Yes We Can *chuckle*

Now that I know we can I wanted to share some other news. I just got my package in the mail today from Isabella Oliver. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. They hand wrapped my stuff, gave me a gift, coupons, and included a nice handwritten note. I'm still on the hunt for the "right" practitioner but with the help of my new naturalpathic doctor, I know it's gonna be all good.











So I guess it's out now, even thought some already found out from my hubby who can't hold water and others who have a "sixth sense" *chuckle.* I don't know how far along I am I just only know by the cycle of the moon I'm due sometime at the end of May 2009.

*smoochies* - Mamma Aly

3 More Days

My parents will be here in 3 more days. By noon central standard time they'll be "Da Lou." My sister will arrive the next evening. Yaayyyy! I'm excited and I know the girls are too because they'll FINALLY get to have their party. Amira's been bugging us daily about putting up the decorations and "is it time for the DOD beach party yet?" LOL.

I finally finished the girls hair (washing, conditioning and braiding). Now in the next few days I need to change the bed linens, SUPER swept the 1st floor AND mop, smooth out the guest room, arrange the sleeper sofa on the 3rd floor, re-clean the girls bathroom and clear away (stuff in hall closet) any extra items just sitting around. Oh and put up remaining window treatments in stairway window, dinning room and girls room (cuz they've been sitting around for 3 months)

Other than that, I ain't got sh*t to do. LOL.

August Full House

August is going to be a busy month for us. I didn't realize that I'm having guests for the ENTIRE month (minus the last week) until I looked at my calendar this morning. *chuckle* I'm excited though. I like planning parties and having family over. My parents are going to be here first and then my sister comes in a few days after them. Since my parents have been vacationing since May of this year they can only stay 5 days. My sister is going to be here the entire week. Then the day after my sister leaves my in-laws are coming in. They're also going to be here an entire week. And my niece may come out this way because she says she's tired of The Bay. LOL.

Of course we're sort of going in slow motion with the party stuff. We did finally order the cake from The Cakery and it's paid in full. Next week I have to put in my order for the food and already I done changed the dayum menu 3 times *shakin head.* I do have a tendency to OVER order stuff and waste lots of food. And since it's not going to be alot of family because we're halfway across the country, I need to be mindful of how I'm ordering stuff.

Next we have to buy the decor. I've changed my mind about that as well. It's been thunder storming out here so I don't think trying to do something totally out doors will work. So basically I scratched the idea of trying to create a beach in my backyard. Not to mention them dayum mosquito's out in this b*tch will eat yo azz alive, and yo kids and "yo mama and yo sister too . . ." LOL. So it looks like the party store wins again. And it just so happens we found one on accident while driving on Olive Rd or Blvd. So that's done or will be by Saturday.

Now if I can just find it in me to wash, condition, comb out, and Bantu Knot up the DOD's hair all this week, I'll be a happy girl. All their hair care products have been sitting on my kitchen counter for the past 2 weeks. Why? Because all I've done is take the braids out of their hair and throw their hair into a few ponytails. I do need to wash their hair because it's been awhile. And that is a chore in itself. Not to mention after I wash I have to restyle their hair *faint*. And that's only 3 DOD heads. What to do when the baby DOD is of hair combing age? *falling dead to the floor* LOL

Well, let me act like I got sh*t to do today and get my azz off the dayum computer. *chuckle* Okay, I'm out.

*smoochies* - Mama Aly

The Richardson's

Because the valet at Houlahand's, a restaurant somewhere in Missouri, was bored to death he asked if we wanted him to take a picture of all of us. Of course we were more than happy to relive him of his busy job. *chuckle* This is our first "unofficial" family portrait.



Of course Mr. Richardson wrote about it over at the DOD. And there are also more photos. On another family adventure the hubby and I were able to snag one of those "stretch out your arm so we can both squeeze into the shot" type of photos. We're at the flooded Mississippi River where the arch is in down town St. Louis. Since the river had risen, you couldn't walk down to it like most tourist usually do. It was still beautiful tho and really warm that day.

Mr. and Mrs. Richardson on the Mississippi

Forest Park in Da Lou

Because we wanted to get out and enjoy this fickle azz weather, before another lightening and thunder storm we played outside all day on Saturday. We live near a HUGE azz parked, Forest Park and since it was about 81 degrees outside on Saturday, it was the perfect day to play in the sun and of course take some pictures. Enjoy!

