How to get your rent to decrease in a recession!?!!

Okay people, now you know I always have a story and Donna told me not to share this one because it makes me look um how shall we say, like a loser, LOL!!! But you know I always share with you Pooka family! I have to say I am happy today because I will be having my rent lowered this year! Yup lowered! I got a notice under my door that my rent was increasing by $10.00 a month this year,( my rent goes up every year). I was confused but when I looked at my old papers and found my last rent increase somehow I got the numbers transposed(that's a nice way to put it!) and for the entire year I have been paying $15.00 more a month than i was supposed to!!!! So now that my rent has gone up $10 a month this year I will actually be paying $5.00 less!!! Don’t JUDGE ME PEOPLE, I’VE BEEN REALLY BUSY,LOL!!! I decided to look on the bright side and realize that’s $5 extra dollars in my pocket and I’ll be contacting my landlord to get my extra dough back! So all in all my rent has decreased and when I demand my money back I’ll actually have saved a little something!!!! So in this case not paying attention paid off? Ahhh who am I kidding Donna was right, please stamp an L on my forehead,LOL!!!

ps maybe i could afford my prescriptions at walmart if i paid my correct rent,hahaha!

2 years ago today

Hey Pooka Family! Well, time certainly flies! Two years ago today I threw up on Dawn's hand while Donna and Carlene held on to mine and I delivered the most beautiful baby girl in the world (unfortunately April couldn't get off of work otherwise she would have been there too)! I can't believe that she is 2 years old today! Motherhood has definitely changed my life for the better. Everyday I look at Taiye in amazement! I can't believe that wonderful baby came from me (with the help of Wale too). I know there will be trials and tribulations ahead of us when she hits puberty, adolescence and high school but until then; I'm enjoying this glorious time of her being a toddler.

Pooka at Womens Empowerment 2011

Well to say we had an amazing time in NC would be an understatement! We had a blast! We were able to meet so many people that we interact with through our fanpage, twitter, blog and email. The love in NC was fabulous! This is our third year at this event and plan on making this an annual one! Check out Pookalita Aprils interview!

What a difference a day makes?

I'm sure everyone has been watching the news and has witnessed the tragedy that took place in Japan less than a week ago. It is definitely one of the most mind boggling natural castasophies to have happened in recent years. The shear magnitude of being hit by an earthquake, a tsunami then radiation leak is just an unthinkable event.
My oldest son was watching the news with me and asked me what would we do if that happened to us? How do you answer your child? Of course the first thing that popped into my head was, "Don't worry that won't happen to us, but how many mothers throughout the centuries said the same thing to their children only to have a natural disaster or a person snatch their family away? I'm sure every mother, father, sister, brother, cousin, auntie and uncle in Japan were thinking about the people they love as they struggled to comprehend what was happening to them and their world. When you think about what has happened in Japan then look at your own life, what can you do without, who can you do without? What really matters to you? Don't let it take a tragedy for you to find out.

What we would do, I tell my son as I hug him is what we have always done, we pray and fight with every fiber in our being to stay alive. God bless everyone who was touched by this tragedy.

My Summer Pledge!!

Well Pooka family I am soooo sick of this cold weather! When I was younger I was a winter baby, loved my boots and sweaters but as I get (slightly, LOL) older, the idea of going to Florida for the summer never leaves my mind! I am to the point if I see one more flake of snow or go outside to be greeted by 20 degree weather I might lose it! Now I have to admit I am usually just an all around weather complainer, even in the summer crying about how I’m melting and how “I can’t take this heat!”. But on this cold March night I pledge to not complain once this summer arrives, no matter how hot it gets! Below is my summer pledge:

I pledge to not complain about the heat even if my Pooka deodorant stops working and I become offensive to others.

I pledge to not complain about the heat even if a family of flies invades my apartment!

I pledge to not complain about the heat even if we are forced out of the pool because a child pees in it!

I pledge to not complain about the heat even if there is a heatwave and all of the Pooka butters melt!

I pledge to not complain about the heat even though my passenger side window is broken and gas will be too high to put the air on!

I pledge to not complain about the heat when its hot in the nail salon but I have to wait over an hour for a pedicure because my toes look like the Bernstein Bears!

I WON”T COMPLAIN! So bring it on summer, I promise I will BEHAVE!

We're looking for a few good stores.....

At Pooka our mission is to provide products and services that inspire a sense of well being and relaxation.

