...baking cookies...it’s STILL my tradition with or without them 🙄 

Jesus be a wide awake spirit in the upcoming hours!

25 Days of Christmas (Day 24)

Bake cookies for Santa and Christmas Movie Marathon

Cookies courtesy of Mommy and Khloé

Hot Cocoa bombs courtesy of Indulgence Sweets & Treats 

25 Days of Christmas (Day 23)

Have a zoom reconnection with friends and or family! 

25 Days of Christmas (Day 21)

Wrap Christmas Presents 

25 Days of Christmas (Day 22)

Christmas Dance Party

I can always count on my daughter, whom absolutely loves to sing and dance, to be my dance partner during my shenanigans!

25 Days of Christmas (Day 20)

Attend holiday church service 

This is the last Sunday before Christmas so most, if not all, churches are hosting or paying special attention to the gift of Christ during this service. 

I attended Lily Grove Missionary Baptist Church by way of Facebook. Other services to stream or view LIVE that I suggest are: 

Bethel Evangelistic Church 

The Potter’s House

25 Days of Christmas (Day 19)

Have or attend a Christmas Parade: 

Before kids I always knew of Christmas Parades... but I’ve taken an active interest in my neighborhood’s holiday festivities!

Updated: 12/20/20

Thanks to my kid’s daddy and Uncle Darren 🤗  

25 Days of Christmas (Day 18)

Wear favorite Christmas PJ’s and create a hot chocolate bar!

I did it my last year in the classroom for my students and they absolutely loved it! Now that I have a child old enough to partake, and she actually loves hot chocolate this is the perfect occasion to set up my bar and allow her to drink and create her hot chocolate up until Christmas! Her favorite is WHITE hot chocolate so we’ll see what other recipes, or add in’s she includes.

25 Days of Christmas (Day 17)

Sing Christmas Carols

I’m not saying travel door to door, because I certainly wouldn’t even pre Covid, but I am saying get into the Christmas spirit as it rapidly approaches by singing the same Christmas Carols that have been around for at least 100 years! 

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer 

Frosty the Snowman 

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Joy to the World

Jingle Bells

Santa, Baby

All I Want for Christmas

White Christmas (for those that are EXTRA woke...that means a SNOWY Christmas 👀)

These are all songs I remember singing in middle school choir. We had to dress up in black bottoms (girls usually in skirt and boys in pants) and crisp white collared shirts. Dress shoes. Upon arrival to the school, we’d get some type of red ribbon or bow to tie to our shirts, our parents would be in chairs in the audience and we’d line up to walk upon the risers to SING! Fake snow would adorn the outside (sometimes depending on the weather we performed outside, other times it was in our cafeteria.) A choir Christmas program! The memories!😊 

Skits were usually intertwined into the program...a couple of songs, then some speaking...a couple of more songs...followed by more speaking....we’d end with a big finale filled with tambourines, bells, Santa Claus, Santa and elf hats, reindeer ears, and if our director was really crafty gifts thrown about complete with a sleigh! 

Memories! 😊 

After the singing, after the choreographed movements and bell shaking we’d bow several times smiling hard, wave and blow kisses, pose for impromptu photographs. (Pause here: I call it photographs because there were NO phone videos or pics our parents used old school camcorders and Kodak cameras) 

Memories! 😊 

The last part of caroling or singing was always eating cookies and punch. Red punch and sugar cookies with frosting. White napkins. Laughing and chilly from being inside the building. I don’t know the significance of my memory remembering the chill in the air but...memories! That’s what I got.

😊 

On this 17th day, sing your Carols, drink some punch and eat cookies. Take pics as well...memories are important!

xoxo

Fool Me Once, Shame on You...

What’s your reason for wanting to begin or maintain a committed relationship? Are you lonely? In love? Wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone? Do you feel obligated either by your spouse or others? Are you trying to prove a point? Are you trying desperately to move on from another relationship and you believe this is the best way? Are you seeking companionship? Do you hate to be alone? 

I'm sure there are many other reasons I haven't quite listed. I have come to find that some people make relationships out to be an inconvenience even after they've initiated the union. They'll make their significant other feel like a nuisance to their otherwise pre-existing life. Like spending time with their S.O is something they “have to do" as opposed to something they enjoy because it's essentially what they want. They'll make spending quality time, a time that should be a mutual affinity for one another, so difficult and uncomfortable that it's uncomfortable to get excited about being together. 

Some others use their significant other simply as an alibi. Their excuse for any good or bad behavior. Friends ask them to go somewhere and they’ll say something like, "I wish I could, but my S.O. got something else going on."

Family gathering time, when they don't want to be with their family; for them it's much more polite and politically correct to say, "We already have plans with my S.O.'s family, maybe next holiday or next event."

If someone thinks they've been out of line or inappropriate, or maybe they're not interested in their advances, what they reduce to say is, "Listen. That didn't happen. I didn’t do that. I have a S.O."

