the house of miss birdie

Yesterday, I watched the 20/20 exclusive Robin Roberts interview with 2 of the 3 kidnapping survivors from Cleveland: Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus. (Michelle Knight, not interviewed, was the first woman kidnapped) and I was glued to the screen the entire time. It was a great interview. These women had serious strength and showed great courage despite the circumstances at hand and their survival instincts to stay alive were inspiring. At the time of their kidnapping,  Gina was just 14, Amanda was almost 17. On Twitter, I saw some feedback with people asking why would the young ladies get into a car with a stranger. Answer to that is, this man was no stranger. This man preyed on his own children's friends and took advantage of the fact that these girls were familiar with him. Problem is, this can happen oh so easily. I have a now 11-year old son. And like so many other families, we have a daily routine. The driver of our daily bus ride that we do small talk with, the crossing ...

So, game on, y’all. Been in hibernation for awhile, hence the Groundhog Day. Well not really hibernating. Ok, so it seems like it because I’ve been scarce. But since my last blog, I recorded and released my first album, Scandal. I am really proud of it. It started out as a bucket list/promise fulfilled. But it unveiled something in me that I missed so much. An evolution of expression. I dug deep and meant every word. I do karaoke about once a month and although I bring the house down when I do it, the songs are still someone else’s. I wrote and sung my own songs and it was an emotional undertaking. It’s not the most quality sound but it’s me. Raw and I absolutely love it. My next plan is to release videos for 2 songs on the album: “Pretty” and “Lose Again”, when the weather gets warmer. It has been so cold out there. Besides my music, I released 4 hard copies of my children’s books: Stickboy and Cookie are Friends, Cookie’s First Day of School, Don’t be a Follower, Stickbo...

Ok. So I've been "finishing" my memoir, "Saggy Boobs, Stretch Marks and Saddle Bags" for the past year. And although the anticipation is building and my friends & fans are patiently waiting, I'm still struggling to finish. I even have the cover of the book done.  Mind you, the chapters are finished. I know that my book needs a little more "Me" behind it but subconsciously, I've honestly been looking for every excuse in the world not to finish. I didn't know why.  Then I thought about it, as public as I am, I'm realizing that the constant unveiling of myself within this book  reveals a chunk of exiled pain, in which by keeping it locked inside, I've hurt myself so much.  The book is a mental and emotional exposé of sorts, a way for me to let go because I'm important to myself and my life story hasn't reflected that. I don't want to hide anymore. I'm hoping that my stories that caused me to hide from life in the fi...

In 2013, I've had several scares. In January, there was the breast cancer scare. Benign. In March, I got hit by a car. I'm alive. In September, I had a biopsy on my thyroid. Benign. I'm healthy and I want to world to know that I'm fine!!!  Passing it all with flying colors. And that's just 2013. So now, I am moving towards my next birthday with a huge weight off of me. Funny thing about relief. The valleys become wider. The sun, moon and stars shine brighter. And your dreams are bigger again. Possibilities are endless all over again. I call it belief relief . When you get that sigh of relief and breathe fresh air, that's the perfect time to pounce on your dreams and make it real. Like actually hold it in your hands and make all things you've ever dreamed of, real. Belief in self, pursued with gusto and new life. So. I'm back. I speak with more authority. Focus is crisp. My thoughts are clear. My love is so much more passionate. I've had mo...

So, I've know that I've been M.I.A. (Missing In Action) lately. Most of 2012 to be exact. When the year started and the ball dropped, I knew everything was different, I felt fresher, creative and optimistic about everything. From finishing books and illustrations to expanding my book writing business to include adult and YA fiction. Editing opportunities multiplied Then, at the very beginning of the year, the sledgehammer dropped. My son got very sick and nothing else mattered but him. Although there was nothing I could have done, I was guilty of being so busy and self-involved that I had been neglecting my son's needs. But I now I know that was not true and there was nothing I could have done differently to prevent any of it.  But EVERYTHING (not Bam-related) was getting dropped. I picked up the tiniest of editing jobs, just to keep some income, but nothing overly time consuming. Money was starting to be a huge problem for the first time in years. Then the custody bat...

I heard a term used yesterday that had me thinking a lot. Fire Lighters and Fire Fighters.  I believe that everyone is born with a flame. Whether it's a burning desire to be something special or just stand out from everyone else. There's a fire in all of us and there are circumstances that dictate whether or not we keep it lit. It starts with the natural fight within that we are constantly conflicted and questioning our every action. Then there's the people around you that constantly test your fire power.  A fire lighter is a person that see you for who you are and who you can be. Ignite and nurture the flame in you.  Fire fighters put out that fire in you. They tell you what’s wrong with everything you're planning, resist change, discourage and minimize your power) Ever since I heard this terminology, I've been thinking about what I want for my life and my son's life. Now I have to think about the people in our lives that don't want the same things fo...

I forgot that I was the one in control of my own destiny. What was I doing? One thing I’ve realized is that happiness is simple. Happiness is not contingent on anything but yourself. Every time I think about how hard things get for me, I’m the one that’s ultimately in charge of my own future. We people make it hard and complicate things. We let our minds and lives become consumed with things that just take our focus away from what we are really supposed to be doing. If you know me personally, you’d know that I’ve had plenty going on in my life within these past couple of months. Monumental things. Well, at least I made them monumental. First, my apartment flooded and although I didn’t lose much, it was enough to consume my time and energy. I had work deadlines that I pushed aside because although I was a hostage in my own home (my front door was busted open and held closed by a flimsy lock for 6 weeks.) I couldn’t concentrate. Instead, I complained about what was g...