The Prissy Mommy Chronicles

Halloween 2009 - Celebrating "The Princess and the Frog"

So I tried my darndest to keep this year's costumes a secret, but I was bursting with such excitement that I leaked to a few of you!  As most of you probably know by now Disney will introduce the first African-American princess in fairy tale history in "The Princess and the Frog."  I'm beyond delighted about this because the implied message of Princess Tiana is that African-American girls can be as elegant and beautiful as Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, and all the other European Disney princesses. 

Princess Tiana symbolizes a culture-changing standard of feminine beauty and it was important to me to share with the world just how beautiful and important Tiana is to our community!  So in honor of this cultural milestone I decided that we would go as characters from The Princess and the Frog - well, the Etheridge family version, anyway (lol).

I mentioned yesterday that we had "big plans" for Chase's first Halloween.  Well, before leaving for our function we enjoyed a mini-photo session in the Enchanted Garden (a la our backyard).

The Tale of the Princess and the Frog

There once lived a beautiful Princess named Tiana who lived in an Enchanted Castle far away.  She had but one friend, a handsome young frog named Chase.  He had once been a prince but many years ago was turned into a frog after a witch cast an evil spell.



To become a real person again all the frog needed was the kiss from a princess.
 


One magical evening, while waltzing in the Enchanted Garden...



Princess Tiana decided to give her frog friend a kiss!



And POOF... the Frog Prince became a handsome, big, strong King!
 


And they all lived happily ever after in their Enchanted Kingdom! 

The End

(Ha ha, a tad Oedipal, I know.  Told ya it was the Etheridge family rendition :-)

So Chase's very first Halloween celebration was spent in.... none other than The Village - how absolutely classic New York, right?  LOL!!!  Before the mayhem and chaos of the Annual Halloween Parade ensued we attended Halloween Fun Day in Greenwich Village.

We had a really nice time!  Chase of course loves music and was intrigued by the assortment of instruments available to play (and eat, of course!)  Oh, and might I add, we were quite popular in our Princess Tiana and Frog Prince costume - we were the only coordinating family! 

  

Just arriving at the Halloween event

Chase cooling out after dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

 

Chase posing with one of his new friends!

 

Chase and Daddy

Chase and Mommy with "Kids at Work" founder and owner Julie Averill

 

The only other mom of color - we met and chatted after the baby segment.  She was actually bringing her daughter to the toddler segment which followed.
 

 

Chase and Daddy at his grandparent's house after the event

I think it's safe to say that Chase thoroughly enjoyed his first Halloween!  Aaaah, and he has no idea that his mom is a Halloween-fiend and that the best is yet to come - but he'll find out soon enough!!!! *wicked witch laugh*

Hope you enjoyed your Halloween celebration - be safe tonight!

"Race To The Rescue" Book & Bobbi Brown Makeup Giveaway #9

A few weeks ago I was invited to join celebrity makeup artist Bobbi Brown and her dad, Joe Brown, to celebrate the launch of his new book at a special reading at the Scholastic Book Store.  Joe Brown's book, The Flights of Marceau:  Race to the Rescue tells the adventures of a character Joe Brown made up when Bobbi and her siblings were young.  To celebrate the launch, Scholastic hosted a reading event for select New York City children and their moms.  At the event, Bobbi would introduce Joe, who would read from Race to the Rescue, followed by a discussion with the children, challenging them to use their own imaginations to tell a story.

Following the event, the children received signed copies of The Flights of Marceau: Race to the Rescue.  Meanwhile, Bobbi would be taking some time to meet with the moms and offer a private reception with her, in which she would offer recommendations for a one-minute-makeup session for busy moms on the go!  Oh boy, do I need that in the mornings before work!  Moreover, we would be given her "Must Have" Palette, as a special gift, as well as copies of the book for a blog giveaway. 

