My baby shower issues

So I’ve never been the absolute girly girl. Now I can talk, shoes, clothes, makeup all day long but I don’t do the overly emotional drama queen role. I’m kind of a slightly sweeter Kelly Cutrone lmao. So when I was asked if I was having a baby shower or wanted one, I wasn’t and still am not completely into it.

Somehow as a woman there are certain things that people deem as a rite of passage, i.e. the bachelorette party and now the damn baby shower. Well I opted out of the bachelorette party because the idea of some greasy man that was not my man rubbing on me I viewed as gross, and I’m not intrigued by eating penis candy or cake. 

However, my family thinks that I only get one ‘get of jail free card’ and having used it (the card) on the bachelorette party; I should have a baby shower. Le sigh.

If I knew that having a baby was going to come with all these bogus requirements, I might have put a little more thought into having one. These are my personal issues with a baby shower:

1. I have to sit there for long hours; as a pregnant woman, sitting in one place for too long can be torture

2. I am going to be subjected to lame, mushy, girly games. Rolling my eyes and feeling the vomit coming up my throat just at the thought.

3. Exactly how many people do you invite? And who’s going be offended if they don’t get invited? And who’s going to piss me off if they don’t show up? lol. Like the wedding, all over again!!!!!!!!!!!

4. Please don’t make me open the gifts in front of the guests. I’m absolutely terrible at hiding my feelings/facial expressions. I don’t want to offend or hurt anyone. Really! It’s not done intentionally. I just like what I like and like any parent, they believe their kid deserves only the best. Besides there is always that one family member that comes with a crazy gift that has everyone wondering wtf. Lol

5. Now I have to spend money of catering etc. Hello! the baby is coming; I want to invest most of my energy, time and money into the preparation of that, not catering. My name ain’t Kim Kardashian or Tamar Braxton. Reality check, I’m not a baller YET!

Am I wrong to feel this way? Maybe I’ll do something nice when the baby is safely here and baptized. :-)  As for right now I just need a spa day.

What are your views on a baby shower. Are they necessary?

Add a spark to your world,

CT

What's really been going on

Be careful what you ask for! In preparation for maternity leave I’ve been putting all of my business in order at the office. I currently work in the sports industry and I didn’t want to give the men any reason to say that I couldn’t do my job because I was pregnant aka a woman.

Running one’s blood to water while being 8 ½ months pregnant is no fun, but somehow I managed to get the job done. One day in all of my frustration (in private) I lifted my head and hands to the ceiling and yelled “I need a f%*king rest!” Well apparently, the Lord heard me and agreed. So the day after releasing my frustrations, my laptop crashed and my fingers began to swell, making it difficult to type, hold anything or even pick my nose (yes I know it sounds gross, but that’s just how little function I had). 

I didn’t abandon y’all. God just tried to grant me my wish in his own weird way. Sigh.

Add a spark to your world!

CT

Stepping up to Success

                                       Jihan Roberts in front of her retail shoe store, Fashion I.S

Whether you have spoken to her directly or follow her on twitter, you’ll notice very quickly that 31 year old Marie Jihan Roberts speaks her mind and goes after what she wants. It’s this attitude that has propelled this single mother into success and this week’s FireCracker spotlight.

Jihan, as she is known to many, wears many hats: she is the owner of a shoe and accessory store named Fashion I.S., a personal shopper and stylist inclusive of photo shoot production and styling, she runs a clothing line, 36EDR, with her cousin and she helps manage the family’s carnival band called Image Nation.

Constantly questioned about her personal style by friends and strangers Jihan decided to enter the retail business; but this journey wasn’t an easy one.  She began this business venture by pedaling a suitcase from office to office, building up her clientele. After several years of doing so, she was finally able to open a brick and mortar store (Fashion I.S) in 2010, where those clients and new customers could now peruse her wide selection of shoes and accessories.   

But Jihan isn’t all about business. Her family and personal downtime is important too. Most of her working hours take place while her teenage son is at school. She closes her store at 5pm, which allows her to make it home in time to do homework and have dinner with him. As for her personal time, dating or partying takes place outside of the hours she spends with her son, e.g. her son’s bedtime is 9pm, so dating or partying may take place after that time or on the weekends. She spends her downtime shopping, chilling with her son, at the beach or sleeping.

Her advice to pregnant working women is to pace yourself; go for your goals but know when to put your feet up and have someone rub them for you. Additionally, she doesn’t believe in using pregnancy as a time to overindulge. She states that you should eat until you’re satisfied keeping in mind that the more you overindulge, the longer it will take to shed the pounds post-pregnancy. Her fashion tip for pregnant moms is to invest in flats and great accessories.

To women starting or currently running their own businesses, she advises the following:

a)      Don’t quit your permanent job until you have sufficiently built up your clientele

b)      Customer service is paramount

c)      Most importantly – YOU ARE YOUR BRAND! You’re a walking advertisement for your business. Always represent what you do e.g. she sells shoes, so she believes her shoe game needs to be on point.

In ten years time, Jihan hopes to open another retail shoe store at a lower price point, a plus sized clothing store, and a ‘working man’s’ eating place. She would also like to become a merchandiser for an internationally recognized brand while her son pursues his Masters degree.

