Kindergarten Sight Words: Level 1

I tried to make a regular habit of writing posts on this subject but my first kindergartner was very advanced. He went from kindergarten to first grade in 3 months of school. At one point I had to home school him to wait for the school to catch up to his level. So basically, I didn't have any kindergarten info to share. Now I have a daughter who is in kindergarten. And though she is an amazingly fast learner, she is not at the accelerated level as her older brother...yet. Her speed seems to be in reading and writing, while her brother was advanced in math. Perfect reflection of their parents. As a result I just might be able to maintain a regular blog post to help parents of pre-k kids prepare their little ones for kindergarten.

The following in a list of sight words. In case you don't know what they are, they are words that must be instantly recognized on sight. In kindergarten here in California, a child is not considered proficient in the sight words list unless they can read the word in three seconds or less, without sounding it out. Again, they must read it on sight. If your child is in a daycare center or a preschool, they are already being exposed to these words. Be sure to find books on their level that include as many of these words as possible.

Make flashcards out of these words to practice. Also keep a checklist of these words to keep track of which words they know and which words they don't know. Practice every day, wait three seconds before telling the child the word. Once a week, using a checklist, have the child point to the words they know and call them out. Put a checkmark next to the words they get right. They should have the words memorized within three months.

Do not begin sight words for your children until they can recognize each and every letter of the alphabet in capital or lower case letters. The child should also know exactly what sounds each letter makes. Beginning sight words before this mastery will frustrate your child and create unnecessary difficulty.

Kindergarten Sight Words Level 1

a          and     they
I          are      this
at        can
do       for
go       see
he       she
is        the
it        was
me     you
my     have
no      here
of       like
to       look
up      went
we     with

Dairy-Free Baked Cornbread

So, I still have no milk and now I've run low on eggs. So I experimented with this dairy free cornbread recipe. My children like it better than the regular cornbread recipe. It's softer and they could taste the sugar better. We served it with beans. 

Ingredients 

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal (Alber's works best)

1/4 cup sugar

5 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup + 2 tbs water

1/3 cup oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into greased muffin or cake pan 

Bake approximately 15 minutes checking the center with a toothpick.  

No Milk Pancakes

I ran out of milk and my children wanted pancakes. I got this recipe from a friend of mine but made some alterations. The pancakes were soft and fluffy. Better than my regular recipe with milk. 

Ingredients 

2 tbs melted butter

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups of water

1tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs sugar

4tsp baking powder

2 cups of flour

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients. RESERVE 1/2 CUP OF WATER. Whisking vigorously, add the dry ingredients. While adding the flour, add the last 1/2 cup of water. Use more or less water depending on how thick or thin you want your pancakes. Mix batter until it is ribbon like. No lumps. Let sit for 5 minutes before cooking on a hot griddle. 

Responses to Excuses for Celebrating Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving in America. Millions of people are home giving thanks for things, people and situations for which they could and should be giving thanks on a daily basis. Unless you are a retail worker, you are home with family that you haven't seen or missed all year. You're eating some sort of foul, fish or ham. You are being gluttonous in food consumption before rushing out to the stores to be gluttonous in seeking material possessions for the same people you don't want to see again until next year.

So why are you doing this? Why are you celebrating a holiday that means nothing more than surrounding yourself with undesirable people and consuming more food in a day than a homeless child has consumed this month? Perhaps I should make clear to whom I am posing such a question. This question is for everyone except for French Americans, English Americans, Italian Americans, and Spanish Americans. By Spanish I mean having ancestry that originates from Spain. We all know that Thanksgiving is a lie. Yet, this lie has been told in our schools for centuries. We all know that celebrating Thanksgiving is like celebrating slavery. So why do we do it? It would seem that there is always an excuse for celebrating the genocide of the Native people. Where does that leave decolonized people like myself? What do we say to those who insist on celebrating the genocide of our people? I don't have all of the answers but here are the answers you may want to try when faced with these common excuses.


Indians are dead so what's the big deal?

Natives are not dead. Though many tribes are extinct, many more are still surviving. This is why you should not only end the Thanksgiving tradition but also stop teaching about us in the past tense form. You should also stop teaching the false brotherhood born from the first Thanksgiving.

It's only one of two times of the year when I can get together with everyone in my family.

If you require a genocidal holiday as an excuse to bring your family together, you have bigger family issues to resolve. A turkey dinner won't be effective.

We don't celebrate Thanksgiving. We gather and talk about what we're thankful for in general.

