Musings From My Minivan
When I was at the second annual Blogalicious conference in Miami over Columbus Day weekend I had the distinct honor of attending a screening of the much talked about documentary, Waiting For Superman, (thanks to the dynamic Philly duo behind the PR company Different Drummer.) It had a profound impact on me as a social media influencer, a children’s advocate and especially as a mother. [Read more...]
Today I am going over to the Fox studios to tape an episode of Perspective with Monique Caradine, for My 50 Chicago. The last time I was on the show we discussed Black History Month. Today we are going to talk education. Yes, education. That seems to be on a lot of peoples minds this week. Over on NBC they have named this week Education Nation. Just yesterday on Sunday I watched Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Meet the Press with David Gregory, and yesterday morning on The Today Show I watched President Obama admit that his daughters wouldn’t be able to receive the same quality level of education in a DC public school as they are in their private school. Apparently he felt the same way when he lived her in Chicago, because the girls attended private school here too. I don’t blame him though. [Read more...]
“National Learn-to-Read Challenge” Launches August 16
Children’s Television Personality and Celebrated Mom Blogger Miss Lori Helps Kids Get Excited About Reading through Educational Online Games
(June 16, 2010) Beginning on August 16 and continuing until through September 30, 2010, Blake Publishing and Reading Eggs will launch the first-ever “National Learn-to-Read Challenge.” For six weeks, children from the ages of 3 to 7 will be able to sign up for free, at ABCReadingEggs.com (www.readingeggs.com), and participate in this national literacy event for youngsters. (Sign up today at Reading Eggs.com for a free trial using the access code “MISSLORI”.) [Read more...]
You know why August gets on my nerves? Because I feel like the World is rushing me through it. “How,” you ask? By talking incessantly about going back to school. Now I realize that there are many unfortunate souls who actually have to return to the hallowed halls of learning in this crazy, hot, ultra Summer month. And I truly feel for them. I actually think it is criminal that any child has to goto school in August. ( I am sporting a “FREE the kids” t-shirt as opposed to a “Free Steven Slater” T-shirt.) But that is a bigger nut to chew. So, for our purposes here, I am going to focus on my children and my plight. [Read more...]
Today is National Arts Advocacy Day. A day when we should all nudge our representatives reminding them how important the arts are to our children, our communities, our development as a creative supportive, diverse society. Below is a sample letter, or you can write one of your own. Whatever the words just get them to policy makers in Washington. Don’t let them forget that our country was founded by people who were willing to think outside the box, and dream of a brighter future. Such initiative is fostered by an arts rich, soulful society. [Read more...]
Today is Easter Monday and that means it’s time for the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House. Over 14,500 hard boiled eggs have been decorated and are ready for duty on the White House South Lawn. There are 135,000 commemorative eggs with both the President’s and First Lady’s signatures on them. Thousands of people vied for to earn one of the coveted tickets that were issued through a lottery. It’ going to be a glorious day. But what makes me the happiest is the theme of this years’ festivities. Ready Set Go! It’s in line with Michelle Obama’s initiative as first lady to fight childhood obesity with her new Let’s Move campaign. now those of you familiar with my own mission of the last several years will absolutely understand why this makes me so happy. Even before my award winning first album in 2007, “Music ‘n Movement TOGETHER!” 
I was talking about getting kids to “Move, Groove and Grow” through my Miss Lori’s CAMPUS classes here in Chicago. Coincidentally I first started teaching my platform at the dance school that the Obama children attended while living here. Michelle and I actually met during an exercise class at the studio. [Read more...]
When I was growing up we did a few projects at school where they would ask you to name what you parents did for a living. Answering about my Mom was easy, she was a therapist. I always new that. Heck anyone could figure that out just by talking to her for 5 minutes because invariably you would start telling her your life story. She just has that way about her. But my father, well that was a little more difficult. You see, what I knew about my father’s job was that he got up and went to work early in the morning, and came home fairly regularly around 530 at night. Usually I only saw him fleetingly for dinner just before I would rush out the door with my mother and sister to an evening dance class or rehearsal. But nevertheless I did have an answer for people who asked what my father did. He gave away the free cheese! See in Wisconsin there was this program that gave away free cheese to people in need. And though I didn’t know much else about my father’s job, I did know that he had something to do with that program. As I got older I finally got a real title for my father. He was the Regional Director for Health and Social Services for the State of Wisconsin. I still didn’t know exactly what that meant, but it was a great title!
That was his present while I was growing up. His past was something a little more colorful, but truthfully still elusive. From 1952-58 my father was a Harlem Globetrotter. Yes, you heard me right. He was a Harlem Globetrotter. And the only reason I have the dates down pat was because he had this award from the organization that hung in our house and it had the dates in raised characters on the front. I memorized them. I had to, because that was about as much detail as I ever really got about his experience. It’s not his fault totally. I don’t remember if I have ever really asked for detailed memories, I’m embarrassed to say. Amazing how we take the people close to us for granted. Their histories.
Last week I learned something more about my father that I didn’t know. Not from him, but from a newspaper article. [Read more...]
I started teaching when I was a teen-ager. I always loved working with children and felt that I had something special to share with them. However, I would teach for a session or two and then need to take a break for a few months. I would get burned out. Then I had children of my own and it was as if my DNA changed. [Read more...]
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