QUESTIONS FROM MY KIDS AND HOW I RESPOND

 

Good morning wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. Thank you all for checking out my blog today. I am very happy to be blogging today.

So, this is about having smart, loud, lovely and oversabe(Nigerian experession for "know it all") kids. Have you ever found yourself in a jury but it's really not a real jury trial? I am talking about one where you are sitting peacefully and a group of 5 year olds and 3 year olds come to you uninvited asking you questions they know they answer to? Well, if you haven't, let me tell you about my life then. I only have two kids but I might as well have 10 LOL. My kids are like me and it gets pretty annoying to a point of laughter. Hahah. I am sitting over here eating my rice (yes, I love rice LOL), my oversabe kids come walking to me asking what I am doing. I have now developed a strategy and it is a response that gets them each time. When they ask me what I am doing, I tell them "I am upstairs taking a shower," LOL. They laugh out loud at my response and and Then they add "No mama, you are at the dining room eating rice." After which I add, "you know what I am doing and you are still asking me what I am doing? Next thing they do is say "Mama, you are upstairs taking a shower," and they burst out laughing at the joke too. It baffles me how good of a humor my babies have at these tender ages. Their ability to understand our environment makes me wonder if I was like this when I was their age.

    Watch our latest video: 

Of course, I end up laughing with them too and the questions continue. I have also learned to ignore them too. This mama's head has a lot of commitment and planning most days but my kids bring the joy to each moment and I love it. Life is truly fun and joyful with my little ones. 

I hope I made you laugh today.

Don't let anyone steal your joy!

Maryam

LESSONS OF LIFE MY CHILDREN TEACH ME

 Good morning, wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you're all having a great day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you all for checking out my blog today.

So, I'm a mom. I have two amazing kids who teach me more about life than I could ever learn anywhere else. Life with them is an adventure and everyday is a new experience. My son is a music lover. He loves his guitar. I ask him to play me some music and he is delighted to play and sing to me. I love him and am amazed at his wisdom and strength. My daughter is a dancer and an act. She loves to dance and demonstrate movements that people and animals make. She is fun. Both my kids are an experience by themselves. They love to play together and when they fight, you'd think they never get along. I love how fast and easy they get along after a fight. It's so sweet to watch. I wish adults would be more like children. When there's a fight, take a break and then let it go. 

So, Le'Veon and Zozo have been calling themselves doctors for a while. I hear Le'Veon say "mama I'm Doctor Le'Veon." And I say, "yes baby, you are Doctor Le'veon." I see the joy in him when I agree with him. Then Zozo comes along and says "I am Doctor Zozo." Of course I say "yes baby, you're Doctor Zozo." Zoe lights up with a big smile. I just love it! 

I thought about getting them a doctor play set to practice with. I found  the perfect set for girls. It came in pink. Here's the link I got it from: https://amzn.to/2GX9zQ1 Check it out.

The picture above is a screenshot of the product. It has many pieces and they are safe for kids 2 years and above. Zoe loves this play set. Of course Le'Veon was Zoe's first patient. It was hilarious to watch. After Levy got a checkup, it seemed like the prescription was an unending use of plaster stickers on Levy's leg. Zoe kept placing stickers on Le'Veon and it was hilarious. Levy of course got tired of the whole thing and wanted it to stop.

It is really fun watching my kids play and interact with different educational toys and each other. They are so present in the moment, that the future is irrelevant. We need to be more childlike. Pour our hearts to whatever we are doing in the present and let everything else go. I believe that as we do this, we save ourselves from unnecessary worries and stress.

Thank you for checking out my blog.

Have a great day!

With gratitude,

Maryam

MY KIDS REACTION TO EATING ICE CREAM ON A CONE|| BASKIN ROBBIN

What's up wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you're all having an amazing day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy? Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you for joining me. 

I let my kids eat snacks. They love their gummies amd chips. However, I don't always buy chips but gummies are a MUST! Lol.. Ice cream though, I don't always give them. I don't eat ice cream all the time myself. I love ice cream but don't eat it all the time. A few days ago, I asked the kids if they wanted ice cream and they said yes. I set out to take them to Baskin Robbin!

