If you have been following my blog, then you know that I had my third child back in April, and took some time off to focus on motherhood, etc. I have had a lot on my plate, which includes new and existing business ventures, but it looks like I may be able to post on here on a regular basis. Well, a few days a week.

Thank you all for being so patient. Many thanks to all who sent their wishes and constantly asked for me to come back!

I think my last few posts were about loosing weight?!? Yes, I lost all the baby weight…quite excited about that. Tried to post some pics., but I guess I’ve been gone for so long that I may need to update the wordpress theme. Lol. If you are following us on FB or Twitter, you’d see pics.

In the interim, I will work on getting this fixed, so stay tuned.

Hope you are all well.

Muah!

I also have to keep you updated on the workout plan. I have 12 lbs to go - Yay! The last few ones are the hardest, but I’m as determined as ever. After all, I started from 60 lbs. By the way, I realized that the way I was updating you all was a little daunting, so I have decided that if any of you have questions about diet or exercise tips, you can simply email me/leave a comment. I’m happy to help/share.

By the way, I will put up pictures of the end result. Lol!

I have a pretty interesting post coming up tomorrow, so stay tuned…

I have been trying to keep a journal of my meals, but I have a pretty serious case of baby brain that I don’t even remember the last thing I said - not to mention what I had to eat an hour ago, so if I don’t write it down immediately, that’s valid information gone down the drain. Lol.

Also, It seems like I’m only reporting what I eat on days that I workout, whereas I’m supposed to fill you in on my daily diet. Hmm…

So, please, help me. We need to figure something else out.

As mentioned in the previous workout post, each day, I up the distance/speed I run. On day six, I ran for 53 mins and burned 850 calories. It’s not my usual, but hey…baby steps.

I have any of the below for breakfast, lunch and dinner..

Breakfast: tea/coffee, apple or cottage cheese (again, I’m not the breakfast type - some say it’s bad, though.)

Lunch: Oatmeal, Greg’s baked chicken, Organic lentil soup from Trader J., quinoa and veggies, or quinoa and baked chicken

Mid-day snack: 80 calorie dannon yoghurt, cottage cheese, low calorie rice cake.

Dinner: Tofu salad, baked chicken & quinoa, salmon & veggies, lentil soup, or baked chicken & veggies.

My exercise regimen started on Sunday, the 24th of May. Though, I have been watching my diet and completely cut out certain things as stated here, I cheated a couple of times. Lol. I had rice. It’s OK. As long as I don’t over do/eat.

So here goes it;

Day 1

I power walked/ran on the treadmill for 30 mins. Burned 450 calories. Since I haven’t exercised in months (duration of the pregnancy), I have to ease myself in. Same goes for starters - if this is your first time working out, or if you have not done so in ages. It felt good to be back on the treadmill again. What I don’t like about the first time, however, is the fact that my body itches. I dread it..it’s so distracting. That’s why I couldn’t do much, but it’s quite alright. It means I’m listening to my body, and so should you.

Meal: I had a huge cup of coffee for breakfast. I’m not a breakfast type of gal. Lunch, my mama’s oatmeal. Dinner, Greg’s salad w/low-fat Newman’s Honey Dijon dressing (Greg’s salad is a huge plate of lettuce, chicken/salmon, corn, Roma tomatoes, herbed fresh feta, and a bit of salt and pepper).

Day 2

I ran for 35 mins. Burned 550 calories. Again, easing my way into my 60 mins run - Which usually burns 1200 calories for me. It depends on how fast you run. I like to run fast. I love to sweat. Besides, running slow aka jogging makes me tired. I did weights and floor exercises for 20 mins.

Meal: Breakfast, a cup of coffee. Lunch, baked salmon and vegetables. Mid-day snack, 1 low cal rice cake. Dinner, 1 piece of baked chicken and a side of G’s salad.

Day 3

I ran and power walked for 43 mins. Burned 650 calories. For 35 mins, I did weights and floor exercises.

