valerie@tuffmamatime.com

As an African American (Black) child growing up in a south-side Chicago ghetto, I was there on the night Chicago burned behind the assassina

I wish I could tell you how often I have celebrated both pregnancy and birth announcements with couples. As a childbirth instructor, I ...

When the world is so intent on labeling you as "winner" or "loser", a better mindset is to redefine that loser "L" to mean "Learn".

Most parents want to avoid promoting negative attitudes and outcomes within their homes. Having so many children under my roof has given...

Weeks like this past one are incredibly trying for me as a mom – and I bet they are for you, too! It’s when you responsibly line up...

As Lee Greenwood’s song goes (with a twist): "From Detroit down to Houston; from New York to SA". I know - Lee Greenwood used "LA", but...

When I was a youngster in the first grade, I recalled classmates playing the “Truth or Dare” game – a diversion that never met my fancy....

I have been in the mothering trenches now in excess of 250K hours – over 30 years. That statement comes not as a bragging point, but as a...

Being a childbirth educator grants me the joy of seeing a couple welcome and embrace their new baby while it is yet in utero. Watching...

As a mom, I find myself regularly searching for new and credible ways to instill winning family concepts in my children. If your...

When much material is written on how to care for a newborn, even more needs to be written on how to be an effective and wise mother. ...

Take a moment to imagine how interesting it would have been to live during the time prior to Noah’s flood. This was a period when people...

In The Wiz (a 1978 remake of The Wizard of Oz), lead character Dorothy (Diana Ross) sings these end tune words, expressing her longing to...

A latchkey kid in a Chicago ghetto, I would have known no better life had it not been for my incredible parents. Together, they combined...

Life has a funny way of being complex. As a mom, it seems like everything is about always needing to figure something out. Issues ranging...

Parenting is tough as we daily wade through waters to magnify the good and extinguish the unsavory matters concerning our children. It...

Recall from the previous post that we, as parents, must be careful not to negate the good and tolerate the damage that even we can bring...

If you're wondering why I've so much empty space on my blog - especially when only 2 weeks before there were many more - please read on....

Routine Chaos. That’s what you get when you have 11 different people living under one roof and each one lives for themselves. As a mom of...