Wellness - Friends and Family

Happy Wednesday Mochas!

Hope everyone is enjoying this Easter week with your family! Whether your minis are on spring break and you've taken little a time off to spend with them, you are home, or you are back at work after the easter holiday weekend. Hopefully, you've enjoyed the company of your friends and/or family! Usually around the holidays, but most importantly, year round, it's good for your health to make the time to spend with people in your life that you love. 

"The best times are when friends and family gather round." 

Health Benefits Of Friends And Family: 8 Reasons Why It's Healthy To Spend Time With Loved Ones:

1. Parenting lengthens life- being a parent, especially a mom, can help us live longer. Giving birth and raising our children promotes longevity and encourages us to take care of ourselves to be there for our children for the long run.

2. Having different social networks are good for our health and are great ways to converse, take a break and rejuvenate whether it's just with friends or just with family.

3. Decreases loneliness- having family and friends around and spending time with people we know and love prevents depression or feelings of loneliness.

4. Friends and family are highly influential and make a difference in our health habits, for example, what we eat for dinner as a family or doing activities together to stay active.

5. Lowers stress- having other people to talk to that are close to us such as family or friends, our mothers, fathers, or siblings can lower our stress levels about any situation. 

6. Makes us feel happy! When we are around good people, we're bound to have a good time!! Relaxing and laughing just happens and we feel happy!

7. Creates growth- family and friends are awesome support networks, providing wisdom and advice that can help and enable us to grow.

8. Builds relationships-the more time we spend we someone, the closer we get with that person, good or bad. We learn each other's ways, but overall, it helps us to truly get to know a person and builds the relationship we have with have that person. 

Enjoy the time you spend with your loved ones, immediate family, distant family and friends! It will keep you healthy and well :-)

For more Wellness Topics click HERE!

This post is courtesy of Mocha Tiffany K.

Easter Party 2015

Bergen County Mocha Moms

TEANECK — On Saturday afternoon at the Richard Rodda Community Center, the sound of children’s giggles intermingled with the warm greetings and soft words shared by unrelated women who call each other family.

Though it was the children who crawled under tables searching for boiled colored eggs and constructed floppy bunny hats out of paper, it was their mothers who seemed to be really enjoying themselves.

Tanisha Day, a human-resources consultant from Teaneck, smiled broadly as her 8-year-old son Nehemiah played, and friends asked about her week.

Mocha's Tanisha D and Kathy W. 

Chapter President Tiffany K and Family

“The key word is genuine,” said Day, one of 55 members of the Bergen County chapter of Mocha Moms, a national group that describes itself as a sisterhood of women bonded by motherhood. “We like each other, and we have a lot of fun.”

Otise, Tanisha, Ivory and Patrice

Eight years ago, Day separated from her husband and moved from Virginia to New Jersey alone, a transition that she said put her at her “lowest point.”

“When I needed help, I didn’t have to ask,” she said. “They saw me struggle with a lot of things.”

Day previously served as president of the local group, founded in 2006 as a chapter of the national organization originally designed as a support group for stay-at-home moms of color.

Mocha Dana reads to the kids

Mocha Sisterly Love

The Bergen County chapter is unique — most of its 55 members are working moms, and many are single, according to current President Tiffany Kerr of Wood-Ridge.

And almost all have settled in New Jersey from other parts of the country, said Vice President Otise Schuk of Bogota.

Mocha Shawana and Family

Mocha's Michelle, Dana and Tanisha

For Day and others, the support comes in many forms: offers to baby-sit, child-rearing tips, deep discussions about motherhood, stories about reentering the workforce and help seeking new jobs and career opportunities.

Schuk, who moved to New Jersey in 2007 from Atlanta, where she worked as an analyst for the federal government, said she got a recommendation for a job from a Mocha Mom.

“Whether I know somebody who knows somebody, or somebody else does, the group has been really helpful,” she said.

The group’s events include monthly meetings at a Paramus library and celebrations like a Mother’s Day event next month.

As her 3-year-old daughter Alyssa toddled around with a friend, Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker said she joined Mocha Moms seeking help with work-life balance and play dates for Alyssa.

Mocha Kids

The Honorable Lizette Parker - Mocha Mom and Teaneck Mayor

Program for the Day

“It also provides great stress relief with events for just moms,” said Parker, who joined in October 2012. “It’s an opportunity to just enjoy each other’s company.”

Parker said she often peruses an online forum for members, who discuss everything from preparing lunches to handling temper tantrums. “If you need it, Mocha has it,” she said.

The chapter also has an informal group of Mocha Dads, who get to know one another and bond at chapter events.

More Mocha Moms

Mocha Tanisha and Family

David Radney of Wyckoff said he’s grateful his wife joined the chapter, as his family moved to the area about a year ago from Dallas. “I have like-minded dads I can talk to,” he said. “We share our experiences and learn from each other.”

Mocha's Ivory and Kathy

Mocha Kathy W.

Tanisha and Christian Alicea of Ramsey have attended chapter events for the past nine years, often bringing along their now-9-year-old daughter Olivia.

“It’s important for little kids of color to see their peers in a setting that’s positive,” Christian Alicea said.