Oh girls, I squealed with delight upon receiving this invite, as the event combined two things I am so very passionate about: children's literature and beauty wellness!  The idea of merging the two worlds to create a Manhattan blogger event - brilliant!  Moreover, how perfect for a gal like me who fancies herself both a mommy and (wanna-be) beauty blogger, right?  But sadly, as I read on, I saw that the event would take place on a weekday afternoon.  The date conflicted with an especially jam-packed work week (wrought with meetings and presentations) and I simply wasn't able to take the time off from the hospital.  Sorrowfully I declined the invitation.  I couldn't believe I was going to miss an in-person meeting with one of my makeup muses, Bobbi Brown, and a chance for Chase to enjoy a book reading and meet new friends.  However, all was not lost!  The lovely folks over at Scholastic books were kind enough to send copies over anyway so that Chase and I could enjoy it from home!  

I also received Bobbi's "Must Have" Palette! 

Includes seven-well lip palette with lip brush (featuring Italian Rose Creamy Lip Color, Nude Pink Lip Color, Heather Buff Creamy Lip Color, Uber Pink Creamy Lip Color, Baby Peach Metallic Creamy Lip Color, Dusk Metallic Lip Color and Kir Metallic Lip Color), two-pan eyeshadow palette (featuring Nude Beach Metallic Eye Shadow and Hot Stone Eye Shadow), full-size Espresso Ink Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner, mini black Everything Mascara and new mini dual-ended eyeshadow/ultra-fine eyeliner brush.

About the Book:

The Flights of Marceau: Race to the Rescue tells the story of a new and unlikely hero – Marceau is a New York City taxi driver who regales his passengers with fanciful tales of his adventures. In Race to the Rescue, Marceau must help a collection of zoo animals that have been left stranded in the wake of a hurricane. Together, Marceau and his animal friends join forces to bring food to the stranded zoo residents and save the day! The Flights of Marceau: Race to the Rescue also contains rhyming text, a glossary, and full-color illustrations by Stephen Marchesi.

My Review:

I want to preface this by saying how much Derek and I love literature and value reading in our home.  As a daughter of two educators (both my parents are college professors) my sisters and I were  surrounded by books, books, and more books growing up.  Our parents were reading to us as babies and, by fifth grade, I had already completed my first novel (not kidding).  Similarly, Derek comes from a household of voracious readers - he describes the walls of his childhood home as lined with book shelves... and his earliest memories include the family enjoying quiet reading time together, each in his or her own nook of the house.  Needless to say, books are an important aspect of our household.

So as I've noted, Race to the Rescue was an exciting, dramatic, and super fun read.  One thing I did forget to mention in the video, that I especially appreciated, is the fact that a wide range of vocabulary words are used, which surely will be great for your early-reading little ones.  At the bottom of each page key words are defined, encouraging further opportunity for discussion and learning.  I'm looking forward to collecting all the other books in the Flights of Marceau series, and will let you know as those become available as well.

Prizing Values:

♥ The Flights of Marceau: Race to the Rescue book valued at $9.99.  The book is available through The Scholastic Store Online.
♥ Bobbi Brown's "Must Have" Palette valued at $122

 

There will be TWO (2) winners who will each receive one (1) copy of The Flights of Marceau.  ONE (1) grand prize winner will additionally receive the limited-edition Bobbi's "Must Have" Palette.

To Win a Book:

• Leave a comment telling me why you'd like to win this book  

To Win the Grand Prize:

• Submit a YouTube Video Response stating 1) why you would like to win this book and also 2) why you NEED this fabulous, limited-edition Bobbi Brown makeup palette!  The winning video will be posted on this site! *smile*
• Derek will be judging those videos, so feel free to butter him up if you like!

Extra Entries:

• Become a follower (via Google Friends Connect or NetworkedBlogs)
• Leave a brief review of my blog on Amazon for Kindle using this link. Write "review" in the comments
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to my site. "blogged about it"
• Add my button to your blog.  Leave link to your blog.
• Follow me on Twitter (@ThePrissyMommy) and Tweet this giveaway (up to twice a day).  Leave link to your tweet. 
• Send an e-mail to your friend(s) about this contest and CC me. Write "email" in the comments.
• Subscribe to my updates.  Write "subscribed" in the comments.

