• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Diedre
    • Contact Me
    • Featured On
    • Privacy Policy
  • Curly Hair Care
  • Motherhood
    • Motherhood Series
  • Marriage
  • Parenting
  • Curly Hair Guide
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Newsletter

Are Those Your Kids

Raising Biracial Kids in Today's World

Uncategorized

Beyond the Diaper Bag: Essentials for Outings with your Toddler

February 17, 2017 By Diedre Leave a Comment

*I received these products in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Babies require everything but the kitchen sink in the diaper bag. As your baby transitions into a toddler, list of diaper bag essentials changes.

When you have a baby, you pack everything but the kitchen sink in the diaper bag. You never know when you might need a burp cloth, pacifier, or some other cry shushing tool.

As your baby moves out of the infant stage, carrying a bag is still a necessity, but what your list of essentials changes. Here’s a cheat sheet for your toddler’s diaper bag:

…

Read this Post

Bring a Multicultural Festival to Your School: A Step by Step Guide

January 21, 2017 By Diedre 3 Comments

Bring a Multicultural Festival to Your School: A Step by Step Guide*I received these products free through a partnership with Oriental Trading Company. Even though the product I received was free, all opinions are solely mine.*

Planning a multicultural festival is a great way highlight the cultural diversity of your community through music, dance, art, storytelling and more. Want to plan one at your school? Read below to find out how!

Form a Multicultural Festival Committee

The committee should be comprised of teachers, school counselors, an administrator, and parents.

Assign Duties to Committee Members

Committees work best when people are assigned duties in their area of expertise. If there is an artist in the group, assign that person duties like making flyers and signs. The administrator can be responsible for making the call home alerting parents of the festival.

Involve Community Stakeholders

If your school is low on funds, then this is a must! You would be surprised at what community members are willing to donate. Many are willing to donate supplies, money, and even their time!

Draft a letter on school letterhead describing the event (location, purpose, time & date). Bring the letter to various community vendors & businesses at least two months in advance. Click here for a sample donation letter.

Before you visit the business with your letter, call in advance to find out the name of the manager and what days and times they will be available.

Calling ahead of time ensures that you will be able to talk to someone when you bring the letter.

Publicize, Publicize, Publicize

Publicizing your event is a great opportunity to get the students involved. If you have a Student Council at your school, have the Student Council advisor present this festival to them.

Get them involved in making flyers and announcing to the school. The president may be in charge of making the morning announcements. Draft an announcement that can be read daily.

Bring a Multicultural Festival to Your School: A Step by Step Guide

If the school has a website or a social media page (like Facebook, Twitter, Remind 101) put out a social media blast about the festival. Flood your school and community with information.

Pick Countries & Assign One to Each Classroom

The world is a big place! Count the number of classrooms you have in your school, and pick the countries you will assign to each classroom. You may choose to combine smaller classes together.

Bring a Multicultural Festival to Your School: A Step by Step Guide

Each classroom will be responsible for making a class flag and cultural dress. Students will enjoy being creative and making their own attire. Teachers can be as elaborate or simple as they choose based on their comfort level. Oriental Trading Company has several materials that are perfect for multicultural activities!

Bring a Multicultural Festival to Your School: A Step by Step Guide

This will make your social studies teachers very happy because it will align with their standards. ELA teachers could even assign a writing assignment about the country that could align with their standards.

Assign Duties to Classroom Teachers

Announcing your event and assigning duties should be presented in a faculty meeting, followed up by an email.

Have a spokesperson (counselor or administrator)  explain the details of the Multicultural Festival to teachers during a faculty meeting. This allows for questions and suggestions.

Explain to everyone the purpose of the festival and at that time, assign countries to each classroom. Have each classroom responsible for researching their country’s flag, music, traditional dress & cultural norms.

Plan a Multicultural March & Feast

On the day of the festival, plan for a march around the school.

The multicultural march will allow each class to see what the rest of the school has been working on. Have someone in charge of playing It’s a Small World on the loudspeaker or PA system as the students march around the school.

Assign someone the duty of taking pictures of each country on display. After the march, have students and teachers return to their classrooms to enjoy a feast of multicultural foods.

Bring a Multicultural Festival to Your School: A Step by Step Guide

Want to propose a Multicultural Festival at your school? Print this pdf and give to your administrator or counselor to get the ball rolling.

Looking for a deal at Oriental Trading? Visit their coupon page for the latest in sales.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

How to Plan the Perfect Toddler Birthday Party Without Tears

November 27, 2016 By Diedre 8 Comments

How to Plan the Perfect Toddler Birthday Party Without Tears

*This post is sponsored by Oriental Trading Company. All opinions are my own*

Planning a toddler birthday party should be fun event for parents, not a stressful one. However, when toddlers are involved, unpredictable events can make one nervous. Here are some tips for a stress-free, fun party day.

