Dear Mommy, these are for you.

I want to take a moment out to thank everybody who takes their own personal time to read or engage in my blog whether it’s new to you or old. You are appreciated.

I did want to remind you that my first affirmation book (Dear Mommy, these are for you) is available on Amazon paperback and kindle and if you don’t have access you can also visit OkadaBooks.com

Please support my book. It is a collection of affirmations that can uplift any mother at any given time, if you are a mom, know a mom, or simply want to share words of encouragement with anyone you know. Please buy or download this book.

It’s available Internationally as well via the Amazon of your choice.

Check it out & enjoy.

Links for the U.S.A, U.K and Okadabooks below

https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Mommy-These-are-you/dp/B09ZCVYQNQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=1M9AJKPHFJAG&keywords=dear+mommy+these+are+for+you&qid=1654453222&sprefix=dear+monmy+these+a%2Caps%2C638&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dear-Mommy-These-are-you-ebook/dp/B09ZH2BSFQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=meredine+akerele&qid=1654453281&sr=8-1

https://okadabooks.com/search?query=Dear%2520mommy%2520

Airline Wahala ☀️

(Wahala means trouble)

I’ve started planning for summer already. It’s literally around the corner. I’m so looking forward to spending a wonderful time building more amazing memories with my family.

Summer since I’ve been a child, has always been memorable and I wouldn’t want it less for my own children BUT, nobody prepared me for those flight fees 😫 completely disastrous. Of course, when you’re small it’s my parents that would be dealing with it, I’d just get on the airplane… my oh my how the tables have turned! Now it’s my children who will get on the airplane stress free, while I’m trying to figure out what the best route to take going and coming.

First of all, airlines are actually a set up for any parent! The only time they make sense with children is when they are lap infants or babies. There’s practically no cost at all. The moment they are old enough to sit on their own $$$$$$ I mean! Calm down DELTA or whoever else. I understand they use the entertainment but children are restless and they never eat the airplane food, not even kid meals are good enough.

You really have to plan well when you want to travel as a family, the up and go life can’t work unless you’re equipped for it.

The only area I have some luck thanks to my wonderful father, is that he invested in Timeshare! I didn’t understand it then, but NOW – a life saver when looking into booking a room & the deals are fantastic. The best part is you can use it in so many places around the world! What a gem. Thankfully, we can save some money in one area and not be tight in both.

Regardless, I’m absolutely going on vacation! I need it, my children need, my family needs it. I’m looking forward to our summer adventures & I know it will be worth every memory.

What are you plans for the summer readers and if you’re a parent, how do you cope with family trips?!

Troublesome Four… 😒

Towards the end of last year and the beginning of this year, I have noticed a huge shift with both of my children. They are both maturing, their mouths are moving more than ever. Their learning is improving, it’s a wonderful thing to see.

What I’ve noticed the most is their attitudes. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but they both seem to be more moody and more opinionated than ever before. I feel like this is a very vital time in parenthood. I really don’t like whiners, and my son always seems to whine rather than just ask for something directly. As this is his behavior, it trickles down to his younger sister and then she also starts whining for things. I just can’t stand it!

My disciplined radar is higher than ever, and I’m not trying to be the grinch in the house, but if I don’t take it away from them now it’s just going to get worse.

My daughter is so demanding and in my head I’m thinking, what exactly do you know about “this and that.” It can be from a simple task to picking up toys or to picking out her clothes. I’m happy to have her pick out what she wants to wear, but sometimes clothing that she chooses is not appropriate because I know it’s for a certain event or I know it will get dirty, so when I say she cannot wear it, rather than her just saying ”Ok mommy” and moving on to choosing the next thing, she decides she wants to have a huge toddler tantrum about it. That’s where I draw the line. I always have to remind her that “I am the mother” and she has to listen to me and she can’t always get her way.

Things never used to be like this, and it’s making me think if all parents go through this phase 🤔 I don’t remember hearing about it.… PLEASE, SHARE YOUR STORIES WITH ME!!!!

