Monday, August 24, 2020

MEXICAN CHURROS|| MY REVIEW OF AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CHURROS

 


What's up wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you're all having an amazing day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you all for joining me.


This is the picture of my actual Churros😆


Today is about food the blog. I love food, as I have said many times before. Food is life to me. You eat to live and food helps you think. The right kind of food that is... Lol. Food can make you sleep too.

I enjoy food from different cultures around the world and I am on a food tasting program and muckbang for the next 6 weeks. Last week, I tried Korean food for the first time and this week, I don't know what I am going to be trying yet. When I do, I will film it and make a blog post about it. 

So, about a week ago, I tried Mexican Churros for the first time. It was amazing! I couldn't put it down until I finished eating each stick.

My Chorros history: I had seen one of my very good friends; Tanya, eat it with her family a few times and thought it looked really delicious. I finally had my chance to try it.

That day, I wasn't even thinking about Churros at all. In fact, I stopped by Nam Dae Mun International Market for some amazing Korean food. While my sweet baby, Zozo and I were walking around the store, we came across a Mexican bakery within the store and I suddenly remembered Churros. It just came to my mind fro nowhere and I immediately walked up to the counter and asked one of the bakers if they made Churros and she said they did. I later came to find out there are different types of Churros. They had Vanilla and Caramel Churros. Of course I ordered one of each.

They were so yum. They were soft and buttery and delicious. I loved it so much that I ate the whole thing in less than 3 minutes. 

If you are looking to try a new snack and you ain't scared of sugar, give Mexican Churros a try. You just might find your new favorite snack like I did.

Now I want to go back to Nam Dae Mun and get me some Churros.

Thank you for reading my blog today.

I hope you have an amazing day and week.

With gratitude,

Maryam

Sunday, August 23, 2020

LEARNING TO NOT OVERWORK AND SHOWING MY NEW COLLECTION FROM FEMME LUXE

 

What's up wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you're having a great day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day!

Life is beautiful when you have God in it. I can not imagine my life without God. My life would be over without God's grace and mercies. So, for this I am forever grateful to God.

The past few days, I have been really busy with work and creating new merchandise for my store. I rarely rested and that's not acceptable. I should know better and do better. Somehow, it's as though hard-work is what sustains me. But I know better. God is my provider and helper. It's almost as if there's a spirit in the air pushing me to keep overworking so I wouldn't have financial issues but I know better. I can't trust in my power because God is the One, who gives me power to make wealth. So, I have made up my mind to take a break and take care of myself and step out of the way for God to do what only He can do, sustain me. Overwork leads to resentment and unnecessary anger and I don't want any of that.

If you find yourself constantly striving and pushing without any rest, maybe this is your reminder to slow down. Don't push yourself to the point where what you love doing becomes a chore. That's also my reminder. I am so full of gratitude to have the opportunities that I have. God is to be praised for all of it.

One of the things I love to do is blog about my favorite things, food, clothes and places.

Today, I have a few pieces I received from Femme Luxe Refinery that I am excited to share with you.

Grey Off The Shoulder Loungewear set Imana https://femmeluxe.co.uk/grey-off-the-shoulder-loungewear-set-imana



This set is so beautiful and comfortable. I love it. The front is cropped but the back is full covering. How cool is that?!

Sage Mesh Overlay Long Sleeve Dress https://femmeluxe.co.uk/sage-mesh-overlay-long-sleeve-mini-dress-mensa



I love this dress. The style and texture. The only thing is... I ordered a size too small. This is a size 10 and that's my size on everything but this dress seems to run a little small. Make sure to order a  size bigger than what you'd normally wear.

Emerald Green Metallic Puff Sleeve Dresshttps://femmeluxe.co.uk/emerald-green-metallic-puff-sleeve-twist-front-mini-dress-emily



I love this dress. It's a size 10 and it fits perfectly. I like the shine to it and feel really sexy in it. This dress is true to size. Get it if you feel it calling your name.

Black Public Figure Slogan Tee https://femmeluxe.co.uk/black-public-figure-slogan-print-t-shirt-leah


This tee is so relevant right now, it's crazy. Lol! I thought it was right to get a tee that reminds me of my status as a "Public Figure." What?!!!! I forget all the time that I am someone of interest. Grateful to Femme Luxe for reminding me through this tee.

Thank you all so much for your support. Make sure you're subscribed to my mailing list. Thank you once again. I hope the links above each picture leads you to next outfit.

With gratitude,

Maryam


Thursday, August 20, 2020

MY EXPERIENCE WITH KOREAN FOOD|| FOOD REVIEW


What's up wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you're having an amazing day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you for joining me today.

So, I love food and I love trying foods from different cultures. Although,  I haven’t had the opportunity to try many different cultural foods but for a few. I am always excited to try a new delicacy from a new culture.



