My Life Raising Brown Girls

Every day, I see a man or woman who is addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. Have you ever thought about what that person's life was like prior to being addicted to drugs and/or alcohol? So many times I often wonder what went wrong in their lives that caused them to turn to drugs and/or alcohol as a way to cope with life. Did they lose a their job? Did they lose a parent, a child or a spouse? They probably faced the same struggles we face on a daily basis. The difference is we were a little stronger to endure the storm. Maybe we had someone to hold our hand as we faced our problems. Perhaps someone to pray for us. Substance Addictions via alcoholism-and-drug-addiction-help Every morning, for almost two years I saw the same woman who was addicted to drugs. January 7, 2013 will forever stay in my mind because thats the day, I noticed she was pregnant. My heart felt for the unborn baby who would be born addicted to drugs. Months went by I saw her a few times, but she was not...

On Thursday, July 16, 2014, Tereya, Nyasia and I attended  Walking with Dinosaurs- the Arena Spectacular  at Barclays Center. The show was amazing. It was very educational, exciting, and entertaining. The show is not animated. It is a live theatrical show and the sound effects were amazing. It was told by the narrator Huxley, who walks us through the  Triassic Period ,  Jurassic Period,  and the  Cretaceous Period .  My girls before and during the show The  Triassic Period  occurred 248 million years ago and lasted about 42 million years. During this period there was one big continent called Pangea. It was located near the equator so the weather was always hot and dry. Sometime during the Triassic, the continent began to break. The Plateosaurus and Liliensternus are two of many dinosaurs that walked the earth prior to the mass extinction and volcano eruptions. The land before & after volcano eruptions Liliensternus ...

In life we all encounter obstacles and we all have different circumstances. Some individuals may have more obstacles, as well as an unusual set of circumstances than others. Unfortunately, the world is not going to treat you any different. You may come in contact with someone who is sympathetic to your situation, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter. It is a part of life, YOUR life. What matters is how you respond to those obstacles and circumstances. Are you going to lie down and die or are you going to do all you can to change your circumstances and overcome the obstacles in your path? In order to do so first you must acknowledge and become one with your circumstances. The key is not to dwell in them. Secondly, identify who or what is standing in your way. Truth be told, most of the time, you are the obstacle. You are standing in your way. This can be the result of fear, an unsupportive spouse, mate, friend and family. Finally, create a personal development plan (P...

This Thursday marks three weeks since NYC public schools have been dismissed for Summer vacation. In my previous post  Twerk A Book....Make Them Pages Clap  I stated a few reasons why it is important for our children to read during the Summer. I also posted links to a few Summer Reading Programs that offer incentives. I know reading is one of many important skills my daughters will learn and use throughout their life. It is imperative that my daughters retain all they learned during the school year. So, it is important that they read and practice their math skills every day. Nyasia was given a Summer break assignment that consists of a math and a reading assignment. The reading assignment consists of a book of her choice and the required book Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing  by Judy Blum. She also has to write a book report for both books. As of to day, she has began reading her second book for this Summer. The title of the book is Judy Moody and The Not So Bu...

"I just can't give up now. I come too far from where I started from. Nobody told me the road would be easy and I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me." ----Mary Mary I'm sure you have heard this song by renowned gospel group Mary Mary . This is one of several songs that I found myself humming or singing throughout the course of my day.  Life is not easy. It is overwhelming and very challenging. Yet, it can also be rewarding and filled with joy, happiness and so many memories. The challenge is seeing the rewards, feeling joyful or happy when life events have left you in despair and feeling overwhelmed.  I have always considered myself to be a strong person. Nevertheless, there have been several times in my life when I felt  like giving up. At the age of 20, I became pregnant with my oldest daughter.  I took my birth control faithfully every day and I never missed a pill . This was definitely not a part of my life plan, but I believe it was GOD...

Don't twerk something, read something. It is estimated that school summer breaks will cause the average student to lose up to one month of instruction, with disadvantaged students being disproportionately affected (Cooper, 1996). Hence, why it is important to read during the summer. Summer reading help our childrem retain and enhance their there reading skills. It also helps to magnify their cognitive skills. These skills include,  communication (writing and verbal)  attention, memory, logic, reasoning, auditory processing and visual processing which are all critical for learning. As parents we are our children's first educators and it is important to stress the importance of education. We must encourage our children to read throughout the summer. During the school year our children are required to read every day and night for a certain time during a certain time. I believe we should continue that process during the summer. However, the process should be relaxed. Allow t...

It is the last week of June and the school year is coming to an end. Tereya's last day of class was on June 16, but she had to return to take her regents exams. Nyasia's last day of school is on June 26. They are both excited about Summer. The first week out of school is usually the most relaxing for my girls. This is mostly because they get to sleep late. When Tereya was younger she rarely stayed in New York for the Summer. As soon as school was over she left to visit her father, stepmother, sister and brothers in Georgia. As she got older she stayed in the city and both Tereya and Nyasia went to summer camp.  At sleep away camp At the age of 14, Tereya stated she did not want to attend summer camp. When I asked her why, she said she wanted to sleep late, lounge around the house and do nothing. I decided I was not going to make her attend camp. I also explained to her that she was not allowed to have company and she was not allowed to go anywhere with anyone. I also...