Come on Martha!!!

Well Pooka family, being a member of the Indie Beauty Network, a group of us were given complimentary tickets to the Martha Stewart Show! I was so excited when I heard we were going and counted the days! Now you have to understand my excitement, many of you know that I may not be the most....domestic gal (my momma tried but it just didn’t stick) So why would I be so excited about going to the show you ask? GIFTS!!! Come on people its December and we’re going on the Martha Stewart show! I had been watching so many shows and the Holiday give-aways had been fantastic. I had a dual purpose the morning of the show, I had to figure out how I could pay attention to the gifts being given away but also learn NOTHING, thats right people, I didn’t want to mess up my non-domestic record and learning to make a cake or pie might just spoil that, LOL! If I increased my domestic knowledge people would start asking me to cook something besides body butter and I have no time for that! As I marched into the studio audience I was armed with my Christmas List because I had gifts to get and then give away! I had no idea what kind of amazing goodies we would get, would we get ipods? ipads? or maybe even........a CAR!! Now my christmas list wasn’t for items I wanted it was for people I needed to get gifts for! All of my items from Martha were going right to the folks on my list, saving me time and money! The studio was beautiful, lights, cameras and staff buzzing around everywhere! We were taken to our seats and awaited Martha’s arrival! After about 15 minutes finally she arrived and the show began.

The first thing she did was make a cake, I shielded my eyes so that I wouldn’t learn about baking and finally the segment was over. I waited anxiously for them to pass around the cake that she made and....THEY NEVER DID!! Are you kidding me! We don’t get to eat the cake!! I decided to calm down because we were moving to the next segment, I thought about my list and was excited to see what they would be getting. The next segment, Martha had a crafty woman making leather bracelets, she explained how it was done, by punching holes into the leather and then you string the beads. At that moment Martha exclaimed, “Everyone in the audience will be getting my craft leather hole puncher!” WHAT???!!! A leather hole puncher, I quickly, mentally scanned my list, who the heck could I give that to? Alright, I decided not to panic, I knew there were more segments to come and I’d get the latest technology gadget to give someone! So now Martha moves to the next segment where she starts making planters and garden items out of cement, now I was getting worried but I was still being positive and thats when Martha says, “Everyone in the audience will be getting this book on how to make garden gifts out of cement!” WHAT!!!!!!! A cement makin book, really Martha!! So now we move on to the last segment and I’m sweating bullets now, I need to finish my Christmas shopping. Martha starts looking at a bunch of pretty picture frames and announces that we will all be getting gift certificates to an online photo website, where we can upload our pics and print them out. I was floored! No ipod, no computer and definitely NO CAR! NO MARTHA NO!!! Finally Martha ended the show by making Chicken Liver Mousse and something about the whirling of the stupid food processor caught my eye and I was in a trance and couldn’t turn away. So on top of getting no good gifts I now know how to make Chicken Liver Mousse!!!! The devastation!!!!

All in all it was a good time and getting to meet other members of the Indie beauty network was the best! Unfortunately Donna will be getting a leather hole puncher and my mom is getting a cement garden book and I will be making Chicken Liver Mousse sandwiches for my dad and brother, all together now....THANKS MARTHA!

End of Another Year!

Well Pooka Family….we’ve just about made it to the end of another year! We are so thankful for God’s mercy in bringing us to it and through it! We thank him for his mercy, his love, his gifts and his blessings and lastly we thank God for you! Dawn, Donna, April and I are so thankful for each of you and your continued love and patronage thru this journey of Pooka which HE has bestowed upon us. As we enter into the Christmas season, we hope that you will continue to be a part of our family!! Please make sure you come to our Christmas party on December 17^th so we can give a Christmas hug to each and every one of you!!!

Love Always,

The Pookalitas

Pooka Workshops this week!

We've got lots of Holiday Fun Planned this week! On Friday join us for our Relax & Unwind soap making workshop and Saturday its time for our Annual Pooka Girl gift making workshop! RSVP today! Click to RSVP or for more information!

The Tap Dance….Lady!!

Greetings Pooka Family! Hope everyone is well. I am still basking in the glow of a two week vacation. You don’t realize how much we do, every hour and every day until you take a much needed time out! I recommend it to all. One of the highlights of my vacation was meeting Savion Glover!! Now those of you that know me realize I have a tap dance dream! I want to be a tap dance SUPER STAR!!! I have always had an obsession with this art of dance. Something about the rhythm, movement and story that can be told through tap. It is a form of expression that is deep rooted way back to the Nicolas brothers all the way up to Savion. I feel like Savion is a cross between my son and my mentor lol! I have seen him perform as a child in the Tap Dance Kid to an adult in Bring the Noise on Broadway and beyond. Tap is his gift and talent (as a blabbed to him when I saw him!!) and I see that gift every time I watch him dance. I have not tapped since I went to the Evelyn Brown School of dance when I was five! However, I believe that it is never too late to follow your passion. I will one day buy a pair of tap shoes size large and I will tap my heart out! All of you will be invited to the recital. I didn’t get my lesson from Savion but I did get my picture!!

