Like many parents, when COVID-19 made its initial appearance, I was cautiously optimistic that we were looking at a Swine-flu kind of situation that would pass fairly quickly and not alter our lives so drastically. The week before Spring Break in March, I pulled all 4 of my children from public school after instinctively feeling that the outbreak was going to get out of control. The "hush hush" of the school district and the clear lack of direction from government entities, local and federal, guaranteed that my kids would not be back in classrooms for a while.

This topic is hard to talk about because it brings a lot of mix feelings for people. If hearing about miscarriages and other types of pregnancy loss then this post is not for you.

With regards to the substantial filing of a divorce case in Florida, legal custody to the affected children is the resulting issue.

“Cool Ways to Own Maternity Style”

Hi, my name is Kyle and I am 29 years old. I have 2 brothers, 1 older, 1 younger, I'm the middle of three boys, and my younger sister who came into this life 13 years later. People would say, we look like a normal family, but for me, it was anything but normal. Growing up, I have had so many problems dealing with everything. Things that my family would have once in their lifetime, whereas, I, many times, had these sorts of problems constantly.

My name is Matthew Cates, retired Air Force guy (Knowledge Ops Manager and Postal), former Oregon State Unversity employee, and a very distraught father.

One minute past midnight and 'Fathers Day' will be officially all over as another day starts; Monday. The cards might stop up a bit longer to remind us of day that we've celebrated and depending on the gift you've received, a lot longer. But one thing that will always remain; ' You' being a father. Being a dad never goes away like the day does, the card or the gift does, fatherhood is, or supposed to be a life long title and commitment. It's great that "Fathers Day" is celebrated and fathers are shown love and appreciation.

Remember when you discovered you were going to be a parent? The moment you learned that inside you, was another life? Remember the incredible fear and excitement you felt all at the same time? All you worried about was whether or not you would be a good mother. Do you remember when?

Black Bloomers are Future Guide Reference’s for Black Woman

A triathlon, like fatherhood, is a multiple-stage event. It involves the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance disciplines of which swimming is just one of them. It's one of my favourite examples that draw parallels to becoming a father, because, like triathletes, us fathers will have to go through multiple-stage events throughout our children’s life (New babies, toddlers, adolescent teens and then adulthood). What are the 3 stages I hear you pondering! Well! The stages (or the Legs) of a Triathlon start with the "hardest" event first; Swimming then it goes on to the cycling event and then finally the running stage.

From the moment we pee on a stick and find out the reason we are so moody and bloated, is because a tiny little human has started to form in our womb, we begin to think about the kind of parent we want to be. There is nothing more personal than parenting…

For many women, and I know for me, finding out you are pregnant comes with an onslaught of thoughts shortly after seeing that little red line. Many questions come to mind. How will my life change when this baby is born? Am I ready to become a parent? Will I have a boy or a girl? Is labor really as painful as it is made out to be on TV? Among all of these questions, one that lingers and continues to become more and more of a question an expectant mother wants to figure out an answer to is: Should I continue working or become a stay at home mom?

We all want to do better at raising our kids than our parents did.

Looking after a child is costly. Research has shown that the average cost of raising a child up to the age of 18, excluding the likes of housing and council tax, was £75,436 for a couple as of 2019. This rose to £102,627 for a single parent — and costs continue to rise. Therefore, it’s essential that you keep your products in as best condition as possible to get full use and life out of them.

It is safe to say that with COVID-19 pandemic, families are living in fear. This type of fear, stress and anxiety are universal emotions nowadays in every family. But, what should you do when your tensions become a marital argument, or your previous spousal case has made the lock down even worse? How can you deal with the divorce situation during this pandemic?

Like many parents, when COVID-19 made its initial appearance, I was cautiously optimistic that we were looking at a Swine-flu kind of situation that would pass fairly quickly and not alter our lives so drastically. The week before Spring Break in March, I pulled all 4 of my children from public school after instinctively feeling that the outbreak was going to get out of control. The "hush hush" of the school district and the clear lack of direction from government entities, local and federal, guaranteed that my kids would not be back in classrooms for a while.

Unpopular opinion:

I watched the news relay and relay things to watch for, feel for, avoid, use a face cover, use hand sanitizer, you're only allowed one package of toilet paper- it's a mad house, in 2020. The fear media and people have enforced on one another is unbearable to watch, sometimes. It's like a horror flick that just. keeps. getting. worse.

One of the most frequently asked questions across the internet is “How do you track your family history?”. Though we mostly focus on tracing ancestry through paper and online records, there are many other ways to do that. DNA testing is one of them.

The Monetti’s as we know them date back to the Province of Salerno in the the Campania region. Carman Monetta and my great-great grandmother Michela (Magra) Magro obviously hung a different vowel at the end of the family name and begins on a chestnut farm in the town of Ponte di Cagnano.

