Tynee Talks: BLENDED (Engagement Series) SZN 6 ep. 4

In the third installment of the Engagement Series Tynee Talks to her Fiancé Terence, and their sons. Together we discuss how we came together as a blended family, joining our sons together, our preconceived notions, and the apprehensions we had before introducing each other to each other's kids.

SEASON 6 ep. 4 of the TYNEE TALKS PODCAST. This season I am doing a series entitled: THE WEDDING SEASON. In this series I discuss how I met my fiancé, my engagement, and everything in between that leads up to our wedding.

#tyneetalkspodcast #blendedfamily #tyneetalks

This episode was recorded at You Should Know Studios in Downtown Dallas, Texas

** Host (Tynee Talks) Links: Host Links: Linktr.ee/tyneetalks Facebook: www.facebook.com/tyneetalks/ Instagram: Instagram.com/tyneetalks Twitter: Twitter.com/tyneetune Shop: Tynee Talks Merchandise shop.spreadshirt.com/tynee-talks www.shoptyneetalks.bigcartel.com

Tynee Talks: Coffee & Conversation w/ Lev Hunter of The Daily Brew

Tynee Talks: Coffee & Conversation w/ Lev Hunter of The Daily Brew

Listen to this very motivational and inspiring podcast talk with Lev Hunter, creator of The Daily Brew Podcast and his signature coffee, "Granny's Roast." Listen as Lev, tells the story of his relationship with his Grandmother, that sparked his love for coffee and conversation. Lev gives 5 tips own how to market your BRAND. We dive into what it means to be social on social media and what social equity can do for your BRAND to take it to the next level. Click the link below and take a listen!!!


Click the Link Below

Lev Hunter Creator of "Granny's Roast" 

https://www.spreaker.com/user/dropsiteentertainment/tynee-talks-ep16?autoplay=true

CO-PARENTING 101: Babymamas & Babydaddies

Co-Parenting 101

My son’s father and I recently celebrated our son’s Kindergarten graduation, and I’m sure we’ll have many more milestones to celebrate as time goes on. He and I are no longer together, but we make it a priority to co-parent. We're basically in this thang for life, or at least until one of us dies. Co-Parenting is essential to raising successful kids that won’t end up seeking psychological counseling because their parents couldn’t get their shit together for the sake of the child.

Me and my Son's Father aka my Babydaddy

Backstory:

Let’s be clear, I didn’t set out to be a “babymama”. It was wasn’t my dream as a little girl, to grow-up and be a statistic. I had dreams of the white picket fence, two-story home, and perfect career, while my husband and I raised beautiful black babies. I thought me and my husband would act like Martin & Gina, but raise our kids like Carl & Harriet, and on the weekends act bougie like Uncle Phil & Dark-skin Aunt Viv, and stay on the come-up like George & Weezy. But hey, in the famous words of Forrest Gump: “Shit happens!” My story didn’t quite turn out like that. Instead, I fell in love with the boy next door or the boy from the hood, depending on how you look at it. We literally stayed four houses away from one another and we were into one another like Alicia Keys’ Teenage Love Affair. Just like a childhood lullaby, first came love, then came baby, and then came Tynee` with the baby carriage. I’m a 1000% sure my story isn’t unique, but it’s my story nonetheless.

Present Day:

Now, although it began all romantical and shit, just like the seasons, things change. So let’s fast forward to today. Having a child takes hard work, patience and dedication from all parties involved. I don’t like the terms babymama and babydaddy, although I use those terms jokingly, I think it reduces both the man and woman. There is power in parenting and there is joy in co-parenting. Reassuring your child that he or she was conceived in love is the first step in being successful co-parents. So if you and your ex are looking to become better parents although, you two didn’t work out, here are 5 tips to being successful Co-Parents:

Now this is just outright petty.com!

