Tuesday, March 30, 2010

My DREAM body (*almost) at 35!

I'm sore, I'm sweaty, my knees are saying "whyyy", my shins burn and I don't even know HOW I am going to make it up the stairs to shower! But it feels SOOOOO good! I am finding the lighter I get, the easier it is to do the exercises! I'll be turning 35 next month (yes, 35). One of my goals is to create the best body I have ever had, this year, hopefully by my Birthday. In March I had surgery. I had my gall bladder removed which spurred me to really pay attention to what I was eating. About two weeks after surgery, I started exercising again, regularly, and for real. I have lost ten pounds in a month! Another ten would be nice, fifteen would be a bonus! So I am getting closer to what MY dream body is. As a young lass of 20, I was basically a waif. I am 5'5 and at that time, weighed 105 lbs. I used to try to gain weight but couldn't! As the kids came, so did the weight. After my first one, my body changed, my hips widened and my tummy got flabby. LOVED the hips, hated the flab! Having children has definitely given me a more womanly shape, so I love that. But it's been cruel and unkind to my midsection! I am finally trimming down and so is my midsection, but I think that piece won't be complete until I get a tummy tuck! Some things just don't go away on their own! (Gotta cut-it-out!) But that's later... I'll just be happy not to wave to my kids on the bus and have the arm flab still going after my hand's stopped, to have shapely legs with nice calves and mostly, to get rid of my muffin top, and I am about 90% muffin top-less. {Please read that again, I am NOT topless!} I am getting closer to having the womans' body that I've always wanted. The only thing I am trying not to lose is my booty! Gotta have the booty! What do you think made J-Lo so famous? {And I'm from the Bronx just like she is. Must be something in the water!}

~La Poetic Seamstress~

Monday, March 29, 2010

Parental Bribery!! (The Back Pocket Plan)

Kids are supposed to just LISTEN, right? I say it, and so it shall be done!! Umm...not really always the way it goes. I would say I am moderately firm with my kids. We don't spank in our household. Ok...a little pat on the bottom here and there which is NEVER effective, because there's never enough impact (from me) to intimidate. My kids actually chuckle after, which usually results in, "Oh! You think that's funny? Go to your room! In the old days, kids had to pick their own twigs for their spanking, you know!!" And they run to their rooms, covering their chuckling mouths. I am just not made to be a spanker! That's probably because I never got spanked (yup, I said never) growing up. So I had to have a plan B. My usual punishments involve taking away the things they value most (ie., Nintendo DS, Television privileges, playground privileges) and when I really want to stick it to them, I make them read books, and if I feel really froggy, throw in a book summary! Yeah, I know, I know...not that scary, but it works for the most part, in our home.
~PARENTAL BRIBERY~ This is usually a tactic that I keep in my back pocket for emergencies! I am sure some people think it's not a good idea, think that kids should just do what they are told to do. I know that personally, knowing you can earn something is a great motivator! I am participating in a 12 hour dance a thon because I know I will be earning donations from sponsors that will go towards a Children's Hospital. It doesn't have to be a tangible thing that you "earn". And the key word here IS earn. So how does Parental Bribery work in my house? I'll tell you. Today's example: My weather anxious child refused to go to school because of pouring rain, thunder & flood advisory. (serious weather anxiety!) So I let him stay home and explained to the teacher, who knows how weather conditions trigger him. The teacher explains that he's missing a test and major review. I don't mess around when it comes to education, but I am a compassionate mother; in this case, I had to get him to go. So I tried a stern voice...no go. I needed a back pocket back up! Aha! LARGE Milkshake if he gets the courage to overcome and go to school. DING DING DING! It was a winner! What harm am I really doing? In my book, he's earned it. Scenario two: "Kids, if you all clean your rooms, we'll have pizza & sundaes for dinner!" Earning Reward is the key here. They are learning to work to earn things. The fine line...getting them to do things from the heart, being self motivated. So there's a balance. Now, I don't offer a reward for everything they do. But every now and then, I reach into the back pocket!

~La Poetic Seamstress~

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Pajamas...Really? & Unicorns~

PAJAMAS ~ I've tried, for seven months, to ignore this issue. But it irks me! It irks me like when people chew with their mouths open. It irks me like when you are walking along the sidewalk and the idiot driver plows through the puddle, splashing you! It irks me like when people have "private" cell phone conversations so loud you can barely hear your own thoughts! Ok, what is it? Pajamas! (but there's more to it; read on!) I LOVE pajamas. I collect them, I ask for them for birthdays and Christmas, mainly the pants! I have seasonal pj pants, ones with sayings on the booty (bad girl, lol), Hello Kitty ones (my fave), Victoria's Secret (absolute fave) fleece, cotton, silk...etc. Here goes the problem. I would like to officially, publicly state that Pajama Pants are not meant for public wear; they are not a Fashion Statement or Fashion Style! Here's the story. I'm a mom. I have kids that ride the school bus and yes, sometimes I am rushing so much to get them ready (because I iron clothing for three children every morning, style hair and make a good breakfast), that sometimes I don't have a chance to get out of my oh-so-fabulous pajama pants! So...I wear them to take them to the bus. In my defense, most times I drive them to school anyway, so no one really sees me! {Yes, I am getting to the point, right now.} I think that's perfectly acceptable. HOWEVER, when that bus rolls around at 3pm to drop your kids back off to you, and you are STILL in that same damn pajamas...THAT IRKS ME! Once or twice a month, whatever, we are women, we have those days! But every freakin' day?? Come on now? And you want to maintain your marriage? I highly doubt that you wore pajama pants on your dates during your courtship! And what are you showing these kids? That it's okay to loaf around in the same clothes all day, every day? Lest we forget, parents, that our children emulate us and learn by example. Pride in appearance, neatness and cleanliness, healthy self esteem and good grooming habits...very important! Am I wrong? It just irks me! There, I said it!

