When I began this entrepreneurship journey several years ago, I knew one thing and one thing only: I did not want to work for anyone ever again in my life. I had been fired twice from jobs because I put my kids’ health first. The last full-time job I had was with the federal government. I quit that job when I heard God say, “Pack your things. It’s time to go.” Before and … [Read more...]
7 Phrases Every Pregnant Woman Really Really Needs to Hear
My husband and I are expecting our first child next month. I’m waddling. I can no longer see my feet, and wearing shoes with laces is no longer an option. (Chile, bending down to tie shoe strings just requires too much effort!) Aside from all the changes happening with my body, there is so SO much to think about and consider: Will our baby be healthy? Will I be a good … [Read more...]
Wives Do You Know How to Recognize and Use Your Power?
Wives have been known for being the ones who hold the family together. Have you ever wondered how women do this? I believe it is because of the power inside them. Wives, we must recognize our power and use it accordingly. A wife’s power comes knowing who she is. She is confident and comfortable with the woman she has become. That power allows her to tackle any situation she … [Read more...]
Don’t Stop Now. How to Honor the Mother of Your Children EVERY DAY!
Yes, Mother's Day has passed. But that doesn't mean everyone should go back to the regularly scheduled program. Honoring your wife or the mother of your children should be a lifestyle. Mother’s Day, Birthdays and Holidays are days to give special recognition, but every day is a day to give honor and respect. It doesn’t take a lot of money or even a lot of time when giving … [Read more...]
10 Things Your Mom Needs to Hear You Say This Mother’s Day
It never fails. Every Mother's Day, my local radio station plays Tupac's "Dear Mama" and Boyz II Men "Mama," and I ball my eyes out. My mother is my soft spot, my comfort place and God's gift to me. However, sometimes I drop the ball in letting my mom know how amazing she is. But these days I'm all about "flowers for the living." Here are 10 things my mom needs to hear me say … [Read more...]
10 Things Every Girl Should Learn from Her Mother
Two of my greatest blessings have been having an amazing single mother raise me and being mommy to my two awesome daughters. I’m so grateful God used me as the vessel to deliver my girls into the world and made me responsible for their upbringing. Although I’ve had parenting challenges along the way, I wouldn’t trade this role for any other in the world. My mommy title … [Read more...]
Celebrating Mother’s Day as an Autism Mom
As a mother of an only child who is on the autism spectrum, I have always had a pity party for myself on Mother’s Day. Instead of appreciating what was right in front of me, I focused on the day that my son Angel would make a big fuss over me on this special occasion. I also focused on the day I would get Mother’s Day drawings and art work from him. I was a first-time mom, … [Read more...]
Studies Show a Mom’s Exercise Influences Her Kids’ Activity
I once attended a conference in San Diego during where Dr. Oz held a session on family health. He highlighted that children mimic their parent's--especially mom's--activities and that when a mother neglects her own health, children tend to do the same. A new paper published in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics reports that the less physically active a mother is, … [Read more...]
Dear Mom….A Letter For All Mothers!
Dear Mom, I’ve probably started and stopped this letter over a thousand times in my mind, but for some reason today...I felt now that the time was right for me to contact you. I don’t know what it is, but maybe it has a lot to do with the conversation I had with a colleague, who is a new Mom, about "a mother’s love." Maybe it’s the new community service organization I just … [Read more...]
What to Do When You are Not First in Your Spouse’s Life?
Recently on a talk show, there was a newlywed wife having issues with her husband’s relationship with his mother. Apparently, her husband spends endless hours on the phone with his mother who lives in another state. The wife described how he would not acknowledge her when he came in from work because he was on the phone with his mother. He would compare the wife’s cooking to … [Read more...]
How Do You Do What You Love and Care for the People That You Love?
For some women career and parenthood coincide. They are two aspects of life intertwined sometimes out of sheer desire and sometimes out of necessity or both. While it often appears as though most parents have somehow found a way to balance the various roles in their life, sit down and have a heart to heart with her and most mothers will tell you that they aren’t balancing … [Read more...]
Mother and Son Face Off for the Title of Mayor
Four years ago, Wendy Casey made the decision to run for mayor in Dixmoor, Illinois. However, she's not the only Casey in the race, her son, Randall, is one of three candidates running against her. Wendy, the mother of two, has lived in Dixmoor for almost her entire life and feels her son doesn't have the experience for the position. Wendy's involvement in the local Parent … [Read more...]
Have You Become the Person You Never Wanted to Be?
Months or even years into a relationship you might find that you have become the very person you never wanted to be. “That person” can vary depending on you and the situation, but the repercussions of being whoever it is you vowed to never become can significantly impact your relationship. An example of such, and a fairly obvious one, is “the mother.” How often have you … [Read more...]
Is Being Your Child’s Parent the Best Thing You’ve Ever Done?
Imagine that being your daddy was the best thing your father ever did. To hear that would be music to the ears of so many of our nation’s daughters. The little ones and those of us who have grown up to become women, women often still searching for whatever we feel we didn’t get from the first man we ever truly loved or placed upon a pedestal, whether or not he was actually … [Read more...]
Father, Mother or Parent 1, Parent 2: Does it Matter?
By Edward Lee At the end of last year the U.S. State Department decided to change the DS-11 form which is used for new U.S. passport applicants. The changes on the form, which are being rolled out February 2011, were initially made to move to gender neutral language by removing and replacing the titles "Mother" and "Father" with "Parent 1" and "Parent 2." However, … [Read more...]