So I took them to Baskin Robbin for the first time. Prior to leaving the house, I asked them what flavor they wanted and their answer was a unanimous chocolate! So we headed out for some ice cream.

My kids had never had ice cream on a cone before and I was curious as to how they were going to handle it. Le'Veon hates messy foods. Zoe doesn't care. If it's food and it's delicious, she likes messy... lol.

Well, I also knew that my car was going to be a mess after the ice cream and that didn't bother me because my car interior is leather and easy to clean. Moreover, I was more concerned about the fun than the mess. Lol.

When the kids got their ice cream and started eating it. I noticed that they were fascinated with how it looked and they took little bites off of it. Then the ice cream started to melt. Le'Veon didn't like the mess all over him and wanted to get rid of the ice cream. Zo'e on the order hand, loved it and didn't want me to take a bite in an attempt to fix it. Lol.

I explained to Le'Veon that the mess is ok because ice cream is meant to be messy and that he was going to get a shower when we got home. He ate it for a little while longer and handed the rest to me.

Zoe's was all over her clothes, hands and car seat and I was okay with it. After a little while, Zoe got tired because she had had enough and her ice cream wasn't finishing fast enough. When she got tired, she handed the rest of it to me.

Watch the video here:

It was really fun watching my sweet babies eat their ice cream. I enjoy fun times with my babies and seeing their reactions when they try something new. I enjoy being a mom and giving my kids the best of me. I believe it is the little things that make a world of difference. Little gestures and experiences compound to bigger and sweeter experiences. I am committed to living life to the fullest with my kids each day. Life is truly magical and sharing this magic is my goal each and every day.

I hope you enjoyed this post.

I am sending you a whole lotta sweet love and vibrations.

With gratitude,

Maryam

AS A MOM, STAYING ACTIVE, IS A MUST FOR ME

 

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you're having an amazing day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you for stopping by today.

SO, how do I feel about staying active? I think it's amazing! Freaking amazing. I love being able to run around the house and at the park chasing my active kids. I love being able to jump as high and as often as I want to, without worrying about getting hurt. 

Staying active means keeping my and body mind in order. One way I have found that really helps me stay in a place of peace and focus is stretching and deep breaths. When I do these, I find myself suddenly in the moment. Not worries about the past and and not too concerned about the future either. Life is beautiful, my friend and there is immense power in the present.

If you are a mom reading this, I want to encourage you to take time out for yourself to stretch and breathe. You do a lot for everyone, now it's time to do a lot for you. You are constantly relied upon to keep everyone safe, fed and healthy and you almost forget that you are a person too. Well, here's your reminder mama, you are VALUABLE! Don't think you have to sacrifice what you would love, so everyone else can be happy but you. From my experience, that breeds contempt and you don't want that.

I love my kids but they can be very demanding sometimes. The way that I balance taking care of them and me is by making sure I am doing things I love to do. Staying active is one of the main things that I love to do. Workout with me today by watching my video:

To follow my fitness journey and participate in working out with me, please subscribe to my fitness channel:YouTube.com/therealmaryamshumate. I have dedicated this channel to inspiring you to stay active while at home with your babies.

I am rooting for you, girl! 

With gratitude,

Maryam

MOMS COVID-19 WORRIES ABOUT THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR

 

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you all are having an amazing day and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you for checking out my blog today.

This new school year is different from any other in recent history. There's fear in the atmosphere and parents are worried. Covid-19 has got most parents on edge trying to make the best decision about how their kids learn. The choice between virtual learning vs. in-class learning is one that parents are most disturbed about. Like most parents, I was concerned about the whole situation with my son starting school. However, I refuse  to let the situation scare me. I realize that God is our protector and my confidence is set on God. Fear is a very negative emotion and I am choosing faith over it.

Le'Veon, during virtual learning.

I enrolled my son to a program called "Hybrid," where he gets to spend three days in class and two days at home, doing  virtual learning. So far, he has adjusted really well and it's only his first week. I am so proud of him. The only struggle is waking up very early to prepare for school. Le'Veon keeps telling me it's night and he wants to go back to bed lol...

