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As we continue to build the foundation of our mentoring program, we will continue to stress the importance of education.  Education is not defined by degrees attained, but by the knowledge attained – which is strengthened through READING!

In the summer, it is easy for kids to get very relaxed because they don’t have homework to keep them busy.  Our mother did not let us get lazy in the summer – instead, she bought us summer workbooks for reading and math.   Yes, the same way we had to complete homework before playing with toys or going outside with friends, we had to do our summer reading and workbooks!

What are some of the benefits of summer reading?

• It helps children retain the material  learned during the school year
• It helps ignite creative thinking and imagination which will support problem-solving
• It helps keep children out of trouble!

To encourage young girls to read this summer, we are proud to announce our Celebrate Sisters Summer Reading Challenge!

There are two reading categories for this competition: 5th – 8th grade and 9th-12th grade.  Since we are based on the MS Coast,  this competition is limited to girls in this region at this time.  The challenge will begin on July 5 and end on August 5 and prizes will be given to the winner of each category.  Entries must be received by 11:59pm on August 5!

Here are the rules for the Celebrate Sisters Summer Reading Challenge:

• Select books in your reading level and make sure to get parents/guardian approval for content. *For book suggestions, visit your nearest public library.
• Keep a log of the books read and include the Book Title, Author(s), and Number of Pages.
• Try to include at least one book that pushes reading skills to the next level.
• Write a 1 page essay answer the following questions
  • Which book did you enjoy the most and why?
  • What have you learned from doing this reading challenge?
• Share the summer reading book log so we can highlight how many books you have read during this challenge!
• Email essays and book lists to celebratesisters2@gmail.com and include “SUMMER READING CHALLENGE” in the subject line.
• OR Mail to 3623 Reeves Lane, Ocean Springs, MS 39564
• HAVE FUN!!!

Ain’t no party like DREAM BOARD Party, ‘cuz a DREAM BOARD PARTY don’t stop! (Yes, we know that’s not proper grammar!)  A Dream Board Party doesn’t stop because we want to help keep dreams alive!

Celebrate Sisters Mentoring program hosted a Dream Board Party on June 24, a spin-off of the popular Vision Board.  Girls in the mentoring program, their moms,  and other “sister-friends”  spent a Saturday afternoon creating Dream Boards – visual representations of dreams, aspirations, and values.

The group enjoyed an afternoon of fellowship, music, food, and crafts.  Some of the more “seasoned” sister-friends who came to support the event were a little hesitant to create a board at first because it had been MANY years since they actually used glue sticks and poster boards.  But after working on the goal sheets used to help ignite their ideas, everyone got in the creative zone!

Take a look at a few highlights from the Party!

Get Ready

Get Set

GO!

Girls with their finished products!

Ms. April

Ms. Pam Brown

Never too young to dream big!

Opening the session

Mrs. Taylor

Ms. Lisa

The girls with founders (J.S. Grant and J.J. Grant)

Future Dentist!

“Women Who Spark”

“If you are what you eat, be radiant!”

Our first podcast is available for your listening pleasure (link at the end of this post). I spent some time last Saturday morning with Jessica McAllister (Registered Dietitian) discussing NUTRITION and her recently released e-book, Operation Nutrition: From Beginner to Boss (get your copy here.)

We did this in conjunction with National Nutrition Month.  Jessica also shares a lot of great tips on meal prep and ensuring balanced meals on her FB page.  I’m always watching the posts and saying, THAT’S A GOOD IDEA or I SHOULD TRY THAT, or I NEED TO DO THAT!  But what do I do?  Unfortunately, I fall back in my regular old routine.

My personal challenge with nutrition is making sure I eat ALL my meals, and that they are nutritionally balanced.  I have gotten into a bad habit of skipping lunch to WORK and this has to change.  I’ve been sick TWICE in the past 2 months – once with flu and then a severe cold.  The last round of antibiotics was a wake-up call that I need to make sure I take preventive measures, including increased Vitamin C and multivitamins.

When I was sick I lost my appetite, so I was DEFINITELY not getting in the appropriate amount of calories and nutrients.  I also felt really low in energy, which made my daily routine more difficult.  One thing I have learned is that although I push myself to the limit at times trying to stay on top of work, stay active singing with my group (traveling to MS), get Celebrate Sisters established, and have a fraction of a social life, my body will SHUT DOWN, regardless of my to-do list.  And when it says enough, we have no choice but to listen.

