realtalknic

This morning, in a casual conversation with my colleague, he mentioned that Dolly Parton was on his playlist for cleaning the house. I said, Ummm Dolly? Really. He went on to say that chipper upbeat music really set the stage for getting your house cleaned. I'm thinking, "9-5? Islands in the Stream? " Ok. While this makes a whole ton of sense it doesn’t reflect any cleaning playlist I am familiar with at all!   Saturday mornings were a mixed bag at our house and while the tempo may change, one thing was a constant: The cleaning was going to get done. My mother was known for her clean house! There was no sleeping in on that 1 st day of freedom from school. Once that light hit you your face through the crack in the curtain your feet better hit the floor. You definitely don’t want moms coming in your room to get you! Oh no! Nothing good will come of that. See, you could tell a lot just from the hallway. If breakfast was cooking you could get away with a quick vac...

If I see one more side eye, or hear one more disparaging remark about folks adopting outside of their race or same sex couples adopting children I may have to scream! These comments always seem to come from folks that have not adopted anyone so I am wondering how they became experts. While I have filled my home with various relatives from time to time and three kids of my own I have never adopted........but I am adopted and that experience gives me a strong point of view. In my case, my parents (mostly my Mom) saw someone else's bad situation of drugs and poverty and stepped in so a new baby wouldn't be added to that mix. Lower middle class themselves, a new mouth to feed wasn't in the plans......they were more Florida and James than Claire and Cliff  but they made it work for a short time. Then, MOM, made it work by herself for the rest of the time. No questionnaires and home visits......just a ride home from the hospital. And in that moment, I was saved from what was su...

I don't know how it happened but......almost everyone I know is paper and scissor impaired. While I don't like admitting it, watching them do basic tasks causes extreme anxiety for me. LOL  Wrapping gifts? Oh no! I may start to twitch! Cutting items for school projects......Call Aunt Nicole for that! Heehee! Even my own offspring shock me with a lack of superior cutting skills! Must be a genetic defect! Alas, while I do view cutting and wrapping as "must know" skills for being properly raised...HA! Your children should not have to suffer with jacked up book coverings because you lack skills! See below for quick (less than 5 minutes per book!) and cheap (can use brown bag from grocery store...free!) fail proof method to cover books every single time! Now that deserves a double woop. WOOP! WOOP! 5 Minute Book Cover Instructions 1. I used solid craft paper rolls (red Christmas Wrap from January after Christmas Sale)    Pull off enough paper to cover book. Double ...

Oh boy......it's here! How could it be? That little baby you were just reading Goodnight Moon to is packing up and moving on to college and you are..........................FREAKING OUT! Yup......no other way to put it! It's freak out and melt down time time...... But it's ok. You are not alone! Before you go too far over the edge, congratulate yourself on a job well done! You got them here. A few all nighters (more than a few?......lol) a few scrapes, hurt feelings.....ups, downs....you got them here! And, you have figured out a way to pay for it! (still figuring? That's ok to0!) And now it is settling in.....they are really leaving! WOW! With all of the hustle and bustle of packing and paperwork and double checking everything here is a list of a few fun and often forgotten things to do............wine drinking does not appear.....but then again, neither does breathing! Both are expected and necessary! Here ya go!! 1. Save a few bucks for giftcards for those pla...

Some people have sunsets and a knight in shining armor…….my story is a little different. I fell completely in love on a rainy day in a Philadelphia cemetery. I met my future husband while working retail for a luxury brand as a teenager. He walked in wearing a Pelle Pelle jacket (ladies from the 80’s? You know the look, hmmmmm mmmmmm) and a bad boy attitude. Being the good girl that I still am…..I couldn't resist! We dated between 2 states. He was as fascinated with my suburban upbringing as I was with his inner city one. We liked each other. It was comfortable. We moved easily from fancy dinners to drive- thrus with a soundtrack of Babyface and Boys2Men playing softly in the background. I was a starving college student holding strong to my independence. I may have been broke but I didn't show it. I had my own. When he filled my gas tank up after a visit he had no idea how grateful I was. He was generous with all things except long conversations. Being the chatterbox th...

There's a party going on right here....a celebration....to last ..ok, ok, you know the words. And it seems like I am singing that song all the time. We love to entertain. Any occasion is a good enough occasion to celebrate. Sunny day? Let's party. Rainy day? Let's celebrate. The more the merrier. But this holiday had me feeling anxious. The list was growing longer, folks I didn't know. And I am a worrier. I worry about things that may never happen but I cannot turn it off. Like a pesky leak it just doesn't stop and it seeps into the corners of my mind. A few years ago we readied the house for a party, our 1st in this home. It was picture perfect down to the napkins and flowers and scented candle in the bathroom. Sometime during the evening the candle was dropped and the toilet seat burned. (even a reader here for the 1st time knows that I cannot make this up) Yes, the brand new house toilet seat cover marred with brown burns! I found this the next day doing my a...

I have a confession to make. I have a Facebook crush. I know, I know.....me being straight-laced and married and all...how could I let this happen? Well, for starters...the cuteness. Off the charts cute. Can't get enough cute!! Then there is the strength. Even in a questioning or frustrated post there is an underlying strength that is tangible. And I love it. And then...there is the expectation....the teasing...that something even better is going to come? Keeping me wondering what's next! Yup....I got it bad. You may be wondering who it is? Are they local? Celebrity? What? Well......get your mind right....my Facebook crush is on the Davis Family. Yep....these 3 right here that I have never met in person but I love like they were my own family. They are my reality TV. When CNN does Black in America I wish they would call them. They are my Huck family (you Scandal watchers know what I mean!) And they are my hope in the future. We do not share the same religion. We live on di...