Brooklynn Rodriguez was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She is 24. Westside has eight siblings; Madison Thomas, the twins; Melisa and Alisa Rodriguez, and Kelly K.“ Well that’s some of our sisters.” Brooklynn is the eldest of her known siblings, but not the oldest of her unknown siblings. Brooklynn has many nicknames including; Westside, Westside Brookye, and Brookye. Westside is a brilliant young woman, and she is more of a family person. Brooklyn has a sense of style. She dresses like a girl and a tomboy, and she’s very outgoing as well as laid back (that’s if you don’t make her mad). Some of her other character traits are that she is VERY nonchalant but quick to get mad rude!

She was sick of the rain. It ran down the window-pane in rivulets, and she watched those crazy little trails as she took a drag of her cigarette, before stubbing it out in the china teacup beside her.

Information is creeping out about vaccines that many of us have taken beginning in childhood. As parents, we have tried to safeguard our children with the same vaccinates so they can attend public school. Pediatricians advise that children need to be vaccinated to protect against chickenpox (varicella), diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP), hepatitis A (HepA), hepatitis B (HepB), hib, human papillomavirus (HPV), influenza, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), meningococcal, pneumococcal (PCV), polio (IPV), and rotavirus. As I agree with some of these but live in doubt on many of them. We are all aware that immunizations may have side effects such as a sore injection site, mild fever, and possible rash. The recommendation is to administer Tylenol after an injection to combat these effects. As a parent, we strive to do what is best for our children and protect them from every harm that may come of them. The reality is that information is surfacing that immunizations and vaccines may cause more harm than do us good. The CDC advises that every child should be vaccinated, however, the same CDC is currently announcing false COVID-19 numbers. How do we make the best decisions if the information we are receiving are falsehoods? Hours of independent research of reliable sources other than what we normally see in the media will serve us best.

The Second World War over and no doubt left as to where Charlie wanted to be, routine played a big part in everything the Monetti patriarch did. Like many New Yorkers, Charlie and Lizzie spent their honeymoon in the Catskills, and for good measure, befriended the resort owners. So going forward, the family stayed in the owner’s home, and every October, a smaller turnout appealed to Charlie. Thus, Gramps never relented, and his annual engagement always followed suit. “He would chop wood for the fireplace and play cards all week,” said Bill.

The overwhelming difficulties of childhood mostly put at bay, my grandfather Carmine Monetti (or Charlie) certainly did his time playing stickball on the streets of the Bronx. I vaguely remember him telling me that if the kids didn’t have enough money for a ball, they would cut off the top of the broom stick and make do. Fittingly, it was the city game that continued the Monetti line.

Dear Vocal Readers,

This topic is hard to talk about because it brings a lot of mix feelings for people. If hearing about miscarriages and other types of pregnancy loss then this post is not for you.

Hi, my name is Kyle and I am 29 years old. I have 2 brothers, 1 older, 1 younger, I'm the middle of three boys, and my younger sister who came into this life 13 years later. People would say, we look like a normal family, but for me, it was anything but normal. Growing up, I have had so many problems dealing with everything. Things that my family would have once in their lifetime, whereas, I, many times, had these sorts of problems constantly.

My name is Matthew Cates, retired Air Force guy (Knowledge Ops Manager and Postal), former Oregon State Unversity employee, and a very distraught father.

Moving to a new home can be an exciting and wondrous new chapter for your entire family. While moving to a new home can be exhilarating, it is also the start of a whole new experience. The thrill of a new home can quickly wear off if the process is not handled carefully. To avoid a new home nightmare, take the time to consider these tips that can help you ease your transition and ensure that everyone settles in comfortably.

We often have to relocate or leave our homes for a longer duration for our work. However, moving away from our homes sometimes means moving away from the family. While the younger members of the family don't have to worry about anything in this scenario, the elderly members need special care in our absence. One of the best ways to take care of the elderly while staying away from home is through a remote monitoring system.

My mother was never one to speak about her feelings or anyone's feelings at that, so I knew when things went awry, I would be the one to have to figure things out. She was not perfect and I am glad she was not nor did she try to be. But as all parents do, she always tried to protect me from the truth of this world, the cruelty of this world. I was always too curious for my own good. My mother was in an abusive relationship, one truth you cannot hide from your child. Not for long at least. Her partner would verbally abuse her, always trying to convince her that she was stupid, or inadequate. When his words were not powerful enough, his fists did the job. Now I have never seen him hit her with my own eyes, and I will not sit here and say I saw him do it but I would always see the aftermath and unless she was doing that to herself, I believe it is safe to say he was hitting her. He would drag her to a room, close the door and have his way. This made me super sensitive to the feelings of others because I had learned to watch his every move to ensure he would not strike again as long as I was around.

In some households, the only "talk" that was had was the birds and the bees. In other households, the "talk" or discussion rather, was how to stay out of the way of white men and white people in general. During this time, Black people wanted to be treated fairly, treated equally.