Meal: Breakfast, Lipton tea and an apple. Lunch, 1 piece of baked chicken with vegetables. Mid-day snack, 1 low cal rice cake. Dinner, Oatmeal.

I have lost 3 lbs since I started on Sunday. 21lbs to go.

I’m quite sure I’m not the first with three beautiful kids, which includes a newborn and staying up all night, a business, 2 blogs, 3 cats, 2 dogs, and 1 snake. All the while, I have all these different “social media” accounts to keep up with, phone calls to make and return, emails to read and respond to, and I seriously feel like I’m failing at it. (OK, this is the part where everyone says, “aww” and you feel sorry for me).

What makes it more insane is that somehow, I have to fit a 2-hour workout routine beginning next week. This was my life(style) before the new baby and I certainly love to keep it up. My workout regimen consists of 15 mins stretch, 30 mins weights, 60 mins run and another 15 mins stretch.

I promised you all that I was going to keep you updated about my weight loss, and we were going to go on this journey together - per your request.

So, I’m going to chat with you with all honesty. I gained 56 lbs with my third child. Yes, I didn’t think it was possible. Lol. I wondered why I kept running out of breath. Go figure! It’s been 3 weeks now, and I have lost 36 lbs. I have completely changed my diet. Nothing drastic because I’m nursing, but my next post will include my daily diet. It is safe to say that I don’t eat carbs: Rice, bread, pasta, bananas, sugar, or juice, etc. I’m also doing my best to avoid red meat.

I have 24 lbs to go, and I’m giving myself 3 more weeks. It will be a little bit below my pre pregnancy weight, but it’s OK. Then, of course, I will maintain it by continuing my workout regimen and eating right.

Will do my best to blog as much as I can - along with my daily posts on Style Pantry so keep the questions/email coming. Don’t be threatened by my schedule. I’m not. Hehhehe..

When he is eating steak, he goes, “Mom, can you please cut my chicken into pieces?” When he is eating lamb, “Mom, what type of chicken is this - it’s delicious.” When it’s oxtail, “Mom, I like this chicken with the bone in the middle.” When he is eating chicken, well, it’s just chicken and it’s delicious…especially when it’s fried.

My mom got in yesterday, and she was so excited to be with her grand kids. They had so much fun, but I couldn’t keep up. I clocked out early. She gets a kick out of the whole chicken thing too. The last time she visited us, I remember asking her, “Mom, is Sidney ever going to get it? Will he ever be able to tell them apart - chicken and beef?” She was on the floor dying with laughter.

Seriously, you have to witness it. It’s so innocent and he keeps a straight face too. Bear in mind, we have corrected him numerous times, but what the heck? It’s funny! He is super cute!!!

Apologies to the vegetarians.

I was trying to have a convo with Greg this morning. I had just one thing to say, and my poor hubby had to stand there for half an hour just for me to complete my sentence. Why? I was catching my breath after each word.

Seriously, times like this, I wish everything was close by in the house. I wish all the rooms in the house were close together. You know, like a step away. Lol. Now I know what penguins go through, I see why it takes them eons to get from point A to B, as I feel like a tuxedo’d wobbler myself right now.

Doc Hollywood (errr, 90212), has placed me on “strict” bed rest. For me, that’s like being in solitary confinement. I’m usually on the “go.” From morning till crash time. Even when I’m asleep, my brain is still running on overdrive. So, you can imagine how hard this is for me. But like the title of the post reads. It’s any day now. It’s all a waiting game at this point and she can decide to come right after I finish writing this post.

If I’m MIA, you know why, right? I certainly don’t want to leave you all hanging - especially since I have been receiving lovely msgs from some of you asking after me, to see if baby #3 is finally here, etc. (Thank you for the well wishes and thoughts, my friends. They’re greatly appreciated.)

Posting may slow down a bit. I try to post every other day. Actually, I post everyday because I run two blogs. This and Style Pantry. So, when I’m not writing on here, I’m writing on SP - in addition to managing the WeWe Store. Bear with me, OK? Just for a few weeks. I will keep updating and writing as often as I can until things get back to normal.

