Cherish My Daughter

I had the worst morning sickness during my pregnancy with this one. I couldn't keep anything down for 7.5 months. Next I suffered from the most horrendous heartburn. I didn't enjoy food again until after Mg2 was born. I felt like I was STARVING all of the time. I wanted to eat and had the same appetite you hear pregnant women have but putting food in my body started a vicious cycle. Even water was the enemy. I had to be hospitalized for fluids. I felt terrible both physically and emotionally and it showed. My face swelled up and darkened in areas. I hated my pregnancy mask. I was irrational and wondered what my baby would be like--I had an evil premonition that something bad was coming out of all of that suffering. Mg2 came early. One of my closest friends was getting married in my home town about 6 hours away. I couldn't imagine missing her wedding so I went to the doctor for advice on whether or not we should make the trip. I was 36 weeks pregnant. He examin...

Happy Birthday! We've finally realized that babies really DO grow up really fast and you'd better enjoy every moment. With this one, we really haven't spent most of the time wishing she'd get through this stage or that stage...realizing that every stage is an adventure. We've tried really hard to trap time and learned we can't, but are enjoying every moment.

I doubt I'll blog about these unless you really want me to, but I've been asked to share some of my homemaking tips by some viewers who also know me in real life. I decided to start with a video on freezer cooking because it's made such a tremendous difference in my family life. I certainly didn't invent it and you'll find many books, blogs and articles about it. I'm sharing the way I've tweaked it to make it more manageable for me. I also uploaded a video on meal planning . As always, let me know what you think.

Black Red Riding Hood, mother and grandmother. All with beautiful loosely coiled natural hair. Black author AND illustrator! Beautiful art work. The above was Mg3's choice for story time today. I've heard several versions of this story and wondered which path this author would take. While all the characters but the wolf and woodsman were Black, Pinkney kept the details and culture of the story the same as the traditional versions I've read. The main character is named Red Riding Hood because of a red hooded cape she wears everywhere. Red lives in a village with her mother. She's instructed by her mother to deliver soup and muffins directly to her grandmother who lives in the woods. Calamity ensues both for Red and her grandmother when she disobeys her mother by allowing a wolf in the woods to distract and trick her. I cringed a little as I read about the wolf swallowing the grandmother whole and later doing the same to Red. I closely watch Mg3's face. She l...

We spend so much time trying to pull negative things out of our kids, but how much time do we really spend purposefully offering them a desirable alternative. When it comes to promoting a healthy self image in our daughters (and sons), I'm learning that I really need to be proactive. I need to present to my children the norm I want them to have. If you're reading this blog, I'm probably preaching to the choir --clearly YOU read-- but we really need to be reading to our kids. Some of us are juggling so much and I know it can be hard even to find a moment to breathe, but we must read to our children. I believe it is a highly effective tool to foster rich discussion about a plethora of issues. I always marvel at how much my kids are drawn to images. Are you sick of listening to them watch their favorite video over and over yet? If we give them the opportunity, kids will do the same with books they love. I often find mine staring and thinking. What if the image they are...

I'm working on some more Cherish the Momma segments. Our girls watch us, imitate us--we're leading by example whether we're trying to or not. I want to pass on as many positive things as I can. I also want to break bad habits. For example, my entire life I've hated to sweat, but sweating is good for our bodies in so many ways. Not only are we eliminating waste through the body's largest organ, we are promoting hair growth with all the circulation our sweating process brings to the scalp. Let's get moving for ourselves and for our daughters! The benefits are endless. I find it easier if I'm doing something fun. Here's another one of us --check out Pam's quick Zumba workout video on YouTube. Try it! In my enthusiasm, I worked up a nice sweat. I also enjoy her blog, because of her insight on raising fit kids .

Choosing to stay at home can be difficult for many of us. For those of us who want to pursue a higher degree of education or have already spent years earning a professional degree, it can seem like a waste. Check out the video response I made to Chocolatetresses--a fellow subscriber who posted a video about her struggle with her recent decision to focus her energies at home.

