Friiiiiiiiieeeeeends!

Posted on by JustAskMaia

Hey y’all! Oh em gee! Its been so long. Why y’all let me go this long without talking to you?! 😜 I have so much to tell you! Like seriously.

Did I even tell you guys about Maia? 🤔

Shoot! Well, I am finally writing that book. Yes hunty! It is TIME. My business is booming, I’m traveling SOLO! Girl let me tell you, life is GOODT!

I just got back from a 4 day Vegas trip. 😍 I lost $325 though. Gambling is NOT for me but I had fun. I thought I would miss the children but I missed them less when I called McRush and they were yelling in the background 😂.

I took random naps. Had morning mimosas or shots ← Judge ya mama 🙄. I even snuck in a smoke 🤗 ← again…. ya mama.

I don’t have to tell you that this was a much needed trip. This is one of the reasons I am writing this book.

Self care is so important especially as a wife, mother and business owner. Free time in my house, especially with 10 children, is scarce around these parts.

I have a partnership with Dell, ADP, and was recently given the position as District Implementation Director with Black Wall Street. I have been recently published in a few magazines, guest host on a few podcasts and radio shows and I am so excited to share more in a couple of weeks.

For now I am just checking in and I Hope you are following me on social media for more. I really want you on this journey with me because I want you to live you best life too. You deserve it..

Insomnia! REALLY?! Guh!

Posted on by JustAskMaia

So with all that’s been going on with me, I have now developed a case of insomnia. Usually I welcome insomnia with open arms because I actually like to work through the still of the night. When the house is quiet, outside of McRush snoring, I can get so much accomplished which rejuvenates me to still wake up in the early morning hours because I be so damn proud of myself and I just be on GO for days! However, with a newborn that wakes every hour and a half I find myself stealing naps and mini rests every opportunity I get.

A couple weeks ago I got extremely sick. I had a 104+ temperature, chills, nausea, lethargy, a massive migraine, and a case of Gross Hematuria. I could not eat or even keep my eyes open for more than 10 minutes at a time. I literally slept an entire week away. I would check in with members of my team, mostly my assistant, to be sure business didn’t skip a beat. McRush took care of home like the pro that he is. The truth is, I thought I was going to die. My anxiety was so high that I thought my heart was going to bust through my chest. It was extremely hard to calm down especially not knowing what was going on. Because of all of this I lacked nourishment to be able to produce milk to feed my daughter and somehow whatever was going on caused me to have peripheral neuropathy in my hands. I’m having a hard time. I’m pushing through, but I am definitely having a hard time.

Its crazy because with all that’s going on in the world, no matter how sick I was, my biggest fear was having to go to the hospital and never coming home. Nah, imma thug it out. And did. Between my amazing doula and McRush, here I am.

I go in to get a triple renal scan soon but until then its mini meals and taking it easy for numb Nina, my nickname since I can’t feel my hands. Lol.

I said all that to say that I think its slightly unfair that I have insomnia now. Especially since Maia is sound asleep and I am just up. But, as always, I look at the bright side of things. I was able to do some research, even though I didn’t want to. I read a big portion of this book I have and I have been able to blog and update you guys.

I’ll keep you posted but until then, keep being great. 😊

How to homeschool without going crazy 😲

Posted on by JustAskMaia

Today started out a little to early for me. My oldest had to be to work at 7 and while some may think 7 a.m. is not early, first of all, YES IT IS! But more importantly, we are no small family so just dropping him off at work calls for me to not only rise earlier to get the RushBunch together but STAY up. In this house, once I get them up, there is no laying back down.

Getting them up means extra time needed to wash faces, brush teeth, wash, make beds, get dressed and grab a snack on the way out the door. Yes, just to drop #1 off. These tasks usually take me about an hour and that’s if I don’t do the girls’ hair.

I was literally dragging and absolutely moody. In case some of you have forgotten, I am six months pregnant. And while McRush usually helps with the ease of getting out the house, he had long been gone for work.