Boooo Walgreens!

Greetings Pooka Family! Welcome to November! If you’ve been following our blogs from the beginning you’ll know that November is the month of my favorite holiday….Thanksgiving!!! But sorry family, I don’t want to talk about that – I need to vent about an incident I encountered at Walgreens.

Last week Taiye’s preschool phoned to tell me that she was wheezing and having problems breathing. I instantly pulled her prescription documents and called in a renewal to our local Walgreens using the touch tone refill procedure then headed directly for the pharmacy to retrieve the prescription. Once I arrived I explained to the pharmacist named ________ (I’ll be kind and leave her name blank) that my daughter’s school called and that she was having breathing problems and I’d just phoned in the prescription for her inhaler. _________ told me that I had to wait at least 30 minutes because she had several orders ahead of mine. Please note: although she may have had several orders pending, there was only one customer sitting in the wait area. I explained to __________ again that my 2 year old daughter is having problems breathing; hence, the urgency of this order. ____________ said to me again that I had to wait until she processed the other orders ahead of mine. In the background another pharmacist heard my plight and passed the inhaler to her but ____________ proceeded to take a phone call and then she proceeded to take care of another customer who had subsequently walked in. Needless to say, I was extremely upset and began to feel enraged. At that moment my phone rang, it was Taiye’s school again and the Director informed me that she is throwing up now. _________ overheard my conversation and with that she decided to take action and process my order.
Why do we have to go through situations like this family? I was doing my best to be very calm and not reach behind the counter to snatch the living @#$% out of this woman! I have to admit, I came very close to doing so but instead I took her name, paid for Taiye’s prescription and left to get to my baby. Of course, I have written a letter to Walgreens executive offices and will await their response. Regardless of their response, they will not receive my business again! Hello CVS, you have a new customer!

Our Grand Opening Day Video!!!

POOKA Grand Opening from Will Caldwell on Vimeo.

What not to wear!

I love this show!! If you haven’t seen it, it’s on TLC and they take a woman and go through her closet and basically, throw away all of her non-fitting, outdated, just plain should not be wearing clothes! This weekend I decided to do my own version of the show. I went into my closet and looked at each piece I had, well let me tell you, I’m glad the cameras weren’t on, I found, deep in the bottom of my drawer.........one...LEGWARMER!! Really Dawn! The things that I pulled out of my closet were shameful! I even had a shirt from college, smashed into a corner and college was at least...5 years ago? WHATEVER?! Well I encourage you to do this, you may feel like you have a lot of clothes but when you take out the silly things you haven’t worn in years, you”ll be down to 4 things like me! I have to say I feel so much less cluttered and i was able to make a large donation to salvation army. It is so easy when I get dressed now, even though its a lot less to choose from I know exactly what to wear. The sock drawer was not let off the hook either, all of those without a partner were put out! So people cleanse not only your body but your closet too!

Scavenger Hunt Today!!

I share..because....I love you!

Well people this blog is VERY personal to me!! I am only sharing an embarassing moment because I love my Pooka family and know they won’t judge me! and I have to share some lessons to maybe help someone else.....

So............here goes............

As you all know we have opened our new Pooka Boutique! It’s been a tough time trying to get everything up and running! Since we’ve opened in Sept we had no phones due to the Verizon strike and backlog of service. We finally got our phones up and running but it was at no small sacrifice! I was on the phone with verizon for days, trying to get the techs out, then dealing with them sending the wrong tech and a such! Finally after much frustration I called and spoke to a woman who said she would resolve the problem. I stayed on the phone with this woman for 45 minutes and when she finally got some answers she said that I’d have to wait to speak to someone in another department, so.......I waited another 30 minutes!! I had now been on the phone with verizon for over an hour. Finally she came back and said that I needed to wait more, I told her to just transfer me over the the department where I could CANCEL the service and while transferring me, she disconnected me!! I was enraged so I called back and told my story to another woman, who was shocked at the wait and promised she’d take care of it! So since I was on my cell phone, I waited at pooka on the phone with her for another 30 minutes, then I decided to just drive home, so still on the phone with her I went to the grocery store and picked up dinner and drove home, now I’ve been on the phone over an hour and a half. Finally when I get home and still on the phone with her, she lets me know that the department that I need is still not answering her! Its has now been almost 2 hours on the phone! I ask her to call me back when she’s reached someone but she says that they are not authorized to make outgoing calls! Okay so now that i’ve been on the phone for over 2 hours there is no way i’m hanging up without fixing this problem. I have to admit the woman on the phone was as disgusted as I was and very nice. So finally she says, “Ms fitch, I just spoke to the department that will make the appt. for a tech to come out they said it would be another half hour wait to make the appointment!!!” she says, “But, just put the phone down and I’ll hang on with you. Do what you need to do and I’ll scream out when they are ready”. I was impressed, that was nice of her, so I put the phone down and put it on speaker phone and start making my dinner. Now, hold on people, this is where I need your...understanding! Let me give you some background info, It had been a LONG day, I was tired, I had black bean soup for lunch. Another 30 minutes passed and I totally forgot that she was on speaker phone in my kitchen, so as I’m preparing my dinner and in the privacy of my own home.......................lets just say, I, “released” some wind and not from my mouth!! Yup, the most embarrasing moment ever! As I pooted the soft breeze (that makes it sound so much prettier) I realized I was on speaker phone, I froze and in the quiet of my kitchen I heard a tiny giggle come from my cell phone!! I WAS MORTIFIED!!! I couldn’t even say anything, I just ran into the other room and hid!! DAMN YOU VERIZON!!! When I gathered myself and went back into the kitchen thats when i noticed the MUTE button on my phone!(learn all of the features of your phone people) At that point it had been 3 and a half hours on the phone and she announced that she had made the appointment and then she hung up, never mentioning my wind escapage! Here are the lessons I learned:

