In this heartfelt episode of About That Wallet, host Anthony Weaver engages in a meaningful conversation with Antoinette Blake, known as the Delaware Blogger, as they explore the intricate dynamics of the sandwich generation. Antoinette shares her personal journey of balancing family responsibilities while raising children in the digital age and caring for aging parents. With her unique perspective, she discusses the challenges and triumphs of raising a son with special needs and the importance of self-care and sacrifice.

The discussion delves into the evolution of technology and its impact on parenting, as Antoinette reflects on her experience with the early digital age and the transition from board games to digital games. She offers insights into protecting children from online dangers and the significance of teaching them to navigate the digital world safely.

Listeners will gain valuable advice on preparing for the responsibilities of the sandwich generation, including considerations for housing, mental health, and financial planning. Antoinette candidly shares her experiences of caring for her grandmother and mother-in-law, highlighting the importance of family support and the lessons learned along the way.

As the conversation unfolds, Antoinette emphasizes the power of giving back and the impact of spreading positivity in everyday interactions. Her infectious enthusiasm and dedication to helping others shine through, inspiring listeners to embrace their roles with love and resilience.

Discover more about Antoinette Blake and her work as the Delaware Blogger:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/ablakeenterprises

Blog: https://delblogger.com

Subscribe, rate, and share to help others find valuable insights. Until next time, happy venturing!

#AboutThatWallet #SandwichGeneration #DigitalParenting #FamilySupport #SelfCare

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!

Get My Habit Journal: https://amzn.to/4eGQBHu

Join the About That Wallet Newsletter! https://aboutthatwallet.com/newsletter 

Continue to support the show by subscribing, sharing and leaving comments on your favorite platforms. This help others like yourself find me.  

___________

AFFILIATES/SPONSORS:

DISCLAIMER: these are sponsored links in which I get paid and you can benefit for being a listener to the podcast.

My equipment: 

• Rode Caster Pro - https://amzn.to/3i596tF 
• Streamyard - https://streamyard.com?pal=4718936395612160 
• SHURE SM7B Dynamic Microphone - https://amzn.to/3AbV040 
• Microphone Stand - https://amzn.to/3NIeBfz 

Listen to the show on Audible: 

Try Audible and get 2 free books - https://amzn.to/3tWuDdJ 

__________

Follow Me:

IG: https://instagram.com/aboutthatwallet 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aboutthatwallet 

Website: https://aboutthatwallet.com 

Email: Anthony@aboutthatwallet.com  

--

DISCLAIMER: I am not a CPA, attorney, insurance, contractor, lender, or financial advisor. The content in this audio are for educational purposes only. You must do your own research and make the best choice for you.  Investing of any kind involves risk. While it is possible to minimize risk, your investments are solely your responsibility. It is imperative that you conduct your own research. I am merely sharing my opinion with no guarantee of gains or losses on investments. If you need advice, please contact a qualified CPA, CFP, an attorney, insurance agent, financial advisor, or the appropriate professional for the subject you would like help with.

>> Antoinette Blake: Self care is not selfish but

sacrifice is going to be important. So you know you

got toa remember your parents or your grandparents

sacrifice for you so now you gott sacrifice

for them and in the long run it

pays all. You know, she, like I said, I held her hand when she

transitioned. It was most beautiful thing ever.

>> Anthony Weaver: Welcome back everybody to another exciting show

about that waterl podcast where we help the

sandwich generation build strong financial habits so that

they can spend money, talk about

money and even enjoy their money

with confidence. And uh, awesome. I had also

opportunity to bring somebody on that has been

doing this stuff and providing relevant

information to the sadwich generation such as

yourselves that's going to be talking about the balancing

family responsibilities while teaching the skills

in this digital age. How you doing today

internette?

>> Antoinette Blake: Um, uh, great Anthony, it's so nice to be here. Thank

you for uh, allowing me to be a part of your

tribe.

>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah, thank you.

So when it comes to

raising your children in this digital age,

what was the hardest part about

taking away the technology?

>> Antoinette Blake: Well, Anthony, I'mnn be honest with you and your

listeners. Uh, when I raised my son,

digital wasn't popular. I mean we still

had the PC. We didn't have smartphones, we

had, you know, they're young, my oldest is

32, um, my youngest is

28. So I didn't really have

to raise them in the digital era

when they were young. But as they got older

I remember getting them their first

smartphone, things like that.

Uh, it wasn't bad because I'm going to be honest with

you, I have been with IBM for like 20 some years. So

I grew up with the PC, we introduced

it. So I was very flexible,

unlike a lot of parents were like, oh my gosh, you, this is

not good, this is not going to last. But

it was a transition, you know, went from playing board games

to playing digital games. So it was a

transition, but you know, we learned

together.