So, you use a genocidal holiday as an excuse to do on one day, what you should be doing on a daily basis? Perhaps you should revive the tradition of Sunday dinners around the dinner table to fill the void of not celebrating Thanksgiving.

We praise the Lord, Jesus Christ on Thanksgiving. We thank him for all that he has done for us.

Christianity was forced upon Blacks, Natives, Asians, Mexicans and many, many more people. It was done so by way of slavery and torture. You should not be praying to a Christian God at all unless you are a descendant of the people who forced it upon your ancestors in the first place, like the French, Spanish, English or Italians.

I stand in solidarity with Native Americans but Thanksgiving isn't bad anymore. We've changed what it means.

Did the N-word change meaning and cease being painful because we used it more? Did the R-word? How does time or frequency of celebrating the holiday suddenly turn it good? How can you stand in solidarity with Natives if you are perpetuating the cycle of intergenerational trauma every time you celebrate the holiday?

Not gonna lie, I just really love the food on Thanksgiving.

Then serve it all month long. The food you eat isn't Thanksgiving food, its fall food. All of this food is seasonal. So make those dishes every Sunday until you've had your fill. It will bring your family to the table and you get your mac and cheese fix.

Know any more excuses that need responses? Comment below or Tweet me @theredhousewife. Also follow me on Facebook and Instagram.

Why Celebrities Should Stop Apologizing For Racist Comments

Lately it seems like there's a new celebrity every week that makes the mistake of uttering a racist comment. Just as frequently there also seems to be some underground video or audio recording that ousts a celebrity as many as ten years after the comment has been made. Like clockwork the shamed and ostracized celebrity will release a statement through or often written by their publicist explaining away their choice of words and apologizing for having uttered them in the first place. Unlike the general public, I see no need for the theatrical production that is the public apology. Personally, I think racist celebrities should just stop apologizing for their comments for three main reasons.

1. They Don't Mean It

A forced apology is a false apology and that in itself is insulting. The fact is, no matter the circumstances surrounding the comments, the person who uttered them meant every word. I may not like what was said. I may be offended, infuriated, and disappointed. But an apology is something that is meant to be expressed in situations of sincere regret. But what exactly are the celebrities regretting? Do they regret their opinion? Do they regret that their opinion hurt my feelings? Do they regret that something that was meant to remain private has been released to the public via TMZ or some other paparazzi medium? Unless the celebrity truly regrets what they said, I really don't want to hear an apology because they don't mean it. It would be better for them to become enraged with whomever recorded them or exposed them in the first place, that person who blackmailed them and violated their privacy. That, I can understand and accept.

2. You're Allowed To Be Racist

As quiet as it's kept, you are allowed to be racist. It would be an unpopular choice and you are sure to find yourself surrounded by people who truly believe that violence is in fact the answer. But you are allowed to be racist. Your beliefs are your beliefs. As long as you are willing to accept the consequences of making your socially unpopular beliefs public, I have no problem with a celebrity being racist. Celebrities apologize because they don't want their record sales to go down like John Mayer when he claimed his penis was a white supremacist when asked how he felt about his black, female fans. People were livid but I wasn't. If John Mayer doesn't like black women, that's his prerogative. I know plenty of black women with black supremacist vaginas. Don't apologize for your own preferences. I don't like undercover racists. I like to know what I'm dealing with at all times. I don't like finding out after I've spent money on an album, movie, or some other merchandise that the actor, singer, or artist doesn't like people like me. An apology for comments like John Mayer's tell me that person is embarking on a campaign of deception to cover up their true feelings just so they can get my money. I'd rather deal with the unapologetic racist.

3. Everyone Is Racist

Just because people don't want to admit it, doesn't mean it isn't true. We're all guilty of saying something racially insensitive when we think no one is recording. We all have our stereotypes about other races. The sooner people can accept that no one is perfect, the sooner we find ways to end the stereotypes. I also don't see the point in apologizing for a comment made many years ago that your side chick decided to record like Hulk Hogan, Donald Sterling or Mel Gibson. People change. People say things that they no longer agree with a decade later. People also say the most evil things they can think of to say when they're angry. Think about a person you know that is in a toxic relationship. Think about the cruel things they say to each other when they are trying to hit below the belt. Celebrities are not exempt.

