Change my location 
-
- mothers day (4)
- family time (3)
- mom time (3)
- Mother's Day (3)
- quality time (3)
- family fun (2)
- parenting (2)
- Bad Service (1)
- baltimore schools (1)
- birthdays (1)
|
Celebrate YOU this entire month of May! Because you are a beautiful woman, unique and special! Your smile says: “I love you!” “Great Job!” “ You’re funny!” “I’m proud of you!” You are an awesome mother, wife, friend, healer, sister, listener, giver and more! You deserve to have something beautiful in your life EVERYDAY! I want you to know that I appreciate you for all that you do. This month of May, LOVE YOURSELF! Make your happiness a priority and put YOU #1 in your to-do list. Have a massage, tea with a friend, take a short walk, or join a book club; Write yourself a love letter and tell why you are wonderful! Get your health in check...make that appointment you’ve been putting off; Take a L-O-N-G bath weekly by candle light, music or special fragrances that invigorate you. Be inspired about just how important moms are to their families but most of all to themselves! Happy Mother’s Day! Live Fully, Mia
|
Subscribe
0
Comments:
Link |
Anyone, who has ever attended any religious service could completely relate to the ethical dilema that Senator Obama faced regarding his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. of Trinity Unity Church of Christ( a mega church in Chicago) recent media appearances. Personally, I have never agreed with every opinion that my pastors have talked about in church. I still maintained respect for those who I learned from, using the good and disgarding what did not work for me. Our religious leaders are our counselors, teachers and confidants. Isn't that right? When Rev. Wright performed the way that he did on television, it appeared arrogant and showed little capacity for forgiveness, compassion and love. I have seen enemies treat others better. Was Reverand Wright- right or wrong? I don't know the answer but I would guess that Senator Obama won't be inviting Reverand Wright over to hear any of his secrets. Throughout this entire performance, I wondered where is the grace at work here? If I were one of Rev. Wright's church members, he would be the last person that I talked with about any of my issues. What about you? What were you thinking? Live fully, Mia |
|
What is going on with Baltimore City Schools? This weekend, a staff member comes in to work at Calverton Elementary/Middle School and two children assault her and one attempts to rape her. Come on! Are you kidding me? I forgot to mention that the boys were 13 year olds. Thoughtful plans and kind words are not cutting it. The schools are in a State of Emergency. Don't you agree? If we continue to do what we have done we will make the situation worse. Take a look. We want teachers to want to teach children. Isn't that right? Teachers deserve to be safe. Correct? What is it going to take? Last week I wrote an article, Where is the Outrage in Baltimore?, for The Baltimore Examiner. People wrote in all around the city saying that parents don't care anymore. Is this true? Are there any good parents out their who want to make a change? Administrations can only do so much. We need parents to step up. Heck, we need everyone to step up, volunteer and do something. We can no longer ignore the problem. We all see the guys walking throughout the city with their underwear showing. If we don't step up and help, our children will meet these children in the mall and then what? This is everyone's problem. Yes, we are in a State of Emergency, and we need new intervention. We need to call a meeting for volunteers from anyone who might be willing to help. Would you answer this call? What do you think? Live fully, Mia |
Categories:
State of Emergency ,
Where is the Outrage ,
Problem Schools ,
baltimore schools ,
school violence ,
violence ,
city
|
If anyone has been to an elementary school lately, they are likely to notice that many girls in the 5th and 6th grade are wearing heels, make-up and have already begun to develop enough to need a bra. It’s kind of a strange scene, really: All of these miniature grown-up girls still gracing the halls that are painted with bright child-like murals. Even the younger girls with today’s fashion and hair trends seem like little pint-sized versions of pop princesses and socialites. One can’t be around a group of girls out on the playground without hearing someone belting out a Mylie Cyrus or Beyonce tune. Yet, how many of these girls that have surpassed the “little girl” years are really any more grown up than we were? In days past, one might expect that these 11 and 12 year olds would be babysitting in another year or two. Household responsibilities for this age group would have grown by now to include helping more in the kitchen and with the yard work. A lot of this has gone by the way-side. Girls aren’t anywhere near ready to babysit at 12 years old as we were. By law, they’ve only recently been allowed to stay at home alone themselves let alone being responsible for younger children. People are afraid to let younger kids run equipment out in the yard as we’ve become a much more safety conscious society than generations past. All of that freedom we had as kids to play out in the neighborhood without worrying about kidnappers did more than offer fun. The chores assigned to us before parents were made aware of what “might” happen if they insist their 9-year-old mows the lawn did more than earn us a few dollars a week. Those things taught us how to fend for ourselves and how to be responsible for a job. We were given a lot more ownership, I think, than today’s kids who live in a world that just isn’t safe anymore. So, though your daughter may request the Raven Simone tracks or Posh Spice haircut the next time you take her to the hairsylist, don’t mistake this for growing up.
