On sale...only $4.99

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Save on Echo Dot

All-new Echo (2nd Gen) has a new speaker, new design, and is available in a range of styles including fabrics and wood veneers. Echo connects to Alexa to play music, make calls, set alarms and timers, ask questions, control smart home devices, and more—instantly.

Just ask for a song, artist, or genre from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, and more. With multi-room music, you can play music on compatible Echo devices in different rooms. Echo can also play audiobooks, radio stations, news briefs, and more.

Call or message almost anyone hands-free with your Echo device. Also, instantly connect to other Echo devices in your home using just your voice.

New speaker, now with Dolby processing for crisp vocals and dynamic bass response. Echo can fill the room with 360° omnidirectional audio.

With seven microphones, beamforming technology, and noise cancellation, Echo hears you from any direction—even while music is playing

Just ask Alexa to check your calendar, weather, traffic, and sports scores, manage to-do and shopping lists, control your compatible smart lights, thermostats, garage doors, sprinklers, and more

Alexa is always getting smarter and adding new features and skills. Just ask Alexa to control your TV, request an Uber, order a pizza, and more.

Marcee'

www.marceebonds.com

Call of Duty... get it now in time for Christmas

Call of Duty returns to its roots with Call of Duty: WWII—a breathtaking experience that redefines World War II for a new gaming generation

Land in Normandy on D-Day and battle across Europe through iconic locations in history’s most monumental war

Experience classic Call of Duty combat, the bonds of camaraderie, and the unforgiving nature of war against a global power throwing the world into tyranny

Marcee'

www.marceebonds.com

Keep your feet warm and dry....

Leather and Textile

Imported

Rubber sole

Shaft measures approximately 9" from arch

Heel measures approximately 1.25 inches"

Platform measures approximately 0.75"

Techlite lightweight midsole for long lasting comfort, superior cushioning, and high energy return.

Omni-Grip non-marking traction rubber.

Waterproof leather and textile.

Waterproof seam-sealed membrane bootie construction.

200g insulation. Rated -25F/-32C.

Marcee'

www.marceebonds.com

For the reader on your list....

now available in black or white

Higher resolution display (300 ppi) - with twice as many pixels

Built-in adjustable light - read day and night

No screen glare, even in bright sunlight, unlike tablets

A single battery charge lasts weeks, not hours

Massive selection, lowest prices - over a million titles $2.99 or less

Prime members read free with unlimited access to over a thousand titles

Marcee'

www.marceebonds.com

Need to shop for a gamer?

Spectacular graphics – Explore vivid game worlds with rich visuals heightened by PS4 Pro.

Enhanced gameplay – Support for faster frame rates delivers super-sharp action for select PS4 games.

One unified gaming community – Compatible with every PS4 game. Play online with other PS4 players with PlayStation Plus.

Extraordinary entertainment – With up to 4K streaming and 4K auto-upscaling for video content.

Mount not included.

Marcee'

www.marceebonds.com

A cool smartwatch for kids

The VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch DX is an even smarter watch for kids with more fun games and activities; features 3 fun activities, 5 games, 3 action challenges and a motion sensor

Kids watches are perfect for young photographers, this durable smartwatch has more memory so kids can take tons of pictures and videos; feature camera with photo effects, video camera, voice recorder with voice-changing effects and touch screen

In addition to the alarm, timer and stopwatch, the VTech watch has 2 new tools including a calendar feature and a calculator so your child can work out simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems

Digital and analog kids smartwatch display comes with 50 plus clock face designs; splash proof for everyday play (splash and sweat proof; do not submerge and not suitable for showering or bathing)

More than just a watch, it's the Kidizoom Smartwatch DX; features rechargeable Lithium Ion battery and includes micro USB cable to upload photos/videos as well as recharge the battery; intended for ages 4 to 9 years,wristband can be adjusted for wrists between 137mm to 197mm ( 5.4" to 7.75")

Marcee'

www.marceebonds.com

Get your puppy right before the holidays

Don't want any embarrassing pet messes or smells? Use these training pads for your puppy and keep your house smelling right.

Marcee'

The hottest thing for kids this holiday season

p to $144 in savings on Fire HD 8 tablet, 1 year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, and a Kid-Proof Case, plus a 2-year worry-free guarantee

Not a toy, a full-featured Fire HD 8 tablet with a vibrant HD display, 32 GB internal storage, and up to 12 hours of mixed-use battery life. Add a microSD card for up to 256 GB of expandable storage.

2-year worry-free guarantee: if they break it, return it and we'll replace it for free. No questions asked.

