The Month of April Review

This post was inspired by HappyBlackWoman.com and the monthly evaluation she conducts. I like this exercise because it has really forced me to drill down and think about the life that I want to have. What are my goals? What am I really doing in order to attain my desired lifestyle?

One word to describe the month of April: Hibernation

I’ve been dealing with a lot of stagnant energy in my life the past few months and it’s been beyond frustrating! I’ve also been dealing with a lot of stress as well. February and March were very stressful and unhappy months for me. I’ve been trying to make changes and do different things but I still feel stuck! So like a bear I’ve been hiding out for the winter.

For this exercise I decided to focus on the areas of: finance, health and wellness, social and leisure. In April I:

Financially:
I paid off a major bill and Inspired by Alphanista.com, made a list of all of my current and potential income streams

Health and Wellness
I made progress toward my get hot(er) before it gets hot goals. Bikini season is fast approaching! I have plenty of confidence but there are still things I am insecure about. I’m learning to not get so caught up on the numbers on the scale but to also take note of other indicators like body fat percentage, BMI, measurements, and how my clothes are fitting. I’m focused on building more muscle to lean up.

Inspired by this article I decided to start and keep a gratitude journal. At the end of each day I compile a list of at least 5 good things that happened that day and 5 things that I am grateful for in my life- you can list more of course. Doing this has definitely helped me to be more positive, grounded, and appreciative of all of the wonderful things I have in my life already.  

Social
I attended Easter service at my church and volunteered in the nursery with the babies. This challenged my comfort zone as I’m used to greeting- the adults- at church. I was disappointed that the other aids didn’t trust me at first with the babies. Granted it was my first time in the nursery and they didn’t know me but, my baby instincts proved to be good! 


I also joined two new Meet Up groups this month, on focusing on hiking and outdoor activities and the other focused on wine tasting. Both things I enjoy.

I’m an avid reader- and I had a lot of books to clear from my reading cue- so I was able to read:

1. The Art of Intuition
2. Life Is Not A Reality Show
3. I Thought It Would Never Come
4. How To Get Married in a Year or Less

I usually don’t take to Penelope Trunk’s writing, I find her a bit harsh for my tastes; but, this comment from this article really hit home:

"Getting a spouse is the first big test of your networking abilities. If you’re really well networked, like George Percy, then you can look around at who you know and who your friends know and pick someone."

Wow! You know the adage “you are who you hang with” and this article really made me think about and take a look at the people around me and what I was doing about it. I know what I want in a mate- we’ve got that down- it’s finding it that’s the hard part.  


Spring/Summer are MY seasons. I am happy that winter is finally over so that I can come out of hibernation. So for the month of May I expect to:

1. Moratorium on books for the month! I'm done with my reading cue.
2. Make a list of the neighborhoods I'd like to move to.
3. Develop a plan of attack for finding a new job and developing a side hustle.
4. Lose 5 lbs (that's 1 lb per week).
5. Maintain my gratitude journal until at least May 15th.
6. Devote 1 to 2 nights per week to going out and socializing more.
7. Go on at least 2 Meet Up outings, so far they've conflicted with my schedule.

I think these 7 things are doable. Wish me luck!

Is Halle Berry The Only Actress That Can Play You?

Pam Grier

Pam Grier Wants Halle Berry To Portray Her In Biopic 

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin wants Halle Berry to Portray Her in Film 

Halle Berry

Why does seemingly every black actress want Halle Berry to play them in a biopic?

Are Aretha Franklin and Pam Grier biracial? Really, aren’t there other actresses out there? Kerry Washington, Naturi Naughton, Jennifer Hudson, Taraji Henson. We’re a little too reliant on Ms. Berry.  

With the way people talk you’d think Halle Berry were the only black (biracial-black) actress in Hollywood. What will happen when Berry turns 50 and can’t pull off the same roles anymore?  I guess they’ll start asking for Paula Patton then.

We don't all look the same- and that's a good thing. 


If it were me, I’d want a complete unknown actress to play me; especially seeing as how I don’t look like anyone else in Hollywood- a fact that I absolutely love by the way. I love that I look different.

Kola Boof once said that there is tremendous value in looking different. I think more women should learn that lesson instead of trying to achieve the same look. When you're all the same, you're just interchangeable parts. 

Book Review: "Life Is Not A Reality Show"

If you follow my Twitter (@Zabeth8) then you know that I am a Real Housewives super fan! I watch all of the shows incarnations on Bravo. Yes, All.Of.Them. So, I decided to pick up Kyle Richards’ book from my library on a lark- not expecting much.

Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised! Life Is Not A Reality Show is not what I expected at all! Richards offers some very good advice about dating and marriage so that you too can find your very own Mauricio Umansky!

Richards’ advice is actually very Rules-y! Some gems include:

• Marry the right guy in the first place! In other words do your vetting due diligence. 
• DO play hard to get! While reading I learned that Kyle made some very calculated moves while dating Mauricio- some things that many women wouldn’t think to do anymore.
• WAIT for sex.
• Understand that men and women are different.
• There is nothing wrong with wanting a man who successful and brings something to the relationship table but don’t be completely dependent on him. 

She also poses some very good questions you should be keeping in the back of your mind while evaluating your guy. 

There’s also some really great motherly and sisterly advice as well as beauty and hair care tips (Kyle Richards is famous for her mane) and some entertaining and party planning tips. I loved seeing all of the family photos too.

It isn’t rocket science. The book is very easy to read and flows well. I felt like Richards was actually talking with me the whole time. However, all of the Ha! and Ha-Ha!’s sprinked throughout the text started to get annoying, they sounded like a cackle in my head after a while. HA!

Overall I enjoyed reading Life Is Not A Reality Show. It's a laid back but insightful read. 

For more information on the author you can find Kyle Richards on Twitter here and on Facebook here.