Starchild Sept2008

n e w s l e t t e r

Big Girl Angst (Part 1 of a 4 part series on self-esteem)

september 2008

“I get so mad at myself sometime because I hear people say ‘oh I got big after I had a baby’ or ‘I was on [medication]’. All I can do is say ‘I'm fat because I ate, slept and became lazy’. I was depressed about my weight and I would diet and exercise but results didn't come as fast as I wanted so I would get lazy again, eat and then gain more weight.”

“I don't want to meet anyone new. I don’t want to deal with guys period. I question why they like me, why would you want to talk to me? There [are] so many other pretty, smaller girls out there. And if I don't love myself how can I expect anyone else to love me? That's not only with guys but with my friends too. I would look at my friends and… most of them are smaller than me and I just be like why do I have to be the big one with bad skin?”

“…I never had someone to … understand where I was coming from or knew how it felt to be a big girl with a pretty face and not like it. I have a few big friends and they "act" like it's okay with them to be big so they be like you better embrace it big is beautiful . I'm like ‘No. To me, big and fat equals ugliness.” I don’t care how many people tell me you are so pretty to be a big girl or you wear your weight well... It's like, why can't I just be pretty?”

The quotes on the left are from a friend and beloved reader. I had no idea she felt like this. As we went back and forth, exchanging messages, e-mails, empathy and tears, I was moved to a point where all I wanted to do was take away her pain. As bad as I wanted to hug her and tell her that she IS beautiful and that she IS a phenomenal woman and that her smile always makes me smile...I didn't. I knew the wall of low self-esteem would not allow my compliments entry into her spirit. And how, you may ask, can I be so sure that she would not hear me? Simple. Because she and I are one and the same. (Consider this my confession. Consider this my redemption.)

It doesn't matter if the whole world loves you, if the best man in the world loves you, if your children, family and friends love you... NONE of this matters if, at the core, you don't totally, 100% love yourself. And while I can't expect to wave a magic wand, type a few words and make everyone's (alleged) inadequacies go away, I do expect to bring at least one nugget, one iota of a piece of inspiration / enlightenment / encouragement to help you on your journey to being all that God has destined you to be. From now until December, the next 4 editions of StarChild are going to focus on self-esteem and self-love. These works are going to be a collaborative effort, so we are eager to hear from you...your stories, your successes, your thoughts, your words. There is therapy in sharing your story…we encourage you to take a seat on the StarChild couch. In the meantime and in-between time, read and be blessed!

Cover photo: “Parts of Me Are Excellent” by PAPARAZZA

Our readers weigh in on what

“Belief and confidence in yourself. Loving you for you. Being your own best friend.” - Kimberly “Everything that makes you, you! From your physical appearance to your mental state of mind.” – Helaynia “A combination of how you view/feel about yourself and how that affects what you do.” - Walida “Confident, independent, and happy with me!” - Robee

Extremities An external view is often misleading. It is in the mirror that the picture is most revealed. A reflection reverses and enhances those things we see with the naked eye.

“Having the highest regard for yourself physically, mentally, spiritually & emotionally. Some call it conceit - I call it SELF LOVE!” -Niyoki “The evaluation of oneself…How they feel about themselves. What they feel they are worth and what they think they can accomplish.” - Leslie

And brings truth, clarity and enlightenment. Those things and people who seem “all put together” Cast an opposite view. The mirror shows the actualities of life. The unfulfilled dreams, the fears of failure - - or success. And the fear of alienation. Yet life rewards us through this process by the allowing of constant Renewals, re-evaluations, and survival through each misstep.

-Kenike © 2003

“Knowing your own worth regardless of situations, circumstances or the opinions of others.” – Chanelle “If you're comfortable in your own skin and understand the words from the "Serenity Prayer” (my dad [instilled] this in my head growing up, and I still recite it to this day) GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.” – Danyalle

P •h •o •t • o • g • r • a • p • h • y

Tamecika Travalta

Independent Beauty Consultant 4699 NW 46th Avenue Ocala, FL 34482 734.730.4049 Cell Phone [email protected] www.marykay.com/tamecika_travalta