>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah, like what was that first inkling

from, you know, you were in that industry

to like say, you know what, I'mn wait for my

child. What caused you to do that?

>> Antoinette Blake: Well, it's funny that you say that because,

uh, we introduced a PC back in

the uh, 90s and I remember bringing

home a PC, uh, to

work from home before work from home was popular.

And my oldest was maybe, uh,

just maybe a year or so and they had

uh, games called key bangers. And you would literally put

your kid in front of the, know the monitor and the keyboard and

he would just bang away at the keys and the

Alphabet Would pop up by a B. And that, um,

they were learning. They were just, like, banging the keyboard, but they were

learning. And I was like, hmm, I m mean, would

it be better for me to use a book and just teach them? But

it was something about that screen that captured his

attention more than my voice. So

it was like, okay, we're going to go with this. So

I wasn't hesitant. I was like, okay, I got to learn more things

about that. Ended up getting more floppy disks

gained. So it was really good. But I was

never the type. Like it now, where you would just put

the kid in front of a computer and walk away. Like, now kids have

tablets and smartphones, and you just walk away and leave it. It was

never like that. When my sons were were young, you were,

they were literally on your lap, um, you know, playing

the games with you.

>> Anthony Weaver: What was the first game? Did you play? Do you remember?

>> Antoinette Blake: It was a key banger.

>> Anthony Weaver: O Just called the key banger.

>> Antoinette Blake: Key banger. But let me think now. Oh, man, you making. You

taking me way back, Anthony.

Um. Oh, my God.

Uh, I can't remember. But it's so funny

that you asked me that, because, you know, talking about

nostalgia, I was scrolling through, uh,

Facebooked the other day, and they were

showing tong, um, the Atari games,

and that's the games I grew up on. And they

were so slow, you know,

but we were so enthralled. So, no, I should answer

your question. I can't remember the first game. What was

probably, know, a reading, like an ABC

type game or something like that, or Sesame street

game. Because, of course, Sesame street has been around forever, and that's

like the best TV show. So they had games as well.

So it was probably you either Barney or

Sesame street or something like that. It was helping them

learn the Alphabet and numbers and things like

that.

>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah. Cause I remember growing up, the first PC

we, uh, had in the house was, I think it was 95

and back when you had to learn DOS

and actually start, you know, coding in

green and, you know, the green screen and everything like that.

Before they had all the fun colors. And I was

like, this is amazing. And it took

forever to load up the CDS for the disk and everything

like that. That was so fun. Um, it wasn't until, like,

98 we actually got the Internet,

so, you know, like, like Dolp. Because

everybody else, like, we, they we were able to afford

it. So, um, so

once you got on, like, the Internet, like, I'm just curious. So,

like, what did you do to kind of like,

shield Them away from like going on these on the

Internet when the Internet was coming up with doial

up like AOL or something.

>> Antoinette Blake: Right. And you know what, Anthony? They weren't that

interested. I mean they, you know, 96, Malik

was born in 96. T was born in 92. So like you said

98. They were still young. Right. So

they were still just outside playing and discovering

the world. So um,

I'm trying to think when. And to be honest with you, I mean they

work on computers for their jobs and stuff like

that, but they were never just sucked

into that, you know, scrolling and always had to

be online because I made sure that we

were outside and we traveled and you know,

we played games and I mean they never really

got sucked into social media. And once

I got sucked, I think I got sucked and into it more it before

they did. But you know, they never,

I guess I'm fortunate. Um, even now, you

know, I don't have to worry about tech neck and

all that because that is, they're just not into it like

that. So they knew there they were in, in the

beginning like you were, um, but you

know that dial up, I still remember that, you know, you got

mail type thing. It just, they didn't, you know,

they didn't go down that rabbit hole.

>> Anthony Weaver: So. Raising the sun with special needs, um,

also has its own unique challenges. Can you kind of talk

about how did you navigate them, uh, with

today's fast paced and digital connected world when

you're raising them?

>> Antoinette Blake: Yeah. Oh, Anthony, that's a great question.

Yes. So my oldest son, he was a three month

preie, two and a half pounds, had a lot of um,

medical concerns and surgeries which kind

of, you know, with all the pain med and stuff kind of jacked

up, you know, his brain. So he is

intellectually disabled. Um,

that was difficult because he not only, and

what I want to preface with

any adult, anybody with disabilities

I feel are more intelligent because they have to live in

a parallel world. They live in their world

but then their force to live in our world and they've got to

make sure that they can connect on both. So I think

they have more uh, intellect than we do.

