Happy October everybody! This is the month that officially kicks off the holiday season. We can officially have those Halloween movie favorites marathon we’ve been missing too!Read More
R.I.P. Doug Banks
It’s interesting how as we get older, and major life changes such as death occur, we’re reminded how influential many people have been in our lives. Some of these people we’ve never even met before, but we can remember certain points in our lives when their presence, however they presented themselves, changed our emotions and maybe even our lives.
I say this because reading the news about Doug Banks passing away this morning truly broke my heart. Growing up in the surrounding Chicago suburbs I remember listening to the Doug Banks Radio Show daily, on v103, in middle and high school. As if his voice and laugh weren’t memorable on their own, his sense of humor and ability to connect with his audience are what made him one of the legends of radio personalities. I remember going through the typical teenage drama back in the day and feeling like his jokes and music selections were specifically picked for me and my issues at the time. I’ve also always been raised listening to and appreciating old school music. His show allowed me to hear the best old school music on a daily basis without having to search and listen to it myself.
Since reading about his passing this morning, I’ve been reading the captions and comments on the photo memories of Doug Banks, and I’ve learned that he made A LOT of people feel like the friend they never met, but always knew what to do and say to make life better. A lot of people are already missing hearing him on their after work commute.
I will pray for Doug’s family and their healing throughout the process. Thanks for the great memories, quality personality and radio, and more importantly the laughs.
R.I.P. Doug Banks.
Brie <3
[04.11.16]
To My PD Girl…
Dearest PD Girl,
Today marks one month since you have been gone. You went on to glory exactly one year to the day after meeting Jordyn for the first time in person. I believe it’s safe to say September 3rd will always be remembered as a cherished and emotional day for many people who were so close to you. If I am being completely honest it still hasn’t quite hit me that you’re gone. I would imagine this is what people mean when they talk about a disconnection between our hearts and our minds. My heart knows you’re gone, but I don’t think my mind has caught up just yet.
In the midst of all the craziness and planning going on while we were home, believe it or not I only cried twice. You would be proud of me! LOL. The truth is, I didn’t cry as much, or become as emotional, because all I could think about was how HILARIOUS you were. I was so busy replaying memories of you doing and/or saying funny things I couldn’t do much outside of laugh. I know you saw how loved you truly were by the number of people who showed up to your memorial, and had so many beautiful and funny stories to share about you. I didn’t even realize how many of my own family members and friends you had touched over time until the beautiful condolence messages and phone calls poured in.
A month sounds like a long time, but in actuality it’s much shorter than we realize. Four weeks translates to thirty days, and reminds us how fresh everything still is, and will be for some time. But it’s okay for us to be sad sometimes. It’s okay to let out a long cry or spend a day to ourselves in deep thought, because that is what you do when you lose someone who has made a major impact on your life. However, to remember you, and the spirit of who you were, I am going to share some of my favorite P.D. Girl memories with my readers. I even have a few pictures to go with some of these memories. (I don’t wanna hear it PD Girl! I can hear you cursing me out for sharing your pictures with strangers LOL)
- I’m already laughing at this picture. PD, Toni and I, took a trip to California in the summer of 2011 to see a test launch Kris had been part of for the United States Air Force. Kris and I were acting a fool as usual when we noticed PD standing like this on the statue. In the midst of Kris and I playing around, PD couldn’t get her leg down and was yelling “Kris…I can’t get my leg down…Kris…I’m stuck!” LMAO! We still aren’t quite sure why Pd thought this was a good idea in the first place.
- This picture was taken at Longhorn Steakhouse the night before Jon left for basic training. This memory makes me laugh because I remember this was originally supposed to be a picture of just you and Jon, but I jumped in at last-minute. When I yelled “wait, I wanna be in the picture too!” You said to me “don’t nobody want you in this picture little ugly girl!” Hahahaha! But look at nice the picture is even with me in it PD Girl!
- This story isn’t specifically from our wedding day, but this picture is perfect because anytime I used to tell cute lovey dovey stories about Kris, or referred to him by some adorable name, your classic response was “So! Nobody cares about y’all..” LOL. We love you too, PD.
