March | Celebrate Women’s History Month

“During Women’s History Month, we recognize the victories, struggles, and stories of the women who have made our country what it is today.” ~ President Obama

Her Life | Maximizing the Hours in Your Day

My loves! So I’m taking a mini break from my usual beauty posts and writing about life today. Things have been pretty crazy these recent weeks between blogging, working on a writing project, working full time, assisting with my husband’s business, fulfilling my mommy and wife duties and more. WHEW! I’m tired just writing about it let alone living it! Which prompted me to write about something I’m sure my brown queens can relate to and that’s how to maximize the hours in a day. Now I know we’ve all seen the memes telling us that “We have the same 24 hours in your day as Beyonce” and I’m sure that I wasn’t alone giving my *side eye* like PUH-LEASE. I have no nanny, housekeeper, personal chef, driver, assistant and whatever else King Bey has so…no my 24 hours are a tad bit different ;). However, I’m sure there are things that can be done in order to squeeze a little bit more time out of my day. Here’s what I’ve been doing and I’m sharing with my queens! Hopefully some of you can relate and put these into practice!

Reflections, Update & Giveaway!

Hello loves! I just wanted to drop in and do a different kind of post today as we near the close of the year! Get a little personal with ya’ll you know? 2013 has been some kinda crazy and it gets greater everyday so I can only imagine what’s in store for 2014!

Reflections | Beyond Beauty

I’ve been blogging for about 6 months now and I think that it’s safe to say I’m pretty much obsessed with the beautifully chaotic world that is the blogosphere. Throughout these last few months my blog has grown and evolved so much and I thank all my readers and supporters for that! You all are very much appreciated <3. As I cross my 6 month mark I find myself reflecting on what This Brown Queen stands for and what I want to do here on the blog, my other social media outlets, and my life. Though, I’m all over the place (as I usually am) one thing is for certain…This Brown Queen is BEAUTIFUL. The blog, the mission, the goal. The connections I’ve made. The people I’ve come across. The communities of bloggers I participate in. The amazing brown queens I encounter all over the world (thanks to the internet). Simply beautiful.

I consider myself to be a self proclaimed beauty connoisseur and I wear that crown proudly. I LOVE beauty and all things pretty. But…I stress the importance that beauty TO ME, is more than a pretty face. It’s more than the make up that you wear, or the clothes you buy. Beauty is YOU. It’s within you. It’s outside of you. It’s around you. It’s the passion my queens have for their businesses. It’s the confidence I see from people stepping outside their comfort zones. It’s empowerment of women to women. It’s all of that. Wrapped up in a pretty brown bow. I think each person has a different belief in what beauty is to them and I want to inspire and support you to do whatever it is that you feel makes you beautiful. For THIS brown queen that’s a pretty lipstick and new shoes…(and a baby cloth over my shoulder because Jr is unpredictable and I don’t want no problems 😉 ). For YOU queen it could be anything. As long as you are KNOW that You are Beautiful.

Thanks for continuing along with me on this journey of my beautiful brown life. I will continue to bring you the best in beauty, fashion, motherhood and life. I hope that you continue to stick with me while I continue to chase dreams and write from the heart in red lipstick and pumps. And be sure to look out for my new venture, combining my passion for beauty and support of my queens!

Peace, Love, & Blessings

~

**Stay Connected! Follow me on Twitter @thisbrownqueen & Instagram @tyshia_shante**

Reflections | Random Thoughts…

It’s hard for me to take in this life thing sometime.
For me.

It’s like, I want to do everything.
All of it.
But there’s no time…or is there?

Sometimes I get suffocated by the beauty of life.
And all that you can do.

And other times I’m highly disappointed that I’m not THERE yet.

I’m thankful though.

Most of the time I over think life.
It’s a gift and a curse.

But I really just want to live…on my terms…and be happy.
Is that my dream?

Then there’s just not enough hours in the day.
Ya know, to make my dreams a reality.
I can barely make my family dinner after work.

Work. Whose idea was this?

You make time “they say”. Well…that sounds easy.
Sarcasm font.

“Hold fast to dreams”…
I will.

It WILL happen one day.
That’s faith.

I believe in faith.
In hope. In love. In life.

How could I not?

Have you seen my babies…they are miracles.
REAL. LIFE. MIRACLES.

Peace, Love, & Blessings

~

**Stay Connected! Follow me on Twitter @thisbrownqueen & Instagram @tyshia_shante**

Relax, Dream, Believe

This is a picture of my coffee cup. I drink my coffee out of it every morning at work and I leave it right on my desk in plain sight and every so often (a thousand times a day) I look at it for reassurance, for a reminder, for that push to get me through my day.

I, like many of us, work a (semi)-traditional office job. I say semi because the actual company I work for is interesting and my work environment is very relaxed. I work for an inventor and he’s a little crazy…in a good way. Our office is like a family. Everyone knows each other. There’s often kids running around. Dress code is non-existent. And the overall atmosphere is really laid back. I don’t have a “real” schedule. Most of my coworkers work full time. I don’t. I work about 25 – 30 hours a week. It’s really flexible which works wonderfully for my family. I’m not complaining about my salary either. Many of my family and friends comment on how lucky I am to have such a job. I agree, I am very blessed.

But…there’s something missing. I don’t dislike my work. It’s just that. Work. I work in an office. I do office work. Sure there are some highlights (like traveling to trade shows) that break up the monotony. But those situations are few and far between. Overall, it’s a desk job. I don’t love it. Don’t hate it. So I would assume what I’m missing is passion. I’m missing that fire, that fuel, that driving force. What is it? Where is it? How can I find it?

Many of you have heard the saying “When you do what you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life”. I want to be that person. I want to never work a day in my life. But where and how do I begin? I’m a lover of many many things. My mind runs a mile a minute. I have ideas by the boatload, thoughts by the millions, interests to the sky, and the attention span of a toddler. There’s no way I can focus alllll of that into one passion. But it has to be done.

I just have to figure out how…

~

This Brown Queen