One year of FreeTime Unlimited gives you access to 15,000 popular apps and games, videos, books, and educational content from PBS Kids, Nickelodeon, Disney, and more

Add even more content to your child’s profile in FreeTime to give them selected access to apps in your personal library, such as Netflix, YouTube, and Minecraft

Best-in-class parental controls allow you to manage usage limits, content access, and educational goals

Amazon Parent Dashboard with Discussion Cards enables parents to discover the titles their kids enjoy and connect with them through rich conversations about these titles

Marcee'

www.marceebonds.com

My favorite thing on Amazon

Save money and say good bye to cable...

The Amazon Fire Stick is a small device the size of a flash drive that plugs into a TVs HDMI port. The Fire Stick enables any TV to stream content over WiFi such as Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Pandora, HBO go, and much more.

Everyday I will be sharing my favorite things on Amazon. As we are gearing up for the Holiday season the biggest retailer has a huge variety of things for everyone. Maybe you will find something to check off your shopping list.

Happy shopping and saving!!

Marcee'

www.marceebonds.com

My 6 Year Old Was Being Bullied

My son was so excited and nervous to be going into the 1st grade. He talked about it all Summer long. He had so many questions about it. Will he do good? Is he smart enough? Will 1st grade be hard? Just the usual curiosity for a 6 year old. My expectations were about the same and very simple. He would go to school, learn and make new friends, but I never expected he would be a victim of bullying.

We are in Houston and school started two weeks late because of hurricane Harvey. Everything was good at first. He was bringing homework daily and learning new things. We would discuss school everyday and he would tell me all the things he learned each day and what all the bad kids were doing as well. I would say maybe after two weeks of school he started telling me about a boy calling him names.

At first, I didn't think much of it, you know kids are just being kids. This will probably die down after awhile they will laugh about it and move on. But, it was consistent and eventually came to the point it was almost daily. My son would come home and say mom so and so called me this (bad name). Why does he call me (bad name)? I tried to encourage him and speak positive things to him and tell him that is not your name and just ignore it. I tried to be positive, but when he came home one day and said this is making him feel sad, I knew I had to do more.

With him telling me he felt sad, I automatically started thinking the worse. I know my son is young but there are a lot of kids that have hurt themselves because of bullying. At this point I knew I could not just blow this off. I asked my son if he told his teacher, he said no he couldn't tell his teacher. That was a concern to me that he did not feel safety in telling his teacher. My first step was to get the teacher involved to see if the school could intervene before things got out of hand. I wrote a note to his teacher explaining the situation and asking for her help with this matter.

I am glad to report that this was addressed right away. The teacher spoke with my son and the little boy, but she also got the boy's parents involved to make them aware of his behavior. The little boy also felt bad about it he was crying and apologized to my son for his behavior. I kind of felt sorry for him but hoped he learned a valuable lesson. When I picked up my son from school that day his attitude was a lot better than usual. He was smiling and very happy to tell me he had a very good day at school.

I am glad that this was resolved, but I am also sad that this has happened. In my mind, bullying is something older kids go thru but now I see it can happen at any age. I am glad that my son felt comfortable enough to tell me what was going on and I am glad that I did not sweep this under the rug and approach it as if he needs to "tough" it out.

I hope this will be a life lesson that both children will carry out. As parents we do our best to protect our children. We should never take for granted when our children share their problems with us, even though it seems minor to us it is a major problem to them.

Regards,

Marcee' Bonds

www.marceebonds.com

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Would you enroll your child in an online school? Why or why not?

Hello all,
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope enjoy this post and please feel free to comment.

Lately, I have seen commercials for K-12 a tuition free online school. After so many times of seeing the commercial I decided to do my own research and the tuition free part really peaked my interest. I went to the website and they offer two different programs for students beginning at 3rd grade to the 12th grade. That makes sense to me, I think it would be difficult for smaller children to learn this way. At that age they will have all the basics, they are a little more disciplined and are able to sit and listen.

It looks like a good school, but I am not sure if it's something I would ever do. My concern would be my child lacking the social skills that are learned when interacting with his peers. I believe we learn a lot of life lessons when dealing with people that can only be learned through experience.  In my situation, my son is somewhat growing up as an only child so most of his social interaction is at school.  Even though he is too young for the program he really enjoys being around other children. I don't believe it would be an effective way for him to learn, he is an extreme extrovert. He will talk to any and everybody, he is very out going. I am working on that trait, making sure he does not talk to strangers when I am not around.

I am quite sure there are circumstances where this would be a good fit; such as, if your child is being bullied or if you child has special needs that are not being met by his school.  A lot of parents prefer to home school their children as they believe it will provide a better education for them.

