It’s time, y’all! In the last post, I mentioned that I would give you an update on what’s going on on the literacy front, and I’m here to do just that. It feels wonderful being back at my blog homestead today. And, it’s so strange to say this (because I haven’t posted for several weeks), but it seems like I was just putting up a post the other day. Honestly, no matter how long I may be away, I carry my blogging home with me. Maybe that’s why writing this post today feels seamless . . . effortless . . . like I’ve never been on the blogging hiatus I’m just returning from.
Let me tell you this, though . . . the beginning of a new school year ALWAYS serves as that kick in the behind that I so desperately need to get things going in life. I just don’t know what it is about it, but this time of year (every year) sends those shock waves of reorganization, intentionality, simplicity, and discipline that GET GOALS GOT. And, if I can just hang onto the momentum that this time of the year brings through the end of 2026 and beyond, then I’m expecting to get some notable things done in the next two quarters.
But, as for today’s goal, I just want to get out of my head and into this blog post the 5 Main Focuses of Degrees of Maternity for this 2026-2027 academic year. They are as follows (in no particular order):
- Reading Tutoring
- Grant Administration
- Membership
- Writing for Blog and Newsletter
- Personal Endeavors
And my action phrases to help keep me in the frame of mind to stay on track with my 5 Main Focuses are as follows:
- Organize and create structure!
- Be intentional and strategize!
- Keep it simple, Silly!
- Discipline is not an option!
- Remember “THE WHY!”
Now, I’m going to take things a little slow in this post, I thought I would give you the abridged version of my 5 Main Focuses. And, I’m going to ease into my blogging momentum, so I don’t peter out before I even get started good again. Nope, even with all of my best laid plans, I’ve built “flexibility” into my day-to-day. I have to.
Mainly, because I don’t want to create unhealthy habits for myself that lead to mental, physical, or creative burnout that will take me out of the blogging realm altogether if I’m not careful. And secondly, because I have other priorities that will ALWAYS trump whatever I’ve laid out in my 5 Main Focuses, and those priorities may call on me at anytime to perform at their beck and call. So, I will do what I can with the best of my ability within reason, and leave myself on call to those obligations that demand my attention when they call for it.
So, here is an introduction to my 5 Main Focuses (all of which I will be elaborating on in the coming weeks):
Reading Tutoring
I’ll be tutoring for a tutoring company that provides online reading instruction for elementary and middle school children in public school systems throughout the U.S. I officially start tutoring my first students next week for this tutoring company. And, I will also be providing online reading instruction for my friend’s K-12 academy once all of the beginning-of-the-year diagnostics have been completed and the students needing additional reading instruction have been determined. I’m a returning tutor for both entities.
Grant Administration
To be quite honest, grant season is pretty much year-round, but it’s kicking up steam with the start of this new school year. I’ll not only be busy with grant writing, but all the pieces of the grant process from researching grant opportunities, to completing the grant application or writing the grant proposal, to tracking grant allocation, and completing grant reporting. These activities will be carried out by myself and the other members who serve on the grant committee that supports the K-12 academy I mentioned earlier.
Youth Membership
I know I haven’t gone into a lot of detail about it on this blog, and I probably never will. But, I like to briefly mention the membership so you know, that while I may not always show up on this blog, I am showing up in other focuses of my creative life. And, one of those focuses that I have been giving much love to (ever since August of 2025) is the youth membership that I created for elementary and middle school children. It’s a leadership club (with a small literacy emphasis), and it is very much geared toward personal development for children. The children are wonderful, and this is another blessed opportunity I have to work with young people, along with the reading tutoring I’m privileged to do. So, I am extremely thankful for this small but mighty initiative that’s continuing to grow.
Writing for Blog and Newsletter
I’ve been gone from the blog scene for a little while. I know. But, I would love to be back on a regular basis. I would like to resume my once-a-week posting schedule on Thursdays. We’ll see, though. I’m not making any promises. Because I’m so heavily-focused on child education with tutoring and the membership, both requiring my physical presence in front of the children (albeit, we’re facing each other on a computer screen), these focuses will take precedence over the blogging. And, there may be times when I have to salvage any time I can muster up to devote to the kiddos. Which means . . . I may have to forgo my blogging time here and there. But, my goal is to get to a pretty consistent weekly schedule.
As for the monthly newsletter, that Baby has been going and growing since Jan. 2021. I don’t believe I’ve missed a month. Whoo! Hoo! Understandably, it’s much easier to manage a monthly schedule over a weekly schedule. So, the newsletter is in good standing on the “consistency” front. And, if you’re ever missing me over here, you can always check me out over at the newsletter. The L.I.T. News newsletter is distributed every 4th Sunday of the month. You can subscribe by clicking on the link below:
Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.
Personal Endeavors
So, I have a few personal endeavors that I want to work on this academic year. I won’t go into details in this post or any others, because I want to keep the focus on the literacy side of things. But, I wanted to bring this focus up to let you know that I do have some personal priorities that will also require me to get my life right with some much-needed organization and structure, intentionality and strategy, simplicity of sorts, DISCIPLINE FOR SURE, and remembrance of “THE WHY” behind why I’m doing them. Here are those personal priorities:
- Health regimen including exercise and meal routine.
- Learning the Hebrew language with my family.
- Assisting my son with post-secondary prep.
- Daily reading for personal and professional development.
- Assisting elderly family members and friends.
Well, that’s enough writing for this post. I didn’t want to lay a bunch on you . . . just enough for you to see how the next months are going to play out at Degrees of Maternity. I have a lot to discuss with you, and that’s why I really need to get back into my blogging rhythm once again. I’ve been there before, but I had less going on in those days. So, the test will be to see how I can marry all these focuses with one another. It’s going to be a learning challenge but a great GOAL GOT if I can figure out the right mix of everything.
THE CHALLENGE: to come up with a fantastic recipe with the most delicate balance of all 5 focuses.
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