      Leave Petty at the Door

Although being petty is super fun and your child’s other parent makes you want to throw hands and catch a case on the regular: Don’t be petty! Petty creates a hostile environment. Talking slick and always seeking to be “Right” isn’t always in the best interest of the child. Keep Petty Pendergrass at bay, even when you feel him creeping up out your soul. Think about, what it is you’re really trying to convey and be clear on it.

Photo Credit: http://www.dudebeadad.com/2015/07/communicate.html

Communicate

Words are important. How you say those words are even more important. Always be willing to discuss things. Try to be slow to offense, but always be ready for reconciliation. This doesn’t make you weak. Communicate the good and bad that is happening with your child. Don’t play the blame game. For example, if your child is having a rough time in school, don’t try and belittle the other parent and point fingers. Although, the child may be acting out due to something either parent has or has not done, try and come together and think of solutions to fix what is wrong. Have a sit down or Skype session with the child and both parents and listen to what the child might be feeling. Do not include people that did not help create this child in the mix.

Blended Family

 Boyfriends and Girlfriends

Which leads me to my next point. No shade to the new girlfriend or boyfriend in ya’ll life, but they need to stay in their lane. Babymammas and Babydaddies everywhere, please talk to your significant others individually and collectively with your respective exes, so that the air is clear and everyone can be on one accord. I know sometimes this is hard. Trust me! I’ve come a mighty loooooooonnnnnngggggg way. I mean, I have done my share of crazy and I have used every cuss word I know, but if the new chick or new dude has your child’s best interest at heart, don’t trip. However, communication, once again is essential. The parents in this scenario can’t be on some bullshit. The parents need to create a good environment so that the new chick and new dude, don’t think it’s some funny shit going on between the parentals ya dig!

            Laugh

Man, take time to laugh. Remember that once upon a time you and the other parent had a relationship or some type of rapport with one another. The child you both created is 50% of each of you. Take time to share funny stories that the child did while they were in your care. This makes room for a healthy dialogue and it shows the child that you two aren’t always at odds.

 PRAY

Maybe this should have been number one, but there is power in prayer. It’s not always shits and giggles when it comes to me and my son’s father. He does in fact get on my everlasting nerve. However, after the arguments, yelling, or disagreements, I take it to the Lord in prayer. Pray over your child. Pray for your ex. If one parent doesn’t have a job, and isn’t contributing, pray that they get gainful employment. If one parent doesn’t have a relationship with the child, pray that God changes their heart. In all things, good, bad, or indifferent PRAY and watch God change things.  

My First Wrestlemania

Wrestlemania 32: Dallas, TX AT&T Stadium

I live for new experiences and this past weekend I was able to experience the awesomeness that is 

Wrestlemania! I was blessed to attend Wrestlemania 32 in Dallas, Texas with my family and it was off the chain! The high voltage energy of 100,000 + people filled the entire AT&T Stadium on Sunday, April 3, 2016 like a jolt of lightning and history was made!

I was able to be a kid all over again and so did everyone else. I dressed up as Miss Jacqueline aka Miss Jackie, who was the first African-American woman to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before. Talk about Black girl magic, this is definitely it!

Me dressed as Miss Jacqueline WWE Hall of Fame Inductee

But I wasn’t the only person dressed up; a good percentage of the attendees were reliving their childhoods and dressed as their favorite wrestlers ranging from Macho Man Randy Savage to my brother, who dressed as the Canadian Mountie. The crowd was so hype they started chanting “Black Mountie, Black Mountie!”

My brosky as The Canadian Mountie and sis as Jimmy Hart

It was incredible. People were taking on their favorite’s persona yelling out signature phrases like: “The Mountie always gets his man”, “Come see what the Rock is Cookin’”, “I’m John Cena, you can’t see me”, to the infamous “Whoooooooo!” that Rick flair made famous. I saw Dad’s with their son’s bridging the past, present, and future of wrestling fans. I saw them take in the moment in awe and sheer excitement. I saw people totally throw their inhibitions out the window all for the sake of wrestling and a good time. There was harmony and peace all in one venue and all I could think was, government should take a cue from the Vince McMahon and the WWE. 

