Month: February 2021

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Celebrating Black History Month

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Hey loves!!!

If you know us even a little, you know we integrate Black History into our present and future all year long. To me, there’s honestly no other way to do it. Our history is so dee, so rich, so very textured and greatly vast. You can’t fit in into a month. So to celebrate Black History, we had a lot of fun. 

To be honest, I had to check myself on this one-Basically, I was teaching Black History and learning myself but failed to actually plan something to celebrate Black History Month. Fail. Thanks to some IG friends, I changed that up real quick. 

Again, we celebrate and integrate Black History all year so when James said, “I want to watch Red Tails” it was a very quick yes. 

Here’s why- we could’ve watched any movie about pilots or planes. We didn’t. We consciously chose to allow ou Black sons to see themselves as Actors, as an Ensemble of Actors. We chose to let them see what was endured for them. We chose to celebrate the victories and mourn with them. We chose to remind them of the Tuskegee Institute and how, while it was expected to fail miserably, in spite of every detriment and deterrent, our people soared. 

We screened the movie from our projector, movie the tater style with some super snack caddies. That’s not the highlight for me though. 

If anything, it inspired me to celebrate more with my kids. I mean, Coming to America 2 comes out on March 4 and we are surely celebrating all that beautiful Blackness.

I say all this to say, well implore you to celebrate Black History all year long. Embed it in your life. Learn it. Teach it. Respect it. Honor it.

Love you. Mean it.

Family Activities

Homeschool Curriculum Update-Bible

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Hey Loves!

We are wrapping up this curriculum update series with the subject we typically start our day with. In fact, I feel kinda weird calling it a subject. For us, it isn’t a task we check off or a learning module to master. It is the very pillar of our being, one of the principle reasons why we homeschool and the only reason I continue to. This love, this faith it can’t be contained to just “quoting.”

You can get all the deets on our plans and materials here or watch it here.

Like every other subject, I planned this out, and did it pretty well I might add. Initially, I was balancing keeping up with providing and supplementing church lessons in our home with lessons during the week, sometimes even doing a good job of riding the two, pivoting and finding activities and resources quickly. Then, 2020 took its toll. I got burnt all the way out. I was beyond exhausted and it took all I had to play a bible story podcast for them.

That’s when the miracle happened.

You see, in my feeble iniquity, God showed up and took over. Because I was so exhausted, I surrendered. Instead of tending to every other person on Sunday, I did the least (as opposed to the most), and I focused on me getting nourished with the word and filling up on Worship. It is true that eyes are always watching and so, mainly because I was too tired to get up really early and do my bible study, I would do it in front of them. This sparked something in them.

Virtual church became easier and they were more invested. We were back to try to live the word instead of repeat the word-I realized that busyness got us there and in my efforts to make sure they were retaining, I was training parrots.

I took a long break from the scripture memory and focused hard on prayer and worship in our teachings and lessons. I learned more from them than they did from me.

While we have gotten “back on track” so-to-speak with plans, using resources purchased and learning things like parables and scriptures, I am letting the spirit lead on them. I am not focused on recitation but on living and, more importantly, modeling.

2020 dealt us some huge blows, some way more than others. My empath heart went through it and honestly hasn’t recovered. Everything this year had to shift and I do believe we are all the better for it. 

We will not forget what we learned nor how to adapt and pivot, skills I must admit were far from finessed before this year and all of the events. My standards of truth, beauty and goodness have been the guiding force and will continue to be.

Yes, I have already started “research” for next year and thankfully it is way less than it was last year. Per usual, you’ll be the first to know.

Love you . Mean it.

about me

Ash Wednesday and Lent Traditions

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Hey Loves!

I mean, how is it the end of February? I feel like January was 3 months long and February comes in like a hurricane being the shortest month with the most to celebrate. Black History Month, Hubs birthday, Valentine’s Day, James’s birthday… and the start of the lenten season.

I understand Ash Wednesday is not a traditional holiday and thus, there’s no decor or days off but, in our house we celebrate the big and the small. Personally, taking time to consecrate our faith, make a public profession and boldly choose to eliminate something from our lives and/or bring something in lives that will bring us closer to Christ is big. So, in my true fashion, we celebrate it.

We start with some fun printables like these that allow us to discuss the upcoming the season- what a sacrifice is and how to choose one, who and what we will pray for, and what this time is to focus on. I think it is important to teach my children the relational effects of fasting and prayer and not the religious act.

We also discuss the good and the bad about we we are giving up or giving in to… sacrifices are not meant to be easy so “sacrificing” something you don’t like anyway doesn’t quite make the cut. I also I am not trying to punish my kids. While I gently guide them, I don’t force their sacrifices upon them.

