When I Went To DAPCEP Today

When I went to DAPCEP, I made a light bulb light. . We had so much fun. When the parents left we ate and then we made light. Before the parents left, my mom and I made a magnet. We used batteries, nail and wire. We wrapped the wire around the nail and taped the end of the wire to the battery. The battery got very hot. I put the nail near a paperclip and the paperclip got closer to the nail. That made a magnet. I love DAPCEP! I learn so much there.

The End

Love, Zaria

Why Are You Thankful?

It's amazing what comes out of the mouths of babes. Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we had a wonderful time. When many think of Thanksgiving they think of food: turkey, candied yams, ham, sweet potatoe pies, dressing, mac and cheese, etc. Believe me, we had all that and more. As a family, we visited my in-laws like we do every single year. This time, we decided to gather in a circle and let everyone share why they were thankful. As you'd imagine, many of us were thankful for family, health, jobs, home and friends.

Then the time came for Princess Zaria to recite why she was thankful.

"I'm thankful for nature. If it wasn't for nature, we wouldn't have bees. If we didn't have bees, we wouldn't have honey. If we didn't have honey, we wouldn't have anything to sweeten our tea."

I laughed so hard and loud. WOW!!!

Out of the mouths of babes.

Just Like Mommy

Moms, have you ever noticed how your daughters want to be just like you? There's a book that I read to my daughter regularly(because it's one of her favorites) entitled 'Just Like Mommy.' The little girl in the book wants to wear dresses because her mom wears them to work. She wants to have her hair in curls because her mom does and she wants to drive a sports car when she grows up? Why? Because her mom does. This got me to thinking about my own little girl.

Zaria reads a lot of books because she sees me doing it. She has dozens of journals and diaries because she sees me writing all the time. She's beginning to ask can she stop wearing ponytails and braids because she wants to wear her hair down-Just Like Mommy. Zaria likes to help me in the kitchen because she sees me cook daily. I think the list is endless. She even contributed a chapter to an anthology written by students of Chrysler Elementary School. Why? Because it was a school project. LOL. And because her mom is an author, she was pleased to do it.

What are you doing that your little one will emulate? Is it positive or negative? Remember, they are watching.

Dont touch computer ink

When I was in the car, I touched the computer ink. I touched it because I thought it was a toy. The ink stuck on my finger until I washed my hands. I learned that I should not touch the ink. I guess I have to wait until Christmas to play with my toys.(joke)

I'm On My Own at the Book Signing

The Real Princess Zaria just informed me that she will not be able to attend the book signing event tomorrow. We had it all planned. I even bought a cute little outfit for her to wear. Zaria decided that this time she would like to spend the weekend with her grandparents and cousins. I can't blame her, though. I guess if I was 8 I would much rather be with kids than a room full of adults. I guess I'll have to work a little harder to promote this wonderful children's book. Stop by my table tomorrow and receive a special gift with purchase. I'll be the lonely mom with a table full of tiaras:)

Halloween Has Changed or has it?

Do you remember Halloween in the late 70's early 80's? We used to have real big fun. Do you remember bobbing for apples? And all that candy. We didn't have to go to the police station and have it scanned. We knew our neighbors and our neighborhood. When we couldn't afford costumes , our parents used make-up and we weren't teased. We had nice costumes and scary ones, too.

Fast forward to 2009....

Last year a child got shot trick or treating. This week when I went costume shopping, many of the costumes were too grown for my daughter. There were naughty nurses, freaky fairy's and not to mention unlawful officers. What's a mom to do?

Share with me what your take is on the present state of Halloween.

My Christmas List

When I was over my Nana's and Papa's house last weekend, they asked me to write a Christmas List and a letter to Santa Claus. Here is my letter:

Dear Santa Claus,

I would like roller skates, Baby Alive, chapter books, learning books, Jack-in-the-box, a purse, diary, mini-laptop, disney magazine, DS, PSP, DS Set, Mario games, Sonic Games, , $5000, Heely's, Demi Lovato cd, Selena Gomez cd, and a pool.

I'm going to make you some cookies like I did last year.

Sincerely,

Zaria Pope

What do you want for Christmas?

She's So Sensitive

We haven't blogged in a few days but after last night I had to tell somebody. My daughter, Zaria, is so sensitive and emotional. I'll tell you what happened last night in a moment.

A few months ago while over her grandparents, Zaria witnessed one of the kids get a leg caught in the couch. (it happened to me before when I was younger and probably many others). Well, Zaria was so upset. I think she thought the little girl would break her leg or something. As the girl calmly struggled, Zaria violently cried. Even after the child was 'free' , Zaria could not be consoled for over an hour.

Another instance.... My husband got pulled over by the police(while driving black) in Dearborn. Zaria was with him (they had been shopping for a dress for the Father/Daughter Dance.) Just the thought of them possibly taking my husband away to jail sent her into hysterics. The police felt so bad that they apologized, profusely, to Zaria.