His teacher seems really nice and she likes Le'Veon's personality. I also notice that Le'Veon already knows what he's been taught at Pre K. Because he's so advanced, he is learning to accommodate other kids who are a little bit behind him. Seeing him adjust to school and express all that we have learned together at home,makes me so proud of him. 

This school year, I choose to be hopeful and confident in God. I believe that He who blessed me with two amazing babies, will also watch over them and keep them safe. I consciously choose faith over fear always!

Per Covid-19 procedures at Le'Veon's Pre-K, they are required to keep their masks on, all day at school. They are also making sure their hands are washed often. That's something that all the kids, including mine are adjusting to. Evaluating from Le'Veon's first week, I think he likes his new school. I am very excited to see all the progress he makes and how well he adjusts to this new experience.

I want to encourage all moms not to stress about their kids. Have a positive outlook and expectations toward your child/children. Believe all is well and all shall be well. Remember, always pray for your children because God still answers prayers. Psalm 65:2

Until next time...

With gratitude,

Maryam

I FEEL LIKE QUITTING BUT AM NOT A QUITTER|| OMG IT'S MY PERIOD

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are y'all doing today? I hope you are all having an amazing day and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you all for joining me.

Have you ever felt like quitting? Like just giving up on everything? I have. In fact, these last few days have been a little hard on me physically and emotionally. It's crazy how someone like me, who is spiritually awakened would feel this way lol...

Well, I do and it's okay to feel like quitting because regardless of how transformed we are spiritually, we are still having a human experience. Feeling this tired and worn out is part of being human but becomes a problem when we listen to our ego and quit.

In my morning live broadcast today, I talked about what it takes to build muscle. It is not fun. You have to go through intense resistance training and sometimes, you'd feel like giving up but the vision of your toned body, in your mind won't allow you quit.

It's the same with life issues. Every time life throws curve balls at us, the goal of the ego is to quit at the slightest sign of difficulty. I have trained myself to push harder in the face of adversity because there's a sweet thing called a breakthrough at the other side of it.

It turns out, the reason I have been feeling off lately is my period. That time of the month just SUCKS! but it's part of being a blessed woman. My body is going through a cleansing and re-balancing and it ain't funny lol.. All I want to do is curl up in bed, pull the covers over my head and lay there. While I could do that, there are two amazing, very opinionated Einsteins who would start interrogating me NONSTOP!😡

Asking me questions like "mama what are you doing?" "Mama get up!" Mama come wipe my butt." It's NONSTOP! I tell you.  Now, when it's my turn to ask for something when they are not in the mood, OMG! They get so upset lol...

Life is truly beautiful and I wouldn't take it any other way. After all,  I chose this life. Thank God for His grace and faithfulness. I rely heavily on God's grace to see me through EVERYTHING! He's never failed me yet!

I feel so much better when I do things that I love; such as making videos and writing blogs.

Thank you all for your support. You are all amazing!

With gratitude,

Maryam

READY FOR THE COLD DAY WITH A BOWL OF CHILI

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely friends. How are y'all doing today? I hope y'all are having a great day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day!

It's the winter! That means cold days and colder nights. I don't know about you but I just feel like laying in bed longer because the bed feels particularly cozier in this season. Or is it just me? LOL!

I love cooking for my family. I also know that I have to be wise with what I cook and how much I cook. There are days when I don't feel like spending too much time in the kitchen. It is because of such days that I make a big pot of chili or soup that can be easily warmed up and eaten for a couple of days. Today is one of such days for me.

I made a delicious pot of chili using a range of ingredients from Great Value to Clover Valley. These are Walmart and Dollar General stores brands respectively. I love how affordable their store brand items are. Before sharing pictures with you all, I wanted to first share what I learned recently from a Hallmark movie that I had watched recently. Prior to watching that movie, I didn't know the difference between wooden and metal spoons. Wooden spoons have wider spouts because they are better used for combining and mixing spices and ingredients in the pot. Metal spoons on the other hand, are designed to be used for serving the food. And I had no idea 😀. Did you always know this information? Share below.

