Daniel loves this Elmo chair. He sits in it to watch TV and hangout.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Wordless Wednesday - Elmo Chair
Daniel loves this Elmo chair. He sits in it to watch TV and hangout.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Supporting Loving Day at Benefit Concert 2009
A few weeks ago I took myself out on a date. I planned on having some wine, hearing great music then mixing and mingling with other adults who also came out in support of Loving Day, a global network that fights racial prejudice through education and builds multicultural community. That night I attended Loving Day's Benefit Concert 2009.
That night Broadway in South Africa, featuring cast members from Wicked, The Lion King, Rent, and more would perform along with, Koba a radical hip-hop vocalist/producer from Harlem, New York and Pedro da Silva and Lucia Caruso of Manhattan Camerata at the super cool and trendy Drom Lounge and Restaurant
Now that alone is a good reason to go hangout with the Loving Day crew but after all the drama in the news about the interracial couple denied a marriage license ...well I wanted to be with my community. At times like that when a basic social right...to get married...can be denied because of a person racial background the world can be a scary place. If the right to get married can be denied then what next? The right for a mother to bear a biracial child? It's not that far a jump.
Many people think that racial awareness and tolerance have come a long way. In some ways this is true but this recent event shows that there's still alot to be done. I read why this couples license was denied and it further scared me
As a black mother of a biracial child these kinds of comments worry me. We're living in a time where a biracial /half black child has become president but yet some people still think half black children will suffer in life. It tiring to fight against beliefs like that alone.
Organizations like Loving Day, Swirl , Mavin and other are key as faces of the multiracial community on a large scale. I worry that without them the fight to live in this world would be so much hardier. I'm grateful to know them and to know that they stand with me to keep spreading awareness for all the different multiracial communities.
That night Broadway in South Africa, featuring cast members from Wicked, The Lion King, Rent, and more would perform along with, Koba a radical hip-hop vocalist/producer from Harlem, New York and Pedro da Silva and Lucia Caruso of Manhattan Camerata at the super cool and trendy Drom Lounge and Restaurant
Now that alone is a good reason to go hangout with the Loving Day crew but after all the drama in the news about the interracial couple denied a marriage license ...well I wanted to be with my community. At times like that when a basic social right...to get married...can be denied because of a person racial background the world can be a scary place. If the right to get married can be denied then what next? The right for a mother to bear a biracial child? It's not that far a jump.
Many people think that racial awareness and tolerance have come a long way. In some ways this is true but this recent event shows that there's still alot to be done. I read why this couples license was denied and it further scared me
Bardwell said he's not a racist, he came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.
"I don't do interracial marriages because I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves," Bardwell said. "In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer."
As a black mother of a biracial child these kinds of comments worry me. We're living in a time where a biracial /half black child has become president but yet some people still think half black children will suffer in life. It tiring to fight against beliefs like that alone.
Organizations like Loving Day, Swirl , Mavin and other are key as faces of the multiracial community on a large scale. I worry that without them the fight to live in this world would be so much hardier. I'm grateful to know them and to know that they stand with me to keep spreading awareness for all the different multiracial communities.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Blasian Family in Sesame Street Elmo Loves You DVD
So to celebrate their 40th anniversary I rented Sesame Street: Elmo Loves You! DVD from my local library. As you know Daniel is a fan of Elmo and I love Daniel so it's a perfect pick. LOL. So we're sitting and watching when a segment comes out that floors me.
It starts with a woman and child sleeping. Then the child wakes up and starts to draw pictures on the fogged up window. She then wakes up the woman who also draws on the window. The scene ends with a drawing of women and child holding hands drawn on the window while they cuddle. Just regular Sesame Street family stuff right? Except this family is a Asian women with a black daughter!
I couldn't believe my eyes!!! I rewind and watched that segment a bunch of time checking for clues about them as a family. Now I might be jumping the gun here but I didn't see anything that implied the woman was a babysitter or something along those lines.
If anything the tenderness she shows the little girl only supports my idea that their family. Not only are they interracial family, but it could be implied it's a single parent family. I know, I know, I'm reaching there but it's not a bad thing to see a family that reflects mine. I so love Sesame Street =)
It starts with a woman and child sleeping. Then the child wakes up and starts to draw pictures on the fogged up window. She then wakes up the woman who also draws on the window. The scene ends with a drawing of women and child holding hands drawn on the window while they cuddle. Just regular Sesame Street family stuff right? Except this family is a Asian women with a black daughter!
I couldn't believe my eyes!!! I rewind and watched that segment a bunch of time checking for clues about them as a family. Now I might be jumping the gun here but I didn't see anything that implied the woman was a babysitter or something along those lines.
If anything the tenderness she shows the little girl only supports my idea that their family. Not only are they interracial family, but it could be implied it's a single parent family. I know, I know, I'm reaching there but it's not a bad thing to see a family that reflects mine. I so love Sesame Street =)
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Using Care4Hire.com for Childcare Help
Having trouble finding childcare? As busy parents sometime we need a little help going thru this difficult task.
A few months back I was invited to review Care4Hire.com. At the time I was too busy juggling life as a return to work mom. But I kept having childcare issues on and off for months. I'd respond to and place online ads and then interview many babysitters. But still ended up frustared. It was alot of work for little results. I decided maybe the Care4Hire service would get me better results.
About Care4hire
Candi Wingate, President of Care4hire.com, a mother herself, knows first-hand how hard it can be to find the perfect caregiver. We put a great deal of effort into making Care4hire.com as easy to use as possible. Our database is designed to assist families in finding a quality babysitter, housekeeper, tutor, companion/eldercare, pet sitter and Miscellaneous care such as a personal assistant, gardener, party planner, etc. for their specific needs and requirements and offer caregivers an enjoyable employment experience.