The Aliceas relocated from New England, leaving behind a wide support system of maternal and paternal grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, he said.

“This has been an extension of our family that has allowed us to build our own family,” he said.

BY MARINA VILLENEUVE - Staff Writer, The record

Mocha's Dana, Kathy and Lizette

To see pix from other Mocha Events, click HERE!

This article is courtesy of  NorthJersey.com

Mocha Mom Wig Party!

Party like a Mocha Mom!

We Mochas have all kind of fun!  This weekend we had  Wig Party fun with our girl Sherri Shepherd!

Sherri with Mocha Tiffany

Our chapter turned out on mass to support our sister Sherri.  We enjoyed good food, chair massages and as always one another's company.  

Mocha Kathy and Mocha Heather getting massages

Some of us had never tried wigs before so celebrity stylist Robert Evan Thomas was there to give us a hand.

Celebrity Stylist Robert Evan Thomas with Mocha Sheri

Wig choices

Mocha Sheri makes her choice

Check out the girls in their new wigs!

Mochas Otise, Michelle and Tiffany

Mocha Kathy

Mochas Ivory and Otise

Mocha Michelle

Mochas Julissa and Tiffany

Mochas Ivory, Tiffany, Sheri, Julissa and Michelle

Mocha Tiffany and Karima

Mirror selfie with Sherri

Mocha Otise, Karima and Tiffany

Mocha Tiffany and April

Red Velvet Deliciousness!

Bergen County Mocha Moms

To check out the Mocha Mom's Chapter in your area, CLICK HERE!

For more information on LuxHair, Click HERE.

To reach Robert Evan Thomas, Click HERE.

This event was also covered by Mommy Noire and by HueKnewIt blog.

Tip and Tricks: The Tooth Fairy Knot

Tooth Fairy Knot

As a long time mom I'm happy to discover any tip or trick to make life easier.  This is a little diddy that I came up with when I was nearly discovered carrying out my tooth fairy duties.

Tiny Baby Tooth

My kids (like all kids) have tiny baby teeth. The poor tooth fairy barely stands a chance at finding such a tiny tooth tucker under (what seems like) a gigantic pillow.

All tied up

As soon as a tooth comes out I tie it in a handkerchief, cloth napkin or some other piece of cloth.

Ready for the Fairy

Place the tooth under the pillow.  The tooth is now MUCH easier for the fairy to locate and remove.

The Tooth Fairy

Good Luck with your Fairy Responsibilities!

This post is courtesy of mocha Kathy W.

Wellness - Spring Cleaning

Happy Beautiful Spring-Like Wednesday! 

Here's an oldie, but goodie! This same time last year, I wrote a Wellness Wednesday inspiring you to prepare for spring and start getting rid of your clutter. March is "Mocha Spring Cleaning" time!! Mentally and physically, all of the clutter has got to go! 

A cluttered space creates a cluttered mind!! Ease into your spring cleaning by clearing out simple spaces that have been bothering you! Unconsciously, this clutter may be causing friction in your life and can weigh you down spiritually and emotionally. Once it's cleared, you will not feel anxious, stressed or unorganized anymore. Your mind will be free and you will be able to think clearly. Then, it will be easy to move on to the next thing and truly be able to enjoy your Spring!

Here are some simple ways you can start to clear the clutter from your life: 

1. Clean out and organize your purse! Switch up your handbag altogether!
2. Everyday remove garbage and unneeded items from your car.
3. Move slowly when you get home and be aware to put up your keys, hang your coat, wash your hands, change your clothes, etc.
4. Hang up your clothes as soon as you take them off or put them in your dirty laundry.
5. Fold and put away clothes immediately after doing laundry.
6. Wash the dishes or fill the dishwasher as you cook or while the food is cooking. I like to go to bed at night with a clean kitchen, so I usually do this after dinner and put everything away in its place. It does take a little more time, but it's refreshing to wake up to a clean kitchen!
7. Clean out your fridge! Move healthy items to eye level on your shelves so they are easy to get to. I recently started doing this with my farmers market items! 
8. Make your bed as soon as you rise. This has truly worked for me! I just feel more structured when my bed is made!
9. Open your mail as it comes in and put in where it belongs.
10. If it's hard for you to get dressed in the morning, it's time to streamline your closet. It's time to organize, rotate, and donate! Clothes, shoes, jackets, bags, etc. Pick up the latest style magazine, think about your personal style, filter through your basics and make a list of items you might need. Think of your clothes as a reflection of you and your mood. Remember that Spring is happy and colorful! 

Think of those hot spots and stagnant spaces that just keep collecting clutter and before you know it they become little piles. Lets clear those little piles! The hot spots are high traffic areas like the front door where you take off your shoes, the entry way, dining room table or kitchen counter. The stagnant spaces are out of the way areas like closets, the attic (my attic is horrible!), basement and drawers. Organize hot spots everyday and work on a stagnant space each weekend. (Put on some music and try what's called the 15 minute tidy!) 

Start clearing the spaces around you, clear the energy that surrounds you, and relish in a beautiful clean space! 

This blog post is courtesy of Mocha Tiffany

For more WELLNESS topics, click HERE!