Rules:

• Eligible entry will be randomly chosen as the winner.
• The deadline for entries is November 9, 3:00 pm, EST.
• Leave each "Extra Entry" in a separate comment or it will not count.
• Please include your email addy within the comment so I can contact you if you win the prize.
• The winner will be announced on this blog (as well as emailed) on November 11, 2009, EST.
• You will have 3 days to accept or another winner will be chosen.
• Valid for US addresses only.

*Note* The more entries you've submitted, the greater your chance of being selected!  

Good luck!!!!

Halloween Count Down

 
image source: Carole Newman Associates

Oh this post is a long time coming! It's been in draft mode since October 5th, and various obligations/distractions prevented me from finishing.  Now the title of the post is almost moot, as The Big Day is tomorrow!!!!! *smh*

Anyhoo, as many of you already know, Halloween is my second favorite holiday in the world (shout out to all my Xanga homies who've been hitting me up about my Halloween plans/costumes - ya'all know how I do!) *squeals* I love it so much!  I get giddy just thinking about/planning for it. My Halloween planning usually starts in the summer - around July, if I'm being honest.  Oh yes, I take it very seriously... actually, me and my best girlfriend Nichole both do. In the summer we begin to plan our costumes, our props (oh, we put it down with the props!!!), our plans, the logistics, and so on and so forth. I guess you could say I'm just a big kid when it comes to Halloween.  But really, I think it is way more fun to dress up as an adult.  When I reflect back, I don't remember Halloween being such a big deal for me as a kid.  For one, we really weren't allowed to eat candy like that... so that already detracts from a significant part of the occasion. And then my dad had concerns with the meaning of the holiday in itself.... and on top of that my parents were "frugal" when it came to buying costumes, so it would likely be something on sale or some makeshift costume from home (not to take away from that - my mom is super creative and a regular little Martha Stewart) But all in all, it was cool but not as fun or exciting to me as Christmas.  That's all changed today!

It's also a special time for me and Derek (who was never ever a Halloween-goer, but kind of got swept into it by my enthusiasm. *smile*) We met in the month of October and the fall/Halloween season will forever remind me of that romantic courtship period.

Well obviously this year is extra special because it will be Chase's first!  To celebrate I wanted to do something especially memorable and fun.  I searched and searched for the perfect Halloween event for babies/pre-walkers, but kept finding events more appropriate for toddlers and older.  I did eventually find a few suitable events at MommyPoppins.com and then narrowed it down to the perfect one!  I RSVPed to Halloween Fun Day which is a special event for babies in the Chelsea/Village area of Manhattan.  Obviously Chase at this age couldn't care either way what we do, but I enjoy Halloween so much that it was important to me that his first one be special - even if he doesn't remember it in five years.  He'll have cool pictures and we'll have fun stories and memories to share with him.

Halloween Fun Day will of course have Halloween-themed music, art/sensory activities for babies, and the kids will receive healthy goodie bags.  I already know Chase is going to have a ball with all the other babies, so I'm super excited!  Now that he's become quite the olympic crawler and can easily stand up, he definitely enjoys life in a new and exuberant way.  I've had our costumes planned out for months, and tonight (like, literally as soon as I post this blog) I'm finishing up last minute sewing revisions.  No, I didn't hand-make our costumes this year, they just needed a bit of tweaking.  And noooo, I can't tell you what we're going as...... it's a surprise!!!!! *giggles* 

But like I said, Derek and I generally go all out for Halloween.  Here are a few flicks from the last few years (well, minus last year - I was almost 8 months pregnant and decided at the last minute that I hated how my costume looked on me, and chucked it). 

Halloween 2006 - At a Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre in Mahwah, NJ by The Killing Kompany. Captain Derek and Minnie Mouse

The finest captain you'll ever meet! :-)

Halloween 2007 - In historic Salem, Mass for the Annual Hawthorne Hotel Costume Ball. Aristocrats of the Old South.

The Belle of the Ball!

 

Friends we met at the ball

Oh yes, Halloween is serious business in the Etheridge household.  Believe me now? LOL!!!