Part I - SUCCULENT SEPTEMBER

H.A.P.P.Y. Quick Tips

“ANALYZE THIS”

by 1st Lady Gadget

by 1st Lady Gadget

Dress Seductively, Be Flirtatious, Illuminate yourself, Live in the moment, Touch & Pleasure yourself, try Aural Aphrodisiacs & an Intimate Shave…you’ll love the coolness & the great Finale of the adventure…

Let’s journey back in time before the hymen wall was torn down by a few what’s his names. Clear your mind & ease back into your elementary classroom to the scene of the famous note passed around class……..Do you like me? Check YES or NO? This is where it all began. Those of us who haven’t experienced low self-esteem can’t truthfully say we know what individuals with low self-esteem are going through; such as the uncertainty, the pain or the aggravation. Self-respect is confidence in your own merit as an individual person. Self-esteem is “how much a person likes, accepts, and respects himself overall as a person”. A wise person once said: “The difference between the impossible & the possible lies in a person’s determination.”

“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” - Abraham Lincoln

Analyze yourself. The first step, at the very least is to write down your strengths & weaknesses. Do you feel powerless? Do you feel that others don’t value you? Are you easily influenced by others? Do you become defensive and easily frustrated & blame others for your own shortcomings? Do you act independently? Assume responsibility? Are you proud of your accomplishments? Do you approach new challenges with enthusiasm? Do you tolerate frustration well? Are you capable of influencing others? Do you prefer the lights off? Are you comfortable in the skin you are in? Do you settle for less? Whether you realize it or not, inner beauty radiates outward. When you feel good about yourself, your lover will feel good about you, too. Take this opportunity to make a fresh start to reveal your full power & revel in it! Sexy is as Sexy does! Start today by attending my Succulent Soiree on September 28th. Cum let me help you “UnLeash Your Inner Being!” For more details please visit www.HouseofTrueBlue.com or call 877-69-PLZ-ME. Stay tuned for next months segment…………. Part II -Oralicious October “Cumming Out of your Shell” SAVE THE DATE: 10/31 What’s your FETISH costume party.

My Pick for Self Esteem song of the month:

Fine by Mary J. Blige “I like what I see when I’m looking at me-When I’m walking past the mirror-No stress through the night, at a time in my life-Ain’t worried about if you feel it-Got my head on straight, I got my mind right -I aint gonna let you kill it-Aint worried about you and what you gonna do-I’m a lady so I must stay classy-Got to keep it hot, keep it together-If I want to get better… See I wouldn’t change my life, my life’s just…..FINE”

A is for Aleeyah, who wears thick garish make-up to (try) and cover up imperfect skin. B is for Bianca, the half black/half Latina living in a black neighborhood, who all the guys want to impregnate because she got that good hair. C is for Constance who met her last 4 dates from off the Internet. D is for Constance’s friend, Dartrell, who is pregnant by a guy she met on MySpace. E is for Ebonique, who has 4 children all with different daddies, and has never been married. F is for Falani who turns her nose up at Ebonique. Falani also has 4 children...all by the same man…who just recently divorced her. G is for Gina, the peroxide blond, blue contact wearing, Chinese girl who was adopted by a white family and never truly fit in… H is for Heaven, who knows she has low self-esteem, admits it, and learns to work around it in creative ways I is for Idris (formerly known as Ieesha), who after a failed marriage and a couple of kids “realized” she was homosexual. J is for Jamie, who, everytime she enters into a conversation, she somehow manages to draw the conversation back to herself. K is for Kendreea, who tries to hide her low self-esteem beneath an off-putting personality designed to keep people at bay, lest they be exposed to her softer side. L is for Lyric, with the jacked up grille who rarely smiles. M is for Marcia, who continues to relax her hair despite the damaging effects. N is for Nakee, who can only nervously at best look another person directly in the eye. O is for Olanda, who stays with the man who verbally and physically abuses her. P is for Paige, who overspends on her child to perpetrate the notion that they are well off. Q is for the Queen Mother who always comes through when Paige overspends on her child, under the guise that she is being a good mother and not an enabler. R is for Renea, who had bad body odor. S is for Sybil, who never lost the baby weight. T is for Terris, who’s motivation is to make her parents love her as much as her more successful sibling. U is for Uvi, who contracted AIDS because she was afraid to tell a man to wear a condom. V is for Vonde, who was sexually molested as a child by someone she knew and trusted. W is for Wanda, the wife who’s womb can’t hold a baby. X is for Xi, the creative soul who uses her poetry and songs to mask the true depth of her pain. Y is for Yondola of Yondola and Yuliisa. Yuliisa is the pretty twin, Yondola though, not so much. Z is for Zyon, who laughed when most of the above women reminded her of people she knew…but saw herself in none. B.da © 2007

