The Ramblings of A Nigerian Mom

I can't believe I'm turning this into a post...and I also can't believe I felt like walking up the wall, out of exasperation. This is something I had held up to be appreciable, worthy of being praised...raise your hand if you have a little chatter box around you doing the one million per day question run.  Yes. 1, 2, 3...put them down, please.  There I was minding my own business trying to make dinner and in they ran with all their paraphernalia of office in tow...and it all began..

About a year ago, I posted this  fun brainteasers which would soon become one of the most viewed post so much that I decided to do a part 2. (Call it the Nigerian factor...seen too many Nollywood movies) A sister actually sent this to me and I am generous enough to share here so you may try it free and thank me later. lol.  Test Your mental Alertness (Pt II) This test has reportedly been in existence for 50 years or more and has been accurate in testing intelligence. You may even have come across this before but no real harm in trying again. I read Bill Gates scored 3 on his first attempt. See? You don't have to be scared to try more than once. And then if you score above 3, you'ld actually have something to brag about, no?  Oya let's go there...

Yay. Finally getting round to posting reviews of the few books I managed to squeeze into my tight reading schedule these last couple of months. Out of the few I read, I choose to write first on Island Bound for one big reason. It's a short, romantic story. Period. You see, I was am a romantic and growing up was spiced with guzzling endless novels -from dear mum's 'library' and occasionally borrowed from friends. I wasn't really into movies neither was I outdoorsy, just hand me a good book and you would find me hours later curled up in bed- smiling to myself while devouring the poor thing. Back then, my appetite was voracious to say the least.

Source *Long Rambling Alert* It was my penultimate semester and the day started like any other Thursday on campus for me. I joined my BFF, T to go join the other ‘Cadets’ for our early morning routine, jogging round the campus, singing and then converging at the sports complex for the last lap of our parade. (Ask me who or what we were training for)

  Source I go to bed every night with smiles playing on my lips and I personally don't think there can be anything cuter or more inspiring than a 'special' nighttime prayer, consistently from the innocent heart of a 4year old boy. You don't agree? Ok check this scenario out. In Jesus Name Nobody will die in Jesus name Fire will not burn our house in Jesus name Fire will not burn my school in Jesus name Fire will not burn my TV in Jesus name Fire will not burn my toy..*insert name one after the other*.. in Jesus name Mummy will not die in Jesus name Mummy's head will not ache in Jesus name Daddy will not die in Jesus name Daddy will not have accident in Jesus name D2....*randomly insert friends, uncles and aunties names one after the other*...will not die in Jesus name Eeeeeeeverybody will not die in Jesus name Allow us to have food in Jesus name Allow my friends to have food in Jesus name Don't allow me to wee wee on my bed in Jesus name ...

  Source Life-givers giving in to death in the process of giving life. You ever wondered at the irony of this? Some months back, someone very close to me lost his young wife immediately after childbirth. She never even got to meet the precious life she had so longed and prepared for.

Source This post isn't really a post, just a few lines to say hi...I'm still around...and to say sorry for absconding without leave for a month...no excuse...well there's an excuse actually. Can't believe its one month since I posted here last. Imagine that. Wish I could say I won't stay away for that long anymore but we shall see. (The next two months promises to be hectic) Really missed this space and all the lovely people that makes the blogosphere a lovely place to 'live' in, for me. The past few weeks have been really busy for me...you know how it gets sometimes, but hey..that's LIFE. Can't complain now, can I? Been fully occupied with stuffs. Went back to work after my 2 months leave (yes, two months away from work, working on my dissertation which is still not completed). *sigh* Still not back fully so the posts are going to be coming in trickles. So, till I manage to come around again...manage this post that is not a post for...