*These next few stories don’t have pictures to accompany them but they’re just as hilarious*
- When I was in sixth grade and hospitalized for viral meningitis, you came to see me in the hospital multiple times. You actually drove us home from the hospital once I was discharged too. But what I do remember was your first visit to the hospital and your reaction to my hair not being combed. You said to my Mom “Kim, why you got my baby in here looking like this.” LOL. You then pulled a comb out of your purse and put my hair in two french braids :-).
- In college I loved getting frozen custard from a place named, Andy’s, downtown Evanston. When I would walk over to Andy’s to get a concrete mixer or shake of some sort, you always made sure to tell me to bring something back for you. Considering you were diabetic, I would tell you I couldn’t bring you anything, and Toni would say the same thing. You would proceed to tell us how much you couldn’t stand either of us and turn your head to not face us anymore. LMAO.
- This last story isn’t one that happened on one occasion. I used to always give you kisses whether you wanted them or not. I would say to you “I think you want me to give you some kisses PD Girl. Come on over here and get these kisses.” You would beg me not to kiss you as I walked towards you with my lips puckered up, and kiss you on your forehead and cheeks multiple times. It only took you a few years to realize my kisses weren’t going to stop which means you stopped fighting me and accepted your life LOL.
I could go on for days telling stories and reminiscing about how much you were and still are a part of my life. I had my own relationship with you and I am so thankful for that. I loved being able to talk to you about any and everything going on in my life and knowing you would give me straight to the chase, honest advice. That advice although honest, was always filled with love. When we cleaned your closet out I took this sweater of yours with me as my PD moment. It fits and looks perfect.
I will miss being able to give you forehead kisses when I see you or listen for one of your many hilarious comments about any and everything, but I’m at peace because I know you’re at peace. You are in a place where there is no more pain and suffering, but tons of love and happiness. Thanks for being an amazing extended Grandma, and beautiful person to know. You have blessed my life by being in it and for that and many other things I want to say, thank you. We all love and miss you more than words could ever express. At the end of it all I just want you to know you will always be and I will always love my PD Girl <3
Brie <3
[10.03.15]
My Old School “Man Crate”
If you are like 99.9% of the world, we love the nostalgic feeling of going down memory lane in our lives. Particularly, our childhood and what made it so special and different from other generational childhood memories. I was recently contacted by the community manager for a company called, “Man Crates“, after she read my blog post from a few months ago titled “90’s TV Show Theme Songs“, to contribute ideas towards an old school create idea. Man Crates is a company who specifically concentrates on putting together “out of the box” creative gifts for men. We all know how difficult it can be to think of an anniversary, birthday, or Father’s Day gift for the special men in our lives, and this company has made life a little easier for all of us. What is even more unique about their gifts is, instead of being wrapped up or put in a decorative bag like most presents, the gifts are shipped inside actual crates with a personal crowbar to open them. Which is where the name “Man Crates” comes from.
As a person who was born in the late 80’s, 1988 to be exact, I am extremely nostalgic about the 90’s. From the TV shows, to the popular toys and food, it takes me right back to my childhood. Some of the memories are so vivid I can even remember what I wearing and/or where I was at the exact moment. If I was able to get ahold of any items from the 1990’s and I had to build my own Old School Crate from scratch, I would put these items in the crate:
1) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (movie)
I was quite the tomboy when I was younger so if there is one movie I know for sure would bring back a rush of great memories it is for sure this one. I mean what more could we want at our age that was better than turtles who happen to be ninjas, fighting bad guys in the city, who ate pizza all day long? Exactly. There is nothing better than this image when you’re a child. Not to mention they were all named after Renaissance artists, which means not only was the movie entertaining, but it was also partially educational in teaching us about artists’ names we would learn down the road in school. Go TMNT!
2) Power Rangers (seasons 1-5)
While on the topic of movies/television shows, Power Rangers was the all time classic TV show for our generation. Boys and girls rushed home after school to be sure we were in front of the TV to watch these amazing people transform into the greatest animals and dinosaurs, and kick butt to save Angel Grove from all of the bad guys. Especially those annoying putties! Okay, so I’m getting a little into it, but you get the point. The theme show music alone was enough to hype us up and want to jump off of our parents furniture doing kick splits and front flips.
