I'm Talking Square Biz***Teena Marie's Impact On Me
Normally I am searching the net or surfing the cable channels to find out more information. This time I simply could not move myself to do it.
Since everything happens in God's timing I guess last night was my moment to reflect on her life when I came upon Unsung on TVOne showcasing the life of Teena Marie. As I sat and watched the show I realized that if I didn't know the lyrics to one of her entire songs, I knew the chorus and if I didn't know any of the words I was jamming like I was 12.
Which brings me to Square Biz. When they played that song last night I was in my own little world. Dancing and singing and so excited to hear that song. Thinking back nearly 30 years ago being eternally grateful for my father keeping music in our home. R&B, Funk, Jazz, Rap....just all of it came back in that instant.
Once the show was over I realized that Teena Marie's music came at a time when I was being bused across the city to go to school. When was I was becoming a teenager and not really handling that too well. When I was beginning to like boys and have crushes. When I was beginning a path to be where I am right now. In retrospect maybe I didn't want to hear Teena Marie's music on Sunday because it would take me back to a time that I have not really thought about lately.
Tonight I realize I need to write about Teena Marie and so I go to YouTube and search for Square Biz and the tears fell immediately, as I'm singing along, realizing this incredible R&B vocalist wrote and performed songs that helped me many years ago to get through my awkward pre-teen and teen stages. Being forced to look back wasn't bad at all, actually it helped me to see that all of those experiences assist in making up who I am.
Flashback who's that.......Thank you Teena Marie for blessing us with incredible and timeless music that we will continue to dance and sing to!!!!!!!!
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Christmas Time!!!!
For the past couple of weeks the spirit of Christmas has kind of fell upon me.
There are so many things about my childhood that stand out for me about Christmas. My grandmother (Granny) would always have mixed shelled nuts and a nutcracker. That is where my love for pecans began. It took me forever to learn how to crack the pecan without shattering the shell and the pecan completely. My Aunt Eddie ALWAYS made the best Christmas cookies, from scratch. I do mean ALWAYS! As my siblings and I became older it didn't matter what she cooked, we just wanted to know if the cookies would be ready. My favorites were the Mexican wedding cookies and the chocolate chip cookies, I believed the chocolate chip cookies had pecans or walnuts in them. They were so good. My overall favorite gift came from my parents. It was a two-story doll house that had working lights, working light fixtures and real wooden furniture. I love dollhouses to this day and I talk about dollhouses so much that my younger son tells me that he will get me one for Christmas.
This Christmas was different for us. 2010...it was a bit rough to say the least. We have endured some storms and some setbacks but early in December God placed it on my heart to continue making memories for my children like so many of my relatives had done over the years. And that is what I did. God sent an angel to kick it all off because I wasn't thinking about Christmas for my sons or the children at church. One afternoon I was sitting at my desk and Ms. Marsh asked me out of nowhere, "So, what do you have planned for the children at church?" I had nothing planned until Ms. Marsh came back from her desk.
Check out the pictures..........
With the help of Ms. Marsh I was able to snap out of my little world of despair and get things going. Ty had treats for his teachers and friends. Al had baked French Toast (didn't take pics) for his teacher and friends. The children at church had holiday treats and I had the pleasure of knowing I had created some memories for all of them.
When we left out for school the other day, I asked my sons if they had all of their holiday bags. My older son responded, "Yeah Martha, we got everything." lol Now, what shall I cook for Christmas dinner? Lamb? Duck? Hmmmm........
There are so many things about my childhood that stand out for me about Christmas. My grandmother (Granny) would always have mixed shelled nuts and a nutcracker. That is where my love for pecans began. It took me forever to learn how to crack the pecan without shattering the shell and the pecan completely. My Aunt Eddie ALWAYS made the best Christmas cookies, from scratch. I do mean ALWAYS! As my siblings and I became older it didn't matter what she cooked, we just wanted to know if the cookies would be ready. My favorites were the Mexican wedding cookies and the chocolate chip cookies, I believed the chocolate chip cookies had pecans or walnuts in them. They were so good. My overall favorite gift came from my parents. It was a two-story doll house that had working lights, working light fixtures and real wooden furniture. I love dollhouses to this day and I talk about dollhouses so much that my younger son tells me that he will get me one for Christmas.
