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  • BlogTalkRadio: Kimberla L Roby

    Join us as we interview
    Kimberla Lawson Roby, author of LOVE, HONOR, AND BETRAY

    Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2 PM ET
    Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

    BlogTalkRadio/HBG Program:

    Join us as we interview Kimberla Lawson Roby. We’ll talk about the Curtis Black series, characters coming to life, and how she writes all those fabulous books.

    Kimberla Lawson Roby is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Be Careful What You Pray For, A Deep Dark Secret, The Best of Everything, One in a Million, Sin No More, Love & Lies, Changing Faces, The Best-Kept Secret, Too Much of a Good Thing, A Taste of Reality, It’s a Thin Line, Casting the First Stone, Here and Now, and her self-published debut title, Behind Closed Doors. Her novels have also frequented many other bestseller lists, including those in The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Essence Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Emerge Magazine, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, The Dallas Morning News, and The Austin Chronicle to name a few. In addition, Ms. Roby received the Blackboard Fiction Book of the Year Award in 2001 for CASTING THE FIRST STONE. She is also the 2006, 2007 and 2009 recipient of the Author of the Year—Female award presented by the African-American Literary Award Show in New York, the recipient of the 1998 First-Time Author Award from Chicago’s Black History Month Book Fair and Conference, her fifth novel, A TASTE OF REALITY, was a 2004 finalist for the Atlanta Choice Awards sponsored by the Atlanta Daily World, and TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING received a 2004 Patron Choice Award from the Central Mississippi Regional Library System. She lives in Illinois with her husband, Will.

    Call-in with your questions during show time to participate in the live interview @ (646) 378-0039

    Listen-in or chat on the Grand Central Publishing channel on BlogTalkRadio.

    If you would like your questions to be read on air by the host or if you would like to give advanced notice of your participation during the live call, email anna.balasi@hbgusa.com.

    Other links:

    About LOVE, HONOR, AND BETRAY

    Check out KimRoby.com

    “Like” Kimberla Lawson Roby on Facebook

    Follow @KimberlaLRoby on Twitter

    “Like” the Reverend Curtis Black on Facebook

    Grab the Family Tree Widget

    Download the Reading Group Guide

  • I Made It!!

    Yay, YUMMommy is officially one year old!!!  This week went by so fast that I forgot my Blog Anniversary.  Well, January 15th was the Big Day and I am so proud of myself.  Looking back on older posts I can see that I’ve really come a long way.

    There were times when I felt like no one was actually reading what I had to say.  But thank you Single Mama for being the first person to comment on my blog!  I will never forget how excited I felt when I saw that I had a comment.  It was like a high minus the drug usage. LOL

    I’m thankful for everyone who has taken this journey with me. This blog is just as much as for you as it is for me.  Thank you for your advice, tips and support! I am looking forward to another and even more successful year of blogging.  So please stay tune and feel free to invite others to join.

    PS-Don’t forget to visit our Facebook page.  Events and discussions coming soon.  And check YUMMommy out on Twitter too!

  • Thankful Thursday

    Good morning lovelies!!  This Thursday I’m thankful for a wonderful mother who went out and purchased JJ his first pieces of clothing and diaper bag and he’s not even close to being out the womb yet.  Yes, my mom is awesome!!  She loaded me down with tons of bibs, cute hats, burp clothes, blankets and onesies while me and Moo visited this past weekend.

    While I’m on the subject of visiting with my family, I am thankful that I was able to get my baby shower registry finished too this past weekend.  With the help of my baby sister, I now have almost 13 pages of baby stuff for my family to choose from.  I know that 13 pages seems a bit over the top but I’m having a boy and it’s like starting over from scratch since all of Moo’s stuff is girly.  I have to get a new crib, new bedding, new clothes, socks, bottles, a breast pump, etc.  I have to admit that about 80% of the items are clothes.

    The one thing I learned with Moo is that breastfed babies grow faster than bottle fed babies.  So, put 0-3 month and 3-6 month sized clothing on the registry.  Plus, lots more bibs because it doesn’t take long for bibs to get soaked with spit up and drowl.  Also, I have a huge family and need to make sure that everybody has something to pick from.  This way I don’t end up with double of things that I only need one of.

    As I’ve mentioned before my husband is the sole provider for our household and am just thankful that he has a job.  Law enforcement is not the safest field to be in because when you’re dealing with theives, killers and crazies on the regular it can get pretty dangerous.  However, God has been gracious and not let any harm come to him since he’s started his career two years ago. 

