Blogosphere Update

I honestly have the best friends in the world, life is fab right now. As a mom of a one year old with a new addition on the way, I realiize that it is important for me to ask for help when I need it.  I got it.

I know that I haven't blogged in a couple of days, but there are tons of things in the works.  To all of my new followers and subscribes, thank you. 

Peace and Love,

Najeema Iman, I AM Curly Locks, a well rested mom

Post Revisited: A few of my favorite post from I AM Curly Locks

Below are links to some of my personal favorite posting within' the past year.  Check them out.

Vital Love

Braggin' Rights

I'm UNDER CONSTRUCTION(Walls are being fortified

Black Women in History: My History-Marie Antionette Thomas

Curlitude Post Series

Najeema Iman, I AM Curly Locks
"I believe in Kingdom blogging!"

Kitchen clean up

If I don't clean any other room my house, I am gonna' clean my kitchen. Of course there are days where I just don't have the time, and the dish water that I made turns sour, but this is a rare ocassion.  I guess it was instilled in me that the kitchen must be clean. As a child, my mothers (grandmother and mother) insisted that the dishes be done before I went bed. A defiant me would stay up all night, go to sleep and reep the consequences as I was woken up  in the middle of the night to get the dishes done.  Looking back on myself then I ask, "Why was I so insistent on persistently being disobedient in choosing not to do my weekly chore?" Who knows, but the dishes must be done and the kitchen clean for it affects tomorrow.

The kitchen is where it all goes done.   For us black girls its where hot combs were heated, hair was washed, and spiral curls were formed. The heart of the home where your body and soul is filled.  For me some of my most memorable experiences happened in the kitchen; making cranberry relish for Thanksgiving, licking cake batter from the mixing bowl, cornbread n' greens, New Year's corn-beef with cabbage on the side; Ummmmmmmmmm I can smell it now rosemary n' tyme, brown sugar n' butter, taste the double fudge bars n' lemon drop cookies, just a few of my favorite things.  Food is the foundations for family, and it comes out of the kitchen so it must be clean cause' I don't want yesturdays curls in tommorows goodies.

My mothers knew what they were doing when they made me clean the kitchen, they were teaching me a life lesson.  If the kitchen is the center of the home, then it is imperative to keep it clean because if it is not clean then the filth that you left can transfer into your body through the food that you prepare and put into your body.  I am by no means saying that having a few dishes in the sink is disaster, but I am suggesting that keeping tabs on kitchen cleaning is a must. If not taken care of properly mold, mildew, bacteria, and so much more can go in both the seen and unseen places of the kitchen.

Just like God washes us white as snow removing the dirt from our murkiest places, the ultimate clorox, we must do the same in our home.  A little bit of bleach n' water goes a long way.  God is already working on the inside, so we must keep up with whats on the outside.

My grandma always said, "'Our house is a reflection of us." My living room might be a little junky, heck I have a one year old, but my kitchen it's always a work in progress, always in the process of getting clean.  The center is getting aligned.

To my fellow mothers, single or married, if you can take the time to sit down and eat with your family and clean up afterwards.   There is great reward in this.  What nourishes our soul comes out of the kitchen, so it is good to keep the foundation clean. A little bit of bleach goes a long way to get rid of the filth.

Najeema Iman, I AM Curly Locks
"I believe in Kingdom blogging!"

Aborting and Shaming Mamas

Once again a great post by Mrs. Rhonda Smith of "Musing of a Recovering Strong Black Woman" blog....

Check out her latest post posing questions with lengthy answers...

Aborting and Shaming Mamas

Najeema Iman, I AM Curly Locks

Vital Love

It is vitally important that we are passionately affectionate about God, He commands it. To love him is to do the commission that He gave us. We should seek deeper intense amorous attachment to God, have a love affair with His word, for the Word is God, strive to be like Him daily. Enthusiastically worship a benevolent God who knows you better than you know yourself, for He knew you in your mother’s womb. Carry a tender warm admiration, in total devotion to a amazing God. Infuse God into every part of your life; be like a child with a new toy, never put Him down. He is the source of life, necessary for our existence, indispensible, critical to live, crucial to survival in the hood. For your livelihood is not living until you gain sustenance from God in the scriptures. The Word is God, get hip to it, fit to it, mold to His will His way, cause’ you have no provision without the vision of Christ. Walk in it, mold yourself to His way His way, His commission following His commands every day. Walk in it, let your path be guided by God alone, to His glory and power alone. Walk in it, He’s made provisions for you, don’t just do your thang, Do His.

Check it out for yourself

Hey you like what I wrote, check out God’s word for yourself. He love you so much that He sent down His only begotten son for you so that you can live free from the condemnation of sin. Choose today who you will serve, cause’ He loves you so much. No matter how far we think we are from Him, He is still there intimately intersecting every part of our life. He desires for us to run to Him. Not just running to Him for something , but because He is good and worthy of it. To love God is to love His commands, and in order to show we love His commands we must follow Him and ask God to deliver us from ourselves, our sinful nature so that He can give us a renewed mind daily. And you know what, when we fall in love with Him it’s a plus that we feel so much better because we can drop the weight.

