Kids can earm ’em too.
How did I not know that this existed?
I was looking up stuff about moving to Mazatlan, Mexico when I came across this blog. The very first post was about their son earning a Congressional Award Gold Medal. Wow!
You have to be at least 13.5 years old so we have a while to go before this can even be a consideration but … I’m tucking it away just in case.
I read about bill 5456 at MommieJonesing.com. The post says:
This bipartisan legislation aims to keep kids safe and supported with their families to keep them from entering foster care and makes reforms to reduce the number of children in foster care who are placed in group homes rather than in a family-based setting.
I’m all for that. As someone that aged out of foster care and has adopted from foster care, I know that helping a family learn the skills necessary to keep a family together is important. Tearing a kid away from their flesh and blood doesn’t help anyone, least of all the child. When parents are willing to be helped, society should make an effort to help.
It passed the House of Representatives and is now in the senate. Find your Senator here and send them an email.
What adoption looks like.
Our Black adoption group encouraged everyone to submit their adoption story to 30 Adoption Portraits in 30 Days project. I typed it up and sent it over a few weeks ago. I heard back and ….
“I am happy to accept your essay into the series, 30 Adoption Portraits in 30 Days. It will run in November! Felicidades!”
Yay for us! Yay for Black families that adopt Black children!
#FeelingGood #NinaSimone
Iron Man, Black Panther and Captain America.
Whoo hoo!
During the Marvel Studios Event Q&A, it was announced that the Black Panther film will be coming to theaters on Nov. 3, 2017. Actor Chadwick Boseman is set to play the Wakandan (the only African nation never to be conquered) superhero, T’Challa.
However, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that Black Panther will have a huge role to play in Captain America 3: Civil War set to be released on May 6, 2017.
Let’s hope that the movie will be as good as the cartoon:
Tru-Color Bandages available fall 2014.
I just came across the Facebook page for Tru-Color Bandages and I’m glad that I did. As a woman of color I remember putting on bandages that looked nothing like me. Sometimes I didn’t want to wear them because I felt that they stood out. Well, an adoptive dad has put together a #diversityinhealing campaign to get bandages ranging in color into the hands, and onto the bodies, of people of color.
This non-Black dad adopted five Black kids and came up with this idea. I’m interested to see where it goes and how well it does.
As a person of color, would you use these bandages?
Her and baby at Comic Con 2014.
This was our first year attending Comic Con in San Diego, CA. Since we were just matched with a baby we decided to take him along on this adventure! I wanted go in family cosplay as Popeye, Olive Oyl and Sweet Pea but He wasn’t thrilled about it.It made total sense to me because there are three of us and three of them. The costumes would be easy to make and it’s one of the few character cosplays that includes an infant.
Since we couldn’t figure out anything ….. we didn’t do a family cosplay. =(
In the 11th hour I remembered that my sister just bought the baby a shirt with a Superman cape velcro’d to it and the wheels started turning!
I glued velcro onto a dark blue long-sleeved onsie and put some dark blue stretchy pants on him. I remembered that he had some red socks. Look! Up in the sky … .it’s a bird …. it’s a plane … it’s …. it’s …. SUPER Baby! Lol
Super Baby at Comic Con 2014.
We arrived late Saturday evening hoping to escape the crowds but there were still plenty of people milling about. We took turns with the baby in a sling so we could protect him from the hordes. We took a few photos and then headed down to the the exhibit hall. We saw a few cool things and took a few more photos:
She-Ra, the Princess of Power! Remember her?
Half-naked Chewbacca.
The Walking Dead had a cool photo op with a mannequin walker and a live walker.
Street Fighter, baby!
Silent Bob at Comic Con.
Goku Homer!
Who could forget Space Balls?
Everyone LOVED the baby’s costume! People kept stopping us and complimenting us. A few even told us stories about bringing their kids to Comic Con. It was a fun day, but I’m not sure if I’d go again. There were a LOT of people and there wasn’t much to do except buy things. Have you been to Comic Con? What did you think?
I just watched a video from Parenting Gently called 4 Ways Parents Teach Kids That Consent Doesn’t Matter.
Her 4 points are:
#1 Parents sometimes play games with their children in which the children yell/giggle “No” while the parent(s) continue to tickle or rough house with them. Both parties (parent(s) and child(ren)) laugh the whole time and are in agreement that this is a game.
#2 Parents tell children that their feelings are wrong by contradicting what the child tells the parent that they are feeling. For example: the child says that they are hungry after having eaten and the parent says, “No. You’re not hungry. You just ate.”
#3 Parents encourage children to give affection even when the child does not want to. For example: the parent and child are interacting with an adult that the parent cares for and the parent tells the child to give the other adult a hug and a kiss even after the child clearly shows through words and/or behavior that they do not want to.
#4 Parents make it clear to children that they must listen to their elders because they are older and they are in charge. For example: the child runs into the kitchen and an adult the child is unfamiliar with tells the child not to run. The child doesn’t want to listen and responds to the adult drawing the parent into the room. The parent tells the child, “Listen to ______ because they are older and know better. Remember to respect your elders. Now apologize.”
What’s “cute” as toddlers, most people would agree isn’t cute as teens. How will these kids know what is okay and what isn’t okay if we don’t teach them while they are young?
Most of us can imagine scenarios like this in our heads and most of us have struggled with dealing with these situations. Very few things are clearly defined, but for the most part I agree with her list. Her point is that if we don’t teach children that their bodies are their own and they have the right to control them, we’re leaving them open to all kinds of abuse.Parents need to make sure that kids give enthusiastic consent.
According to the National Child Abuse Hotline, “More than 90% of juvenile sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator in some way.” That means teaching your child to listen to the older person and to suppress what they feel comfortable with in favor of what the elder is telling them to do isn’t doing them any favors.
Please, please please teach your child that their body is their own … even with parents. It’s okay for them to feel uncomfortable. It’s okay for them to say that they feel uncomfortable. It’s expected that the other person with respect their feelings and stop … even when playing. So yes parents …. it’s time to make sure that you have enthusiastic consent for those ticklefests.
Baby & Blog has an amazing list of blogs from Black families! Yay! Sometimes it’s hard to find other Black families in the blogopsphere so I wanted to make sure to create another link to strengthen the site numbers.
Check out the list here.
There are blogs that focus on environmental issues. Others focus on homeschooling or unschooling. Ours is listed and we focus a bit more on adoption. There’s something for everyone!
Apparently, the Black Nonbelievers and the Black Atheists of America will be hosting the first ever outdoor Rally/Celebration that will predominantly feature nontheists of color.
The event is free. Yep, there is NO COST to hang out with others that think like you. Did you think that you were the only one? Nope! Come on out:
Date: July 27, 2013
Time: 12-6 pm
Location: Flushing Meadows Park
Everyone loves a cook-out, so mark your calendars now. Find out who will be there and all the deets by clicking here.
Join Black atheists, nonbelievers and humanists at the first ever Blackout Event in NYC.
What a great idea!
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve searched for a card to give a loved one that accurately reflects our relationship. Born day (birthday, earthday, etc.), graduation, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and the like all find me searching the isles like the cure for cancer is buried in one of those little pockets full of cards with smiling white people or sugary sweet words that don’t reflect how I feel. The Mahogany Cards? Ugh! They are either religious or too “sassy” (giiiirl!) for my taste.
Finally I found some cards that speak to me. Strong Families has come up with a line of eCards that celebrate different families and make an effort to put into words all of the different emotions that people in family groups have for each other. Love it!
Here are a few of my favorites below:
Check out all of the Strong Families cards.
Parents of Color Seek Newborn to Adopt 