What a unique spin to an old favorite! I think the relationship emphasized in the story Ponyella is sweet and a really positive message to share with young girls. Check out my book review video here . *Also--I have set up multiple playlists on the YouTube channel to help make it easy to find what you may be looking for. For discussion: Have you come across any new versions of classics you like? I really like some of the animal versions, but I also like the people versions with a special twist. Ever watched the movie Penelope ? I don't recommend this movie for young girls, because I'm not interested in introducing my girls to a lot of romance at an early age. Also, I'm not sure that the way Hollywood does romance, sends the best messages toward helping people to develop realistic and wholesome partnerships. That said, I enjoy a good chic flick as much as any other woman, but it's getting harder and harder to look the other way at the questionable content. Anyway....

And you know what? I don't blame her! Come see why here .

You've been asking how to instill a positive self image in your girls, and one of the most effective tools I've used is flooding them with positive images of black beauty. I try to find stories that celebrate things they experience in their own lives. Why should they feel important if they never see themselves as central figures in books and entertainment? I review the following books: 1. Shante Keys and the New Year's Peas by Gail Piernas-Davenport 2. I love My Hair by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley 3. Honey, I Love by Eloise Greenfield 4. The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll by Patricia McKissack 5. Satchel Paige: Don't Look Back by David A. Adler 6. Cornrows by Camille Yarbrough I make mention of the following: 1. Rosa by Nikki Giovanni The focus of this review was on the images, but in the future I will review one book per video and give a summary of the stories with some insight on what I liked, disliked, and where the conversation went with my girls. Che...

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I hope you are all having a wonderful Valentines Day! I've been fighting a stomach bug since Friday and haven't given much thought to today. My plan was to sneak away on Saturday to pick up something special for my sweetie. Unfortunately, I stayed in my room in nauseous misery all weekend. So when I walked into the kitchen this morning to a table adorned with a massive arrangement of gorgeous flowers, chocolates and balloons I was a little confused at first--then delighted. A great sense of peace settled over me as I noted that the presentation wasn't only for me. There was an arrangement for all the girls as well (even our son was given a little something). My parents divorced when I was very young and my Dad was absent. I always associated Valentines Day with handsome princes sweeping worthy princesses off their feet. Perhaps any worthless prince who dressed the part would have done it for me--but for the grace of God. There was definitely a place in me that long...

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I know I usually come here to talk about hair, but my heart is so full right now I can't help but share. I had the most wonderful couple of hours with HMG. She's physically changing before my eyes. More and more I see the little girl fading away and the young woman emerging. She's still my little girl, but every now and then I catch a glimpse of who she's becoming. Sometimes I'm a little intimidated by the new demands her growth process are placing on me. I want to run back to story time and let me kiss that boo-boo for you and make it all better . These days HMG is navigating her way through so many issues, and sometimes when she comes to me I am humbled by the realization that I haven't mastered the situation yet myself. How do I lead her through? Inside I'm quaking. What if I make a mess of things? At times I've been afraid to be alone with her in these tough places. Today I took a leap. I decided I would rather fumble if it means taking ...

I'm learning more and more that what my girls want from me the most is my time. In the past I've been stunted by trying to plan the perfect event. Either I didn't have the resources or imagined the more stuff I could offer my girls the better. I'm learning that doing something cheap, simple, and fun often results in some of the most precious memories. My husband and son traveled for a father son camp experience, leaving us behind. The girls were looking to me for a special time at home, but I was exhausted from starting our homeschool, and the demands of chasing a baby on the brink of walking while trying to be available for quality individual interaction with four other children. My husband is very supportive, but my responsibilities demand a lot both physically and emotionally. I tend to fake it it til I make it . We watched videos. Turned errands into a fun window shopping trip. Made french bread pizza. Worshipped together. All these things were fun, but the...

Here's an update on the video Am I am rushing my daughter to do her own hair too fast? On the ride home from a trip to visit relatives, HMG shared her frustration living with fuzzy twists. I pointed out to her that if she re-twists herself, she can keep her twists as fresh as she likes. She's been practicing her twist technique on her nappy American Girl doll. I encouraged her to try re-twisting one of her twists as we sat talking on the drive. Her first attempt was too loose BUT after a few simple suggestions she refashioned the twist perfectly. We had no water and no products. I pointed out that we generally want to use both and finger detangle to remove shed hair. We had at least 3 hours left of our journey home and HMG managed to re-twist her entire head before we arrived. She complained about how long it took, but now she knows she can re-twist her own hair whenever she likes. This is the first step to independence--I couldn't be happier for her. I will contin...