There are several ways I lift the weight of homeschooling without hassle. Today I am going to share with you one of them. But first, let me just state that every morning they have to write the creed and study their spelling words. That takes no effort from me at all. The purpose in the creed writing is to work on their handwriting, in the event that you were wondering. While they do this, I am making breakfast.

Packet Privilege.

This is something that is an absolute life saver to me. Usually, prior to the start of the year, I print out grade appropriate worksheets for each child. In my case its head start to 12th grade. I make packet that contains anywhere from 5-10 worksheets. I do at least 20 per person, so make sure you have paper for your printer. (In the event you do not have a print, I will get to that.) I put these packets away! Packet Privileges can be earned or used as a “substitute teacher” for the day. 🤗

For days like today when I just did not feel like adulting, it was a substitute. I hand out the packets and let them work at their pace. Here is the thing though, the packet must be more like review work because, as with a substitute teacher, you are not available to “teach” so should not introduce new works you may have to explain. It should also contain learning games like word search puzzles or sodoku. With that being said, that is why I say packets can be “earned”. It can count as a free day to the children. We work on a bonus system. Following the rules of both school and home and doing at least one thing ‘above and beyond’, you can earn a packet privilege for a day.

This is one of the many ways I keep my sanity on school days when I want to call out and binge watch Netflix or even work on my business.

For those of you who do not have a printer, for the younger, elementary school children, you can find workbooks at Dollar Tree for them. Tear out all of the pages, shuffle them and staple. Voila! Packets. For parents with older children, you may have to spend more than $1 but go to Wal-Mart or Target and get the more advanced workbooks (in the books section) and do the same thing. (You can also find these in book stores like Barnes and Noble but you WILL spend at least $20 per book and you know I like my budget 🙂)

I hope this was helpful and hit the follow button for more homeschooling tips.

iRush.

Caught in the middle.

Posted on by JustAskMaia

There is a man that I look up to very much, yes someone outside of McRush. He is a very wise man and a very prosperous business owner, which is why I look up to him and have been even before Rush Consulting Firm was thought of. He keeps me on my toes with his creative ideas and desire to continue to move forward. He gave me some advice awhile back and I was hesitant yet equally as eager to take it. For those who know me or my Facebook page, I am very vocal when it comes to Reflections, whether it be for self accountability (which I blogged about and if you didn’t read it, you should) or for the injustices and/inequalities of Reflections. I am very unapologetic and dedicated to moving forward in what some would call the revolution, but I call Stand up.

This amazing man told me that I should clear my Facebook of things on my personal page that would be deemed as biased which in turn would potentially turn away clientele. I thought that he had a point and so I tediously went through my Facebook page and deleted all of my ‘controversial’ posts. I was compliant and I did not feel as sad about it as I would have thought. HOWEVER, moving forward as well as thinking back, I should have left it although I still agree that in general it was a very wise decision, just not for me.

Let’s think back first. Rush Consulting Firm, rather the intent for Rush Consulting Firm, was for the empowerment and building along with self sufficiency FOR Reflections not the general population. Yet going along with the general conception, I was quickly seen as an asset to ‘other’ communities rather than that of Reflections. Business is business and I rarely turn it down so I found myself oftentimes promoting to all as opposed to some which is where fine tuning my very public Facebook comes in.

Now let’s look at moving forward. The goal for Rush Consulting Firm still remains, in my heart, one of the biggest assets to Reflection’s community. Although it’s like pulling teeth, I will not lie, to get Reflections to support, I still have much confidence in my vision for my company. It is a matter of showing that Rush Consulting Firm is indeed an asset.

As I look through my Facebook feed, It really breaks my heart all of the stories I hear about police brutality towards Reflections. As a mother and wife I cannot take the pain of so many people lost at the hands of police. I want to yell and scream and cry and fight.  Therefore I find myself here, knowing the advice is very good advice but do I post about it?

