...Shea my love*

SheaMoisture - Culturally authentic products made with indigenous ingredients since 1912.

If your a natural curly... if you don't know -- know you know!

Shea Moisture is my staple line! I would be so lost without it... 

Loves, it's stock up time -- BOGO 1/2 off at Walgreens!  Get it while you can!

...love, modesty*

...and the award goes to*

Sorry junior, I already ruined ya

‘Cause you ain’t even alive, paparazzi pursuin’ ya

~ Jay Z, "New Day"

And the award of the night DEFINITELY goes to Beyonce!

The diva announced her pregnancy on the red carpet of the VMA.

All her pictures totally show the new mama glow... just BEAUTIFUL!

This will be Bey and Hov's first child.

I just know she and Jay Z will make wonderful parents....

In the words of my cousin..."This b!sh knows how to steal the show!"

EW relays that, on the red carpet, Beyonce told the crowd, “I want you to feel the love that’s growing inside me.” She then unbuttoned her coat and rubbed her belly.

Jay-Z also had children on his mind tonight. He and Kanye rapped about fatherhood on "New Day" from their new album, "Watch The Throne."

...One in a Million*

"If at first you don't succeed... dust yourself off and try again..."

~ Aaliyah

Today marks the 10th anniversary of Aaliyah Dana Haughton’s death. The multi-talented star died in a plane crash after filming the video for her song Rock The Boat.

Aaliyah was known for her tender vocals and laid back vibe. She influenced a generation by singing sweetly over heavy Timbaland-produced beats. Bandana’s, shades, crop tops and side-swept bangs were signature to Aaliyah’s tomboy style... one of my style icons growing up.

Aaliyah’s songs are still as relevant today as they were the day they were released. Though its been ten years, Aaliyah still lives on in our hearts and on our iPods.

In her memory, Aaliyah's Top 10 Billboard Hits.

10. More Than A Woman

9. At Your Best (You Are Love)

8. If Your Girl Only Knew

7. I Don't Wanna Be

6. Try Again

5. Rock The Boat

4. I Miss You

3.  Back and Forth

2. One In A Million

1. Are You That Somebody

There will never be another quite like Aaliyah... She was truely one in a million.

January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001

...Still Unknown*

If I died tomorrow, I would be a happy girl.

~ Amy Winehouse

Despite all the rumors... NO illegal drugs were found in Amy Winehouse's system.  Winehouse was found dead in her London home exactly one month ago.

So for all the critics: "Insert foot into mouth..."

"Toxicology results returned to the Winehouse family by authorities have confirmed that there were no illegal substances in Amy's system at the time of her death," read a statement released today by family spokesman Chris Goodman.

"Results indicate that alcohol was present, but it cannot be determined as yet if it played a role in her death," the statement continues. "The family would like to thank the police and coroner for their continuing thorough investigations and for keeping them informed throughout the process. They await the outcome of the inquest in October."

..."Slave" earrings*

As long as the mind is enslaved, the body can never be free. Psychological freedom, a firm sense of self-esteem, is the most powerful weapon against the long night of physical slavery.

~ MARTIN LUTHER KING

Vogue is no stranger to offensive features. 

In the past we've seen FrenchVogue do blackface on supermodel Lara Stone in 2009... 

AmericanVogue portrayed LeBron James as King Kong in 2008... 

...and IndianVogue put a Fendi bib worth $100 on an poor child also in 2008.

Vogue Italia always seemed a bit more enlightened than its sister publications. 

Just three years ago, the magazine put out its first "all black" issue, to push for more diversity in fashion. 

Franca Sozzani issued a formal apology for the controversially titled "Slave Earrings" feature. 

"It is a matter of really bad translation from Italian into English," she explained. "The Italian word, which defines those kind of earrings, should instead be translated into 'ethnical style earrings'. Again, we are sorry about this mistake which we have just amended in the website."

If I'm not mistaken -- this style of earrings were not only worn in Africa -- but also in Rome, Greece and Native Americans wore hoops right here in America.

But even if that was the point, that the style came from Africa, why not call them "African" earrings.

I'm still SMH... what do you think?

Slave Earrings [Vogue Italia]

...love, modesty*

...8 day streak ends*

How we really know that hard work never killed anybody, when the only reliable witness may be dead?

Bottoms up. Two days off. Relax.

...love, modesty*

...running it off*

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it." 

~ Oprah Winfrey

I finally have a pair of Vibram FiveFinger running shoes.

My hubby surprised me with them the other night! I just took them for a test run today... They are GREAT! In track, they had us run bare at least 2xs a week... There's nothing like it!

It's natural to run barefoot... I guess you could think of it like a five finger gloves vs mittens. Mittens are like a sneakers... Limited mobility and your hand isn't made to function in that way. With gloves... You have more flexibility, and its natural to want to use all five fingers.. or toes in this matter ;)

They are also way better for posture and blood circulation...