Recipe List:

 Clover Valley Crushed Tomatoes

 2 Packs of McCormick Chili seasoning and 3 Clover Valley Chili Ready Beans

 A tea spoon of salt and 1/2 a table spoon of Caldo de Res(optional)

A tea spoon of Great Value Italian Seasoning

2 Pounds Pack of Ground Beef. Cook in a sauce pan/pot with chopped onion and garlic until brown.

Drain grease and rinse with about 2 1/2 cups of water.
Place pot/pan on stove at medium heat. Add beans, tomatoes and all spices and stir until perfectly combined. Cook covered for 25 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit, to cool for about 10-15mins and then enjoy😋!

You can enjoy plain or with cheese!

I hope you enjoy trying out this recipe!

Until next time.
Many blessings to you and your family!
💖

I LOVE BREAKFAST TIME WITH MY FAMILY

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are y'all doing today? I hope y'all are having a great day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day!

It is always amazing to write. Anytime I get the opportunity to blog, I feel very happy and blessed!

What makes you feel particularly blessed? Share with me in the comments below.

My sweet family loves to eat. Food is a tradition in our home and we all enjoy it. I am very thankful for the ability God has given me to cook and enjoy the food with my sweet family.
My sweet man loves eating together as a family. It's something he looks forward to whenever he is off work and can eat breakfast with us. So, I decided to go all out this time. Our normal breakfast is sausage biscuits and water. The kids usually eat breakfast before we do and they enjoy their warm cereal. I decided to break the norm and give us something different to eat.

My menu was bacon, sausage biscuits, apple juice, tater tots, and apple slices. My sweet man was so thankful for breakfast and I was very happy. The food was so good and so much that I took a nap after breakfast. We ate everything except for the tater tots.
I also filmed the process for my internet family. If you want to hangout with me in the kitchen and with us at the dining table, watch the video?:

God is good, God is love and I am so thankful to Him for my family and His many blessings.
Until next time.

Maryam💕

MY KIDS TRIED COLD CEREAL FOR THE FIRST TIME

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are y'all doing today? I hope you're having an amazing day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life.
Today is a beautiful day!

So, my sweet babies had not tried cold cereal prior to today. I had the idea to capture their reaction on camera and post on our YouTube channel. My children are so traditional in what they want and do. Let me clarify. We are used to going to the park by a certain route and after the park, we usually walk around the lake and finally, cross a bridge that leads us to the route we take back home. We've been doing this for over 6 months and my kids have gotten a hang of it. Especially, my sweet son; Le'Veon. Le'Veon maps out our trip and activities from home before we get out. Anytime I make an attempt to change our plans in the last minute, Le'Vy instantly tells me that's not right and he doesn't like it.

Anyways, my babies like to go through with our plans and any slight change in plans in the process, aggravates my kids😂😂😂. I'm still trying to figure out where my kids got this habit. However, It is so amazing watching my kids display their personalities and understanding. I am so grateful for them and God for this.
So, I didn't know how my kids would react to the cold cereal. I have tried feeding them some unfamiliar foods before and they were really upset. I asked them if they'd like to try it and Levy said yes. Zozo was just ready to eat and didn't really pay attention to the preparation.

They finally tried it and Le'Veon liked it a little bit but Zozo could only endure the first bite 😂😂😂.
Here's the video:

I hope this made you laugh or entertained you in some way.

Until next time.
Maryam💕

WHY WORKING OUT WITH YOUR HUSBAND OR WIFE HELPS YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. how are you all doing today? I hope you all are having a great day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day!

I enjoy working out with my sweet man (husband). It is a time that helps us bond and talk about something else other than our normal routine. I remember when my husband purchased our Bowflex, earlier this year. I weighed over 210 pounds. I had been thinking about running and working out but had not started yet. The Bowflex gave us an opportunity to set personal weight and health goals together. My husband motivated me and helped me stay focus on my goals. Hey babe, if you're reading this, thanks for encouraging me to stay with my goals.

There were days when I didn't feel like working out or even sticking to a healthy diet. I have had days when I craved donuts and ice cream and every junk food that someone on a diet shouldn't crave. But my husband was there telling me to fight the urge or not overindulge. Sometimes, I got really upset because I felt like I needed my donuts to help me feel good. It was very hard but I tried and can look back now and be thankful for my accountability partner.

