Smooth Skin

There is nothing like soft skin. For me, body butter always does the trick. In my search for trying something new I found One 0 Bath and Body. Trying the Cherry Blossom Trails Body Butter, I was very happy with the results.

I want to start off with the adorable reusable container. When the body butter is gone, you can use it to store change, pins, paperclips or any type of small desk essential, even earrings. With its aluminum finish with One imprinted on the top, it makes for a cute container.

Now, once the container is in your hand the smell is so appetizing it makes you hungry. Think that original Starburst pack that you can smell through the wrappers.  Yep, only it is a creamy body butter that is thick enough to last all day yet not too thick where your skin feels clogged. The scent is not too strong once it is applied on the skin. I would recommend this product. If you are a big fan of fruity flavors you will be in body butter heaven.

Protect Your Skin

Just because summer is coming to an end, it doesn’t mean you have to slack on protecting your skin. KORRES 2  has great products that will help you protect your skin. Their Watermelon Suncare Face Cream SPF 30 will help prevent photo-aging and decrease erythema. The product is infused with Shea Butter, Watermelon Extract, Amino Acids and Vitamins.

 How do you keep your skin smooth and protected.

Writer Kinyel Ferguson shares her viewpoint on stability and relationships. Part Three, the final chapter, of the question- Are You Stable- is from the home lifeviewpoint. This is where you evaluate your living situation. Are you where you should be? Are you where you need to be? Or are you somewhere where you know good and well you shouldn’t be in a trifflin sort of way? These are the people you should be weary of for a different type of reason- you wonder not only where their head is and/or if they have goals.

 Home Life

Let’s throw in the living foundation (ex. apartment, condo, house) for this category. For starters, if you do not have a living situation that I listed above (I’m talking about not paying for your own living arrangement) and you are not trying to or plan to get one of the above as soon as possible, AND you are over twenty-five- stop reading this and get your life together IMMEDIATELY. I can understand a temporary fix. My house burned down, I’m handicapped, I lost my job- all temporary scenarios (some more extreme than others). However, if you have no job and still live in your mama’s basement- rent and utility free- and don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel…that’s a problem. If you’re one of those people who change residences as often as you change your draws…that’s a problem. If you are bouncing between your friend’s houses and/or mate’s without paying a dime…that’s a problem. You are not to be trusted and your definition of ‘commitment’ is terrible (financial stability); inner peace and happiness are not in your forecast (mental stability); and in total, it’s utterly an immature behavior and mindset.

So, when it comes to relationships, the question is how far will you go in a relationship with somebody who is not stable? Think about it. How far should you stick your neck out for a person who doesn’t know how to hold onto money, in debt, doesn’t pay their bills on time, but they are sitting up playing video games all day, running up your electricity bill, and complain about you not being affectionate towards them? How long should you stay committed to a person that has been abused and abandoned all their life and instead of helping themselves, they carry all that baggage into the relationship and constantly lash out at you for petty things? How come you are expected to stay with a person who has no ambition, no goals, or no plan to get out of their mother’s basement, but instead wants you to move in with him “as a family”?

 I don’t think that I’m asking too much when I say that I would like to share my life with someone who is stable. To be stable means that, not only are you taking care of business, but you have your priorities straight, you are serious, you can commit, and you are trustworthy. I’m sorry, but I cannot trust a man that moves to a new place or job every five minutes. To be unstable of course is all of the opposites of what I just mentioned, but I’m gonna include a word that is so very important to the unstable world: immature. Being a man or a woman has nothing to do with age. You don’t automatically become a woman or a man once you hit eighteen. You are not truly an adult until you have your priorities straight and learn how to take care of yourself (gotta add, in a healthy way). Putting twenty inch dubs on your Escalade doesn’t mean a thing when you are laid up with your girl and not paying rent or putting food on the table. Going out to get your hair and nails done doesn’t mean a thing when you can’t feed, clothe, or bathe your child(ren). Dropping it like it’s hot at the club all night, but not taking your kids to school the next day doesn’t mean a thing. 

 So what did you learn today… if you are not fully stable (financially, mentally, or home life), put your pride to the side and step it up. Prioritize. Get your life together before you consider bringing other people into your chaos.

I first heard the name jessica Care moore, during a PBS documentary titled I’ll Make Me a World, a series that celebrated African American artists in the 20^th century. I was excited to see a Detroit writer represented and intrigued by Moore’s creative construction of words to create truth, awareness and unforgettable poetry. This year, I had an opportunity to meet Moore. We happened to be on the same early (6:15 a.m.) flight out of Detroit to a layover in Philadelphia. During the walk through the airport in Phillly, we talked about Detroit, following your dreams, creativity and of course writing. Keeping in touch, she took some time out share her story and motivational wisdom.

