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NASCAR Friday

Let me just start off by saying that I am not a fan of NASCAR.  I’ve just never seen the interest in watching a bunch of cars do a million laps around a track at the speed of lighting.  Now the need for speed I do get because I have somewhat of a baby lead foot. LOL.  But still it alludes me why so millions of people invest so much money and time in NASCAR. To each his own, I guess.

But somehow, I got hustled into volunteering to be a chaperon for a field trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC.  Let me just say that I learned a lot and enjoyed the exhibits more than I thought I would.  The cars actually looked so much cooler up close and in person.  And the older cars from the very first races had all the scratches and even some of the dust still on the tires.  Although, I enjoyed looking at the cars and learning more about the sport, you won’t catch me watching a race any time soon.

What I didn’t enjoy was the fact that the group of kids we were with totally embarrassed the hell out me and the other 20 something odd chaperons that were with us.  Let’s start with the bus ride. Our site shared a bus with another neighboring site and we all knew the first rule of riding on a tour bus, train or plane is no number 2 in the bathroom. So, why did one of the teenage kids from the other site take a number 2 before we were even half way down the road? Can you say stank bus ride all the way to Charlotte!!!

We get there and they serve the kids lunch.  The table behind us was loud and rowdy the entire time.  The kids were picking fights, picking on each other, crawling on the floor like babies, etc.  We were in a room with the major of Charlotte (Anthony Foxx) and representatives from Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Duke Energy and other big name corporations with headquarters in Charlotte.  It was highly embarrassing to have kids behaving in such a manner.  Not to mention we had other schools and locations there as well and their kids were much more well behaved.

Finally, we split our large 300 and something odd group into two smaller groups of 150 or more and head off in different directions to tour the museum.  Our first stop was to look at all the cars and learn a bit of the history behind them and the different race tracks across the country.  The first rule was not to touch any of the displays and number two was not to climb up onto any of the car displays.  Well, I found myself pushing down more than one hand from touching a display.  Thankfully nobody decided to climb up onto one.

One of the other major problems we incurred were the kids wanting to stop and play every interactive game we passed.  It just wasn’t feasible and I got a lot of rolled eyes, neck yoking and mumbling.  It took everything in me to remember that those kids were not my own and that I could not pull out a belt on them.  Lord knows I wanted to.  (Spare the rod, spoil the child.)

The most embarrassing part came when our very nice tour guide had to call security on our 150 group.  I could not believe that those kids would not get quiet and keep their hands off the stuff they weren’t suppose to touch. Seriously, they were causing a very dangerous situation.  We had kids from other sites climbing trashcans, beating beats out on the wall and yelling to their friends across the landing.  Totally humiliating to appear so helpless in public like that.

And even with the security guards present some of the kids still decided to be loud and race down the stairwell to the theater.  To sum this up:  I will never volunteer to go with such a large and unruly group of children ever again!!  While I understood that the program they were in wanted to expose them to a great opportunity, I feel like many of them missed the point.  They were so caught up in trying to prove they were BAD, the SHIT or whatever that they failed to learn anything from this experience.

Instead they made us look like the stereotypes that we are portrayed as in the media.  They are in a program that is suppose to be motivating them to not become products of their environments and they are doing just that and acting like they are proud of it.  Watching those children today, I had to wonder if there will be a future for them and if so what will it look like?  It scares me to think that they will be our future leaders when I am graying and old in my rocker.  I pray that God has mercy on us and opens their eyes to big beautiful world out there.

I pray that more parents will take the time to teach their children the importance of respecting others.  Heck, I want more parents to start volunteering to go on these trips.  It was 100% FREE and half those parents weren’t working anyway.  We have to take an interest in our children and making them the future we need them to be. So, let’s wake up please.  I can’t have another experience like the one I had today.