My Review
Setting up an account was simple and straight forward. They have 3 levels of membership to chose from including a FREE membership for 14 days. Then you set up your profile and describe your family and the kind of care your seeking. Based on your basic profile you'll start to received emails from care providers.
If you don't want care providers contacting you then you can make your profile private and do your own search. There is also an option for special advertising for any family that needs extra help find the right caregiver. Care4hire will not charge extra for that service.
PROS
Many things impressed me on the Care4hire site least of which is their CareMatch. In CareMatch you can set up a search for caregivers based on different requirements like price per hour, location, language and special needs (twins/disabilities/etc).
Care4Hire Sample Interview Questions, Contract and Reference Check questions is a good thing to have already on site for some parents. Some of us don't know the key questions to ask a caregiver much less have a employment contract.
Caregivers can have their references and background check available for your viewing. Love that! Saves so much time and makes it easy when sorting thru caregivers to find the right one.
CONS
Having the care providers contact me directly with their profiles was nice. Having to go thru 2 extra steps of clicking on their member id to see their profile, photo, background qualification, and contact info wasn't nice. When you have over 90 emails to check, it would be a time saver to view all you need on one screen or have a preview of key info.
Having a way to sort caregiver based on location would also be helpful. Even though I said I was looking for someone in the brooklyn area, after checking thru profiles I saw responses from caregivers in outer boroughs.
While I didn't follow thru and directly contact any of the caregivers...I recently was accepted in a neighborhood daycare...The service of Care4hire is very useful and I would definitely use them if I run into childcare issue again.
Are interested in this service? Right now Care4hire is offering my readers a 10% discount using this code: 339914-16b
Disclosure: My free membership was upgraded for the purpose of reviewing this site. No other compensation was received. This review is based on my experience while using this site.
A few months back I was invited to review Care4Hire.com. At the time I was too busy juggling life as a return to work mom. But I kept having childcare issues on and off for months. I'd respond to and place online ads and then interview many babysitters. But still ended up frustared. It was alot of work for little results. I decided maybe the Care4Hire service would get me better results.
About Care4hire
Candi Wingate, President of Care4hire.com, a mother herself, knows first-hand how hard it can be to find the perfect caregiver. We put a great deal of effort into making Care4hire.com as easy to use as possible. Our database is designed to assist families in finding a quality babysitter, housekeeper, tutor, companion/eldercare, pet sitter and Miscellaneous care such as a personal assistant, gardener, party planner, etc. for their specific needs and requirements and offer caregivers an enjoyable employment experience.
My Review
Setting up an account was simple and straight forward. They have 3 levels of membership to chose from including a FREE membership for 14 days. Then you set up your profile and describe your family and the kind of care your seeking. Based on your basic profile you'll start to received emails from care providers.
If you don't want care providers contacting you then you can make your profile private and do your own search. There is also an option for special advertising for any family that needs extra help find the right caregiver. Care4hire will not charge extra for that service.
PROS
Many things impressed me on the Care4hire site least of which is their CareMatch. In CareMatch you can set up a search for caregivers based on different requirements like price per hour, location, language and special needs (twins/disabilities/etc).
Care4Hire Sample Interview Questions, Contract and Reference Check questions is a good thing to have already on site for some parents. Some of us don't know the key questions to ask a caregiver much less have a employment contract.
Caregivers can have their references and background check available for your viewing. Love that! Saves so much time and makes it easy when sorting thru caregivers to find the right one.
CONS
Having the care providers contact me directly with their profiles was nice. Having to go thru 2 extra steps of clicking on their member id to see their profile, photo, background qualification, and contact info wasn't nice. When you have over 90 emails to check, it would be a time saver to view all you need on one screen or have a preview of key info.
Having a way to sort caregiver based on location would also be helpful. Even though I said I was looking for someone in the brooklyn area, after checking thru profiles I saw responses from caregivers in outer boroughs.
While I didn't follow thru and directly contact any of the caregivers...I recently was accepted in a neighborhood daycare...The service of Care4hire is very useful and I would definitely use them if I run into childcare issue again.
Are interested in this service? Right now Care4hire is offering my readers a 10% discount using this code: 339914-16b
Disclosure: My free membership was upgraded for the purpose of reviewing this site. No other compensation was received. This review is based on my experience while using this site.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Guess Who's a Disney Mocha Mom
Ever had a secret that was so wonderful you wanted to keep it to yourself? Just for a little while you wanted to enjoy whatever it was before you had to share with everyone? Well I had a secret but it got out ahead of me. Anyway, as some already know...ta da...I'm going to be a Disney Mocha Mom.
When I received an email from Disney and BSM Media inviting me to be part of their Disney African American Mom Bloggers Mixer...I thought...finally! Disney noticed their missing a princess and their ready to welcome me back home. LOL.
So as I prepare for my Disney Mocha Moms Bloggers trip I hope you'll send me positive vibes and follow along on my adventure. I plan on blogging each days event and tweeting what I'm experiencing from my other blog - The Mommy Factor.
When I received an email from Disney and BSM Media inviting me to be part of their Disney African American Mom Bloggers Mixer...I thought...finally! Disney noticed their missing a princess and their ready to welcome me back home. LOL.
So as I prepare for my Disney Mocha Moms Bloggers trip I hope you'll send me positive vibes and follow along on my adventure. I plan on blogging each days event and tweeting what I'm experiencing from my other blog - The Mommy Factor.
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