 A Guardian Angel Passes His Wings

Moore always had a love for writing. She wrote professionally as a journalist and captured her creative voice through poetry. It wasn’t until 2004 at her father’s funeral that she read her poetry aloud for the first time. The response was positive and she paid attention. “The poems just started coming to me when my father passed, it was like a spiritual enlightenment,” she explains. A self proclaimed daddy’s girl she realized her father’s death gave her the wings to fly and let the world hear her voice. “I moved to New York when my father passed away. I never would have moved if he didn’t. Five months after I left Detroit, I became famous.”  She understood the power of his spirit and used that as her light to help her soar. Her voyage to New York led her to Showtime at the Apollo where she was a five time winner. This led her to become a critically acclaimed poet who performed all over the world and as a regular poet on Russell Simmons HBO Series Def Poetry Jam. Moore has shared the stage with artists such as Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Roy Ares, Mos Def, Talib Kweli and the late Gregory Hines and Ossie Davis just to name a few. As a writer Moore wanted to publish her poetry and was approached by major publishing houses but they didn’t understand her voice and vision so she created her own publishing company.

Let the Voices be Heard

In 1997 Moore published her first book of poetry, The Words Don’t Fit in My Mouth, through her company Moore Black Press. Many authors, activists and poets such as Saul Williams, Shariff Simmons, Danny Simmons, NBA basket-ball player, Etan Thomas, Ras Baraka and Asha Bandele have been published under Moore’s company. She understands the power and importance of publishing voices that may not otherwise be heard, but she is also keeping the words of Walter Mosley 1 in her heart. He encouraged and advised her that “she is more than a publisher. The world needs her (creative) body of work and she needs to be writing.” She will continue to write and create a non-profit from Moore Black Press with plans to publish two books a year from an emerging and an established poet.

Moore continues to write and understands her position and responsibility not only as a writer but as an artist. “It is powerful to know that there is a strong history connected to my art. Many times in traditional educational systems we are not told the whole story and so much is kept from us. We must seriously do our homework and get rooted. I know presently that I am apart of something and I am not alone.” Expanding her artistic horizon, Moore has stepped into the world of visual arts and will continue her acting career. She was recently hired as the lead actress in a movie that will be filmed in Ghana and the United States. Acting is something Moore never sought after in the conventional way. “I know I can perform on stage that is how most of my movie roles came about. I know I can perform in front of a camera if I am directed well and the script is well written.”

With a plethora of projects Moore attributes her balance and humility to her son. “He keeps me grounded,” she says proudly. Her hometown is another element to her humility. “Detroit is a blue collar town, there’s a lot of inspiration from that. There are amazing artists from here and a rich history to fall back on.”  As a proud Detroiter, mother and artist, Moore sees hope for the creative class in Detroit and encourages everyone to “hold on.”

Moore shares her motivational wisdom about writing, art and life.

-To be a good writer you must read and study your craft.

- Truly make art and don’t be afraid of it. If you make art first the money will come.

-Learn strong business skills.

- Release the naysayers and anyone in your life that stops you from telling the truth.

- Spend time with those who are smarter than you and people that can teach you something.  

- As a writer let the art speak. Connect to the art first, don’t write to what you think the crowd wants to hear.

- Be fearless and have integrity in everything you do.

(Photography Credit-Thomas Richardson)

Many of you probably remember him from CNN’s documentary Black in America. Dr. Perry founded ConnCAP the Connecticut Collegiate Awareness Program at Capital Community College. This program sent 100% of its first generation graduates to four-year colleges for six years. In 2004 Capital Preparatory Magnet School   opened its doors. Perry started this public middle and high school in the state’s lowest performing district. Due to his vision and hard work, Capital Prep has become one of the nation’s most successful public schools. For three consecutive years,100% of the schools graduates attended four year colleges.Perry is now a regular education contributor on CNN. As a best selling author his fourth book is titled Raggedy Schools The Untold Truth.

He was kind enough to share some of his educational wisdom for a successful school year.

Three ways parents can prepare their children for a successful school year.
1. Establish a routine, including but not limited to wake-up time, bedtime and homework time.
2. Meet all of your kid’s teachers before the second week of school.
3. Make sure there’s space in the house to do homework that’s quiet and entertainment-free.

Three ways teachers can prepare for a successful school year.
1. Set high expectations
2. Research prospective student engagement strategies
3. Meet as many of the students’ parents by the end of the first month. Hopefully, in person, but if not by phone or email.

Three ways educators can motivate and encourage children to understand the importance of education when it’s not a priority at home
1. The most important way is to develop meaningful relationships with the students.  When a child connects with educators, they tend to do better in school.
2. Create engaging lesson plans that are creative and thought-provoking.
3. When possible, share their own stories about the positive impact education has had on their own life.