At this stage of my children’s ages, they listen and hear every single thing anybody says. It’s so important for me to say the right things and do the right things while also teaching them valuable lessons.

The truth is, I am kind of struggling. This is a new change I was NOT prepared for just yet, but I will certainly figure it out.

“It takes a village” is making more sense to me as my children get older and as I observe them.

Stay tuned.

Keeping it real with Coco 💕

As some of you may know and not know, when i’m not “mommy-ing…” I am sometimes focus on my singing career. yes! I am also an artist who goes by the name Coco Benson (music available on all streaming platforms and Youtube) & yes my children know ALL my songs (even the unreleased) lol 😂 Anyways, to follow that part of my life, you would need to follow me on Instagram. My account name is @CocoBenson_

Not too long ago, I started an Instagram series called “keeping it real with Coco.” Every week once or twice I try and go live and talk about everything real. There’s no shortage of topics. I wanted to introduce everyone on here to that because it’s a way for you to know who had been behind this blog for all these years and again, I thank everyone that has liked my stuff and shared their thoughts, we don’t know each other but I appreciate you just as much that you take the time to read what I think and read my personal opinions about this motherhood journey.

Keeping it real with Coco is an in-depth conversation as I said about real matters. If you’re ever interested, you can always join me live to watch and chime into and episode or you can follow me or not follow me lol and still watch my show on IGTV.

See you there, don’t be shy, it’s a free and open space.

Four Years Of Motherhood 🎈

My big boy Jaden is about to be FOUR years old this Saturday!!! I’m literally going to be raising a four year old boy! Wow. Four years of motherhood! Four years of amazing memories. Four years of amazing growth, such a beautiful experience. Being a mommy to Jaden is the best thing on this earth! I wouldn’t change it for anything.

As I get older I realize this was always my path because I love being a mommy but as time goes by, I’ve found balance and I can accomplish everything I want to while still being a mommy. Of course there are sacrifices at times but it’s short lived! What’s important is that my kids know I love them unconditionally and that I’ll go above and beyond for them. Everything that I thought I couldn’t accomplish before or fell a part, are now coming together and it’s all God’s timing because maybe before I wasn’t ready or maybe I needed a different kind of motivation which I get from my children.

Life is what you make it and you have to enjoy the moments you can, create new memories daily and learn to be better each day.

I am so proud of my boy! Four years old! Smart, talkative, learning how to read (I just found out yesterday while we are doing night time stories) He’s asking questions, he tells me stories and sings songs and his brain is so creative! The list goes on and on. I am so blessed to be his mother! He’s a great big brother, who takes care of his sister and teaches her (good and sometimes naughty things lol) but their bond is unbreakable. I’m loving the little big boy he’s becoming and I know he’ll continue to do amazing things with God on his side and US.

Cheers to Papa bear and myself!

The contract mommy

As of last year, I decided to take the jump and go back to work. It’s not your regular 9-5 … it’s quite intensive, the hours are long but the great news is that it’s contracted.

I love contract work because it gives me the ability to be very flexible as a mother. I can have time for my own business, I can have time for my husband, I can have time for my children, and do everything that I want to do if I’m not currently doing that work.

It was a big step for me, but very necessary… Because there’s so many things that go on in the family, and there are so many things to take care of, and so many goals to reach and it’s cool to rely on one income but it’s not too bad to rely on two incomes especially when you’re bringing in some correct money.

Last year when I was away on work, I luckily had my amazing sister to help me with Papa bear watching the children it worked out. We all survived. This time, same situation but the distance is longer… Remember I said in an earlier blog I took my children to west Africa? Well as of right now they are there, and I am in the in the states! Can you imagine 😭 That is a lot of water between us, literally oceans between us. I think I can survive this because I know they are with my mother, they are in great hands & I will see them very soon.

It’s quite a tough thing to leave your children behind but sometimes in this life, you have to make sacrifices. This time I didn’t have my sister around and for Papa bear to watch our children alone although I know he could do it for two weeks nonstop, it would STOP absolutely everything he had to do for himself and our family. Would that be fair of me to ask him to sit still? Hmm 🤔 we have the same goals to reach and parenting is a two work man job but sometimes you really have to make sacrifices to better the whole family. I know the kids will be alright.

