Planet Zees: Parenting ABC's on www.chuofm

This is a podcast about my adventures in parenting twins as a solo Black parent by choice.

Episode 59 - Coming home to roost 08/19/2022

Episode 59 - Coming home to roost 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/24104130

Episode 58: On grief 08/19/2022

Episode 58: On grief The pandemic is over in the minds and actions of so many but not for me. Grief lingers. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/24104049

Episode 57 - These Pandemic Blues 01/17/2022

Episode 57 - These Pandemic Blues 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/21797561

Episode 56 - Another pandemic summer of reading 08/19/2021

Episode 56 - Another pandemic summer of reading 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! /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/20201153

Episode 55 - Why we cancelled Canada Day 07/18/2021

Episode 55 - Why we cancelled Canada Day 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". /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/19844786

Episode 54- Honouring Indigenous children 07/18/2021

Episode 54- Honouring Indigenous children 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/19844753

Episode 53 - ABC's RRSP's...... 02/26/2021

Episode 53 - ABC's RRSP's...... I chat with our in-house personal finance guru, Maxine Ifill, who promotes buying RRSPs as part of your family's financial plan. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/18103991

Episode 52 - Dear Tooth Fairy.... 02/18/2021

Episode 52 - Dear Tooth Fairy.... A letter to the tooth fairy is in order after a couple of mishaps. Fun music by: www.bensound.com /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/17995970

Episode 51 - Curious Crab and Ms. Bumblebee (Chapter 1) 01/24/2021

Episode 51 - Curious Crab and Ms. Bumblebee (Chapter 1) 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/17663858

Episode 50 - Our Superheroes of 2020 01/24/2021

Episode 50 - Our Superheroes of 2020 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/17663747

Episode 49 - Race and Representation - Part 2 10/23/2020

Episode 49 - Race and Representation - Part 2 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/16516958

Episode 48 - Our Crabapple Joy 09/19/2020

Episode 48 - Our Crabapple Joy 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/16072463

Episode 47 - Race and Representation (Part 1) 09/06/2020

Episode 47 - Race and Representation (Part 1) My son loves his brown skin! What a miracle in a world that is tipping over with anti-Black racism. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/15902891

Episode 46 - Mastering Credit Cards with Maxine Ifill - (Part 2) 09/06/2020

Episode 46 - Mastering Credit Cards with Maxine Ifill - (Part 2) Here are more tips on how to manage that "trusty piece of plastic" if you are using a credit card. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/15902822

Episode 45 - Mastering Credit Cards with Maxine Ifill (Part 1) 09/06/2020

Episode 45 - Mastering Credit Cards with Maxine Ifill (Part 1) 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! /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/15902765

Episode 44 - Pandemic Parenting 08/20/2020

Episode 44 - Pandemic Parenting How do we keep on doing this? It always helps to put things in perspective. Here are five lessons I've learnt from this exceptional period of pandemic parenting. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/15685331

Episode 43 - Bargain Hunting with Maxine Ifill 08/04/2020

Episode 43 - Bargain Hunting with Maxine Ifill 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/15482243

Episode 42 - Our COVID-Kids 07/30/2020

Episode 42 - Our COVID-Kids 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? /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/15417122

Episode 41 - Summer Reading 07/30/2020

Episode 41 - Summer Reading 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 /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/15416225

Episode 40 - Budgeting Basics with Maxine Ifill 07/13/2020

Episode 40 - Budgeting Basics with Maxine Ifill 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/15185933

Episode 39 - Making Roti 06/28/2020

Episode 39 - Making Roti 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/14994317

Episode 38 - We Can't Breathe! 06/07/2020

Episode 38 - We Can't Breathe! 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/14727047

Episode 37 - Can anyone help? 06/07/2020

Episode 37 - Can anyone help? 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? /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/14727014

Episode 36 - The COVID-cut 05/20/2020

Episode 36 - The COVID-cut 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/14497598

Episode 35 - Mothers' Days 05/09/2020

Episode 35 - Mothers' Days 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! /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/14349464

Episode 34 - The Incredible World of Mask-Making 04/27/2020

Episode 34 - The Incredible World of Mask-Making 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/14160641

Episode 33 - From Our Library - Let's celebrate grandparents! 04/15/2020

Episode 33 - From Our Library - Let's celebrate grandparents! 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! /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/14003201

Episode 32 - COVID-anxiety 04/12/2020

Episode 32 - COVID-anxiety 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 /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/13952516

Episode 29 - A Royal Mess 03/31/2020

Episode 29 - A Royal Mess 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. /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/13787309

Episode 31 - COVID-19 - Absence makes the heart grow 03/30/2020

Episode 31 - COVID-19 - Absence makes the heart grow 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? /episode/index/show/planetzeesparenting/id/13758785

Planet Zees: Parenting ABC's on www.chuofm

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