One of the things about my childhood that I remember most fondly is always having something to do. Some years, it was ballet, tap and jazz dance classes. Other years, it was gymnastics or drama. As I got older, I turned to playing steel pan, cheerleading and choir and continued those until I graduated from high school. Given the abundance of ways for me to get in trouble, I’m thankful that my mother saw the value in keeping me busy.

After I graduated from college, I lived with my oldest sister for a while, and I saw that she took the same approach with my nieces. They went to a local Boys & Girls Club after school and throughout the summer. I would drop them off and pick them up in complete awe of the myriad activities available to them. My oldest niece played basketball with the BGC team long before she was old enough to play in school, and now, she’s in college on a basketball scholarship.

Given this experience, when I found out Mom Central was offering Atlanta bloggers a chance to tour a local Club and learn more about the Boys & Girls Club mission and offerings, I jumped at the chance.

My daughter and I were able to take a tour of the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club and see firsthand just how they enrich the lives of kids in metro Atlanta. A child can be become a member of a local club for just $35/year, and for members, the club summer program costs just $150 for eight weeks of camp. In metro Atlanta, it’s not unusual for a SINGLE week of summer camp to cost that much, or more, so it honestly gave me an incentive to check out a club closer to home so that my kids will be able to attend this summer. Any child can join a club — not just kids from low-income families, though there are scholarships available for those in need, among which are scholarships in US.

The Brookhaven club has a variety of areas, including the games room, which is exactly what it sounds like, the homework room, the arts and crafts room, an indoor basketball court, a playground and even a garden that the kids tend. My daughter particularly enjoyed the games room, where she got to play a little foosball and pool, and got on the exercise bike, just because.

The kids who attend after school are required to complete their homework, with help, if needed, and then can participate in a bunch of other activities. There’s an art teacher who teaches them how to paint and create using other techniques, a dance teacher and tons of volunteers who keep an eye on the kids and just generally give of their time and attention.

A banner featuring a young Denzel Washington at the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club.

Stars like Denzel Washington, Kerry Washington and many more came up through Boys & Girls Clubs and now work to promote awareness for the organization. I am truly impressed by the BGC commitment to enriching the lives of kids all over the nation, and I’ve seen firsthand what it can do. The director of my niece’s BGC was at her high school graduation and still goes to her basketball games whenever she’s in town to play a local team. In my experience, it is an organization made up of people who care, and I don’t think it’s possible for too many people to truly care about any child.

Painted ceiling tiles in the art room at the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club.

Last week was National Boys & Girls Club Week, when anyone could “Open the Door and Take the Tour” at a local Club. While the time for the physical tours is over, you can still take a virtual tour and find a local Club so you can get more information and see if it is a good fit for your family. Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta also recently held a “75 Blue Doors” Project to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the organization and show how local Clubs are “opening doors” for youth in and around Atlanta. Check out the winning door!

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. I attended an information session and received a gift bag and promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

This week, I went to Los Angeles for the first time ever, and I have to say, it would be difficult to beat this first impression. Why? Because I went there to attend the premiere of the new Jackie Robinson movie, 42, as a red carpet correspondent for Walmart!

Walmart is a platinum sponsor of the movie, which means that their involvement went far beyond just the premiere. There’s also the Walmart “42” field refurbishment program, a partnership between Walmart, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, Scotts, the Ball Park brand and the Jerry Clark Foundation. Walmart selected ballparks in need of refurbishment in Orlando, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Bentonville, Ark., each designated to receive a long overdue makeover designed to encourage young players. At each event, kids from the respective communities had the opportunity to participate in a baseball clinic, interact with local MLB players, and community leaders. As a result of Walmart’s sponsorship, we were invited to the press line with all the major news organizations to interview the stars as they walked in. Quite literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.

To put this into perspective, a year ago, I never would’ve accepted the offer. I would’ve allowed my fear of being in front of the camera and messing everything up get the best of me, and I would’ve declined. But boy, am I glad I said yes!

Joining me on the red carpet was Erika Brown of Chic Shopper Chic, and I am so thankful to her for sharing her own red carpet experience and making me feel at ease.

