“Come on and stir it up…”-Bob Marley

The music of Bob Marley always puts me in a sexy mood. The kind of mood where I am moved to turn the lights down low, burn some explicitly named incense, and revel in the bliss of his voice and lyrics. I spent some quality time with his music—immersing myself in songs that I have been singing along with since childhood. And while it’s hard to choose a favorite song from his rich and robust catalog, I’ve always had an affinity for “Stir It Up.” I find myself closing my eyes and daydreaming about the love of my life and what “he” will be like.

“It’s been a long, long time…yeah…since I got you on my mind…”
I want someone that craves me as much as I crave them. We’ll satisfy each other’s’ appetites—be it emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, or intellectual. He’ll be my homey, lover, and friend. My confidant and sounding board. And I’ll be his. Each encounter would be like foreplay, building sweet anticipation for what lies beneath.

“I push the wood…then I’ll blaze ya fire. Then I’ll satisfy your heart’s desire…”
I don’t believe in perfection, so I wouldn’t mind those moments down in hell as long as we were determined to work through them. I want him to make me laugh. I want him to make me cry. I want him to make me think. I want him to challenge me and keep me on my toes. I need him to love me just as much as I love him. I need him to have faith in my dreams, be my co-adventurer and vice versa. I want him to give me reality checks and keep me on task.

“Quench me when I’m thirsty….come on and cool me down baby when I’m hot…”
Simply said: I need him to stir me up.

In today’s corporate ladder zooming, glass ceiling busting, post graduate degree(s) wielding Superwoman crazed society, are there women out there who still want to be a homemaker?

I don’t mean the multi-tasking, double duty brand of working mom who miraculously balances a challenging career AND carpooling to soccer practice. I’m more interested in the women who can do without amassing promotions and titles…the kind who desire no more than to meet Prince Charming, walk down the aisle and raise 2.5 kids within the confines of a white picket fence. Does this woman really exist in 2012? Will she suffer a life sentence of derision at the hands of both men and women who find her aspirations banal?

Manning a household and raising tomorrow’s thought leaders is no walk in the park and rarely receives its just accolades. It’s a dirty job, we all know someone’s gotta do it, but professional women, is it you? Could you trade in that Louis Vuitton (or Coach) briefcase and BlackBerry (or iPhone) for a broom and dustpan?

Let us know…

“Don’t make me over…I wouldn’t change one thing about you”-Dionne Warwick

I can’t lie….I am given pause when I see the HOT NOW sign at Krispy Kreme.

God forbid you live somewhere that only has Dunkin Donuts. I used to live near the world famous Krispy Kreme on Ponce de Leon in Atlanta and it just so happened that EVERYTIME I passed by, that sign would be lit and calling out to me.

The point of that story is, if a man said, “Zette, I want you to give up Krispy Kreme for me!” I’d politely tell him to kiss my you-know-what. The man I get with will have to love me with or without glaze crust around my mouth.

An acquaintance and I were talking about her fiancé, and joking about the stereotype that African men like their women with meat on their bones. I was giggling until I noticed that she had this somber look on her face. “That’s not always true,” she quietly remarked.

I asked her if he had an issue with the fact that she was full figured. She gave me this sad look and replied, “He told me that he’s marrying me because of who I am on the inside and not because of what I look like. When we met I was smaller and although he’s dealt with my weight gain and wants me to be happy, he’d still like for me to lose some weight.”

I sat there perplexed. Before I could process what she’d just said, she concluded her story with, “I know I have to lose some weight to keep my man girl.”

This beautiful and talented woman was not saying this to me. I couldn’t believe it.

I don’t want to start talking in clichés, but the greatest love by far will always be self-love. I couldn’t wake every morning worried about if my man has an issue with how much I weighed. I’d rather worry about if my breath was fresh enough for some morning sugar—you know something that makes clear and perfect sense.

With spring in full swing, and bikini season just around the corner, are you willing to lose weight for your guy…or to even snag a guy?

When you think whiskey, you probably don’t think refreshing. But, such is not the case. The next time you and your co-workers meet for Happy Hour, or you invite friends to your home for a drink, make them a Whiskey Splash.

It’s tangy, sweet, and you can barely taste the depth of the whiskey.

The Crown Royal Whiskey Splash
Serves 1 glass

1.5 ounces Crown Royal®
1 ounce Sweet and Sour Mix
1 teaspoon Grenadine
3 ounces Club Soda

Combine Crown Royal whiskey, sweet and sour mix, and grenadine over ice in an Old Fashioned glass (reference picture above). Top with club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.

1. Obama Says He Supports Same-Sex Marriage
Facing mounting pressure to make a commitment one way or another on same-sex marriage, President Obama came out in support of the controversial issue Wednesday afternoon. He is the first president to support the issue.