So my first step, as Jessica suggests in her podcast interview, is to really take a look at what I’m currently doing, and then set some goals.  Where do I begin?  I tend to enjoy a shake (homemade or from Smoothie King) for breakfast, but eat a light or invisible lunch, and then an OK dinner.  My sister has gotten on my case about taking supplements while I work on getting what I need from my natural diet.  One goal is to do meal prep (likely on Sundays) that includes healthy meals and snacks that help boost energy!  Another goal is to restock on vitamins – but I will work with my physician on this to make sure I get the ones I need and the right amounts!  I won’t lie and say I’m 100% on top of this, but since I’m telling ya’ll what I’m doing, I feel accountable.

My challenge to you is to make sure you really do take care of your body, which means to LISTEN to your body. We only get one.  Yes, I know they make prosthetics limbs and are working on creating artificial organs.  But if you ever had to replace a part in a car, you know that the car never runs the same once you’ve replaced a part.  It is unfortunate that it takes sickness, injury or other physical challenges to realize our body IS fragile and needs a lot of care and attention.

Thank goodness for folks like Jessica who help keep us motivated, informed, and on track when it comes to our nutrition and health!!!   I feel like this saying is a great way to end the post – YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!!

Thanks for reading My Nutritional Story. Well, I hope you got something “nutritional” from it – even if just the link to Jessica’s FB page and podcast interview!  I’d love to hear from you about ways to keep a nutritionally balanced diet with an extremely busy lifestyle.  Please share in the comments!

#Balance #Goals #NutritionMatters

Ja’Wanda S. Grant

Click here to listen to the podcast interview with Jessica McAllister!

My sister and I have 27 years of education between us, starting from our college years. (Insert proud alumnae shout out to the University of Mississippi – “HOTTY TODDY”!)  If we add all official “schooling” years, that totals 52 years!  That’s not the kicker – our combined age is 69. This means we’ve been in school 75% of our combined lives! (Did I mentioned I kinda like math?) One conclusion might be that we are really crazy, while another might be that we are really smart.  But the real conclusion is that we had a LOT of support on our journeys, which we REALLY needed because it only got harder along the way.

After our MANY years in school pursuing graduate and professional degrees, I’d say we can be considered EXPERTS in WORKING HARD and PURSUING DREAMS!  Sure, you can say I’m a research scientists turned higher education administrator, and my sister is a medical doctor –  but underlying all of that “book” knowledge  is the common thread of diligence, persistence, resilience, and faith in a dream.

During the 52 years in school, we were in what I will call our metamorphosis.  I won’t try to describe in detail the biological process of butterfly metamorphosis (I’ll leave that to Ja’Larna, she was the biology major), but I will point out the key stages.  In the beginning was an egg (me), and five years later there was a another egg (Ja’Larna.)  You know the rest (if you don’t, go ask your parents about the birds and the bees).  I will focus on the butterflies.

Our next stage was the little caterpillar, crawling around trying to figure out “what we wanted to be when we grew up” and ingesting all the nutrients (information) we needed during that stage to help our growth.  A great deal of those nutrients were provided by our parents, grandparents, church, and various teachers who recognized our potential.  After we gleaned all those good nutrients, we were ready for the most difficult and often very dark and lonely phase – the chrysalis (sometimes associated with the cocoon.) We eventually decided on a career path (well Ja’Larna did and mine eventually just came and grabbed me.)   This stage was predominant in the years after undergraduate school where we realized that although we were “college grads”, we still had a LONG way to go before our dreams became a reality.  In my reading about this stage, I was reminded that this phase is NOT a resting phase as commonly thought.  From the outside, the chrysalis looks so calm and still, but there is a lot of growth, stretching and transformation happening within.  In our case, this manifested a lot of difficulty, distress, disappointments, failures, loneliness, and the list goes on.

Eventually the late nights in the labs/libraries, days without sleep or a real meal,  no money, forgetting birthdays (including our own) and important holidays because we didn’t know what day it was, feeling like no one understood, or that we made the wrong choice, there was a beam of light peaking through our shell.  The DREAM was becoming a REALITY.  Even after finishing the PhD and MD, there was the post-doc and residency. The light at the end of the tunnel (through our slightly cracked cocoon) was shining, but still ever so dimly!

The end result is beautiful.  Our butterflies have been released – well, at least this one as there are many butterflies (visions, gifts) within each of us.  My sister are I are now embarking on our next metamorphosis – reaching out to support other young girls and ladies going through metamorphosis.  This is our season to nurture and protect other eggs, caterpillars and cocoons to ultimately be RELEASED!

Ja’Wanda S. Grant, PhD | Celebrate Sisters Co-Founder