By the way, let me take this opportunity to reiterate to the moms (you don’t have to be a mom to join) that we are going to lose the baby weight together. I will be sharing my daily diet/meal and exercise regimen, so stay tuned.

But first, I’m praying for a safe and healthy delivery and baby. Keep me in your prayers. I have been truly blessed. Thanks to you all.

“Uhm, no! I am Nigerian. Nigeria is in West Africa,” my usual response. Then they say, “Wow, you don’t look Nigerian! I have a lot of Nigerian friends.” Blah, blah, blah.

Puzzled. Am I supposed to take that as a compliment? What do Nigerians look like?

In any case, I went to the neighborhood market today, and the cashier was just sh*t out of luck. Today was the wrong day to ask and not have her facts straight. She was obviously a new employee. I didn’t recognize her because I have been going to the same market for 6 years, and we are all on a first name basis. I picked up a little bit of groceries and proceeded to the cashier to check out.

I said hello, and she didn’t even say hi back (mistake #1). She said, “are you Ethiopian” in some high squeaky, immediately annoying voice. I think that was what set me off. The voice? No, it’s the ignorance (I was thinking about this later as I drove home). I said, no. I’m Nigerian. She said, “Same, same. It’s the same thing, I was close, huh?” *blank stare.*

“The same? How? No ma’am. You are off. Way off. I am from West Africa, and Ethiopia is in the East. We don’t have the same culture, tradition, food, language…I can go up and down the list.” What is she talking about? To give her some credit, maybe a few things are similar, but nothing of significance that I can think of right now.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against other African Countries. Absolutely nothing. Personally, we are all sisters and brothers. I love the music, food, clothes and appreciate all of the cultures. I appreciate the mix-up, as I think we are all beautiful, but that’s amongst my community. Who are you to make that mistake out of ignorance and say, “same, same.” ?! Am I usually mean? No! But I don’t bullshit either.

Maybe on a normal day, I would have pleasantly educated her. Even if we started off on the wrong foot. Not today. I’m sick, going through incessant cravings and everyone stinks to me. I guess I need to just file this away under “pregnancy hormones.”

Besides, more often than not, most of these group pages are usually dormant. No recent activities, so why should I join if you are not going to get some worthy discussions going on? The ones I hate to turn down most are the health/humanity related ones. You know like Sickle Cell (actually the WeWe fan page is a member of the Sickle Cell foundation, so that doesn’t count); moving on…step up to cancer, juvenile diabetes, anything involving moms, AIDS in Africa, etc.

There’s got to be an alternative for this. Frankly, I’d like to support everyone. Everyone! What makes matters worse is that the WeWe Clothing Facebook profile is a business profile and not a personal one. Personally, “I” am not on Facebook, and yes, more than one person signs onto the account to update, respond, and move things around. Again, it’s a business. So what to do?

I have no solution for this. *blank stare* I was actually hoping you can help me. I don’t like joining any sort of group(s). Virtually or in-person i.e. Chocolates Anonymous, Red velvet cake Anonymous, Vintage shopping Anonymous, etc. Ok, so they are not related to the groups on FB, but you get the gist.

Is it that facebook is getting really annoying? Just a weekend thought. Nothing serious…

Remember that saying, “what you don’t know, won’t hurt you?” Well, in this case, what you don’t know kills you.

What do you know about breast cancer, or rather, what do you know to look for? I have always thought that I needed to be searching for a lump. Truth be told, every morning, I do a self exam just for my sanity and peace of mind. Granted, I am not at the supposed age where I need to start getting a yearly mammogram (that age being 40), however, I think the suggested age needs to be brought down significantly. Not only have I lost friends or strangers to breast cancer below the age of 40, in this chilling video, you will see a 16 year old, whose life was shortened by the silent killer, inflammatory breast cancer (IBC).

Warning: The video you are about to watch is graphic.