Our “Mind” focus is to create an excitement about different methods of pampering by educating and creating an awareness of natural products and ingredients. Pooka will provide the vehicle to bring the spa to you everyday and inspire you to take the time to relax.

Our “Body” focus is to nourish the skin through our unique line of high quality products and provide natural alternatives to products on the market. By re-introducing tried and true natural ingredients used long ago we will help to naturally beautify the skin

Pooka fragrances will open the doors of the world and sweep you away to the most beautiful mountains, beaches, canyons and rainforests creating an experience of relaxation in far away places.

Our Goal is to become the leading provider for your bath and body needs. We hope to instill a deep sense of pride within our customers by providing high quality products and services and by embedding our sense of spirituality, warmth, love and family in the Pooka brand. Capitalizing on our current success will enable us to focus our energies and expertise on growing Pooka into a symbol of relaxation and pampering recognized throughout the world. We will continue our commitment to each other and the consumer as we stimulate the mind, body and soul through relaxation. Pooka was built on the foundations of peace and love and is guided by our faith.

When people see the Pooka symbol they will stop, breath and exhale, aaahhhhh.......

Pooka products line the shelves at one the most prestigious names in natural products, Whole Foods Markets and various boutiques across the country. Choose from an exciting array of products with delicious ingredients and essences. Call us to discuss wholesale opportunities with Pooka! 1-866-245-1403. We’ll put together a custom Pooka package that works uniquely for your location. Below are some examples!

The Butter Up!

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Moisturizing shea butter and avocado oil make these the moisturizers of choice.

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Lavender Bath oil, Mint n‘ Roses soak and our signature Mint & Lavender Foot Butter.

Call us to discuss wholesale opportunities with Pooka! 1-866-245-1403.

A Foodie’s Guide to Dinner!

Greetings Family! Hope all is well. If you know me then you realize I am both president and vice president of the Foodie fan club! I am a working foodie as most women today are. I have a long commute back and forth to my day job so when I get home I need to cook quick fast and in a hurry!! I wanted to share with you some of my Foodie tips that make my meal prep easy.

I always make sure to have the following in my pantry:

Chicken stock-Great base to make quick gravy or sauce for meat and fish! Add your own seasoning, fresh herbs, butter or wine for fab sauce. Cook my brown rice in chicken stock instead of water for added flavor.

Canned tomatoes-I use these often and you can get low salt ( same for the chicken stock!). I add a can of diced tomatoes when making my turkey meat loaf. It adds great flavor and makes the meat moist! Sometimes I use as a base (add brown sugar to make sweet or herbs and red pepper flakes to make spicy!!) and then when I make a quick fish fillet I serve on top of the tomatoes.

Beans, beans, beans!-Did I say beans. Black beans take five minutes. A lot of the time I buy black bean soup for flavor but then rinse off for less salt. Season with salt, pepper and cilantro and serve on top of brown rice and your seasoned canned tomatoes. Great dinner in 10 minutes!!

Smoked turkey-I don’t do pork so I use smoked turkey parts to season greens or even veggies for great flavor. I usually keep them in the freezer so they last longer. When I need just either boil in some water and add my greens or add right into a pot of veggies.

Fresh Herbs-This really makes such a difference. I always try to have fresh basil, parsley and rosemary in the house. I throw the herbs in if making a sauce and always add to my meatloaf. When I make my fish packets (fish of your choice) and add seasoning, fresh herbs, olive oil, fresh veggies and wrap individually in foil. Pop in oven and healthy dinner in five!!

Sweet Potatoes and Baby Carrots-We have sweet potatoes as a side maybe twice a week. Hubby and I love them! Sometimes I slice and add cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar for a quick stove top version or sliced and add raisins and cook in orange juice for great flavor or just pop whole potato in microwave and eat the healthier way. For the baby carrots just add to pot with some water and add the cinna, nutmeg and brown sugar combo and steam for 10- 15 minutes and you have instant sweet potato carrots lol!

Creamed/whole corn-Love corn bread and Jiffy is a gem! Sometimes I add the whole kernels for extra flavor or will add the creamed corn to the dry mix without any other wet ingredients. It makes like a corn soufflé in five minutes. I usually make in a muffin tin and then take any left overs for breakfast.

Well, all this food talk is making me hungry! I hope you found some of these helpful. Maybe next time I will share the kitchen tools I can’t live without…(this is big stuff for me lol!) Would love if you can share some of your tips. I will be waiting anxiously at the dinner table to receive them.

Donna