*smoochies* Lady Richardson


Me and the DOD sitting near the Worlds Fair Pavilion

Daddy and the DOD (minus Asaria who's on my back) walking along trail

The DOD and me, doing what they do

Daddy and the DOD, yes Asaria is still on my back

at Whole Foods (yes I love that store)

Birthday Picture Blog

Well I'm back from the Golden State and have loads of pics. Some I won't post as not to incriminate certain family members LOL. It was good to be "home" but it was even better to return home to my hubby and 3 babies - cuz baby #4 was with me since I'm still nursing and cuz her lil azz fly free. *chuckle*

Of course my family made my pre-birthday fun and lively. I see some things don't change and for that I am great full. And hubby, poor thing, was really planning on what to get me as a present and is doing his part in learning to celebrate birthday's and for that I am also great full - even tho I was mad at his azz for some of my birthday. Yes I'ma trip (don't tell nobody).

So here are some pics of my lovely family from my mini Cali vacation. Enjoy!
- Lady Richardson


WholeFoods buying my cake. My parents love this store too!

Breakfast at the FOUR ACES on MacArthur Blvd with Mom and Sis

Don't forget baby, who yummed smushed cantolope and pear

What happens when you tell old folks to POSE!

In need of food after driving ALL day and shopping

Me and my niece


We we had dinner at Nelli's Restaurant off Jack London Square. Probably more like deep West Oakland down by the docks. I wanted some soul food cuz that sh*t is hard to find in Washington. Nelli's used to be a part of Boson's Locker in North Oakland but has since ventured off. Besides I think the Locker is closed now due to too much fightin, stabbin, shootin - you know the rest.

My club pose. LOL

Dad and Mom

Sis and Niece

Bro and Sis-in-law

Aly and Ali the namesakes

The Chief and baby girl

The Matriarch and me

Me again

These pictures are on my actual birthday once I got back to Washington. Most of the time the babies were fussy. So you know my azz was mad and had an attitude. *chuckle* I said next year my azz going to Las Vegas.









From the hubby

Thankful Thursday - End/Beginning Year Tag

Okay I've been tagged for the new year by Mama Ghetto Quilter and since my azz ain't got sh*t else to do but tell my thoughts, I figured why not. LOL. Okay the rules are as follows: There are no rules just answer ONE question, 5 times. LOL

List 5 of the most significant memories of 2007.

1. Being able to naturally deliver Asaria in the comfort of my home and having the hubby catch her, as my mother sat and witnessed.

2. Having faith enough in The One to move out of my comfort zone and venture into unknown lands.


Dayum after the first 2 events, frankly the rest of the year is just a blur. . . . and after thinking that thought out loud, my hubby "cheerfully" reminds me of other events he feels are significant to me. *looking into camera*


3. Celebrating my babies birthday's with family, friends and in-laws who came from near and far.


And still thinking . . . I turn to the hubby and ask him what else he feels is significant for ME this past year (dayum how I can I type this sh*t with a straight face? *chuckle)


4. He says, finding a new stylists to do my hair. *looking into camera with a neck twist* Altho, the 2 sistahs at the shop are my kinda people, one of whom has been to my home for quite a length of time.

5. Honestly I feel every year that I've been living on this earth, past lives and future ones, are significant. I'm truly blessed to be the person I am and to have the loving family - immediate and extended - that I do have. All my years are significant, why? Because I AM.

Next, who gets a tag . . . . Hunny, Goddess, Carmell, Lisa (back at ya babe!), Diva, Ms. Monica. Okay now I'm done. I hope yall paying attention. Have fun ladies, oh and gent. LOL.

*smoochies* - Mama Alyson

What's the Word and My Hunny

Habari gani good people? *singin* Kujichagulia. In case ya don't know, today is the second day of Kwanzaa. The word for today or The Nguza Saba is KUJICHAGULIA. It means SELF DETERMINATION - "to create, name and define our lives for OURSELVES, instead of allowing it to be done for us BY OTHERS." Ummmm that's deep. I think I need to type that one again.

"To create, name and define our lives for ourselves, instead of allowing it to be done for us by others." And on that note, I'm gone. . . .but before I go, I have to leave some Hunny love. Why? Because I love my Hunny. And I want to share the lovely "self-timed" picture we took on his earthday.

