Authentically Nita

I love this! ...Can't afford it, but I do love it. Burberry Trench Coat, $2,995

With so much negativity all around, sometimes I forget to mention the good stuff: Like the teachers at Toby Farms Elementary in Brookhaven and Chester High School who started the first day of school last week with no pay. The  Chester Upland School District is one of the poorest districts in the state. The district is currently $22 million in debt and while politicians work for a solution, dedicated teachers showed up to work despite not having a paycheck. Some teachers even bought supplies for the students with funds from their own pockets.  Special Education teacher Dariah Jackson.  CBS NEWS Also,  Barbers that Care were at the YMCA in west Philadelphia on the 6th giving fee haircuts to about 200 boys. The cuts would have typically cost around $10 - $15 at the barber shop. Students walked away with a fresh and cut, and new back backs filled with school supplies. 

Sampan is an Asian Fusion Restaurant located at 124 S. 13th Street in Center City Philadelphia. They have Happy Hour everyday, they have awesome food and awesome drinks. I absolutely loved the environment.  The food was great. Service was super fast. Our waitress knew the menu items well and gave us some good choices. She was polite and professional.  My husband and I went to Sampan in July. We had a whole spread. Way too much food than we could eat. Everything was delicious. My favorite two dishes were the Kim Chee Fried Rice and the Pekin Duck. I love rice, and the Kim Chee Fried Rice was soooo good. The duck was tender and flavorful.  I will definitely visit Sampan again. We are planning to go back with some friends. I really enjoyed it. Pekin Duck Take a look at Sampan's website to see the menu, photos and hours. Website Screen Shot

The Delaware River Waterfront has always been one of my favorite places to take the children. I've always loved Festival Pier. Any weekend in the summer you can find crowds of people gathered there to enjoy free concerts featuring a variety of artists, from well known celebrities to local up-and-coming artists. Penn's Landing also has a spectacular fireworks display. (Penn's Landing is our side of the water front; named to memorialize William Penn's landing). Penn's Landing is my go to spot when I want to chill, and take the children out at the same time. It's laid back. There's live music, cocktails, a skating rink, boat rides, games, hammocks, food and fountains to cool off in. I enjoy it. There's always something going on their. They have tons of events  in the summer, so check it out.  Swan Boats Penn's Landing Marina, by Neal Santos  Paddle Penn's Landing Program at the Marina, by Matt Stanley.  Yoga on the Race Street...

A family of black bears take a swim in a New Jersey family's pool. (The little girl in the video sounds so adorable). Video Below.  

On February 28th we took a trip to my husband's hometown of Orangeburg, South Carolina. Before we got there, we stopped at Waffle House in North Carolina. It was the first time that I ever went to a Waffle House. The staff was friendly and service was good. The food was excellent. My daughter had a Peanut Butter Waffle, which I had never heard of, but it was delicious. Peanut Butter Pancake Coffee to go :) Once we got to South Carolina, we stopped at South of the Border. It was raining so we didn't stay too long. In Orangeburg, there were Palm Trees all down the main street. The weather was beautiful. It was a nice break from the cold weather in Philly. Russell Street The first person we visited was my husband's best friend. He gave us some apple flavored Moonshine. We passed Captain D's. I haven't been there since I was a kid. There's no Captain D's in Philly. We did stop at Orange Mall to look around. It's rather small...

This afternoon I experienced the scariest moment of my life. My son was missing. His sister had detention & he tried to take the subway & bus home by himself (this was at 3:30pm). He got lost. By 7pm we still could not find him. I felt my heart sink & it became hard to breathe. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't know if he was scared, or safe, or hurt. Then at 7:06 Tim got a text saying our son was home. I was so relieved I started crying. Reed was crying too, and he was scared, but he wasn't hurt. My son was missing for 3 and a half hours and it was the worst thing I've ever felt in my life. That being said, I am asking again that everyone share this link. This is our niece, Puff. Her real name is Janteyl and she disappeared in Feb. of 2010. Everyday her mother, father, sister and brother wake up with a piece of them missing. We all do as family, but I'm sure they feel it most. Her parents have missed; the birth of her first child, her pro...