Live fully, Mia |
|
Yesterday, I took my children and their friend to see the amazing show of Walking with the Dinosaurs at the 1st Mariner's Arena in downtown Baltimore. While purchasing the tickets, I was greeted by a not-so-knowledgeable attendant. He had no idea how to read the seating chart. I thought, isn't this what this guy does all day? These seats are not inexpensive ($30-$40.-$70). It would be nice to have someone to advise me on the best seating options. Next, we walked to a local mexican restaurant and ordered burritos. Five workers asked me the same questions about the contents of each burrito. It was inefficiency at its best. I fear that great service has left with the dinosaurs. What about you? Share your stories. Mia |
|
Recently, I bought a new set of Taebo exercise videos called "Taebo Amped". I love the Taebo exercises which are a combination of kicks, twists and punching to make fitness fun! Well, these new DVD's promise that you will "Get Amped" just like the 20 year olds in the video --really had me motivated. I kicked, twisted and punched until I needed a pain reliever, ice pack and a hot bath. My husband said, "Continue to exercise but remember your age". You will be happy to know that I have modified the helicopter move from this video and started again. LOL! Have you ever had this type of experience while exercising?
Live fully, Mia |
|
Busy, busy, busy! I know that sometimes it seems like there’s never any time for stopping to smell the roses so to speak, but taking the time to do something nice for someone whether that’s your kids, spouse, family or girlfriends doesn’t really have to take much time at all. Our children may or may not believe us depending on how old they are, but we all know “tis’ better to give than to receive.” When we give, what we receive in return is heart-warming and just plain feels good. That “Thank You” or big smile just makes the day a better day overall. So, how can you find this time? Keep it simple! Kids --Put an “I love you” note next to their cereal bowl in the morning. --For older kids when studying gets tough, bring their favorite snack to their room and give them a pat on the back for their efforts. Hubby --Put a sticky note on the bathroom mirror that says something sexy, sweet or both. --The next time he leaves for a business trip, spray a cloth handkerchief with the perfume you wear most, put it in a Ziploc (so it doesn’t make his clothes smell like perfume!) and sneak it into his suitcase. Girlfriends --Cut a small bunch of flowers from the garden or blossoms from a tree in your yard and bring them to your friend. --Keep a tub of small gifts on hand such as bath stuff and candles so that you have a quick way of remembering someone’s birthday. Family --Email pic’s once a week of the kids --Stop off at the deli and pick up some tasty chicken soup to bring to a family member that has a bad cold
Live fully,
Mia www.findingdefinitions.com |
|
Keeping your closet in order Do you have one of those closets that spills out clothing whenever you open it? Is it overflowing with clothes that you never wear? It’s really, really frustrating to either try to put away laundry or find things in a closet like that. It’s also a HUGE waste of time and energy. Getting your closet in order isn’t as bad as it seems. Here’s a plan that will help you organize your closet and keep it that way! 1. Plan one uninterrupted day to tackle the closet and finish. 2. Begin by unloading the closet into three piles --Clothes that you wear, like and are keeping --Don’t keep --Not sure 3. Put all the clothes that you are keeping in what should be your empty closet in an orderly fashion. 4. Go through the “not sure” pile again keeping in mind one and only one rule: Have I worn this in the past year? 5. Now, put the clothes you’ve worn back in the closet. 6. Separate the “don’t keep” pile into three categories: --Clothes in mint condition that have a designer label: These can be sold at a resale shop for either credit or cash. --Clothes in decent shape that do not have a designer label These can be boxed/bagged and given to charity. --Clothes that are in bad shape. Throw these out... nobody wants them! Charities have limited help and time to have to sort through unusable clothes that need to be discarded. 7. Now, keep two small bins in your closet and as you make new decisions or buy new clothes, toss the clothes you don’t want in the resale bin or charity bin. 8. As for Hubby’s one fourth of the closet (you do have the majority of the closet space, right?), ask him to do the same, but if he won’t... turn a blind eye to it and try
Live fully, Mia
Check out my article today in The Baltimore Examiner at http://www.examiner.com/a-1365231~Mia_Redrick__Where_is_the_outrage_in_Baltimore_.html . |
|