As I stated before it would not work for me. I believe the social interaction with his peers is necessary and I would not want him to miss that. What are your thoughts? Would you enroll your child in an online school?



Marcee' Bonds
www.marceebonds.com
info@marceebonds.com
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How Can You Choose a Sex Predator over Your Children?

Hello all,
I hope you have a very good week and thank you for stopping by to read my blog.

Last week, I watched a couple of daytime shows and this was the topic. I could not believe that these mothers were choosing to be with an alleged sex offender.  They were not only in relationships with these men, but they chose to put their children out of the home to be with these men.  I was in shock and disgusted by the mothers behavior and no matter what explanation they offered it just did not make sense to me.

As mothers our job is to protect our children from harmful people and situations. How can you knowingly bring a man into your home who is an alleged sex offender? One of the mother's believed he did not do it and was being falsely accused even though he plead guilty to the crime. My opinion is I don't have to know for sure you did it, the fact that you are being accused is enough for me. I would not allow him around my children or any children in my presence.

I may seem judgmental and everyone does at times deserve a second chance, but I am not the one to give him that chance. I could not live with myself if I opened that door and he harmed my children. But, passing on a guy who turned his life around I can live with that. As a mom my kids come first, these women are being selfish and putting their wants first.

I can't imagine ever choosing a man accused of harming children over my children.  The only reason that came to mind is maybe they were victims of abuse as well. This doesn't justify their decision it shows that they never received the professional help they needed.

I felt sorry for the children who are caught in the middle this mess. I can only imagine the emotional turmoil the children are feeling. I am quite sure they are feeling angry, sad, hopeless, neglected and rejected. How do you recover from this? How do you move on once the relationship ends?

I don't know how they can move forward from such devastation. I hope that whoever steps up and takes care of the children so well that it doesn't have that much of an affect on them. Who knows maybe their life is better without their mom. I learned that being a mother is earned and not given and every woman who has children does not deserve the title.

Marcee' Bonds
www.marceebonds.com
info@marceebonds.com
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To paddle or not to paddle?

Hello all,
Recently on social media I saw where a school district in TX has voted to bring paddling back into their schools. Of course, there is a huge debate online between parents who agree and disagree if this should be allowed in schools. I am in total agreement with this form of discipline.

I grew up with this during my school years and it was an influence on my behavior in school. I believe it was a major factor in most of the children behaviors that were exhibited in my school compared to the classrooms of today. The classrooms today are usually unruly and the students are very disrespectful to their teachers. I have experienced this as a substitute teacher and my sister who is a teacher has as well. This behavior affects the learning and education our children receive. How effective will a teacher be if she/he is disrespected and fear retaliation anytime they attempt to enforce the rules?

I have seen videos online with students in a teacher's face, yelling, cursing, and threatening to harm them.  Most of the time there are no consequences for these actions. But, it doesn't just stop at the school. Kids nowadays are disrespectful to authority period, rather it's their parents, teachers, etc. What has become almost the norm was not common for children in my generation to behave this way. We were disciplined at home as well as school.  We were taught to respect our elders and we were held accountable for the things we did.

Children today have no accountability for the behaviors they display. Society not only removed paddling in schools but it also removed the right from parents to discipline their own children. Psychologist argue that spanking will cause children to be angry and act out, etc. Well, please explain all the school shootings, children killing their parents, cyber bullying, and increased teen suicide rates; just some of the issues that are affecting our youth today.

Taking this right away makes it harder on parents. It takes away the parents authority and   and gives children the "if you hit me I am going to call the police" attitude.  The same children will become adults who are not accountable for what they do and feel like the world owes them something.

I do believe that the discipline should fit the child. Time out does not work for every child and neither does spanking. I feel that society generalized all children the same and said spanking was wrong all together period. That is not the case, some children respond to that type of discipline. I do not believe paddling and spanking is always the answer but I do believe it should be an option.

Marcee' Bonds
A Single Mother's Point of View Raising a Black Man
www.marceebonds.com
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UPDATE!!! Going Live!!...Lets talk...July 19th 8pm CST

Hello everyone,
I was scheduled to go live this Thursday and every one after. But due to scheduling conflicts my go live days will be Tuesday starting July 19th.  Thank you for your support join me on my Facebook page.  I will discuss my book, parenting topics and anything else that I find interesting. Please remember to send me your parenting questions or concerns that you would like me to discuss.

Respectfully,

Marcee' Bonds
info@marceebonds.com
www.marceebonds.com
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Going Live....Let's Talk!

