About Our Family

 

My name is Monica Utsey and I'm very passionate about everything I do, especially the education of my children, KingMan (a name coined by my late husband) and LionHeart. God could not have given me two children so different.  Left brain, right brain, athletic, artistic, laid back, fiery - they certainly balance each other and keep me on my toes.  Their presence demands that I see the world through the lens of the indomitable male spirit.  What an adventure!  It requires me to be patient, open, and accepting of our differences.  In all of my reading, I discovered there were few blogs dedicated to raising and home educating African-American males.  So I decided to create my own - a place where parents can find resources and be inspired.  I hope you will also share in my joys and my challenges along this journey of growing boys into men.  Sprinkled in with my musings you'll find cultural resources, activity ideas, curriculum recommendations, enrichment programs, rites of passage programs, interviews, great articles and a little bit about our home schooling fun.  I look forward to serving you.

 
Meet KingMan, the oldest.  He is a true left-brain learner.  I think of him as literal and very cerebral.  He's intelligent, kind, compassionate and has a wonderful sense of humor.  Did I mention he was a sports fanatic! Baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, ping pong, swimming, you name it, he plays it.  He's also an artist, a musician and a budding chess master.

Meet LionHeart, the youngest.  He is a true right-brain learner and full of fire! True to the words of his Godfather who promised me that God would send me a child so very different from the first one.  LionHeart, whose entrance into the world at 28 weeks, set the tone for what has been an exhilrating ride thus far.  He is an artist and intensely passionate about his interests, which range from African drums and Capoeira, to chess and Minecraft. 

Eric Utsey, October 2, 1964-December 10, 2013

  In December of 2013, my life changed in a way I never expected.  I lost my beloved husband, best friend and father of my two boys.  I never dreamed I would be raising our children without Eric.  Today I am a widow and he is our Guardian Angel.