Keep It Simple

I cannot say this enough. Toddlers get overstimulated easily and they really don’t care whether you spent hours on every detail.

They still might not smile for your picture.

One of my favorite places to purchase party supplies from is Oriental Trading Company. 

Their supplies are affordable and often come small packs, perfect for giving as party favors.

Make Party Activities Toddler-Friendly

My girls love playing dress up. Paw Patrol reigns at our house, so we picked up some Paw Patrol costumes . 

They wore those things all day (pre and post party!) I think they almost enjoyed them more than the gifts. The adults even joined the fun and wore Paw Patrol masks!

Of all the birthday parties I’ve attended with my children, I’ve noticed that they enjoy the ones that are catered to toddlers (playdough, colored spaghetti noodles, small bouncy house, coloring station, etc).

Maybe it’s the educator in me, but I find that when the activities are age appropriate, it helps the kids have less melt down moments. Toddlers have short attention spans, so short games, music and age-appropriate arts and crafts are usually a hit.

How to Plan the Perfect Toddler Birthday Party Without Tears

Keep Snacks Kid Friendly

Be careful to steer clear of foods that can pose choking hazards, unless they are cut into small bite size pieces (grapes, hotdogs, etc).

A toddler party is not the time to bring out expensive catered foods. Most toddlers are pretty picky and wasteful. Pinterest has a ton of ideas for healthy snacks that are colorful and attractive. Kids are more likely to try foods when they are appealing to the eye.

However, if you choose to go the catered route for the adults, make sure you have toddler-friendly snacks for the little (picky) ones.

How to Plan the Perfect Toddler Birthday Party Without Tears

Charge Your Camera (or Phone)

There is NOTHING worse than missing those special moments because your camera or phone is dead.

Be sure charge the device you are using a day in advance to ensure you don’t miss blowing out the candles, family & friends or those messy cake moments.

Or, you can give the task of photography to a party guest so that you can fully enjoy the special moments with your little one.

How to Plan the Perfect Toddler Birthday Party Without Tears

Keep the Invite List Small

When the guest list is too long, you are busy running around and entertaining, thus not enjoying the party or the time with your little one. Younger toddlers aren’t ready for a lot of socializing, so the size of your guest list doesn’t matter as much, however, that does add to your list of things to do as far as entertaining.

Older toddlers often enjoy the company of their peers.

Plan Around Nap time

I don’t know about you, but my kids get some kind of cranky before a nap, and even after waking up. Who wants to have a party with a cranky toddler??  NOT ME!!

Timing is super important. Try to keep the party two hours or less. Nap time is key! Their little bodies need time to rest and recharge after being partied out.

How to Plan the Perfect Toddler Birthday Party Without Tears

What tips and tricks have worked for you when planning a toddler birthday party? Leave a comment and share with me!

 

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Does Loving my Family Mean that I No Longer Love Myself?

November 21, 2016 By Diedre 19 Comments

Does Loving my Family Mean that I No Longer Love Myself?

Being a mother is a tricky position to play. It often means late nights, no sick days, and giving more of yourself to your family than you ever imagined.

One of the hardest parts about motherhood is answering the question that we are afraid to answer: Does loving my family mean that I no longer love myself?

Here are a few ways mothers sacrifice themselves for their families:

…

Read this Post

My Toddler is Driving Me Crazy! 6 Annoying Habits of Kids Under 5

November 10, 2016 By Diedre 39 Comments

My Toddler is Driving Me Crazy! Annoying Habits of Kids Under 5

I have to admit, toddlers do and say some pretty funny stuff, but they also have some annoying habits.

Strangers often look at me when I’m with my kids and say aw, those (referring to toddler years) were my favorite. You look up, and they’re grown. I’d love to share their sentiment, but as they attempt to  walk down memory lane with me, my kids are hitting and slapping each other.

Some of their habits are cute and endearing. But some are just plain annoying.

These are my LEAST favorite.

…

Read this Post

How Can a Mixed Boy Have Straight “Good” Hair?

November 6, 2016 By Diedre 2 Comments

How Can a Mixed Boy Have Straight "Good" Hair?

This week, I have the pleasure of sharing this post from Llacey Simmons.  Her blog, Our 21st Century Kids, is all about a monolingual mom raising a trilingual kid.

…

Read this Post

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to page 5
  • Go to page 6
  • Go to page 7
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I’m Diedre!

Hi, I’m Diedre!