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My Weekend WrapUp

It’s official, I’m getting married!!!!  Jay and I finally set a date (and a backup date) and have started wedding planning.  This year has been one of many changes for sure.  I’ve been a single mom, lost several loved ones, made new friends and more.  Life for me and Moo has been anything but dull.  And I’m looking forward to my happy ending.

So, the top picture looks better than the picture my phone would take but I absolutely love my ring.  It’s by Helzberg Diamonds.  14k white gold with 2.50 carats of diamonds.  The center diamond is a princess cut surrounded by tampered baguettes and then there are two rows of round diamonds running along each side.  Doesn’t it look like a present with a bow on top?

Anyways, Saturday we decided to jump start the wedding plans by heading out to look at bridesmaids dresses, tuxes and even a dress for me to wear at the reception.  Jay was a little sad that I wouldn’t let him pick out my wedding dress. While I’m not all about tradition when it comes to weddings him not knowing exactly what my dress looks like is one of the traditions that I am going to keep.  Besides I’ve asked for his feedback as far what he likes and doesn’t like and have sketched out my dream dress.  Now the hunt begins for a dress maker who can bring this vision to life.

I’m kind of worried about my sketch to too many people because I don’t want anyone stealing my one of a kind idea.  I really want this design to just be worn by me.  However, as a fashion merchandising student I’ve learned that there really isn’t any such thing as one of a kind anymore when it comes to fashion.  Designers recycle and try to put new spins on old ideas all the time.  So, I’m going to do my research and enlist the help of my fashion contacts to find a dress maker who won’t duplicate my dress for another bride in the future.

Another concern that I had about my dresss was cost, but since Jay has agreed to foot the cost for the ceremony, reception and my dress I can relax a little bit.  I’ll be in charge of decor, catering and entertainment.  And since I design stationary, I’ve already created our Save the Dates and wedding program.  Still waiting on some inspiration for the invitations.   The invitations have to be absolutely fab.  I want ribbon, bling, glitz and glamour.

Starting to sound like an episode of Platinum Weddings. I am just bursting with excitement that the big day is finally coming.  I’ve been waiting years for this and it’s finally happening.  I’ve even gone ahead and started registering all the different stores.  But enough about the wedding.  There will be more details to come as the Big Day draws near.

Sunday was just a really relaxing day of sleeping in, watching a little Joel Olsteem and a taking a drive to Larinburg.  It felt good to have a lazy Sunday with my little family.  And Jay even cooked. My week has gotten off to a great start and I hope that you all as great of a weekend as I did.  Be blessed this week!

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Promising Youth, Inc

Mission
Promising Youth‘s mission is to “support healthy growth in children and adolescents, reduce homeless and institutional living for children, educate and train parents to properly and effectively care for children in need of families and homes, help put a stop to child abuse, neglect and exploitation, as well as to protect children from cruelty and inhumane living and encourage unity and trust” by “offering stability and commitment.”
Why You Should Support Them
I don’t know how many times I can say it, but children are our future.  They’re going to be our future presidents, congress leaders, teachers, and even caregivers.  So, it is imperative that we as parents make sure we are raising our children correctly and treating them like human beings instead of nuances.  After all they didn’t ask to be here. That was a choice that we as the parents made to create them.
However, let’s be real.  Some parents do not and are not going to treat their children well.  They are too busy being mad at the world for a deed they willing participated in.  Thus, the children in those homes often times act in school, their community, etc in search of attention and as a cry for help and real affection.  Thankfully, we have organizations like Promising Youth who steps in to place these children with foster families that will take the time to show them that they too are important and aren’t a bother but a gift of life.
Promising Youth uses various methods of therapeutic treatment to help improve these children’s self-esteem, self-love, self-respect and more.  They strive to make sure that each child is treated with dignity and the respect they deserve.  Most importantly they give these children, who are often labeled as troublemakers, hope and a second chance to prove the naysayers wrong about who they are.
For more information on Promising Youth visit their website here.
How You Can Help
Promising Youth is always accepting monetary donations to help them with operation costs and more.  I encourage you please donate to this wonderful organization.  They are working so hard to save and change the lives so many children!
For more information on how you can make a donation click here.
More 411
Or Write:
Promising Youth, Inc
2750 E. WT Harris Blvd Ste 105
Charlotte, NC 28213
Or Call:
(704) 509-0009