Hello,
I am so excited about the opportunities that social media gives us to connect and reach out to each other. I am going to start using Facebook live on my page weekly. I will discuss various topics, talk about my book and answer your questions about parenting.

Send your questions or topic suggestions to:
info@marceebonds.com

Live broadcast schedule
Every Thursday @ 8:00 pm CST starting July 13th

Hope to see you there!

Regards,
Marcee' Bonds
www.marceebonds.com
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How do you explain death to your children?

Hello,
Unfortunately, my father died unexpectedly two weeks ago. As I was going thru the emotions of the shock and helping my mom with the funeral arrangements, I was on the fence about taking my 6 year old to the funeral.  On one hand I was like this is his grandfather and he knew him even though a short time this would be the last time he would ever see him. Do I deny him to see him one last time? But on the other hand I was thinking will my son even understand what is going on.  My child is very inquisitive so I knew he would ask me a bunch of questions about the whole experience. I thought long and hard about it.

I remembered my first experience with death. My paternal grandfather died when I was 9 years old. There was no discussion with my parents about what I was going to experience, but I still have the memory of that experience. I really didn't understand the concept and I didn't understand why everyone was crying and carrying on. But, from that moment I associated funerals as a sad and overwhelming experience. I wasn't sure if I wanted to expose my 6 year old to that experience and let that be his first. I understand death is something we all will have to deal with it but at what age do you explain it to your children.

I decided to take my son to the funeral. He was already aware of what was going on because he was with my mom when she found my dad. I wasn't sure how he would handle it because the kids were at a family members house while the coroner was there doing the things that needed to be done. So this would be the first time he seen his grandfather as well as a dead person as well as going to a funeral. I was a little hesitant but I concluded that I did not want him to regret that he did not pay his last respects to his grandfather.

As I anticipated, he asked a lot of questions during the funeral and it was hard for me to grieve and be a mom at the same time. But he asked away and I answered to my best ability. He went to the bathroom about 3 times during the service, mind you we are seated at the front of the church.  He did cry a little but I think that was because everyone else was crying. Then he was playing with his cousins that were sitting behind him. I eventually gave him my phone to watch cartoons on YouTube. That kept him quiet during the rest of the service. But, it did not stop there of course he had questions once we got to the cemetery. At this time I let him stay in the van and watch his shows. I wanted to pay my last respects in peace.

I am not sure how my son feels about the whole thing. Based on his behavior it was just something we did for grandpa.  I think he finally understands what was going on it took him some time to process it. A few days later after we came back home, he did say "I miss grandpa" and my response was "we all do".

Of course this will be an on going discussion. I will make myself available to talk to him about it and provide answers he can understand.   I am glad that I did decide to take him. Sometimes as parents we overthink things I was worried about him and he handled it a lot better than I expected him to.

Marcee' Bonds
Email:  info@marceebonds.com
www.marceebonds.com
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Thank you all!!

The demand was so high yesterday that I have decided to extend the autograph offer. So if you missed it yesterday don't worry you can still get a copy for $8.00 plus shipping and handling. Click the button the below. Supplies are limited so hurry.

Autographed Copy

Marcee'
www.marceebonds.com
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Today Only!!! Save on Autographed Copy

Good morning..today only get an autographed copy of my book. The price for your copy is $8.00 plus shipping and handling ($4.95). Thank you for your support. Click below to get your copy now.

Autographed Copy

Marcee' Bonds
www.marceebonds.com
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Would you do jail time for your son?

I was on social media the other day and someone posted this question. The question asked... would you do 90 days in jail to keep your 17 year old son from going to prison for 13 years? A lot of mothers posted yes and of course without any hesitation. My answer was different as well as a few other mothers. We said it depends on the crime. Here is my exact response...."it depends but probably not because I'm sitting in jail he still probably gonna be getting into trouble & we both will be in jail lol...because 4 that much time it must be serious & I taught his ass right from wrong and that there are consequences for his actions he needs to be held accountable"

It just blew my mind that these mothers said yes with out asking any questions such as, what was the crime? Is he guilty? They were ready and willing to go to jail and I don't understand why. I can see maybe under certain circumstances, because there are innocent black men in prison, but to do it with no questions asked and no information makes no sense to me. Where is the accountability? What are these mothers really teaching their sons? You can do the crime and I will do the time.

Boys need to learn responsibility and accountability early in life way before they become young adults. Learning these things will hopefully give them the ability to make better decisions where a mother would not be in the position to have to make the decision to go to jail for her son. I believe if your son has committed a crime that can lead to prison time, the only thing a parent should do, if they choose, is to get him a good lawyer; and I feel helping him with that depends on his behavior. If he has been behaving like a juvenile delinquent then going to prison may be his destiny.