Study Links Bipolar Disorder with Older Fathers

cut & pasted

By L. TANNER According to one of the largest studies linking mental illness with advanced paternal age, children born to older fathers face a greater chance of developing bipolar disorder. Previous research has connected schizophrenia and autism with older dads, and a Danish study published last year added bipolar disorder to the list. The new study, conducted in Sweden, strengthens the evidence. The leading theory is that older men's sperm may be more likely to develop mutations. Researchers analyzed Swedish national registry data from more than 80,000 people, including 13,428 with bipolar disorder. The risks started increasing for father’s around age 40 but were strongest among those 55 and older. Children born to these dads were 37 percent more likely to develop bipolar disorder than those born to men in their 20s. The age of the mothers didn't appear to be much of a factor. Bipolar disorder causes dramatic mood swings, from deep depression to manic highs. It affects more than 5 million Americans. Lifetime risks for it have been estimated at roughly 1 percent to 4 percent. The findings "reinforce the notion that there's a strong biological component to [bipolar disorder]," said Dr. Harold Pincus, vice chair of psychiatry at Columbia University. And although the results aren't definitive, if the link does prove to be real, Pincus noted that still means most people with older fathers won't ever get bipolar disorder. “The study results shouldn't discourage older men from fathering children,” said Emma Frans, the lead author. She said the results suggest that similar mechanisms might contribute to risks for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and autism. Each of these disorders is thought to have many causes including biologic and outside factors.

No Longer Just an Excuse…

How to Tell if You are Truly Big-Boned It’s common knowledge that bodyframe sizes differ, but big or heavier skeletons don’t make their owners overweight or even appear that way. If you’re fed up with using big bones as an excuse and want to know, seriously, what type of body frame you have, there is a way to tell if you indeed have “big bones”. Here’s how: Have someone else – not you – measure your wrist with a cloth tape measure. At this spot on your frame, muscles and fat won’t interfere. If you are a man taller than 5 feet 5, and your wrist measures more than 7.5 inches, you have big bones. For women taller than 5 feet 5, the figure is 6.5 inches. Women between 5 feet 2 and 5 feet 5 have big bones if their wrists measure more than 6.25 inches. For women less than 5 feet 2, that figure is 5.75 inches. If you try this, e-mail us at [email protected] and let us know how you ‘measured up’. ☺

Halle Berry’s daughter, Nahla

A computer generated photo of what Michael Jackson might have looked like today…

Awww..Chris Noth and his son, Orion

Jill Marie Jones

cut & pasted Celebrity Edition

J.Hud D-Nice and Malinda Williams – just married! CONGRATS!

Thoughts of a Fat Girl Unrecognizable Disguisable No one seems to know me Been celibate for 8 months now Seems nobody wants me Self esteem at an all time low People see that and it sucks I’m tired of being that girl you know That’s cute from the neck up Supposed to be on a diet But I don’t want to do right Eat fast food almost every day Then wonder why my clothes fit so tight Got surgery in mind to correct my problem Maybe that will soothe me But even in that I’m scared to death Not to die, but that they won’t approve me I keep thinking that surgery will change my life If I said that “I didn’t” I’d be lying To jack a line from a 50 cent song I’m a get thin… or die trying I’m tired of being a fat girl I’m tired of shopping at Lane Bryant I’m tired of the same Ashley Stewart gear I’m tired of feeling like a giant I’m ready for change I want to embrace life I’m ready to set the real me free I’m ready for change to manifest in my life I just hope that change is ready for me… © 2008 NTAGABTF