Don’t forget to donate $1 to help raise funds for one of the highlighted charities and be entered to win one of our amazing prizes.  The more you donate, the more chances you have to win!
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My Weekend WrapUp

So, it’s been a while since I’ve done a weekend wrap-up.  I kinda miss it and think I’ll be bringing this feature back.  Anyways, this weekend was particularly interesting.    Saturday, I got sleep in late because Moo didn’t get up extra early like she usually does.  And my husband had the day off.  So, we got to hang out and watch tv together.
That same afternoon Moo and I went out for a little mommy and me time.  We were suppose to go to the store to pick up some beef broth for gravy but ended up with a lot more in our cart.  Thankfully, though it was all stuff we needed with the exception of the candy.  I’ve been working really hard on not spending money carelessly.  I’ve been doing some freelance blogging for this UK site called ccMyself.com and have been trying to save the money from that gig.
I’m desperately trying to take a family vacation next year.  My husband and I haven’t been on a vacation together since we started dating.  I’ve been on several with my family but he seems to always be working when we go.  So, he’s agreed to not take his vacation time until like May or early June and I want to do a cruise or a road trip.  I know you’re thinking I’m nuts doing a road trip with two kids.
But the fact of matter is that Moo will be three and JJ will be one.  It’s time to start making memories that include the house, Grandma’s house or anybody else’s house.  I’d like to start taking them to places like Disney World, the Martin Luther King, Jr Monument and more.  I want to expose them to different cultures and environments.
Sunday, I got late and didn’t make it to church. I’ve finally found a church that is a good fit for us to go to up here when I don’t head back home to go to my home church.  And I didn’t go out to get my Sunday paper so I missed out on my coupons. Maybe, I can hit the recycling center and see if they still have some Sunday papers they haven’t shredded up and started recycling yet.  Also, Sunday, I found out that YUMMommy was a finalist in Charlotte’s Most Valuable Blogger Contest hosted by CBS Radio. (Vote if you haven’t already. Please and thank you!!)
  
Next weekend I’ll be attending my great cousin’s wedding.  Looking forward to it because I’ll get to see some of my distant family that I don’t get to see on a regular basis.  Plus, my mommy is coming up since the wedding is going to be here and it’ll be good for her to get out of the house a little bit too.
And heads up, I’m working on doing a College Supplies Scholarship for next fall.  I’ll be releasing more details this week.  Also, in the process of working on turning Young Urban Modern Mommies into a foundation/registered nonprofit. I’m researching the best way to go about it and brainstorming about the programs and services I want to offer.  As always thanks for all of your support.  And I love your comments!!  Keep them coming!!
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I'm Nominated!!

Yay!!!  I got nominated and made it as a finalist CBS Local Most Valuable Blogger here in Charlotte in the Lifestyle and Family Blog category!!!  I’m beyond stoked!!!  Pretty please vote for me by clicking on the button below.  You can vote once per day or twice if you vote from your computer and smart phone.  Voting ends September 9th.  
If I win this will open up so many more doors for YUMMommy.   Spread the word please!!!
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A Wish Come True

Today my wish came true.  It’s snowing!!  I was sure that is was going to be like the last few times we had snow and melt before it hit the ground, but when the Mr opened the door to leave for work, he told me that is was snowing.  I went to look and sure enough it was.
Still though, I was skeptical that it would last long.  We’ve had “snow” three times already.  None of it stuck to the ground.  So, I went about my business.  Moo kept asking if we could look out and see the snow.  I finally caved in, curious myself to see if was in fact still snowing.  I didn’t want to get my hopes up.  So, to the front the door we went.  And……

Looks like it’s sticking folks!!  We haven’t looked outside since I took this picture, but I’m hoping we have nice amount on the ground in the morning.  On a sad note the Mr might be stuck at work. 🙁   At least he’ll be safe.  I don’t want him out there slipping and sliding on the roads.  This snow was just what I needed today to cheer me up after getting some potentially bad news.  I’ll wait until I have more information and share that story at a later day, but let’s just say I’ve learned a valuable lesson.
Are you getting snow in your area?

