Happy Mardi Gras everyone!  My family experienced Mardi Gras for the first time over the weekend and we had a ball.  I know some of you are thinking, “You took the kids to Mardi Gras?  Isn’t Mardi Gras just a bunch of drinking and partying? ” Well, yes and no.

There is much drinking and partying, but as I learned, the drunkenness that outsiders associate with Mardi Gras is done by the tourists and others who use Mardi Gras as an excuse to practice the phrase “what happens in Mardi Gras stays in Mardi Gras.”   Mardi Gras is in fact a family celebration that is steeped in tradition, custom and history.  It takes over the entire city and everyone is in a celebratory mood.

There is celebrating–food and family parties by locals–and then there is celebrating by tourists (as in another word for getting fall-down drunk) . Because we stayed in a hotel on Canal Street, right downtown and near the French Quarter, we saw the drunken tourists in action.   We made the mistake of walking down a few blocks of Bourbon Street at noon and it was full on debauchery.  At noon!  Can you imagine what it’s like at night?   Here’s a shot of Bourbon Street from our hotel balcony.  Remember, this is in the afternoon.  As it got later, it just got more crowded.

As long as we stayed off Bourbon Street, the French Quarter shops and restaurants were fun to explore .  The balconies were decorated and people threw beads to the crowds below.  That’s my son in the right corner trying to catch some beads.

There are parades every day and every night and this is very much a family-friendly activity.  At night you have to watch the parades in the right place (away from the tourists) to avoid the drunkards.  We were invited to Mardi Gras by a family very much involved in the traditional celebrations and very well connected in New Orleans, so we watched the parades with them.  During the Bacchus Parade, we were in the mayor’s box, which was great because most of the marching bands stopped to perform there and King Bacchus made his toast to the mayor.  The king of Bacchus is Will Ferrell this year.  Here’s a photo and video of him toasting the mayor:

The floats are amazing to see, but you had better keep your head up or you might get beads flung at your head.   All the floats have riders that throw beads, cups, stuffed toys and if you’re really lucky, a coconut, to the crowd.    This is so much fun and my kids quickly caught on to the phrase, “Throw me something mister!” as they kept their hands up in the air.  One time I wasn’t paying attention and two strings of heavy beads clocked my knuckles – ouch!  These photos only show about an 1/8 of the beads we have.  I think we came home with about 10,000 beads and other throws.  What ever will we do with all that Mardi Gras booty?

No matter.  My kids had so much fun; they had never seen anything like Mardi Gras before.   Thanks New Orleans for showing us a good time!  Happy Mardi Gras!

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© 2012, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

I met Whitney Houston once or twice.  I know her family, so it wasn’t a surprise when I met her, but it was still a thrill.  She was normal and down to earth, but I don’t think I said two words to her because she is after all, Whitney.

Like everyone else in the world, I thought she was a phenomenal singer, but more than anything I remember her as the skinny-legged, pretty black girl on the cover of Seventeen.   As a skinny black girl too, I didn’t see myself often represented on the cover of teen fashion magazines.  She was an inspiration.  Only much later did I connect the dots between the girl-model and the powerful voice.

I’m linking up with Mama Kat by answering the prompt: Share a Whitney Houston song that meant something to you.

© 2012, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

I do not wear red often.  I have a fancy red dress and a Sprinkles tee that says “red velvet” across the front.  That’s it.  So when I was asked to wear red for a screening of the movie Red Tails, I didn’t have a thing to wear.

Have you seen Red Tails?  It was a great movie, but my experience was even better because I was in the presence of some of the original Tuskegee Airmen.   I heard them speak after the movie and it was an honor to listen to these living legends.  They are in their 80s and 90s and gave very sage advice.

my daughter’s autographed movie poster

So what did I wear to the Red Tails movie event? I scoured the mall, wading through the “date night” Valentine’s Day clothes, until I found a red skirt.   You can’t tell in the photo, but it’s made of a stretchy pointelle fabric and it has fake pockets near the waist.   I really like it because I can dress it up as I did in this event, but I can also dress it down.  It’s very comfortable.  I see myself wearing it this spring with sandals and a blue and white boat-necked striped tee.  Or maybe a white tee and my blue and white nautical TOMS wedges – that would look really cute.  This is what I wore to the movie.  I had to dress up a bit because I would be taking press photos.  I think the skinny black patent leather belt is a nice touch.