So what are your Halloween plans this year?

Wordless Wednesday

  

Baby's first pumpkin - decorated himself!
Chase @ 9 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days Old

And the Winner Is...

Holacita to all my girly girls!!!

Many thanks to those who participated in my Revlon Fantasy Lengths Eyelashes Giveaway.  Wasn't that so much fun?  And Sibo's YouTube Review was just the perfect touch - thanks again @Sibonita for being such a good sport (lol, my fav part was the dramatic entrance - work it!)

Well without further ado.... the winners of a pair of sexy faux eyelashes are:

♥ Jeccica Simpson

♥ Stacie Reifeld

♥ Qiana Jackson

♥ Deb K

Congrats divas!!!! (Oh yes, cuz you've gotta be a diva to rock falsies. LOL!!! Love it!!!!!)  So be sure to send me your maily addys, so I can get your goodies out to you ASAP!

Ladies, make sure you enter my Nailene French Manicure Kit Giveaway - you have til this Friday to win your own french manicure artifical nail kit.

Muchas Smoochas!!!!

Webcam Fun!

So this is me and Chase's first attempt at using our MotionEye Webcam.

Funny, I've had my Sony Vaio laptop for nearly two years now and am just remembering that it has a built-in webcam. Yesssssss sir!!!!!  Now I can totally vlog since it's so easy to self-record on this thing.

Do you have a webcam? If so, holler at us! (lol)

Now let me get back to packing.... we're heading out to MD/DC tomorrow - Derek to attend Howard U's homecoming and me and Chase to spend some overdue quality time with his Grandmommy!

Wordless Wednesday

Mama's Little Helper
9 Months, 2 Weeks, & 3 Days Old

"Time Out" Toys

image source: Picture Book

As Chase got older and bigger he outgrew the activity mat where he used to do his tummy time and practice rolling.  So we expanded and bought Chase an alphabet play mat. We wanted him to have the freedom to practice crawling and walking and exercise his newfound mobility.  However, it's come to a point where his mat has become so cluttered with toys and various knick-knacks that he can barely move around on it.  When he tries to crawl around his leg will get stuck on a ball or rattle, and he gets frustrated and cries until one of us comes over to disentangle him.  He has three or four favorite toys that he plays with regularly, and the rest just kind of lay there.  The reason he has soooo many is because he tends to grow easily bored with his things - so Derek and I find ourselves constantly buying him fun, educational new things that will keep him stimulated.  The new toys entertain him for a while... then he's over it and those toys are kicked to the curb (well, kicked to the side of the mat - literally).  This all lends to our living room looking perpetually cluttered and busy.
 
Derek and I were thinking about how to resolve this dilemma.  I proposed that we add more squares to the mat (as this particular mat has attachable/detachable squares that fit together like a puzzle).  But we knew that the larger the available space, the more we'd fill it with toys - kind of akin to the more money you make, the more you spend (ie, when you get a raise you think you're going to suddenly be rolling in dough when, in reality, your bills and living expenses rise too).

While pondering this situation I got an email notification on my Blackberry and discovered my BabyCenter.com weekly update: "Your Baby At 9 Months, 3 Weeks."  I was so happy - I've looked forward to my weekly email update since I was pregnant.  It's always right on point and right on time!

Well according to this particular email, to keep things "new and interesting" for your baby, you should rotate his toys regularly.  They suggest putting some away for a week or two, then reintroducing them and stashing some different toys in the closet.  Bingo!  Problem solved. He has sooo many things he won't even notice a few are gone.  And when we reintroduce them he's going to be so happy to have "new" things to play with. 

So after I put Chase to bed for the night I crawled onto his activity mat, and Derek and I began to sort through his things and decide which ones to put away for now.  I filled up a nice sized canvas bag with toys.  Now, not only does he have more room to move around on his mat, he won't be over-stimulated with too many items at once.  Plus, our living space looks way neater. Cool!  I love Baby Center - they're such mind readers!  This seems so obvious to me now.  Why didn't I think of it myself?

