New Mom, Old Message

 I'm blessed to work with a program that helps new and expecting Moms prepare for life. Specifically, we share life skills that we hope will prepare them for the ups and downs of parenting. It takes me back to when I was a new Mom with "stars in my eyes". I had everything planned out; or so I thought. There is absolutely nothing wrong with making plans, however new parents have to realize the reality of life after baby; Baby is in charge! And nearly everything you do, is surrounded by the needs of your baby; your schedule, your budget, your activities are all lead by that little one.

However, no matter if it's present day of thinking back when I was a new Mom more than 20 years ago, the same old rules apply. Here are some suggestions:

*Ask for help:  Please don't try to be Super Mom and think you must know everything about parenting in the first week. Getting advice from a more seasoned parent you trust can make life a little easier.

*Be Flexible:  The baby won't stop crying because you have a ZOOM meeting or they may need a diaper change just as you are going out the door on the way to the baby sitter. Realize things will happen that are out of your control. 

*Create Self Care Time:  Even if it's a walk around the block, alone or sitting in a warm bubble bath at night, find ways to get some well deserved me time and be consistent with self-care. 

Build Your Village!

 

Mentoring Moments VLOG

 

Moms Need to Have Fun!

 

A Little Me Time (VLOG)

 

 

 

Women's History Month Feature: Ketanji Brown Jackson

So many times when we reflect on history, we always look way back to many years in the past.  However, there is history being made everyday.  March is Women's History Month so I'm sharing a portion of the history recently made by our first Black female Supreme Court Justice:  Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Jackson was born on September 14, 1970, in Washington, DC.  Her family would eventually move to Miami, Florida. In her senior year in high school she won the National Oratory title at the National Catholic Forensic League Championships in New Orleans.  Jackson was later quoted in her high school yearbook saying that she "(wanted) to go into law and eventually have a judicial appointment."  She graduated in 1988. Despite being told by her high school guidance counselor that she was not Harvard material, Jackson attended Harvard University for college and law school. Jackson's legal career included: Serving as District Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Vice Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission and was a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers. 

Jackson was also a clerk with US Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. How ironic that she would succeed Justice Breyer upon his retirement from the court on June 30, 2022.

Ketanji Brown Jackson is married to surgeon Patrick Graves Jackson, who she met at Harvard.  The couple have two daughters.

Following her Supreme Court confirmation Jackson said, "So as I take on this new role, I strongly believe that this is a moment in which all Americans can take great pride. We have come a long way toward perfecting our union.  In my family, it took just one generation to go from segregation to the Supreme Court of the United States. And it is an honor, the honor of a lifetime, for me to have this chance to join the Court, to promote the rule of law at the highest level, and to do my part to carry our shared project of democracy and equal justice under law forward, into the future." 

For more information on Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and other outstanding, encouraging women in history, I encourage you to get books at your local library.

Black History Moment

Although February is designated as the "official" Black History month, I believe Black History should be celebrated more than once a year. Black History IS American History and should be a continual part of our school's curriculum. 

This month I'm sharing a Black History Moment about a courageous woman who was really ahead of her time: Ida B. Wells.

Born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi in 1862, Ida B. Wells fought against injustice through the written word. She was co-owner and writer for the Memphis-Free Speech & Headlight newspaper.  Wells reported on incidents of racial segregation and inequality. She won an international reputation for her fiery denunciation of discrimination, exploitation and brutality. Wells would eventually publish the first statistical study of lynching called Southern Horrors and The Red Record.

Throughout her life, Wells was active in Civil Rights, the Women's Suffrage Movement and the NAACP.  Ida B. Wells died of kidney disease in Chicago on March 25, 1931 at the age of 68.

In 2020, she was posthumously honored with a Pulitzer Prize special citation "For her outstanding and courageous reporting on the horrific and vicious violence against African Americans during the era of lynching."