As you will hear and see from this very informative piece, inflammatory cancer gives no warning. A lot of physicians heard about this type of cancer in school, but never saw a case - neither are they familiar with the disease. From the time this video aired until now, a lot of information has been/is being provided, websites are updated and dedicated, brochures made, classes to educate formed, and more physicians are being enlightened. Prior to that, there was little or no information provided about IBC.

Readers, I urge you to send this to all the women in your life. Spread the word, pass this around. You can save many lives by doing this. IBC is the most aggressive form of breast cancer. No one really knows how to prevent or cure it, and most women have never heard about it until they become victims.

Here are the signs and symptoms to look for:

• Rapid change in the appearance of one breast, over the course of days or weeks
• Thickness, heaviness or visible enlargement of one breast
• Discoloration, giving the breast a red, purple, pink or bruised appearance
• Unusual warmth of the affected breast
• Dimpling or ridges on the skin of the affected breast, similar to an orange peel
• Itching
• Tenderness, pain or aching
• Enlarged lymph nodes under the arm, above the collarbone or below the collarbone
• Flattening or turning inward of the nipple
• Swollen or crusted skin on the nipple
• Change in color of the skin around the nipple (areola)

My favorite quote from the video, “nobody knows your own breast better than you.” Always remember that.

Yes, you heard right. Salma lends her boobs to a hungry baby. During a recent trip to Sierra Leone, where Salma Hayek was fulfilling her charity duties, she visited a clinic and witnessed a woman “struggling to feed her baby, and she snapped into action.” According to Celebrity Baby Blog, Salma said, “The baby was perfectly healthy, but the mother didn’t have milk. He was very hungry. I was weaning Valentina, but I still had a lot of milk that I was pumping, so I breastfed the baby. You should have seen his eyes. When he felt the nourishment, he immediately stopped crying.”

I don’t know about you, but I am super impressed with this woman.  I believe that the connection and warmth a child gets from breastfeeding far exceeds what they get from pumped breast milk or formula in a bottle. Nothing against moms that struggle with breastfeeding because I know darn well that it is challenging. I am also aware that some kids just don’t latch on or like the taste, however, I can’t help but wonder how fulfilling this was for her - to breastfeed a hungry child without a care in the world. Especially not caring what the media’s take would be. “Should I save this baby’s life, or should I care about front page news?” This is exactly why I blog about the little ones. This is why I say it takes a village/community to raise a child. Perfect example! She selflessly offered her milk to a starving baby.

Do we all really understand the importance of breast milk? When I had my daughter, she had to stay in the hospital a few extra days. There were kids that were far worse than her in the NICU. Do you know what cured most of these kids or at least helped facilitate a speedy recovery? Breast milk. The Doctors advocated that every mother breastfeed their sick babies, and those that didn’t have BM got donations.

I thought about donating my milk to babies in Africa. I looked into the process, but it was far from easy. Also, you’d have to go through several stacks of paperwork, tests and screenings which I wasn’t totally prepared for (with a brand new baby and my own complications). In addition, the closest bank to me, that I was aware of was in Northern California. Still, it should not be an excuse. I just wish I knew sooner and could prepare for it. If I were in Salma’s shoes, I would have done the same…without a doubt. As a matter of fact, I found out about the process of donating breast milk at the hospital when I offered to breast feed/donate pumped milk to a baby in desperate need.

While on this issue, let’s not forget about the biological mother that actually allowed Salma to breastfeed her hungry child. Was she conflicted in anyway? Did she think twice about it? Kudos to her! I can’t imagine what I’d feel. You know the moment when the baby locks eyes with Salma while she is feeding him? It makes me wonder. All the mixed emotions for everyone involved.

How do you all feel about this? Would you have done the same if you were Salma? Or are you totally against beast-feeding or donating BM to someone else’s child? Consider the rate of dying babies and malnourished kids in Africa or possibly other parts of the world (my main focus is Africa, however). While you are thinking about this, keep in mind that a lot of babies contract HIV/AIDS from their moms through breast feeding in Africa. This is especially why they test and screen all donated BM thoroughly. Like other issues I have raised in the past, there are always pros and cons. Your thoughts, perspective and comments are all welcomed. Shoot..