Lifestyle + Mom Blogger

Welcome to Are Those Your Kids! This blog was created to share my experiences in motherhood, from the perspective of a mom with biracial kids. I discuss all things education, culture, multicultural resources, curly hair and motherhood.

Categories

Featured On

 

Are those your kids FB group

Popular Posts

culturally competent
Multiracial families are often suseptible to others biases based on their physical appearance. There is so much more to us than meets the eye.
Parenting biracial daughters comes with a unique set of challenges. People often question their identity based on their physical appearance.

The Frustration-Free Guide to Curly Hair E-book

Are you at a loss when it comes to curly hair? Does wash day make you cringe? Check out this e-book for a guide to all things curly hair care.

Curly Hair & Skin Care for Babies and Toddlers

Curly Hair & Skin Care for Babies and Toddlers

Footer

Are those your kids FB Group

Top Posts & Pages

  • Welcome
  • The Best Leave In Conditioners for Curly Haired Kids
  • How Can a Mixed Boy Have Straight "Good" Hair?
  • 3 Facebook Groups That Moms in Multiracial Families Need to Join
  • Black Owned Hair Care Brands Made Specifically for Curly Kids
  • 5 Simple Ways to Make Detangling Curly Hair Easier
  • Cross-Cultural Marriage: 6 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Jumping In
  • Bring a Multicultural Festival to Your School: A Step by Step Guide
  • 4 Simple Tricks for Managing & Styling Wavy Curly Hair
  • 6 Mistakes Curly Girls Make With Their Hair (And How to Correct Them)
Back in December, Justin & I took a baecation. It Back in December, Justin & I took a baecation.

It had been a few years since we'd had a vacation without kids.

We had no idea how desperately we needed the trip to reconnect.

Having the opportunity to talk to each other uninterrupted was so magical. It felt like we were dating again.

Sometimes life gets crazy (and the past year has been rough) & you need to have these moments to reflect on.

So today, on my hubby's birthday, I celebrate him.

The father he is to our children, the husband & friend he is to me.

Here’s to my hubby who doesn't really like social media but occasionally can be bribed to participate in my reels🤣
Healthy sleep habits. Ayana & I share several ways Healthy sleep habits. Ayana & I share several ways to get a good night's rest.
I’m guilty of telling my kids to use their words I’m guilty of telling my kids to use their words, but then I don’t provide them with the words to use. It’s important to not only give your children the skill set to deal with their problems, but make sure they understand how to use it.

These conversations start when they are toddlers. When they are toddlers, talk them through scenarios. As they acquire language skills, they will begin to mimic the words that you provided to them.
When my daughters have a disagreement, I resist the urge to get frustrated and send them to their rooms. We talk through the issue and I often encourage them to talk it out.
We discuss what upset them, and I encourage them to talk to each other and let each other know how they felt. I model these conversations with them until they can do them on their own.

When I hear yelling, I remind them to use respect when speaking to each other. It’s definitely a work in progress, but the more you start teaching them effective communication  at an early age, the more empowered they will feel about advocating for their own feelings in a variety of environments.

Teaching kids social skills comes naturally in my 9-5, but it gets a bit challenging to transfer the skills at home, but I'm determined tp raise effective communicators in all my children.

Who taught you to communicate?? How do you teach your kids how to communicate?
Sometimes when we argue, I hear things about mysel Sometimes when we argue, I hear things about myself that I don't like.

And sometimes it's true, even though I don't like it.

It doesn't feel good at the time, but it makes me a better person.

No one likes being wrong or the person that hurts others, but sometimes we're so connected to our feelings that we disconnect from every one else's.

The thing about marriage is that persevering is not just about survival, but about growing through your mess.

And teaching your kids that conflicts will come, but talking through them helps you grow.

I'm thankful my husband loves me through my stubbornness & pushes me to be a better version of myself--even when I'm not in the mood to grow🤣

Who is the peacemaker in your marriage? You or your spouse?

##interracialmarriage

#
I have a bad habit of starting a new book before i I have a bad habit of starting a new book before i finish the last.

But this book has been on my Amazon list since last year, so I decided to grab it.

As an educator, I'm always looking for more personal development.

Last year I attended a conference & in one of the sessions, i was overwhelmed by data about how black girls are treated. Black girls are 20% of female preschool enrollment, but 54% of girls receives one or more out of school suspensions.

"In a society so shaped by race & gender, we all live with implicit biases that inform our ideas, stereotypes & norms of black feminimity."

I can't wait to dig deeper into this book!
Know what i love about spring break?? Getting to Know what i love about spring break??

Getting to watch my kids play.

Use their imagination unapologetically.

And I'm more relaxed.

There's no rushing to end play because of homework or errands or work.

So cheers to spring break!
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 · Site by Pretty Pink Studio