11 Beautiful Black Dolls Beyond Barbie and Doc McStuffins
When shopping for toys, I always try to find toys that represent my children. There has been an increase in diverse dolls since I was a child. I am happy that there are more mainstream dolls with various shades, such as Barbie, Kenya, Baby Alive, Princess Tiana, Tip, and of course Doc McStuffins. While mainstream…
➠ Continue Reading10 Survival Tips For Mommies Who Hate Where They Live
Far from the best times of my life, my mid-to-late twenties were an extended pity party. Professionally, emotionally, and physically, I was stuck in a place I didn’t want to be. Hate is too light a word to describe how I felt there. It’s a perfectly fine place for some people to live, but for…
➠ Continue ReadingIt’s Not New-Agey or Weird: What Black Families Should Know About Unschooling
Last week, Steve Harvey discussed unschooling on his popular talk show. Harvey explained a major benefit of homeschooling his own children was increased family time, but while he supports homeschooling he is unfamiliar with unschooling. On the show, Harvey had a panel of parents who were considered ‘new school’ and another panel considered ‘old school’….
➠ Continue Reading6 Things Mommies Can Do Each Morning to Set a Productive Tone for the Day
Do you ever feel like life just keeps ‘happening’ to you? Like each day you’re just waking up to find out what it’s going to be today. Of course, sometimes things go your way. But, for the most part you’re just floating through the days and waiting for a miracle to snap you up from…
➠ Continue ReadingThe Hardest Part of Recovering from Postpartum Depression Was Learning to Speak Up for My Own Needs
After being ravaged by postpartum depression for most of 2015, my 2016 goal was to retain sanity — by any means necessary. Things had fallen apart soon after I gave birth to my daughter, with the pressures of work and new motherhood driving me to depression and sleep deprivation. To overcome this I was willing…
➠ Continue ReadingHow My Son’s Ballet Lessons Are Helping Him Develop Character
I’m a big believer in learning through play. Little children learn best when their imaginations and hearts are in the forefront. This is why I love dance class for my son. From the time they can sit up, the tiniest babies love to move. Toddlers can hardly stand up before they’re bouncing and clapping whenever…
➠ Continue Reading5 Reasons I’m Concerned By This Video of a White Teacher Berating a Black Female Student
NYTimes.com “I am not as smart as the other kids.” That’s what the child told her mother. “There is nothing that infuriates me more than when you don’t do what’s on your paper!” That’s what the teacher Ms. Dial told the child as she struggled with a math problem. In 2014 a concerned teaching assistant…
➠ Continue ReadingHave We Been Conditioned to Panic? 3 Myths About Pregnancy Over 35 Debunked
About a month after my 30th birthday, an elderly woman, who was admiring my 2-week-old daughter, asked my age and if I’d had any other children. When I told her this baby was my first, she warned, “Do your best to take care of your little girl because you might not have another one.” I…
➠ Continue ReadingWhy I Won’t Buy My Daughter a Baby Doll Unless She Asks
I don’t have anything against dolls. I don’t think they make or break a girl’s sense of self. I don’t think they promote domesticity — and I don’t think being domestic is a bad thing! But I do feel that, in the world of children’s toys, their value is overrated. And for that reason I…
➠ Continue ReadingI Turned Down Two Jobs to Stay at Home Because Child Care Costs Too Much
Now over a year into my total life change, I’m still shocked when I look back. Did I really turn down two jobs to stay home with my kids? I did not go to college and graduate school to stay at home. The reality is after my family relocated for my husband’s career, the offers…
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