January 31, 2019

Berry Dakara Blog Reader Survey 2019

Hi there!

I hope you've been enjoying my return to consistent blogging. I made a goal to put up at least 3 posts per week, and I have quite liked the content I've created in the past month. I would like to hear from YOU though, as you are my audience and I want to make sure that the things I post are mostly relevant, interesting or inspiring to you.  Kindly take a few minutes to respond to my survey below. If you can't see the form, simply click BERRY DAKARA BLOG SURVEY 2019 to go to the survey. I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

January 30, 2019

WCW January 2019 - Amama Ekwere

Guess what feature is back on the blog!!! Well, if you're reading this, then you know already. I started a WCW Feature back in 2017 (see my posts featuring Freky Andy and Daboju). I wanted to feature women that inspire me on a monthly basis, and the posts were well-received. However, I was heavily pregnant when I started the series, and by the time June came around, Little Miss Cocoa also made her grand entrance! At that point, I was not only overwhelmed with being a new and first-time mum, but also started dealing with personal issues. It's taken almost 2 years to get back on this train, but BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!

January 28, 2019

Six Tips on How to Read More Books!

Hey there!

Are you a book lover but don't have the time to read? Or someone who wants to read more books but don't know how to get started? As a young child, I LOVED reading, so much that I read almost all the novels in our house at least twice over! In adulthood, I do enjoy reading, but finding the time (and sometimes energy/motivation) to read has been a bit of a struggle. However, in the past 2 months, I have been able to increase my reading dramatically! I read 4 books in December, and I'm on my 5th book for January. My goal/intention for the year is to read 2 books a month, so I think I'm off to a great start! See my tips below on how to read more books this year.


January 26, 2019

BERRY VLOG: Dark-Skinned Mamas, Light-Skinned Kids

Have I ever shared on the blog that I once met a man who refused to believe Little Miss Cocoa is my child? As in, he argued with me for 30 minutes, insisting that my sister is her mother. All this because I'm dark-skinned and Cocoa is light-skinned, just like my sister and her children. Do your kids look different from you? So much so that people feel the need to comment and ask if you're sure your children are yours? Are you dark-skinned with light-skinned children, or vice versa? 

In this video, I chat with Remi Makanjuola of @GraceToParent and we share our thoughts on responding to questions and comments we have received from strangers, friends and family alike. We also talk about how we plan to teach our children that beauty comes from within and the color of your skin should not define your worth.


January 25, 2019

Berry Lovely Links

YAY! It's Friday and I'm happy for the weekend, particularly because the talk show I cohost, Tea With Cubes is back on Sunday!!! Check out this post from yesterday for more information. Other than that, I don't think I have a lot of things lined up to do, and if possible will stay home ALL DAY on Saturday. I'll probably just tidy up, catch up on reading, Netflix, and working on some content for my Youtube channel - PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE, if any part of you likes me at all, subscribe to my channel! I put up a video today for your viewing pleasure, so take some time to check it out.

And with that all said, enjoy the links I've curated this week.

January 24, 2019

Tea With Cubes Season 2 Premiere

Your favorite talk show is BACK!!! This Sunday, January 27th, at 4pm EST (10pm WAT), LIVE on Instagram and Facebook @TeaWithCubes  join us for our first episode of Season 2 of Tea With Cubes. We are a trio of dynamic women who aim to reach the modern African woman (and man) through insightful, inspiring and entertaining discussions on current events and interesting topics.

January 23, 2019

Winter Blues

Hey there! Long time no style post. It's not like I'm good at style posts anyways - I was told that I'm not fashionable, after all. I dress well, but I'm not stylish - I definitely do not follow trends, I don't dress very well for my body type/shape, etc. My personal style is kinda weird and all over the place. I like a lot of monochrome outfits, while also liking my Nigerian attire. I almost wish I could wear more heels, and I certainly wish I looked more pulled together in an easy, classy, chic, and effortless manner. Alas, I'm not! But guess what? I will still put up Style posts because it's my blog and President Obama said, Yes I can! LOL


January 22, 2019

BERRY VLOG: High Ponytail on 4C Natural Hair Tutorial

It's been ages since I put up a hair post, much less a hair style tutorial. But today, I'm sharing how I did a very quick and easy High Ponytail style on my natural hair. It's also a protective style as the ends of my hair are tucked away. You already know that last year I cut my hair into a Tapered Cut (and also shared why). My hair has grown out a little faster than I anticipated, and I don't feel like I really played around with the shorter style. It's okay though, moving on. I hope you enjoy this short tutorial, and gives you some ideas on how to style your natural hair. BTW, I also played around with the High Ponytail, so there are 2 bonus styles at the end!



January 21, 2019

Why I Don't Want to be a Mummy Blogger

Can I be honest with you? As in, really honest? I do NOT want to be a Mummy Blogger. There is nothing within me that wants to be referred to as a Mummy Blogger (or Mommy Blogger for the Americans). You can call me a Blogger who's a Mother/Mum/Mom, but please do not refer to me as a Mummy Blogger. I realize it might look like I dislike those who are Mummy Bloggers, but I really don't. More grease, spit up, powder, and general children bodily fluids to your elbows! You guys rock! I'm sure you're wondering why Mummy Blogging is not for me? Well, scroll down to see why.