There are others but finally the reason for the post:
Last night Zaria went skating almost straight from school. Before leaving for the rink, she left her bookbag at my in-laws house. Suffice to say, from all the excitement she forgot it. Well, after she gets home and realizes what she had done it was as if the world was coming to an end.
Mama: " Did you fall and hurt yourself, Zaria?"
Zaria:"Yeah, sniff sniff but that's not it."
Mama: "Did anyone hurt you or was anyone mean?"
Zaria: While bauling, "No."
Mama: Did they not want to play with you because you're just learning?
Zaria: "NO. THAT'S NOT IT?
Mama: Well, Zaria what's wrong why are you crying? I can't understand between your screams. Calm down and tell me what happened?"

Now this is the kicker....

Zaria: "I left my bookbag over Nana and Papa's house. My homework was in it. Now I'm gonna fail 4th grade! Waaaaaaaaa!!!!!
Can you believe it? Share your kid's sensitive moment if any.

A Very Proud Day

"I am very pleased to announce....." were the words that accompanied the letter that said Zaria was selected for her school's choir. Last year, Zaria was not selected. I think she purposely tried to fail the audition. See, Zaria is very shy but I'm trying to break her of that. Her dad told her that she should give it her best shot, so she did. I mean, she's always singing and dancing around the house. She sings all kinds of songs, even Rock n Roll!

Zaria's favorite(adult video) is Dreamgirls. She knows all of the parts and even tries to sing in two and 3 part harmony( that's very difficult for one person. Almost impossible!) I am so proud of Princess Zaria. So proud that tomorrow we will celebrate with cake and icecream. Zaria's favorite is chocolate icecream with chocolate cake and chocolate frosting, Did I say she likes chocolate:) ?

The first performance is the holiday program. I can't wait. What was one of your proudest moments as a parent?

I wish I had a laptop

I wish I had a laptop because I have to share our one computer. That's why I need a laptop. I'm going to play games and do serious stuff to. I want a pink laptop. The games I like to play are Sonic,Mario, girlsgogames, girlgames1 and girlgames.com That's why I want a laptop.

What are we having for dinner?

OK. I'm not cooking tonight. I'm so tired of hearing "What's for dinner?" After working all week, I want a no-dinner break. I do feel bad because as a parent I have to feed my daughter but who says I have to cook it. October is National Pizza Month so I think I'll order a pizza to celebrate. Anyway, I get tired of cooking the same ole thing. How many times can you cook chicken and not start looking like one? It's not that I don't like chicken but I've fried it, broiled it, boiled it, baked it and it's still chicken!

I gave up red meat years ago but there are so just many things you can make with ground turkey or fish. You know , I don't think it's the food at all. I just don't want to cook tonight. I was watching the Travel Channel the other day and it's a condo cruise ship that have chefs cook for the owners. That's what I want . I want a personal chef. And a personal housekeeper. And a personal assistant.

Wow, it's Friday and I don't want to do anything!

What are you cooking tonight?

Third Grade is Hard

I am in the 3rd grade now. It is hard. I'm doing good. I haven't gotten any bad grades yet but I have lots of homework. Yesterday, I had homework in Vocabulary, Science and Music. My mommy told me 3rd grade would get more challenging. Oh yeah, my mommy even told my teacher that she wanted her to give me more challenging spelling words. I think I hate that word----challenging. I'm a little nervous because I have 3 tests today. We're practicing for the MEAP test, too. I heard that this is a very important test.

My mommy told me that writing this blog would help me with my vocabulary. She said it would help me write paragraphs and learn about topics and stuff. I'm learning where to put commas, too. It helps that my mom is an author.

If any kids read this I wish they would tell me what they like or don't like about 3rd grade.

Unusual Celebrations

I love holidays and any reason to celebrate. I like SuperBowl parties (even though I hate football). I even have been to several Waiting To Exhale parties when it was popular. Recently, I have found several unusual holidays and celebrations. Did you know that National Cookie Day is in October? National Pizza Month is also in October. National Icecream Month was in July(that was the month of my book release party. I had an ice cream social booksigning to celebrate). There are other holidays that border on weird, even bizarre. Take a look:

Poultry Day is March 19-Give a chicken a hug
April 4th is Tell a Lie Day
Take Your Pants For a Walk Day is July 27th

This crazy one is on the top of the 'Wow' list---Virus Appreciation Day is October 3rd. I guess I should give my cold a party the next time I get the sniffles:)

What are your favorite and/or weirdest celebrations?