I spoke to my son not too long ago today, and yes he did cry “mommy, I miss you. Come back home” it totally broke my heart but I had to put on my big girl pants and realize I’m starting work again tomorrow and I’m going to be busy and focused and I’ll be back in your cute/sweet lovely arms in no time.

Motherhood is such a big deal. As a mom, you have to make all these decisions and all these decisions have consequences. I know there are some women and men that will judge me for going to work with two children, especially small children but then I think to myself “you’re not paying any of my bills” and all of those opinions are irrelevant. I know the lifestyle I’m trying to live, I know exactly what I want to give my children. You can’t always just expect everything to be handed to you especially from Papa bear. As a woman there’s nothing wrong with getting your hands a little dirty and the benefits will be glorious in the long run. I know exactly why I’m doing this and I know the rewards that can come from this and I know I’ll see my children very soon.

The house is so quiet right now though. I told papa bear “Is this what it’s like when your kids go to college?.” Just the two of us. Quiet. No mess anywhere. No noise. Just us. This is happening right now, so imagine when I children are really young adults of their own and everything we ever wanted is set and our goals are met. Pretty amazing.

I know there will be some days at work when I get to the hotel,  I’ll feel sad and I might cry because I do miss my children but every day that I wake up, it’s just another day that the contract is further down the line and another day that I’ve gotten paid.

I’m very grateful that I had the opportunity to do this contract work & because of that opportunity I don’t take it lightly and I stay completely focused.

Being a working mom is very tough but somehow, there’s always a way to make it  work. I want to make sure I don’t get sidetracked because at the end of the day my children are my priority, and I definitely don’t want to miss moments of them growing up in anyway but that’s where balance come in. It’s not every contract that I will take but it’s not every contract I will miss either. God will see my family through.

Motherhood. The new decade. (Happy New Year)

Happy New Year! A new decade is amongst us and I have so much to share again. I took a break because well state the obvious I was mommy-ing, but I was also wife-ing and working! Yup that’s right WORKING (not your regular 9-5 either) but we’ll save that blog for another day.

Jaden and Jada have grown up so much, there characters are something to share. What they say and what they do and how they bond is something special and I look forward to sharing this all from my eyes in words.

Stay tuned and again,
happy new year. May we all have a great start to the new year 🥂

Another ONE 💗

Papa Bear & myself did it again. We made the accomplishment of another child surviving to ONE. Jada our little princess.

We had a fun little party at an indoor play place just like we did for Jaden at the time. Games, food & good conversation. Nothing over the top. She had a blast, her brother had a blast & so did their cousins. We both Thank God she is growing beautifully , healthy  and is already learning things at an amazingly fast pace. She knows how to say her name to her best ability and she knows how to play peek-a-boo & run if you tell her to run, she recognizes most faces she’s seen like her Nana & Grandpa and aunties, she even knows how to sing “Johnny Johnny” which by the  way is the cutest thing ever. I am happy, I don’t know anything about raising a little girl but I’m learning Day by day and if I’ve done it with my son, and continue to do so, I know I can do it….

& NOW. Down to the NITTY GRITTY.

Jada is so different than her brother, at times I thought she would be more calm… she actually more wild. She really doesn’t take  nonsense at her age. She is VERY demanding whether it be with me or her brother/father. She knows how to get what she wants just by her non speaking voice so I can only imagine when the words start coming up. Jada is adorable but she’s a handful & half. I’m catching on to her ways and I’m trying to keep up.

I don’t know if I believe in horoscopes anymore but my daughter is a Gemini & sometimes I can see both sides of her in a span of ten minutes but I’m the QUEEN of the castle & whether she likes it or not I have to firmly put my foot down lol

The relationship between Jaden & her brother  is still amazing & I think they have their communication lingo locked it. They definitely balance each other out even though Jaden will pull the big brother card at times, he has the right to though. They are both independent but also love each other’s company and it’s everything I could ever image it to be.