Choose AT&T, Cable or 2 tin cans with a string tied between them for phone/internet!

Don’t eat Beans for lunch and then put yourself on speaker phone!

Learn where your mute button is!

Getting Older!

Greetings Pooka Family! I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful October weather! Here in NJ we’ve had some 80? October days and some 60? days and I am not complaining one bit!

So recently we celebrated Dawn’s birthday and next month we will celebrate mine. We each react differently when our birthday’s come around so of course it sparked another one of our many discussions - if we could, what age would we like to return to i.e. high school or our 20’s or 30’s? As each of our responses varied, this got me thinking about our future and getting older. We usually joke about our age but then I began to think seriously. What will our lives be like when we reach our parents’ age? Will we be as active as some of them are with trips to Atlantic City, Senior Line Dance Classes and active participation in our respective churches? Will our destinies have taken us outside of Jersey to another state or even another country? Or will William, Wesley and Taiye have checked us into some Senior Living facility and have gone on with their lives! LOL!!! Whatever our senior years hold for us, there is one thing we all agree and that is what we do now will affect how healthy and happy our senior living will be. With that said, we all made a renewed focus on eating right, exercise and reducing the level of stress in our lives today. As our bodies and minds grow older, we are not able to readily adapt to the evolutionary change as we could in our younger years. Therefore, it is imperative that we keep our minds strong with thinking exercises like crossword puzzles, suduko and game shows like Jeopardy and of course reading books; and keep our bodies limber with exercise and healthy eating. We look at our parents and think about how proud we are that they are embracing their age with how they have chosen to live their lives and we hope that we can emulate the example they provide by simply living gracefully!

Customer Appreciation Day!

We just want to say "Thanks!" 11 years and you all have given us so much love and support! Drop by the Pooka Boutique, this Saturday, October 15 so we can show the love!!! Check out all of the fun we have in store for you!!

Our favorite Pooka Products!

What are your Favorite Pooka Products!!!?

Well I LOVE every Pooka product, LOL!! Actually I definitely have my favorites, I love the fresh sugah whipped cream its a staple for me and something about the coconut scrub makes me feel exhilirated when I use it and my new love is the deodorant powder, I use it everywhere and I feel so Au Natural!

My new fav is cocoa baby, I love the consistancy its great for me, hubby and Taiye! This is my all year round staple foot butter, great for your feet, headaches, muscle aches. Can’t forget my guava polish, I feel brand new everytime I use it!

I am all about the Papaya Orange, maybe its my move to sunny NC, but that Papaya Orange Oil and gel get my day going everymorning! I put the Guava Butter on wes and his teachers love it, amazingly enough Will, my oldest is starting to go to Caliente Man Butter!! My little man!!!

Hmmmm.......I’m going to have to say pomegranate polish, I love anything pomegranate!, The papaya butter is also a favorite its nice and soft, perfect for anytime of year and of course my hair butter, how else would I keep my fab fro maintained!

What are your favorite Pooka Products?

Pooka Pink Party!

Join us this Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Pooka Boutique for our Pooka Pink Party!

Pooka Pink Party! This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Join the Pookalitas at the Pooka Boutique this Saturday, October 8 and THINK PINK! We all know someone who has been affected by Breast cancer. We need to educate ourselves and others. This Saturday for every purchase you make we’ll add a foot butter to our Pooka Pink Basket! At the end of the day we‘ll donate our basket to a Cancer Treatment Center. Stop by for some Pooka Pink Cupcakes and relax in our Pooka Pink Lounge Shareyour stories, inspire and educate someone!

Gender or Race???