*hugs* Mama Alyson


The love of my life and Me

Blah Vent

I've been in such a "blah" mood lately. I'm tired and really really really want/need a vacation. I don't know what the heck I was thinking having 4 babies in a row. . . . *after thought* I wasn't thinking, not with my head anyway. *chuckle* I need my house cleaned BADLY. I really need it cleaned everyday but I doubt we could afford the $150 daily housekeeping service. My lady comes on Monday *clappin* cuz this sh*t is driving me crazy. She was suppose to come last Monday but I rescheduled her cuz we'd already spent a bunch of money during the holiday and I want to give her extra for this holiday in dec. It seems like if you make more money, it still ain't enough. *shakin head*

I keep trying to get my hubby to deposit my allowance NOW so that I can buy his birthday present(s). The problem is, what I want to get is only available online. And then there's the problem of making sure it arrives BEFORE his birthday, on Dec 25th. But he's dragging his azz. He only gave me half so far. *sigh* Now that he even gives me money out right from each pay check, it's like pulling teeth to get it. Maybe I should just go back to the old way and just put my dayum hand out when I need to buy stuff. Was it easier that way?

My parents (mostly my dad) wants us all to fly down to Cali for the last week of the year. He said he'd buy all 5 tickets. I'm not sure if my hubby can be off the 3 days after x-mas or at least 800 miles away from his office. He said he was trying to do something, what I don't know. I wondered if I could make it by myself through the airport and on the plane with all 4 babies. *lookin into camera* But then we wouldn't be here for his birthday. Although I don't think he'd mind our absence. The whole house to yourself for a week. . . . .ummmmmm.

In other news, I keep going back and forth as what I should do for my hair stylists. Do I just give a money tip, do I buy some sort of gift basket type item for the shop, do I do both? Not that we even celebrate christmas, it's just that she and the other girl who work their are so very nice and do such a great job on m hair - I want to do something nice for them, you know?

I finally made an appointment with a natural path doctor for my babies. The first appointment is in January, right before my birthday. She does pediatrics and women's health. I guess the hubby is on his own. I'll see how the girls like her, they are my canaries in the mind shaft. They are sensitive to others energies and if someones energy is ALL bad, well they surely let me know. Aside from that, I need her to check out my dayum skin. Since I've been up here in this harsh azz weather, my psoriasis seems to be acting up. *shakin head* Maybe I should just move to an island country where I can have sun all the time, which is what my skin really needs and when it's the healthiest.

Other than that, there ain't sh*t going on around here. I know, what an EXCITING life I lead. Dayum, do I need to get a job or something? Geez, sometimes I bore myself. I would like to take some craft/cooking/writing classes. I did pick out an online creative writing class that starts next year. I just have to get my hubby to pay. (I hate waiting).

Alright, vent over. Now I can go watch Judge Mathis. *chuckle* But before I go, this one is in honor of Friday's Flashbacks. Enjoy!

*hugs* Lady A


Circa 1999 on U.C. Campus (and no I wasn't in school lol)

The End Cap

I was gonna do this long azz post about my after holiday adventure with my family but my Hunny did such a lovely picture post I decided to just steal what he did instead. LOL. The collage he put together pretty much sums up the 5 days my parents and sister were here. I must say it was wonderful seeing them. My mom and sis were just up here less than 3 months ago to help me with baby Sumehra. But my dad hadn't been up here at all. I didn't realize how much I missed my father until I saw him walk thru my garage door holding a white cake box. It's good to have family. *smiling* Enjoy!

*smoochies* Lady Richardson


My Hunny made a great picture blog with some text. It sums up our holiday nicely.

Big Mamma

PaPa and Granny with babies

TiTi and Lil Bit

The Neighbor Ms. Barbara


And lastly our 10am to 5pm Black Friday shopping in Lynwood. Of course my azz wanted to do more (even tho I was walkin funny cuz of my bad right knee) but my sis and mom were like "un-un" LOL. So I guess I'ma have to hit the road again with my family in tow. The hubby says he's down, but I don't think he's ready. *singin* "yall ain't ready, yall ain't ready" *chuckle*

The Loot


More loot


Whose yellow bird?

Thankful Thursday - Early Edition

I'm thankful to have a life partner in my hubby who is willing to work everyday slaying dragons just so that I won't ever have to.

I'm thankful to be able to have wonderful, beautiful children that I can spend all my waking (and sleeping) moments with - even tho at times I take them for granted.

I'm thankful to have parents who I know would drop EVERYTHING to come and rescue me if the need ever arose.

I'm thankful to have a sister who is also one of my bestest friends who would quit her job just to come and help me.

I'm thankful to have family oriented in-laws who love love love my hubby so much that we all are lathered up in their goodness.

I'm thankful to have the friends that I can count on one hand be some of the baddest chicks this side of the mississippi who are always good for a laugh.

I'm thankful to have my mind be open to new "matrix free" ways of thinking and living and not being afraid to live in truth.

I'm thankful for all the roads I have traveled that led me to the road I now travel.

I'm thankful to know my families rich and wonderful history in words and in writing.