I don't think that prison is the answer for our youth. I believe we need more mentoring programs and outreach efforts in our community. But, I believe as a mother we should not always be so quick to rescue our children. There will be situations in life where we won't be able to save them and they will need to able to figure things out on their own. They will never learn to fly solo if you keep them under your wing. As I look at the youth today, I can tell that they are not being held accountable for their actions. They are very disrespectful to anyone in authority, such as parents, teachers, etc. A lot of parents are not raising their children with good old fashioned values that worked for us. They are allowing children to behave like little adults instead of kids. They are allowing them to express themselves and do what they feel versus being a parent and making them do what is right.

Some mothers will decide to do the time for their son and that is truly their choice. But, ask yourself this question. Do you think your son will visit you while your in jail for something he did?

Marcee' Bonds

Author of A Single Mother's Point of View Raising a Black Man

http://www.marceebonds.com

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Are Cartoons to Serious?

I am amazed at how the kids nowadays are being raised compared to how we were raised. With all the social media they are exposed to this allows some kids to be grown before their time. They are tech savvy children, my youngest was able to show me a shortcut to my YouTube app on my phone lol. He would watch his cartoons and toy reviews on YouTube and I never knew how he figured it out but he subscribed to 50 channels. Not only are things so different but I notice that even the cartoon kids watch today are not as innocent as they used to be.

My son usually watches Nick Jr or Disney Jr, but the other day while flipping thru channels he came across the Boomerang channel. Boomerang shows older cartoons, such as Looney Toons, Scooby Doo and etc. Well that day they were showing Scooby Doo and Tom & Jerry. My son was very amused by both of these cartoons but especially Tom & Jerry. I have never heard him laugh so much while watching cartoons, and I started thinking what happened to innocent funny cartoons?

Cartoons today are more lesson driven than funny or entertaining. I don't mind cartoons that try to teach but I also would like to have cartoons for children that are entertaining and make them laugh. As kids this should be a fun and enjoyable time for them, laughter is good for the soul. Children television shows should not be so serious all the time. I want shows that my child can have a great time watching and that lifts his spirits.

I am quite sure cartoons will continue to evolve as time goes on. I am just afraid of what they will evolve too. I yearn for the good old days and maybe that's why Boomerang exist to get back that old feeling of great cartoons that kids can enjoy.

Marcee' Bonds

A Single Mother's Point of View Raising a Black Man

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Radio Interview

I will be on the Larry Steveneson Show with the Bearded Black Cowboy...February 17th @ 7pm CST be sure to tune in..

5 star review

Please be sure to order your copy of my book... A Single Mother's Point of View Raising a Black Man...Available on Amazon in paperback and for kindle

Actual Customer Review (5 stars)

This is an excellent book which outlines how a single mother can and should get past the anger and pain that her child's absentee father has caused her. The author teaches you how to stop draining yourself by trying to force a man to be a father, and instead turn that into positive and productive energy that can be put into both you and your son--to create the best life for both of you.

Marcee' Bonds

www.marceebonds.com

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Why Can't We Do Both?

I was watching The View the other day and Whoopi asked a question that really made me think. She asked, why can't employers provide good jobs and take care of their workers? As someone who has been duped by corporate American a time or two, I was a victim of the 2007 recession. I lost my job after 14 years I went from middle class to lower class in 2.3 seconds. It was a harsh reality for me and things changed drastically. We are still seeing the effects of the job market today. There are college educated people working non-skilled jobs to make a living, and the ratio of job seekers to jobs makes it a very competitive market.

But, her question and my experience makes me believe that corporate America is no longer concerned about their workers they are all about that bottom dollar. Everyday you are sure to hear about a business either closing or laying off workers. I understand that businesses are in business to make money. But, there are other ways to trim the fat than to lay off or fire employees who are working paycheck to paycheck to take care of their families. You know it wouldn't hurt the CEO if he/she did not get a bonus that year on top of their 7 figure salary (the average CEO salary is $13.8 million... ref The Glassdoor). Most people will not make that in their lifetime.

I remember when my grandparents and parents would work at one company and retire with a pension. Now it's rare to spend your whole career at one employer and it's rare to get a pension from a company. Most companies today feel all employees are expendable. They will get another one just like you, for less pay to do the same job. I have been in the workforce for 20+ years and the changes I see makes me wonder about how it will be when my 6 year old joins the workforce.