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An Avocado Accident and Emergency Room Visit! Less than two weeks after leaving home and launching on his own, our son ended up in the emergency room. June 15th 2021. It was about 1 a.m. and I was busy editing a video while wearing my headphones and charging my cell phone, so I didn’t hear the buzz from my text messages coming in. Kenton, my husband, comes darting out of the bedroom to tell me Khalid, aka son #1, just…
Dare I say Happy Fourth of July? As an immigrant to this country my perspective is complicated. Is it not possible to love this country and still hold it accountable? I love this country and have never regretted living here. I moved here from Nigeria when I was almost 16, over 30 years ago. There is no other place right now that I would rather be. Yet like many of you it hurts me to see all the injustice that…
I must say I love summer and hate to see it go but I do like fall and welcoming the holiday season. Infact Thanksgiving, which falls on the last Thursday of November is one of my favorite holidays! Many of us think of harvest, family reunions, cold weather, celebrations...and even football here in America. I love how it brings family and friends together! It is a time to remember our blessings and to thank God for each other. I look…
It is interesting how we can all be related, live together and yet be very different. My husband Kenton will tell you he is an introvert although when required he can be talkative and engaging. I on the other hand consider myself an extrovert and more so now than when I was younger. We have three children and all three seem to be introverts like their father although I am still hoping Karim my middle child ( born in…
If you look up the definition of "family" in most dictionaries it usually involves the words " parents" or "parent" plus "children". It is inferred that the parent raised the children or lives with the children to form a bond or unit or family. To be honest, the traditional definition of family does not always reflect society today. As you know, the family may not always involve people who share the same biology or genetics. Family may not always mean…
I really liked the last house we lived in with its large deck, sky lights and vaulted ceilings but, it was small, dated and did not have a formal dining room. We moved into a larger house a few months ago and I immediately fell in love with the large gourmet kitchen, modern appliances and open concept. Another major bonus besides the extra space and extra bedroom was a formal dining room, even though it was not large. For a…
The other day my husband and I sat down to talk about raising smart kids for a requested You Tube video. We really wanted to do the topic justice and provide as much relevant information as possible. We are parents to three teenagers that by most standards have done well academically under the circumstances. As any parent knows, it is hard to raise a smart, moral, well rounded child, whether you are an immigrant or not. Certainly immigrant parents have…
The most common question I get from people who meet me for the first time is, “ Where are you from?” My first thought is to wonder if I should give them the abbreviated answer or the full version knowing full well either response will result in another question accompanied by a puzzled look. My usual answer is: I am from America. It is usually followed by “what is your race?” I am Black. My long answer is I am…