A few days ago, I made up my mind that I would try Korean. I have a friend who has a multi cultural family. Her husband is Korean and she includes his culture to her family dynamic. I love watching their family dynamics on YouTube: YouTube.com/mazelee.
Their Korean food is so appealing. My friend has learned to cook Korean dishes too and I think it's amazing. Since I’m a foodie, I always wondered how it would be like to eat some Korean food. Would it taste like Chinese? I was curious and my taste buds were ready. Anyways, I finally did.



Coincidentally, I had scheduled to try different foods from different cultures for my food channel. My goal with this idea is to encourage people to try foods from different cultures.
Anyways, me and my sweet baby; Zozo went to Morrow, GA, to pickup our new modem from Xfinity. When we finished at the xfinity office, the thought came to me to pickup some Korean food and film it for my channel.




Well, I quickly googled Korean Restaurants near me and Google gave me a list. I picked the one with the best review and it led me Nam DAE Mun International Market, Morrow, GA. Within this market is a Korean restaurant called Eat More Korean.
I was so excited for this experience and wanted to share it with you. So we vlogged while we were there. Please watch shared video for our experience:






When we got to the register at the restaurant, I asked the cashier for the list of most ordered foods by newbies to Korean foods. Well, she gave me 3 items on the bestseller list and I went with Korean BBQ beef with rice and Korean Short Rib Soup and I had kimchi, sautéed curly flower and some rice as sides.
Our Muckbang Video


The food was absolutely amazing. I couldn’t stop eating.
One of my sweet friends has suggested I try the BBQ ribs next time. I will be going back for it soon.
I will be filming and taking pictures for the blog and my channels. So, be on the look out for it.

I loved the seasoning of the food and everything was amazing. I’m very happy. I can’t wait to try another food from a different culture.
What’s your favorite Korean food?
Please share. If you live in Atlanta, where is another Korean restaurant that I could try?
The lady at the front desk of Eat More Korean Restaurant, was very helpful to me and she is amazing at customer service. I give this restaurant a solid 5 STAR!!!

Thank you for reading my blog today.

With gratitude,
Maryam

Monday, August 17, 2020

NO FOUNDATION MAKEUP TUTORIAL|| MY SKIN CARE ROUTINE

 











 

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet, and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you are all having a great day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you all for joining me.

My face has been a topic of discussion among some sweet subscribers. I wanted to share my secret with you all today. I hope this inspires you in some way because I always love sharing great tips and secrets that can help others.


My face is my face lol... I don't use a ton of products on my skin. My skin care routine is pretty basic. I use Dove Restoring Coconut butter and cocoa butter  liquid soap https://amzn.to/3h93e0v



I wash my face with it also. I also scrub my face with Clean and Clear face scrub: https://amzn.to/3kWIlrB




I don't use the scrub everyday. More like every other day.

I wash my face with Clean Clear Cream Cleanser: https://amzn.to/3ayqFxH


This cleanser works magic. It doesn't matter how cakey your makeup is, this cleanser will make sure it comes off very easily.

I'd like to share an amazing oil I have been using for my skin and my kids. It is the SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Bath, Body & Massage Oil: https://www.amazon.com/SheaMoisture-Coconut-Hibiscus-Bath-Massage/dp/B00HAUHIA8

This oil is amazing. I love the lightness of it and the smell. It smells Heavenly! I love it!

I hope this post inspires you in some way. I will be posting more products I use more regularly on the blog for those of you who request them. Remember to love and pamper yourself regularly. You deserve all the sweetness in the world.

Please watch this video for my updated makeup routine and products I use:



With gratitude,

Maryam


AS A MOM, STAYING ACTIVE, IS A MUST FOR ME

 

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you're having an amazing day today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you for stopping by today.

SO, how do I feel about staying active? I think it's amazing! Freaking amazing. I love being able to run around the house and at the park chasing my active kids. I love being able to jump as high and as often as I want to, without worrying about getting hurt. 

Staying active means keeping my and body mind in order. One way I have found that really helps me stay in a place of peace and focus is stretching and deep breaths. When I do these, I find myself suddenly in the moment. Not worries about the past and and not too concerned about the future either. Life is beautiful, my friend and there is immense power in the present.

If you are a mom reading this, I want to encourage you to take time out for yourself to stretch and breathe. You do a lot for everyone, now it's time to do a lot for you. You are constantly relied upon to keep everyone safe, fed and healthy and you almost forget that you are a person too. Well, here's your reminder mama, you are VALUABLE! Don't think you have to sacrifice what you would love, so everyone else can be happy but you. From my experience, that breeds contempt and you don't want that.