6 years ago when hubby-to-be and I decided to take that bold leap, I went hunting for the right material to make a nice outfit for our *introduction program and soon made me a nice skirt and blouse for the 'do'. Fast forwarded to 2013, my dress size understandably changed from 6 (yes I was a sz 6) to 10 and there was no other option than to give out my much loved outfit to someone who is slimmer. Only hitch being that the scarf went into hiding at the time I gave it away only to resurface last week from its hiding place deep within the closet.

  Image Source                   The idea for this post came as a result of recent interactions with my boy. Got me wondering how one goes about teaching kids self-confidence, kids as young as 4yr olds for that matter. Any chance of them understanding?  How do you teach a 4yr old to develop thick skin that would prevent the never-ending environmental drama, criticisms and what-nots   to seep in? These environmental drama starts so early these days, much earlier and sometimes seemingly harmless banter may get on the wrong side of the young receiver. Will tell you a short story. No 2 short stories.

This is a quick explanation about how I made my envelope clutch. I don't know all the fancy sewing terms but I will do my best to present it as clear as possible so you can make some sense of this. It's really super easy to make, hope you find it so. This purse can be made using fabric but I used 'soft' leather to make it. If using fabric, you may have to add fusible interfacing in addition to the interior lining to give it weight otherwise the end result would be flimsy.

Father's day is here again. Many children who are fortunate to still have fathers in their lives would celebrate the occasion with their dads while some would not be so privileged due to circumstances. A father.

Image Source I had a good laugh last night, you know the kind of laughter that emanates from the deepest part of the belly.  Wasn't even reading or watching any comic show,  here's why: Amidst my kitchen busyness trying to get dinner ready,  I overheard the Hubby and D2 in a funny exchange of sorts.

Was reading the Daily Mail a couple of months back when I came across this headline about women and their beauty.   According to a 'recent survey' published in the Daily Mail sometimes in February, men are most confident in bed between ages of 50 and 69 while women experience their sexual confidence between age 18 and 29  It was concluded that women’s beauty and sexual confidence peak at 29, meaning that a woman literally starts the downward plunge where beauty is concerned on reaching that milestone.

As much as I love sewing and crafting, I decided a while back not to waste my time making what I do not really need or what nobody around me needs because you see,  time is very precious and a tiny fraction lost or wasted could not be regained.  Ever.

Appreciation for the many little things we often take for granted...like having food to put in our tummy before hitting the bed, Sleeping undisturbed through the night, waking up 'peacefully' when we feel like, stretching our limbs and having them oblige gracefully, walking, talking, breathing unaided, having food in the fridge, money in the purse, additional money in the bank, a job to go to, hobby to enjoy, a family to love, friends, shelter over your head, means to access good healthcare, etc. Those are just a tiny fraction of the daily blessings we enjoy.

  Source   Yes, angels been dwelling among us mere mortals. MOTHERS are angels in human forms missing their wings and dwelling among us. Really.

Someone used the above picture as her DP on BB and I just had to 'borrow' it for the purpose of this post.

Maybe the title should have been T-Shirt to T-Top or T-Shirt to Convertible T-Top (if there's anything so called). So last saturday, there I was looking at  Betty and thinking of how to put her through her rounds and I just happened to remember coming across this ''old'' T-shirt belonging to darling hubby while I was rummaging in our closet 2 days ago. Couldn't remember the last time I saw him in it and I decided to put it to some  good use. (Didnt wait to obtain permission, though; he arrived after I finished and I even got him to take a few blurry pictures which I decided not to share here..lol)

Source   I couldn't help 'oohing' and 'awwing' at these absolutely adorable and heartwarming pictures and I just had to share here.

Source Definition of terms (for non-Nigerians) Amala : Thick brown dough / paste made from grinded yam flour Ewedu: Leafy green vegetable, blended and made into draw soup Ogufe: Goat meat Buka: Mini cafeteria (Noisy, open, somewhat neat, ''airy'' etc) Canteen: Midi cafeteria (Sometimes noisy, neater, a bit open, etc etc) Restaurant: Maxi cafeteria (A bit cool, a bit organized, neat, enclosed, etc etc etc)