#BeatCancer - Blogging My Way to a Cure

image source: Profile Comments

Hey folks!

You all remember our friends Will and Kendra, who live in North Carolina (by way of NY) with their two boys?  Will and Derek have been very close friends for a number of years, and I met them through him.  I always look forward to opportunities to get together and fellowship with Will and Kendra because I know it's going to be a positive, good time.  I appreciate the Mondens because they're similar to us in many ways, but especially in terms of our values, principles, and the way we raise our boys.  Their two boys, Justin and Josh, are sweet, well-behaved, overall nice kids who, most importantly, get along great with Chase!  I remember I took Justin to Chuck E. Cheese once - he was four at the time, I think.  He was so funny and bright, and also very respectful and mannerly.  (See, that's important to me. I hate that children just aren't respectful anymore - calling grown-ups by their first name and things. *smh* Thats my pet-peeve).  Well, I enjoy being around their boys very much and, in fact, when Chase gets old enough to be left alone I'd trust him going over to the Monden's home for "sleep-overs" anytime, because I love this family very much and know they wouldn't have Chase involved in anything Derek and I wouldn't condone.  And you sure can't say that about every parent/child/family!

I also enjoy Derek's and my relationship with Will and Kendra because they're one of our few "couple friends."  I love to hang out with other fun couples who are in the same place as us.  A pastoral counselor once said, regarding marriage: "It's not your single friends who are going to keep you married.  It's your couple friends." Mark it - Amen!  We have so few friendships with other couples and this saddens me.  But then, finding decent couple friends is more challenging than it seems. You have to like both of them, and they have to like both of you.  The chances of connecting on all cylinders are slim - but we have this with the Mondens and it's very cool.

from l to r: Justin, Chase, Will, Josh - Easter 2008

But the purpose of this post isn't to simply gush about why I adore this family so much (lol). It's to tell you guys that Will has decided to run the ING New York City Marathon in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation!  He is running in honor of the millions who deal with cancer everyday but, even more personally, he is running in honor of his father's courage and strength. His dad was diagnosed with a lymphoma in 2000.  He battled courageously for 12 months, through numerous rounds of chemo and 34 radiation treatments.  After the initial progress, he suffered a setback with the resurgence of his cancer in 2007.  Even with the setback he maintained a positive attitude and vowed to fight! His strength is what inspired Will to sign up to run this marathon. The prospect of greeting his dad at the finish line has been constant inspiration to keep running when his legs just want to stop.  His fight is a reminder that life is about struggles and, more importantly, how you confront them.

For as long as I've known him, Will has always been a really active guy who jogs regularly and does his best to stay in shape and lead a healthy life for himself and his family.  He has successfully run half marathons in the past, but this will be his very first time running a full, 26.2 mile marathon!  So... it's a big deal! *smile* He's been training for a really long time and feels ready.  We're so proud of him!

I'm excited to have an opportunity to support him in this endeavor.  I lost my grandmother to ovarian cancer and  have friends who have battled this disease as well.  I'm sure we can all think about someone we know (or know ""of") with cancer.  I admire Will so much for taking on this challenge.  If I'm being completely honest with myself (which I try to be most of the time) I know that I'm way too unmotivated (read: lazy) to follow through on such an ambitious goal - so I respect and admire those who do undertake this challenge!  Awesome!  I'm always glad to support folks running for such a great cause.  In running this marathon, Will is showing his boys not only the importance of living healthy but also of giving back.

I personally think there's no better way to utilize social media than for charitable causes.  So when Will asked me to mention this marathon to my readers I was more than glad to do so.  Folks, please lend your support, either by leaving a comment wishing Will good luck or by making a pledge HERE (you can give as little as $5 - every bit counts!)  Will's goal is to raise $3500 and he is currently at $1000.  Every dollar donated goes toward funding research and kicking cancer in its butt!

Folks, if you use Facebook or Twitter today be sure to include the hash tag #beatcancer in your posts to raise money for cancer related charities.  Each Tweet or Facebook post raises $.01, the goal being that the more it is spread through people's networks, the more people re-tweet and re-post, the potential for money raised rises exponentially.

