College Prep Mom

(This episode is primarily for my female listeners.)

In this episode I share my challenge with completing the couch to 5K running plan in 10 weeks and how it relates to meeting goals overall.

What has been going on the last few months PLUS the future of Mom in the City

The Better Mom Myth - You are not a “bad mom” if you are a working mom. You’re also not better than stay-at-home moms. (“Momming” is not a competition.)

Being Grateful for a Lot - When life is full (even with good things), gratitude helps. I share my takeaways from Part I (Marriage, Love, and Family) of Janice Kaplan’s book, “The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life”.

Easy ways to distinguish allergies from colds - 1. Allergies last days to months. 2. When the mucus is clear and constant, it is usually allergies. Allergies are genetic.

I Love Referrals - Three tips for business referrals: 1. Do great work. 2. Ask for them. 3. Reward those who give them.

Social Media Shaming: I’m Not a Fan - My thoughts and concerns about parents’ “tough love” tactic of shaming their kids on social media

The Wait Is over - updates on work and ministry happenings

A Time to Push - One of those tricky parenting times.

I’m Loving It (Tech Edition) - 4 things that I’m loving at the moment: 1. Refined Pro theme 2. Grayson Bell (for WordPress fixes) 3. Squarespace website builder 4. Loom Chrome screen recorder

What my 14-year-old boy wanted for his birthday yesterday - No school and cash topped his list

How We Make Tough Decisions - 3 steps that my family takes in order to make the best choice (for us) when faced with multiple options

6 Audiobooks That I’m Streaming (plus a Giveaway) - I currently enjoy listening to books more than reading them. I share my top 6 audiobook picks: 1. The Last Black Unicorn 2. Sapiens 3. Grit 4. Principles 5. Deep Work 6. The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business (I also share how my readers can win 6 titles from my post sponsor, audiobooks.com, this month.)

#NationalWalkoutDay Thoughts - I fully support the students’ 17-minute protest. The kids are stepping up because we (as a society) have failed to do so.

Checking in... (Fun, full day - ballroom dancing performance, High School Open House, and website redesign)

Why the arts is a vital part of public school education - My experience earlier today at a ballroom dancing assembly (In addition to dance, the kids also learned etiquette lessons and were able to link dance to academic pursuits. Thanks to school administrators, educators, nonprofits, businesses, and politicians who support the Arts in public schools!)

NYC High School Acceptance Letters 2018 - Public school eighth graders received their letters this past week. If you live outside of NYC, the process is hard to grasp. My son Michael was accepted into both of his picks (Townsend Harris and the Queens High School for the Sciences at York College). Now, he wants to go to our local zone school instead. Kids!

Happy International Women’s Day! Let’s take time to lift another woman up. Today, I’m celebrating Tiffany Haddish for her positive mindset and affirming self-talk!

Good and Tired (February 2018 Review) - month full of meetings and several fun family happenings

Doing What Your Kids Like to Do - being creative in finding bonding things to do together that are mutually enjoyable at different stages of our kids’ lives

Helping Kids Remember Departed Loved Ones - ‘Coco” Oscar wins; importance of family; “Remember Me”, 4 ways to pass on memories to children

Nine best birthday presents for an 11-year-old boy- 3 tips for being crowned the “queen of birthdays” plus 9 gift ideas for an 11-year-old boy from an 11-year-old boy (my son Sean)

How to grow healthy natural black hair (tips from my stylist Shanelle) 1. Be gentle with your hair. 2. Condition, condition, condition. 3. Don’t pull your hair up or back too much. 4. Keep your split ends trimmed.

Valuable safety resources for dealing with traumatic school events - Community Education Council takeaways: A parent expressed her fears based on the most recent school shooting at the Parkland Florida High School. Relevant New York City school initiatives and beneficial online resources were shared. Practical advice regarding at-home conversations between parents and kids was also provided.

For the Culture: Black Panther Movie Review - my family’s outfits and movie review (The movie’s box office success is well deserved. Ryan Coogler, the writers, cast and crew worked together to make something amazing.)

Rachael Ray Show experience in Chelsea Studios - Buddy Valestro, Rachael Ray, fried chicken recipes and more

Joy and Meaning - The nation\u2019s latest school shooting thoughts along with Alastair McAlpine\u2019s Twitter thread based on questioning terminal pediatric care patients about what they enjoyed and what gave life meaning.

Two ways to celebrate Galentine\u2019s Day - I like the idea of Galentine\u2018s Day which was sparked by the Parks and Recreation television show. The philia (friendship) type of love should be celebrated. 1. Schedule things that your female friends will enjoy. 2.Support their businesses. Recommended: Self Care box. Happy Galentine\u2018s Day

Black History Month thoughts - It\u2019s important for all Americans to learn Black history year-round, including in February. A brief history of Blacks in America. It\u2019s equally important to celebrate Black excellence year-round.

