Make Babies, Get Money

I know what you may be thinking, but no, I am not telling you to procreate in order to receive a tax incentive.  I am, however discussing how with careful planning pregnancy CAN be a profit (at least in the beginning when everything is SUPER expensive).
I started this blog in an effort to open up dialogue about parenthood as well as share tips about topics I knew little about prior to giving birth.
Note: These tips are best used when a pregnancy is planned.  My next baby will definitely benefit!
In 2011 I worked for an agency which offered a disability insurance plan for $30 a month.  I was aware the plan payed 70% of your income to you during maternity leave for up to 6 weeks.  While I thought is was an awesome idea, I myself wrestled with the idea of EVER having children, and I didn't see myself as needing the coverage.
You can only benefit if you are covered 2 months prior to conception.  I was unemployed by the time I conceived; however as my dad said, even though I didn't try to get pregnant, I didn't try hard enough no to.  I received unemployment and later got a different job, but the lesson was learned the hard way.
I have since happened across an informative little article on this link http://www.ourfreakingbudget.com/how-we-made-money-off-our-baby/
where both the author (and an insurance agent in the comment section) listed policies to investigate pre-pregnancy:
hospital indemnity
personal sickness
disability (which pays part of your income to you)
Also, AFLAC offers the 1 day claim fulfillment so your bills will not suffer as you wait in agony for claims to be processed.  Pretty nifty, right?

If you have any additional information, please comment below.
This is Realest Mother Dearest signing out.

Jahi McMath

The vibrant 13 year old in the picture was declared brain dead after a surgery went south.  Despite her mother's pleas for the life of her daughter, the obvious signs of life were dismissed.
You can read the full story here.

Though the overturning of the ruling sets a precedent, Jahi will never have the chance to grow up.  I know there is some solace in knowing this never has to happen to another child, but it has to hurt knowing her child was capable of living but denied a chance.

This is Realest Mother Dearest signing off.

Kelly Rowland is Preggers!

http://blackamericaweb.com/2014/10/06/kelly-rowland-teams-up-with-lance-gross-for-pregancy-shoot-photos/

Kelly is sexy and she knows it! Check the pics....

Hot Mama Zoe Saldana

Who is that hot preggo? Oh, that's just Zoe Saldana and her future twins! I need to get my shit together. That is all I think about when I see her being all hot and graceful with more than one baby on board. Check out the pics! http://hellobeautiful.com/2014/10/02/zoe-saldana-in-christian-dior-academy-of-motion-picture-arts-and-sciences-hollywood-costume-opening-party/

Fertility Miracles

http://blackdoctor.org/playlist/black-celebrities-with-fertility-issues/item/449286/

Justice Over Everything

http://blackamericaweb.com/2014/09/28/michael-browns-parents-want-arrest-not-apology/

The Ferguson, MO shooting death of unarmed, college-bound teen Michael Brown has exposed the dominant society for what it really represents.  I am a mother of one, and I hope to have more, so I am following this story because it affects me and my future kids. I am Black before anything else. I could say I am human first, but I am a descendant of diaspora. My race has been dehumanized from the beginning of our journey to this country.
I am proud to see protesters sticking it out for real change instead of accepting the Pyrrhic victory. We don't need another memorial. We need the slave drivers called cops to know there is no refuge for killing our kids. We need the anonymous racists on Go Fund Me and other sites to have their donations withheld from these societal villains.  We need what we want, not some phony media stunt in between murders.

This is Realest Mother Dearest signing off.

Have A Baby: The Surprising Benefits

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/want-kids-sooner?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_244803&cid=partner_zergnet

#recall4mike

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQfg52m0-4o&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Your Baby Can't Read

The recent  exposing of the Your Baby Can Read product raises awareness to some fundamental flaws in teaching/training children. 

The program, which boasted a success rate based on research that frankly never happened, is a result of sequencing. 

Children are sponges.  Some are brilliant enough to comprehend the training at an earlier age than most, but many are merely mimicking a pattern.  Horses can be trained to "count", which usually means they can remember pictures and follow verbal and nonverbal cues to respond to a command as opposed to answering questions.

A way to ensure you are not simply teaching a parlor trick to your child is to make a relationship between the information and its application.

I use flashcards to teach my daughter numbers.  I also make her count objects.  She doesnt count large numbers of objects since we work with 1-20, but she understands she has 2 shoes, or 3 rocks.  She understands a $20 bill is more than a $1 bill (and she will ask for a $20 bill). 

Letters are a different battle.  I would like to teach her phonics, since that was the method I learned to read with, but I dont know if she has the focus to learn phonics as of yet.  Without phonics, letters are just pictures, and picture reading is reading without comprehension.

This is Realest Mother Dearest signing off.