The countdown begins… begins… (One woman shares her personal weight loss journey) It's the eve of my operation and I have created a new word: SNERVOUS. It sums up how I am feeling right now; both scared and nervous. I am 48 hours away from the surgery I have been waiting almost 3 years to have. I am scheduled to undergo Roux-N-Y Gastric Bypass this coming Wednesday. This is not the lap band surgery where I can change my mind or make adjustments, this is the real deal - - cut the stomach, make it smaller, reattach it, lose weight. I know, I made it sound kind of simple, but that is the nuts and bolts of it. I guess I can use this SNERVOUS energy I have to give a little background as to how I got here... From as far back as I can remember, I've never been skinny. I always managed to carry a little extra meat on my bones. I remember back when I was a child, one of my nicknames was Piggy. I also had an uncle who would greet me by saying "that MUST be jelly, cause jam don't shake like that!". Even as a teen I was aware of my extra baggage. Looking back though, I'm shocked to think that was what I called fat. Now I would donate a pinky toe to be the size I was then! I'd be lying if I said that my eating habits have always been the best. They haven't. But I'd also be lying not to throw in that I have been on steroid-ish medication and have also had a baby. I think all three of these are factors that have landed me here. For 3 years I was in a weight loss program that would eventually allow me to be approved for surgery. However, the ironic thing is that the the program required me to lose weight BEFORE getting the surgery. (Duh! If I could successfully do that, do ya' think I'd be campaigning to be operated on? Not!) I've told a few close friends and family about my procedure. 97% have been EXTREMELY supportive. The 3% who refuse to see the validity in what I am about to do trip me out. They tell me things like: "all you have to do is work out and eat right" or “you’re doing it the easy way” or "you should do it the natural way" or "that's so vain of you to do something like that. It's cosmetic surgery". The only reason their comments didn't phase me much is because NONE of the people who are saying this have EVER been overweight a DAY in their life so they can't even BEGIN to fathom the bullsh*t which is obesity. Trust me. I hate that it had to come to this... that I'm so d*mn fat I need to have surgery to get myself together. But you know what? In my book, the end justifies the means. I compare this procedure to bankruptcy, for real.... it's a legal and ethical way to begin to wipe the slate clean from mistakes and missteps I took in the past. Only difference is we’re talking weight instead of money. Some people go through a bankruptcy, only to have to file again later in life for making the same bad choices. And from what I hear there are people who have had this surgery and STILL wind up right back in obesity-ville. I am not only hoping, but I am PLANNING so that I may be successful in this quest. And B.da’s been kind enough to let me use some space in StarChild to vent, educate others and above all keep me sane and focused and accountable as I go on this journey. I'm bracing myself for success! Pray with me and for me…. NTAGABTF

To: My Child From: Your Mom RE: The Carnival I told you that mommy didn't have tickets to ride on the rides with you. The truth was that I was afraid I wouldn't fit. Next year though? IT'S ON!

i am at a point in my life right now where i desire to be made over kinda like the way jenny jones used to do it, but not merely for appearances i need a new freshness to come over me like a cool breeze after a warm summer rain i miss the way things were when i was a kid... footloose and fancy free, but not longing for them to return because i’ve grown so much i'd rather move on to something else though i know it will only hold me just that much longer i am ever changing - yet predictable ever evolving - but unchanged never consistent - yet the same you can catch me one day - and i will evade you the next and i love my life to be like that that way no one can take me for granted and i am always reinventing myself wish i could get on a plane and go far away and just stay there for a while not to run from any impending threats just for the fun of it because my life is getting slightly too stagnant for me not ready to settle just want to be free…

-FREE © 2008 www.myspace.com/channelgirl5


   

The more you can boost your self esteem, the greater your chances are of achieving success. Using self esteem quotes as well as engaging in other self esteem activities will help you to become more of who you truly are. With that being said, here is your homework:

Pick a quote, cut it out or write it down, carry it with you and pull it out from time to time to keep you focused on the valuable person you are.

To wish you were someone else, is to waste the person you are. Anonymous

"I never loved another person the way I loved myself."

The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others.

Mae West

Dr Sonya Friedman

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.

Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway.

Harvey Fienstein

Mary Kay Ash

Instead of thinking about what you're missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

Even if you haven’t encountered great success yet, there is no reason you can’t bluff a little and act like you have. Confidence is a magnet in the best sense of the word. It will draw people to you and make your daily life.. and theirs.. a lot more pleasant. Donald Trump

You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. Zig Ziglar

Anonymous

Attempt easy tasks as if they were difficult, and difficult as if they were easy; in the one case that confidence may not fall asleep, in the other that it may not be dismayed. Baltasar Gracian

Reader Question of the Month

Answer(s) of the Month Last month we asked our readers the following question:

Lately my husband has been asking me to be more adventurous in the bedroom. He wants me to do things that I have no desire to do…and consider to be a turn off. I’ve always heard it said that what a man doesn’t get at home, he will get somewhere else. I don’t want to turn him down and yet I DO NOT want to do the things he is asking me to do. I’m torn and do not know what to do. HELP!?

