tunes tuesday: “I Decided” Solange

It’s not a new video, but I’ve made a major decision lately and feel pretty good about it. Yeah, me.

hugs not repubs

I’m a un-wavering supporter of Barack Obama. So who doesn’t love a picture of a politician and a sweet baby?

kid-tested, momma-approved jams

Being a music-head, I’ve given birth to a music head. When I was pregnant, Mariah’s “comeback” album was a constant in my rotation. I’d listen to (and badly sing) “We Belong Together,” “Shake It Off” and the rest of the joints from that album every time I got in my car. A year-and-a half-later, when Sascha could get the lyrics out of her mouth, she sang the songs, hummed along, like she had been listening to Mariah’s “Emancipation” album for years. I kid you not…

Sascha’s even got my iPhone down to a science. She knows which “button” to touch on the screen to get to the list of videos I’ve bookmarked for her, and if she just wants to hear music, Sascha’s swift at scrolling through my list of tracks. She loves Fantasia’s “When I See You,” and for about a month, at a very low volume, it was her lullaby…’Tasia rocked her right to sleep

So when it comes to music, Sascha knows what she likes. The list is varied and even a little mature–some parents may think–but nothing is better than a two-year-old belting out her favorite jams. Here’s a few, in no particular order…

1. “Damaged” Danity Kane

2. Anything by the Backyardigans

3. Anything by Chris Brown

4. “Got Me Goin’” Day 26

5. “Chasing Pavement” Adele

6. “Rehab” Amy Winehouse

7. “Irreplaceable” & “Deja Vu” Beyonce

8. “Woman” Raheem DeVaughn

9. “Jockin’ Jay Z” Jay-Z

10. “SexyBack” Justin Timberlake

11. “Big Things Poppin’” T.I.

OK, address all letters to me, Bad Mommy, Staten Island, NY 10304.

timing is everything: new york to new orleans

So I decided to book a trip for the girls (myself, Sascha, Grandma) to New Orleans about a month ago. Who knew it would coincide with the the exact days that the fated category 3 (4? 2?) storm Gustav was set to hit the N.O. Hmm.

While Grandma wanted to cancel the journey, I, of course, was insistent that we forge ahead. Push it along. Be brave and smart and strong!!! (Shout out’s to Uniqua From “The Backyardigans” for that battle cry). And what was there to fear since we’d leave Newark on Wednesday morning, and leave N’Orleans on Saturday? Good ‘ol Gustavo was predicted to hit the Gulf Coast on Monday. Duh.

Anyway, we made it back to NYC unscathed. And here are some pics to prove it…

mmmm Beignet's at Cafe Du Monde

Silly me at the Cigar Factory

history.

Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Tunes Tuesday: “Good Morning” Kanye West

Kanye is depicted as a little teddy bear who wakes up late on graduation day but, despite a few obstacles, still manages to make it in time to accept his diploma. Directed by Takashi Murakami, the Japanese artist who brings to life the cover art he did for Kanye’s Graduation album.

how about that Michelle Obama?!??!

I’m. Always. Tired.

It’s _____ and I’m tired. I could basically put any day of the week in there, and guess what? Yep, I’d still be tired. Kanye West says he slept an hour a day during the pre-production for his Glow In The Dark tour (I went to the show and I can see why, the show was tight. Check out my ghetto iPhone pics below)

So, back to my sleep issues. It’s not that I don’t sleep once my head hits the pillow, but I’m getting an average of six hours a night. That’s not making mama happy. RedBull was a solution for a minute, but those can make you feel a little wacky, coffee (I take it light) so I’m pretty immune to the lose dose of caffeine I’m getting there, from my newly-formed cup-a-day habit.

But I swear, all I think about is (A) When am I going to sleep? and (B) Am I going to still be tired when I wake the next morning?

So, how much shut-eye do you mamas get? How many hours of pillow time are you clocking each night? Four, six, eight, ten hours?!?!?

And do you have any time-saving solutions for getting more done in the day…in order to make time for, you guessed it, MORE SLEEP?!?!?

Gear: Pack Light, Travel Fly Part II

OK, so Miss Rih Rih is making me eat my words. I featured her as my first Gear: Pack, Light Travel Fly post. In that post, I pointed to Rihanna because she was casual and comfy for a flight, but still looked cute. Fast forward a month or so, and she’s landing in her homeland of Barbados with Chris Brown (he seems self-sufficient with that backpack, so I guess he fits under the packing light heading) and five-inch heels! Louboutin’s! She’s also rocking a Mickey Mouse t-shirt (so much better on her than Mariah, by the way) and skinny jeans. Gotta hand it to her, she’s rocking it right. And I guess if I had a gang of handlers, I’d be wearing heels on a plane too. So, I ask again, what’s your go-to travel outfit?

Tyra Stans Barack

Danielle aka Black Snob:

“Yeah, it looks weird and goofy and tacky and wrong, but she can’t help it that she’s rich and famous enough to take her Obama Stan-hood to a level other Obama stans can only dream of. Can we convince an internationally heralded fashion magazine to let us play pretend with a hot big eared model and some fake kids in some ridiculously expensive clothes for over six pages and get a cover shot? No. No we can’t. Most of us just gush to ourselves about the Obamas. Well, Tyra wanted to take our gushing to that … Next! Creepy! Level!”

I would definitely have to agree about the creepiness of the Tyra layout/cover story. While I understand the love for Obama and his family and life and aura–please believe, I am crazy about them too–I think the guy still needs some space to run his campaign, his family, his life without all of “our” obsessions. Makes me wonder though: Did Tyra convince Harper’s Bazaar to run this spread or did HB approach Tyra?