3) Pokemon Cards
Fun fact: I have known my husband since before we were old enough to remember meeting each other. This information is relevant because I remember being younger and him collecting Pokemon cards in a binder to keep them organized. Or as I should say, my husband, and every other little boy in our age group. I was not a die-hard Pokemon fan as most other girls, but I did watch it here and there. However, Pokemon cards/trading sessions were seriously like a well constructed cult that demanded you know the secret password, know all 2 million names of the Pokemon off the top of your head, oh…and be a boy.
4) Surge
There were plenty of foods and drinks in the 90’s that were very specific to our generation. However, I believe Surge is the one drink nobody could forget if they tried. The advertisement for the drink alone was enough to scare parents to not buy this drink for their children. But we all know how it goes; we took a shopping trip to the grocery store with Mom, we saw Surge, we asked begged for it and we were told “NO”, we asked begged even louder (added some extra whining and borderline tears for special effects), and eventually drove Mom crazy enough for her to say “PUT IT IN THE CART ALREADY”! Once we were home and able to drink it, Mom quickly realized the mistake she had made. Ahhhh, yes, childhood memories.
5) Sock’em Boppers
I’m pretty sure ALL of my cousins and friends had these. I guarantee as soon as someone opened my crate the song from the commercial would get stuck in their head immediately. “Sock’em boppers! Sock’em boppers”! This was such a wonderful and terrible idea wrapped into one. Fighting wasn’t good unless you were fighting with big balloon like plastic bubbles wrapped around your fist as you threw several punches to someone’s stomach or possibly their eye. Either way, all that mattered was you had the time of your life while doing so. I wanted a pair very badly, but my Mother told me my Power Rangers gloves were enough. Now that I am a parent, I completely understand her thinking.
I hope this post has most of you going down memory lane and reminiscing about the 90’s. I know it definitely has me feeling quite nostalgic after thinking and typing it out. Maybe one day, if you or a loved one plans to send and/or receives an Old School Man Crate, some of these items will be in there to enjoy. If any of you order a Man Crate after reading this post, please leave a comment or send an email to me about your experience and if you recommend it to anyone else. I now know what I will be getting my husband for Christmas this year. Thanks to Alex for reaching out to me for my own personal ideas and sending me on a wonderful memory journey! 🙂
Brie <3
[07.21.15]
Mom Shaming 101
I never really paid attention to people’s parenting styles and/or advice on social media, prior to having my own child. It was always one of those things I sort of brushed off, because I wasn’t a parent to understand where they were coming from, let alone to give my two cents. Now that I am a parent, and I nine times out of ten read these posts from other parents, it borderline upsets me. With the wonderful world of social networking being as large and influential as it is, everyone has a platform to share and express their opinions. I’m all for freedom of speech, but why does it seem like Mothers are using their platform to hurt other Mothers, rather than help them? This whole “Mom shaming” social network era is pretty pathetic to say the least. I’m sure a few of you, who are parents or future parents, are wondering what exactly “Mom shaming” is. Mom shaming is what I consider to be the “it’s my way or the wrong way” thinking of Moms, today. Here are a few examples I see quite often on social media, that should give you a better perspective on what I consider “Mom shaming.”
The breast-feeding vs. formula debate:
Yes, thanks to the internet, and countless people telling you during and after your pregnancy, majority of Mothers know breastfeeding is an amazing way to feed your child. I breast-fed Jordyn for almost six months. Four of the six it was only breast milk. By month five we started breast-feeding and using formula. By month six she was exclusively on formula. I loved every second of nursing, Jordyn. I can’t really put into words how much breastfeeding connected us. Even if it was in the middle of the night, when I was beyond tired, and borderline a zombie, I always loved the connection I had with her while nursing. It really is a beautiful thing, and I am so happy so many people supported me in doing so. It was beautiful.