January 18, 2019

Berry Lovely Links

Hola!

How's your week been? This week has been weird - I read 2 books on a whim that weren't on my radar before this week, while neglecting the ones I actually have on my reading list. Work's alright. Cocoa's going through a phase. I had a mini breakdown after reading one of the books. But I'm glad the weekend is here, and pay day (even though most of my money is going towards debt cancellation and bills). Let's check out some interesting links, shall we?

January 16, 2019

Ten Tips for Reading with Toddlers

I used to worry a little bit about building a reading habit for my baby. I read and heard many times that you should start reading to your baby while pregnant, and every day after they're born to help them discover a love for reading. I had a little bit of a rough start and had some mum guilt festering below the surface, but thankfully, my toddler loves to read!

January 15, 2019

Book Review: Adenike by Adenike Oyetunde

I wasn't planning to review this, or any book for that matter, but after I happened upon Adenike and read it from cover to cover in a few hours, I knew I had to share it with you here. Before I go into the book itself, I'd like to share a little background story of how I know the author, Adenike Oyetunde.


January 14, 2019

My Word for 2019

The very first time I ever posted my Word Of the Year was in 201*. I can't remember where I saw the trend - most likely from other blogs I followed and my interest was piqued. Again, just like New Year resolutions and Goals, a lot of people find them to be cliche. That's their prerogative - everything is not for everyone. But I like the idea of being guided by a word or phrase. It influences your thoughts, and therefore your actions.

January 12, 2019

BERRY VLOG - Random Questions with Verastic!

I finally met Vera, whose blog I have followed for the past few years, in December. When she told me she would be in Atlanta during Christmas, I immediately jumped at the chance to stop by for a visit with her. Little Miss Cocoa and Ada Verastic were friendly towards each other, and Vera and I talked like we were old friends. I thought it would be nice to film a video with her - I'd like to do more collaboration videos this year, and we had a blast answering the questions from the 300 Writing Prompts journal (remember when I tried to make it a regular series, called BERRY WRITES on the blog?). Anyway, I hope you enjoy our video.


Have a great weekend!

January 11, 2019

Berry Lovely Links

It's another Friday, and another set of links that I came across or were recommended to me during the week. Did you know that you can email, tweet or DM articles you find interesting and they may end up in a Lovely Links post (and a shout out too?). Check out some of the things that I took time to read and enjoy in the past week.

January 9, 2019

My 2019 Goals

As the year begins, and everyone thinks about their goals and resolutions (or shuns them because they are cliche), I have been thinking about some of my goals for the year. I have shared my blogging and some personal goals in years past, and even my Word of the Year a couple of times. I kinda skipped sharing my goals last year - although I did mention wanting to lose weight (which I did, and then regained some towards the end of the year). This year I wondered whether I want to go through the process of sharing my goals on this platform. And at the end of the day, I have decided that while I may not share some of the more intimate things I'd like to accomplish this year, it doesn't hurt to list out the others.

January 7, 2019

Life Lately: December/2018 Review

Hey there!

One of my goals for 2019 is putting up more posts! I want you to hear more from me, be entertained, be inspired, get something to think about, etc. I always used to enjoy reading Life Lately or Taking Stock posts from other bloggers, but never indulged. I would randomly put up Life Update posts, but those were few and far between. This year though, I would like them to be on a monthly basis - on the first Monday of every month. I promise to review the past month, and give you a little more insight into me. I hope you enjoy these posts going forward, and will share a spot of your life with me in the comments.

January 5, 2019

BERRY VLOG: Christmas Day With My Siblings

Hi there!

I thought it would fun to share a short and sweet video from Christmas morning with Cocoa and my siblings.



I hope you had an excellent Christmas!

January 4, 2019

Berry Lovely Links

Hiya!!!

For our first Lovely Links post of the year, I thought it would be nice to check out some 2018 in Review posts from some of my favorite bloggers. I like to read the reviews and lessons that people learned over time, and you never know what you might pick up from reading about other people's experiences. If you blog or have a Youtube channel and have reviewed 2018, please feel free to leave the link below so that I can catch up with you. Have fun reading!

January 2, 2019

Great Devotionals on Youversion for Goal Setting

As you all know, I've been all about Goals! It's a new year, and most people are in the mental space of creating goals (or making resolutions) for 2019. I created my Goal Getter Guides to help people in setting new goals that align with what they want in life - I hope you've downloaded and started using them! But I wanted to go further and recommend some great devotionals I've come across on Youversion for setting and achieving goals.

January 1, 2019

Happy New Year!

WELCOME TO 2019!!!

This year, I pray above all else, that God's will for your life be done. It's great to make all kinds of plans and have all sorts of goals, but the very best ones are those that fall under the will of God. May your year hold many blessings, in Jesus name. Amen.