Let me say that I know posting means NOTHING! Nothing! You can post and cry, you can post and march but change will not come until we stand. I am so tired. Everyone is waiting for a leader, someone to follow, but that is what is wrong with the community of Reflections, we are not taught to lead ourselves. We are so busy fighting among one another; who is more black, is Jesus real, black on black crime vs police on black crime. We are literally fighting the injustices of our people, the injustices for our people, AND our own people. When will enough be enough? What is wrong with us?

I know the revolution isn’t for everyone, but are we really this naive as a people? I do not know about you but I will NOT die with my hands up and I will NOT die on my knees.

All power to the people.

-Rush

Eek.

Posted on by JustAskMaia

Yaaay me, I made it through day three! Today was a piece of cake, even though I was hungry a little, I managed to make it through…wait, I bit a chicken nugget. Oh, God! I will see a five pound increase on the scale in the morning. I am not like normal people who can eat and not worry about it but even worse, if I so much as LOOK at a cheese burger I feel the added pounds instantly. Pray for me you guys. I am determined to  make it through this thing. It is no longer about a detox or shedding weight, for me it is about proving to myself that I can do something for myself. I give so much to other people that I misplace myself. By the time I find me I have to be dusted off and reaffirmed. I am too old to continue to put myself to the back burner. I am taking baby steps to live the words I pass on to my clients. I. Am. Worth. It.

In other iRush news, I am planning my New Years black and white tie event and I have put out a post that i needed an event planner because I have too much going on to pick up a project like this entirely and let me tell you, These people and their customer service skills are so ridiculous. I actually taught a few classes in customer service etiquette and most of these people need it. It seems as though I will end up doing it myself because not only are the people skills lacking but the prices are ridiculous. You cannot charge a small business the same amount you would charge a major company that has made the Forbes list four times, DUH. If you feel like you can, good for you, do not undercut yourself, however do not be nasty and negative when I have to say i will pass because I do not want to pay $97,00 for a dinner event. I declare.

In happier news, My children are doing very well in their academics. I am going to call the schools tomorrow though and get them screened because I want to be sure they are on the excelling track. Please, if you even think that you can home school your children, I implore you to. I know it seems like I go on daily with business as usual without bringing up the issues like my people being gunned down and stories being fabricated in order to criminalize them instead of just saying you made a mistake. It is senseless and I am not only hurting, I am also keeping my love ones in my sight at all times. I have a loving husband who does not do drugs, smoke, or even cuss/curse whom has never been in any trouble besides a speeding ticket for going 35 in a 30. In addition I have a soon-to-be 16 year old boy who is finding himself as a young man but also has no criminal record, honor student, and is awesome at avoiding peer pressure, but I also have five other sons and three daughters who I am teaching to be respectful yet wise. I see it, I hear it, I feel it. I just refuse to capitalize on it by turning my blog into an opinionated banter of back and forth between myself and followers. Its pointless and arguing will solve nothing. I will say I pray for you guys every night and I pray that you are returning the favor.

-Rush
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Day two

Posted on by JustAskMaia

Today was harder than yesterday. I had to sniff dinner for a slice of mental satisfaction. I am light headed but I think that is all in my mind because there have been plenty days where I have inadvertently eaten way less than these smoothies and celery. I will admit that I have had a bit more clarity- when I am not thinking of food. Oh my gosh, a whopper right now though! I would like to add that, even though I know your weight fluctuates on this challenge, I am still going to take pride in the fact that I lost three and a half pounds in one day. My detox tea I ordered from Amazon will be in tomorrow too, apparently I was supposed to have some on hand before starting but better late than never right.

I was able to come up with a few financial plans for myself and family. My goal is to help as many people as I can build a foundation of generational wealth, whether it be from starting your own company or investing/saving. I have decided to get back into multi level marketing, or mlm as some may know it. I had my eyes on this one venue but I have been introduced to something else so now I have to make a decision…or do I? I have no problem with multiple streams of income especially when I can afford the initial start up cost which for some companies can be astronomical. I will keep you posted as to which ones I am looking into and choose. I have no problem passing on information.