Then there are the Mothers who decide while pregnant, or after a few tries at breast-feeding, that it simply isn’t for them. And do you know what I say to these women? Good for YOU. I often see Mothers get on the internet and talk down about women who don’t breast feed and give them 20 million reasons why they should breast feed. The thing is, people have no idea WHY some women don’t breast feed. Maybe they weren’t able to produce enough milk, if any at all? Maybe their lives are set up in a way where they work certain jobs, and certain hours that it’s not a possibility. Maybe they have an infection of some sort and they weren’t able to breast feed even if they wanted to? Maybe the baby refused to latch on and Mom had to figure out a way to get the baby to eat and quickly. Or maybe, just maybe, as a Mother to their own child, they simply decided they don’t care for breast-feeding/have no desire to breast feed, and chose to use formula. To make this notion even crazier, what if I were to tell you, a baby drinking formula will be just as productive and awesome as the baby who was breast-fed? I know, it’s a crazy idea.
The same goes for formula feeding mothers who take offense to every woman who mentions they enjoy breastfeeding. If they aren’t nursing your child, or being disrespectful about their love of nursing, who are you to take offense to a beautiful connection between mother and child? The same way you have personal reasons for formula feeding, other mothers have personal reasons for breast-feeding. So let’s stop the whole “I’m a better Mom because I breast feed or formula feed my child” high horse. I was a formula fed baby, because for medical reasons my mother could not nurse me. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but my family makes sure to remind me I was nothing short of brilliant at a VERY young age, and it carried through into higher education. This still doesn’t give me a reason to tell breast-feeding Moms “formula is clearly better for your child, because look at how great I turned out?”
The name brand vs. Target or Walmart brand debate:
I know, this debate sounds as foolish as it actually is. Believe it or not, I had a mother once tell me she only buys “name brand” clothes for her child. Although it sounds like this would be the main issue, it isn’t. The main issue is the fact of Moms looking down on other Moms for NOT buying clothes or baby necessities the way they do. I get it, some Moms simply prefer buying their children Pampers brand diapers and wipes to go with their cute baby UGGS and Gucci onesie. However, there are also Moms who enjoy buying according to the latest sale and who is talking the cheapest price. There is nothing wrong with being either Mom, as long as you don’t put someone else down for being a different Mom in the process. There are so many factors as to why each Mom may shop the way they do. Maybe the Mom who can’t doesn’t put her child in name brand anything is a single parent? Maybe they are married and don’t make enough to spend money on such things? Or maybe they aren’t struggling and prefer to be conscious when spending money so they do so frugally. Maybe the Mom who does put her child in all of the name brands comes from a background of this being a norm when raising children? Maybe they come from a background of not having much and are grateful for the opportunity to give their children what they never had? Maybe their taste in baby clothing and necessities are exactly the same as the designer/name brands? OR maybe they are just like me and have taste that goes all across the spectrum?
I love to see Jordyn in adorable, sometimes more expensive outfits, simply because they’re cute. But as much as I love to see her in the adorable expensive outfit with a Pampers sensitive diaper, I love to see her in the adorable clearance Carter’s sleeper from Target, with the Luvs brand diaper underneath. Oh, and I’ll pull out coupons and military discounts on everything, every time.
The Working vs. Stay-At-Home debate:
Having been on both sides of this spectrum, I have seen and heard it all. Working Moms constantly hear the “how can you leave your baby for so many hours?” Or “money isn’t worth not being able to raise my own child.” Stay-At-Home Moms constantly hear “don’t you go crazy not talking to adults all day?” Or “your child needs to learn how to socialize with other children and daycare is perfect for socialization.” It’s quite annoying on both sides.
Maybe the working Mom is at a place in her career where she is accomplishing career goals. Maybe she enjoys making money to help contribute to the well-being of her household. Maybe she isn’t in a financial position to up and quit her job to stay home with her child. Maybe she is a single parent and has no choice but to go to work everyday. Or maybe she just really enjoys her time to not be “Mommy” for a few hours in the day and be the individual she is at work. For working Moms, no matter your reasoning for being a working mom, there is nothing wrong with it. You are being the best person and mom you can be for your child and your family. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for the making the choice to work outside of the home and be Mom at the same time.