If you're going to apologize, there is a way to do it. Take Hulk Hogan for example. I didn't like his apology. Saying he grew up hearing that word as a reason for why he did it, didn't apply to the recording that was released. That's something you say when you use the n-word as a term of endearment or in an attempt to appropriate hip-hop culture. In Hulk Hogan's situation, he clearly was an angry father looking for anything to grasp as a justification for being angry. I don't think he has a problem with black people but I do believe he really doesn't want his daughter to be with anyone who isn't white. Again, that's a preference he's entitled to have, although it would inevitably make him a social pariah. Hulk Hogan should said, "I apologize for the pain my comments caused. I was an angry father back then and I really needed to vent my frustrations. I did so under the belief that I was with someone trustworthy, who has clearly to be anything but. I do not have a problem with the African American race. But if given the choice, I would prefer that my daughter date within her own. It is a culture with which I am familiar and therefore more comfortable supporting." More people would have been understanding and could probably outright identify with that same statement.

But then, I'm not a celebrity publicist.

Zodiac At A Glance: Virgo

Virgos are born August 23-September 22nd

Leo/Virgo cusps tend to be extroverted and energetic. They have very sunny personalities and radiate positivity. People love to be around them.

Virgo/Libra cusps tend to be more moody and easily infatuated. They are more flirty and sexual than other Virgos.

Almost always a Virgo's favorite color is some shade of blue. Of course, there are exceptions.

The Good

Workaholics - No one has ever referred to a Virgo as lazy. They put in the time and dedication that is required to get the job done right. This can also be a bad thing. A Virgo man may not realize how desperately he is missed at home because he is perfectly content to work overtime.

Independent - They are self-starters who don't need much assistance with anything. Partly because they are so intelligent to begin with, and partly because they learn by trial and error. But don't worry, if they need help they will ask. Also, don't be surprised if they take off on their own to attempt your instructions before you've even finished your sentence. They like the satisfaction of having done the task themselves.

Humorous - Next to Geminis they are the funnest of the zodiac. They are extremely playful and light hearted. They love to entertain and make people laugh. They are as silly as they are studious. Perhaps this is nature's way of keeping them balanced.

Meticulously Organized - Virgos are completely reliable. They are usually the ones keeping everyone else on track in meetings, at work, at home managing the budget. As a result, they are always ready for the worst case scenario. Preventable conflicts rarely occur in their lives as they meticulously plan for as many outcomes as they can.

The Bad

Bossy - Virgos tend to be control freaks. This is partly how they plan for the worst case scenario. Being studious can make them into know-it-alls who feel the need to manage other people in the workplace. This drives them to be overly ambitious in their climb up the corporate ladder.

Cheap - Virgos are always willing to spend top dollar on themselves but can be horribly cheap when it comes to others. Again, they are planning for worst case scenario. They are holding on to every penny they can just in case. They are also known for keeping your change when you send them on an errand.

People Pleasers - Virgos are often described as two-faced. The reason is they want to please everyone. They want everyone to like them. They will go out of their way to appear more intelligent and more trustworthy than they are. In an attempt to seize leadership, they will quietly gossip about the boss behind his back and then use everything they've gathered in that conversation to their advantage while they suck up to that same boss. In a confrontation they immediately take a neutral stance but when it is over they will approach the person the most agreed with and offer support in private. They also have a habit of taking credit for ideas that are not their own if they feel their position is being challenged by another.

Hoarders - Virgos are notorious hoarders when they are unhappy. It begins as planning for the worst but gets out of hand when they are depressed and becomes a problem. Collecting memorabilia can quickly become an expensive nightmare.

Sex life

Virgos don't typically initiate the sexual relationship. They like to feel as though everything is happening to them when it comes to love so that they aren't actually taking any risks. Virgos tend to be more attractive than their mates for this reason. If a man comes to the Virgo woman and professes his love he had better have his house in order first. If he does, she will let him into her heart and reciprocate whatever he sends out. She will never go above and beyond what he has placed on the table. She will treat her romantic partner as her equal. The same is true in bed. She will not likely turn him down for sex. If he's down, so is she, but he has to make the first move.

Best match

Capricorn - both are meticulous planners with a passion for finer things. Neither likes to take risks but the Capricorn tends to be more traditional in gender rolls. Both are frugal and love spontaneous laughter and passion.

Taurus - A Taurus will work like a, well, bull for anyone who provides the proper motivation. Virgos are excellent in management and know how to speak to sensitive people. Beware of being overworked by the Virgo however. And the Virgo should make his or her loyalty to the Taurus very plain to see.

Worst match

Leo - You can't have two kings ruling over one kingdom. Virgo will try too hard to control the Leo. Leo will boss and bully the Virgo. Leo will make the Virgo feel insignificant and worthless without even trying.