PS - Please, sponsor a child. Let us all do our part. Together, we can make a change. There is no reason why a child should have to suffer.

“Imagine you are starving to death. Unable to walk because you’re so weak, you are crawling inch by inch towards a food camp a kilometer away. Behind you, a vulture is waiting for you to die so that it can feast on your flesh. How would you feel if it really happened?” I got this touching excerpt from Teejee on flickr. This statement says it all. it explains the picture above.

Credits:
Excerpts from http://www.celebrity-babies.com

Photo: Kevin Carter (courtesy of http://newsahead.blogspot.com)

Please bear with us. And while you are out there celebrating, stay safe and enjoy.

By the way, is it just me or is everyone else looking forward to the fashion spread? Afterall, a bunch of designers submitted suggestive sketches of designs they think will be better suited for the Obama family. I’m looking forward to seeing which lucky designer they went with.

Keeping my fingers crossed for Michelle. Hope she picked a fab dress (or several dresses).

You get a few women (black, white, young, old) together and give them a few minutes….. and the main conversation will drift towards weight loss, diet plan etc. As an older mum (will be 41 in March) with 2 young boys and my health as a top priority I have found ways to incorporate a healthy lifestyle into my daily schedule.

It is so important that we do not forget ourselves when we are taking care of baby and maybe hubby ( I like to think that I have 3 men I take care of in my household 2 sons and my hubby ). We still need to look good. I use Arbonne facial products (I am not a consultant) and I have to say it works well for me. Actually it works extraordinarily well for me. I like to use natural products. I like to use a base primer that prevents oily patches (I have oily skin) then I add lipgloss, I just love lip gloss (Kiehl’s) with MAC’s lipliner, I am not a big fan of lipstick, eyeliner I have to use and I am good to go. For just a hint of drama I will add eyeshadow also by MAC.

I have made it easier on myself because time is one thing I do not have and most mums with young children will probably agree with me on this that once you have children gone are the long luxurious baths, lengthy makeup routines, sleeping in etc. Don’t get me wrong I am not saying forgo all these altogether – you are just probably going to narrow it down to perhaps once a month. Showers instead of baths, eye pencil and lip gloss, sleeping in let us just go ahead and give that one up. Maybe when the kids are teenagers we can relive that luxury

H20 does not discriminate it is a great thing for your skin, black, Caucasian or Asian. I can’t emphasize enough the miracles of water on the skin. Ladies increase your water intake and you will see the difference and if you don’t I can bet you others will. I used to go to the gym……don’t have that luxury on my schedule so I workout at home using a Pilates DVD it saves me time and a gym membership fee. I work out early in the morning between 5 and 6 am (I am a morning person …….Yikes! some of you might say) and it prepares me for the day. I always feel so energized when I work out in the morning. There is just an extra bounce in my step. Ladies working out helps you in other areas…hint! hint!

In my late teens I worked out a lot and I was very careful about what I ate. People thought I was crazy because they did not understand why I was working out as I was a size 2, however being slim does not mean you are healthy. Society has made us think that being slim is the goal, it is important to exercise no matter your size. It is also important to know your true size. For the` women out there that do not have kids yet and are planning to have kids, plugging yourself into a routine before you get pregnant prepares you for the MAJOR physical changes ahead. I know genes play a role too (Thanks mum) but I also know that you have to work hard as well.

Eating healthy is a must. It really makes a difference and most importantly we are showing a great example to our children. They won’t eat healthy if we don’t. I have been a semi-vegetarian (no chicken or beef) for the past 20 years. During pregnancy I ate beef to help out with my low iron count. I prepare chicken and beef for the men in my household but on a very limited scale. A healthy diet and exercise are what will help you lose weight if that is your goal. If you do one without the other you are fighting a losing battle.

