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    Hope everyone's June has been wonderful! Mine has and it's truly been flying by! I've been blasting through my summer semester and trying to give my children a fun summer without overspending. Needless to say, we've been taking advantage of the parks and walking trails. We've been coloring and working on educational goals. My little boy will be officially starting kindergarten and I've been making sure he's fully prepared. Sight words, improving handwriting, and learning how to tie his shoes has been on our radar. One of my daughters will be going to pre-k and I've been busy preparing her as well. She's been learning how to write and spell her name. I want to encourage everyone to still have their children active with their education this summer. It keeps the kids busy and gives them the opportunity to be caught up or ahead once back in school. Make it fun! Give them dance breaks! Pull out some old fashioned card games like, Go Fish or Old Maid.

                So you may be wondering what is the big deal? Why were law makers arguing and debating about this being a national holiday? (apparently it didn't get passed last year) This post won't be long because I'm sure a lot of you have heard about this in mainstream media this past week, but I want to briefly mention the origin of Juneteenth. For starters, Juneteenth is the official day that slaves in Galveston, Texas were told that they were free by General Granger in 1865. Why is this a big deal? It's a big deal because the other states under Confederate control found out they were free in the year 1863. In Texas, Juneteenth was made an official holiday in 1979. Now in 2021, it has officially been declared as a national holiday. President Joe Biden wrote it into law on June 17, 2021.  However, Americans have been celebrating July 4th (our independence day) and honoring our freedom from Britain control. You would think that this didn't even need to be debate

          Hi Everyone! It's the middle of June! How's your Summer going? Are your kids home and driving you up a wall or are you use to them being home since we're coming out of the pandemic slowly but surely? Where I live we still are wearing masks in some places. Businesses have been allowing vaccinated people to take them off in some places. I'm waiting for our state mandate however, because I just don't want to deal with any drama in the stores. Last summer, a lot was going on with people taking masks off. Plus, my children still have to wear them so I wear mine too so they don't complain about theirs. I'm glad the school year has ended. My Pre-K student was promoted and he's going to Kindergarten next year. I couldn't be more proud of him! He even won an award for outstanding behavior! I'm still in school and it's exhausting everyone! Trying to keep up with my kids, cleaning schedule, cooking, and keeping up with assignments is quite a t

It’s been a long journey for me with trying to gain my undergraduate degree. Life got completely in my way, but I didn’t give up by the grace of God! I’m back enrolled in school and it’s bit overwhelmingly exciting. I’m nervous about this new step and about all the college stuff I’m just now having to deal with. Plus, I’m a mom now and a wife so things are definitely hectic. I’m going through all my advice and research to keep myself calm during this new experience. It’s going to be different being an adult learner but I refuse to be discouraged. I know a lot more about life now than then. I’ve learned about real time management and the importance of strategizing plans. I’ve learned about the financial aspect of school too and why it’s overly important to be as cost efficient as possible. I’m optimistic about this time around and more confident in myself than before. Some of the things I’ll have to work at is endurance and continuing to set goals for myself. I have to give myself time

It’s crucial to make time to communicate with our children. Whether they’re school aged or infants, we set their foundation for language. It’s so easy to feel like infants couldn’t possibly need your conversation, but research disagrees. It’s been proven that not talking to your infant can cause them social delays. It can even make it more difficult for children to be able to form secure attachments. Infants need to hear their parents voices and see our facial expressions. It shapes their language world and helps their bond to their parents. As they age and start school, keeping up with their day is even more vital. Peers and pop culture  will become a bigger influence and it’s important as a parent to help your child from being misinformed. Children want to feel understood, just as many of us do to. When we consistently talk to them (not down at them) and listen, we are showing that we are engaged. But when we can’t put our phone away for just a few minutes then we are creating a divi