Do you have a child that says “That’s Not Fair!!!” a little too often? It’s a common thing for a kid to say; after all, it’s through time that we come to terms with what’s fair, what’s not, what we have to accept, what we refuse to accept. Even some adults have difficulty handling life’s disappointments with grace. The problem lies with the frequency of these outbursts. If your child seems to think that just about everything is unfair in his or her life, perhaps it’s time you help your child get a grip on reality by helping them to understand with a gentle hand that they do in fact have a pretty “fair” life in comparison. There’s no need for a huge lecture which will more than likely fall on deaf ears. Instead, get creative and look around your area to find charitable organizations where you and your kids can volunteer. Spending time surrounding yourself and your family with people who have less can help your child realize that things could be worse than not getting a Wii or a cell phone. It helps them put perspective on the things that matter most. Sure, we all want a happy childhood for our children and introducing all the sorrow in the world seems like a depressing idea; however, to some extent in this materialistic world, it’s just necessary in order to develop a sense of something bigger, something more important than our own needs. And that my friend is a better gift than any game console! Live fully, Mia |
|
Let’s have a laugh! There’s nothing like a good laugh to improve a mood and make even the most frustrating, stressful situations seem more tolerable and workable. I recently had a phone conversation with a mom friend of mine who was having a particularly frustrating day with her husband and children. Her day was doomed from the start when she woke up with the flu because as we all know, mothers aren’t supposed to get sick. Feeling miserable, she carried out her morning duties thinking about how she’d crawl back into bed with her toddler using Nick Jr. as the sitter just as soon as she got the rest of her brood out the door. Of course, things didn’t go as planned as they rarely do when you really, really need them to and the complaints and requests kept rolling in. “MO-EMMM, I wanted my red shirt... Ashley’s wearing her red shirt today and we wanted to match!” “Adam took the last of the Sugar Crispy O’s and I WAAANTED them!” “Honey, do you have any idea where my keys are?” By the time her toddler had tipped over the garbage, accidentally or on purpose just out of sheer curiosity, and the dog was licking up God knows what from the mess, she had really, really had it! She scooped up the toddler, handed him off to her husband, marched upstairs, wrote a note, stuck it on the outside of her bedroom door, locked the door and crawled into bed. Of course, her family was bewildered by her actions and her husband was soon at the door. Before he knocked, he read the note: “I hereby declare all mothers to be members of the newly formed Momsters Union retroactive to the day and year of their first child’s birth or adoption. Furthermore, I am taking the first of my cumulative sick days that after 12 years of motherhood now amount to 120 days.” I was rolling with laughter by the time she’d finished the story, and we went on to formulate more rules for this imaginary union for mothers. This is what we came up with in addition to the 10 cumulative sick days per year: 1. Mother’s Day Rules: Children may make hand-crafted gifts, but the spouse must purchase a separate gift such as jewelry or the like. The mother must sleep in. Breakfast in bed is to include cleaning up the kitchen. 2. In lieu of motherhood being an unpaid position, a minimum of four spa days per year is required. 3. Spring cleaning is to be done by a hired service. Regular cleaning is to be hired out if the children are in more than two activities. 4. Car pool mileage is a reimbursable expense to be reimbursed via gift certificates to favorite girls’ night out hot spots. 5. If complaints are made regarding laundry turn-out, the complaining party will be forced to do his or her own laundry. 6. The mother relinquishes her former title as “Keeper of All Things” and each member of the household shall become responsible for their own things forthwith. 7. The mother also relinquishes her former titles of “Walking Waste Receptacle” and “Human Napkin” and children are to deposit gum wrappers and the like in the trash themselves and never use their mother’s pant leg to wipe off sticky fingers. We’re still working on the list, but it shall be lengthy in the end! Live fully, Mia |
Parenting expert Mia Redrick is an author, lecturer, radio personality, personal coach and mother of three young children. She is a leader in the push for the self-care of mothers, and shares her wisdom on how to raise children without sacrificing personal needs.
- Happy Mother's Day
- Wright or Wrong?
- Baltimore City Schools - In A State of Emergency
- Are your kids growing up too fast? Or do they just look like it?
- Is Good Service Pre-Historic?
- Taebo Woes!
- Make Someone Smile in Seconds!
- What's In Your Closet?
- Time for A Reality Check?
- Mommy Union
subscribe to Baltimore Parenting Examiner's posts
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