Baby Weight a*k*a Operation Kill Chocolate Thunder

I am posting this picture of me 2 months postpartum.  I was 20 lbs down and feeling myself.  My weight has gone up and down since then, mostly due to the pressure I have put on myself to finish my Rosetta Stone Spanish courses before 2014 ends.  I have a free gym membership at my local university, and I will be starting my days early with cardio.  Not only will I improve my health, but I will also have some "me time" (what the hell is that? Lol) and some TV time that doesn't include Sesame Street.
Until next time, this is Realest Mother Dearest signing off.

Potty Strike

My beautiful toddler is about 78% potty trained, but she regresses sometimes.  I notice she only breaks away from her training when we are at home.  She does well at the library and the grocery store, but she will have an "accident" right BEFORE bed and AFTER peeing on the potty.

I am being vigilant. I was informed I fuss too much, so I have decided on using an authoritative tone accompanied by positive or negative reinforcement by providing or withdrawing toys or the Kindle to yield a desired outcome. 
But sometimes I get frustrated and fuss.
At least I know she has bladder and bowel control. I just dont like the idea that she may be using her powers for evil.
That is all for now.  This is Realest Mother Dearest signing off.

Meanings in Cartoon Movies

Ted and Tedx never disappoint!

I love the in-depth analysis.  I hope you enjoy.
This is Realest Mother Dearest signing off.

Parenting Fails

No one is perfect, and the obvious isn't obvious to everyone.  Click the link to see some of the foolishness.
This is Realest Mother Dearest signing.

How did the parents let this happen?

Reading Rainbow Is Back

Now my child will know the joys of great storytelling followed by the disappointment of the story ending abruptly with if you want to read more, go to your local library. 

This is Realest Mother Dearest signing off. 

The Conscious Parent with Shefali Tsabary - Part One

Monster In Law

I am not married, but I am in a committed relationship, and his mother is a bitch  hell on wheels.  I am not an expert on how to deal.  I have dealt poorly in the past, and when I know she is coming over for a surprise visit, I immediately become MASSIVELY depressed and pray it doesn't last long.
She is  so nasty and so rude *NeNe voice* and she is religious to boot.  Most of all, she has done some specific things to rub me the wrong way.  The offenses are as follows:
1. Baby Shower Invites
This succubus lady was in charge of two things for my shower: securing a venue and sending invitations.  She not only did not get a venue in time, she sent the invitations out so late, my family was not represented at all.
2.  Babysitting Fail
She was supposed to watch our daughter for one night.  Not only did she drive an hour to bring the baby back, the asshole imbecile child of God honked the horn in the parking lot of the apartment complex at 3:00 AM.  Even her husband mentioned the baby had been sleep majority of the drive.  The sad thing is she is such a jealous, angry and miserable person, she is upset every time the baby spends time around any other grandparents.  She is even jealous of my daughter's gifts and attention.

As you can see, not only do I dislike her with good reason, I am not looking to find common ground.  I really don't care if I get along with crazy people.  I just thank God we are moving and will be in a lot less contact with her.  I am looking to make myself as scarce as possible when she does visit.

*update: 5/27/2014 It has been brought to my attention this person may be in my life to teach me unconditional love.  You only strengthen your ability to love difficult people by loving them.  That's my balance for the day.*

Sorry for the lack of happy happy joy joy.
This is Realest Mother Dearest signing off.

Octomom Welfare Fraud Case

Before you ask, yes, Octomom is still alive.  Nadya Suleman plead "not guilty" in her case of welfare fraud in March.  

It's not really about the possibility of fraud for me, but it is about the fact that she did not parlay her media exposure into a lucrative business.  I just think she should have been a fitness guru/dietician/author/expert on time management/ etc.  She should have sold the rest of her soul and told us how she stays fit and what she does to keep from going nuts.  She should have reinvented her persona for the world.  Instead, she had 14 kids to satisfy her lonely inner child and is on assistance. 

She could be doing 6+ years in jail if she is found guilty, unless she pays back the tens of thousands of dollars she has received.

Yikes.

These are just my opinions.  This is Realest Mother Dearest signing off. 

Black-ish - Trailer

Lesbian Parenthood

I am always intrigued by the journeys of same-sex parents.  I have witnessed a same sex relationship that involved children, and if the alternative lifestyle was not a given in the beginning of a child's life, it is much more difficult for them to adapt, in my observation.  These couples, however, are now looking for acknowledgement as parents on actual birth certificates as opposed to legal guardianship.  This is an interesting concept, considering the fact that unless a member of the same sex couple uses a family member as a conduit or sperm donor for parenthood, the child would only be biologically related to one parent.

I just thought this was interesting.  This is Realest Mother Dearest signing out. 

Pregnancy Confessions

Hey all,
   I just wanted to talk about this neat tumbler I stumbled upon (http://pregnancy-confessions.tumblr.com) and let you all know I am still blogging, but mostly on hub pages.  I will continue to keep up with this site, but mostly I will be on the hub.  I write about any and everything over there, so check it out.
This is Realest Mother Dearest, signing off.