Ladies I challenge you to make your health a priority in 2009. We deserve to enjoy the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and look fabulous regardless of our age.

Kwavi Agbeyegbe

As far as my skin goes, I never use lotion. Never. It doesn’t work for me, not only because I have dry skin, but I feel like it doesn’t give me the glow/shiny look I try to go for. For my skin, I use the good ol vaseline petroleum jelly. It works wonders and makes my skin smooth. I have used vaselin since I was a little kid, and that’s about the only product I use on my kids as well. I also tend to mix it with Johnson baby oil. I have even converted Greg to vaselin, so yes, caucasians can use it too. I especially love my skin over the summer as I get darker and shiny. The vaseline and sun combo is extraordinary.

For make-up, I don’t have any secrets and know nothing about make-up. I sometimes rely on my sister, Funmi (she was responsible for my beautiful make-up on my wedding day). So, my make-up consists of the medicated dusting powder from Nigeria (it’s in a white can). It is often used for heat rash or prickly heat. That’s my foundation and my powder. It is white, so it does not rub off on garments, etc. It also works to prevent any breakage on my face while serving as make-up, and that’s why I love it. I also use black eye pencil, and brown lip gloss to get a more natural look and prevent chapped lips. That’s it for my routine.

To those who asked where I get my eyebrows waxed, I have never waxed or shaped my eyebrows. Never touched them. I’m no help in that area, but look forward to posts from other beauty experts who will give us some tips.

Because I use limited make-up, I usually don’t have to worry about washing my face at night before I go to bed. I just clean my face with sea-breeze and it’s a wrap. I use sea-breeze twice a day. First in the morning right after I shower and wash my face, and as I mentioned, before I go to bed. I do not use lotion or cream on my face…it clogs up my pores. It is also essential to drink lots of water.

As far as maintaining my weight, I work-out. A lot. As a mom, it’s difficult to find time to go to they gym, so I created one at home. My gym consists of a treadmil, different size weights, yoga mat, and an iPod. I run 10 miles/day (at most); on bad days, I run 6 miles and lift weights. With Sidney, I didn’t exercise during - I did after. While I was pregnant with Zurhi, I ran until it started getting uncomfortable running with a belly. With this pregnancy, I ran only a little, and stopped early because I got sick. It’s is OK to run while you’re pregnant as long as you were exercising before conceiving. It is not a wise move to start working out after/during pregnancy because your body goes into shock mode. Always consult your Doctor or personal trainer. I don’t do stomach crunches because I don’t feel like it works for me. If you don’t have flat abs, it creates a bulge aka tummy pooch and you don’t want that, however, I do side crunches to help with love handles or muffin tops as we call it in Los Angeles. 20 on each side (5 sets).

For those with new babies at home, run or exercise while/when the baby naps. When Zurhi was a baby, the sound of the treadmill actually put her to sleep. The Doctor said the reason they respond to noices like that outside the womb is because it is similar to the sound they were used to in the womb. The sound of a vacum. If you choose to catch up with other chores around the house when the baby is napping, I suggest you work something out with Dad. Have him watch the kid(s) for a couple of hours while you exercise, shower and look fresh for him.

I eat healthy food, and try to stay away from man-made carbs, or any sort of white color food. There are times when I do eliminate carbs from my diet, but when I crave, I eat whole grain/wheat bread, rice n pasta. Seriously, try wheat spaghetti and I promise that you’ll never go back. I treat myself once a week to red velvet cake and chocolates (the amount I eat is another story).

So, maintaining this lifestyle and not seeing it as a chore or phase is what has helped me preserve my sexy.  As mentioned in my holiday blog post, I’ll be featuring both women and men once a week, from all ethnic backgrounds (everyday people/parents, fashion, health & beauty experts, personal trainers, actors, models, etc.) on how they stay healthy and beautiful. We’ll have pictures and a mini bio up on each individual. They will share their tips with us.

PS - I am not Ethiopian or Somalian. I am 100% Nigerian from Ibadan, though, I have some Hausa blood