I'm thankful because I just am and to be able to share.

peace, blessings, love and light

*smoochies* Mama Alyson

Much todo about Nothing

I swear my azz watches entirely way to much teLIEtoMYvison cuz everything I think or say got something to do with some dayum t.v. *shakin head* Maybe I need a job outside the home. LOL.

In other news, I was trying to order some "ethnic" educational learning books for my older daughters. Well, actually I did order them like about October 10 or so. Well here it is a month later and guess what? Still no product. Now I'm a patient girl and know how it is if you a one man shop or even if you a conglomerate, sh*t happens. So I politely email regarding ship date and even called the Lansing, MI number listed and left a message. And guess what, I got no reply email and I never received a return phone call. So I'm going to email yet again and call again. But if I don't hear back from them after that, I'm just gonna have to get our money back. I mean $100 bucks ain't alot of money but dayum. Close your pay pal or something if you not in business anymore. Don't just take folks money and be done. Let me not jump ahead, maybe they had to rewrite the text or reorder cuz the text were on back order. Hopefully after I email and call again I'll get a response. I really do want those books. *sigh*

In holiday news with family, I'm trying to get my house in order so it will be ready for my parents and my sister when they touch down on Wednesday at 9am. Yes y'all their flight gets into Washington at 9am. Happy for me, bad for them. Cuz not only are they getting here early a.m. that day, but then they gotta go right to the grocery store and run a few errands. I suppose this is why my mom is not cooking. Altho to her credit she's cooked a holiday meal every year since I've been able to remember. It's only been within the last 3 years or so that my sister and I have done the cooking. My mom would just make the mac and cheese and the dressing, cuz don't nobody do it like her. We would have my dad do the ham or some greens and my sister and I would do whatever else we wanted on the menu. Well I tried to be slick this year since they were coming up here and not going to the yearly Native American
sunrise ceremony. I thought my mom would then cook. Ummm yeah, well that's what I get for thinking. Cuz she told me in a not so nice way that she was not cooking. LOL. My moms be having me rollin yall. She a got a gang of credentials and letters after her name, but she real folks and don't get caught up in titles or how you THINK you suppose to be because of such and such. Must be where I get it from. Both of my parents are like that. Like my daddy would always tell me "you catch more flies with honey than you do with salt" LOL. So anyway, as far as who's gonna be doing the REAL cooking I have to thank my friends cuz they're doing it all. I mean yeah I probably could get it started until my sister gets here. But dayum, I'm tryna do prep and pre-cooking all by myself until she gets here the day before. And then expect her to hit the ground running and cooking a bunch a sh*t. That ain't even right. I wouldn't put that on nobody. I probably wouldn't mind if I didn't have to also tend to my babies. I know my limits and ain't even tryna stress myself out over some food. Besides I don't want to be too tired to go here and here and maybe even make a last stop here once we get back on our side of town. Cuz who wants to miss black friday shopping cuz they was too tired from slaving in the dayum kitchen for 10 days and 10 nights?

And lastly in "my high azz food bill" news the new total (minus the 1 receipt I probably threw away) is now up to a whopping $703.40. And if you add in the holiday catering meal it's gonna be $920.84. And still, no food. We gonna be in trouble when our children become teenagers and really start eating all day, everyday. They azz gonna have to get a job to support our families food habit. LOL. I wonder how many other folks out there spend way more on food and other things than they think. I would never have known had I not made a conscious decision to keep the receipts so that I could see the dolla amount with my own eyes. *shakin head*

Okay folks, little Sumehra is wriggling and giggling (meaning feed me mommy) so I'm off. *That's all* ha!

Love, Mama Aly

Washington Holiday

Well this holiday seems like it's gonna be nice. Why? Cuz my parents and my sister are coming to visit for a whole 5 days! Yay! *clappin hands* They are coming up for the ThanksTaking Holiday. I'm also having another guest that day. A lady that my children and niece met at the park while I was still pregnant. No she isn't homeless. She was out for her daily walks and we noticed each other cuz ya don't see too many (translation ANY) black folks passing thru my neighborhood, let alone out for their daily walk. So we all chatted it up and have been doing so ever since. She's new to Washington also. And since her hubby is gonna be working, we've decided to have her over as well. How cool is that?