UNICORNS ~ I've always liked fairies. Something so dainty, feminine, mystical and magical... And then the word Unicorn dripped out of my mind. I was talking about myself, how different I was, how I felt like a Unicorn in a room of people. And then I was captivated. Unicorns are regal, lovely, solitary, magical, a thing to awe at, they hold their own, they are graceful and unique, they represent good and they are pretty quiet (I mean, from everything I've read or seen in movies!)
. And I do kind of feel like a Unicorn, except not as beautiful. {I'm no chop liver, just not Unicorn beautiful!} So, I fell in love with Unicorns, and I don't mind being the "unicorn" in the room. Gives me an idea for my next tattoo...but that's another blog altogether!

~La Poetic Seamstress~

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Music & Lyrics as Inspiration

People may wonder about me...you just can't peg me! I am sitting here, replaying "All of the above" by Maino ft. T-Pain, over, and over, and over again. If you were like me, grew up the projects, for me, in NYC, the Bronx to be exact, and you have dreams, this song would speak to you too! I listen to music for melody, but of course, what usually strikes me first is the lyrics! I recommend, whether you like hip-hop music or not, that you google these lyrics! They are ALL about dream chasing, man! This song makes me lean and rock, and makes me feel like I've got one of my girls at my shoulder, pushing me, telling me, "Go ahead girl!"
BUT I'm the same woman who listens, with great delight, to Kenny G., Pink, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, La India, Daddy Yankee, Michael Bolton, Grateful Dead, Simon & Garfunkel, Green Day, Enya, Jerry Rivera, Ruben Blades, Billy Joel, Elton John, Black Eyed Peas, Tupac, Biggie, Diddy, R.E.M., Rascall Flatts, Lady Gaga... get the point here?
Music and lyrics are a huge influence for me, creatively. Music moves. Music encourages. Music evokes emotion, and lyrics are a huge part of that. I really connect with music, with writers of lyrics, because they are creating, just like I'm creating. One should never close their ears to artistry because of the confines of genre. Listen to it ALL and let it inspire you!

"Tell me, what do you see when you're looking at me? On a mission to be what I'm destined to be..." ALL OF THE ABOVE-Maino ft. T-Pain

~La Poetic Seamstress~

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Name CHANGE & Date with a Mic

Shocking! So after I chose the "name" Poetic Seamstress", I decided to do a google search to see if my blog popped up. Holy Smokes! Nope, I didn't, but A poetic seamstress DID pop up and goodness gracious, she wrote erotica! I scrolled down her page and...I can't even type what I SAW! For the RECORD, I am no prude, however, if I tell someone to find me online and just casually say Poetic Seamstress, I don't want them to find THAT!!! The good thing is that she (erotica woman) has her picture on there and it can't be mistaken for ME! {Again, I am NOT knocking Erotica writers; that's just not ME.} Can you imagine if I hadn't looked and told, let's say, my husbands co-workers to find me online? The palpitations... So, what to do? I am simply going to add "La". That's right. I think it's fitting. I am LAtina, after all! So...name change= "La Poetic Seamstress" Wait...let me google that too and make sure something else crazy doesn't come up! Nope...all clear!

The Mic---Not all poetry is meant to be read aloud. I really came to this realization when I decided to do my very first Open Mic in NYC (w/NYCLWG) last October. As I was preparing and writing, I realized that I had to tweek some things to recite aloud. You have to make it sound different coming out of your mouth. Emphasis has to be placed on certain words or phrases. I still feel though, from my writing perspective, that some poetry (of mine anyway) is meant to be read, off the page, absorbed through the eyes, into the mind. So when I write for an Open Mic, I write a little more lyrically, a little more melodically. AND I am Oh-So excited to be attending my second Open Mic here in VA. I got awesome, helpful feedback the last time that I went, so I am definitely going again, this Friday!! There's nothing like being in the company of people who love poetry and writing just as much as you do! So off to blaze the mic I go!

~M.G.~

Teaching Your Children to express themselves...