So working with him, whether it was reading a

book or being on a computer, I had

to go slower. Like I had to take my time and

then be repetitive in it to make sure that he

understood. And sometimes even in

today, today's modern technology,

I'm scared because people

are now using technology in a

negative way as opposed to

when we first started, we were sharing information

where we're helping people learn and grow.

And whether it's finances or just

daily activities now people are hacking

you. Um, they're using artificial

intelligence in a way that shouldn't be used.

And when you have a, ah, special

need, it's hard to decipher because

you just want to make sure that you are doing the right

thing. And a lot of people take

advantage, full advantage of, um, not only

those with special needs, but with elderly, you know,

or just with people that are not comfortable on

social media. So it's,

uh, I'm glad that I'm doing

what I'm do because I can be on the lookout, you

know, uh, and I can always talk to him and tell. And I

even do it with my husband. You know, it's like, look at this, you

know, look at this text. Look at this message. This is not right. If

this, you know, this URL not right.

It's very frustrating, um,

because I want him to be able to get on the

Internet and connect with people,

but I'm afraid that he'll be scammed

because he has been and once

burnt, twice shy. And so

it's scary. And you. I'm

sick of them. I am so sick of scammers and hac. Because I

could just, you know, and we've all,

you know, we've all been approached or gotten those

emails. You know, you're ready to pay your bill and it's like, what

you talking about? Like this. It's crazy.

>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah, you need your tires change or something? Like,

what? Yeah, no, I had one recently. Like, oh, yeah, you

need your oil change. I was like, u. No, I just came

from you guys.

>> Antoinette Blake: I know, right?

>> Anthony Weaver: Crazy.

>> Antoinette Blake: Crazy. It's especially like I said when you, you know, in

our position, we have, uh, subscriptions, right? We

have subscriptions to different. And then when

we, you know, we just automatically, oh, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. And

then you can get so caught up'm like, okay, now it's time to renew your

subscription, update your billing information. And you're thinking,

oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, no, no. You've got a screw.

And even when people call you, you know, and they say,

you know, is this Antoinette? And I'm like,

don't say yes. Right? Never say yes. M.

You know, hello, is this Antoinette? Or hello, can you hear

me? And I'm like, first of all, I'm not answering the

call if I don't know the number, but they call enough times,

I figure, okay, somebody has my number.

And it's like, I don't even fall into that

trap. I've had people to say, you know, years and years and years

ago, say, oh, we've got this videos

of you. I'm like, billy, I want to see

themus. I don't

remember doing a video, so don't be lying on me, you

know? Yeah. So, you know, right,

Anthony, you know, you probably got stories to tell as

well.

>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah. Uh, so how did you help him, like, develop some

of the skills and confidence doing some of those,

like, while he's out and about? Like,

what skills or tactics that you use

to kind of help him build the confidence while he's out and about? Did

you, like, touch runs in a house for like, hey, if somebody

say this, what younn say? Yes, right?

>> Antoinette Blake: Yes, exactly. And my. His youngest

brother does the same thing. You get a text like this,

don't answer, call me, you know, and

I have access to his email, so I can, you know,

I'll check his email and then, of course, mommy will go in the

room and look at this. You know, the messages mean

just. You want them to have a sense

of, uh, normalcy, a sense

of, know, independence.

But you still, you know, so like I

said, I'll go in there, or I ll say, hey, Ty, come here

me, let me show you something. And I mean,

he can understand that. So I'll show him. And, you know,

hopefully you, uh, he remembers it.

But these scammers can circumvent so much stuff.

So, yeah, if something new happens,

I'm, uh, always telling and, you know, he's

understanding, um, to look, be on the lookout, because if he gets a

call and it's coming, he's like, look at this. What's it? I'm like, let it

go. So, yeah, really being cognizant. And I say

that to any parents, parents with children that,

you know, are not special needs, be

aware, you know, because they're in their room or

they're in the backseat of the car or of my

mom's house and Nana's house, and they're just, you know, and

they get caught up, you know, and because

social media is a highlight re.

And everything is supposed to be good. They want to be good like

their friends or their family. And then, you know, they can get

suckered in. And I feel, you know, I

feel so badly for a lot of these kids. And

you read it every day, you know, they will

commit suicide, you know, because they got

hacked. Um, yeah, it s

o. Uh, man, it's crazy. It's really. And I

feel sorry for some of, you know, kids, uh,

that are out there that don't have somebody, a parent

or a guardian or a teacher or educator, someone

that's going to say, you know, hey, and I mean there are

kids. They'our future, we got to look out for them. I don't care.

Oh, you're a helicopter parent. Well, so what?

