Get to know The Kid President - Self appointed voice of a generation

Our nation is led by a man globally considered the most intelligent and charismatic world leader of the century. Highly recognizable and admired by many, we all know President Barack Obama. But have you had the pleasure of being acquainted with the pint sized, self appointed POTUS? Meet Robbie Novak, aka Kid President - the HKIC (Head Kid In Charge). 

Since late 2012 Kid President and his team www.soulpancake.com, a group of viral video virtuosos, have started a blog and posted a series of inspirational videos on a mission to "make the world less boring". The ten year old hailing from Henderson, TX has become a YouTube sensation. There is no denying the lovable comedian and motivational speaker. From his tiny oval office he reminds us of the candid wisdom found in children's observations of the world. His age appropriate outbursts ("Not cool Robert Frost!") resonate with messages that can motivate all those who are young at heart from ages 2 to 102. Visit his blog at www.kidpresident.com/

Adding impact to his mission to inspire, Robbie was born with a condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or "Brittle Bone syndrome". Yet, his spirit is unbreakable and optimism shines through in every address. He is the son of David, Freed-Hardeman University staff member, and Laurie Novak. The videos are produced by Robbie's uncle, Brad Montague, who directs the university’s efforts in social media. Take 3 minutes and do yourself a service. Watch my favorite, his breakout video, below. 

A Pep Talk from Kid President to You

All hail the child chief! Let's rally around this young man on his quest to follow "the road that leads to awesome".  Just this week President Obama asked Kid President to help spread the word about the lottery for tickets to the Annual White House Easter Egg Roll. Check it out and register before February 25, 2013 at 10am. 

Help Get Your Favorite Blogger (yours truly) Published with Babble.com

Hi Mommy-Morphosis Readers!

I need your help for a chance to get published with Babble.com, a wonderful parenting website that has been on the forefront of promoting the best Mom and Dad writers in the blogosphere. Recently they have launched a campaign to "Help Get Your Favorite Blogger Published".  Babble and Hyperion’s panel of editors will choose which blog posts to invite to publish, based on editorial quality and suitability of topic — they are looking for that certain “it” factor that makes a blog post really special. 

Being published would be an honor and help me take MommyMorphosis to the next level. I've been searching for ways to turn my writing hobby into a business - this could be the perfect opportunity! Please think back to your favorite post from my blog and find a few moments to nominate it for the Babble editors.  

Visit http://www.babble.com/mom/best-of-blogs-campaign/nominate-a-post/

Thank you in advance for this and your continued support!

Deanna aka ShoMommy

www.mommymorphosis.blogspot.com

Nigel's Kids Lit Picks for Black History Month: Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A celebration of poetry with a beat. Edited by Nikki Giovanni

Every February our nation celebrates the achievements of African Americans during Black History Month. Though I aim to expose my children to the rich, multicultural history of the US year round, a BHM bonus for kids is enhanced school curriculum and special events. I thought it might be fun for my 5 year old son Nigel to pick a few books about African American history from our local library branch, but he was only marginally excited. When I suggested he help me write a new blog post about his favorite books his enthusiasm grew. I was a little disappointed that our branch did not have a display of kids picks; it took a while for us to find our picks for the project. There were quite a few books about well know African American individuals, but I didn't think biographies would hold his interest. We opted instead to look for titles that highlighted lesser known innovators, artistic contributions and offered an age appropriate overview of the civil rights movement. Below is one of our favorite selections. Keep up with the blog for more book reviews coming soon!


Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A celebration of poetry with a beat. Edited by Nikki Giovanni

I've been reading Nigel poetry since he was a baby. My appreciation for the art form began in grade school; I remember my own introductions to Gwendolyn Brooks, Lansgton Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Gil Scott Heron. I loved the ebb and flow, the sway of the rhythmic words. I'm also a fan of many musical genres, especially Hip Hop and Neo Soul. Artists like Queen Latifa, Tupac and Lauryn Hill are poets in their own right, setting their prose to pulsating beats. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree so naturally, just like his ShoMommy, Nigel loves verses, rhymes and music of all kinds. Nikki Giovanni has compiled more than 50 selections from talented writers and lyricists.  A CD is included which features poems like "People Equal", "We Wear The Masks", "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" and Ego Trippin" to vibrant beats. It makes the art form come alive. This got my boy very excited. He was interested in the lives of the poets now. We listened and read along with the book. We talked about the Harlem Renaissance and researched the origins of Hip Hop. Most of the musical selections included are not set to music, so we made our own. We took turns playing his drumset and performing. He LOVED Mos Def's "Umi Says" so we found the song on my Ipod. The last track, an excerpt from MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech, really blew his mind. He couldn't believe it was Dr. King's real voice! I could go on and on about this book, but in short it is a great way to introduce your children to poetry and a variety of music including quality hip hop, jazz and blues. It initiates conversation about rhymes, rhythms, new vocabulary and other literary concepts. After we finished the book and CD Nigel spouted rhymes, scatted and be-bopped the rest of the day.