Planet Zees: Parenting ABC's on www.chuofm

Here's a fictionalized short story I wrote in memory of my dear cousin, Hughette, who died over a decade ago but whose presence is still greatly missed in the life of our family.

The pandemic is over in the minds and actions of so many but not for me. Grief lingers.

After nearly two years of this pandemic life, we're all feeling kind of blue. While this too shall pass, sometimes the pep talks do little to comfort my restless children and my impatient self.

As the pandemic progresses, my reading regresses. I return to my usual review of all things books: Mariame Kaba's We do this Till We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's - Notes on Grief - and Octavia Butler's Wild Seed. Come read with me!

This year, we cancelled Canada Day. My children wondered why and I told them why Indigenous communities are mourning and why we must do so with them. After my explanation, my son described Indian residential schools as the horror they were - "it's like being in quarantine all the time".

Reflecting on the 215 Indigenous children found in unmarked graves in Kamloops, B.C. must push non-Indigenous communities towards action. This is what we owe to our children and to all of our relations.

I chat with our in-house personal finance guru, Maxine Ifill, who promotes buying RRSPs  as part of your family's financial plan.

A letter to the tooth fairy is in order after a couple of mishaps.   Fun music by: www.bensound.com

My Dad (John Harewood) reads his original story written especially for all of his grandchildren, some of whom he has been unable to see during the pandemic. Curious Crab is a curious creature who seeks a world of adventure outside the confines of the family crabbery. Follow him as he gets lost and befriends a bodacious bumblebee.

I reflect on the superheroes of our lives in 2020. This was a year of unsung superheroes, don't you think? May our superheroes not only be thanked but also afforded the valour, glory and honour they so deserve.

Both the messenger and the message matter.  Reflections on the empowering representation my son is seeking leads me down a road to reimagine a world that represents and protects us.

That ruby red - it gets me every time! We follow a Fall family tradition and make crabapple jelly at a time when so many routines or traditions have gone with the wind.

My son loves his brown skin! What a miracle in a world that is tipping over with anti-Black racism.

Here are more tips on how to manage that "trusty piece of plastic" if you are using a credit card.

Maxine explains what that "trusty piece of plastic" is all about, how interest is calculated and offers helpful tips on how to use credit cards. For parents and students struggling with back to school expenses, listen up!

Join us as we explore how to find a "deal" in these times. In-house personal finance guru, Maxine Ifill, will talk about how to bargain hunt - a useful tool for parents. N.B. This is part of our summer series on personal finances.

I think those of us who have children in our lives now realize the following- our society has COVID-kids. Thankfully, my kids have not contracted COVID-19. I am sending my kids to camp to cope as a parent and worker..but is this the right decision?

It's time for summer reading. Even in the midst of a pandemic, I'm finding more time to read. Here are three books to add to your reading list. Your children will thank you for it! Desmond Cole's, The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power, Chigoze Obioma's, An Orchestra of Minorities and A.J. Verdelle's, The Good Negress

It's summer and we are talking about money. Join me with this personal finance series as I interview passionate money management advocate, Maxine Ifill, about how to start a budget and why we all need one, especially as parents.

Is there a silver lining in this pandemic? Well, I am certainly looking for it every single day with my kids. Learning how to make roti certainly helps, especially when, it's made with a lot of love, as my kids say.

The recent murder of George Floyd has reawakened the world to pervasive anti-black racism and police brutality. The message is loud and clear: there are so many violent ways Black people in the U.S. and Canada have been stopped from breathing.

We need a COVID-19 recovery plan that puts women and gender diverse people with children at the centre. Otherwise, how are we really expected to get back to work?

My son obviously misses his regular barbershop. He just got up and gave himself a hair cut one day. It made me think about how many of us have been forced to cut things out or cut down on things during this pandemic.

We are enough. We are doing enough. Here is my tribute to all Black mothers, all people in our communities who are engaged in the complicated art and science of mothering during these unprecedented times. Big up yourselves!

The Caribbean nations where my parents were born have a long tradition of the masquerade. So, it is no surprise that in this time of COVID-19,  my Mom has become a mask-maker of the first order.

Here are two of our favourite books celebrating the special bond between some grandparents and their grandchildren: When I am Old With You by Angela Johnson, illustrated by David Soman and Octopus Stew, written and illustrated by Eric Velasquez. My children miss their incredible grandparents and all of the important Elders in their lives!

As physical distancing and social isolation become the norm, so does my children's anxiety.      N.B. This episode is not edited due to lockdown measure that CHUO 89.1FM is facing during this pandemic.CHUO 89.1FM needs your support now more than ever. Consider donating to community radio - www.chuofm

Visiting the grocery store with my kids is an expensive and complicated proposition. When my son notices members of the British royal family (Meghan and Harry) on a tabloid at the check-out counter, it makes the visit all the more educational.

We are getting through this COVID-19 global pandemic, day by day. But I still have no answers to my children's burning question: when is this all going to end?

As we prepare for the uncertainty that lies ahead, I think of what my 5-year old daughter told me a month ago about the Coronavirus: "It's a bad virus that kills people". N.B. Due to current COVID-related restrictions at CHUO 89.1FM, this version is unedited.

The holidays are over and me and we're a little sad about that. Hear my thoughts on chasing the blues away.

Why won't my children behave with me? There seems to be no end to advice about the terrible 2's but what about the terrible 5's?

A book review of Breaking the Ocean - A memoir of race, rebellion and reconciliation, by Annahid Dashtgard. A must read for anyone who wants to understand racism, trauma and the healing power of radical self-care.

A poem about the diversity of our black faces following photos released of white Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's racist blackface photos; an affirmation for our children that our black face is beautiful.

It's back to school already but not without reflections on how the summer living was easy for my children but unfortunately not for all children.

Nostalgia about my childhood summers makes me realize that as a parent, summers are now all about planning and more planning.

Celebrating Father's Day gives me more time to reflect on my dad as a parent and role model for me and my kids.

Five-years old seems to be a milestone. It has me reflecting on the new things my children are doing without my help, like mastering how to jump rope or perform slam poetry.

In the schoolyard, my children discover fear, fury and sometimes, I hope, a friend.

I read from two poetry books in our library; I am Enough by Grace Byers and Life Doesn't Frighten me at All by Maya Angelou.

Reviewing the new Canada Food Guide offers me some redemption for my vegan diet but makes me question why it is still so difficult for me to transition my children to vegetarianism.

My daughter wants long hair by hook or by crook. What black girl doesn't? As a parent, isn't part of my job to remind her that she is black and beautiful?

Why do we still need Black History Month? In these times, it is unfortunate that some still feel the need to ask that question.

My children's cousins introduce them to the concept of death and force me to explain to them what death is all about.

Although we may not like to admit it, sometimes it is so hard to keep the vows we have made to our children.

This is the age of accidents, it seems. Though I have averted some of my own, here's a reminder that accidents happen and I had better just learning how to deal with them when they do.

An event I attend to discuss implementing the Truth & Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action makes me think about what truth and reconciliation with Canada's indigenous people should mean for me and my children.

Remembering an act of hate in Ottawa sparks a reflection on why white supremacy must be challenged at every step

How do I respond to my three-year olds' neverending questions?

I share a favourite out loud from my kids' library - Reginald T. Rex: The carrot-crunching dinosaur.