Jada’s development is daily and I’m just happy I can to experience it all again for the second time around… I do miss some moments, I was very on point with my son, caught everyone moment. With her, it’s just like a smooth ride of “oh you have teeth now” but for her brother it was “grab the camera, teeth, teeth, teeth.” Nevertheless I’m enjoying it all, because they are only so small for such a short time.

A girl named Jada.

The last time I properly spoke about my daughter I mentioned how she was barely opening her eyes. Eleven months later, her eyes are big, beautiful and brown.

My sweet girl. Full name Jada Folasade. I never thought I’d find love quite like this. She’s just like my Jaden but a girl version. She’s coming into her own little sassy self! She’s addicted to me, even more than her big brother was at this age. She practically screams at the top of her lungs when I turn my back or walk away… it’s something to see but do I mind?! Not really, I’m flattered that a little human being can love someone so much. It makes me happy. Yes, there are times when it can drive others to confusion and when I need a moment to focus on her brother or another things it can be quite bothersome but it’s all out of Love.

My daughter is a real little girl. She’s so cute and cuddly, smart and her smiles just light up the room. She herself is an amazing younger sister. She loves to play with Jaden, she loves to share & when she hears his voice, her whole face lights up. It’s match made.

In one month, she’s already about to be one years old and I can’t believe it. Time just simply goes by too fast. She was just a baby that we took on a family trip to New Orleans and now she’s a little madam who takes command and ALWAYS wants to eat my food, and eat on her own and stand and talk her baby talk and test her brother… (what do I mean test? Stay tuned for the next blog or two away )  😉

I am a very proud mother, I really am raising two amazing kids, it’s never easy but it’s constant learning and growing for myself and them and between us I remember when my doctor said my son Jaden would be a girl I felt some way… but a life without my sweet princess in it doesn’t make sense now. She’s another part of my puzzle, another part of her brother and another part of our family which we are in love with.

I’m curious about the woman she’s going to become. The different stages of growth. Her style and attitude and how she’ll carry herself.  I think about this with both my children.  It’s an amazing thought that time will eventually reveal all.

I love my princess so much just like I love my son and I’m just so thankful that they have an amazing bond with each other even though it’s a year and 3 months apart. They go together like PB&J. Watching them together is like an amazing surreal movie. These interactions between her and her brother are  the best thing a mother could watch.

This little girl has brought something special to our family.  🙂

Threenager…

Hi readers,

I am finally back…. life has been happening so I didn’t have time to blog because my mind wasn’t there but suddenly today I had the urge to get back to writing so here I am.

The last time I spoke about my new born baby girl who is about to be one years old in one more month 🤯 & a big brother who has been oh so caring, loving & protective… but there’s more… AGE THREE.

That’s right my big boy is finally three years old and the experience is like no other. He’s wild. When I say wild, I mean it. Three is interesting, the kids are on self discovery like never before but now they talk more & talk back. They know what they are doing and saying & know exactly what buttons to press. Three has been interesting like I just say say.

Jaden is one of the loves of my life but sometimes I feel bad because he drives me to crazy village with his threenager antics. When he’s getting disciplined sometimes it works and sometimes he pulls out the crocodile tears to make me feel bad which these days don’t work lol! I really have to stand my ground if not this little boy could finish me off like the last one on one on a battle field.

The love is unconditional but the wahala aka the trouble he gives can be a bit too much. I am hands on deck as a mother but now I’m dealing with two sides. A growing baby and a toddler and it is a whole lot. I know I got it though but keep the wine coming along with it 🤣

I am extremely blessed nevertheless to have a three year old because it means I’ve been a mother for three years and that’s amazing to me. I’ve grown so much as a woman and taking care of two just shows me a different  side of life not to mention I am soft and hard at the same time because I have a boy and girl.