Maybe the stay-at-home Mom can’t really afford monthly childcare. Maybe the stay-at-home Mom was raised by a stay-at-home Mom and wants to do the same for her children. Maybe the stay-at-home Mom doesn’t mind not talking to adults all day if it means spending time with their child. Maybe the stay-at-home Mom isn’t comfortable letting other people watch/raise her child. Or maybe the stay-at-home Mom just enjoys being a stay-at-home Mom and finds it to be just as rewarding as having a career outside of the home. To the stay-at-home Moms, many people may not understand what taking care of a child and a home 24/7 consists of. There may even be a few people who don’t see your lifestyle as actual “work.” Just know being a stay-at-home Mom is a full-time job, and is just as important as holding a job outside of the home.
What I love the most about having been on both sides of this debate is, I can teach my daughter through personal experience and example the beauty of being a woman with choices. It takes both the working Moms and the stay-at-home Moms to make this world go round. It takes all of us to show and teach our children being one or the other doesn’t mean we love our children anymore or any less.
The “How to discipline your child” debate:
If you grew up in a household like mine, your family believes in spankings. If you grew up in a household like some of my friends, you’ve never been spanked a day in your life. If you grew up like me in general, you haven’t been spanked since your were young, because all your Mom had to do was give you the “look” and you turned into the angel she knew you could be. Yeah, I was the kid that cried if I felt my Mom was even mad at me, so I never really had to worry about the spanking department. I was too much of a punk for that pain LOL. Truth be told, I would love to never have to spank Jordyn, but if the time calls for it, I will be the big bad wolf and do so.
I call this a debate, because people will try their HARDEST to convince the other person their method of discipline is flat-out wrong. For those who believe in spanking their children…good for you. Make sure it is simply spanking and not beating your child, because that is no longer discipline, but abuse. For those who don’t believe in spanking their children…good for you. Just make sure you are disciplining your child someway somehow or the law will do it for you when they get older. I know people who were spanked as children that still grew up doing wrong and breaking the law, just like I know people who weren’t spanked as children who grew up to be some of the sweetest and most caring individuals. I give those examples because people tend to think spanking your children is the end all be all for making model citizens and not spanking them is raising them to be spawns of the devil. Moms who spank their children are NOT monsters and are NOT abusers. Moms who don’t spank their children are NOT bad parents and are NOT raising little monsters. They are both Mothers who care about their children and want to raise them to be disciplined and respectable adults using different methods.
One of my friends who has never been spanked told me about a method her Dad used on her for punishment, and I plan to incorporate it into my parenting as well. If she did something wrong, her Dad did not spank her, but made her write an essay on what she did wrong. I don’t know about you guys, but that is damn near just as bad as getting spanked to child haha.
Jordyn will be the lucky child who gets to encounter both methods, I know…lucky her! Maybe she’ll be like me and only have to get the “look” before she does what she is supposed to do. Lord knows if she’s anything like her father a lot of prayers, spankings, and essays will be going on in the Jamieson household.
The entire point of this post is to tell all Moms, no matter where we are, or how we care for our children, as long as we are caring for them genuinely to make them amazing people in this world we should all support one another. After all, we are all connected by the greatest title there is to carry in the world.
“Mom.”
Brie <3
[03.08.15]
90’s TV Show Theme Songs
Last week, Jimmy Fallon, took us all back to Bayside High School with the a majority of the original cast from the 90’s television show, “Saved By the Bell.” I legit felt like I was back in elementary school again, watching “Saved By the Bell” with my Mom, on Saturday morning. If you haven’t seen the Jimmy Fallon skit, you can click here.
Naturally, this 90’s television show reunion, caused all kind of nostalgia for me. While reflecting back on memory lane, I started to think of what other 90’s TV shows were my favorite. But then I really started to think of some of my favorite 90’s TV show theme songs. You know, the theme songs you only have to hear the opening three seconds of to know exactly what show is coming on, and more importantly, gear yourself up to sing along at the top of your lungs.