I love my kids but they can be very demanding sometimes. The way that I balance taking care of them and me is by making sure I am doing things I love to do. Staying active is one of the main things that I love to do. Workout with me today by watching my video:


To follow my fitness journey and participate in working out with me, please subscribe to my fitness channel:YouTube.com/therealmaryamshumate. I have dedicated this channel to inspiring you to stay active while at home with your babies.

I am rooting for you, girl! 

With gratitude,

Maryam

Saturday, August 15, 2020

WHAT?!! I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED



Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you're all having a great day and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Thank you for checking out my blog today. It really means a lot.

So, something amazing happened to me today. I SOLD OUT all of my head ties. What?!!! Since I started business, I don't remember ever selling out so fast or selling out at all. LOL... God is good!

New unshakeable faith tees
I want to appreciate everyone of you who support my business. May God bless you all in abundance. May He give you courage to pursue your dreams like I am pursuing mine in Jesus Name. Amenn!! God is faithful and I am always going to trust and hold on to God. I have been through so much that was meant to kill me but God! My God ONLY knows how to triumph. By His grace, my life continues to get better and better each day.

Purple and Pink Faith tees

Are you feeling weary? Are you feeling disappointed or overwhelmed? I understand what you are going through. I'd like to encourage to trust God. Believe that God can and will help you. Let go of the reins and trust that God who made you, has the power to change your life. Stop believing in the worst that could happen and start believing in the best that can happen.

Gold Faith tee


I have also been working on a new design for tees. I have also included pictures of them to this post. I am so excited for what God is doing and where He is taking me. There's sweetness in my and all around me. I pray that sweetness surrounds you and gets into you. It is amazing. 

I have also ordered a new set of designs that will be available soon in my store: www.maryamsjoyfullifeapparel.com soon. I have also included the designs to this post to get everyone excited. 











I look forward to providing more service and sharing my gifts with the world. Thank you for being a part of my world. You're important. God knows you by name. Trust and believe wholeheartedly that God won't fail you. I am rooting for you!

Until next time...

With gratitude,

Maryam

Friday, August 14, 2020

MOMS COVID-19 WORRIES ABOUT THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR

 


Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you all are having an amazing day and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you for checking out my blog today.

This new school year is different from any other in recent history. There's fear in the atmosphere and parents are worried. Covid-19 has got most parents on edge trying to make the best decision about how their kids learn. The choice between virtual learning vs. in-class learning is one that parents are most disturbed about. Like most parents, I was concerned about the whole situation with my son starting school. However, I refuse  to let the situation scare me. I realize that God is our protector and my confidence is set on God. Fear is a very negative emotion and I am choosing faith over it.



Le'Veon, during virtual learning.

I enrolled my son to a program called "Hybrid," where he gets to spend three days in class and two days at home, doing  virtual learning. So far, he has adjusted really well and it's only his first week. I am so proud of him. The only struggle is waking up very early to prepare for school. Le'Veon keeps telling me it's night and he wants to go back to bed lol...

His teacher seems really nice and she likes Le'Veon's personality. I also notice that Le'Veon already knows what he's been taught at Pre K. Because he's so advanced, he is learning to accommodate other kids who are a little bit behind him. Seeing him adjust to school and express all that we have learned together at home,makes me so proud of him. 

This school year, I choose to be hopeful and confident in God. I believe that He who blessed me with two amazing babies, will also watch over them and keep them safe. I consciously choose faith over fear always!

Per Covid-19 procedures at Le'Veon's Pre-K, they are required to keep their masks on, all day at school. They are also making sure their hands are washed often. That's something that all the kids, including mine are adjusting to. Evaluating from Le'Veon's first week, I think he likes his new school. I am very excited to see all the progress he makes and how well he adjusts to this new experience.

I want to encourage all moms not to stress about their kids. Have a positive outlook and expectations toward your child/children. Believe all is well and all shall be well. Remember, always pray for your children because God still answers prayers. Psalm 65:2

Until next time...

With gratitude,

Maryam


LETTER TO ALL BLOGGERS AND VLOGGERS WHO MADE VARIOUS POSTS ABOUT ME

 

Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you are all having an amazing day and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you for reading my blog.

This post is dedicated to those who made positive posts about me and my recent situation. I appreciate you all. God is truly good to me, in many ways than I can even begin to speak about. When it was convenient to speak evil about me and make up lies, you all chose to defend me. For that, I am very grateful. I want you all to know that every good thing you put out there in the Universe, always comes back multiplied to it's source. You will reap good from this!

Your good words and deeds are seeds that you plant. Just like every natural seed produces a harvest, always more than the seeds planted by the farmers, you will receive the reward of the seeds of kindness you sowed towards me. I am praying specially for everyone of you today. May my God bless you! May He shine His light of favor on you and all who matter to you. May your lives never be short of things to celebrate in Jesus Name.