Greetings Family! Hope all is well. I was talking with my sisters and just reflecting on life as we often do. I made the comment that I felt especially favored that God made me a woman of color! I am proud of the skin I am in!! I would never change the color of my skin or the gender of my body. It then led us to a deeper conversation which posed the question….Are you a black woman or a woman who is black??? So fellow Pooka family, I pose to you the same question. I know that you, our family, are made up of many different nationalities. I also know that our Pooka family contains many men! So do you define yourself by your race or origin, by your gender or maybe you are just from Jersey! Interesting discussion to have and I would love to hear your thoughts. Oh me…….I am a black woman!
Didn’t you see my fro!

Peace Family

Wind Down Wednesdays!

Make sure to drop by and unwind after a long hard day at our Wind Down Wednesday! Every Wednesday at the Pooka Boutique, just sit and relax for a moment. We'll supply the Herbal Teas and the Lavender, you just bring you! We started just for the teachers but we got so many people that needed to "unwind" that we've made it open to everyone!

Every Wednesday
Pooka Boutique
15 South Essex Ave.
Orange, NJ
973-677-1985
3-6pm

Pooka Boutique Scrub Bar!

Fall Butter Up Sale!

Well everyone Fall is here! We all know the great benefits of shea butter, so lets do all we can to keep our skin moisturized before the weather gets colder! Take advantage of the Butter Up sale, its extended til today!

Click to get some!!

Thanks Madame Noire!

Madame Noire did a great story on us! What a blessing! Check it out!

Entrepreneurs to know!

Anniversary

Greetings Pooka Family! Welcome to September! All the kids are back in school, traffic has increased on the GSP and the weather is beginning its transition into those cool nights! This month also marks my 5 year wedding anniversary! YAY!!! I am very proud to have made it to 5 yearsJ! My husband and I, like many couples, have experienced and continue to experience the ups and downs of marriage but I am proud that we are both committed to becoming a strong Black Family! During our anniversary dinner, we reflected on some of the things that we need to be mindful of in order to nourish our relationship with each other. It’s so easy to get caught up in our day-to-day responsibilities i.e. work, Taiye’s needs, grocery shopping, cooking, Pooka responsibilities, business travel, etc., etc., etc. We both acknowledged that we have made very little time for “us” so we’ve committed to put a little more emphasizes on doing so. I hope to never have to utter the D-word and provide a positive image of Black Family for Taiye. My prayer is the same to each of you Pooka Family!

What a Day!

Hey Pooka Family!

Well last week we celebrated the Grand Opening of our new Pooka Body Boutique! It was such a blessed, amazing, successful, proud day in Pookaville! At noon we had an official ribbon cutting with the Mayor of Orange and we all gave our little speeches and then snipped that ribbon and we were open! I could'nt believe how many people flowed through our doors that day. It was a steady flow all day long! It was a great celebration, we had food and drinks, an R&B singer, we had a photowall and a fabulous Pooka Cake created for us! I have to say, If I never have a wedding, this will be a good stand in, LOL!! Enjoy the photos!

Click to see all GRAND OPENING PICTURES

The Earthquake

Greetings Family!
Well I don't even know where to begin. Family we had an earthquake.....in New Jersey. It was one of the most out of body experiences I have ever had! Very scary yet very powerful at the same time. It made me think that you must truly live in the moment. Not in an end of days kind of way but just that every day should be cherished. I truly believe that God does not want us to live in fear. So honor your relationships, check off the things you write on the to do list, practice those random acts of kindness. Make those phone calls, write those letters, take time to make yourself smile! I sometimes send my sisters the Daily Word as a way for us to start our day. Of course since I have been extra busy I have not sent in awhile. Well today I needed to send more for me than for my sisters. I would like to share with you. Allow every earthquake in your life to energize you!

Energized
I am energized and rejuvenated.

Each morning when I awake, I have the opportunity to start my day with prayer. Aware of my innate creative power, I am invigorated by Spirit within. I then move ahead empowered, choosing uplifting thoughts, positive statements and purposeful actions that reflect my greatest intentions.

If ever I feel sluggish or unmotivated, I pause and pray. A few minutes of communion with Spirit revives my vital energy and awakens my enthusiasm. In Spirit, I am confident, knowing that all things given to me will be accomplished, that all that is not understood will be revealed, all that is difficult will be made easy.
Amen Family!

Hurricane Irene

Greetings Pooka Family! Hope everyone here on the east coast made it thru Hurricane Irene okay. So here’s my video blog of being stuck in the house with Wale and Taiye during the storm…..enjoy! (and yes, the house is a mess!)

Day 1



Day 1 continued



Day 2

My New Baby!