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Getting Imaginative At ImaginOn

Due to our hot one minute and rainy the next weather here in the Queen  City, the kiddies and I haven’t been able to get out of the house much.  However, the Mr came up with a great idea for me to take the kiddies Uptown last Saturday.  The goal was to stay out of house for 8 whole hours.  Yes, you read correct.  
At first, I thought it was going to be tough having the kids out of house for that long.  I wondered if JJ would get cranky around nap time and Moo can be handful when she wants to do.  She’s trying to be more assertive and test her independence so to speak.  And that doesn’t always make for good outings.  I’m not one to back down from a challenge and really missed being Uptown.
We decided to let Moo and JJ enjoy the day at ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center.  This place is awesome!  Seriously, I wish I would have had access to something like this in my hometown growing up.  It’s a partnership of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte.  And there’s all sorts of things for kids as young as infants all the way up to teens to do.
The first thing Moo wanted to do was check out the Arthur’s World exhibit.  She absolutely loves Arthur.  And you would have thought she had seen President Obama the way she was hopping around shouting “Mommy, can we go see Arthur?  Can we go?”  I’m not one to say no when it comes to exploring educational things.  So, off we went to enjoy the exhibit before it got crowded.
Arthur’s kitchen
Now there were two day camps there, but ImaginOn had it set to where from 10-Noon, no groups or organizations could tour the exhibit.  It was strictly open to families only during those hours.  I appreciated that because there’s nothing like trying to keep up with your two kids without hovering over them in a crowded area.  Moo and JJ got to cook in the kitchen with Arthur and DW until their hearts were content.  Also in the exhibit was a library, a green screen where you could be in your own episode of Arthur, a classroom complete with desks and a chalkboard, a camping section and a felt board
Another one of Moo’s favorites at ImaginOn were the touch screen computers.  She’s used to the touch screens thanks to having used the iPad and my iPhone.  A lot of the other kids her age were confused at first because they couldn’t find a mouse, but not my little darling.  She’s quite the opposite.  She will have no clue what to do with a computer mouse because the Mr and I both have laptops and we’re looking into getting a family desktop that will be touch screen as well.
She got to work on her alphabet, cook with Dora and more.  Oh, while we’re talking about touch screens, they had iPads setup throughout the ImaginOn that kids could play with.  They were stocked with games that  were perfect for teaching math, spotting differences and more.  JJ wasn’t a fan of the computers or the iPads.
Of course, JJ had a meltdown around noon and we headed off to the BB&T Center to have lunch our favorite fast food restaurant, McDonald’s!  I forgot that I should have walked around and entered through the parking garage to take the elevator since I had the double stroller, but we made it up the two sections of stairs without any accidents.  They had set up a farmer’s market outside.  Moo is crazy about fresh fruit.  So, I got her a peach and this fruit that looks like a plum on steroids.  I forgot the name of it but it was good.
We walked around a bit and took in the sites.  I talked to Moo about my college days of living Uptown in my dorm.  Then we headed back to ImaginOn to continue exploring.  We got to check out an interactive fossil class and dig for shark teeth and shell fossils in fossil dirt from the ocean!
I spotted the really cool lamp above and I’m now obsessed with finding one to place in the living room.  All in all it was a great day.  I’m really proud of myself and the kids.  I didn’t know if we could go a whole 8 hours away from our comforts of home, but we made it.  Most of all, I love that the kids got to get creative and imaginative.  They got to escape to different worlds for a few hours and I got to watch.  It was amazing and magical!
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The Mummies Are Here

The mummies have invaded the Queen City!!  Okay, not really but you can check out some pretty awesome mummies over at the Discovery Place’s Mummies of the World exhibit.  We went and saw it last month and loved it!!