I have been on a spiritual journey of awakening and it's truly amazing. The things that I have learned are truly amazing. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is "No Good deed goes Unrewarded and there's immense power in Positivity. Always stay positive in your thoughts and actions, regardless of what your situation maybe. 

Here's a video I made for you:


I apologize for not mentioning your names, but you all know yourselves. 

May God bless and show you favor all the days of your live in Jesus Name. Amen!

With gratitude,

Maryam

Thursday, August 13, 2020

TRUSTING GOD AND REFUSING TO QUIT

 

What's up wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing tonight? I hope you've all had an amazing day and didn't let anything or anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. It is an honor to be blogging.

So, have you ever wondered why is it that God doesn't show up when you desperately need Him to? Have you ever thought that maybe God doesn't care for you as much as He does others. You ever notice people who you have seen do wrong, on purpose getting blessed, with the things you have been praying and it makes you wonder why God has forgotten about you? Well, my sister/brother, God has not forgotten about you. Stop comparing yourself to others and stop judging others. Learn to rejoice with those who rejoice. 

Have you heard stories of people receiving good news when they were 2 seconds from quitting? Have you ever heard the word "BREAKTHROUGH?" Well, if you have, there's a reason for this word. You have to experience something to "BREAKTHROUGH," from. I have learned from experience that the harder the battle, the sweeter the "BREAKTHROUGH." I would like to encourage you tonight. God has not forgotten about you, neither does He hate you. 

See, every time we ask God for something in prayers, it is always given to us. God is always on time and never late. We are the ones who get too preoccupied with the absence of the thing we pray for and therefore, keep that thing away by our unbelief. How does this happen? We live in a Universe of attraction. We may pray for something, but if the dominant feeling in us, is that of the absence of that thing, we are saying by our vibration that we don't want it. 

I am learning to give thanks to God as though my prayers have already been answered. I let myself feel as though all that I desire of God is already available to me. I notice that the more I feel like my prayers are answered, the faster the things I pray for manifest in my life.

Love and gratitude for God and to God will put you in the best place to receive all the good that your heart desires. In closing, I would like to encourage you to believe that God's promises are for you and that they are real. This is what I have started to do more of. There's power in your praise and thanksgiving to God. Don't allow fear or doubt rob you of what is already YOURS! Believe that God always answers you and go about your day rejoicing in this knowledge and watch God do wonders in your life.

I pray that God shows up for you always in Jesus Name. Amen!

With gratitude,

Maryam

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

LEVY'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL




Hello wonderful, amazing, sweet and lovely people. How are you all doing today? I hope you are all having a great day, today and are not letting anyone steal your joy. Welcome to Maryam's Joyful Life. Today is a beautiful day. Thank you all for visiting my blog.

The night before Levy's first day, we created a theme for him and it is #ready. He is ready!

So, my baby boy started school this week and I am so proud of him. He'd been asking to go to school for a while and I would always tell him that when the time was right, he would start. Well, the time finally came and my baby is a student. Oh my heart 😊 is so full of love and pride for my son. 




Throwback Levy at 6 months



Throwback at Levy's 4th birthday!

I prayed over him the day before school started and told him he would be amazing and there was nothing he couldn't conquer because he is God's son.

Do you pray over your kids? What do you speak over them? With my kids, since they were born, I have always prayed and prophesied life over them. This world we live in, is very negative. This negativity is in the atmosphere and all around you. You don't need anyone present to feel the negative vibrations in the air. Knowing this, I consciously speak over my children and over the places they go to because words, my words have power and I am going to use this power to command strange things to bow to me and my kids. We belong to God and no dark power is permitted near us. I hold this faith with unwavering focus because I know WHOSE I am and from whom my children came; They came from The Lord, God Almighty. 

Levy Tiger. Ironically, his middle name means "son of a Tiger"😊

Le'Veon really enjoyed his first day at school. He couldn't stop telling me about how much fun he had at school and  I am a proud mama bear. My kids know that I am proud of them and that they make me so happy. My goal and daily prayer to God is to help me raise them in the knowledge and ways of God.

I want my kids to always know that God is their Omnipresent Omnipotent Protector. God is always there and they can call on God for help and help will come.

The enemy, sometimes would want to play a trick and get me to worry but I recognize that worry is of the devil and I'd declare that God has not given me the spirit of worry. I have knowledge of my Father God, Who never sleeps nor slumbers. He will always watch over me and my children. 

I pray that all parents would recognize that the enemy tempts you with thoughts of worry and if you accept them, you give power to those negative thoughts and immediately create a negative experience for you and your kids. Don't entertain thoughts of worry. Always cover yourself and children with God's light and presence. Give thanks always for this covering and watch God step in for you and your children always.

God is good and I will always give all Glory and Thanks to God for His protection and saving grace.

With gratitude,

Maryam