Hi Pooka Family!! Well, as you know, I have two boys and people would always ask me if I was going to have a girl. I would just smile and say "No, no more kids for me!" I was happy with the way my life was going, my youngest was about to start kindergarten and I was ready to get back a little freedom. That was the way I felt until I fell in love, after that nothing has been the same! One saturday my kids and I went to Petco, to check out the birds and fish. This is something that we usually do so it was no biggie. Little did I know they were having adoption day and there were about 50 puppies and 30 kittens waiting to be adopted! Of course my kids dived right in, "Oh we want this one, no this one" there were so many choices! Me, being the parent, the voice of reason states, "You can look but we are not bringing anybody home with us!" Of course my kids didn't even pay attention to me as they went around looking for the perfect pup. Then they found her, a buff colored lab mix named Gracie. "Can we keep her mom?" They asked me with big round eyes. Of course I started spouting off all the reasons we couldn't......"Carpet throughout our house, no time, too much money,who's gonna take care of her? Not me!" As I'm standing there debating with them, one of the workers walks up and starts talking about how Gracie would be such a great dog for two growing boys. I look at her like yeah whatever lady! She then says they are not a no kill facility (which means if you don't get picked to go home with soneone, your pretty much fried!) So now I'm feeling guilty, but I don't let that totally stop me, "We don't have the money right now", I tell the children. Just then a couple steps up and they offer to give me a cage that they have, for free! Great! Then the adoption agency throws in a free bag of dog food, with treats! Gracie has had all of her shots and she's spayed! Alright give me the damn dog I say I guess it was just meant to be. I already have a million Gracie, stories to tell, for next time, so stay tuned....

Respect my mode!

This is more of a rant instead of a blog, sorry! But I gotta get it out, people...you have to respect peoples modes of communication! Let me break this down, I am a texter. Mostly beacause I’m really busy and sometimes I’m cooking pooka at the warehouse, its easier to text a quick short answer than to have a full conversation. As an entrepreneur I have to be careful about my time, because I work for myself, friends and family call to chat all day long. So I usually send a quick text and time when I’ll be able to chat. So when people call me and the phone just rings or I don’t answer they get very upset, but I say, “text me”. Folks don’t seem to like that so they call anyway only to get my voice mail. Now on the other hand I have friends that don’t text so I know If I want to talk to them I have to call them because they don’t text. I have other friends who prefer email so when its time to chat with them I know to email them. I respect their mode of communication. So all I’m saying is if you want to get in touch with someone you have to respect their mode of communication. My favorite are my friends who text me and say....”call me!” I can’t win, LOL! But I have to say that I’m glad that I have this problem because it means I have great friends and family in my life! (you know I had to clean that one up or I would be gettin some angry texts today, LOL!)

Attack of the Protein People!!

Hey Pooka family, this actually tickled me! Our office manager brings her daughter to work with her sometimes in the summer. So we’re all pretty chummy, having a good time laughing at Pooka. The other day her daughter came into Pooka not so happy, so I asked what was wrong. Apparently she had to go to a birthday party for a cousin of hers but she didn’t want to go because they were “Protein People”, I was shocked!! "What are protein people?", I asked. So she says, “You know they eat raisins and salads and stuff, nothing fun...like you Miss Dawn!” Wow, I was shocked to find out that I am one of the “Protein People!” I felt like a scary zombie that chased kids around and threw boxes of raisins at them, LOL! Although it was funny, I realized we have to make sure our children know that we want to be “protein people”. Our children need a well balanced diet to get them through school and all of the wonderful endeavors ahead of them! So pooka people get your kids on the road to becoming Protein People!!

The New Pooka Body Boutique

We have been blessed with a new Boutique! Please drop by and visit us! 15 South Essex Street, Orange, NJ! Our hours are 11am-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.

Who's eating this!!

Well Pooka family, There isn't too much I can say about this! Living in the south now I run across all types of delicacies! I wanna know who is eating this!

The Change

Greetings Pooka Family! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! We’re half way through it already and Mother Nature has definitely made up for that extended winter we had. If anyone is complaining about these 90+ degree temperatures just remind them of that week of snow storms we had in March!

So family, I want to talk to you guys about “The Change”. No, not the change in weather…I’m talking about the change in life. I recently had one of those “ah-ha” moments when I realized that I’ve made the change from that young, single, happening lady to the older, married with child, still happening but not-so-much woman. I guess it came to me when I was reading my email accounts one morning and I received a Groupon or Living Social emails for a 1 day whitewater rafting singles event. I said to myself, “this is something I always wanted to do. I should buy this Groupon/Living Social.” Then I realized, “wait a minute, how am I going to be able to do this and who’s going to do it with me?” I’m not single anymore so I’d have to ask my husband to come with me, but then I would need to find someone to watch Taiye. I could ask the girls if they wanted to do it with me but then thought about this again, no one’s is gonna want to get their hair wet, Donna would look at me like I was crazy and Dawn would say she’s not sure her arms could handle the work of rowing, oh and by the way, who’s gonna watch the store while we’re gone? I guess that’s when I realized that I’m at a stage of my life where those spontaneous events I used to do without a second thought now requires a little more planning. That’s not to say that I have totally given up on doing anything new and exciting. I’ll still think about doing those fun events when I get those emails, I’ll just have to really think it through before I purchase.

Our Big Announcement!