Will, you are already a winner in our eyes!  We will be cheering for you on November 1! Godspeed to anyone battling this dreaded disease!

Nailene French Manicure Kit Giveaway #8

Hey Pretty Girls!

So let me tell you about my latest beauty obsesh! *looking at my fingernails and smiling* When a representative from Nailene contacted me to review their newest artificial nails I jumped at the opportunity!  In case you aren't in the know, Nailene is one of the leading nail treatment brands in the country and sold in over 40,000 retail stores!  Nailene was even mentioned at this year’s Oscar Red Carpet event by Celebrity Stylist, Philip Bloch!  How cool is that!

If you've learned nothing else about me via this blog I'm sure you know by now how strongly I feel about pampering yourself. Oh, it's very necessary - as moms, as wives, as working girls, as ladies!  However, I don't believe in breaking the bank to do so!  No ma'am!  See, I am the penny pinching princess... the queen of cheap.... and I pride myself on this (just ask Derek - hehe)!  Well these nails are awesome not only because they're pretty and totally natural looking - they also won't break your bank.

The nails are uber simple to apply, yet appear as though you've just left the salon! To apply:

♥ Lightly buff natural nails and remove any polish
♥ Find nails that fit your nail beds (file if necessary)
♥ Apply glue over natural nail and inside of artificial nail
♥ Press nail firmly for 20 seconds so no air bubbles form
♥ Gorgeous nails in five minutes!

The length is medium, so if you're into the super-long diva nails these may not be the ones for you. *smile* However, I found them perfect for me with having a super active, super boisterous baby at home - long nails are way hot but just aren't practical for my lifestyle.  These nails are efficient and functional... but still wanton, if you know what I mean. *wink* I actually ended up filing the nails after application to make them even shorter.  Funny thing, I have a feeling I won't be be stepping foot in a nail salon any time soon.  Aside from the fact that - between family life, work, and the blog I just don't have the time - I realize I can achieve the very same look at home for a fraction of the cost! Cute and cost-efficient - right up my alley!

The good folks over at Nailene very generously sent me an array of Nailene products to try out - they included two "So Natural" French Manicure kits, two "So Real" French Manicure kits, a "Couture" kit, plus a few other fun goodies for me to play with!  Of all the nails I received my favorite are the French Manicure - a clean, sophisticated look that goes beautifully with any outfit you choose.  The Couture set were quite stylish, but a little wild and sexy for me at work. 

So here's the best part! *smile* Only because I love and appreciate you all sooo much for supporting my blog, I'm giving away four French Manicure kits!

 

There will be FOUR (4) winners who will each receive one (1) French Manicure nail kit.

To Enter:

• Leave a comment introducing yourself and telling me how you found The Prissy Mommy Chronicles!  I’d love to see who reads my little blog... so all you lurkers come out and play!  

Extra Entries:

• Become a follower (via Google Friends Connect or NetworkedBlogs)
• Leave a brief review of my blog on Amazon for Kindle using this link. Write "review" in the comments
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to my site. "blogged about it"
• Add my button to your blog.  Leave link to your blog.
• Follow me on Twitter (@ThePrissyMommy) and Tweet this giveaway (up to twice a day).  Leave link to your tweet. 
• Send an e-mail to your friend(s) about this contest and CC me. Write "email" in the comments.
• Subscribe to my updates.  Write "subscribed" in the comments.

Rules:

• One eligible entry will be chosen as the winner via random number generator .
• The deadline for entries is October 30, 3:00 pm, EST.
• Leave each "Extra Entry" in a separate comment or it will not count.
• Please include your email addy within the comment so I can contact you if you win the prize.
• The winner will be announced on this blog (as well as emailed) on November 2, 2009, EST.
• You will have 3 days to accept or another winner will be chosen.
• Valid for US addresses only.

*Note* The more entries you've submitted, the greater your chance of being selected!  

Good luck and have fun!!!!