Yeah, I'd rather be a helicopter parent and have,

you know, things.

>> Anthony Weaver: I'HAVE your child. Right.

>> Antoinette Blake: Bingo, bingo, bingo. Hey, look, that's my

job. You know, I take my job very seriously. When I

decided to have children, it came with

conditions, lifelong conditions. And

I take my role very seriously.

>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah. And you know, as a proud mom, um,

you know, having that discussion with your children

now, it's gonna change their lives for a

lifetime'm sure.

>> Antoinette Blake: Mhm.

>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah.

So, um, because you mentioned your husband and

because. Do you also have asing parents as well that you're

taken care of?

>> Antoinette Blake: No, Anthony. My grandma who raised my

sister and myself, I did have

her. She lived with us for 16

years before she passed away at the age of 98

in 2009. And so she did.

We were a sandwich, uh, generation where I was taking care of

my younger kids, uh, and my grandma.

And then after my grandom died, my husband's

uh, mother got sick and we moved her

in with uh, us as well for you know, a couple of

months. So yes, I've done, I, you know, I've raised the

boys while raising my grandma and then

after she passed, we brought my mother in law in. So

yes, I understand completely

about you know, being a sandwich generation,

um, individual because you know, you have

both, you know, and I had the son and I had you know,

the grandma and that was like second generation,

not like my mom. Right. So that was, that was

difficult but it worked. I mean it, you know, I'm glad I was

blessed to be able to do that.

>> Anthony Weaver: So what were the conversations like? Like I'm

thinking about like moving in his uh,

his mother and be like, okay, she's

here now, what are we gonna do?

What was that like?

>> Antoinette Blake: Well, let's see. Um,

well no, I mean it was with the

mother in law it was a little bit more

uh, difficult because she wasn't

the nicest person in the world. But

we did it. And I, I just

like with my husband, he had, you know, my husband and I weren't even

married two years when

my grandma moved in with us. And that had,

that was, you know, that was a change for him because we

literally uh, met married

within like three years. We've been married now 34

years. Uh, but when we got together, it was boom,

boom, boom. You know, we were older, so

he adjusted to that. And of course, you know,

everything wasn't all gravy and sunshine and

roses. Um, but,

uh, so when it came for her to come in, I had to do the

same thing. Right. That's what you do when you're married.

Right? So we just bit the bullet, you know,

every day, just, you know, okay, what does she need? What

do we need? And just. Just keep on going because,

you know, you just got to do what you got to do. Point blank

period.

>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah. So somebody who's like, thinking about it, like right

now, like, hey, we just have this

discussion. What are the things

that you kind of wish that you had done sooner

or like, had a discussion about before they even moved

in?

>> Antoinette Blake: Okay. So, um, Anthony,

what we did.

And you know, it's so funny, now you're making me think.

Uh, see, my sister and I, uh, were really

close. My grandma raised my sister and myself. My sister was killed

in a car accident in 1992.

And. Yeah. And after that I knew I had to move my

grandma up with us. And we had only been married

for two years. So the very first thing

we did and what we had to do was we had just, you know,

we were newlyw. We. And we had just built a small home.

And we knew that that wasn't going to work.

So we eventually we said, okay, this we got to

do. So we bought the big house, um, I like to say

the McMansion in Middletown. Because we

knew that my grandma was coming in,

that she was going to be aging. So we had to have a house, you

know, that had this. That the other have kids and

that. So that's the first thing we did. And not everybody could

do that. Right. But back in 93, um,

that's what we decided to do. Say, okay, you know, bit the

bullet went in the debt, you know, which we'll

talk about. And we get the big house. Because

moving your, uh, elderly parent. And you have to take

into consideration their help, right?

>> Anthony Weaver: Yah.

>> Antoinette Blake: Will they be able to do the walking up and down, you know,

where'the bedroom going to be on the first floor and night. And

it's weird because now we're of a particular

age and our new home is a ranch

because we don't want to going up and down that depth.

>> Anthony Weaver: I understand those things are go.

>> Antoinette Blake: Right, right. So, yes. So

we. You take into consideration your housing, and

I know not everybody can do that, but take into

consideration your housing when, you

know, you're newly married or whatever. You might have

to change where you live, right? You might have

to say, you know, uh,

we got to move our parents in, our grandparents, whatever.