We were tasked with interviewing the cast, including Chadwick Boseman (Jackie Robinson), Harrison Ford (Branch Rickey), Nicole Beharie (Rachel Robinson), and many others. We spent the days and hours before the event preparing questions for the cast and (gasp) actually trying to remember what to ask each person. And then there’s the little fact that you’re talking to celebrities right next to journalists who do it for a living. Talk about intimidating!

Erika studying her questions while waited to be let onto the press line.

The red carpet environment is a bit nuts, with press lined up alongside trying to get everyone’s attention. This means that we missed some of the stars we wanted to get, but Erika did manage to snag Harrison Ford:

And I got to speak to the movie’s producer, Thomas Tull.

Tull is most famous for his superhero movies and the Hangover franchise, so I was curious about what made him decide to make a period movie. When I asked why he thought it was important to tell Jackie Robinson’s story now, he said that he had spoken to a group of kids who played baseball, and very few of them had any idea who Robinson was. Let that sink in. The idea that children of any color — but particularly black children — could be playing baseball and have no knowledge of the man who made it possible for everyone to have major league dreams is insane! Tull wanted to tell Robinson’s story on the big screen so we never forget his legacy.

Oh. And did I mention I also spoke to Laila Ali? And she told me I was pretty? And when I tweeted about it with a photo, she responded? Yeah. That happened.

Check out this video of our red carpet experience, all of which was filmed:

I’m so proud of myself!

And as an inside bonus that probably only mattered to me, everything I wore to the premiere was thrifted — including my necklace and shoes (my trusty BCBG ankle-strap flats).

But that was just the beginning. Next, we got to actually watch the premiere. Honestly, the movie is a must-see. As a black woman who knew Jackie Robinson’s story, it was incredibly powerful to see it come to life on the screen.

Jackie is a hero by every stretch of the imagination, and the amount of resolve it took to break the color line in baseball without losing his temper is a strength that most of us likely do not possess. So it’s easy to understand why the number 42 is the ONLY number in all of baseball that has been universally retired. As in no one, on any team, can ever wear the number 42. Except for each April, when every player on every team wears 42 in homage to Jackie Robinson.

Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson. Photo from 42movie.warnerbros.com

I will be taking my family to see the film, which will be in theaters tomorrow, and recommending that my extended family and friends see it too. It is a slice of American history that all of us — especially kids who have less experience with blatant racism — can stand to remember.

At times, the movie made me cringe (Caution: The N word is used throughout, and though it makes complete sense in this context, it may require some explaining to children), it made me laugh, it made me cheer, it made me teary-eyed. But more than anything else, it made me thankful that change is possible, no matter how unlikely or difficult it may seem. No matter how many naysayers you have to ignore in the process and how many times you have to swallow your pride.

And after you see the film, if you’re as inspired as I am, you can celebrate by heading to Walmart for a t-shirt to commemorate the event in one of these great graphic prints.

This is the type of movie I’ll definitely buy on DVD so we can watch it as a family, talk about the issues it tackles, and use it as a teaching tool for my daughter. I am so thankful that I got to experience a real Hollywood premiere and find out from the producer and cast why this is an important story for everyone.

For more photos of the event, check out the Green & Gorgeous Facebook page.

DISCLOSURE: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received travel and accommodations, as well as compensation for my time and efforts for the trip and for in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

You may have noticed that it looks a little different around here. What can I say? It was about that time. As much as I loved the old design with its clouds and nature-inspired color scheme, I’d had it since 2009 when I started Green & Gorgeous, and it no longer fully fit my vision for this brand.

When I started the site, I was still in the beginning stages of my green living journey. I was still learning what to eat, what products to use to clean my home, how to make recycling and using reusable shopping bags a habit, etc. In the years since, I’ve conquered these challenges and more, and they’ve become ingrained in my family’s habits. Of course we’re not perfect, but what I’m saying is there’s no longer the great feeling of discovery that existed four years ago when I was learning what to do. As a result, it’s harder for me to focus exclusively on green living because that’s not the central focus of my life any more.

So this redesign is visual, yes, but it’s also part of my vision to focus less on the “green” part of the name and more on the “gorgeous.”

I’ve developed quite the love for fashion over the last year or so, and I love sharing outfit photos with all of you. Through them, I’ve been able to watch my own style evolve, and I’ve regained a lot of lost confidence. I want to continue to do that, prominently. I’ll also be sharing DIY and craft projects and ideas, thrifting hauls, social causes and commentary, and more.

