Blog Archives

Does Your Child Know How to Swim?

5/31/2013

If not, it is never too late for lessons...
Never to late to save a life!

I remember hearing on the news last year that a parent had to watch their child drown because neither of them knew how to swim. Heartbreaking and avoidable. Too many things in life are out of our control, but teaching a child how to swim is something that is in our control. If access is the issue, please seek help from a YMCA as they provide scholarships on a needs basis.

Recently, I heard some astonishing statistics on the news and I think it is worth sharing. If this information reaches one person to teach a child to swim then I consider it a true blessing and that I’m not writing this blog in vain.

According to the American Red Cross and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children younger than 5 and minority children drown in pools at an alarming rate…

Government data also shows that African-American and Hispanic children between the ages of 5 and 14 are at a high risk of drowning.

African American children between the ages of 5 and 19 drown in pools at rates five times that of white and Hispanic children that age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data from USA Swimming indicates that 70 percent of African American children and 62 percent of Hispanic children cannot swim, making them more likely to drown.

The American Red Cross offers other steps people can follow to help keep youngsters safe around the water and they include:

Constantly supervise children when they are near water. Many children who drown in home pools were out of sight for less than five minutes and in the care of one or both parents at the time.

If you have a pool, secure it with appropriate barriers.

Never leave a young child unattended near water, and do not trust a child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water.

Avoid distractions when supervising children around water.

If a child is missing, check the water first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability.

Similar stories in the news:
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/22451163/dc-swimmer-hoping-to-inspire-with-8-mile-trek-in-potomac-river#axzz2V4yXvbl9

MUST SEE VIDEO (AN INFANT SAVES THIER LIFE)

Do you know of other resources to help parents who have difficulty affording swimming lessons? If so, please share!

40 Comments

"Man Trap" Chicken Wings

5/30/2013

20 Comments

by Guest Blogger Christine Taylor

Grilling season is officially here! I hope you enjoy this delicious take on chicken!

As an African-American and a Spanish teacher, I treasure both cultures for their rich history and culture. One night on a whim, I came up with this marinade and voila “Blacktino” wings were born. Originally, I named the wings “blacktino” wings because I saw them as a nice blend of flavors representing the Black and Latino palate. I believe a great marinade is all you need to make grilled meats taste supreme and this one delivered the full flavors for which I was searching.

The name change from “Blacktino wings” to “Man Trap” wings came about after my boyfriend George (now ex-boyfriend) tasted the wings. After he tasted them, all subsequent conversations I had with him centered on the wings. Hence the name “Man Trap” wings was born. However, these wings are sure to trap women too as all my female friends beg for them at the cookout!

Man Trap Wings

1.5 pounds of chicken wings

1 bottle of Goya Sazon en Liquido

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 packets of Goya’s powdered chicken bullion packet

¼ cup of vinegar

3 tablespoons of garlic powder

3 tablespoons of onion powder

pepper to taste

To get the best flavor, you must marinate your chicken wings over night.

What is something you create that everyone loves? Ever "trap" anyone with your cooking skills? We'd love to hear all about it!

This is what the "Man Trap" wings look like when they are off the grille and ready to eat.

"Man Trap" wings grilled to perfection.

20 Comments

Sweet Ash Cakes

5/29/2013

18 Comments

As a baker who prides herself on the old fashioned taste, I found Sweet Ash Cakes to taste similar to mine if not better. The cakes are moist like they just came out the oven and are baked with natural ingredients- no short cuts. I've had two cakes made by Ashley and Chanel to celebrate a birthday and a graduation. I will share the pictures with you so you can also see the great work!

A Phoenix Cake

The back of The Phoenix Cake

Graduation Cupcakes

Meet the founder of Sweet Ash Cakes

Ashley Johnson

I have been in the kitchen baking since the tender age of seven. My grandmother showed me how to whip up a five flavor pound cake from scratch, and I have taken what she has shown me and expanded upon it. I enjoy baking! My most favorite part of the process is the creative design that goes into the cakes and cupakes when they come out of the oven. I love transforming the baked goods into mini works of art.