Lastly, here are 3 things I learned from Wrestlemania 32:

Feast you eyes on Roman Reigns
Photo Credit: Instagram @unstableheel

1. MEN- Men from every walk of life attend Wrestlemania. Men of every hue, race, and creed. Good looking, well-endowed men attend Wrestlemania. Rich men, poor men, men with great senses of humor, short men, tall men, and rowdy men all attend Wrestlemania. Rappers and athletes attend Wrestlemania. The Rock, John Cena, and Triple H were at Wrestlemania. Enough said! For all you single gals, like myself, Wrestlemania is an oasis of men. It’s the perfect place to gaze upon the glorious species known as MEN!

Photo Credit: wwe.com
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Wrestlemania 32

2. COSTUMES- Costumes make an already spectacular event even more spectacular. You can dress as ridiculous as you want and no one judges you. In fact, the more ridiculous you are, the more people want to snap photos of you and with you.

3. DRAMA- The wrestling rivalries and drama that take place during Wrestlemania is better than any afternoon soap opera, guaranteed.

The rivalry between the Undertaker & Shane McMahon is EPIC
Photo Credit: WWE on Twitter

All, I can say is I wasn’t a huge fan of wrestling, but after attending Wrestlemania 32 I am a fan for life!!!! Money, money, money, money, money, money, money… 

LIFE... Insurance

LIFE Insurance…

Remember the theme song from the commercials for the board game LIFE?  It went something like this: “Get lucky in the game of LIFE, marry your honey, and go someplace sunny! Get Lucky in the game of LIFE!”  I always thought that was such a cool theme song. The game in itself was pretty cool and fun too. With one lucky spin you could get married or become a doctor. One of the taglines from the game’s creators even state: “Whatever you choose, you never know what ups and downs you'll encounter along the way.” That statement alone is truer than true, because in life we’re going to have many ups, like the joys of giving birth or graduating high school, to the downs of losing a job, or experiencing a loved one’s death.

In the board game of LIFE, they like to keep it fun for the kids, so death isn’t a strong theme in the family fun game, but in the real game of actual life, death is inevitable. The question is: Will you be prepared when your final spin lands on DEATH? I’m not referring to if you’ll be spiritually or mentally prepared, that’s more of a personal thing. However, it does concern me if you are financially prepared to handle the expenses of death once that day arrives. Do you have life insurance? Or will your death place a burden on your family, where they have to beg, borrow, steal or create a GoFundMe campaign on your behalf?

Life insurance is essential to life and death. Many people are uneducated about the costs and benefits of investing in life insurance. First let me explain the costs associated with having a funeral. According to http://funeral-tips.com/, the average North American Traditional funeral ranges between $7,000 and $10,000. However this range may be higher or lower depending on where you live, but please note that the costs, no matter the location, are not lower than $3,000. Some of the fees for burial include the following: funeral director’s services, casket, embalming, using the funeral home for service or transporting the body to a church or other location, gravesite, grave digger, burial container to hold the grave, headstone, etc. From my own personal experience, from having to bury my mother, my sister and I even had to purchase new undergarments, including a slip in order for her to be placed in the casket. It was in the funeral home’s policy that mandated that she have new ones. So, trust me when I say death is expensive and the little things add up. The programs cost, adding pictures cost, hiring a musician to play at the service cost, having the preacher give a eulogy cost, opening and closing at the service cost. Did I mention that the hearse and limousine cost? Everything costs! Funerals are not cheap! In the event that your loved one passes on, your heart is already heavy and your thoughts are all over the place, you don’t want to have to pack on more misery by adding “How will I pay for this?” to the load. Many people front for Facebook, Instgram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc…, like they have money by flaunting bands, wearing the latest designer or even going on fancy trips, but when you die your family is selling fish dinners, having a party or starting a GoFundMe account to lay you to rest. Meanwhile, they’re losing sleep.

We save money for everything except death!