We wake on Ash Wednesday to go get our Ashes. For the past few years, we’ve gotten them from the comfort of our car. Yup, you read that right-we have gotten our Ashes through the drive-through of a local church. One day, I’ll find a child-friendly service but alas, this has worked for us.

Do you and your family do something special to prepare for Lent?

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The Birthday Blues

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Hey Loves!

If you’ve known me for a bit, you know my kids birthdays were like the saddest days ever. I was honestly in mourning. “How did it go so fast? Why did it go so fast? It’s going to fast!” I would lament through sobs. 

And then Jude was born on Christmas and for some reason, that made the birthdays easier. That is, until we were about a month out from James’ 5th birthday and those “birthday blues” starting showing up in full force. I was just about to succumb to them, wallow in my grief and hopefully return back to normalcy one day when I paused and really thought about why it was especially James’ birthday that brought out these emotions and I realized why. 

Nearly my  entire life I’ve been begging people to, “choose me”, “see me” and/or “love me” without ever doing any of those myself, for myself. Then came this human that I grew IN MY BODY that, without me even uttering a word, chose me, saw me and loved me. No lie,  Which brought on another thought, I think his birthdays made me sad because he would soon discover I was a fraud. Yes I read all these books and stalked blogs but I was clueless. I had zero confidence, zero self-love and very little pure joy except that of moments with that sweet baby…who was growing way too fast. 

I always say giving birth to James gave me life because learning to protect and advocate for him was a re-birth. I grew my mama bear spirit and confidence I never had. James gave me life and Jude saved my life because not only did I have another bout of post-partum anxiety but I also had bad post-partum depression after he was born. The kind that was masked by smiles, laughs, cute outfits and showing up playing a role. I would only get out of bed to protect my kids. I didn’t even look in mirrors… until the damn broke. I started counseling, I opened up more and I started eating better and exercising. I started meditating and journaling. 

It made me a better person, a better advocate, a better mom and a better friend to me. I fell in love with myself and wasn’t begging people to give me what I couldn’t give myself anymore. I was showing up for me, finally. 

So, after all that reflection the sadness was gone. He’s not gonna find out I’m a fraud. I hope, if nothing he understands how grateful I am to him for his grace and love. For smiling each morning after I messed up so many days before. I hope he understands the great privilege to having front-row seats to watching me fall in love with myself and know he was the catalyst.  So, yeah, I’m probably still gonna cry. I’m probably still gonna sneak in and watch him sleep one last 5 year-old-sleep but I won’t be sad. I’ll be in awe of how our wonderful journey has taken shape and stay in fervent prayer about future endeavors. 

“ Goodnight you moonlight ladies

Rockabye sweet baby James

Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose

Won’t you let me go down in my dreams

And rockabye sweet baby James”

crafting

Celebrating Valentine’s Day At-Home

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Hey Loves!

It is 2021 and we are still having holidays at-home. I mean, at this point, especially after I’ve realized the amount money I save, the memories that are made and seeing the joy on my kids faces, I think lots of the things we’ve done for “pandemic” holidays will stick when these times are just faint memory. Since Valentine’s Day is on a Sunday this year, I thought to get my kids involved with the planning and make an entire day out of it.

There are two parts to this-well, two focal points rather. Me and my husband. Me and the kids. Us as a family. Wait, that’s 3. I NEVER proclaimed to be a mathematician. Moving on…

Because I am a loved child of God, my mom is coming to visit the week before Valentine’s Day so my husband and are going places often. Any parent can relate on the joy of free and safe childcare and how one must take very opportunity to use it. After 2020, I will not be shy. So, my husband and I will have had our “date” fix and not need to schedule childcare and/or make reservations. If you do, do it now… actually do it yesterday!

Many will disagree here, but this time with your boo does not have to be fancy. I think time to just talk uninterrupted, eat like adults and enjoy each other bring some kind of restoration to people, individually and as a unit. As for actual Valentine’s day, we may enjoy a show together at the end of the day.

Next up, kids. Again, you do not have to this my way. Growing up, my dad always got me something for Valentine’s Day and I love the idea of continuing that with kids. However, with Christmas and Jude’s birthday less than 2 months ago and James’ birthday just 4 days after Valentine’s Day (not to mention me and the hubs celebrated birthdays in between theirs), your girl is a little tapped! So, their gifts are normally things I stashed over the year and put together real fast. Head over to IG to see how I assemble their gifts.

Now, for the family fun. Not to sound like a broken record, but make this unique to your family. My kids favorite vegetables are asparagus and roasted broccoli. They live for charcuterie boards. So, when I suggested we have a fancy family dinner, there was not a shortage of ideas. We also have family dance parties. We will probably watch a movie clad in Valentine Jammies. By movie I mean Avengers not a romcom. It will be low-key. Yours can be totally over the top. The point here is to make the memory and enjoy doing it.

Love you. Mean it.