What term do you use to describe your ethnicity / race, and why? Here is what a few of our readers had to say…. “White I guess that I was just raised saying it that way and its easy and straight to the point Im part# Polish Irish German and who knows what else but I know nothing of those heritages so I dont overly claim to be them How about this Im of Jesus race ☺

“Im of mixed heritage so I really dont like being boxed in as one thing or another Of course if I am checking a box on a form I check the black box but I like to think that one raceone heritage does not alone define me”

“7If I’m filling out a form- I leave it blank if it is optional Most times I go ahead and check my true race… I am proud of being an African American Woman and what it stands for”

“I’m BLACK! BLACK Dang all that African American If you have something stuff I’M not from Africa I feel like those valuable to say, by all who immigrate to the US FROM Africa are true means, BE HEARD! E-mail African-Americans But me? I’m Black With a your responses to capital B!” Please send your responses to our new e-mail address: [email protected] and your comments may be [email protected] used in a future issue.

To: Whom it May Concern As I sit and think of all I want to say, I hope it doesn’t come off as me complaining in any kind of way. Because it’s not your fault you see. I’m this way because of ME. They say if God wanted us to all look the same, the world as we know it would be so lame. And that may be the case indeed, but why oh why God did it have to be me? I know you’re wondering what could it be, for me to be asking God why me. Am I sick, on my deathbed, did God just take away my one and only friend? In a sense that all may be true. You see, I lost ME and I’m sad and blue. You can say it’s okay to be big today in the USA. But since I’m one that is not quite fit, I know that’s a bunch of bullsh*t! Everywhere you turn there’s another lesson to learn about how to stay fit so you can be a hit. Or what about that group of snickering chicks because my clothes don’t say Ms. It? What about the guy who says his love’s true? I question is there an ulterior motive… I wish I knew. Does he love me for me or because he wants to try a big girl which, to him, is something new? Then underlies the jealousy in me, ‘cause my friends are a lot smaller than me and all you can say to me is you’re big but you’re very pretty. That right there messes with my mentality. I walk around with a charade on my face but deep inside I’m praying to God to take the weight away. It’s not as easy as it may seem, dieting and exercising and no pounds off. That right there plays with your heart. You tried and tried but to no avail; now you’re defeated and back at start. So go ahead and call me lazy, so be it, but then again how dare you sit and ridicule me. You feel I took the easy way out by having that surgery. Although you see what the weight has done to me physically, I can’t begin to explain how messed up I am emotionally. When I look at me I see that which definitely say’s ugly. My family and friends try to encourage me but I’m just a big girl that happens to be pretty. I don’t want to hear ‘even though you’re big you have a pretty face’ cause in my book that’s more of a disgrace. My sister is smaller than me, but no one ever says to her you’re pretty to be skinny. So I’ll leave you with this, consider it my ending; I may be pretty but in this society no matter what you say my weight will always define me.

Sincerely, A Big Girl, Pretty Face

To All My Full Figured Sistas: Sistas: Why do I love you? Is it your persona, your swagger, your walk, your face, your grace when you enter a place? Your smile, your style, makes me watch you all the while… I ponder how I can be your all and one day father your child. Is it your personality, born in insecurity, yet strong enough to blossom and become this beautiful social butterfly landing on Victoria scented family oriented flowers and tasting of the sweetest good hearted liquor with a twist of self confidence? Is it because you once thought yourself not worthy, but now realizing that you are more loved than you ever knew, and more wanted than that thin girl next to you? Is it because you have that lil’ somethin’ extra that more men than a lil’ bit like alot of? Those ample breasts, hips, lips, behind, curves that almost cross the line between being eye catching and outrageous. It's almost become contagious how many men want more of what they love to hold on to, be next to, breathe into… I'm so into how you treat me and adore me; how black love is supposed to be, and I will never make you feel like you are anything less than the best wet dream I ever fell asleep to. As I lie here next to you I wonder how it came to be, that you and I so naturally, are meant to be, like leaf and tree. I'll fall to your foot and kiss it softly because my queen, you know how to love your man and make him feel just like a king. Even though we are not perfect you accept my mysteries, and love yourself, and your home, and your kids, and your man, like no skinny chick could ever envision making love to her husband under the most fulfilling of circumstances. Chances are we can make this last forever if you truly accept who you are and give your beautiful self to me. Peace and Luv Y’all Ya Boy "3000" © 2008

www.myspace.com/BIGBUSH3000

Is Your Hut on Fire? The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened - everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me?" he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