I have three children. My youngest is 6. The other day, she woke up in a really crabby mood, eyebrows furrowed, huffing... I asked her, "Are you feeling crabby today?" She responded, defensively, "NO!" So as I brushed her hair, I said to her, " you know baby, not every day is sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes, we may feel irritated or annoyed and that's perfectly natural. But, you have to remember not to hurt anyone's feelings even if you aren't feeling so fab. If you feel crabby, that's just fine. I bet as the day goes on, you will feel much better." She just stood there and after a few moments said, "Thanks Mom" She got her jacket on and I could over hear her telling her older brothers, "You don't HAVE to wake up happy EVERY day! Sometimes you just feel crabby, and that's just fine!" My point was really to allow her, allow all of my children, to express themselves to me and feel emotions. Part of my job, as a parent, is to raise kind and caring human beings, not robots!
My 9 year old obsesses about weather conditions. If it rains, the question is always "Will it flood?" If it's windy, "Will there be a hurricane?" If it snows, "Will there be a blizzard?" This is an ongoing thing with him. So what else can I do but listen, tell him it will be alright because we are safe...and encourage him to be a Meteorologist and study weather!!
I walked into my 11 year old sons bedroom this past weekend, and he had a book between his legs and tucked his hands down when I walked in. I asked, "Son, what are you doing? Why do you have that look on your face?" He said, "nothing Mom, just reading." I gazed at him, eye to eye, and said "Ok son. You have a good night and enjoy your book." I knew he was up to something. I just barely turned the knob closed on his door and he shouted, "Mom, come here." I walked in with a smile and he said, "...well Mom, this is what I was hiding and I didn't want to be dishonest with you..." and it was just a pen drawing of a lightning bolt on his hand, like Harry Potter. So I said to him "Son, I appreciate your honesty. Thank you and it means a lot to me. However, skin has pores, and you can get ink poisoning if you write on your hands, so you might want to reconsider it." His response...he followed me out and washed it off immediately.
My point here is that it's important to create an atmosphere with children where they can express themselves. It may be bad moods and ink drawings on the hands now, but if I let them know, teach them, that they can always express themselves to me, freely and that I will listen, I think I have a better chance when we get to the bigger things! TALK to your kids about everything, and just as important LISTEN to what they have to say!

~M.G.~

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

COMFORT OF SILENCE

Comfort finds me, in silence
When I take refuge
When human voices sound like buzzing bees
Except for the symphonic twitterings of cherubs-
my own.

Faces are replaced with
Mindless, aloof question marks
And I have no inclination to answer.

I have a love/hate relationship
With loneliness and reclusivity.

I cast my umbrella
To shield me from the pelting hail of eyes
Their reasons of no concern to me.

I long to lay, face up to the sun
In a field of fellow wildflowers
Where imperfections
Are thought of as beautiful and rare.

I thinks me too colorful and curious
For this grey world outside
So mostly
I conceal it
In silence
Where comfort finds me.
And only the cherubs
dance
to my multi-colored medley.

~M.G.~

FORBIDDEN

How shall they look upon us?
As two lovebirds, fluttering inseparably in bliss?
Or as two sordid creatures, gnawing at the rope of indecency?
As my lips glisten with the dew of your parting kiss
Can it be seen, the innocence in this?
No malice or indecency, rather, the intent
The desire to love and be loved
The want to be in union, forever betrothed.
Or is it a vision of obscenity?
The blood-lust dripping from my lips
As if I had feasted on flesh of a mortal.
The only crime is in the line
Drawn between us
Creating a sea of separation, where wanted
Is a path of reunion.
Who alive should deem themselves worthy
To govern and impose rules of the heart?
Yet, they do, and we must
Defy
Even if we be shunned.
For there is no more cruel a death, I fear
Than that of a life, forced to live
Without you by my side.

~M.G~

BLACK CROW

Pull back the curtain to smile at the sun
Instead I see you, first
Not the sunbeam or the dew gleam
Blackest crow, what message do you bring me?

Approaching the crux of seasonal change
Peering around the corner for a preview
I see you
But I fear not your message

You stay but for a few moments
Standing on grass half wheat, half green
Just to be admired
And I look at you, but you do nothing
Just show yourself, provoking some thought in me
That is yet to be revealed

You take flight with your fellow messengers
This mornings' work done and on to the next recipient
I feel warmth and softness at my side
And my black cat watches you flee too
The proclamation is but a sensation
Stirred in my mind

My eyes are a little wider
My hearing a little keener
Listening for the whisper in the wind
Looking for the glimmer in my periphery
And I wait for it

~M.G.~

I AM

Come, and hold your ear to my wrist
Oblige me. Close your eyes

I dare you not to tap your feet
When you hear the beat, feel the rhythm
The pulse…pulse…pulse
Of my people

Then, look at my face, my body, my hair
And dissect me
Can you see the Indian in my hair?
Do I have a Spanish complexion?
Have I fully grown into my African curves?

It is in my blood, all of it
My DNA will tell the tale
Seers will grab my palm and see it
The land, stolen, the people taken and transplanted
The innocence lost, the blood shed, the cultures infused

Now open your new eyes and see, how it is all a part of me.

~M.G.~