This Christmas was different for us. 2010...it was a bit rough to say the least. We have endured some storms and some setbacks but early in December God placed it on my heart to continue making memories for my children like so many of my relatives had done over the years. And that is what I did. God sent an angel to kick it all off because I wasn't thinking about Christmas for my sons or the children at church. One afternoon I was sitting at my desk and Ms. Marsh asked me out of nowhere, "So, what do you have planned for the children at church?" I had nothing planned until Ms. Marsh came back from her desk.
Check out the pictures..........
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| Ms. Marsh's idea for me to create for Christmas. Candy Cane Reindeer. |
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| Everything came from Walmart. This was less than $15, even with the purchase of the glue gun. |
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| You begin by holding two candy canes together and wrapping the glitter stems around them. |
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| Step 1 is now complete. It's time to heat up the glue gun. |
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| Using the glue gun you place a pom pom for a nose and two wiggly eyes. |
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| Yes, my son did help and we had fun too much fun creating our candy cane reindeer. |
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| Ms. Marsh brought these in one day. OMG!! For this special treat I bought a bag of pretzel sticks, 6 Hershey chocolate bars, and some sprinkles. 1st Melt the chocolate in the microwave. 2nd Use a spoon to coat 1/2 of the pretzel. 3rd Pour sprinkles on the chocolate coating. 4th place on a plate and refrigerate overnite. The next morning I put them in these cute holiday Ziplock bags. |
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| Holiday bags for Children's Church -- Too Cute!!! |
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| I even backed carrot cake cookie with cream cheese icing. On the plate are some of the candies put into the treat bag for Children's Church. |
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| Merry Christmas!!!! |
When we left out for school the other day, I asked my sons if they had all of their holiday bags. My older son responded, "Yeah Martha, we got everything." lol Now, what shall I cook for Christmas dinner? Lamb? Duck? Hmmmm........
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MyBrownBaby: On the Parenting Post: 11-Year-Old Gangstas—And Th...
Here is a must read blog. Some children are not even teenagers yet and they are rocking lip and tongue piercings and body tattoos. Wow!! This would not happen at the Brown House for real!!
I love this post!!!
MyBrownBaby: On the Parenting Post: 11-Year-Old Gangstas—And Th...
I love this post!!!
MyBrownBaby: On the Parenting Post: 11-Year-Old Gangstas—And Th...
1+1 Does Not Equal 11
Recently I was visiting with a friend and I was amazed at how she incorporated learning time with playtime. As the boys would run around the house she would call them over to the couch where they would have mini tutoring sessions. Once one brother was finished, the next one was summoned to the couch. I sat there thinking ok, this may work at home. My son is a busy person. He goes from the television, to the kitchen, to the basketbal hoop and eventually to bed to prepare for the next day. We were not doing a lot of educational activities together and it was time to do something about that.
A couple of days ago we started our reading and math time. It's been going really well. Although last night, he had a few things he would rather be doing and he was quite vocal about it. Fast forward to today. We are leaving my parents and he asked me what were we going to do today. I ran down the list for the evening. He told me he did not want reading and math time. I paused and looked at him and said "Ok. Tell me what one plus one equals?" He put his little index finger up to his mouth like he had the winning Jeopardy answer and blurted out "Eleven!"
Yeah! We definitely will be having more reading and math over here.
A couple of days ago we started our reading and math time. It's been going really well. Although last night, he had a few things he would rather be doing and he was quite vocal about it. Fast forward to today. We are leaving my parents and he asked me what were we going to do today. I ran down the list for the evening. He told me he did not want reading and math time. I paused and looked at him and said "Ok. Tell me what one plus one equals?" He put his little index finger up to his mouth like he had the winning Jeopardy answer and blurted out "Eleven!"