Pasta-Less Lasagna (because carbs are not your friend!)

1 Yellow Onion, diced 2 cloves Garlic, minced 1/2 pound ground turkey sausage (could also use ground turkey) 3 cups Marinara Sauce (or Spaghetti Sauce) 1 cup Ricotta Cheese 1 Egg, beaten 1 Tablespoon Parsley, Chopped 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning 1 cup Shredded Italian Blend Cheese (Mozzarella, Parmesan, etc.) 4 Zucchini or Summer Squash, sliced lengthwise Slice the Zucchini and Summer Squash lengthwise and grill on the BBQ or George Foreman grill. Set aside. Put meat into frying pan and cook for 2 minutes, or until most of the meat is brown. Add onion and garlic and cook until meat is no longer pink. Add 1 cup of marinara/spaghetti sauce and warm through. Set aside. Mix ricotta, 1 egg, parsley, and Italian seasoning together. Set aside. Layer 1/2 zucchini and squash into baking dish. Spoon 1/2 of meat mixture next, spreading evenly over the zucchini. Pour 1 cup of marinara/spaghetti sauce over meat (this makes it really saucy!). Spoon 1/2 Ricotta mixture on top. Sprinkle 1/2 the Italian Blend Cheese. Repeat. Bake for 55 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve and enjoy!

StarChild Jello Shots What You’ll Need: 1 box of Jell-o gelatin (we like: mixed fruit, strawberry, cherry, or raspberry) ½ cup boiling water ½ cup ice-cold water 1½ cup of Silver Patron or flavored vodka (we like: Raspberry, cherry, strawberry) 1 medium size mixing bowl Package of disposable shot glasses

DIRECTIONS: Pour powdered gelatin into mixing bowl Pour ½ cup boiling water slowly into bowl with gelatin, stirring slowly as you pour Stir until the gelatin is pretty well dissolved Stir ½ cup of ice-cold water into the bowl, stirring some more Pour liquor into mixture, stirring as you pour Set out shot glasses on a tray, baking dish or large plate Pour the jello mixture into the shot glasses and then place in the fridge to chill for about an hour* Serve and enjoy! *If time is of the essence and you can’t wait an hour, shots may be placed in the freezer for approximately 10-15 minutes

Frozen Cherricane 2 cups SKYY Infusions Cherry Vodka 1 cup of Midori 1 can of frozen orange juice 1/2 can of frozen pineapple juice 2 cups of cranberry juice 2 scoops of ice cubes Toothpicks (optional) Maraschino Cherries (optional)

Load all ingredients into blender, starting with ice cubes first. Blend until all ingredients are mixed and crushed and have a slushy consistency. Pour into glass and garnish with 2 cherries on a toothpick (placed on the rim) Serve and enjoy!

His hello was the end of her endings, Her laugh was their first step down the aisle. His hand would be hers to hold forever, His forever was as simple as her smile. He said she was what was missing. She said she instantly knew. She was a question to be answered. And his answer was “I do.” - S.A.T.C.

P•h•o•t•o•g•r•a•p•h•y

StarChild is nationwide and the mailing list keeps growing! For advertising opportunities or to be added to the mailing list, contact us at [email protected].

Special thanks go out to my girl holding it down in the south, Suga, our newest StarChild staffer and Innovations Manager, Walida B., The McEastland Family for your prayers, creativity , ingenuity and constant support, Chanelle for continuing to come through with some BRILLIANT ideas, my guy 3000 for loving us as we are and everyone who indulges me this passion to keep StarChild going and growing. Much love for now and for always!

This issue is dedicated to Dorion, who always made me feel beautiful. (R.I.P.)

p.s. Eargasms will be back next month!