Summertime Homeschool

Summertime Homeschool

Jul 21, 2021 | Family & Home, Homeschool

It may be summertime but you better believe at Davis Elementary sessions are still in! Quick poll for the other homeschool parents: Do you keep classes going through the summer months, or is it just us? 

For our household, homeschooling year-round allows us to have a more relaxed environment. We school 9 AM – 12:30 PM daily and make sure to weave in a couple of shorter breaks throughout the year. This ensures that we keep the learning effective and continuous, but also makes room for us to focus on family time and connecting.

Get Reviewing

The great part about the summer is that it provides the perfect time for review. This can mean refreshing old lessons or catching the kids up in areas they may be struggling with. Take a moment to check in on where the kids are at and if there are any subjects or concepts you need to dedicate more time to. I find this not only makes the kids feel supported but allows me to ensure we are on track for their grade level and understanding.

Prep for the Future

If you are already feeling ahead of the game, and your review process breezes by, I usually have success in preparing the kids for next year. You can do this by giving overviews of what the next grade has in store (tackling multiplication tables, upgrading to chapter books, or maybe some science experiments!). It doesn’t hurt to start a few of the lessons early either!

Getting Out of the “Classroom”?

Pre-COVID, I used to love integrating more “field trips” for the kids. I mean who doesn’t want to go to the zoo?! This summer, however, I have found myself a bit more cautious. Taking them to parks and wide-open spaces to interact with nature has been my go-to. But when we aren’t able, I’ve been adding in more arts and crafts and at-home fun projects.

As you continue for the last couple of weeks of summer, I encourage you to create some sort of structure and routine that allows you to have fun, spend time as a family, but still keep those little minds moving.

Strawberry Shortcake – Quick & Easy Dessert

Strawberry Shortcake – Quick & Easy Dessert

Jul 20, 2021 | Dessert, Food, Tamela's Tailgate Treats

I’m not really a baker, but I have a really bad sweet tooth!

Therefore, I play around with desserts pretty often to satisfy that. While in graduate school, one of Demario’s football coaches’ wives took me under her wing and showed me how to make this quick and easy mouthwatering dessert. It’s so good, I had to share!

Ingredients

  • 1 box of butter cake mix
  • 2 sticks of butter (doubled)
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 milk (instead of water)
  • 1 small can of Eagle Brand condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
  • 1 container of strawberries
  • 1 container of Cool Whip

Instructions

  1. Follow the instructions on the box of cake mix but use my recommended amount of butter (trust me). [Ooh! And I recently added some strawberry mixture inside the cake batter…amazing.]
  2. Use a sheet cake pan for baking the cake.
  3. Once the cake is done and cool, poke holes all throughout the cake. Make sure the holes are large enough for milk to seep in. ( I use the end of a wooden spoon.)
  4. Pour the can of condensed milk over the top of the cake and even it out.
  5. Wash and dice strawberries. Stir in powdered sugar to create a syrup mixture.
  6. Pour syrup mixture over cake.
  7. Top with Cool Whip and serve.

*Place leftovers in the fridge.

(Quesha, thanks for sharing this all those years ago. It’s still one of our favorites, and I love making it for our guests!)

 

 

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Normalize Not Being Okay

Normalize Not Being Okay

Jul 3, 2021 | Faith

Normalize Not Being Okay

Let’s normalize not being okay all the time or having it all together.

We all could use some sort of help or people in our corner who we can vent to and seek guidance.

Over the years, I’ve had a few responses tucked away that are automatic when someone asks me how I’m doing or how life is treating me. “I’m doing amazing” (my go-to). “Living the dream” (my sarcastic response). “I’m alive and well, blessed and highly favored” (my spiritual one). There were many in my pocket ready to go! Oftentimes, I’d felt the need to be the “strong friend” and completely disregarded what I’m feeling.

Eventually, I realized that sometimes I’m just not okay. Sometimes, I just don’t have it all together. And that’s totally fine. I may not be “doing amazing”, “living the dream” or feeling “highly favored” at all times. I may not want to be the strong friend through it all. Sometimes, I must admit that I need support, advice, and someone to help guide me back to a sound state.

 

 

Mental health is something that we, especially in the Black and Brown communities, have avoided addressing for far too long. I encourage you to be able to identify when you’re not okay and to never forget to offer your strong friends a place to be vulnerable, too. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a life coach, spiritual mentor, personal trainer, or psychologist. At some point in life, I’ve used them all, and it has been rewarding in more ways than one.

As Demario recently stated in an interview, “We are three-part beings. We have to take care of ourselves mentally, physically, and spiritually.” Honestly, I’ve been guilty of neglecting two of those frequently, but I eventually decided it was time to accept that I don’t have to be okay all the time or appear to have it all together. It freed me.