As far as homeschooling, today was pretty basic, I actually let Te’ teach the children their math essentials and number recognition. He seems to make it more fun than I do so I may have to start paying him for his services and hire him on Tuesdays. I have also come to realize that my children absorb knowledge better in the evenings. So, I will now be teaching them in the evenings after they have played out all of their energy. This also works in my favor because I have decided to give social media a rest for awhile so I can focus on good old fashion foot work. Yep, I am getting out and hitting businesses face to face. I am a little nervous because while this is nothing new to me, I have a direct goal to meet by November so I have to be more firm and not so passive which is hard for me because I am a big ol’ softy. You can pull on my heart strings with a sneeze.

I think that about covers it for today.

-Rush
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Family vacation my FOOT!

Posted on by JustAskMaia

So I have been off of here for a few days and there is so much that I would like to share with you guys, my thoughts, interactions, and goings-ons, that I am going to have to post a few blogs tonight just to catch up.

Let us start with this “family vacation” we have recently gone on……..

I do not even know where to start but let me first say that whoever came up with the term FAMILY vacation was obviously delusional in every aspect of the matter. At no point during our trip to Myrtle Beach did I feel or have the remote inkling that I was on vacation. There was nothing that I did that said vacation. I will admit though that everything said, family.

We were blessed to be able to get a room for a very reasonable rate that had a kitchenette in it. There was a pool right outside our door and the beach was like a 45 second walk. The customer service was awesome. The keep was exceptionally pleasant and I even messed up a plate and they did not charge me for it (mostly due to the fact that I was honest and brought it to their attention first). The best part is they were a family and couples only hotel which meant everyone was civilized and respectful of one another. The best part was they never one time turned their noses up or turned us down once they found out that we have 9 children; this is especially a rarity for us when we travel.

Now, the trip. While I felt very extended while away because i was not only doing the same everyday things that I do at home, I had to do them in tighter living quarters and if you know me you would know that I hate clutter and cluttered situations but I digress for the good of the trip. I still had to get up and cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I still taught school and created daily lessons, I still worked for one of my clients (which I will not do ever again), and I still had to pack, unpack, and clean. This has brought me to the sad conclusion that no matter where I am I will always be slave, er, I mean mom.

My children are spoiled to the max and I am okay with that sometimes; on vacation is NOT one of those times.

I am just whining. Although I still felt like the nanny-cook-housekeeper-slave, the smiles and enjoyment from my children makes it all worth it. We went to the beach that my children beg to go to all the time but when we get there, they remember that they are deathly afraid of the water. The laughter I get from that alone makes the trip worthwhile. Lol. Likewise with the pool. Sai almost drowned in 3 feet even though he is 4 foot 2 inches tall. I laughed so hard at his dramatics that I almost forgot to save him (so his brother jumped in to do it). I kept yelling stand up but he was too busy being dramatic. And before you flood me with the fact that it is possible for him to drown in three feet while being over four feet tall, yes, I am well aware of that but if you knew Sai you would totally see why it was funny.

In the end (and even some parts of during) I did thoroughly enjoy the trip <—— (notice I didn’t say vacation). It was fun plus I got to hit some cool Thrift Stores on the way home.

 

-Rush

Lost in a relationship.

Posted on by JustAskMaia

No. My relationship is not in trouble, just a few thoughts I have been pondering from watching other people.

There are several things that turn a relationship sour. There is not a top of the list and no one thing that is better or worse than the other. I believe all of these issues are attributable to the demise of a relationship. I have been in relationships where some of these were a factor and I have been in a relationship that possessed all of them…stupid ex. But after all the tears and anger, I managed to come out stronger than I thought I ever would and I am able to consult and encourage those who are. Alas, as much as I dislike what I was taken through in life I owe my success to it. Pay attention because this is free advice that I normally charge $50 an hour for. I, at this point, am just tired of seeing our black men badger our black women on their big mouths and bad attitudes; their lack of subordination and respect. I am also tired of seeing our black women badger our black men on their inconsistencies and inabilities to keep them happy; Their lazy and selfish ways. Both sides are angry and both sides are hurt and I think it about time we meet at the round table to discuss our issues and the roots that plague us.

