You Go Girl! Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton Speak at DNC

This ain't your grandmomma's politics... Or is it. For years, nay, decades we have been bombarded by men's politics in the highest office in our land. We've had some great ones, we've had (have) some not so great ones. But look out Joe, there's a new sheriff in town, and she's wearing a cocktail dress and three-inch heels. (Or is part of the 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuit!') Michelle Obama and Hillary Clintons speeches at the DNC proved that there is a reason why our nation is electrified for change. These two phenomenal woman gave speeches that called the cows home and hopefully will call you to action. Enjoy!

Femme Fabulous - Lolo Jones

Much to my chagrin, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is coming to an end. Atleast I can get back to a 10:30pm bedtime instead of my Olympic-viewing induced insomnia. The stories, the dreams, the triumphs, the heartbreak, the hotties; The Olympics was a drug and I was addicted. I knew the names of all of the competitors, I craved Shaun Johnsons smile, I wondered if Michael Phelps would get his 8 golds, I watched Usain Bolt beat Michael Johnson 200m record (which I remember Johnson setting.) My heart smiled every time the underdog excelled (mens gymnastic), the jilted-veteran (61-year-old Ian Miller, equestrian) made good or the shiny ingénue surprised (Shelley-Anne Frasier).

All of a sudden sports I never paid two-hoots of attention to became the center of my evening! I cheered as athletes I never heard of became American Heroes. In a world where our relationship with our millionaire professional athletes is often love/hate, these men and woman seemed to represent something else, something larger. What was it? As I sat glued to the T.V. getting my 2am fix, I pondered that question. It was answered in the form of Lolo Jones.

Who is Lolo Jones you may ask. Well, a week ago I didn't know either. But I would soon find out as I watched the Womens 100 meter hurdles. The first thing that caught my attention was how beautiful the gold-medal favorite was and she was from the U.S.A. Turns out she was the World Champion from Des Moines, Iowa.

I watched the race and Lolo took off. She was doing marvelously until she hit the ninth hurdle. Losing momentum she ended up fourth. Its what Lolo did next that impressed me. She didn't huff off the field or dodge the media (which would have been well within her right after such a disappointment) She immediately took repeated interviews, maintaining the utmost poise and class, and not once giving any excuse to why she hit the hurdle. During her interview she congratulated her teammates who were passing by. Curious, I googled Lolo Jones and what I found touched my heart and answered my question.

Maybe the Olympics is so addictive because the trials and success of these men and woman represent that dream within ourselves that we hope to birth forth and into the world. Our private gold-medal finish that may have nothing to do with scoring or time clocks, but is the juice that keep us believing in ourselves and our lives. Hearing what the athletes have overcome remind us of the goal that we have yet to achieve and have considered abandoning. Well for all of you gold-medal dreamers please read the following article by Bryce Miller, Gannett News Service about how my Femme Fabulous, Lolo Jones overcame poverty and homelessness to become a role model and Olympian and be encouraged!

To see video of Lolo Jones click here or on any image.

By Bryce Miller, Gannett News Service
BEIJING — Every morning, when the kids showed up for the church summer camp at the Salvation Army building in Des Moines, Lolo Jones, her sister and brothers were already there.
Day after day, Jones bounced around the gymnasium as others walked in.

She owned boundless energy, an infectious smile, but also a guarded secret. The woman picked by some to win the gold medal in the 100-meter women's hurdles at the 2008 Summer Olympics lived in the basement.

"I remember we had to wake up earlier than when the kids started arriving, so they wouldn't tease us," she said. "Me and my brothers would get up and we'd be in the gym before the other kids got there.

"So it kind of looked like our parents were the first to drop us off at the camp."

These Olympics are positioned to be a global introduction for Jones, a 26-year-old graduate of Des Moines Roosevelt High School.

Oakley launched a campaign for its "Enduring" sunglasses line that features Jones, the Olympic Trials winner and reigning world champ in the 60-meter indoor hurdles.

The United States Olympic Committee will bring three women's track stars to a Thursday press conference with international media: Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards, Olympic silver medalist and world champion Allyson Felix — and Jones.

A life that included homelessness now resonates with world-stage possibility.
"This is not like a Dream Team basketball person that has a multi-million dollar contract," said Kim Carson, another Roosevelt track star who helped Jones since junior high on and off the track and traveled to Beijing. "This is a kid who had nothing."