When I get a cellphone

When I get a cellphone, I will get a Blackberry. It's going to be pink. I'm going to have it when I get 10 years old. I want to get it because I can talk/text with my friend(s). I hope it has games in it that are easy. I'm going to take real good care of it. The ring tone is going to be Hannah Montana. I'm going to take pictures of me and my friend(s). I won't waste minutes. The End
Love,
Zaria

Addicted to Mommy Blogs

Within the past few days I have been reading a lot of Mommy Blogs. There is also Daddy Blogs but since I'm a mom I am a little bias. These Mommy Blogs are all the rage. One mom has agreed to be my mentor in this blogosphere(If that's a word:) Check out the Mommy and Daddy Blog. There are so many others-just google mommy blogs to find a list.

My new blog is a little different because it's a mommy/daughter blog. Zaria will be sharing posts as well. Her first post is set for tonight after homework, of course. She is excited to write to everyone. I'm not sure if she will post about Hannah Montana or ICarly(Her 2 favorite shows) or maybe she'll talk about pizza which is her favorite food . Chinese food is next on the list and she has taken a liking to Sushi. Yuck! I just can't get with the taste or lack thereof.

I'm so excited about this venture. I guess it's because we'll be doing it together. We will review movies, products, and services. We will talk about school, exercise, icecream and more.

This is how it will go:
I will post one day
Zaria will post one day
We'll post together once a month.

If you have a product or service that you'd like us to review, let us know and we'll send you details on how to submit and our review guidelines. This is going to be fun. I'm as excited as The Real Princess Zaria.

In the meantime , check out my new book The Adventures of Princess Zaria and while you're at it join The Princess Zaria Fan Club.

Adult Cartoons

What do you think of adult cartoons like Family Guy and The Cleveland Show? Children seem to like it because it is animated but parents know that these shows are not for a child's eyes. Tonight, I sat and watched a clip of one of the shows. I witnessed cursing, lesbian content, nudity and more. We have to protect our children from these type of shows. When my son was younger(now 19), he used to sneak and watch a similar cartoon on MTV. I want to protect Princess Zaria from the negative images on many of these shows. Is this censorship or good parenting? Leave your comments

Princess Zaria---an astronaut?

This Saturday Princess Zaria will be attending a seven-week aeronautics program. SEMAA teaches kids about science, engineering and space. This course is free to children in grades kindergarten through 12. It is held at Wayne State University.The last time Zaria attended she made a teddy bear astronaut. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Magic Ball

Remember the childhood toy, The Magic Ball. It resembles the black ball of pool. You ask it a question and shake it. It then gives you the 'magical ' answer. Well, Princess Zaria received one yesterday. She's been shaking and asking questions for two days. Imagine this, " Will I be a ninja?" answer: Without a doubt. "Will I get an increase in allowance?" Answer: With great certainty. "Will I get a cold like my daddy?" Answer: Cannot answer at this time.

The result: Princess Zaria is a wealthy ninja who may catch a cold soon.

If you had a magic ball, what would you ask?

Princess Zaria Invents a Simple Machine

Just in time for Black History Month, Princess Zaria becomes an inventor. Well, sort of. As homework for her DAPCEP class, Zaria improved upon the lever. She wrapped a ruler(the simple machine) in High School Musical wrapping paper and she used a thick children's dictionary as the object. She lifted the book by using the lever to demonstrate how her simple machine worked. Ordinarily, Princess Zaria uses the help of the villagers around the castle to help her but this time she wanted to do things for herself. Share your inventions with Princess Zaria and The Royal Family.

Tooth Fairy Lost in Transit

Princess Zaria lost a 'canine' tooth yesterday.(I think that's what it's called.) I think she wiggled it until it came out. This is her fourth 'baby' tooth. First, the two middle ones at the bottom, then the two front teeth. When her first tooth fell out she was over her grandparent's house. Somehow, the tooth fairy magically knew she would be there and left her a dollar. Then the other came out and she got another dollar(from her grandparents). When she got home, the tooth fairy's assistant left Princess Zaria four dollars. When the third tooth came out, she was given one dollar from the tooth fairy's other assistant and then the tooth fairy came back and left Zaria 7 more dollars. The rationale was a dollar for each year. Last night, the tooth fairy got lost in transit. Somehow, she 'forgot' where we lived because she had so many teeth to pick up last night. While in tears, Zaria knew that the tooth fairy wouldn't forget her tonight so she left her tooth in a red velvet box. How do you deal with the tooth fairy? Share your experiences.

Princess Zaria and the college tears

Princess Zaria has an older brother who left for college last week. It should be a happy occassion as this is a major milestone but not in Princess Zaria's eyes. She cried for an hour after his departure. Let me give some background info: Zaria and her brother are 11 years apart. I didn't think they would have anything in common but seven years later, they are as thick as thieves. They watch cartoons together, they have the same favorite food--pizza, they play board games together ; they have been virtually unseparable until now. Please leave your comments as to how Princess Zaria should deal with this transition.