 

Are things not the best right now?

Can you use some accountability in your personal, career, and/or spiritual life? Do you just desire different perspectives to gain understanding in a certain area of your life? Here are a few reasons why seeking out a life coach or therapist is worth doing:

  • You have goals you want to achieve but you first need to get out of whatever’s holding you back from achieving those things.
  • You are caught up in the humdrum rhythm of everyday life and want to get out of your comfort zone and introduce yourself to something new.
  • You are experiencing past hurts or trauma and you want to heal from them.
  • You dream of having a meaningful, purposeful life but you’re not sure of the first step to take in that direction. 
  • Your relationship/marriage is going through a few issues and speaking to a professional could help you get through it. 
  • You know that you have a lot to feel grateful for but you need a little extra inspiration to piece your puzzle together.

Mental health is imperative. If you can use the extra help, don’t hesitate to get it.

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Reading the Bible in a Year! Best Book Club Ever

Reading the Bible in a Year! Best Book Club Ever

Apr 30, 2021 | Faith

Reading the Bible in a Year! Best Book Club Ever

Friends! I am so excited to share with you my commitment to God this year.

As I entered into this new year, I reviewed some dreams I was ready to make into reality and began trying to plan what I would like to accomplish. But, as always, God helped make those plans for me.

Getting on Track

 

At the start of this year a close friend of mine reached out and asked if I would be interested in joining her Bible reading plan (aka reading the entire Bible over the course of one year). It felt like divine fate! God knew this was a year of action for me, and the perfect year to find power in studying His word. I realized that the lack of community and accountability were huge factors in my failure, so God made sure this plan was primed for my success by willing it through a friend.

 

How It’s Going

 

Let me tell you, I have been active about reading self-help books in my life, but nothing can compare to spending such intimate time with the Lord’s words. I get to experience his truths daily in the most productive and collaborative environment!

We are only a little over 100+ days in, but the work God is doing inside of me is life-changing.

I feel engaged with His text, and as a group, we are able to strengthen our bonds with him both individually and collectively.

 

Make Your Own Plan

Maybe for you, this reminder is all the push you need to put your own Bible plan together. You can embark on the journey solo, engaging with God one-on-one, or get a group of faith-minded friends together and do the Lord’s work through a book club!

Every step you take towards Him is one He will reciprocate with leaps.

I look forward to sharing with you more about my experience as I delve deeper into His word and hope you will share your experiences with your own Bible reading plan!

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Parent Routine: Getting Kids Down for Bedtime

Parent Routine: Getting Kids Down for Bedtime

Apr 29, 2021 | Family & Home, Parenting

Parent Routine: Getting Kids Down for Bedtime

Get to sleep… now!

 

Bedtime… it can be a struggle. I don’t understand why kids don’t like bedtime! After a long day of working, mom-ing, and all the things in between, bedtime has become one of the things I don’t play about. 7:30 PM. (I may bend every now and then, but not often at all.) Here are a few tips for getting your kids down to bed as smooth as possible.

  • Create a schedule/chart that’s visible for the kids. The chart can use large lettering for your children who can read but use photos for the children who can’t read just yet. This helps them look forward to what’s next.

  • Set alarms that you and the kids recognize. I have alarms that go off all throughout the day on my phone with ringtones both the kids and I remember. At 7 PM, my alarm goes off every 5 minutes leading up to 7:30. This helps us transition smoothly from downtime after dinner to brushing teeth to story and prayer, and then to bedtime. [Now, when dad’s away, one of the kids always pops up to “protect me” or as they like to say, “so I’m not lonely”. ? It’s so cute!]

  • Put the kids to bed awake. My older kids get to read books most nights until they fall asleep. Other nights, they may get to play games on the kindle, but it turns off automatically after a certain time.

  • Put the “baby” to bed awake too! I have done it all with my infants: co-sleep, bed in my room, sleep in their room… all of the options. What has been the most fruitful for our family, once the newborn phase is over, is to train them to fall on their own and not to rock them to sleep!

 

“Wake-up time is not easy either! (Can I get a witness?)”

Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!

Wake-up time is not easy either! (Can I get a witness?) When you start waking kids up, they always want to sleep in later. When I’m almost done with breakfast, I call on the baby monitor for everyone to get up. I give them 5 minutes of whining then I do a last call!

  • Checklist time. They begin working on their checklists when they get up. They have a chalk sign of all the things they need to do before they leave their room.

  • Help time. I then go in and help them finish getting dressed and check for anything they missed that needs completed before departing the bedroom for breakfast.

 

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