In short, the site  will be a more accurate reflection of the diverse interests that make up my life, to include green living, but not focus exclusively on it as I have in years past. It will definitely be more of a lifestyle blog (heavy on the “style” part) and less of a green blog, though I will still write about sustainability sometimes.

If you’ve been reading for a while, I sincerely hope you’ll stick around and continue this adventure with me. If you’re new here, or if you’ve found me via one of my fashion and beauty posts, crafts or something else, I hope you’ll make it a habit.

The New Year is always an interesting time for me. I never really make conscious resolutions, though there are always some things I want to do. And while most people are making grandiose resolutions for the coming year, more often than not, I find myself lamenting all the things I hadn’t accomplished in the preceding year and letting my mind twist me into a funk that threatens to drown me. It happened this year too. I spent New Year’s Eve thinking about all the things I want to do this year, then let New Year’s Day suck the excitement out of me, to the point where I didn’t even want to get out of bed.

The crazy thing is that I DID accomplish some great things in 2012. Not EVERY thing, but enough to make it a pretty great year. And my family accomplished things that were downright amazing.

1. My daughter beat cancer. She freaking beat cancer! If I had nothing else to celebrate, that would be enough.
2. Did I mention my daughter beat cancer? She whooped its butt and sent it packing.
3. I lost 47 lbs. I’ve been wanting to lose weight for so long that I’d given up I’d ever be able to do it for real real. Well, I did it, and I’m STILL losing.
4. I regained my self-love and confidence. I could attribute these to the weight loss, and that certainly helped, but even before I started losing weight, I started surrounding myself with positive examples, largely via Instagram, and I started to really love myself again. As in every lump, bump and curve. My confidence still takes a hit every now and again, but for the most part, I feel happier with myself today than I have in my entire adult life. Really.

Plans for 2013

I think part of the reason I’ve never felt compelled to work toward my resolutions is that I never write them down. Here are the very specific things I want to accomplish this year:

1. I still have about 30 lbs. to lose. I will do it. Period. Actually, I’m already doing it.
2. As a family, we will work our butts off to get our finances in order and save toward finally buying our own home.
3. I’m ready to sell Green Your Decor. When I started blogging in 2008, GYD was my baby. I nurtured it and grew it to the best of my ability, but my heart’s just not in it any more. I still love writing about all things green, and I haven’t lost my passion for beautiful things. I just don’t have the drive to really write about eco-friendly decor any more. I have a very specific, huge buyer in mind, who I truly believe will be able to see the value in my site not just for its Adsense earnings, but for its true potential. I believe this buyer will be able to do what I could not: Make Green Your Decor a household name. So I’m doing what I can to make this happen. Universe, are you hearing me?
4. I need blogging to turn into something bigger. It’s been nearly 5 years since I started this journey, and I really need to think about where I want this to take me. I’m considering writing a book, though I’m not sure what about. I’m working to make Green & Gorgeous more successful than Green Your Decor, hopefully so I can parlay it into more ambassadorships, spokesperson gigs and perhaps even speaking engagements — assuming I can get over my crippling fear of public speaking. At the end of the day though, I don’t want to be just a blogger. I want to start thinking outside the confines of my little space on the web and figure out ways to take my messages of sustainable living, creativity and design, love for beautiful things and people, self love, confidence, and making the most of the life you’re blessed with to a wider audience.
5. I’m considering pursuing some modeling work. I can’t believe those words just came from me, but I’m really interested in this possibility. Since I started sharing my outfit of the day posts, I’ve had an incredible amount of positive feedback, and have had so many women tell me how I’ve inspired them and that I should model. I shrugged it off the first couple of times I heard it, but I really do enjoy dressing up and being in front of the camera. Maybe there’s really something there…
6. For my graphic design business, Hibiscus Creative, I need to sign some retainer clients to make my income more predictable. It will also help stabilize my business so I can eventually hire one or two other designers and/or developers. I never thought I’d want employees, but I really don’t want Hibiscus Creative to die when I do, so I need take steps toward making sure it will be around for the long haul.
7. My husband and I really pan to buckle down and grow Differently Clothing. It has so much potential to generate many, many more sales, but we need to work on a formal marketing plan and a schedule for when we’ll release new designs to keep things fresh.
8. With three distinct arms of business – graphic design, web publishing and t-shirt design & sales – we need to focus on how best to organize them so we can grow in a way that is sustainable and manageable — likely with some outside help.
9. I need to socialize. I’m ridiculously uncomfortable in a lot of social situations, unless I’ll be surrounded by people I know pretty well. I get anxious and talk myself out of doing, well…everything. Conferences, trips, networking events…all of it. I really need to work on this one.