I’ve always been somewhat obsessed with the mummies and Egyptian culture.  The care in which they take when laying their loved ones to rest is just so touching and fascinating to me.  So, when I was offered the opportunity to check this exhibit out and bring the family too, I was beyond thrilled.  Prior to my visit, I’d only seen two mummies in person.

At the Discovery Place, we not only was able to to see human mummies, but we got view animal mummies as well.  We saw the tools used to embalm the bodies, the fabric used for wrapping the bodies and the sarcophagus.  I was in a state of awe just taking it all in.  And did you know that not all mummies are wrapped laying down?  We saw a few mummies that had been mummified in a sitting position with their legs drawn up to their chests.

I highly recommend that you check out this exhibit if you’re in the Charlotte area or if you have plans to be in the Queen City before April 8th.  It’s well worth the trip even if you live a few hours away.  You and your kids will leave with such a wealth of knowledge of about these ancient beings and an lifetime experience and memories for the scrapbook.  Need another incentive to check out Mummies of the World?

Well, the Discovery Place has decided to give out a “special prize package with ‘hundreds’ of goodies.”   The key word being hundreds.  The prize pack will include:

~ (1) Discovery Place Membership ($100 value)
~ (1) $100 Grocery Store Gift Card
~ (1) $100 Gas Card
~ (1) Gift Certificate to Shop Science store at the Discovery Place
~ (1) $100 worth of Mummies of the World merchandise like DVDs, t-shirts, and so much more.

So be sure to grab your tickets by calling (704) 372-6261 or get them online here.

Here are some pics I took from our visit.

We saw an awesome presentation
Discovery Place has one of the best views of Uptown
His first visit to the Discovery Place!  I think he loved it!

Disclaimer:  I was not compensated for this post.  I am a huge lover of the Discovery Place and will be blogging, tweeting and facebooking about them from time to time!

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Plum District

Now, everybody knows that I love good deals!  And I’m not just talking about deals on groceries.  I enjoying scoring deals on everything!!  And thanks to Plum District, I can have those deals delivered right to my mailbox.  What is Plum District?  Well, I’m glad you asked.
Plum District is a daily deals site that offers deals specifically targeted towards moms.  So, you know what that means.  More me time!!   And you can do more shopping without breaking the bank.  Plum District offers deals on everything from 
Flowers, and
Jewelry
to Photobooks.
With Christmas coming up, Plum District is the perfect site to go to for gifts for your mom, sisters, aunts and mommy friends. You browse local deals specific for your city or shop their Everywhere deals.  While you’re over at Plum District, you can check out there blog and stay up to date on contests, sneak peaks of upcoming deals and much more. 
So scurry on over there and sign up to start saving today.  Don’t forget to visit Plum District on Facebook and ‘like’ their page!  They also have city pages on Facebook too.  Queen City moms be sure to show our Plum District page a little love here.
Happy Shopping!!

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We’re Ok

Just wanted to let everyone know that all is well in the Queen City.  Looks like we were far enough inland to avoid any major damages from Hurricane Irene.  We haven’t had any rain but the has been very gusty and the clouds were unusually grey today.  I’m thankful that we didn’t get any tornadoes or twisters either.  
I heard that Belhaven, a town not too far from us, got some.  I heard that it didn’t too much damage though.  So, I am very thankful that this wasn’t another replay of the awful storms, tornadoes and flooding we had earlier this summer.  God was certainly watching over us and I am glad.  I hope that everyone else is as blessed as Hurricane Irene continues to make her way up the east coast.  
I will be continuing to be prayerful because we have taken quite the few beatings over here on the east coast when it comes to severe weather.