Growing up, Jones attended eight different schools in eight years as her single mother bounced between Texas and Iowa, often holding down two jobs to support her children. Jones' father, who spent time in the Air Force and jail, "wasn't really in the picture much," she said.

While in third grade, Jones estimated, the family ended up in the basement of the church.
All the moving and all the change eventually became too much for Jones, who decided against a move to Forest City, telling her mother, " 'Mom, I can't go to a city that doesn't have a track. I'm trying to pursue my dream.' "

The decision began a stretch where Jones lived with three families, including the family of Randy Essex, a former assistant managing editor of The Des Moines Register who now works at the Detroit Free Press.

Essex noticed at youth track events his son participated in that no one seemed to be in the stands cheering Jones, a blossoming star.

"It was a really family-oriented club," Essex said. "I asked (the club organizer) after practice why there were no parents or adults around Lolo."

That conversation eventually led to Jones moving in with Essex and his family for about 16 months, beginning in August 1998.

"When she moved in with us, it was obviously a difficult situation for her," Essex said. "We were almost strangers."

Essex watched, impressed, as Jones quietly focused on decision after decision. She worked at track. She worked at track. She worked at her job at the Iowa Bagel Bakery near 42nd Street and University in Des Moines.

"Just a hard-working, dependable kid," he said.

Jones also lived with Kim Walker, a Des Moines attorney, and his wife, Jean.
Walker watched proudly as Jones returned to Roosevelt recently to hand over new track shoes to her former high school and a $12,000 check to Renee Trout, a flood victim and single mother from Cedar Rapids.

"That's as good a role model as we can ask for, don't you think?" Walker said.
When high school ended, Jones landed a spot on the track team at Louisiana State University — a national powerhouse. At LSU, Jones understood the uniqueness of her situation for the first time.

Other LSU students packed up belongings to go home for the holidays.
"I was like, 'Wait, I don't have a bedroom to go (to) back home,' " Jones said.
LSU coach Dennis Shaver knew the family faced financial challenges, but "she never complained."

When Jones graduated, she worked minimum-wage jobs to keep chasing an Olympic track dream — an experience she said was more difficult than being temporarily homeless.
"It was more hard for me to swallow my pride and take out garbage at a gym when I had an economics degree and Spanish minor," she said.

"I had people come up to me like, 'Didn't you graduate? What are you doing working at this gym?' I was like, 'I'm trying to do this track thing. If I get a 9-to-5 (job), I won't have flexibility to leave the country and go to these competitions."

When Jones missed a spot in Athens after falling during the 2004 Olympic Trials, Shaver became a salesman for Jones.

Shaver told the big-time track sponsors, "Her day will come if given the opportunity."
That day did come.

Jones remembers walking to school during brutal Iowa winters because the family didn't own a car. Now, she's sponsored by Oakley and Asics — and has the ability to focus on track full time.
"My life changed," Jones said. "I went from eating ramen noodles to steak, fish and chicken — what an athlete should be eating."

Sponsorships allowed her routine access to massages, chiropractors and the tools other elite athletes used to maintain peak condition.

"It just helped me get the things an athlete needs to be successful," Jones said of the sponsors. "A businessman needs a laptop. Athletes need massages and the right diet."
Jones talks freely about the struggles that led her to China, where she begins competition on Sunday in the opening day of the 100-meter hurdles.

"A lot of it is, she's not ashamed of it," Carson said. "Her mom's been honest with her. She understands the struggle of a single parent."

In the end, Jones continued to push, balked at chances to quit and traveled from a basement to the ultimate sports stage in Beijing.

"Lolo Jones is a great American story," Essex said. "You don't get that many anymore, with people who grew up poor and seize every opportunity. And she really did."

VIDE0

Product Shout-Out: Alaffia Sustainable Skincare

I am trying my very best to go green. Seriously. Slowly I have been replacing all my household products with green products, I wash my clothes in 100% Phosphate-free Certified Biodegradable laundry detergent. I'm in the market for a hybrid vehicle (and this is saying a lot ya'll, because I am a big-haired-big-eyed-bonified-Texas-SUV-girl. Just like I like my men, I like my cars oversized!) So, naturally, I have been searching for the perfect 100% organic, paraben-free, chemical-free face and hair-care products. And this search has not been cheap.