Get Me to a Trainer!

Hey Family! Happy summer! This past 4^th of July weekend was a blast. Lots of sun, lots of fun and of course lots of eating. My favorite things lol! Also celebrated Daddy Fitch’s birthday…..go Daddy! Now as I ease my way back into the work week I hear that voice again. That after a long weekend voice that says “Donna did you exercise today??” Now family I don’t particularly like that voice but I can never seem to drown it out. Sometimes that voice sounds just like my husband’s but I digress. I should be inspired by my sister April running her way through Raleigh. Tricia and I have not run since our last debacle lol! But I still hear that voice. I used to be a contender people! I would work out with a trainer at 5:30 am three days a week. That seems like so very long ago. I just can’t seem to find the right thing to motivate me. My name is Donna and I hate working out! There I have said it. Now that I acknowledge it maybe I can overcome this obstacle. I tried yoga, which I actually do like. It is also much more challenging than people think. I just can’t seem to make it there on a regular basis and the studio is located next to a pizza parlor…really yoga people! I tried Zumba which was also fun. I didn’t realize I was going to pass out because I was distracted by the great music. Again…that Zumba instructor keeps dancing her way to a new location which I can never find. My husband and I have been doing a two mile walk around the neighborhood and that has been fun. While walking we passed the local tennis courts and I inquired about lessons. I was all set to become the next Serena Williams until I found out I had to pay! We need to watch our wallets in this day and time family. But I will not give up! Exercise is mandatory for good mental and physical health. It also helps to keep us tight as we get a little older…you know what I am saying Pooka sisters! I will continue my quest until I can write to share the fabulous work out regimen that is custom fit for me. Hmmmm…does tap dancing count as exercise!

Peace

M.I.A.

Ladies I would just like to shed a little light on something, if you decide to work out and you work out hard, make sure you have enough money for surgery because after you lose the weight your gonna need it! I've been working out pretty steady for about the last two years, I didn't really notice any change in my body or my clothes. My 8's still fit and my legs didn't look any different then when I started but then about 3 months ago I started running and woosh! it was all gone! Yes I lost my boobies! They just ran off my body! I had also dropped two sizes (yep I'm a 6 now) and while that is all fine and well I want my boobies back! For me its almost like I lost an arm or a leg, I had to go out and buy new clothes and bras (No I'm not telling the size!) and while some people would say,"Oh thats still plenty big", its not to me. They were very much a part of me and now I feel lost without them. Yes I tried the push-ups,the push together,the pads, even tieing them together with a string but to no avail! So you will not find me running outside anymore or taking extra cardio classes, nope! I'll be at home on the couch eating icecream waiting for them to come back! LOL!

Join us this Saturday! Pineapple Summer Splash!

Happy Fathers Day, Big Guy!!!

Happy Fathers Day!! 
In honor of my dad and all that he does (and let me tell you its not easy being Poppa Pooka), here is my blog tribute of my favorite dad blogs!

Thanks for always being my NUMBER ONE VALENTINE and buying me Sugar Free Gluten Free Chocolates for Valentines day! 



Thanks for WATCHING MY CAR when I’m on vacation and even though you didn’t remember where I parked it, I knew it was safe.

Thanks for making sure all of your kids know your STUMP speech and being understanding when I violated rule #1 and RAN OUT OF GAS!



and Thanks for still letting me be THE KID and taking me on vacation even though I’m _____yrs old!!!

Love ya Dad!!!!

Pookalita Dawn on Essence.com

Ready, Set....wait a Minute!

