Little girl speakings (my take on this Dr Maya Angelou poem)

Ain’t nobody better’s my Daddy,

you keep yo’ quauter

I ain’t yo’ daughter,

Ain’t nobody better’s my Daddy.

Ain’t nothing prettier’n my dollie

heard what I said,

don’t pat her head,

Ain’t nothing prettier’n my dollie.

No lady cookinger than my Mommy

smell that pie,

see I don’t lie

No lady cookinger than my Mommy.  

Dr Maya Angelou

This is another one of my favourite poem. What i love about it is the deliberate the deliberate mistake in grammar and also the way it captures the innocence of the way children communicate. Children are usually to the point and never mince their words. Another great thing about this poem is to the wider society it may seem as if the level of English used is quite poor but in reality it is not. The type of English used reflects the culture of the time it was written and the subculture of black English. Black people were segregated and experienced a lot of hardship so i believe their twist on the language was a way of uniting them….that is my take on it.

Phenomenal Woman (remembering Dr Maya Angelou in her own words)

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me. 

Maya Angelou

 

Maya Angelou my best poet and author has passed away aged 86

I am saddened to hear of the passing of Maya Angelou. Dr Angelou was an author,actress and a voice to the voiceless. I can look back and say without a doubt that i discovered my love for reading as a result of reading her books in my early teens. I remember reading my old copy of i know why the caged bird sings and never wanting the book to end. Maya Angelou to me is a great example of how you can still remain human regardless of what life throws your way. Here is a woman who was brutally raped by her mother’s boyfriend at a very young age. As a result of the her mother’s boyfriend’s murder  a few days after Maya Angelou became a mute. She did not speak a word for 5 years and spend much time reading and indirectly developed a love for literature. Here is a woman who at the age of 17 became a teenage single mother. Maya went through it all. She went through it all…segregation,poverty,racism etc.

Despite all that Maya Angelou went through, she went on to win various awards for her books as well as for her humanitarian work. Maya Angelou was also active in the civil rights movement and according to dailymailuk,  She was the poet chosen to read at President Bill Clinton’s first inauguration in 1993. She wrote and read an original composition, ‘On the Pulse of Morning,” which became a million-seller.

Maya Angelou will be greatly missed and her books will forever hold pieces of history. Her many books such as the heart of a woman, which offers an insight in the life of Billy Holiday the legendary blues singer is one of my favourite. Just give me a drink of water fore i diiie is another wonderful collection of my favourite Maya Angelou poems and i shall treasure it all. Rest in peace phenomenal woman.

Meet the mum to be who is celebrating her pregnancy with paint :)

Luo Qianxi who is a painter by profession chose to paint rather than keep a diary of what she hopes and imagines her baby will be. According to daily mail who recently featured her on their femail page, Mrs Qianxi is expecting a baby boy and has been known to spend up to 5 hours just to paint. Wow soooo beautiful!

Image from dailymail

What’s mamabbygrace listening to? Testimony AnthonyBrown&group therapy

I love this song. It is so catchy and a real blessing which often allows me to get on with daily tasks with real pleasure. We all have a testimony because God has redeemed us in christ(1Peter2:9hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light)

Anyway enjoy the song and check out the bit where Mr Brown is on the hospital bed being healed…see he even kept his shoes on because he was expecting his healing Amen lol.

I think its time to ditch the baby sling

Baby slings are known to come in handy and my Graco baby carrier has served us so well. From the time my baby Shalom was born i knew i would used it more than i did with my first. I needed something that i could use with ease whilst taking my oldest to nursery drop off,pick up and even church. When Shalom was born i also purchased a hauck freerider double buggy. This is a lovely buggy with a generous rain cover but i often felt uneasy on the bus as it takes the space of nearly 2 buggies and sometimes other parents are not as patient. Grace has grown too and it is becoming more difficult to push the hauck so it has to go unfortunately. The hauck has also served its purpose but i think it would be best suited for children with similar weight who are also close in age.For months i have been using the sling and other mums have praised me for being brave enough to carry her on the sling beyond 6 months. For me it has not been about the age but rather the weight. It does say not to be used beyond 9 kilos and miss Shalom has grown and put some good weight on (not as much as i would like as still refusing non breast milk). I have started feeling more pain and pressure around my chest,neck and shoulders and i do not think i am doing both of us any favours so the other day i looked around on good old gumtree.com to see if i could find a joovy caboose. It seems like it would be perfect as Miss Grace can always sit on the bench or stand on the board whilst Shalom sits at the front. I have searched high and low for the ultralight joovy but it does not seem widely available within the UK. This buggy seems to be mostly available in America:( so i am hoping something will come through on gumtree soon because the sling is ready to go to the old sling’s home lol. Shalom is now over 10 kilos plus  and i am just not enjoying the sling any more but i know i will miss having my baby close to me as well as being able to keep her calm whilst out and about. I will certainly also miss being guaranteed a bus journey because 2 buggy rule never applies.

Pregnant and gorgeous: Ciara shows off her pregnant tummy in a white Maxi dress

If only the huge tummy was not a give-away, you would not believe this lady is about to give birth. 28 years old mum to be Ciara attended her friend Kim Kardashian’s wedding shower this weekend dressed in a flowing white maxi dress. I commend her for her effort because most mums to be at this stage are quiet happy to wear pyjamas or hubby’s shirts. As if not elegant enough, Ciara teamed her pretty dress with white Espadrilles making this an ultra chic look.

Picture owned by dailymailUK

What is mama cooking? baked spicy chicken liver with fresh seasoning

You should know by now that i love cooking…especially for my husband and my children and for pretty much anybody who loves to eat. My husband loves to eat and i love to cook so i always say we are a great match. This here is one of my husband’s fave. I do not really have a name for it but we shall call it liver with fresh seasoning just for naming sake. I prefer to use chicken liver because i find any other such as lamb liver quiet bitter and tougher.There are plenty benefits in eating chicken liver as it is high in iron and vitamin A. If pregnant do consult your healthcare provider as liver being high in vitamin A is not meant to be eaten during pregnancy (well that is it what i was told by my midwife). I am no longer pregnant and still not the biggest fan of liver but like i said it is my husband’s fave and when i cook it i mainly just enjoy the sauce it produces.Here is the recipe for those who dare to try.

What you will need:

Fresh chicken liver (i get mine from sainsburys)

Fresh ginger

fresh garlic

chicken seasoning

1 whole scotch bonnet chilli

1 whole onion

1 whole lemon

2 tbs of rapseed oil (any oil will do as long as it is edible lol)

fresh chopped parsley (half a bunch)

2 Maggi or 1 knor cube (take your pick)

First you wash the liver and put it in a baking dish. Finely grate your ginger (half a hand..i don’t know how to quantify ginger) on top of the liver. Finely grate 10 cloves of garlic on top of the liver. Put half of a tsp of chicken seasoning all over the liver break the Maggi or knorr all over the liver. Cut your lemon in half and remove seed and squeeze both halfs on top of the liver. Chop your scotch bonnet and place it all over the liver. Do not throw away the seeds because the strength of the chilli is in the seeds. Add your parsley and oil and finally rub everything in. You can also add 2 tbs of water to help bring out more juice.

It is very simple to cook,simply place the dish in a preheated oven at 150 and let it it cook for 27 minutes turning with a spoon halfway. By the end of the cooking you should be left with juicy baked liver which can be served with chips or baguette or both and green salad. Enjoy and let me know how you get on. cheers!!

The picture above is how it looks just before it goes in the oven, i took the picture with my mobile phone and the lemon is just for decoration.