Lets start with the list. [Lack of] communication, respect, compassion, and honesty. The root; poor upbringing from our parent’s poor upbringing from their parent’s poor upbringing, etc.

How many of us can honestly say that our parent(s) taught us about being a good mate? How many have discussed it with us that it is important to not carry the aforementioned characteristics? Even the more, how many of us had examples of what a healthy two parent household relationship should look like? There is your root that is more than likely their root and so on.

We forget that we are one people. Men want to be able to come home and relax. They want a good meal and conversation. They want to be able to unload and unwind from the struggles, worries, pains, and injustices of their day. They want to be held and told that everything will be alright. They want to feel at home. But here is the kicker.. So do women. We forget that we face the same issues in our daily lives, its just painted differently. We do not know how to communicate that to each other. Your wife does not want to nag you to death, she wants you to understand that she had a rough day too. and when neither one can civilly communicate with each other they search elsewhere for someone who will let them release. We do not respect that we both go through the same trials in life just trying to get ahead. We are so angry at the world that we get angry at each other for not being there. We are not honest with one another. When something is bothering you tell her/him, don’t just say ‘nothing’ or ‘I’m fine’, that is dishonesty. Learn to pour your heart out to the person you pour your soul into during intimacy. You are one, how can you be mad at yourself and never seek to resolve the issue. LISTEN. Don’t just hear the words and wait to interject your opinion/disagreement by taking mental ‘get-back’ notes. What your mate has to say needs to be heard because they are worth it. Aren’t they?

By not respecting one another and being there for one another we are continuing the cycle of our own extinction. It is a hard journey for us all but just because you hurt on the left and I hurt on the right does not make my pain any less important than yours. It starts with a conversation and continues on by passing the gathered information.

So who’s going to meet me at the round table? There is plenty of room.

 

-Rush

usies

National outcry after mom arrested for whipping child

Posted on by JustAskMaia

I am going to make this quick and painless for you because I rarely make it a point to blog back to back. Shoot, I can barely blog daily like I want to. However, I just read about a woman who beat her children and was arrested for it. Not only that the children are now in child services custody.

Now, I know a lot of people don’t believe in spanking, whooping, beating, or tearing that behind up….wait, let me first say that I think that is a load of crap because every parent has their moment when they know their child needs a quick hand to the back side. Okay, now that I have said that….

This woman is a great mom! There are some mothers who would have done nothing nor would they have made their children give the stolen goods back. This woman, this MOTHER chose to do what needed to be done to set them right. people can say all day that she should have talked to them or grounded them but talk to them about what, how stealing is wrong? At the age of 13 I am sure that even if this conversation had never taken place, which I highly doubt, I am so sure that the children involved already knew that stealing is not right. As a toddler you even know when you sneak things its wrong so I impose upon you to riddle me this, what should she have talked about?

I have been blessed with children that I do not oftentimes have to go to this extreme, and I use that word lightly because there is nothing extreme about lighting some fire on that tale, but I will. I tell my children all the time, I will dial the number for you and pack your bags for you honey. My children think I am the worst parent ever because I use the method my mom and dad used on me, they talked me to death about my actions. Half the time I was crying because I just wanted them to shut up not because I felt bad but that’s a secret (even though my mom reads my blogs faithfully. (HI MOM!)) But it worked. That is not going to work for everyone and that’s the truth. My best friend used to take everything she ever bought her daughter. Bed, clothes, toys, dresser, etc. All she had was the carpet to sleep on and what clothes she had on her back all weekend. That worked for her daughter. I have a friend that uses scripture to discipline her children. Whatever they did wrong, she would find scripture for it and make them write it 100 times and then write an essay about what they did and why it was wrong. That didn’t work for her kids because they are bad as hell, but you get my point. Everything doesn’t work for everyone. This woman knows her children. Let her discipline her children because the death penalty is much better right.