Yeah! We definitely will be having more reading and math over here.
A Good Name
Some of my experiences at work tickle me to no end. Last week I was sitting at my desk and the students were coming in for breakfast. As one of the students came in another teacher said good morning to him. Out of nowhere the student started yelling and asking why were we calling him by his whole name, because he didn't like it. He wanted us to use a shortened version of. Anything else, he told us, he was not responding to it.
The teacher calmly walked away from him and said. "Your parents gave you a good name and you should be proud of it. And because our system says that this is your name this is what I am going to call you." That just set the student off, did I mention it was a little after 8 in the morning? What a way to begin the day.
Well, first you have to understand the nature of my students. They would prefer for us to call them by the names that they are called outside of school. I have to remind them several times that I refuse to call any student "D-Money", "Juicy", or "Mr......". Those names are cool to them and represent who they believe they are. Many of them don't identify with their birth names. Even when they turn in work they often write their nicknames on their assignment.
I am not quite sure where students come up with this concept of you will call me what I want to be called and not what my parents named me. We stand firm on this issue at school. Hopefully one day our students will learn to value their names, maybe even sit down and have a discussion with their parents about where their name came from. Knowing the history of their name could lead to some embracing of it.
Often times when I introduce myself people will ask me, "Can I call you Linda?" No, my parents named me Arlinda not Linda. I know the family history of my name and I love the good name my mother and father gave me.
The teacher calmly walked away from him and said. "Your parents gave you a good name and you should be proud of it. And because our system says that this is your name this is what I am going to call you." That just set the student off, did I mention it was a little after 8 in the morning? What a way to begin the day.
Well, first you have to understand the nature of my students. They would prefer for us to call them by the names that they are called outside of school. I have to remind them several times that I refuse to call any student "D-Money", "Juicy", or "Mr......". Those names are cool to them and represent who they believe they are. Many of them don't identify with their birth names. Even when they turn in work they often write their nicknames on their assignment.
I am not quite sure where students come up with this concept of you will call me what I want to be called and not what my parents named me. We stand firm on this issue at school. Hopefully one day our students will learn to value their names, maybe even sit down and have a discussion with their parents about where their name came from. Knowing the history of their name could lead to some embracing of it.
Often times when I introduce myself people will ask me, "Can I call you Linda?" No, my parents named me Arlinda not Linda. I know the family history of my name and I love the good name my mother and father gave me.
A Brother's Prayer
Father God we praise you for Alex's knee. We thank you for everything we do and don't do. We thank you for everything we try to do in Jesus Christ.
How Sweet!!!!!
Why Wait? Behold I Do A New Thing
Have you noticed the new look on the site? I was going to wait and change it over the Holiday Break and then I thought, let me work on it now. God may have something else He needs me to do over break. I love the new look and especially the colors of green and lavender. They totally represent how I feel, at peace and forever growing.
I have also started to be more proactive in my home life, prayer life, and professional life. Yesterday someone gave me a survey to fill out. They told me to take my time and drop it in the mail when I had time. At that very moment I pulled out my pen, filled out the survey and dropped it in the mailbox that was located in the building. That felt so good!! That survey is one less thing that I have to remember to do.
Right now I am starting to question more and inquire more about those things God wants me to go after. One thing I believe He wants me to do is to be is more available for Him when He assigns a task to me. So some tasks I need to complete quick, fast, and in a hurry.
I have decided early on what I will do differently for the New Year, be more available for God, write more, and be more proactive. How about you? Have you decided what you will do differently for next year? Why wait? Just do it!!!
Santa's Helper UNTOLD The New Orleans 9th Ward You Never Knew
EDC Creations Santa's Helper
Gift Suggestions for the Holidays!