    And while money is tight, I’m thankful that God is still making it possible for us to make ends meet.  Yesterday, I found myself getting very overwhelmed and stressed about our financial situation.  We have baby number two on the way, need to find a bigger place, need to get a second car, etc and all with just one income.  It’s a lot to think about.  But I’m glad that God reminded me that He’s always made a way for me and my family.

    My mom did a hell of a job making sure that we had everything we needed and she was a single parent with five kids!!  So, I know that we can do it with two.  Plus, I stumbled across an amazing post last night talking about how to make your hobbies a career.  I have all these talents and for the most part I’m pretty much just using them free of charge.  With a little research and knocking on doors, I could turn these talents into a business or at least paying gigs.  Every little bit counts right?

    So, even though at this point my ideas are just that-ideas- I’m thankful for what they will become in the future.  I’ve already starting researching and planning how to set the wheels in motion. 

    What is it that you are thankful for in your life?
    

    PS-If you’re looking to become your own boss or make some extra money, Stella & Dot are looking for new Stylist to join their team.  And when you sign up before January 31st you’ll receive $450 in jewelry as  a start up.  Just click on the banner below and get started with new career today!

    Stella & Dot

  • 100 and Counting!!

    Yay!! YUMMommy has finally reached 100 followers!!  112 to be exact at the time of this post.  This is a huge achievement for me.  As many of you know, I’m really working hard to take YUMMommy to the next level.  This is more than a blog for me.  It’s a baby that I’ve nurtured since I found out I was preggers with Moo over two years ago.

    So, I hope that you all will continue to stick around because I’m enjoying to getting to know each and everyone of you!!  You can look forward to our first newsletter coming out this February.  So if you have any giveaways or blog hops that you would like featured in the newsletter please send me a message with all the details.  Also, I’m working on putting together a wonderful giveaway event for the month of March.  I already have my first sponsor.  Please visit her etsy shop: Passions by Ashley

    And I’m going to be trying to get some YUMMommy t-shirts made!!  I’m super stoked about this one.  I’m hoping to be able to offer them for $10-15.  50% of the profits will go to my GiveBack charity and to the Wallace Family Life Center.  It’s very important for me to support charities from my hometown and organizations that I was involved in as a child.  While we’re on the subject of charities and donations, please take the time check out the ChipIn widget in my left sidebar.

    Again thank you for making YUMMommy the huge success that it already is.  Don’t forget you can find us on Twitter and Facebook too!

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  • Love, Honor & Betray-Review and Giveaway

    The infamous Reverend Curtis Black and his wife, Charlotte Black are back in Kimberla Roby’s latest novel Love, Honor, and Betray.  This is the eighth installment of Roby’s series of the Reverend Black of his family.  And this time around Charlotte is finished accepting the consequences of her husband’s all too savory past.

    Set in the small town of Mitchell, Illinois, the Black’s marriage is put to the ultimate test when Curtis has to take in Curtina, his two year old illegitimate love child, when his former mistress Tabitha losses her battle to AIDS.  Now Charlotte has stuck by Curtis’s side in past despite his adulterous nature.  However, when it comes to playing mommy to Curtina, she just can’t bring herself to get over the consuming rage and hurt she feels from seeing the constant reminder of Curtis’s extramarital affair.

    Now, Curtis, born again and walking the straight and narrow, tries to console his scorned wife, but is taken aback when she suggests he sends his daughter to live with her deceased mother’s sisters.  He puts his foot down and makes it clear to Charlotte that Curtina will stay. So, with Curtis having laid down law about Curtina, what is Charlotte to do?  Why turn into the arms of another man of course!  Yes, Charlotte, the preacher’s wife, is no stranger to a speckled past herself.

    Feeling neglected by his wife and tired of their constant marital problems, Curtis tries to busy himself with the business of preparing his church to move into a builder sanctuary.  However, when three of his female members try to seduce and entice him into cheating on Charlotte again, his will, faith and love for his wife are put to the test yet again.  The couple soon find themselves in hot water and this time it’s Charlotte who’s in too deep.

    Roby does a great job at keeping readers entertained.  Love, Honor, and Betray is Christian fiction with a subtle message and urban twist.  You will not want to put this book down.  A must read and great addition to any library or book collection!

    Love, Honor, and Betray (Hardcover)
    Author: Kimberla Lawson Roby
    Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
    Release Date: January 11, 2011
    Pages: 324
    Genre: Urban Christian Fiction

    Want to receive a copy of this book?  Comment letting me know that you are a follower of YUMMommy with your email address. Giveaway ends January 25th!!