Greetings Pooka family! My sisters and I are always looking to live a healthy lifestyle. You know eating right, being stress free and exercising. I mentioned to Tricia that I thought I might want to start running. A form of exercise I have not tried yet. Now I have never liked running except if someone was chasing me....but you never know! Tricia who actually listened when I made this latest announcement found a local two mile walk/run for us to enter and we signed up. We were really excited...ok not really but we decided to go anyway. I pulled up very early at Tricia's house the morning of the race. Someone jumped in the car wearing a white mask and I thought I was being robbed! I realized then it was Tricia. She had covered her face in sunscreen! No sun was getting on her Pooka family! We as serious runners were not down for sun burn. Tricia also had a nap sack containing energy bars, and fruit. I am sure there were baby wipes in the bottom of that bag but I didn't ask. All good racers need a Mommy...thanks Tricia! After she ran back in to get water we were on our way. When we got there we were actually excited! This was a real race Pooka family!! We gave our names and received our T-shirt, our official race number to pin on our shirt, and the reflective tag for our sneakers which I couldn't figure out how to put on. This is when that Mommy comes in handy....again thanks Tricia! We checked out the map of our route and headed outside to warm up with the other runners. Well we didn't actually warm up because we noticed the snack table. We did at least make healthy choices because runners do need energy people. It was now time to head to the start line. We were hyped!! The sun was shining, the music was playing and the organizers were pumping the crowd. Proceeds from the race went toward families in need so it was all good. It was time!! Ready, Set...wait a minute.....Tricia and I had decided that we were going to do the walk part of the walk/run since it was our first race. Ok did the walkers line up somewhere else? Were we supposed to wear a different T-shirt so the real runners wouldn't knock us down? I guess we could have found this out if we were not so busy getting snacks! Everything was going wrong. The morning dew was starting to settle in my hair and my Afro was getting bigger by the minute. Tricia's sunscreen started to run down her face. What was happening Pooka family! Well it was to late to figure it out. The runners started to take off and in a panic so did me and Tricia! We ran like frightened children or like someone was chasing us because they were!! This was not what we signed up for. Tricia was staring at me looking like her baby girl with a " help me Mommy" look on her face. I knew I had to do something and quick! I knew at this pace we would pass out before we got to the corner. I frantically searched the crowd looking for someone in charge! I spotted a man on the sidewalk wearing a number but eating a bagel. Good enough. You with the bagel I screamed....Is this the right race for the walkers! Are we in the right place!! Look at my Afro! HELP US!!!!! Relax said the man with the bagel. You're in the right race. Just stop running. Oh......just stop running. We didn't think that was in the rules. We then noticed plenty of other people......walking! After Tricia and I laughed until we couldn't breath we continued walking our race. We had a wonderful time and finished our two miles in thirty seven minutes! We made some new friends... Hi.......Go Bloomfield! We crossed the finish line to cheers and completed our first race! We are not ready for the New York City marathon but maybe next year. Just hope they don't have good snacks!!
Peace

Going Natural

Greetings Pooka Family! I greet you on this BEAUTIFUL day as we enter into the month of June! Okay family, so here’s the thing….like many of us (woman), I’ve made the decision to go chemical free with my hair. I have not had a perm in close to 3 years. However, I’m finding it challenging trying to decide what will be my new style for the summer. I usually go to the doobie shop and get a wash and blow-out but this past weekend I walked into the doobie shop on the Friday before Memorial Day and I just stopped and looked around me. There were at least 25 women sitting and waiting. Some were sitting under the hot dryers others were sitting waiting to be rolled. Well family, I turned around, put my little $20 back in my pocket and walked right out that door. At that point, I made the decision; I can’t sit up in here another summer afternoon! So now I’m faced with the challenge of deciding how I’m going to wear my hair if I’m not going to continue to do the blow out. Now family, you know us (Pookalitas); Dawn and I rock the European hair styles (straight blow out with bangs); Donna and April rock the Afro-centric styles (braids and afro). But now, I’m leaving Dawn behind and I’m going over to team Afro-centric! Donna said that she would do my hair in a style that is both cute and I can manage without going to the doobie shop every week. Now I know this is a process and it will take some time to fully transition into a style that fits me and my hair type so the next time you see me family, please be kind if my hair has not made the full transition yet.

Enjoy your summer Pooka Family!

Getting to know the Pookalitas! Which country would you love to visit>

Which country would you like to visit most?

France so I can use the 8 years of French I was forced to take as a child! (BTW I still can't speak a lick!)

I'd like to visit the European countries: London, Italy, France; but I'd love to vacation at the AsiaPacific India boarder countries: Maldives, Indonesia, Philippines

I would love to travel to England and France. I want to visit the muesums, the Eiffel Tower, sit at a cafe, drink wine and eat as much cheesey food as possible!

I would love to visit Italy to eat my way through it like Eat, Pray, Love!!

What place would you love to visit?

Taiye's New Hair Nectar Commercial!

Evacuation

Greetings Pooka Family!
Heading home early today because they just evacuated my job. This is my day job. Don't worry, Pooka is open for business! This evacuation though made me think about our daily lives and the world we live in. Bomb threats, evacuations, body searches, armed police. This is what working people get to experience on their daily commute everyday. Are we safe(I pray on that). Will I make it home and back (I pray on that too). We have to be diligent (see something, say something) but we have to continue to live our lives family. We must follow our purpose and our plan. Now more than ever. We must not adopt a spirit of fear but must realize how truly precious each day is. So to my fellow commuters keep your eyes open, your head up and your spirit bright....the weekend is just around the corner!

Peace Family!!

Auntie Dawn (kicks) Rocks!