...love, modesty*

...Lazy Day*

"Today I don't feel like doing anything..."

~Bruno Mars

Last day before pulling 8 straight days of work... 

...love, modesty*

...lovin the fro*

Radical simply means "grasping things at the root."
Angela Davis 

We all know about the Black Power movement that took place in the 1960′s, but would that be considered the true “roots” of the afro itself? 

My favorite afro’s of all time have got to be Angela Davis, Pam Grier, and Diana Ross.

...winning*

...We played awesome tonight!

Our team manager hit a grand slam... and the hubby and I were hitting as well!

23-7

Next week is the start of the tournament -- We gotta play to win!

After the game -- the hubby made me go for a run with him.

I have a high ankle sprain, but I ran through the pain... 

I ran about a mile and a half, I'm thinking it's a good start :)

...Happy Birthday Mister President*

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

~ BARACK OBAMA, speech, Feb. 5, 2008

In honor of President Barack Obama's 50th Birthday... Here's 50 facts you may not have known.

1. Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann Dunham (1942-1995), known as Ann, came from an old American family. Her father and mother were nonpracticing Baptists and Methodists, respectively.


2. He won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir, Dreams From My Father


3. He is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed


4. He has read every Harry Potter book


5. By August 2008, He had more than a thousand videos on YouTube


6. He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now can’t stand ice cream


7. His favorite snacks are chocolate-peanut protein bars


8. He ate dog meat, snake meat, and roasted grasshopper while living in Indonesia


9. He can speak Spanish


10. He has Jay Z and Ludacris on his iPod


11. He is a fan of show-tunes and gave an iPod full of them to the Queen of England


12. He loves playing Scrabble


13. He moved to Chicago and worked as a director of the Developing Communities Project after college


14. The top contributors to his presidential campaign include Goldman Sachs, University of California, Citigroup Inc., Harvard University, Moveon.org and Time Warner.


15. He was given the code name “Renegade” by his Secret Service handlers


16. He was nicknamed “Bar” by his late grandmother


17. He plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds


18. His favourite artist is Pablo Picasso


19. His speciality as a cook is chilli


20. He has said many of his friends in Indonesia were “street urchins”


21. He keeps on his desk a carving of a wooden hand holding an egg, a Kenyan symbol of the fragility of life


22. His favorite show is “The Wire”


23. He and his wife donated $25,000 to the United Negro College fund


24. He changed his name from Barry back to Barack in College to assert his identity


25. He majored in Political Science at Columbia University


26. He was in the Black Student’s Union at both Occidental and Columbia


27. His old desk in his Senate office once belonged to Robert Kennedy


28. His daughter Sasha’s real name is Natasha


29. He has seven half-brothers and sisters in Kenya from his father’s other marriages


30. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law School in 1991.


31. Obama achieved celebrity status after his speech to the Democratic National Convention in 2004, launching what has been called “Obamamania”


32. Obama once said the three men he admired the most were Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr


33. He worked as a summer associate at the Sidley Austin law firm in Chicago


34. He wears Hart Schaffner Marx suits


35. He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali


36. He can bench press an impressive 200lbs


37. He owns four identical pairs of black, size 11 shoes


38. He took Michelle to see the Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing on their first date


39. He was known as “O’Bomber” at high school for his skill at basketball


40. He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics


41. He is a family man.


42. He would have liked to be an architect if he were not a politician


43. His favorite drink is black forest berry iced tea


44. His maternal grandfather fought in World War II


45. He was only one of three black students at Punahou Academy, in Hawaii


46. His height is 6′ 1½”


47. “His first car had so much rust that there was a rusted hole in the passenger door” –Michelle Obama


48. He predicted UNC to win the Final Four


49. Obama met his wife Michelle Robinson, a South Side Chicago native, while he was interning at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin


50. Obama was the first Black President of the Harvard Law Review in 1990

...am I letting myself go*

“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.”
  ~ Earl Shoaf

...so yesterday I went to the doctor and when the nurse weighed me, I just felt sick. 

I haven't been this heavy since college -- and it was ALL MUSCLE then...

Just five years ago -- I was a D1 athlete who participated in track and field ...

And just two years ago I was dancing for a professional arena football team! 

...Natural Beauty*

 CurlyNikki is one of the most INSPIRATIONAL curlies I know.  If your transitioning or already natural -- her blog is HIGHLY recommended.

Today I found out that she's sponsoring an AMAZING giveaway with top notch sponsors....

Celebrate your natural beauty this month with prizing every day! Enter each day to win fabulous curl-specific prizes and be signed up for the grand prize to attend a meet-up with CurlyNikki in NYC!

 

Naturally Curly Giveaway Presented by CurlyNikki

You know I'm registering EVERYDAY... how about you?