Suffice it to say, I have every intention of making this an awesome, successful year. And now that I’ve said these out loud, they actually feel much more within reach.

Why the heck did I never do this before?

Being a Walmart Mom occasionally comes with perks, and one of those is our yearly opportunity to travel to Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, AR for the shareholders meeting. On its face, this might not sound like much of a perk. Traveling all that way just for a boring business meeting? Well, that’s because you’ve never seen a business meeting like this one.

Each year, the shareholders meeting famously features a bevy of celebrities, both acting as host and performing hit songs that get the entire crowd on their feet. Case in point: Will Smith hosted last year’s meeting, and I got to see Alicia Keys and The Black Eyed Peas perform live. This year’s lineup? Just take a look at the pics below:

Justin Timberlake as host (swoon...just a little bit 🙂

The Zac Brown Band

R&B aCapella group Take 6

Lionel Richie (yes!). The man has still got it!

Taylor Swift, literally 20 feet away from where we were sitting

Celine Dion!

Suffice it to say we thoroughly enjoyed the meeting, in spite of the fact that we were already in awake and in our seats by 6 a.m.

Of course, business was addressed as well. In addition to an account of the company’s profits, share price increases and the like, at each shareholders meeting, representatives from up to 3 shareholder groups are allowed to present proposals on issues that are important to them, including concerns like labor practices and executive oversight. It was awesome to hear firsthand the issues of importance to Walmart shareholders, because many of them are actually company associates, from the store level all the way up to the corporate level.

We also had an opportunity to attend the Walmart Saturday morning meeting (at 7 a.m., no less. Folks get to work early in Bentonville!) This was the company’s opportunity to talk about the activities of the week. While the trip lasted just a weekend for us Moms, there were activities for associates all week, and they came from all over the nation and the world. In fact, for many international associates, this was their first trip to the U.S., and for many, their first time ever on a plane. Their excitement was contagious!

And as a special treat (for me, anyway), we got to hear from Scott Waugh, director of Act of Valor, an action film that stars a real Navy Seal team — with live rounds, I might add — and captures the often unseen heroism of the families these men leave behind in order to fight for our freedom. More spectacular, though, was hearing directly from one of those Seals. He shall remain nameless, as it appears to be the filmmakers’ wishes that their names be protected (their names weren’t even shown in the film credits). But as you might expect from a Navy Seal, had a commanding presence. However, I was really touched by his humble words, thanking all of us for supporting the armed forces and for giving all the men an women in uniform something to fight for. While I had heard of the movie in passing, his words and the words from the director made me want to see it, so I’ll be grabbing the DVD soon.

After the meeting, we got yet another treat: A trip to the brand new Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. This museum features priceless pieces from a dizzying array of well-known artists, from Norman Rockwell to Romare Bearden and many, many others. It is an incredible collection that you’d never expect to find in a small, sleepy town like Bentonville. Truly a memorable experience.

I forgot to write down the names of the artists, but I loved the juxtaposition of these two pieces.

More than all of this though, my favorite part of the trip was easy: Being able to sit face to face with buyers, merchandisers and executives high up on the Walmart food chain to share our honest opinions and recommendations, both from personal experience and from what we’ve heard from our readers. This direct line to the decision makers is priceless. And if you know me at all, you know that I asked tough questions about more organic food and clothing, sustainability practices behind the scenes and anything else I could think of to encourage Walmart to consider the planet and their customers’ health first. And for the most part, the answers I got made sense and left me feeling like Walmart understands its responsibility as the largest retailer on the planet, and how their decisions have a trickle-down effect in the marketplace.

As long as I’m a Walmart Mom, I’ll keep pushing them to do better and BE better, because that’s my responsibility too.