Alas, a solution: On a photoshoot for Jungle Gurl (off the chain re-designed one-of-a-kind vintage swimwear. Holla if ya hear me, my Jungle Gurl suit is my new obsession. I mean it's literally making me move to the beach, among others things, but that's a blog for another day) when another model was complaining about her eczema. One of the make-up artist suggested Palm Oil barsoap. Taking notes, as soon as the shoot was over I high-tailed it to Whole Foods looking for Palm Oil Soap. Bingo - Alaffia Shea Butter Face Soap with Goats Milk, Roobios and Vanilla Ylang, Ylang. Well that's an antioxidant power punch. $4.00! I'll take it. Because I had money to spare I went ahead and tried out their Roobios and Shea Face Cream.
*

Ya'll, I have never gotten so many compliments on my skin. And this coming from a girl who has had acne, eczema, and skin sensitivity issues that have left me covered head to toe in a reaction. And it smells super yummy! Their power ingredient is pure, unrefined, 100% natural Shea Butter which has 'been carefully handcrafted using centuries old techniques that maximize the moisturizing and protective properties.' Here's another tid bit: 'Shea Butter's unique fatty acid profile and high content of vitamins E and A contribute to its protective and hydrating properties.' Well heck,we could all use a little protection and hydration.

My new regimen:

1) Cleanser - Alaffia Shea Butter Face Soap

2) Toner - Apple Cider Vinegar (100% Organic Unfiltered. I use Braggs)

3) Moisterize - Alaffia moisterizer.

I am super impressed with their products and just bought their toner. I love the Organic Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar for night, but when you use it in the morning, you smell it on your face all day. Not really a good look.

And the best thing about Allafia is that it is Pure for a Purpose!

"The Alaffia/Agbanga Shea Butter Cooperative is an important part of the greater Sokode community in Togo, West Africa. We provide stable, fair incomes to over 80 families. The Cooperative also provides medical care and other assistance when needed. Our members are proud to be able to use their indigenous knowledge to feed and cloth their families. One of our goals is for the cooperative to be a model for other groups and individuals in Togo and other West African nations to follow. 10% of our sales go directly to fund community enhancement projects in Togo."

Well, community growth is what Cause Fabulous is all about!

So if your looking for a mild and magnificent natural cleanser, try them out. I wouldn't do you dirty, trust.

SMOOCHES! Netta

Sista Fabulous - Lorielle Broussard

I know that sometimes this blog may be all over the place. I mean, I go from Sex and the City to Hottest Summer Sports Athletes to Support Pediatric Cancer. But please understand that my main little goal is to inspire you readers to take responsibility for enhancing your life and the life of your community in a creative way. Pick a Cause and be Fabulous about promoting and supporting it! Change the world 10% at a time! I support different causes in different ways, but anybody close to me will tell you that I love encouraging, supporting, and watching woman living life with exuberance and vivacity. So today I am going to highlight a Sista Girlfriend who is doing just that Lorielle Broussard - Barackawear.

Cause: Promoting awareness and assisting in the election of the first African-American Democratic Nominee, Barack Obama, the candidate for Change!

Fabulous way in which she is accomplishing this: She along with her brother Brandon are the owners of Barackawear Inc. whose slogan "Barack the Vote" can be found on the backs of models, actors and musicians alike. Lorielle's background is in fashion and has toured as stylist to Ciara and Celebrity DJ Sky Nellor (you can tell by the fly way she's rockin her Barack the Vote wife beater and pearls - go 'head girl.) Their popular T-shirt company sells gear promoting the first African-American presidential nominee. And they don't stop there... To support their CAUSE 25% of all monies raised go toward the Obama campaign.

Lorielle and Brandon’s goal is to sell 100,000 t-shirts by Election Day and they are well on their way! Aside from selling on their website http://www.barackthevote.com/ they are now in Against All Odds clothing stores across the nation!

And in true Cause Fabulous fashion aside from supporting their candidate, Lorielle and Brandon are active supporters of their community, often donating T-shirts and gift certificates to support the Cause Fabulous of others including my non-profit CLAASS, Inc.

To purchase a Barack the Vote T-shirt click here or on any of the pictures above.

Until next time, Be Fabulous!

XOXO,
Netta!