The Natural Hair Trojan Horse

The natural hair revolution has boosted the self confidence of millions of African-American women. There are less products on the shelves that portray European beauty and more products that portray a natural, ethnic beauty. Many black actors are finding they no longer need to wear a weave, wig or treat their hair with relaxers to book auditions. In fact, some like Viola Davis have been applauded for returning to their roots. But there are some myths that are persisting due to the booming natural hair revolution.

Myth
Natural hair is easier to style than relaxed hair.

Fact
It actually takes about the same amount of time to maintain natural 4c hair as it does if it were relaxed. After washing both natural and relaxed hair, the decision to blow dry is optional. Both require that moisturizers be applied almost immediately. But natural hair should be braided or twisted to prevent tangling and hair loss. Relaxed hair need only be wrapped. The time saved after a shampoo for relaxed hair is made up upon styling, as some form of heat is needed to style it. After natural hair has been braided or twisted one could wear that as their style or undo it in a matter of moments, and they are ready to go.

Myth
Natural hair products are cheaper.

Fact
Natural hair products are more expensive than products for chemically treated hair. This is especially true now that the natural hair revolution has become widespread. Natural products typically involve pure coconut and other oils which can be very expensive. Sulfate-free and other shampoos from companies like Shea Moisture, Carol's Daughter, Kinky Curly, and Mixed Chicks are twice the price as a bottle of Pantene or Suave for as little as a quarter of the amount. One can reduce this cost by using vinegar or other homemade hair care products.

Myth
If I go natural, my hair will be beautifully curled.

Fact
Unfortunately, this is what has caused the natural hair revolution to go into overdrive. People who are caught up in the good hair/bad hair stigma are jumping at the chance to appear to be mixed race or racially ambiguous. Having natural, curly hair would achieve this. But if you have 4c hair, your hair will not coil over the same as a person with 4a hair. No amount of anti-frizz or anti-shrinkage products will achieve this effect. Braiding is required for waves and twisting is required for curls. In some cases, perm rods are necessary.

Myth
People with natural hair don't wear fake hair.

Fact
This is one of the biggest myths to come about for natural hair. Most people you see with natural hair have worn, or are wearing some form of hair extensions. This is because of the awkward grow out phase. People see others with the shoulder length, trademark fro and take the plunge. But it takes time to achieve that level of hair growth. So out comes the Brazilian weave hair and half wigs.

Myth
Natural hair has finally made all black women equal.

Fact
Actually, there is just as big of a divide amongst black women now as there was in the 80's when the natural hair revolution was here last. Black men still go for the "light is right" black woman with the silkier curly hair over the darker skinned black woman with 4c hair. White Americans emulate mixed race women with silky, curly hair as well. The dark skinned black woman is however finding more acceptance in the workplace but she is also finding that she is often told her hair is messy while her light skinned or mixed race, fellow natural haired co-worker is being marveled at.

Myth
The natural hair revolution is putting Asian hair companies out of business.

Fact
We all know that the push to support black owned business has seen a backlash against Asian beauty supply store owners. After all, Koreans are the biggest suppliers of the world's hair extensions. Black Americans are willing to get loans to afford the skyrocketing costs of purchasing someone else's hair. So, some have come to reason that by going natural those stores are going out of business. This is false. Korean store owners aren't dumb. They didn't get rich selling weave hair. They got rich providing the black community whatever it is they demand. In the early 2000's Beyoncé dyed the bottom half of her hair pink. Weave stores everywhere stocked extensions of the same style in mass quantities because everyone wanted it. When Mary J. Blige hit the scene with her trademark strawberry blond hair, the shelves were stocked with boxes of coordinating hair color. Go into a beauty supply store now and you will find afro kinky and Brazilian hair stocked to the ceiling. Not everyone is willing to cut off all of their relaxed hair to accomplish the natural look the natural way. Also, some women have caused so much damage to their natural hair that they can never go without extensions again. Which means, Asian beauty supply businesses will never lose money.

It is important to understand that going natural is not meant to be worn as a badge of honor. Women are judging each other based on who has the better curl definition or who's hair is nappier or silkier. Women are putting down women who chose to chemically treat their hair because the stereotype is that she is still trying to be white. People go natural for different reasons including, healthier lifestyle, finances, and social acceptance. Don't assume that every black woman with a natural prefers to be called "sistah" or is afrocentric. If you decide to go natural, be prepared to love and accept yourself for who you really are and not who others perceive.