I remember dating someone that was like the latter. He was an indefensible creep! It took me twice in the same weekend to realize he would use the “relationship” as a disguise for his disgusting behavior with other women. The two particular instances were work-related purposes. He would come on to these women, one had a boyfriend and the other could have easily fallen victim to his behavior but she was well aware he was involved with someone else and declined his insinuations because of the type of person she was. She refused to be the other woman knowing his relationship status. The lady with the boyfriend actually didn’t have to say a word because her boyfriend spoke for her. The Boyfriend called said Alibi Guy and confronted him about coming on to his girlfriend. Alibi Guy listened, shifty-eyed, to The Boyfriend’s accusations and like taking a breath, he said; “Nah, man! (lightly laughing) she must have taken what I said out of context or wanted what I said to mean something else. I have a girlfriend and I’ve been with her. In fact, I was with her that day she’s saying I did that so...it couldn’t have happened.”

Thank God I was privy to this conversation being that I was in the car when it occurred. The relationship was over then and there. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Be careful in the dating game. Even more so because a person will pretend for years before they actually unmask their nasty behaviors.

Relationship 250

Turn your negative remarks and comments to productive and positive things.

TikTok

So I’ve been sitting on a TikTok account now for a few months...I had absolutely NO idea (and really still don’t) know the purpose of the app other than entertainment. There’s probably some conspiracy theorist reason for it or a more popular reason for its purpose BUT I’m there! Some ignorant person may try and use ageism to wonder why people are engaged with the app however; we can’t and won’t respond to that type of negativity as certainly many of the videos are illicit, explicit, and quite frankly most, if not, all internet usage can be demonized if placed into the wrong hands anyway 😏 

With that said; here’s my actual first video link...

Asking all them Questions #askingallthemquestions

25 Days of Christmas (Day 15)

Take a car tour of local Christmas lights! 

Several neighborhoods venture to decorate their homes during the holidays and this year with Covid 19 and quarantining and social distancing, and, just overall for a lack of better words- sometimes seeming trapped in your own homes; I think touring the neighborhoods and highly decorated areas of town (shopping centers) will be on the top of the to-do list if it had never been before. 

25 Days of Christmas (Day 16)

Write Your Letter to Santa (for your littles ones)

Here’s a template for your little ones ♥️ 

25 Days of Christmas (Day 14)

Read your favorite Christmas book

My daughter LOVES reading (to you and having you read to her) we read How the Grinch Stole Christmas ™️ and then she really wanted to watch the movie version. We actually watched both the cartoon version and the film version and delighted in comparing the original to the film to the book. She’s three but she’s extremely bright and enthusiastic about learning and we’ve catalogued her love of reading since she was an infant.

25 Days of Christmas (Day 13)

 Have game night in your pajamas

My baby girl and I literally just finished playing Uno™️ . We frequently played through this season Connect Four ™️, Candyland ™️, and most recently The Wheels on the Bus ™️ 

If you decide to do a virtual game night, use any fun app like Spades ™️, or Dominoes ™️, Kahoot ™️, Jeopardy ™️. Other fun games include Drink If, Coin Collage, Storytelling, etc. Get creative also! Nothing like a fun night of laughs all while in your pj’s!

25 Days of Christmas (Day 12)

Christmas Song Dance Party

Make a Spotify mix or even a YouTube channel and stream it to your tv! Pandora has holiday and Christmas stations already prepped and ready, as well! It’s a festive way to get into the spirit by playing Christmas music in the car, or at the house! 

Here’s a generic list I found through a google search:

25 Days of Christmas (Day 11)

Take a picture in front of Christmas trees! 

Whether it’s your tree or someone else’s tree strike a pose or two or twelve! 

25 Days of Christmas (Day 10)

Bake cookies!

I’m SO grateful that my children are SO loved, not only by myself and husband, but family and friends love them enough to think of them...ALWAYS! 

*Christmas treats compliments of Aunt Tranika!

*Cookies for Santa plate (and cup, not pictured) compliments of Aunt Zakeia

25 Days of Christmas (Day 9)

Stuff your stockings! Decorate or just fill those stockings with treats for the family. 

Some ideas to fill: small bottles of perfume, lotions, bath bombs, bubble bath, vanity sets, toys for the kids, puzzles, games, etc.

25 Days of Christmas (Day 7)

Make Your Own Ornaments:

Always a special touch to the tree or wreath when the ornament are either hand made, sentimental or both! A special vacation memory, birth, acknowledgement these are all nice ideas to make your holiday memories just a tad more special! 

*Stand-in photo courtesy of Goodhousekeeping magazine*

25 Days of Christmas (Day 6)

Watch a Favorite Holiday Movie:

I have many... here’s a link to the blog dedicated to all my favorites! Holiday Favorites

What are yours?!

In other news here’s the daily view from my room 🥰😍

25 Days of Christmas (Day 5)

Read a Christmas story, or create one of your own! Charles Dickens, Dr. Seuss, etc if you have the time read the book, then watch the movie and compare!

25 Days of Christmas (Day 4)

My 40th Birthday Ugly Christmas Sweater Party!!!!

 

25 Days of Christmas (Day 3)

Color Christmas Pages: 

This activity is truly for the kids you have or the kid inside of you! It’s always a great idea to insert artistic expression. Some people may be more creative than I am and choose to do something more elaborate and or if you have older children you may decide to add some depth to just coloring pages but I’ve found that coloring is not only a lost art it’s something that can be soothing. 

Painting, sculpting, molding, creating a wreath, etc are all various activities to complete on day 3. After your work is done add it to your home decor. 

Enjoy and have fun!

I’ll post a photo below of my daughter’s finished work later, along with a painting she did with my artist brother.

Here’s an idea that my book club did a few years back for an arts and crafts project.