A Play, a TV Show and a Tired Mommy...

Its been an eventful week in the DivaSphere. Monday Episode 2 of The Underground Kings was released, Tuesday we had a blizzard; Wednesday night was the preview for Bee Luther Hatchee at The Stagecrafters Theater in Chestnut Hill, and tomorrow is opening night. Oh and did I mention I'm filming a reality show as well? So yeah, I'm running around like a crazy person, and truthfully I wouldn't have it any other way. The truth of the matter is I'm better under pressure. I accomplish way more when I have a few things on my plate, having to prioritize forces me to be proactive. Naturally I am a procrastinator so when the pressure is on, I have no choice but to get it done. So in the back of your mind you are thinking, hey what about the kids? Well, this is game time and I actually love it! This is great real life training for them. Its teamwork, time management, communication and responsibility delegation all rolled up in one.



This is what our day looks like:

Dom gets up with her younger brother in the morning and makes sure he gets breakfast before he gets on the bus at 6:45 am and she leaves at 7 am for class

I get up between 7 and 7:30 either make dinner in the crock pot or set out something for the girls to cook in my absence

In the office by 9 work until 11:30 am

Home by 12 pm take Stasia to school by 1 pm

Either teaching, studying my scripts or back in the office until 4 pm

Pick Stasia up at 4:30, Nafeese by 5 pm drop him off at practice at 5:30 pm

Have Stasia drop me off at the Theater by 6:30 pm

Have Stasia pick her brother back up by 7:30 pm

Have Stasia pick me up from the theater at 10 pm



Once I get home its dishes, laundry, paying bills, helping with left over home work, movie with the girls etc and my night NEVER ends before midnight. And I love it, I love supporting us with my craft, I love touching lives with my artistry, I love teaching my children how to hustle for themselves and not someone elses' dreams. I love giving them an example of a confident motivated woman. And most of all, I love that I have been blessed to be able to do so.



So to my fellow mommies we may get tired in the process but,we can do it all, with a little faith and a little teamwork and a whole lot of LOVE!

Introducing The Underground Kings!

A great deal of what I do is "hurry up and wait". Get to set 5am, hurry to hair and makeup, then hurry to wardrobe and the green room. Wait for the set to be dressed for your scene, wait for the camera and lights to be set, wait to shoot your scene, then wait for the cameras and lights to be reset to shoot the same scene from the 3 or four other angles of each other character in the scene with you. Hurry up and wait. But the longest and the worst waiting period is when you are done, you have left set, shot all your scenes and the project has wrapped. We wait for the tapes to be edited and the piece packaged and ready to go. Only then do I finally get to see what made it in and what was left on the cutting room floor. Today one of my waits is over. My new project was just released and I am very happy and proud of the results.

The Underground Kings is a gritty police drama set in Philadelphia starring a slew of Philly talent including Brian Anthony Wilson from "Limitless" with Bradley Cooper, Christopher Mann from "The Wire", John Canada Terrell from "The Five Heartbeats" to name a few. The series is written directed and produced by local talent as well: Written by Skye Dennis, Directed by Lionel Cook and Executive Produced by Richard "Rip" Hamilton of the Chicago Bulls. Among the slew of reality shows and entertainment journals, we are missing the true dramas that used to make up prime time television; "The Underground Kings" fills that void. With such a strong cast, excellent writing and the superb backing of Hamilton's Rip City Film's, the series is sure to make its mark, and I along with it. I play a character named Ciara who was married at young age and is currently divorced, she is also mother of a little girl, Tatiana. All I can say is she is NOTHING like Tiffany Barrett, to find out what I mean you'll have to watch! My hope is that you will, I promise it will be worth it. 

More than this is just another project in the can for me, its also one more affirmation that it can be done. All the things that everyone wanted me to believe I couldn't do. I even believed it at one point. That I couldn't support my family doing what I love, but I can, and I do. That my friends has made all the difference.

A Meditating Mama

Twice yesterday I tried to take a nap and was overwhelmed by thought after thought, to the point that my racing mind was unable to allow me to sleep. That happens to me often when a great deal is happening in my life. It also happens when I am under a lot of stress, like I've been the last few weeks. 

I wish I could honestly say that I have a solid meditation practice, but that would be a lie. What I can say is that when I do meditate, my mind is a lot clearer and I feel less stressed. But beginning and maintaining a practice of meditation was a difficult task for me. That is why I am using this blog to share the Oprah's Lifeclass and The Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge. The focus this time is Miraculous Relationships, which I think is something anyone can benefit from, especially me. This isn't the first time they have offered the challenge. When I was introduced to the challenge the focus was Living a Life of Abundance. I did not stick with the program, but really wished I had. The friends who had completed it had nothing but great things to say. So today I am challenging you to join myself and thousands of others across the country to take the journey! 

Visit: https://chopracentermeditation.com  and sign up for the 21 Day Meditation Challenge! 

My Voice

We won't talk about how long it's been since I've blogged, though I think about writing everyday. It's one of my flaws, self sabotage. I know what should be done, needs to be done, but still I hesitate. Worrying about what this expert says or this blog on blogging outlines. I can't "find my voice" if I don't speak. I know that my voice will develop over time so until then I just have to write what Im moved to write and what I have to say. Some days even organizing my thoughts is a feat but it gets done, as will this blog.

 

Welcome to My World!

“Fashion is a part of my work. I feel a responsibility to be presentable, to dress up if the occasion calls for it.” - Sarah Jessica Parker

Like myself, SJP is a mom, actress, model and other things. Unlike myself she earns a hefty salary and has product endorsements that are helpful and no doubt essential to her maintaining her level of style. So where does that leave those regular mom's like us who still need to be fashionable but don't have the support of a glam squad, stylists and all the trimmings? Well as my mother would say all we have is each other. So since an overwhelming majority of friends, colleagues and strangers seem to think I have a handle on it, and a voice that will be heard, I have decided to begin this blog. Who says that we can't have it all? Career, children, a keen sense of style and a firm grip on current fashion? We can, it may take some research before shopping as well as force us to come to terms with what our body type, true size and comfortable style is, it is doable. Up until now I have loosely framed my contributions on social networks, mostly Instagram (divagoddessgirl) and twitter (@TiffanyStage), as DivaMom Diaries, I am approaching this blog as if it is the same thing just more consistent and on a larger scale. So check back to keep up with us! 

Gianni or GiGi (18 months), 

Nafeese (14),

Stasia (18),

Lamont (holding GiGi) and Dominique (both 19).