In honor of the one and only, #TBT otherwise known as “Throwback Thursday,” here are a few of my favorite 90’s TV show theme songs. Some of them have multiple intros based on the season, but these are my particular favorites out of all of the seasons. I didn’t realize how many TV show theme songs I love until I started this list! To save this list from being 50 songs long, I will do a separate TV show theme song list for my favorite 90s TV show cartoon theme songs, another day. For now, enjoy going down memory lane, when TV was AWESOME.
What are some of your favorite 90’s TV show theme songs? Share them with me below 🙂
Wisdom Wednesday: Tia and Tamera Mowry
My Wisdom Wednesday post is a week late, but it’s the holiday season, and I’m sure you all know how that goes. To make up for it, my December Wisdom Wednesday will talk about two individuals who inspire me. When you talk to most people in my generation or younger, they will probably tell you their role models are in the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna, Taylor Swift etc. I will hold my opinions on a few of these examples until another blog post down the road I will call “The Modern Day Celebsession.”
Anyway, my Wisdom Wednesday of this month will concentrate on Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Tamera Mowry-Housley. Many of us grew up watching Tia and Tamera in the 90’s on the sitcom “Sister Sister.” And lets be real, can we hear or read that show title and not instantly say in our heads- “GO HOME ROGER!” Exactly. Lol. I consider these ladies to be inspirational because of the example they have set for young ladies, and how they are the complete opposite examples most childhood actors/actresses have set for others. Since they were younger we never heard of these ladies being caught up in scandals or in the tabloids for making stupid decisions. Instead, their parents (who have had a major influence on them) tried to make their lives as normal as possible. When “Sister Sister” ended, they attended school at, Pepperdine University, as normal college students. It wasn’t until the Fall of 2006 when we saw Tia make her way back into the major television industry again in a show called “The Game.” (Which happens to be one of my favorite television shows while it was on the CW network.) Although I had already been a fan of these ladies from the early 90’s, it was their hit reality tv show “Tia & Tamera,” on Style network, that made me realize how inspirational these ladies are to everyone around them. They are both so genuine in their faith, loving their families, and making themselves positive individuals. I love hearing them openly talk about how they turn to God to guide their footsteps in everything they do. I love hearing and seeing how much they adore their husbands and their children. And it seems despite what issues may have presented themselves at the time, they always found the positive side of any trial they were going through. It was a plus to see how diverse their family is as well. I personally come from a melting pot of a family, and although I can’t relate on a very specific level of them being biracial, I can say I understand how important it is in becoming who you are in this crazy yet diverse world. During season two of their show “Tia & Tamera” they developed a product line called “Milky” which serves the sole purpose of helping Moms and Moms-to-be produce more milk for their little ones. Being a Mom myself, it was nice to see celebrities acknowledging Moms and future Moms needing more products specifically for us.
In this day and age where “rowdy” and “negative” seem to get most of the attention, it is nice to see women who still conduct themselves as respectful women. During a time where we can turn on multiple television channels and see so-called “Real Housewives” or “Love and so-called Hip Hop” showing women cursing, degrading, and showing off every single inch of their bodies, it is a breath of fresh air to know these classy ladies exist.
Tia and Tamera are showing young ladies everywhere that it is still possible to be successful without having to lose yourself in the process. Not everyone in Hollywood is willing to sell their souls for the almighty dollar. A few are still allowing God to lead their steps to serve their purpose on this planet. Which is why Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Tamera Mowry-Housley are my Wisdom Wednesday ladies for the month of December.
Brie <3
[12.10.14]
My Top 5 Christmas Movies
It’s that time of year again. The most wonderful time of the year! I am borderline obsessed with the holiday season, but most of my excitement is for CHRISTMASSSS! I might as well be Buddy the Elf. I’m also pretty sure you just figured out at least one movie on the list. Here are my top 5 favorite Christmas movies to watch to get into the Christmas spirit. What is your top 5?
5. Elf
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
2. Home Alone & Home Alone (Lost in New York)
1. A Christmas Story