My Prayer (It can be your prayer to, if you agree with it)

God “Drop the Weight” remove all heaviness from my life and carry me on your wings of protection. Deliver me from myself, my sinful nature brings me nothing in this life, but your love covers my multitude of sins. God I know that I have been far from you before, but I thank you that you are drawing me close to you, don’t let me go God. Help me to love you more than I love myself, for I can not love myself if I do not love you, for you are love. You God showed the deepest kind of love when you sent your son Jesus Christ Down to die for me. Help me to die daily, help me to die to sin, crucify my flesh so that you may be glorified. Lord help me to seek your scriptures so that I may know you and become wise. Lord I know I have been foolish before, but I know that my wisdom is gained in you. Continue to intersect every part of my life, give me your desires to fulfill your will for life. I love you. I thank you and praise you for being good. I pray all this in Jesus name. Sealed by the blood of the Lamb, Christ. Amen.
I AM Curly Locks, Najeema Iman
All Rights Reserved Najeema Iman ©2010

Braggin' Rights

I eat gourmet meals from grubby little hands and proud of it; dine on chicken n’ cheese, apples n’ peanut butter, string cheese and Sippy cup, peas n’ carrots, strawberries if you please.

I dance to the tunes of the greats; Barney, Big Bird, Elmo and Electric Company.

I lullaby myself to sleep after falling into a world of imagination. I Good Night Moon to Ten Little Monkeys and call you After While Crocodile cause’ I have luxurious baths too. I spend plenty on Johnson & Johnson and let their lavender sooth me with their No More Tears Formula.

I have the finest attire accessorized in Similac and Quaker Oats.

I’m an artist and I use all of me; hands-face covered in dirt creating masterpieces on carpet.
My workout consist of toddler curls and chase me races. I’m at the finish line of a glorious day; I done gained some braggin’ rights.

Najeema Iman, I AM Curly Locks
All rights reserved Najeema Iman ©2010

School of Sleepless Nights

People ain’t taught me nothin’ bout bein a mother, God did. I been to the School of Sleepless nights and heard the tune of “Momma Why.” Screams of Momma I love you why, cause sometimes you just got to walk away. Hey I’m a good mother, done nursed till baby was almost a year old, but sometimes you just got to walk away.

Its hard to teach motherhood cause’ it no true science, cause’ every child is different. My baby she is good, but she wants to be on me 24/7, love her but that just ain’t gonna do.
People ain’t taught me nothin’ bout bein a mother, God did. To be frank everybody got they opinion of what to do,

“Just give them water at night, they get the point.”
“Don’t hold your child to much they be spoiled….”
“Let em’ cry it out, it’s good for the lungs.” (Where you there at 2-3-4-5-6 in the mornin’ when none of this was workin’)

For real you got to know your child for yourself. My baby is a good baby, but hey sometimes I do walk away. I let her cry, but I know, she know that not to long after that I’m gonna’ be in her room apologizing, tryna’ sooth her worries.

Here I am 6:19am writing cause I can’t go to sleep, she screamin’, distressed, but I can’t take anymore. I done bottled. I done cuddled. I done rocked. I done sang songs. I done changed diapers and she still won’t go back to sleep. Are the people hear? Do the people see that old wives tales ain’t workin’? I’m on day two of in your room, in your bed, get a bottle and go and it ain’t workin for me.
6:21am I sit her typin’ still hearin’ the screams but my fingers won’t let me go. I know there are tears but I done done it all and don’t know what else to do. Daddy in bed, he done worked all day, so at night its all momma. Well not really at night, during the day, during the afternoon, midday, I take all the shifts cause motherhood doesn’t really have to many shift changes. It’s a fulltime position with a few breaks(people want the baby fix for a minute, watch your child for a few hours, then its back on duty for you) but good benefits (every time you see a smile, hear the chuckle from raspberries on the belly, see the joy after a funny face you benefit. You know that at the moment you are doing something right.)
Motherhood ain’t easy by no stretch of the imagination, and ain’t nobody taught me nothin’ bout bein a mother, God did. He was the only one there, here at 6:28 in the mornin’ when nothin’ up but the birds and cars whisking by starting the morning shuffle.

Quiet, silent murmurs, “ Momma, I want momma.” I can’t take it but I got to take it. It is time for baby girl to understand. I love you, care for you, but you got to learn. Some may call me cruel, but I DARE YOU. You come to my house, do better job than me. 6:31, I’m holdin’ my ground like they told me to do, its breakin’ my heart as much as its breakin’ hers.

I sit here burgundy coach stained with Similac, covered in Gerber, it done been through warfare and didn’t stand a chance with a baby in the house. 6:35 a little quieter, nope there it is again the piercing cries from beyond these walls. Mumbles, now silence could it be, it can’t be, but it is, “….Another one bites the dust…” I am victorious. You see people ain’t taught me nothin’ bout bein’ a mother God did. Okay so maybe them people did help a little bit, cause I held my ground and it made her lungs stronger.

Najeema Iman, I AM Curly Locks