Bringing the community together to motive students to reach their highest learning potential.
We should push ourselves to learn at the highest levels.  If we get multiple degrees, our children see that we value education and they value what we value.  When they see us caring about education, they will as well.

Creating educational confidence in students.
Set achievable goals. Show students that they can do things when they don’t believe in themselves so they aren’t turned off by education.  High expectations should be accompanied by high support.

As most of you I am a strong advocate for raw foods. The food is not cooked over 112 degrees. There are many health benefits for going raw. I have read and heard testimonials where people have healed themselves and improved their life due to the raw food lifestyle.

There are a few schools of thought regarding this issue. Natalia Rose 2encourages different phases where you eat primarily raw with one cooked meal a day. Where Alissa Cohen 2 encourages people to go 100% raw. Either way, if you choose to go raw, do what’s comfortable and right for you.

In 2008, I ran across new magazine called Purely Delicious. What I found was not only a magazine that had a wealth of information about raw foods, but a piece of art that had amazing articles about health, wonderful interviews about people who transformed their life, lifestyle stories and amazing recipes. Many magazines I toss but I’ve kept every issue since I subscribed because it is a great reference and artistically compelling. The layout is amazing.

As I started to adapt to the lifestyle, I thought of the health issues in the African American community and wanted to write an article about the traditional soul food diet and incorporating raw foods. I also felt this would be a great way to introduce the lifestyle in a non-intimidating way. Pitching my idea to a some magazines, I was told the idea was a bit progressive. After two years, I pitched to Purely Delicious and the adorable Rebecca Carlson, founder/publisher/editor/visionary extraordinaire embraced the idea and was excited as I was to publish it.

 The summer 2010 issue of Purely Delicious, yours truly has an article about Soul Food and how to incorporate it into the raw food diet. I am very excited about this piece and grateful that Rebecca understood the vision and direction of the article. Please check it out at your local Whole Foods, if it is not there, please request it. If you want to order a copy or subscribe to the magazine visit the website  .

If you live in Michigan and want to learn about Raw Foods Angela and Matt Monarch 0will be speaking at The Raw Health Eco-Fest  . If you remember Angela 1(Stokes) Monarch from CNN 6 she lost half her body weight in two years from Raw Foods. Becoming an advocate, author and speaker on the topic, she met Matt another raw foodist and they got married. Now they are traveling the world helping others towards great health.

 Want to get started incorporating raw foods into your lifestyle, start your day with a green smoothie. Get the recipe here  .

Writer Kinyel Ferguson Focuses on Mental Stability in her three part series. Part Two of the question- Are You Stable- is asked from the mental standpoint. Please be honest with yourself. You know whether you’re crazy or not, and I’m not referring to the “ha ha” crazy either. I’m talking about your friends giving you the wide-eyed expression after you finished telling a story about how you got revenge on somebody. Or when people skirt out of your driveway because you said or have done something questionable. Or worst of all, the people who have no idea that they’re loony. Since I am convinced that there are more of them than the mentally stable ones, ladies and gentlemen of the sane world, when you run into these type of people… RUN… FAST.

 Mental

Inner peace, stress and anger (I put these together because it’s really the way that you handle them that makes it an issue or not), and happiness are some of the elements that make up a person’s mental health.

To be stable, you have a sense of inner peace, multiple ways to de-stress in a healthy way, a social network with supportive, positive friends, and have a sense of overall pure happiness. Your happiness isn’t accomplished through what you have material-wise or who you have waiting at home for you. Happiness is a luxury that you provide for yourself, and if you’re lucky something that you earn and grant towards other people.

 To be unstable, oh you’ve got all kinds of drama all up and through your world! You know who you are! The ones that scratch up people’s car cause your boyfriend cheated, the people that are ready to throw them bows whenever and wherever (and have Vaseline in their purse for these occasions), or the people that call eleven times back to back and leave messages on the cell, house, and work phones. Do yourself a favor- let it go! You are not doing anybody any good being angry all the time or acting by ignorant. Better yet, you are killing yourself slowly. So all in all, toxic people, get yourself together before you ruin yours and someone else’s life.

 Now, I’ll also like to throw in emotional stability because that is equally important. There’s a huge difference between a woman who voices her opinions and feelings in an assertive way versus a woman who cries if you raise your voice by accident or frowned at her. Those you have to watch cause they might be double-dipping: mental instability and socially disturbed. You might want to skirt off in the car and move states away from these people. Sorrry… no other way to put it.

 So what did you learn today… do some yoga, counseling, kickboxing or something positive to channel  your aggressive feelings so you don’t become one of them. Mentally unstable people are the worst kind to meet because you never know what they will say or do to you or someone/something you love. So be careful. Again, if you meet em… RUN!