    *All views and opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.  I did not receive compensation for this review. *

  • I Have a Dream Too

    In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Day, I wrote this poem.  Hope that it touches, inspires and motivates!

    I Have a Dream Too
    Not to long ago
    There was a man
    And his name was
    Dr. Martin Luther King
    Born in the mist
    Of poverty and injustice
    He became
    Someone great
    He showed us
    How to
    Love
    Forgive
    Pray
    Move Forward
    Have Faith
    His most important
    Lesson to me
    Is that
    I Too Have A Dream!
     

  • More Than a Competition

    I have been blogging for almost a year now.  And along this blogging journey I have come in contact with some pretty amazing people.  A few of those people I have even bonded with and established friendships with.  So, today I would like to highlight one of those persons.

    Mommy Glow aka Young Fab Mama
    
    I can’t be completely sure of the exact date that I stumbled across her blog, but it was sometime Spring 2010.  I was a single mom with a lot on my plate and nobody to whom it seemed could relate to me.  Of course, just about all my other girlfriends had kids, but at the time none of them were single moms at the time.  I hated feeling like I was alone in what I was going through.
    Then out of the blue, I saw a comment from Mommy Glow on one of the other blogs that I read regularly.  I can’t remember what the comment was but I do remember feeling like ‘Hey, she kinda reminds me of me.’  So, I stalked her blog for a week.  And what do you know, she was a young single mom of one too!!  I decided to make contact.  I followed her blog and commented on one of her posts
    And guess what?  She commented on one of my posts.  Thus, a blogger friendship began.  Now days, you can catch us tweeting it up on Twitter and posting on each other’s walls on Facebook.  At first glance, you might think that we’ve known each other for years.  However, that is not the case.
    The truth is I needed a support team and she didn’t hesitate to join.  Well, now it is time for me to return the favor. 
    Ladies and gentlemen, my dear friend Mommy Glow aka Young Fab Mama is in the running to become the next Mamavation Mom.  Now many of you maybe asking what exactly is a Mamavation Mom?  Well, as Mommy Glow describes it:
    “In a nutshell Mamavation is an online sistahood empowering and supporting moms to live a healthy lifestyle.  The 2 chosen Mamavation moms undergo a 7 week boot camp…”  Each mom will have to share their struggles of learning how to live healthier via the Internet for millions of viewers to see.  The ultimate goal is for each mom to motivate other moms into living healthier as well, show them how to overcome obstacles and how to pass on that healthier living lifestyle to their families.
    So why does she want to become a Mamavation Mom?  She “juggles being a full time student, employee, community volunteer and single mom.”  And if you’ve read her blog then you would know she’s struggled with weight issues, bad eating habits and lack of exercise motivation for some time.  Now she’s finally ready to transform her life and give healthy living a try permanently!!  With her beautiful daughter looking up to her as a role model, she is ready to make the change and show her how to live healthy and eat better.  She also wants to undergo the 7 week boot camp to help relieve her sleep apnea.
    I for one am very proud of her for just being selected as a finalist.  I mean with all that she already has on her plate, I was and still am impressed at all the hard work she put in to get here.  This is one dedicated mama y’all!!  Being the youngest and only single mom in the final twelve, she is kind of the underdog here.
    So, I am asking that you please join me in supporting her and spreading the word about her campaign.  How can you help?  Gee, I’m glad you asked.
    1-Watch her video application below to get to know her & why she’s running
     2-Cast your vote for @YoungFabMama here

    3-Tweet the following:
    Vote @YoungFabMama for #Mamavation Mom http://bit.ly/f3vM23 #TeamYoungFabMama

    4-Leave a comment on Mommy Glow letting her know you voted for her and that YUMMommy sent you

    Need more motivation or incentive to vote for her?  Check out this post here.  I sincerely hope that you all will join me and help to make her dream come true!!

  • Things That Make Me Say Hmmm…

    I’m telling you the Internet is a funny place.  Seriously, you’d be amazed at all the nonsense and foolishness you’ll find on here.  I stumbled across a few things that I just had to share in this week’s Things That Make Me Say Hmmm…post.

    1-Darkie Shaving Soap: Hmmm…so it appears some ignorant shop owner in Hamilton County, Indiana has been selling a shaving soap called Darkie, which features racially inappropriate images and names on the wrapper.  Although, this soap came out during slavery time when things like this were acceptable, we are in the year 2011.  And this kind of foolishness will not fly.  Does this man not know his president is black?