 

-Rush

Only a black woman will truly understand

Posted on by JustAskMaia

I had a moment. Its gone. I am so angry and I just don’t know why. Is it a stigma I was born with because I am a black woman? I refuse to believe that. I refuse to believe that we are all bred to be angry. What happened? I am going to lay it all out on the paper today. I will not proofread it or I will change it or not publish it.
I am on a journey to dig deep onto the revelation of the “Why” of an angry black woman. THIS angry black woman. As I sit and ponder about this subject, I began to wonder if it truly is our upbringing. We as women are bred to believe that we are to keep our mouths shut and find our place as a child. and mind our parents, suppressing any thoughts of anger or resentment without speaking how you feel. Taught to do as you are told and do as I say not as I do. I oftentimes wonder if this is the root of the anger of a black woman. Black boys are allowed to go out and dig ditches and play in the dirt,get into fist fights with other boys, argue with their neighbors children. They don’t have to do the same chores that we have to do. As I dig deep, I think about the difference in the way that we are raised as a black family. We are raised as little girls to act like a lady, carry of yourself accordingly, never really given the opportunity to express ourselves. On the other hand, boys- black boys- can do what they want “they’re just being boys” we are taught not to scrape up our knees or scuff our shins, hold your pinky up when you drink your tea. There are no rules to being a black boy. Now that I think about it we are raised to be angry black women not purposely and not because something happened to us. Its just the way that families are raised. “Girls don’t do that, girls don’t behave like that, black girls don’t act like that.” We’re raised to suppress what we are really truly feeling and usually the first relationship we get into we act the way we were raised; our first boyfriend respects that but as soon as we speak on something that we are angry about they give us a sideways look like we’re trying to act brand new but the truth is we’re mad and we are mad from within. We over react when we’re upset because we don’t know HOW to react when we’re upset, we weren’t taught to say what’s on your mind. We weren’t taught to say how we feel. We were taught to be delicate and soft and gentle but the truth of the matter is, some of us aren’t soft and delicate and gentle. The bottom line is we don’t know how to connect with our emotions, we don’t know how to casually speak that we’re angry or say that you did something to upset us. We hold it in and we suppress it. There’s a box of sensitivity within that holds that suppression and we get angry and we put it in the box we get mad and we put it in the box. We suppress it and suppress it and suppress it until the box of sensitivity can explode with just one touch. One wrong word from anyone. Who is that someone? Our mates. Because no matter how angry we get we were raised to respect our parents to act like a lady to stay in our place and to stay dainty. So that box of sensitivity will never explode on our parents. I believe that the anger that we hold with in starts from a very young age so yes sometimes, sometimes I am an angry black woman. And do you want to know the truth about it? I hate it. I hate being labeled as an angry black woman. I’ve been married for years and there’s a woman within that my husband doesn’t even know because I’m taught to suppress it and when I start to express it I lose my mind and he hates it so I suppress it. I don’t know how to express it so really there is no one thing that makes me mad there is no one man that’s made me mad, its life. Life is expression but if I can’t express myself then I’m not really living am I? I make a vow this day to teach my daughters that’s it is okay to express themselves. It is okay to say when you are upset or when you are hurt or when you are angry. It’s okay to be mad. It’s okay to be hurt. It’s okay to be angry. It’s NOT okay to hold on to it. I employ all of my black women, light skin, brown skin, dark skin, honey, peanut butter; it doesn’t matter what complexion you are, a black woman is a black woman and I am a black woman. I am raising black women we need to stand with one another and for one another find the roots of your anger and confront it. Our anger is not towards each other. We need to learn that, we need to know that, we need to own that. Accept that the key to growing is accountability. Take the accountability for your actions, it is the only way you can grow. It is the only way we will shake this stigma from our bones. I will lead the way by starting with me.
-Rush

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