If you want to see many more photos from the trip, including many of the other lovely ladies who are part of the Walmart Moms, head over to the Green & Gorgeous Facebook page and Like it. Then take a look at the Shareholders photo album!

NOTE: Walmart brought me and the other Walmart Moms to the Shareholders meeting and compensated for my time in sharing my experience with you. As usual, all opinions here are my own.

I know that I haven’t exactly been posting here regularly, but I did want to share something with you, since so many of you were supportive in the first place 🙂

Remember my last post for the “Shine” contest? Well, I actually won! I finally want to share the results of that. The photos were shot by the awesome Kahran and Reg from Creative Soul Photography. They made me feel much more at ease than I expected, and it was a great experience. So here goes nothing:

This photo above is one of my favorite from the bunch.

Yes, I did take my $7 yard sale chair to the park for the photo shoot 🙂

My husband actually picked this outfit. The shirt says “Creative Genius.” The man has great taste 🙂

I really did have a great time doing this, and my husband loves the photos. It was the first time in a long time I really got to do something just for me.

In addition to the photo shoot, I also won a makeup session from the amazing Ivy LaArtista. I was nervous about this, because I never wear makeup. Like ever. But I shouldn’t have been worried. Ivy was a true professional and made me feel at ease. She almost sold me on wearing makeup. Almost 🙂

Thank you so much to Akilah from Execumama, Creative Soul Photography and Ivy LaArtista for doing this. I can’t tell you how much I appreciated it!

Akilah from Execumama and Kahran from Creative Soul Photography have issued the “See Me Shine” Challenge, asking readers to look within and write five things that they love about themselves. I love the spirit of the challenge, but I admit this doesn’t come easy to me.

Self-love is one of the things I constantly struggle with, and I’ve learned that this struggle makes it hard for me to accept it from anyone else. My husband will tell you how hard it is for me to take a compliment, and self-deprecating humor is a tried-and-true part of my limited social repertoire. This is pretty much the way it’s always been, but not the way it always has to be. I’m working to change it, and this exercise feels like the perfect place to begin. So here goes nothing:

My natural hair.

It feels strange that one of my newest features would be the one I most easily look upon with love. I lived with relaxed hair for nearly 20 years, and have only been living with my natural curls and free of chemicals since October of last year. And yet, even on days when it is being unruly or feels a little more dry than I’d like, I love my hair. I love the freedom from relaxers and the constant struggle to keep my new growth in check. I love being able to wake up in the morning and walk out the door after only a fluff and a spritz of water. But most importantly, I love looking in the mirror and seeing my head the way God intended. So even though the journey was frustrating, going natural was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself.

My heritage.

I am from the Virgin Islands, and I will never forget it. I love my lilting accent, even if it only comes out when I’m talking to family or other Caribbean folks — or when I’m really pissed off. I love that I grew up swimming in the ocean, playing steel pan, listening to calypso and reggae and eating foods that many people consider to be “exotic.”

My creativity.

I have always been surrounded by creative pursuits. I fell in love with music and dance when I was little, and as I grew in age and sophistication, that love expanded to art, design and more. I went to college thinking I’d leave as a social worker. I wound up earning a degree in journalism and now make my living as a graphic designer, blogger and aspiring interior designer — and I married a musician. I love being able to express myself through my work, and knowing that there’s no such thing as a “wrong” answer.

My focus.

Once I make up in my mind that I’m going to do something, it gets done. Period. The only area of my life that this particular trait has skipped is my diet/health. But when it comes to work, parenting, and pretty much everything else, I have piercing focus. I’m not completely immune to distractions, but as a general rule, I won’t quit until I finish what I start.

My ability to see the bigger picture.

In most situations, I’m slow to react, preferring to take the time to ponder the possibilities. I consider the what ifs — and their consequences — before taking a step. And while that generally means I’ll take a little longer to make a lasting decision, it also generally means I’m more comfortable with that decision once it has been made.

It took me  three days to write this post, but I’ m glad I did it. A lot of the days, I spend so much time focusing on my family and the things that need to get done, that I forget to just love on me. That mental shift will take some getting used to, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be worth the effort.

So now it’s your turn. What do you do to show yourself love, and can you teach me how to do it? 🙂