Your spouse can be your accountability partner for those times or days when you feel uninspired and the temptation to go back to your old eating habits is knocking at your door. It is at such trying times that your spouse can come in and remind you of your goals and help you stay focused.

I am very fit and healthy today. I love how I feel and the ease that I feel when I want to run or jump. I absolutely love it! Unlike when I was a college athlete, with achy joints from excessive workout, I don't feel the aches.

I'd like to encourage you to take up a new bonding activity with your spouse. Exercising together is a great way to bond. My sweet man loves it and emphasizes it and I think it is very important to spend time with your spouse doing some type of fitness activity outside of the house.

Here's a video that might interest you. We filmed our outdoor workout session together and we encourage you guys to try spending time together and see where it takes your relationship.

Until next time.
Maryam💖

SHARING ITEMS GREAT FOR MOMS AND BABIES FEATURING MOMMEDTECH

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely friends. how are y'all doing today? I hope y'all are having a great today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life! Today is a beautiful day!

I love how unique my intro is and I think I'll keep it 😁.
As a mom, life is not about me anymore and I think that's okay. I know I speak for most moms when I say that my needs come last and my kids come first EVERY TIME! There are downsides to putting yourself last but most times it's what you have to do to keep your home peaceful.

I love buying toys and items that entertain, challenge and teach my little ones how to be interactive and share. For a second there, I was thinking about what toys to get for my kids and then I received an email from mommedtech.com about a collaboration. Which was just what I needed. They have a variety of fun toys for kids and other items that are practical and developmental also. Such as their baby scales, doodle mat, wall growth chart, Dinosaur bubble gun and many more. The coolest thing about mommedtech.com is that mom is not left out. They have ovulation and pregnancy strips and kit for moms to be. I personally think that you should check them out!
My kids don't want to put down the dinosaur bubble gun. I have been having to break fights over that thing. They also love the beach and bathtime play set; which has multiple pieces that they each can play with. I filmed a whole review video that is now live on my channel. In this video, I did the unboxing, the test trial and everything you'd expect to know before buying a product. Please check it out.

I hope you enjoy the video. Comment below to share what your favorite item on my package was. I am very excited to know.
Until next time.
Maryam💖

WHAT TO WEAR TO WORK OR BUSINESS MEETINGS INSPO

Hello! Wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are y'all doing today? I hope y'all are having an amazing day and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life!
Today is a beautiful day!

Are you seeking inspiration or guidance on what to wear/buy for work or business meetings or even interviews? I got you covered. I love sharing my useful tips with you. It is always my joy to bring meaning to your life and inspire your next level.
I filmed a whole video talking about what to wear and staples for every wardrobe. If you are interested in watching it, I have shared the video in this post.

Everyone needs some wardrobe staples in their closets. Staples such as a black suit/jacket, a pair of black pants or a black skirt. These NEVER go out of fashion or use. I will share some pictures with you here too. All of the clothes featured were bought at a discounted rate. Stores featured are Ross dress for less; Old Navy,  Venus, and Nadine West. 

When you have a black skirt, pair of pants and a jacket, you've laid a solid foundation on which to build your wardrobe. What you need next are colors and patterns to put different looks together.

This jacket is a blue/black jacket that goes with patterns like the floral blouse I'm wearing under it.

 This is great for a work day or a business meeting or even an interview.

I really like this long tail jacket from VENUS. It's beautiful. Wear it over a nice blouse on a pair of pants like the one seen in the picture and you're ready to conquer that interview/day

You can also switch up your style by wearing a maroon blouse over your skirt untucked for a casual day at work.

 Or you can wear it tucked in as seen in the picture. It's really up to you.

 Or you can wear a jacket over it.

If you're feeling kinda inspired and excited, you can try some bring colors as seen in the picture with a jacket over it.

Or you can wear a jacket over that dress you love to mix it up a little bit.

 You can wear it buttoned or not. It just really depends on your preference.

Thank you all so much for reading today's blog. Y'all are amazing!
I hope you got inspired today. Please leave a comment below to tell what your favorite look is.
Until next time,
Don't let anyone steal your joy!

Maryam💖