Cece Winans - More Than What I Wanted
When I think of the love that God has for me and the love I have for my sons. This song does it for me. That love is more than what I wanted.
Break Us To Make Us
Alex McGlothin has literally been playing basketball since kindergarten. He began playing organized AAU in the third grade with the Friars Club. Over the years he has strived to be one of the best basketball players. With the Friars Club he has traveled many summers to State and National AAU Tournaments. Needless to say he has been looking forward to playing in high school.
Currently Alex is a co-captain for his high school team. Over the summer, while playing in a tournament in Indy, Alex tore his acl and knew that his senior season might not turn out to be what he expected. Going into surgery our family received many words of encouragement. Everyone is expecting that Alex will bounce back from this. On Alex's Facebook wall there was an out pour of support. One status that stood out was from our pastor. He wrote sometimes God has to break us to make us.
The season has started and Alex is wearing it hard that he can't be on the court with his teammates, that he can't be on the court period. I am seeing a difference in him. He is working hard in rehab and he is listening intently to what his doctor and mentors say to him. I have no doubt that he is paying even more attention to what goes on the court. The hunger to get back out there is evident with his now taking charge of scheduling appointments as to not miss any games with his peers.
If anything, our family has learned that out of brokenness healing comes. With healing comes strength. Alex is healing and regaining strength. Though we are not sure about his high school season we are more than sure that Alex will return to the court. I know I have wondered why the injury and why now. I truly believe that Alex is being prepped for something greater than he has ever imagined both on and off the court.
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| Alex McGlothin - Senior- Walnut Hills High School |
@ IyanlaVanzant: Friends - please chk out my exclusive interview w/ Bro. Michael Baisden on @BaisdenLive..here is the link http://bit.ly/f7XeFj
Santa's Helper - Black Pearls Magazine December
Are you still searching for the perfect gift? How about giving a book as a gift this year? Black Pearls Magazine is filled with information about a variety of books from some very incredible authors. Click the link below to find out more information.
Wishing you and your families a wonderful Holiday Season!!!!!!
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The Goal
On December 1, 2010 I made a personal goal to post to my blog daily, for the month of December. Even though my days are sometimes more than busy I also realize that I have a lot of thoughts and ideas and I need to get them out. One day on Twitter writer Dream Hampton tweeted "writers write". Over the past weeks I have been reading more and becoming a bit more insightful on my personal goals. One thing that I had to look at was what is it that I have a passion for. I love to cook, but I am not a cook. I am not coming up with a show or trying to give demonstrations on my culinary skills. I love to sing. But to be honest I am not a singer. Meaning if you ask me to come up to the mic and give an A and a B selection on the spot, the most you will get is the chorus to some hymns that I have know for years.
As the year winds down I want to be clear on where I am going and how I am going to get there. For me that is knowing and understanding what it is that I have a passion for and what is it that I do well. Mother, it took this year and ALL of it's craziness to really want to know these things. I know effective yesterday the sky is the limit and that doors are being opened for me to step out to be a more effective teacher and writer both professionally and in ministry. It is now time for me to facilitate some workshops on the teachings and the blessing of God. My mother, Minister Natalie McGlothin, Aunt Evangelist Christine McGlothin-Moore, Pastor Kenneth Bibb and his wife Sister Lille Bibb have more than prepared me for it.
Reading here lately has opened my mind to not wanting more but rather being proactive and going out and getting it. I have a whole new understanding of faith without works is dead thanks to Pastor TD Jakes. The past is really where it is, behind me. Let those lessons simply be a framework for what will not happen again.
On of my favorite prayers is the Prayer of Jabez. I have prayed it almost 2x daily this year. Yes, I want to be blessed indeed! Yes, I want my territory enlarged and you know what I am going to get for my sons, for my parents, for grandparents, for great-grandparents, for my teachers and pastors who have poured into me and everyone who survived adversities so that I can be in the position I am in now.