“I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together; when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama told ABC News Wednesday. [MORE]

2. Sponsors Back Out of Basketball Wives
Forget cat fights and bullying, VH1’s Basketball Wives may have a real problem on its hands. After a petition to boycott the controversial reality show, backed by Star Jones, started gaining steam, the hit franchise has lost its first sponsor. [MORE]

3. Doctors’ Attitudes About Race Can Affect Your Health
Over the years there have been an abundance of studies that have exposed how physicians‘ own racism plays out in the examination room. A recent study adds more fuel to the fire. [MORE]

4. Facebook Helps Veterans, Military Families Prevent Suicide
With a staggering 800 million active users sharing all manner of intimate details about their lives, Facebook is taking the opportunity to do more than provide users with updates on the latest lunch selections of friends and family — they’re saving lives. In an effort to augment the social media hub’s existing suicide prevention tools available to all users, Facebook is rolling out additional assistance for military families, active service members and veterans who may be in need of help. [MORE]

Do you remember when sex was the last thing you wanted talk about? You were probably in your awkward I’m-heading-into-puberty pre-teen phase. But now, things have changed. Those awkward giggles of apprehension have now evolved into giggles of understanding and anticipation. That turned up nose, and resounding “I DON’T DO THAT,” has turned into a cheeky smile and a confident “You haven’t tried that yet?” But even as the idea of sex doesn’t make you squeamish in your adulthood, the truth is not everyone is as open about conversing about sex as they should be—their wants, needs and desires.

Do you realize, there are couples who do not talk about sex like they REALLY should? Ladies, do you tell your man when he isn’t hitting the right spot or is lacking the emotional depth you need? Fellas, do you share with your lady your inner fantasies—you know the really freaky ones? If you’re like many men and women, you answered ‘No.’ Why did you answer ‘No’? Because of fear. But that very same fear can lead your man to fulfill his fantasies elsewhere, and your lady to find the emotional support she needs in another man. But that doesn’t have to be.

If couples actively communicated about bedroom relations, the frequency of infidelity would be reduced. Because let’s face it, most couples break-up and divorce over matters surrounding money and sex. If you say you trust your partner, doesn’t that trust extend to you being able to openly discuss any and everything, not matter how big or small? Read the rest of this entry »

(New York, NY) Proving she’s more than just the wife of one of the music industry’s biggest executives, Erica Reid, wife of Antonio “L.A.” Reid, celebrated the release her first book, The Thriving Child, with a party hosted by her husband.

Held at the couple’s private residence, the exclusive event attracted a slew of the couple’s colleagues and celebrity friends including Beyonce Knowles, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Tina Knowles, and Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan of the pop duo Karmin.

The evening’s festivities were marked by a performance by new singer Kandace Springs, who serenaded the audience with a short set.

The Thriving Child, serves as guide for parenting children through asthma, allergies, and other common challenges. It also serves as a how-to for creating healthier environments for your children.

The mother of two, also enlisted help from expert doctors and first hand stories from other celebrity moms—Holly Robinson-Peete, Ricki Lake, and Melissa Etheridge among them.

The Thriving Child is available online and in bookstores now.

1. Black Women Bear the Brunt of Premature Births in the U.S.
Findings from a new international report may startle you: The U.S. has a higher rate of premature births, ranking above 125 countries such as Rwanda, Uzbekistan and China.

Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth arrives after an exhaustive joint effort from about 50 lead international, regional and national organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the March of Dimes, Save the Children, and The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health. Twelve percent of all American babies are born premature — before 37 weeks — and that translates into roughly half a million babies a year. [MORE]

2. Report: Kenya Moore to Join Real Housewives of Atlanta
Does Atlanta have a new resident housewife? RadarOnline.com reports that former Miss USA Kenya Moore could be the latest diva to hold a peach in Bravo’s hit series Real Housewives of Atlanta. Moore would fill the slot recently emptied by Sheree Whitfield, who quit (or was fired, depending on who you ask) the reality show last month. [MORE]

3. Obama’s Silence on Gay Marriage Is Not Golden
Vice President Joe Biden put his foot in President Obama’s mouth on Sunday when he said, “I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties,” on this week’s edition of Meet the Press. It’s not the fact that he announced support for same-sex marriage that has tongues wagging, but how his remarks have drawn attention to the fact that the president has not. In addition Education Secretary Arne Duncan also declared his support during a Monday morning interview on MSNBC. [MORE]

4. Taking Trayvon Martin’s Name in Vain
Is Trayvon Martin’s name the new N-word?

According to reports, people at the Sigma Pi fraternity house at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, racially taunted Black students as they walked past the frat house early Sunday morning, calling a woman “Trayvon” in an insulting manner.

Cornell Chief of Police Kathy Zoner said “people were reportedly making racial references,” writes the Cornell Daily Sun, and throwing objects at pedestrians from the roof of the house. [MORE]

Last week as I waited for my pedicure to dry…I started flipping through an old issue of Glamour magazine and came across this interesting article called A Woman’s 12 Firsts as an Adult. The list was actually pretty cute and included a woman’s first orgasm, the first time you took your guy home to meet your parents, etc. I’ve been thinking about it ever since and I’m going to do a list of a woman’s firsts. Here we go….

Do you remember the first time… Read the rest of this entry »

Beyonce in feathers. Solange beamed in canary yellow. Rihanna went backless, and Janelle Monae ditched the tuxedo—ah, just a few fashion highlights from the Costume Institute’s annual gala held at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This year’s event celebrated the opening of the museum’s new exhibit, “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations.”

Other celebrities in attendance included, singer, Alicia Keys; music producer, Swizz Beatz; singer, Bruno Mars; rapper, Kanye West; actress, Rosario Dawson; actress, Rashida Jones; fashion designer, Rachel Roy; noted chef Marcus Samuelsson; actress, Sophia Vergara; singer, Rohan Marley; NBA star, Amar’e Stoudemire; and models, Chanel Iman and Joan Smalls.

Centric’s Best Dressed Of The Night:

1. Marcus Samuelsson and Maya Haile
2. Solange Knowles
3. Kanye West
4. Chanel Iman
5. Beyonce Knowles