If you would like to visit or purchase shoes and accessories from Fashion I.S. you can go to #3 Mathura Street St. James, Port of Spain. They’re open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 11am to 5pm. To contact Jihan for any other services you can call 1-868-797-4141, follow her on Twitter @shoesbyfis or on Instagram at shoesbyfis.

                                                Get familiar with the logo for Fashion I.S.

                           
                                                              36EDR's first collection

 

Be a  FireCracker. Add a spark to your world!

Love CT.

The New Make-up 'It' Girl!

There’s nothing sexier than a beautiful woman with brains. That’s why I love Leslie Liseli Rollock. This 30 year old has decided to dedicate her life to making other women feel beautiful. The once Credit Officer of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is now a make-up artist and designer of promotional wear for various brands. She also juggles motherhood. Yes! She is the mother of three children under the age of 12; one boy and 2 girls. WOW!

So how did this Credit Officer end up in the fashion industry? She states that she always had a love for make-up and fashion. After years of experimenting on herself, she decided to take the plunge and become formally trained. She took professional courses from Sacha Cosmetics, The University of the West Indies’ School of Continuing Studies, and Ephraim Hunte’s Make-Up Academy. 

She credits her success in the industry to her family. Her fiancé and parents help with the children when she has a job to do and she says even her children are supportive of their mom’s work. She admits that it does get hectic sometimes so, her down-time consists of sleeping, going to the beach, swimming or doing something outdoors.

As a mother and business woman she advises other moms or moms-to-be to continue to work as they usually would, once they have no health complications. She believes that the more you tell yourself that everything is okay, the more it works out that way. For those interested in her specific field she believes that they should become professionally trained and then just get out there and start working.

Of course as a make-up artist she has beauty advice for pregnant women.  She advises women to pamper themselves: get your hair, nails or eyebrows done. Get tons of massages. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing and you should try to enjoy it as much as possible.

As for her future, she is looking forward to getting married and continuing to raise her children. Professionally, she plans to keep up with all the fashion and make-up trends. She hopes to produce her own line of clothing and open a retail store. 

If you need make-up services or promotional wear for an event, feel free to contact Liseli through her contact details listed below.

Address: 11 Tiara Blvd, Diamond Vale, Diego Martin

Telephone: 1-868-486-8845

Email: lrccreations1@gmail.com

Facebook: LRC Creations or www.facebook.com/lrccreations

                     

Turning Passion into Career

                                                                  Fiona Branker

After the birth of her son, Fiona Branker knew that it would be time to switch careers. Branker worked on a shift system for an airline and needed to find a way to balance work and family life. This led her into the fitness arena. The change paid off, as her son is now a healthy 11 year old and she has been happily married for the past 12 years.

Branker was always a fitness enthusiast; she came from a family that played sports so it was very natural for her to be involved as well. She actually became certified as an aerobics instructor at the age of 17. She is now 36 years old and holds many titles. She is a Sport Development Officer for the Ministry of Sport of Trinidad and Tobago, a personal trainer, a spin instructor, as well as a group instructor that specializes in women’s health and fitness. She is also one of Trinidad and Tobago’s top female body fitness competitors, having recently represented the country at the Caribbean and Central American Games in Santo Domingo.

However, the best title to describe Fiona is busy bee. Every morning, she prepares breakfast and lunch for her family, and then she’s off to the gym to train for one hour. Following her workout, she trains her first personal client at 5am, group workouts start at 6am for an hour; then it’s off to the Ministry from 8am. She arrives home in the afternoon before her son heads to lessons to prep for his homework. While he’s at lessons she heads back to the gym for clients and her spin class. When she’s finished at the gym she heads home to finish homework with her son and prepare dinner for the family. She credits advance planning and the support of her husband for being able to function on such a hectic schedule. She and her husband enjoy dinner together every night; this is considered ‘their’ time.

Fiona states that not only is her day demanding, but her field of work in general. She advises anyone wishing to enter the fitness field to get certified and continue to read and learn; it’s important to keep up with the changes in the industry. Her future goals are to earn a full degree in Exercise science (as she currently has an Associate degree) and to earn a PhD in Nutrition Science, keep her family happy and travel throughout the Caribbean, educating people about living a healthy lifestyle.

As a fitness guru, woman and mother, she has the following advice for pregnant women

1.      Exercise, especially if you have no complications. Her top five exercises for pregnant women are: Kegels, Stretching, Deep Breathing, Squats and Push ups.

2.      Don’t eat for 2, eat TWICE as healthy, you really only need 300 extra calories per day to support healthy fetal growth

3.      Plan ahead, everything from free time to your finances – getting a routine will allows for flexibility later on

4.      Carve out 1 hour for yourself - either to exercise or pamper yourself. Fiona’s idea of relaxing is to put on her headphones and go for a run or lift weights.

To contact Fiona, you can check out her Facebook page Designer Bodies International, where she gives awesome nutritional and fitness advice for fitness enthusiasts. If you want to try her spin class, just head over to the Long Circular Health and Wellness Club in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

                     Indoor Group training at Long Circular Health & Wellness Club

 

 Outdoor group training

Members of Fiona's female group before the start of the UWI SPEC Half Marathon

Add a spark to your life!!!!!! Be a FireCracker!

Love, CT

Photos courtesy Designer Bodies International