Well Pooka family I just wanted to share with you my Auntie Adventures! You know I pride myself on being a cool, fun Auntie Dawn! Aprils boys were easy, a little rough-housing, piggy back rides, wrestling and I was Super Auntie, then feed them and I was GOLD, you all remember my original post, AUNTIE ROCKS. So of course now that Tricias', Taiye is here, I figured all I needed to do was be me and once again, AUNTIE would ROCK!!! But, Taiye is a tougher cookie than the boys cause at 2yrs old shes a little woman just like us! I have to work harder with Taiye cause shes not gonna just fall for the old slippin on a banana peel joke that the boys did. So let me share how I may be deleted from her AUNTIE roster! I went with Tricia to pick up Taiye (pronounced tie-a) from daycare! She was happy to see me and I got my auntie hug! We went to the park and she was so excited! Tricia sat on a bench to change her shoes, while Taiye and I tried to decide what she wanted to try first, her eyes lit up at the slide! So I took her little hand and we climbed up the stairs to the slide, now this is where it all went horribly wrong people! Taiye sat down and I screamed to tricia and asked, "Can she go by herself? " I had no clue, being an auntie i wasn't sure when kids developed these little skills. Tricia shouted out, "Yeah she's fine". But i was nervous so I asked again and Tricia said, "She can do it!". Still needing just that one last bit of confirmation I said, "Are you sure?!" and Tricia said, "YEAH SHE DOES IT ALL THE TIME!" ( she forgot to mention that she never did it at this park on this slide). As I let my hand go from her little jacket, she took off like a rocket! Now Taiye was wearing a velour sweat suit and it was a metal slide, ENOUGH SAID. She flew down that thing like I shot her out of a cannonball. It was like slow motion, I watched as our little Taiye flew off the slide and landed in a pile of leaves, dirt and twigs!!!! She landed on her side and I was still way on the top of the slide, when I looked at her all I saw was her back, she was face down in the twigs, I froze. Then Taiye rolled over onto her back, her little body forming an x, and with twigs in her mouth she looked up and just stared at me for what seemed to be an eternity, I could see in here eyes she was mentally stringing together all the baby curses she could muster.."You son of a Elmo, what the Teletubbie was that?!!!" then......she CRIED like nobodies business! I hurried to get down the slide and Tricia came over and said, "I didn't realize the bottom of this slide was high". WHAT!! I HAVE DESTROYED ALL CREDIBILITY WITH THIS CHILD!!! I was devastated and I could feel the other "mommies" looking at me like and idiot, I even looked at one woman that was staring me down and said, "You heard me ask her, i asked her if she could do it!". The woman just shook her head and walked away. I know there were other "aunties" there in the park who were ashamed of me, so I hung my head low. I went to Taiye and asked her how she was feeling and she gave me the baby hand! She had no love for me at all. I kept trying and she just stared at me, I could see it in her eyes, she thought I was a straight BARNEY! Well the rest of our park visit was less than spectacular as she tried to act like she was alone with her mom, I've never been ignored like that (well...maybe, LOL). I texted Tricia later that night and asked her how Taiye was feeling and she said she asked Taiye if she had a good time with Auntie Dawn and Taiye said NO....AUNTIE DONNA!!! So now I throw down the guantlet, Auntie Donna I will reclaim victory!

Ps We all went out on Mothers Day and I spent 45 minutes pretending I didn't see Taiye sitting in her chair and then I would pretend to sit on her. She laughed the whole time and I thought I was good, called Tricia that night, to see if I got an honorable mention, but Tricia said that night in her prayers she mentioned AUNTIE DONNA!! I should have sat on her for real!!!!

Pooka in Juicy Magazine!

The Little Things

My birthday was this past monday and I have to say that my boys are really growing up! They came into my room in the morning with shouts of Happy Birthday as they threw themselves on me. They then handed me toys from their room that they had "bought" or fme. I, of course, thanked them and kissed them and told them how much I loved them and their gifts. It took me back to when I was younger and I didn't have anything to give my parents but my love and the wish to make their birthday as great as they made mine! Drawing a picture, singing a song, baking a cake for them, were all things I hoped they enjoyed. Parent's aren't looking for presents they are looking for your love. So the next birthday, holiday or any day that you can, show someone how much you care about them by making them something from the heart. Those presents and your presence in their lives are priceless! Happy Mothers Day (which is everyday) to all women who have ever helped a child in anyway! Be it a teacher, auntie, school bus driver, doctor, lunch aid, secretary,neighbor, you name it, Thank you!

Join us today online for the GRAND OPENING of our Facebook Boutique!

We’re happy to Announce the Grand Opening of our Facebook Boutique!




This Sunday May 1, we’ll be launching our Facebook Pooka Boutique! Now you’ll be able to get your pooka products right on our fanpage! We’ll be offering specials, sales and discounts to our loyal FB Fans, sooooo......better join facebook people!! We’ll be celebrating all day Sunday with product sales, games and specials! Make sure to check out the schedule below and
Join us for our Facebook Boutique Ribbon Cutting at 3:30pm Sunday May 1 on our Fanpage!!


3:30-4:00pm
Ribbon Cutting Festivities!
Entire Store 20% off!

4:00-5:00pm
Guava Mango Butter
Interviews, Testimonials and of course it will be on sale for $7.00

5:00-5:15pm
Treasure Hunt!
One product in our store will be on sale for $5.00 for 15 minutes, you find it and stock up!

5:15-7:00pm
All Whipped Up!
All Whipped Creams will be 10% off!