    And to make matters worth, the shop owner (Gary Dewester) had the nerve to make the comment that “Our country’s built on racism.”  Are freaking serious dude?  I would like to think that America is built on a little bit more than that.  Yes, racism is part of our history and still part of some of our everyday lives, but let’s get real that’s not what our country is built on.

    2-Hood Celebrities:  Well, I love Twitter.  In fact, you can find me on there tweeting and retweeting all day long. But yesterday, while I was tweeting I came across a tweet (a couple of tweets actually) from R& B singer Keyshia Cole’s sister Neffe (@IamNeffe) has been advertising her son’s upcoming bday party on Twitter and inviting strangers as well as her ‘fans’ to come out and party.  But get this if you don’t bring Jaylyn a gift (and he’s registered and Toys ‘R Us and Target she pointed out) you don’t get to enter.

    Hmmm…money must be a little tight since Keyshia came to her senses and cut them off.  I’m all for hood celebrities expanding their fan base and 15 minutes of fame, but not at the expense of your kids.  Like really you’re inviting all kinds or strangers to your 3 year old’s party and all they have to bring is a gift.  This is just straight craziness to me.  I’m not even a celebrity (yet) and I don’t allow strangers into my family events.

    Seriously, flip on the news and you’ll people getting killed and kidnapped and held hostage every day.  So, why would you endanger the life of your kids and the other invited guests by making a kids’ party open to the public?  You know half the people who show up aren’t even going to have kids.  And a few of her followers tried to call her out on this and point out that it was not good parental judgement to use her son’s bday party for publicity and she got all stank on them claiming she was doing it because she ‘loves the people.’

    Well, Neffe if you love the people so much why not just wait and invite them to your own birthday party?  You know a grownup party?
    3-Potty Dances: So, I’m getting serious about potty training Moo.  I’m getting tired of changing diapers and she’s getting to heavy for me to pick up.  Plus, she can talk in full sentences and do all kinds of things by herself.  These are sure signs that it’s time to take the next step in her toddler independence.  And I’ve been seeing a lot of these Luv commercials with potty dances.

    Hmm…I’m so not going to teach her any potty dances.  Let’s be real, if she has to go potty she needs to just tell me.  I don’t need her bursting out into spontaneous song and dance for the whole world to see when we’re in public singing about going to the bathroom.  Embarrassing!!! 

    So, what things have made you go hmmm…?

    PS-One of our fellow YUMMs and mom bloggers-Mommy Glow aka @YoungFabMama-is in the running to become the next Mamavation Mom.  She has worked hard to get selected as a finalist and I truly believe that she is the best candidate.  So please show her some support by voting for her here and spread the word on your blogs and twitter pages!!  Be sure to let her know that you voted for her and that YUMMommy sent you!! Gotta support our fellow bloggers more in 2011.

  • Things That Make Me Say Hmmm…

    I’m telling you the Internet is a funny place.  Seriously, you’d be amazed at all the nonsense and foolishness you’ll find on here.  I stumbled across a few things that I just had to share in this week’s Things That Make Me Say Hmmm…post.

    1-Darkie Shaving Soap: Hmmm…so it appears some ignorant shop owner in Hamilton County, Indiana has been selling a shaving soap called Darkie, which features racially inappropriate images and names on the wrapper.  Although, this soap came out during slavery time when things like this were acceptable, we are in the year 2011.  And this kind of foolishness will not fly.  Does this man not know his president is black?

    And to make matters worth, the shop owner (Gary Dewester) had the nerve to make the comment that “Our country’s built on racism.”  Are freaking serious dude?  I would like to think that America is built on a little bit more than that.  Yes, racism is part of our history and still part of some of our everyday lives, but let’s get real that’s not what our country is built on.

    2-Hood Celebrities:  Well, I love Twitter.  In fact, you can find me on there tweeting and retweeting all day long. But yesterday, while I was tweeting I came across a tweet (a couple of tweets actually) from R& B singer Keyshia Cole’s sister Neffe (@IamNeffe) has been advertising her son’s upcoming bday party on Twitter and inviting strangers as well as her ‘fans’ to come out and party.  But get this if you don’t bring Jaylyn a gift (and he’s registered and Toys ‘R Us and Target she pointed out) you don’t get to enter.

    Hmmm…money must be a little tight since Keyshia came to her senses and cut them off.  I’m all for hood celebrities expanding their fan base and 15 minutes of fame, but not at the expense of your kids.  Like really you’re inviting all kinds or strangers to your 3 year old’s party and all they have to bring is a gift.  This is just straight craziness to me.  I’m not even a celebrity (yet) and I don’t allow strangers into my family events.