The goal is more than writing daily on my blog. Rather it's to continue on this path and be steadfast and unmovable. I am a teacher. I am writer. I will use those skills to empower others and to continue to empower myself.
As the year winds down I want to be clear on where I am going and how I am going to get there. For me that is knowing and understanding what it is that I have a passion for and what is it that I do well. Mother, it took this year and ALL of it's craziness to really want to know these things. I know effective yesterday the sky is the limit and that doors are being opened for me to step out to be a more effective teacher and writer both professionally and in ministry. It is now time for me to facilitate some workshops on the teachings and the blessing of God. My mother, Minister Natalie McGlothin, Aunt Evangelist Christine McGlothin-Moore, Pastor Kenneth Bibb and his wife Sister Lille Bibb have more than prepared me for it.
Reading here lately has opened my mind to not wanting more but rather being proactive and going out and getting it. I have a whole new understanding of faith without works is dead thanks to Pastor TD Jakes. The past is really where it is, behind me. Let those lessons simply be a framework for what will not happen again.
On of my favorite prayers is the Prayer of Jabez. I have prayed it almost 2x daily this year. Yes, I want to be blessed indeed! Yes, I want my territory enlarged and you know what I am going to get for my sons, for my parents, for grandparents, for great-grandparents, for my teachers and pastors who have poured into me and everyone who survived adversities so that I can be in the position I am in now.
The goal is more than writing daily on my blog. Rather it's to continue on this path and be steadfast and unmovable. I am a teacher. I am writer. I will use those skills to empower others and to continue to empower myself.
Ryan Edgar
For a great part of my day I have been looking for the music of Ryan Egan. lol I tried really hard to remember his name. So after an extensive search I find out that his last name is Edgar. Believe me, it was worth the search.
Well here is a link to Ryan's website. I definitely see a purchase in my immediate future. Click To Listen To The Music of Ryan Edgar
Ryan Edgar can be found on Facebook and Twitter.
Reposition Yourself Pt. 1
I have been reading Reposition Yourself by Pastor T.D. Jakes since this past Saturday. All I can say is that this book is one that I will be referring to quite often from here on out.
That Child of Mine
He looked so handsome in his khaki pants and Caribbean blue polo style shirt. This boy was ready to go like he was getting ready to hit the court, which many know possibly won't be happening this year because of his acl. As soon as we are in the auditorium he seems to simply turn "on". He was going back and forth to his position and practicing an hour before the actually performance.
Once the lights went dim and he comes over to kiss his brother and me and off he goes and off his brother goes to sleep. (lol) The beginning band performs first and my tall, well poised child is more than ready. The music starts and all of a sudden I don't recognize my son. The beat consumes his every move, the people next to him vibe off him, and he supports everyone around him. There are even choreographed moves with several people on his line. Alex doesn't miss a beat, almost similar to being on the basketball court. I tilt my head and say to myself "what in the world"? Did I miss something?
See when Big Pumpkin, that's what I call Alex, was younger he could not play sports unless he sang in the choir. He was a faithful member from K-6 and he was exposed to so many different styles of music, some in dreamlike locations. Once he went to junior high school I had to release my love of the arts for him. For a very longtime it was all about sports. Once in high school in played in beginning band, that was only for a semester. I let the idea of the arts go. I figured he had so many experiences that he would come back eventually.
So imagine my surprise when he signed up for steel drum class and film class this school year. After last night's performance we talked about him continuing with steel drums once he went to college just for the fun of it. He's even thinking of signing up for Advanced Steel Drums for next semester.
Tonight we were discussing the performance and watching Everybody Hates Chris and he began to discuss different topics from his film class. Whoa!!!! It was a bit too much for me! We always have wonderful discussions about education and social issues, now we are adding music and film. It's so cool! It's his senior year, he's soon to be an adult, and that child of mine is growing into the young I'd always hoped he would be.
Sidebar - When I first wrote the ending I cried til my eyes burned.
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