So we've got to make sure it's comfortable for them

because it's still family, right? I

still want my family with. I still want you everybod to be

good. So that was the biggest consideration,

and that's a big consideration. You home. And

again, it may be a difficult thing to

do. You may have to sacrifice, you know, work that

overtime, whatever, whatever. But take into

consideration your housing. You

know, can everybody live comfortably and

is it big enough? Because if not,

you'ren to be like, we got the big

house. Like, okay, you on that wing? I'm on it. You know, so you do

that. And I have a sorority sister who you. Whose mom lives

with her and her house is nice, and the mom has her suite,

you know, and the bathroom and all that. So you want to take

into consideration, you know, especially if you have

kids, um,

and, you know, just knowing that, you

know, all, maybe all those trips that you want to take, you're

not going to be able to do it right, because you want to be able

to spend time with your loved ones. And it can get

in expensive, too. And, um,

the one thing that I didn't do that I wish I

had done was

that's a major tax write off. I didn't realize

after my grandma passed away that a lot of the

things that I did for her, whether it was driving to the store

and medicine, I could have written that off and I

didn't.

>> Anthony Weaver: Wow. Okay. So, like,

how did you find that out?

Like, from another tax professional or.

>> Antoinette Blake: Yes, I was literally, you know,

uh, just going through the tax law Once I started

my own business and I started looking at the tax laws and stuff like

that, and I'm like, really? Like,

wow. And now. And they didn't have what they

have down. Like, you know, where, um, they pay you to take care of

your parents, right?

>> Anthony Weaver: Ye.

>> Antoinette Blake: Yeah. They owe me crazy money.

Those agencies weren't around, so

here I am. I was working full time,

commuting three hours from Middletown to West

Chester every day. I mean, I was doing it all. Coming home,

cooking, cleaning, doctor. I mean, I was doing all

that. I never got paid any extra,

but had that been an option, oh, I

would have took a leave of absence, you know, because my

grandma did become, you know, hospice eligible. Uh,

you know, um, so I, you know,

I had to do. I had to make certain sacrifices, but

none of that was, Was Available, uh, when I

was my.

>> Anthony Weaver: So what was one of those programs that people can kind of type

John chime into?

>> Antoinette Blake: I see it on the news where they, I mean, on the

commercials, like, we'll pay you to take care of your elder's

companies like these nursing companies. Yeah, I see them all,

like in Philly. Right. But yeah, they're literally

companies that they say from day one you get

benefits. I mean, because what it does is it

takes the burden off of the state. Right. It takes the

burden off of the federal government

if they can pay a loved one. And you think about

it, who's going to take care of a loved one better

than a loved one? Right.

>> Anthony Weaver: Right.

>> Antoinette Blake: So we had

a, uh, hosp hospital nurse coming in just a couple of hours a

day. And that was only based on my

grandma's income level. And unfortunately, my

grandma, she was born in 1911, so

none of her jobs really was Social Security eligible. She was

a maid most of her life. So she didn't pay into the

system. And if you don't pay into the system, what happened? You don't get

anything.

>> Anthony Weaver: Anything.

>> Antoinette Blake: We got that fight going on right now. Right. Um,

so she was only allocated a couple

of hours of home

nursing. And then I, you know, I

was responsible for everything else. And their

stories, you know, of things where she was falling or,

you know, had things occurred when I wasn't there, there

wasn't anybody there. And then have my sons come home from

school to find that on floor. I mean, it was just a

lot. So I wish that they had those

options when my grandma lived with us.

But, yeah, you want to take into consideration your

housing, your mental health, you

know, um, take some time, you know, get

away. Self care is not selfish, but

sacrifice is going to be important. So, you know, you

got to remember your parents or your grandparents

sacrifice for you. So now you got to sacrifice

for them. And in the, in the long run, it

pays off. You know, she, like I said, I held her hand when she

transitioned it the most beautiful thing ever.

Um, you know, she took her last breath and she lived a great life,

you know, so that's something I'll have.

My sons will have you memories of growing

up. So that way when we get old,

Malik says he'snna put me in the garage. But get old, they

know it's normal to take care of your elderly

parents.

>> Anthony Weaver: And it's good that they got to see the

care that you did for them. So

it's not gonna be taboo by that time

comes, you know, like you.

>> Antoinette Blake: Said, when my Grandma took my sister myself, and she

was 50.

>> Anthony Weaver: Right.

>> Antoinette Blake: When she. And she had already raised six kids, you know, so they. And back

then they got married when they were 13, started having babies when they were

14. So my grandma was 50

when she brought us in. But by

today's standards, that's not old. But that was old

then. Right. So for her to live to be 98,

you. It was wonderful. Um,

you know, because we had that second generation,

uh, teaching. Uh,

but it wasn't. Yeah, it's weird. Yeah.

Now you think about. Yeah, that. That's another whole show we need to.