But all of this can be avoided by investing in Life Insurance. You can get life insurance coverage for as little as $4.00 to $30.00 per month. That’s a small price to pay per month considering all the things we spend our money on. I mean we spend our money on eyebrows and bundles for Pete’s sake! You might think you're making the right decisions, but spend your money wisely on your life's path or it could become your family’s road to ruin. Think of purchasing life insurance as sacrificing one lunch per month, or not going out for a night on the town one weekend a month. Life insurance is actually cheaper than going to the movies. You can insure your life up to $250,000 and since the average funeral is approximately $7,000 that means that your family will have money to spare in the event of your death. Therefore, I encourage you today to buy a Life Insurance policy. If you’re not sure where to start, try the following places: banks, credit unions, local funeral homes, or car insurance agencies. Get covered and insure your life and family today!

I AM HERE FOR THE WIZ LIVE 3.0

I AM HERE FOR THE WIZ LIVE! 3.0

The magicalness (my new word) of The Wiz was everything! To sit in front of the television and watch a two hour production that kept my five year old child fully engaged was phenomenal and a true miracle in itself! It took me back to my childhood when my family would sit around the t.v. with snacks to watch a network television special. I remember when the Jackson 5: The American Dream debuted on ABC in 1992 and how excited I was to be watching it with my family and how glued to the screen I was.

 What a joy it was for me to share a similar experience with my own child. My son was absolutely delighted with the onscreen production. At every scene and musical number his eyes lit up. He kept asking me questions and wanted to wear some of the costumes. He even requested I buy him the green jacket from one the Emerald City scenes for Christmas so he could rock it with his green “chucks”. Therefore, it is written that the 2015 production of The Wiz was indeed a major hit!

Emerald City Bouncer! Common

The Hair & Make Up:

One thing I know for sure is that black people know how to show up and show out and that’s exactly what they did with the hair and make-up for the cast of The Wiz. When I tell you the hair was laid and was giving me all types of Black Royalty and Regal feels. To see locs, crochet braids, afros, colored hair, asymmetrical cuts, fades, flat irons, etc… made me feel so proud to black and a woman! It was reminiscent of the 70s when we were screaming it loud that we were black and proud and unafraid to accept our own brand of beauty. Oh and then the make-up was beat to Zeus, Athena, Venus and all the gods! I was yelling things at the tv like: Yaaaaaasss! You betta be fine! Face is beat hunty! Eyebrows on fleek! I mean The Fashion Fair Cosmetics Company of yesterday’s past and the MAC team of today are just twirling their brushes in excitement.

The Dancing:

The Dancing Poppies

The dancing was so relevant and on point. To see Queen Mary herself Hit da Quan when we all know The Queen struggles in the dance department was just fantastic! The choreography was created with a great sense of bridging the generations. There was voguing and dabbing and nay nay-ing and just everything in between. The Crows were getting it, the Poppies were serving it, the flying monkeys were killing it and I loved every moment of it! My son and his friend even tried to do some of the moves in the middle of the living room.  

The Cast:

The Cast of The Wiz Live

Every person cast in the Wiz from the leads to the extras were awesome! Every person that took to that stage shined bright like a diamond. The irony of that is diamonds come from Africa and this diamond studded cast was glistening. Dorothy played by newcomer Shanice Williams was giving me all kinds of African-American Pride. A cute little brown girl from Jersey who can saaaaaannnnng! Her voice. Her facial expressions. Her eyes. Her movement. Her countenance. Her overall essence brought so much to the character of Dorothy and it resonated through the television screen. The Scarecrow’s innocence was so sweet and his voice was angelic. The Tinman played by singer Ne-yo was great. He truly was the heart of the main characters. But the Emmy worthy performance of David Allen-Grier is what really brought everything together. David played the Cowardly Lion, but there was nothing cowardly about his performance. His performance was spot on! He hit every beat. He hit every note. He hit every cue. His comedic timing was perfection and he made me want ease on down the road with him arm in arm.

I AM HERE FOR THE WIZ LIVE 2015!