    Seriously, flip on the news and you’ll people getting killed and kidnapped and held hostage every day.  So, why would you endanger the life of your kids and the other invited guests by making a kids’ party open to the public?  You know half the people who show up aren’t even going to have kids.  And a few of her followers tried to call her out on this and point out that it was not good parental judgement to use her son’s bday party for publicity and she got all stank on them claiming she was doing it because she ‘loves the people.’

    Well, Neffe if you love the people so much why not just wait and invite them to your own birthday party?  You know a grownup party?
    3-Potty Dances: So, I’m getting serious about potty training Moo.  I’m getting tired of changing diapers and she’s getting to heavy for me to pick up.  Plus, she can talk in full sentences and do all kinds of things by herself.  These are sure signs that it’s time to take the next step in her toddler independence.  And I’ve been seeing a lot of these Luv commercials with potty dances.

    Hmm…I’m so not going to teach her any potty dances.  Let’s be real, if she has to go potty she needs to just tell me.  I don’t need her bursting out into spontaneous song and dance for the whole world to see when we’re in public singing about going to the bathroom.  Embarrassing!!! 

    So, what things have made you go hmmm…?

    PS-One of our fellow YUMMs and mom bloggers-Mommy Glow aka @YoungFabMama-is in the running to become the next Mamavation Mom.  She has worked hard to get selected as a finalist and I truly believe that she is the best candidate.  So please show her some support by voting for her here and spread the word on your blogs and twitter pages!!  Be sure to let her know that you voted for her and that YUMMommy sent you!! Gotta support our fellow bloggers more in 2011.

  • Going Natural The Ancient Stone Way

    Anybody who knows me personally, knows that I’m not a make up wearer.  With my sensitive, dry skin it’s hard to find beauty products that won’t break me out or give me that caked on look.  So, rather than stress and give myself a headache I just go au natural with the exception of a little lip gloss or lipstick.  However, I’ve been hearing that all natural mineral make up is all the rave for people with sensitive skin as well as for women of color.

    That is my other pet peeve with make up.  Being in the middle of light skin and dark brown it’s hard finding regular make up shades to match my skin color.  Let’s face it, the face one color and the neck another color look is just hideous.  You will not catch me sporting that.  Anyways, when I heard about this relatively new company Ancient Stone that creates all natural makeup designed specifically with women of all colors in mind, I was down to try it.

    Developed by Gloria Webb-Williams and Cathlene Michaels-Brader, Ancient Stone is additive free, filler free, persative free and talc free.  Yay!!  I’m on a new found journey to become more Green and the less chemicals I have to bring into my home the better.  Not to mention, when it comes to skin we should all be very picky about what we just lather on it.  So, instead using chemical dyes, they actually use minerals straight from the ground to color their foundations, blushes, eyeshadows and lipsticks.  You can’t get more pure and natural that ladies.

    Oh, did I mention they also use Titanium Dioxide, a naturally occuring mineral, to block out UV rays.  I know that as much as I stay outside during the warmer months, I can just all the UV protection I can get.  Skin cancer is no joke.

    I received my free Ancient Stone make up kit during the Christmas holiday.  It was the perfect time to try it out and see if my family would notice that I was even wearing make up.  More importantly, I wanted to cover up my pregnancy acne that had already started to flare up.

    I have to admit, it worked!!  You can’t see my pregnancy acne and it doesn’t look like I have on make up either.  I just love the natural glow that my face has.  And I’ve been continuing to use my Ancient Stone make up kit too.  I’ve been getting tons of compliments about how I have a natural pregnancy glow about my face from passer-bys at the mall and from my family.  I have to tell them that I owe my natural glow to Ancient Stone.

    Ladies, I highly recommend this product line to anyone with sensitive skin or to anyone who has been hesitant about trying make up period.  It’s great for your skin, doesn’t feel or look heavy and works to bring out your natural beauty.  And with their Ancient Elixir Setting Spray you won’t have worry about your make up coming off.  It will last throughout day with no reapplications needed.

    While you’re checking out their make up be sure to pick up a brush set from them too!!   Hope that you will visit Ancient  Stone and join me in going all natural.  For more information on Ancient Stone please visit their website:  Click here

    *I did receive a free make up kit to try out and review.  However, that did not in any shape or form affect my opinion of this product.  The views and opinion written are soley my own.*