So remember the piece I wrote about Michael Jackson and the manifesto he wrote decades ago? If not, you really need to go back and catch up, but here's a little excerpt for you:

"When Michael Jackson was just a little boy, he would tell everybody he was going to be famous when he grew up. He would shout it out loud for the entire neighborhood to hear. When Michael Jackson was in his early twenties [at the start of what would become an undeniably incredible and notable career], he jotted down these notes on the back of one of his tour itineraries:
I should be a new, incredible actor/singer/dancer that will shock the world. I will do no interviews. I will be magic. I will be a perfectionist, a researcher, a trainer, a masterer [sic]. I will be better than every great actor roped into one. I will study and look back on the whole world of entertainment and perfect it, take it steps further from where the greats left off.
The only thing that runs through my mind when I read this is, "WOW!" A little boy, raised in a tiny little house, from Gary, Indiana, finally lived the dream he had as a child. I think it's safe to say that Michael Jackson accomplished all of this AND THEN some. He became arguably the greatest entertainer to ever walk this earth. "

In the past week, I've chatted with Mr. President #1 and Mr. President #2 about the importance and the power of the words that come out of their mouths. During our conversation, Mr. President actually told me that since he doesn't like to use the word dead [it apparently scares him into thinking we're all going to die], he is going to start saying, "The battery life ran out," when his iPad dies, rather than saying, "My iPad died!" I told him that was a GREAT idea! And no...I'm not making this up. That really came out of his mouth!
I also told the two Presidents that it is very important for them to write things down so they never forget anything. I asked them to write down what they want to be when they grow up, and Mr. President #1 told me he needed a new Star Wars notebook in order to do so. This little boy is such a negotiator (just like his father), but a new notebook was fine by me!
We made a trip to Target, picked out Star Wars notebooks, and promised ourselves to WRITE IT DOWN!! This weekend I will challenge the Presidents with writing their OWN manifestos. We've got notebooks in hand, dreams in our head, and we're ready to speak and write great things into existence!

It all started with a loose tooth...
A couple of weeks ago, Mr. President #1 came home to inform me that his front tooth was wiggly. I didn't believe him at first, but as fate would have it, he was about to lose his very first tooth. When he learned his first tooth was loose, he immediately became obsessed with loose teeth and the tooth fairy (appropriately so for a five-year-old kid). Eventually, he was coming home from school telling me stories about his classmates who were surprised by money left under their pillows after receiving a visit from the tooth fairy. I could only image the kind of money left under those pillows...
Yesterday Mr. President #1 had his tooth extracted (his adult teeth are prematurely coming in, so the dentist needed to make room for them), so my husband and I knew it was tooth fairy time for us! Considering the circumstances, and seeing how nervous Mr. President #1 was to pay yet ANOTHER visit to the dentist, we decided we would give him more than a single dollar -- we had to go big or GO HOME!!
When we finally got home and got everyone situated, we prepared for Mr. President #1 to have his very first visit from the tooth fairy ALL...EVENING...LONG!!! After bath time, we went over the rules for a visit from the tooth fairy one by one:
​1. All little boys and girls must sleep in their own beds in order for the Tooth fairy to come;
2. All teeth must be placed under the pillow;
3. All teeth placed under the pillow will be collected from the tooth fairy and exchanged for money;
4. There will be NO COMPLAINTS about what was left under the pillow by the tooth fairy;
5. All money left by the tooth fairy will be saved and placed in the piggy bank.
Now I know some of you will have issues with my #5, but I have to teach Mr. President #1 and Mr. President #2 about saving and money management somehow! That's right...money management!
I digress...after a short book reading and a little back-scratching from Daddy, Mr. President #1 faded off to sleep without a fuss. After giving him a little time to really fall into a deep sleep, I grabbed a five dollar bill from my purse, tip toed into his room, gently lifted his pillow, and slid the money on top of his sheet. I have to admit...I was a little excited to see his reaction in the morning.
I didn't have to wait very long for the jumping, yelling and flipping to start -- Mr. President came running into my room early this morning carrying the money he found under his pillow. I walked him in his room to put the five dollar bill directly in his piggy bank. Of course the first thing he asked was, "Can I use this money to buy a toy," but my response was, " Absolutely not!"
First of all, Mr. President #1 has enough toys to donate to the entire school district and still have some left over. Do you really think I am going to let him buy more junk? Besides, Auntie F. will probably be sending him something anyway.
Instead of agreeing to let Mr. President #1 buy another toy, I explained to him that he needs to save his money for when he really needs it (like when we have an emergency), and his piggy bank will save the day! I also explained to him that if he saves up enough money in his piggy bank, eventually he will have enough money to purchase one of those really expensive items on his toy list. He seemed to be okay with that one.
So no, I'm not a mean mommy, but this, my friends, is what I like to call a visit from the TRUTH fairy! Everyone wins here! The TRUTH fairy wins because the money goes in the piggy bank, and Mr. President #1 wins because he gains a little money and learns a little lesson about saving and money management. I can't have Mr. President #1 and Mr. President #2 thinking money just falls from the sky because it magically appears under their pillows the morning after a visit from the tooth fairy, so we might as well do something a little constructive with it.
Not only were all of these great lessons learned, but when Mr. President #1 asked me for a piece of paper so he could write a thank you note to the tooth fairy, we ALL learned yet another lesson about gratitude and appreciation, and we added a #6 to our list of rules for a visit from the tooth fairy:
#6. A thank you note must be written and left under the pillow for the tooth fairy to collect the day after receiving money for a tooth.