>> Anthony Weaver: Well, this is what this show is about, how people think about

their situation. But also it's like, to take,

um, in their account of, like, what questions can you start

thinking about for your family to kind of go

beyond what your parents had already

provided on that platform, for you to kind of

take your now family to the next level,

that generational leverage, I would say.

I like it that way.

>> Antoinette Blake: I like. And I like what you're doing because

it's not something that you think about on a regular.

Right. Um. Ah, but having a

podcast where you can pull up this

information, whether it's 2024,

2027, 2032, whatever,

you can always go back and get that information.

Unlike us, we just had to live and

learn by experience. We didn't have, you know, blogs

and social media and podcasts and YouTube. We didn't

have that. So that's why I'm digging

this now. And I'm. I'm loving the fact that

not only you, but myself, I have a podcast called Boomers

and Beyond when we talk about these things,

because one day when I pass through

the clouds, someone else is going to be able to pull that stuff

down from the clouds and learn from

whatever it was that we discussed or I discussed.

So I like this. I really.

And I applaud you for doing what you're doing.

>> Anthony Weaver: Thank you, thank you, thank you. And yeah,

because, I mean, where we at right now

in this digital era, we got to figure

out how can we still maintain our personal

sanity, uh, along with

how do we move forward in real

life? Because everything is so digital, we so distant.

So to have somebody in our space, it's kind

of like, oh, you really get to see how I actually live and

not what I really want to show you

on camera and on social media. So it's like,

what are we going to do? Um, but

with that being said, I want to talk about the features,

uh, because I can sit and talk to you all day. About different

strategies and how we're going to navigate

life and how you've done so many great

things for your family.

But I want to take this moment to talk about you. Let's

be selfish a little bit.

Uh, what is next for you and your professional, uh, journey

as a par. Mentor and digital

leader?

>> Antoinette Blake: Well, thank you, Anthony. That's a great question.

Um, you know, every day I always tell people when I

go out and say people, you know, whether you're in a grocery store.

Yesterday I went to the DMB to get my

car, uh, inspected. And they like, how you doing?

I'm like, I'm good. I'm, how you doing? And I'm like, you know, I wake

up looking up everything else's gravy, baby. That's my motto.

When I wake up looking up everything else is gravy,

baby. Because there is no guarantee. You know, like

I said, I lost my sister,

you know, in a tragic car accident. She's

29. But then on the other

hand, I held the hand of, uh, my grandma who

transitioned at the age of 98. So I've seen both

end. Right. So each day is a new day, and it's

not promised. So I

love learning. That's how you

keep muscle

alive. So with the blog, with the podcast,

with the social media management, you know, with my clients,

that's keeping me going. I mean, uh, because it

literally changes overnight, right? We wake up and find out

there's a new algorithm, there's a new this, there's a new that. So

that's keeping my mind active. I'm 63 years old, so I'm

keeping my mind active.

>> Anthony Weaver: You don't look 63, by the way.

>> Antoinette Blake: Oh, thank you. Thank you so very much. I

appreciate. Yeah. Uh, this is. Yeah. Next year,

64. Oh, my gosh. Yes. And so

keeping my mind active is what keeps me going. I did

Corporate America for 32 years.

I haven't worked for anybody since 2018. I've been working

for myself. I love what I'm doing. So that's the

good thing. My sons, you know, they're.

I love my sons. They're fantastic. They're respectful,

they're honest, they're harddworking. And, you

know, they're here with you, they're still here with us. And they can stay here

until forever. This is their home when I'm 're dead and

gone. So they're doing their thing, they're going to work, they

have their relationships, whatever, whatever. So

that keep me grounded. Right. I just.

When I see my son I mean, I made them,

right, right. But it's

scary, you know, as a black man, you know, you're out there.

So every time they go out, I'm scared until they come back in the

house, you know, they got a target on their back, all

this stuff that's going on in the world. So I pray, I pray, I

pray every day. I pray you, I pray and push brand, push co

please, you know, keep them safe. Because this

world don't care that they got a good parent,

you know, a good mom and good dad and come from a good home and a college

educated, all that. So my sons keep me,

you know, excited and happy. My husband and I, you

know, married 34 years, knowning each

other 36 years. I ain't going nowhere. He ain't going

nowhere. We good, right? So everything is a good

day's. That's what your key, me going

both personally and professionally.

But the bottom line is

it's all about the give back.

If I can share words of

wisdom, if I can share a smile,

if I can share positive,

that is how my grandma raised me. She's like,

just wake up, um, happy. You don't always

have to feel good. I got the aches and the pains and all

that, but you're given another chance.