"But it was only a sticker!" Please! Please!" She begged and cried to her mother.

I think at points and particularly this year with the changes COVID-19 has brought to our lives that many of us have felt like this for similar & different reasons. I know I have certainly felt like this many times, been overwhelmed by the moment, the pressure building up so much that I have slammed doors, thrown things across the room, made funny animal noises to get the stress out, screamed and shouted. Yes this is not to say I’ve totally loved other moments it’s certainly been a tale of 2 halves, being with my babies and step children having the time to adventure with them; chase sun sets, jump in puddles, explore woods and run on beaches. All of that has been completely delightful and given me some of the best days of my life. But this blog is about those points when your chest gets tight and you are struggling for air as you assess the challenges in front of you... dogs poo by the kids play area in the garden, smashed glass in the lounge, eldest son needing help with his maths and never being able to fit in that one to one you promise to make cookies with you step daughter. You pause, grab the dustpan and brush and get back to it. Knowing you will face the same thing again maybe that day, or it might be tomorrow if you are lucky. It’s a merry go around. Emotionally I never seem to meet anyone’s needs and I know that’s ok but it hurts to hear my eldest son telling me I don’t put him first knowing that he is right because he is bigger he can wait that hour for me to trouble shoot all these urgent things before I get to him. He feels unimportant and unloved. I explain & think of solutions to make him feel better. He’s also the one that senses my stress and anxiety before I do and can say mum just lie down for 5 mins and listen to your favourite song, you’ll feel better. Bless him, he’s also the son that can be mean and spiteful to his step dad and sisters, not understanding because I love them to I don’t love him less. This year we also got our lovely puppy Lexi, perfect timing in so many ways and she has been so good for us all but sometimes and I feel desperately bad for saying this I do struggle with the constraints that she imposes on me, the additional mess, stress and admin. Someone else to look after and love, it can spread me thin. The loss of freedom in an already busy life. She’s also got used to us all being home and so it’s horrid having to leave her to wine and cry which she does even if we are out for such a short time. But my word the unconditional love we all get in return and the wonderful adventures we have had all across our Island paradise. I know she is a factor which has tipped me over the edge on occasions but I love her so much. I know I knew how our lives would change with her and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I know to many it looks like this year has been a jolly holiday and in ways it has been, I’ve never had such a good tan in adulthood but behind the scenes there are points I have drowned, bills to juggle that you only get around to at 2am in the morning, forms to fill in to get the financial help you need but requiring documents to be uploaded putting another barrier in the way, contracts to win and jobs to find. But the blessing for me has been to have such wonderful friends and family where we catch each other at these burn out points, love each other unconditionally, are kind to each other, listen and don’t judge, listen without providing solutions unless asked. I wouldn’t have survived without those people and it’s given me the fire in my belly to carry on, the permission to have that bubble bath guilt free but most of all it has kept ‘Loz’ alive when I have drowned in laundry and the like. This morning I cherish the early morning, my time, my space, my sanctuary! I feel blessed to have this little break before the chaos of another fabulous day in paradise begins. I end with when you are grasping for air, reach out... to me, to your neighbour, to your friend, your family as those helping hands will enable you to breath deeply again and know you are not alone! So find your rope to cling onto and offer a rope to others as well to grab hold of #Covid19Challenges #FamilyLife #TakeaBreak #Friends #family #itsoktonotbeokay

The middle child.

“Beep, Beep, Beep.” Ryan’s alarm clock was going off. “Beep, Beep, Beep.” It sounded again, but he could have sworn those beeps were from his on-going dream. However, when the sound grew louder and louder versus fading away, he knew something was up. It was almost like when you have to use the restroom in your sleep, but, as soon as you get ready to go, you wake up and realize you’re still in bed.

“You get to do whatever you want all day”

Love or Survival

The world is quiet. The streets are empty, and the world is constricted with silent tension. Each morning we awake with news on the current spread of the virus, and each evening we go to sleep, with images of new stories and data sheets and charts dancing around in our heads. The world is silent outside of our doors, and we do what we can to be okay every day, both physically and mentally.

My sister Liz told me about a dream she had last night. She told me the cops showed up to our door, said to her, “You’re comin’ with us,” and handcuffed her. They put her in the cruiser, and off they went.

Past:

I was 11 years old when I became a brother. My parents second child was my sister Rachel. I was so happy when informed of her birth, because all the kids in my neighborhood had brothers and sisters. It would get pretty lonely being an only child. so having a sibling was all I ever wanted. At 13 we moved to another neighborhood on the better side of town, and my mother was pregnant with her third child, Raleigh. Let me tell you this kid was tough. When I was in high school and would bring a friend to my house the first thing he would do was punch them right in the nuts, laugh, and run out of the room. This is when he was about three. Once when he was five a friend of mine hoisted him up and pretended he was going to put him on the roof, and Raleigh hauled off and slapped the shit out of him, leaving a small hand print on his face.