Anchor Down

Perfect run around outfit and a step up from my go-to sweat pants 

Forever 21 top
forever21.com

Blue pants
$38 - conleys.de

Michael Kors water resistant watch
$355 - vanmildert.com

J.Crew Boys' suede penny loafers
jcrew.com

About / KahyZen

ATTRAVESIAMO 

(Let's Cross Over)

I should explain my absence.  

I temporarily quit blogging because I felt kahyzen was on some level, lacking depth and was starting to feel…. exhibitionistic.  The decision had been gnawing on me for a while because it seemed like every experience in my life was a potential blog post. You know, like when you are hanging out with your  friends/family and instead of savoring the joy their company, you’re picturing what best angle to take a pretty blog picture ?

So, I had to dial back and put a hold on this.

After some much needed centering and re-prioritizing, I have decided to return with better content which I hope will serve to motivate and inspire; like other blogs have done for me. So, in that vein,  attravesiamo….

Updated 10/14/14 

Me: Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria whoop whoop Gidi in the house J!  Moved to the US in 2003 to attend college; I have a BA in Int'l Relations & Spanish and a Masters in Public Admin.  I live in the big apple with my insanely sexy husband and our little girl.

Love all things Africa(n), I always wanted to run a magazine that showcased the positives of my wonderful continent but was too caught up with school, GPAs and internships to ever follow through with it. Tambien me encanta España y todo lo Español.  I enjoy traveling – I made a promise to myself to go on an annual trip exploring  the world and its people (I don’t want to look back 20 years from now and only be able to say that I worked hard).  I love sweets but on a path to breaking my relationship with Sugar – we’re just no good for each other. I love sunshine and heat ( I always have my space heater on at work – I hope I don’t shrivel up like a raisin soon). Cats creep me out, there is something just downright evil about their eyes, if you have one I will most likely never visit you at home.

You might ask, "why and what is KahyZen ?" Kaizen (pronunciation Kahyzen) was the perfect moniker to describe me and “this”. KahyZen is a documentation of my continuous quest for self-improvement in every life aspect. If you are wondering what the heck Kaizen (Kahy-zen) means, it is the Japanese philosophy of slow continuous growth. The concept is mainly popular in business settings as a strategy to increase efficiency, creativity and innovation in the workplace. I however strongly believe that this process advancement framework can be applied to an individual’s journey in life to create a better you – whatever your definition of that betterment is. I want to be able to look through this in a few years and see what my evolution is. Plus it’d be cool for my daughter whom I will call Yum Yum (it’s a derivative of one of her many African names hehe) to have stuff to read about her mom – if she cares.

I hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by.

Central Park Women's Half Marathon 2013

I originally planned to put up this post the Monday after the race, but given the Boston incident, I decided put it off in remembrance of the victims. This post is dedicated to little Martin Richard, Lu Lingzi and  Krystle Campbell – May your souls rest in peace…

Insanity: The End

http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/insanity.do

Por fin!!! I finally completed the Insanity program  (applause)yes, yes, thank you very much, thank you , thank you . This past month was tough mhen! As you probably know or have heard, the workouts are longerrrrrr in the second month – I mean 59 minutes of pure hardwork – during some workouts I felt I was having an outer body experience, it was that intense. The workouts of  Month 2 week 4 were the most difficult for me to get through, partly because my knee started to act up but more so because my motivation just took a nose dive forsome reason. I ended up switching the workouts around a bit – the day my when myknee hurt,  I did Core Cardio Balance instead of Max Plyo , that way I still got my work out in but gave my knee a break.(I also took a day off at one point but then made it up by doing 2 workout in 1 day) – no I am not crazy, I just wanted to be done with this program. I did the first in the wee hours of the morning (couldn’t go to sleep so I figured I might as well get a workout in and the other I did after work). Now that it’s over, I must say it’s kind of bittersweet. But it is fulfilling to know that I kicked butt Shaun T style :).Would I do it again? most def! In fact, I plan to incorporate the Cardio Abs and the Core Cardio Balance into my weekly routine. I was beginning to give up hope on my post pregnancy body but insanity revived my vision to be a fit mom (sounds so cliché and informercially – eek –but it’s true)

Bye Bye Bo Bo

BYE BYE BO BO YUM YUM IS A BIG GIRL NOW

My Yummers is officially 15 months!!! YAY this marks a lot of milestones, in our family, the end to the reign of the almighty binkie (dramatic music).  We initially took  it away when she was 11 going on 12 months, but later re-introduced it when she got sick (is’nt crazy how getting sick can halt a lot of progress?). Anyway, her dad decided that at 15 months she would stop the binkie  - cold turkey (more dramatic music). One of the major reasons we decided to do this now, is because it was beginning to interfere with her eating patterns.  She would literally have a bite and stick the paci back in her mouth. 

We (my mom) officially took it away March 30^th and I must say, the first couple days were something hellish. Oh boy did she cry,  she cried so hard, we almost relented. Then night 2 came and the same thing all over again. It’s been 5 days since and she still gets a little restless at bedtime, but it’s a far cry – literally, from the gut wrenching wails of the first night.

Moms out there trying to stop their little ones from taking the binkie, I encourage you to press on. The first couple nights are the hardest. There are advantages to giving the binkie but the cons far outweigh the pros . Here are some things you should consider if you’re conflicted about introducing it or trying to take it away.

-        Impedes speech development

-        Impedes the development of tongue & lip muscles

-        Causes the tongue to push forward between with teeth , which could result in a lisp!

Besides, if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit that the bo bo is more for you than it is for them.

Bo Bo got kicked to the curb - mommy does the happy dance :) 

Brunch in The Bronx

Since La Reina Cubana was visiting NY for the weekend I decided to have everyone over for brunch in the Boogie Down. The picture quality is poor but you get the gist.

Yogurt Parfait: Plain Yogurt with mangoes, cubed strawberries and some honey and oats granola

Pancake Skewers: Inspired by Pinterest I just had to recreate this. I put a thin layer of Nutella on the pancakes. RO loved these. (Blasted picture quality) grrrr

Spread: Smoked Salmon, Procuitto, Smoked Mozzarella, Baked Potatoes, Scrambled Eggs, LRC brought in Tomato hummus with bacon bits from Zimmerman's
Bacon: I glazed the bacon with some maple syrup before throwing it in the oven - twas a hit!!

Washed down with mimosas made with Prosecco by La Marca 

And we all got personalized matching make-up purses thanks to darling RO. Now its official!!!! best friends forever. haha