Cameron Herold (Who\u2019s in My Ear)- I am listening to podcast interviews where he is the guest and reading his books the first quarter of 2018. His business principles apply to various areas of life - including parenting. 5 things that I especially appreciate about Cameron Herold.

Happiness is an accomplishment- Don\u2019t \u201cmajor in the minors\u201d (with personal marriage and parenting examples) The important question: \u201cDo you want to be right or happy?\u201d

The three best Big Game commercials 2018 (Coleman family picks): 1. The NFL\u2019s Eli Manning and Odell Beckham commercial with the reference to \u201cDirty Dancing\u201d 2. The new \u201cAvengers: Infinity War\u201d trailer commercial 3. The Doritos and Mountain Dew ones where Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman battle PLUS a bonus pick - Groupon\u2018s commercial featuring Tiffany Haddish

How to raise boys who love reading 1. Read yourself 2. Read to them 3. Read with them 4. Let them read to you 5. Let them read what THEY want to read (Encourage reading but don\u2019t stress your kids out about it!)

Hurry up and Wait (January 2018 Review) 5F breakdown - faith, fitness, family, finances, and fun; fitness was the highlight (I lost 8 pounds!); finances were \u201churry up and wait\u201d (work projects postponed to February and a merchandising partner was experiencing delays); great month overall

Five family-friendly places to travel in the USA (outside of New York) 1. Florida - Orlando (Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando) 2. Louisiana - New Orleans 3. North Carolina - Raleigh 4. Pennsylvania - Hershey (Hershey Park), Harrisburg, and Bucks County (Sesame Place) 5. Virginia -Hampton Roads and Williamsburg (Busch Gardens) BONUS: DC (The National Museum of African-American History and Culture)

4 best family vacation spots in New York State - The Adirondacks (Lake George); Hudson Valley (Westchester, Rockland County, and Ulster County); Long Island (the Hamptons) and Poconos

International family travel ideas from New York - My press takeaways from the 2018 New York Times Travel Show: Cruises (Norwegian); The Caribbean (Martinique and Jamaica); Asia (Japan); Europe (Madrid and England); Africa (Nigeria)

5 Family date night ideas to enjoy at home (including movies or television shows, classic card games, video games, traditional board games, and cooking classes with top options in each category) Laughter, talking, and enjoying one another\u2019s company are the most important things!

How to help kids chase their dreams: Pay attention to the things that your kids really love and help them build on their natural strengths and gifts. Expose kids to successful people in their dream fields (success leaves clues as Tony Robbins says). Have kids put some skin in the game/invest in achieving their goal. Recommended podcast: Outlier Parenting

I raised my hand (the women\u2019s march 2018; voting; finding ways to bring about change at the local level; my positive experience as a New York City Community Education Council VP; and encouragement to raise your hand and help with issues that you feel most strongly about)

Do you need to tweak your morning routine? Including power of making small changes, the SAVERS acronym from Hal Elrod\u2019s book The Miracle Morning; making modifications; and when to alter your morning routine.

Black Panther: Why representation matters more than ever (Black Panther movie has sold more pre-sale tickets than any other Marvel movie; Wonder Woman was a great representation of women as superheroes; Black Panther represents a black superhero and an African nation in a positive light; onscreen racial representation in popular culture movies is important; Black superheroes matter; diversity matters

Personality tests can effect how you parent in the best way - personality defined; personality traits including introversion and extroversion; and 5 different personality test recommendations

Why an accountability partner is helping me get more fit - including fitness facts for women over 40; what to look for in an accountability partner; examples of how a partner can be helpful in day to day life and additional reading recommendations (including The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin)

How to encourage your kids to volunteer and give back - answers to some questions that moms have asked me about the topic over the years; questions include: When should I start? Where are some places that accept kid volunteers? Why is it important to help kids develop in this area? and What are some things to watch out for?

5 Best Podcast Episodes last year (in my opinion) -achieve your goals with Hal Elrod episode 201; brilliant business moms with Beth Anne Schwamberger episode 171; online marketing made easy with Amy Porterfield episode 171; redefining wealth with Patrice Washington\u2019s October 26th episode; and the one thing podcast episode three (along with all of the lessons that I learned from those particular episodes)

Four habits that will increase productivity at work includes the habit of planning (including a recommendation for Rory Vaden\u2018s book \u201cProcrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time\u201d); the Pomodoro technique; the habit of themed workdays; and the habit of taking work notes

Hear 4 ways to consider approaching your 2018 goals. Tips include only sharing goals with a trusted few; setting fewer BHAGs (i.e. The One Thing and Essentialism); focusing on performance goals rather than outcome goals; and only focusing on the next 90 days (i.e. Todd Herman and Matt Clark)