More about the business

Sweet Ash Cakes is an online bakery based in Washington, DC and named after its founder, Ashley Johnson. Ashley and her sister Chanel Sutton work close to create magnificent pieces of edible art. If you can name it, dream it, or describe it, then Ashley and Chanel can design it and make it delicious. Skilled at working with fondant and modeling chocolate are some of their specialties. If you are not in the market for a themed cake and instead are searching for something simple, they also specialize in baking pound cakes and simple layer cakes.

What do you think makes a cake good?

18 Comments

Memorial Day Thoughts

5/27/2013

11 Comments

On this Memorial Day, I think about lost loved ones and people that have served our country. As the family historian, I have traced all the way back to my paternal great great great grandfather. Anyone that has ever researched their past knows that ever little piece of information is a celebration. Years ago, my favorite hang out spot was at the National Archives where I literally researched all day long. It was there that I stumbled across his Civil War enlistment papers and I can’t tell you how excited I was! To make it even better, the National Archives copied it and sealed it with a fancy stamp and ribbon.

Which leads me to today- I googled his name and instantly found free information about him at www.findagrave.com. What did I find? Pictures of his grave and the cemetery- a place that I’ve never been. I even left a note and a digital flower. Next, I found family members in the cemetery that I could not find at the National Archives. I learned something new today: people volunteer to visit cemeteries and take pictures of every single head stone and they upload it to the World Wide Web. There are many ancestry search sites that provide free trials and such. I am interested in learning more about free online resources.

Do you know of any free ancestry resources?

11 Comments

Three Qualities of an AWESOME Teacher

5/9/2013

14 Comments

As I reflect on teachers this week, I've noticed that there are qualities that all of my favorite teachers exhibited. Teachers are one of the most influential people in our society and it is important to add that students learn the most when they feel a teacher cares about them. One could have the highest qualifications and every degree imagined to man, but if a child does not feel the teacher cares about them, it is nearly impossible to teach them anything else. Much appreciation goes out to all the teachers that have these qualities and so much more!

1. Leadership- A teacher should show students the way to greatness.

2. Fearless- A teacher can not teach children if they are scared of them.

3. Committed- students need to know the teacher is invested in their future.

What would you add to this list?

14 Comments

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week

5/7/2013

41 Comments

A poem for you

High School Reality

I want to cry.
I want to cry for the class clown who starves
at home while his mother gets her hair done

for the twins that received their mother’s
blood stained shoes after she was smooshed by
a car on Valentine’s Day

for one of the twins, who feared their mother
was going to hell for what she did on earth,
“Ms. Brown, she was an alcoholic.”

I want to cry for the quiet student who knows her
mother was placed in an insane asylum

for the senior who wrote his own obituary two
weeks before he was killed after graduation

for his baby brother’s mental health as he watched
his friend’s sport RIP shirts all over school

for the good kid-gone bad- and his struggle
to turn it all around.

I want to cry for the students who grieve in class
over a murdered 15 year old classmate

for the heirlooms of racism that some parents
pass down to their children

I want to pray.

I want to pray for the angry young man that
fights others to hide his pacemaker

for the sixteen year old girl whose father is
a crack addict and mother with AIDS

for her courage to cleanse the stereotype
of a “crack baby”

I pray for the parents that kill themselves
to avoid losing another child

for the fifteen year old mother who passes
her sonogram around class-
oblivious to the added challenges of her
tender future

I pray for the child that knows “ghetto”
is a state of mind and the difference between
Medicaid and Carefirst

I pray for the gang member that wants to get out
but does not know how

for the young man that lives in a seven
bedroom house and wants the streets to accept him

I pray for the teacher’s fortitude to serve
the community for they make a difference
even when the “thank yous” are scarce
and the demands are high

keep treading on

your purpose is to help, encourage, and give hope

on the darkest day

Your role is to be there.

- Yvonne Brown 2007