My son may be wild but he’s still amazing and intelligent. Remembering big words, colors. Enjoying making friends and school & knowing exactly what he wants  and he’s still an amazing big brother. He really loves his little sister and she loves him back and it amazes me when he says things like “mommy this is for Jada.” He’s so involved with her and even if he has moment where he doesn’t want to share his one toy with her, he’ll find something she does like and he’ll give it her! That’s the BIG BROTHER move.

The observation continues.

Time & Two

I can’t belive I have two children. It’s the most surreal thing before my eyes. One minute I’m pregnant with my first and TIME happens. The baby is born and he grows up to be his own little person. Next minute I’m pregnant with another and TIME let’s me realize “girl, you got two kids now.” … I was just pregnant, how is it that my baby girl is about to be two months old in 3 days! I mean WHAT, WHEN & HOW!

Time really does go by fast and you have to embrace every moment of it because it also waits for no one. I’m so grateful for my children, they have both shown me I can be a woman that I never knew.

My son Jaden is really the best big brother. He’s so caring of his little sister and he loves helping me help her which is so important. The only time he’s jealous is if he’s tired and I’m carrying her and he wants to be carried, otherwise he’s fantastic. Amongst him embracing that he’s not an only child anymore, he’s been doing some growing of his own. He speaks full proper sentences. He’s organized with his toys (even if the whole place looks scattered) he knows how to say “Please, Thank you and Sorry” (There’s an interesting “sorry” blog to come featuring his grandpa later this month) … he knows colors, he loves to read, he appreciates his classmates… the list goes on and on. I’m so proud of my boy and in two short amazing years this has all happened so I can only imagine what is to come. TIME will tell.

My little girl with her sweet angelic face, eyes barely open to open bat 🦇 eyes throughout the day and especially at night. She loves to smile, she’s extremely alert and she on the way with her motor skills in no time. She has amazing control with her head lifting up and she certainly knows how to kick a blanket off in a jiffy 😆 she’s growing so fast and I can’t wait till both of them are in motion because I know how much fun they will have together. She loves her milk and she drinks so much without missing a meal, she herself is ready to be a big girl! Already in size 1 diapers and 3 month old clothes TIME again is waiting for no one.

Seeing all these changes week by week, month by month & year by year, I’m just overwhelmed with gladness. There is so much in store for my children and for me as a mother.

Hello Baby.

She’s here! My sweet baby girl is finally here. 

I can’t believe I finally made it to the finish line! Such an exciting moment. Pregnancy is no easy breeze towards the end but I made it. 

I am so grateful and thankful to God. I had a successful delivery! Our baby girl was born in the evening of June 8th 2018 💗 (Which makes her little over two weeks old from the date of this blog 🙂

MY EPIDURAL WORKED which made such a difference from my first pregnancy. I mean it, the biggest difference ever. Giving birth without all that pain is like a smooth ride with a lot of pressure HOWEVER I still dealt with consequences afterwards because my neck was struck out and strained for a good week! I believe I was pushing my girl out with every muscle in my entire neck. It was awful & I couldn’t even enjoy my kids for the first few days which was awful! Thankfully the pain did go away and It’s back to our regular scheduled program  TIMES TWO!!! 

Ahhh! I have two amazing beautiful children, is this real life?! A Boy & A Girl! What a dream come true. 

I’m so thankful to have Papa Bear & my mother by my side once again. Papa bear was holding my hand like a real champion and once he heard his daughter cry / we all starting crying. I think I was crying during my last push… by the way (pat on my shoulder) under 5 min of pushing, that was it! Definitely a record for me because Jaden was about 15 min. 

& Now we’re back in the comfort of our home. Back to square one while on square two : baby and newborn. Two meals (breastmilk & chicken nuggets) Two diaper changes (Newborn & Pull-ups) Two sleep patterns – the list just goes on. It is more work but it’s an amazing thing I’m doing and I just feel so blessed. 

I will certainly blog about New sister/ Big Brother chapters so stay tuned but just so you know Jaden LOVES his sister just like we do & I’m so happy for that because I was so nervous about how he’ll take a new baby in the house. 

All is well 

😉 

Our home is filled with more love ❤️ 

We Couldn’t be happier.