Ash Wednesday is here. When I was coming up, this was one of the five days a year my Catholic friends actually went to church. They'd always come back with a cross made from ashes smeared across their foreheads so they could flaunt to everyone else how Christian they were and how committed they were to growing closer to Christ. That's how I felt about it anyway.
I'm not condemning Ash Wednesday here. I actually appreciate the meaning behind the practice (a symbol of penance and mortality) and believe it is important to be reminded of just how desperately we need the Man upstairs. But I do believe it should be celebrated for just that and nothing else.
I heard someone the other day say that they were "doing Lent" this year. What the heck does that even mean? A while later while I was browsing the web, I came across a piece entitled Secular Lent. Seriously? I know our culture is full of fast food restaurants, luxuries and conveniences, but you can't just "do Lent" by giving up one of your routine, unhealthy indulgences. I get the idea behind a secular lent: giving up something to focus on the bigger picture, but the true meaning gets lost somewhere. I'm not trying to sound like a religious scholar here; I'm just simply saying that if you're going to practice the true meaning of Lent, go for it!! If you have no idea what Lent is and you walk in the office with a cross of ashes on your forehead, you need to do a little more "church."
With all of that being said, YES! I AM "DOING LENT" this year! I am not practicing the religious tradition to seek some type of favor merit from God [I believe we are saved by faith alone] or to convince my friends that I am some super spiritual person, but I am doing this simply to grow in faith, discipline, strength, and to be a better person for myself, my children, and my family.
I have succumbed to the overly secular and commercialized tradition and have decided to "give something up" for Lenten season: passing judgment on others. That's right! I have a habit of judging a book by its cover, and it's time for me to change. Oh, come on now! So you're perfect? Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't get the memo. Well I'm not perfect (in case you didn't know), and I'd like to use this time to pour into my spirit the things that really matter on this side of heaven, and rid myself of all of that yucky stuff that won't save me a spot on the other side. My little sister once said to me (in her very snide and facetious tone of voice), Oh, so you're judging me? My bad...I didn't know your name was Jesus." She usually has something smart to say (and I usually ignore her), but that time she was absolutely right.
As mothers (and fathers) we should also remember that it is so important to set the foundation for our children. This season, I will be teaching mine the purpose and importance of fasting. Besides, Mr. President #1 has already asked me about lent: "What is that dirty stuff on her forehead?" Often times, we have to take our eyes off of the things of this world and focus on things that really matter. When our journey in this life is all said and done, nothing we left behind will matter where we're going.
Look...we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, so who am I to judge? This is precisely the reason I will be "doing Lent" this season. What I hope to gain is a fruitful experience, rejuvenation and enlightening, with humility and divine guidance. A clean heart and attitude are important for this journey, so expect me to be a bit kinder in the coming weeks. Today, I won't have a cross made from ashes smeared across my forehead, but just know where my heart is. Happy Fasting!