And so when I go out to the grocery

store, to the mall, to an event,

this smile, you see, this is what I, this is me all day

or a day. Uh, very rarely

do I have a negative, because

it's all about the give. I'm giving back to you. You

give. It's a ripple. If we could just give back

the positive, you know, how much better everybody

would be feeling. So

that is like, you know, I don't care

what race, religion, my husbands a

Muslim, my son are Muslims, I'm a Christian, we live

good, life is good. Like when

I eat well, I sleep well,

I know people that don't. So I'm

blessed. Um, so if I could

just pay it forward, whether

it's with a smile, an attitude,

you know, whatever, that's what keeps

me going, that's what

motivates me, you know, to

just live life. Because you

only get one go round, right? You ain't coming

back, you know, I don't care. Uh, you know, my husband and I

get to the altar, I don't know if you got the virgins over here,

you got the streets paved with gold. But you

know what? I'm here right now.

Let'make sure that this is right, right now, right? The

other stuff that take care of Yourself. But as long as everything is

right, right now, I'm good, I'm good.

I'm blessed. Uh, and I just want to pay it

forward. So I work with, uh, I'm a graduate

of Delaware State College, class of 83, but it's now

Delaware State University. So I give back as

the corresponding secretary for Delaware State

University alumni association. So when I go on the yard, I see

the students and they're like, so cool. And it's like, I

just love being with them. I love participating, I

love share about. Like I said, it's all

about the give back, paying it

forward. Anthony, what can you do

today to make somebody feel good? Because you don't know

what they're going through.

>> Anthony Weaver: That's true.

>> Antoinette Blake: And the kids are going through a, um,

lot. They're going through so

much. Yesterday I was leaving D&B like I said. And it was

a young couple, young brother with

a young sister. And I think they were dating and they'd

come out and they'walking out and it was cool. And

she'have a hat on her coating thing. And she's like, I need

that. And she pointed to his hat and he took his hat off and he gave it to

her. And I was like. I said to them, I said I liked

that. I said that was nice. I

acknowledged that because what he

did was nice. That made the brother feel good,

made sister feel good. And they might have had a better day

after me just acknowledging that, right?

I could have said, oh, that was stupid, you know, whatever, whatever. She should

have had a hat on or whatever. But what that small

gesture, you know,

really made me feel good. So I wanted to make them feel

good. That's all it is. That is

just all about the give back.

>> Anthony Weaver: I love that. I love that.

You ready for the final four questions?

>> Antoinette Blake: Yes, sir. Let's go.

>> Anthony Weaver: All rightty.

Number one, what does wealth mean to

you?

>> Antoinette Blake: Well, because it

ain't about the money because we never gonna have enough money,

right?

Wealth is having a again.

And this is funny I'mn to say this because my grandma used to say

I'm like, why she say that? When you wake up with your

right mind, you're wealthy, man. You and I

didn't and that. So I

got to this age, it's like, yo, I can still think,

right? I can still dress. I still,

I know what's going on. Wealth is

feeling good. Like, you don't have to feel like

100% good, but mentally, if you

feel good, you'got your health and your wealth.

That's what it is. That's what it is. Uh, your health and your

wealth and whether it's physical or mental or

psychological or emotional or

whatever. Um, look, I got my bad days,

too. I miss my sister, miss my grandma, missed

things how they used to be. But that doesn't stop me

from going forward. And things so

wealth it to me is being

healthy, both mental, physical,

psychological. I feel rich. I

still buy my scratchers. I'm still trying to get.

>> Anthony Weaver: I just want to take it to you before this recording.

>> Antoinette Blake: I know I gotta go cash you myrat now

you go, yeah, I'feel like, yeah, that'd be cool. I could do this, do that,

do that. But really? Yeah, yeah.

>> Anthony Weaver: Awome. I love it.

Number two, what was your worst money

mistake?

>> Antoinette Blake: Oo I'mnna take it back,

man. Credit cards.

Credit card. Y'credit, um, cards. Credit

cards. Don't, don't, don't,

don't, don't, don't,

don't. No credit cards.

I was in debt for

put you this way. I started debt at college

and my husband said many years later, he said, had. I know

how much debt you had. We

yo. No, no,

I know. You know, haveit emergency.

No credit cards.

>> Anthony Weaver: Got.

I mean, I really needed to start a wholeher podcast

that's called what is your worst money mistakeuse. I got so many

questions that.

>> Antoinette Blake: Yeah, that would be a good one. That would be a good

one and that. And you know, uh,

I think I only bought

one new car in my life.

Everything else was used. Oh, leasing. Yeah, leasing

and buying new cars. Not worth it.

Not worth it. Yeah.

>> Anthony Weaver: All right. Another

show.

>> Antoinette Blake: Yeah, that's another show.

