Why This Black Mom Isn’t Buying Her Daughter Elsa for Christmas
Not long ago, I was at the store gathering balloons for a graduation when two little Black girls walked up to the customer service representative. The girls asked him if the store had any more Princess Tiana costumes. The customer service rep told them whatever they had on the floor was all they had. The little girls’ faces drooped a bit, but then they went away and…
➠ Continue ReadingWhen You Love Your Children, But You Need Some Space
Photo Credit: Janelle Hamrick Few things are sweeter to a mother than the sticky kisses of her children. As mommy to my 3-year-old little brown girl, Bean, I never get tired of planting smooches on her chubby cheeks (when she allows me to). When she reciprocates with a bird-like peck, I light up. Her…
➠ Continue ReadingThe Good, The Bad and The Ugly: My Honest Thoughts On My First Few Months of Homeschooling
We have seven children. Our oldest two were the only ones in the traditional school system. Since they’d both been in school since age four, they were used to the routine of going back to class after summer vacation. Their initial reaction to learning everything would change this year and we’d be homeschooling hasn’t been…
➠ Continue ReadingWhen Former Sexual Abuse Makes Breastfeeding Difficult: Actress Tisha Martin Campbell Opens Up
The physicality of being a woman can be challenging — because our bodies are both sexual and functional, many of our body parts have dual purposes and we are often made to feel ashamed for that. The situation gets even more challenging when a woman is sexually abused, and becomes a mother later on. The…
➠ Continue ReadingWhy My 3 Year Old is Getting Knives for Christmas
Looking for a gift that will improve motor skills, increase confidence, and improve your kid’s diet? Consider knives. That’s what I’m getting my three year old for Christmas. My little man has been helping me in the kitchen for awhile now, stirring muffin batter here, washing vegetables there, but after I read this article about…
➠ Continue ReadingIt Takes a Village: Resources for Black Moms to Advocate for Healthy Childbirth
http://www.cincinnatibirthphotography.com/ When I delivered my daughter nearly four years ago, I planned on having a natural home birth. I had spent the majority of my pregnancy educating myself about the business of childbirth. I had a low-risk pregnancy and knew I wanted low-intervention childbirth for myself and my baby. But my daughter had other plans!…
➠ Continue ReadingIt’s Not a Cherry That Can Be Popped: 7 Misconceptions About Virginity and the Hymen
I wish I could say that I was aware of all these misconceptions, but I would be fronting. This hilarious and super informative video from CollegeHumor.com breaks down the many, many misconceptions around the hymen and the physical concept of virginity. Learn these facts and teach them to your daughters and sons! 1. The hymen…
➠ Continue ReadingI Won’t Kick My 3-Year-Old Out of My Bed
I remember my first night as a mother. I nursed my tiny baby to sleep, placed him in his crib, where he began to cry. So I calmed him, waited longer before I put him down, and yet he cried again. Since his crib was already in our room, the transition to the bed was…
➠ Continue ReadingWhy I Ditched a Post-Pregnancy Weight Loss Regimen for a Self-Care Challenge
I could feel it all crashing down on me — running two businesses, raising an energetic 2 year old, breastfeeding and co-sleeping with a 9 month old, supporting my husband’s new business, showing love to family and friends, and trying to lose my last 10 pounds of pregnancy weight. And I — my body, my…
➠ Continue Reading12 Healthy Breakfast Options for the Time-Strapped Mom
Tired. The perpetual state of being for many mothers. You’re already waking up before the sun rises and burning late into the night on most days, so breakfast is usually a choice between the sugary cereals you love-to-hate, toaster pastries or the sausage and biscuits from your local fast-food joint. After all, it’s much better than not…
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