“My daddy Alabama, Momma Louisiana / You mix that negro with that Creole make a Texas bamma / I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros / I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils.” This is one of the popular lines in Beyoncé's new song Formation. Now, I am definitely a Beyoncé fan, but I'm not one to run out to the record store or download her single the minute it's released. But this time, things were a little different. Beyoncé wasn't just dancing in a music video -- she had something very powerful and profound to say. And you better believe she had me at that line.
For those of you who don't get it, Formation is not just a song, it's an anthem to raise awareness of the fact that black people and black culture have been victimized, dehumanized, disempowered and stereotyped for long enough. Beyoncé is crying out that she is black and proud of it! Being called a "bamma" may have been one of the biggest insults when I was coming up, but Beyoncé is spinning the degradation and the stereotypes and owning them with pride --that, and the fact that she too carries hot sauce in her purse!
As a black woman in America, there is no doubt that I am joining the formation! But for my children and the rest of America, this song serves an additional purpose. Formation is about more than Katrina, police brutality and the #BlackLivesMatter movement...it's a cry out to BE PROUD OF WHO THE HECK YOU ARE! Mr. President #1 and Mr. President #2 won't be watching Formation, as the messaging and imagery is beyond their maturity level, but it does serve as a huge reminder for me to teach them to be proud of who they are, and to NEVER be apologetic or feel sorry about it.
Raising two African-American boys in America will be an incredible challenge for my husband and I as they grow into young men. The scene in the Formation video of a young black boy dressed in a black hoodie, dancing to the beat of the music in front of a line of police officers in riot gear is a disturbing image for me. When I think of all of the victims of police brutality, I think, "those innocent young boys could be my sons." Not all police officers engage in police brutality -- in fact, many of them sacrifice their own lives for the betterment of the community. But for the police officers who DO engage or just don't care, something has to be done.
I commend Beyoncé for using her music as a platform to emphasize the issues surrounding the black community, and encouraging ALL people, especially those who look like her, to be who you are. Embrace your nose, your booty (even if you don't have a donc), your hair, all of you! My daddy Virginia, my momma Mississippi, mix that slavery and that country, get a sophisticated, Pennsylvania sista! Be proud of the skin you're in, and just like Beyoncé says in the song, maybe one day' "You just might be a black Bill Gates in the making/I just might be a black Bill Gates in the making.”

I figured this would be a perfect time to tell you that I am an incredibly devoted and TRUE Michael Jackson fan. I mean...I'm one of those fans who literally knows everything there possibly is to know. Seriously...TRY ME!
Anyway, tonight, Showtime will air the long-awaited Michael Jackson documentary on his journey from Motown to super stardom. But what does motherhood have to do with Michael Jackson?? Well...I'm about to tell you...
When Michael Jackson was just a little boy, he would tell everybody he was going to be famous when he grew up. He would shout it out loud for the entire neighborhood to hear. When Michael Jackson was in his early twenties [at the start of what would become an undeniably incredible and notable career], he jotted down these notes on the back of one of his tour itineraries:
I should be a new, incredible actor/singer/dancer that will shock the world. I will do no interviews. I will be magic. I will be a perfectionist, a researcher, a trainer, a masterer [sic]. I will be better than every great actor roped into one. I will study and look back on the whole world of entertainment and perfect it, take it steps further from where the greats left off.
The only thing that runs through my mind when I read this is, "WOW!" A little boy, raised in a tiny little house, from Gary, Indiana, finally lived the dream he had as a child. I think it's safe to say that Michael Jackson accomplished all of this AND THEN some. He became arguably the greatest entertainer to ever walk this earth.
Do your children a favor, and teach them to do as Michael Jackson did. Teach them to reach for the sky, become someone great, and shout it out loud for the entire world to hear. Teach them about the power that lies in the tongue. Yes, some of us are just born with that star power, but remember that ALL OF US HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE GREAT!
Confess with your mouth, believe in your heart, and those dreams you dream will be manifested unto you. There truly is power in the tongue, but there is also power in our written words and the things we believe with our heart. Start with the Man in the Mirror, because the best is yet to come. DREAM BIG, LITTLE ONES!