Red Tails movie event

shirt – Uniqlo

necklace – Bloomingdale’s

 skinny belt – Nordstrom

skirt – Anthropologie

tights – Nordstorm

ankle boots – Boutique 9, Bloomingdale’s

I have shown those ankle boots in many photos lately!  I would say that I have gotten my money’s worth out of those shoes for sure; they have been my go-to dressy shoes this winter.

I’m linking up with What I Wore Wednesday , Real Momma, Real Style and Monday Mingle.

© 2012, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

Funki and oh-so-helpful organizing & life-hacking tips by yours truly. Like McGyver, who could dismantle a bomb with a roll of duct tape, a toothpick and a nail file, I am Ma-Gyver, organizer of everything and life-hacker extraordinaire. From time to time I will be bringing you my tips and tricks for keeping an orderly house and mind.

The 80′s called and they want those washed out, tired looking jeans back!  That’s what I want to say to people.  And I do…in my head.  Except to my father, I said that to his face.  Then I bought him a new pair of Levi’s for his birthday.  My mother was so very grateful.

After you’ve thrown away the 80′s jeans (or forced by loved ones, as in my father’s case) and bought a new pair, how do you keep those jeans looking new?   (Here in the New Millennium, we like our jeans to stay within the blue spectrum).

I know many people who keep the color in their jeans by not washing them.  Ever.   I just can’t do that!  While jeans may not show dirt, they do come into contact with germs and bacteria and, um, you wear them on your BUTT.  So….if you never wash them, guess what your jeans smell like?  That’s right–BUTT.

Jeans are a staple in my wardrobe.  Unless I’m wearing a dress, I’m wearing a pair of jeans.  I have my everyday-on-sale-for-$40 Gap Always Skinny jeans and I have premium Joe’s and Hudson jeans.   If the jeans cost $40 or over $100, I want to keep them looking like new as long as possible.  So I have a system for wearing my jeans, keeping them smelling fresh, and making the color last.

1. I use Woolite Extra Dark Care to wash my jeans and I don’t put any other clothes in the same load.

2.  I use the delicate cycle on my washing machine.

3.  I hang dry.  Well, I’m lying about that one because I’m too impatient, but I really should hang dry.  I do set the dryer on the lowest setting possible.

4. I wear my jeans 3-4 times before washing them.  I have a method to keep track: each time I wear a pair of  jeans, I put a binder clip on that hanger.  When the hanger has 3 or 4 clips, it’s time to wash them.  Also, I alternate pairs, never wearing the same pair 2 days in a row.   I wear the Gap jeans daily just kicking it around the house and save the premium jeans for Levels 2 or 3 dressing.  It’s already been established that I’m kind of crazy, so that may be a bit too much for you, but the point is that I know how many times I’ve worn my jeans.

5. HOWEVER – and this is important to keep them smelling fresh in between wears – I use Febreeze after each and every wear, spraying them inside and out.  Then I let them dry before putting them back on the hanger.

me in my jeans

church lobby on Christmas Eve

shirt – Splendid, Bloomingdale’s

jeans – Hudson, Bloomingdale’s

I’m linking up with What I Wore Wednesday , Real Momma, Real Style and Monday Mingle.

*This is not an endorsement for Woolite or Febreeze; I have no affiliation with those companies (I would gladly disclose information such as that).  I am merely sharing what works for me.  

© 2012, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

When I travel, I like to wear a cross-body bag to keep my hands free.  However, I swear these bags are made for giants because the strap is just too long–even when I buckle it in the last hole.  Instead of hitting me at the hip, the bag is swinging down around my kneecaps somewhere.   It is most uncomfortable to walk like that.

The solution?–Make a new hole in the strap.  This can easily be done by your local cobbler.  Since I am a regular customer, my cobbler doesn’t charge me for this service, but most shops will only charge a dollar or two. The task is accomplished in about a minute.  It’s a small thing, but it makes such a big difference.

This tiny adjustment allowed me to comfortably carry a cross-body bag around Paris.

Voilá!

purse – Liebeskind, Bloomingdale’s

I’m linking up with What I Wore Wednesday , Real Momma, Real Style and Monday Mingle.

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© 2012, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.