This is gonna be my first holiday in a new state. I've spent ThanksTaking at my in-laws before but only as a visitor. Never as someone who actually lives in another state. So I'm looking forward to everyone coming out. I'm also looking forward to our Black Friday shopping day. This time my sister said we're gonna be up and out the house early. We so laid back that in years past we were lucky to get out the house by 12 noon. We'd usually end up leaving about 2 or 3 pm. Yeah, we do C.P. time for real. LOL. So this year she said we leaving early. And my sister is an early bird anyway. So I'm looking forward to leaving at 5am. *shakin head* Yall don't know, ya girl don't get to shop much without the ENTIRE family in tow. And my kids so funny tht everybody wanna do something different and go in different stores, including my hubby. So I'm looking forward to doing some REAL damage this year. I'm even gonna save some of my allowance to add to my shopping money. *clappin hands*

In other news, I'm trying to plan a birthday trip for my hubby and babies. Since he's a christmas baby it's hard to sh*t cuz EVERYTHANG is closed. So no dinning our or nothing. But I heard this commercial on tv about something called the victorian clipper. And went to the website and found that it's actually quite cheap to plan a vacation for a family of 6. I was very surprised. I can buy all of our tickets myself with my own money. Even the hotel was cheap. So I'm thinking about doing that. I just hope I can save enough money without my hubby having to pay for too much. I mean this IS suppose to be for HIS birthday. LOL. Not that he minds, I'm just saying.

Other than that, there's not too much going on in my part of town. The girls are still doing there thing. My oldest baby is learning to read. I never knew the girl could read an actual sentence. She told me yesterday that she loves to read. My baby id 5 years old and I have no idea how baby girl can read. I'm serious cuz I surely didn't teach her. She musta taught herself. She was sounding out words and everything. ha! Dayum my baby hella smart. LOL. Now if my dayum readers and phonics materials that I ordered from Sankofa Publishing every gets here, then we can really do some sh*t. (I'ma have to call or emal them to see whats up with that order).

Okay, my neck hurtin . . . . just returned from emergency baby duty because the oldest came to tell me she had circles on her legs. I thought she wrote on herself. I looked at her legs and sh had a bunch of little bumps that looked like hives on the bottom of both her legs. So I had to get my hubby and we cleaned off her legs and put medicine on them. The little bumps are going down. I don't know what she was into. It's like they just appeared because she didn't have it on her skin earlier today or later in the evening, only just now. *sigh* My girls have skin like they mamma. If they look at something wrong, they liable to break out.

*nite, nite* - Lady R.

The First Line of Defense

I was told by a great man that, "the first line of defense is your family." Meaning that family will be the first to jump right into the mix of things when you decide to "upset the apple cart" and go against the status quo. And I don't mean they'll take up arms and fight with you. All too many times, they try and turn you back to the way you were. So I'm feeling myself being slowly worked to "conform" because I keep putting out into the universe (and among family and friends) that I'm really really serious about homeschooling my children. Well it was just an idea a few years ago but now as my oldest is "school age" because she just turned 5 years old, the barrage of questions from both sides of the family are picking up speed. The once subtle suggestions about why one should send their children to school are now becoming "concerns." And since I am not an island those "concerns" have a way of planting themselves in my head. So of course it causes me to doubt myself and then go re-check all the things I've check about a million time already. And sh*t my thing is, if I'm f*cking up my kids anyway because I'm sequestering them and not allowing them to be "socialized" in a school environment or a day care so they can play with other kids, well then I'm sacrificing for not. I may as well go to work out side the home right this second. Dump my oldest off at the nearest public school, take my 2 little ones to the KinderCare up the street and send the baby to some sitter off CraigsList. I mean cuz really, what's the point, right? Because my kids are gonna be even more messed up because I don't wanna send them to public school, or parochial school, or some private school where they are gonna be about 1 of 10 African children in the ENTIRE school. So what the f*ck am I doing? May as well kill two birds with one stone, make some money from a 9-5 and mess up my kids so we can all be just like everybody else, right? One big azz "Stepford" family. I mean since they gonna be messed up anyway because they are at home with their mother all day and don't get to socialize with other children 8 hours a day.

My thing is, why is it such an issue with homeschooling? I mean dayum ain't like I'm a high school drop out. And even if I were, does that mean I shouldn't try and see what's the best fit for my children vs. I'm just doing whatever and ignoring their different personalities and how they may interact with others. I don't want to just suppress who my children naturally are and squelch their individual beings. And frankly I think alot of schools do that to children. Parents are also guilty of this. Sh*t I'm guilty of it too because it's sooo easy to just do it the same way my parents did it. But just because that's what "everybody" is doing, does that make it the right thing to do? *sigh* Dayum DJ was right when he said "it's hard out here for a pimp ma'an" *chuckle to self* I wouldn't be me if I wasn't able to laugh at sh*t.

*smoochies* Lady A, the Non-Conformist (a work in progress)