>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah. Well, you can just have me on your show. We could talk about it.

>> Antoinette Blake: Yeah. Ah, you know what? After this, I'm sending you, uh,

yeah, we definitelyn to have to get together, uh, and

talk because I want to hear your perspective

on, you know, what's going on, you know, in

your life and how,

how your generation looks at wealth and

health, you know, and how it plays out. And

that's a good, good thing because, uh,

yeah, we need to talk.

>> Anthony Weaver: Yeah, ok. Yeah, we'll definitely talk.

All right. Number three, what is

I, um, mean, is there a book that inspire your

journey or change your perspective?

>> Antoinette Blake: When you gave me this question, I had to think about

it and I still thinking

about it and you might have to bring me back

on your show because, no, I can't think of one

book in my mind. I mean,

I used to read voraciously, like when libraries

were so popular. I've got books Here,

magazines, um, you. I read the

Bible. Um, but

one that. No, I can't

really think of one, uh, that really,

uh,

I contributed to a book,

a, uh, less Brown book. And it was

entitled 77, uh, Ways in which Les Brown

Changed My Life. And I was able to read. I was

one of the contributors. And so I'm reading the

76 others again. Remember I said it's all about the give

back. What has that man said or done that

changed your perspective or your life? And Mamie Brown's

son, that Brown did. And so

that one book, and I still have that book. Um, and I'll

send you the link to it. The stories,

you know, like I said, you people, you don't realize, like

Anthony, you don't realize

the effect you're having on people by offering this

platform. And you may never know, but

what you're doing. That give back

is amazing. So that one book that. Our

contributions to what Les Brown did for us is

probably one of the best books I read. Because

he's just a man. Just a man

that started speaking it. I remember seeing him back

in the 80s, but he changed

so many people's lives. And it's amazing how

people are affected in different ways. So that's that book, I

would say.

>> Anthony Weaver: All right, number four,

what is your favorite dish to

make?

>> Antoinette Blake: I love making collard greens and kale. More so

I love kale. Ma, when I finish with you'm going go to grocery St.

I love kale. I love fresh

kale. I mean, ain't no. It's just

good. Yeah. So. And I'm not

a good cook. My grandma wasn't a good cook. So I'm not a really

good cook. But I love, you know,

I love my crock pot. So kale and black

eyed peas together or kale and navy

bean. I just love that food.

I just love it. It's like I love my kale. You know, just

a little bit of, uh, you know, apple cider

vinegar, little oil, uh, uh,

smoked turkey. Oh, man, I'm hungry.

>> Anthony Weaver: Uh, so, Antoinet, thatte we coming down to the

final question, which is where could the

listeners learn more about you, your services,

or even just get in touch with you, uh, for what you're

doing.

>> Antoinette Blake: Thank you. Thank you, Anthony, before I give that again,

thank you for doing what you're doing,

uh, for sharing, using your

platform so that others can share their stories, because you're definitely

making a difference. Again, it's all about the give

back. So I have a linktreee ID

Linkreee. If I know the link tree and it's just ablake

Enterprises. So linktree, if you go to L

N K Tree, TR

eeablelake Enterprises, Ablake

Enterprises is my company's name. Um,

but if you use the hashtag

DelawareB blogger on Google, I will pop

up all over the play. You will see my blog,

my podcast, my social media handles

all that. My Facebook, my Twitter, my Instagram, my

Pinterest, my ex. You know, all that stuff is out there.

But linktree ide is AB Blake

Enterprises. And it will list

everything from my email address,

my business, all of that. So, yeah, the website, all of

that's there. My blog, delb blogger.com. everything's out

there.

>> Anthony Weaver: And uh, folks, she's not lying because I just did it.

>> Antoinette Blake: Like everything.

>> Anthony Weaver: Everything.

>> Antoinette Blake: There she is right there. Everything there in Delaware Blogger.

That's Most people know me it as a Delaware blogger. That's a moniker

that I tagged myself back in, uh,

2010. Uh, you know,

I'm not, it's not the only one. But you know,

most people say, oh my God, you're the jelloware blogger. See, and

that's my dash in between.

>> Anthony Weaver: Love it.

Well, Antoinet, it's been a pleasure having you on. Thank

you so much for giving back to the community and constantly giving

back to, uh, not just your community,

but to our community as well. And I just want to say on

behalf of all of our listeners, thank you so much for sharing your

stories and continue on,

you know, doing the best you can as a mom, more

so, and you know, doing that self care, being selfish.

So me personally, I greatly appreciate

you, uh, coming through and everybody else.

Y'all be safe, be out.

>> Antoinette Blake: Peace.