I’ve been wearing natural hair since middle school when Brandy and Janet wore the original box braid/extensions. (We forget that 1995-2000 was kind to brown skin black girls.) In fact, the whole natural hair movement kind of boggled me because for me it was not a decision of resistance but rather necessity. My hair doesn’t straighten well. It’s dry and I’m sure that all the white and native American coursing through my veins, manifests itself solely in my pointy little nose. I was the girl in middle and high school whose nicknames were “Lady of Rage” and “Macy Gray” because I wore afros/twist outs and puffs. And I loved those names. I was different. I was an athlete and wore braids and cornrows. And I was the only one on homecoming court that wore a blowout.
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Slowly we are creeping out of cold and flu season. Too slow for my taste. It seems like I've been battling something new since December. When we all get sick, I’ll admit it… it gets really trifling in here. I made a comment to a coworker about it and decided to write this blog post. Our home turns into an epic post frat party house when we get sick. I’m actually cool with that except, there was no party… Here are a few ways our home transforms:
So this is what our home is like…. sounds fun or nightmarish… either way life is much better when we’re all healthier. Share some of your own experiences in the comments below! Or if you think anything was missed please share those in the comments as well! Stay healthy friends. Here's some home remedies we have that help snap back quicker than expected "Happy Cold/Flu Season!" Recently we took the opportunity to read "Lauren's Kingdom" by Lauren Book. Lauren Book, Founder and CEO of Lauren's Kids, is also a survivor of child sexual abuse. She took her childhood experience and provided a very relatable, appropriate yet unequivocal account which easily sparked discussion between me and my kids. The book provides a platform where children of all ages can be engaged and parents can feel comfortable asking questions about the story and then relate the information to their own family experience or self education. Recently I've been thinking about what I can do at home to support my daughters' teachers. How can I make sure that my kid isn't the weakest link? What can I say at home that will reiterate the learning from the day? A lot of skills that early elementary students develop are ingrained through repetition. I think we fail to realize how important the first 4 years of grade school are... You learn numbers, letters, site words, adding, subtracting, multiplication, division, verbs, nouns, adjectives, that the earth is round and bigger than just your yard- these are a few concepts. But we don't even think about these ideas any further because they are the building blocks of our knowledge. I'm the best planner and forward thinking, event strategizing, to-do list writer you've ever met. If you want something done in the future, I can make it happen for you; and I do this to a fault. I can set goals and devise strategy and make outcomes extremely clear with projections and forecast that include all potential scenarios. The future and what might be has become my vice. I know that I can’t be the only one living in the future of their mind, but ironically, much of life is not lived in the future, it’s lived in the present. I need to work on pulling in the moments that I have right now. I mean, all that we have is right now... That's it. This very instance you’re reading in; that's all you have right now… The present is an available gift to each and everyone of us and many of us, myself included, waste it on the fantasy of opportunities and outcomes that might be or might happen. Many of us live in fear of what might or might not. Here are a few things I’m working on that may help you wrangle the present like an elusive unicorn of awesome and ride it like a glorious steed into your present moment of glory: |
I'm a former teacher and former college athlete, currently working to make life more equitable for all people. My mission is to get parents to partner with their child's teacher.
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