Mom Creates Political Mommentary to Educate, Engage
It isn’t often that you hear politics discussed by moms on the playground. That could be because we find ourselves too pressed for time to pay attention or because we are wary of engaging in serious debate without having done the proper research.
Now that may be on over-generalization, however, Molly Teichman is on a mission to bring politics to moms. Recognizing our value in the home, and as leaders in our families she wants mothers to be educated about politics, to have a forum to express their opinions without fear of ridicule and she wants them to be comfortable asking questions if there is something they don’t know or don’t understand.
This mother of three beautiful children created Political Mommentary - a site dedicated to factual political discussion free of “name calling, one liners or other divisive behavior”. Molly recognizes people won’t always agree; in fact, she embraces the idea. She is hoping to encourage bipartisan discussion.
She explains, “With a furrowed brow I find myself misunderstood and disappointed at the incredibly divided political landscape. Often not in line with my Republican party, nor feeling understanding from a more liberal crowd, I felt it was necessary to begin a new path toward bipartisan debate and understanding.”
And thus, Political Mommentary was born. With information presented from both sides of the political spectrum - and everywhere in between, Molly has created a political haven for moms to learn, understand and question the world around them.
Engage. Ask. Discuss. Debate.
Offer commentary.
Learn more about Molly and Political Mommentary Wednesday, August 14th on Why Moms Matter on Blog Talk Radio at 12:30PST/2:30CST. We will be happy to take your questions!
Focus on Your Child - Why Moms Matter
Jan Krystkowiak has a lot on her plate. She is a mother to 5 children, a wife to an NBA Coach, a business owner and now an author. She believes in hard work, a giving spirit and a focus on her family.
Jan started Where in the World Books in 2008 - a line of children’s books that can be personalized with your child’s special details. She firmly believes that personalization can increase a child’s vocabulary, comprehension and love of reading.
She recently penned her first two books, “I Don’t Want to Move” about the difficulties kids face when moving and how the whole event can be turned into a positive adventure and “The Tale of Fatty Catty” - a story of 3 boys, a fishing trip and some overactive imaginations.
Jan and her husband have always donated to multiple charities, but Jan decided to use her extra energy to ‘work to make money for charity’ - so she recently decided two of the children’s books would benefit a specific animal charity. One book focuses on a dog and the other, on a cat. Both can include your breed and color of animal, your pet’s name as well as your child’s. Additionally, there is space for a dedication at the beginning of the book. Jan hopes that her ‘giving’ creates a domino effect and encourages others to do the same.
Being married to a man who shares her passion for work and family is one thing that helps Jan to stay balanced. And, like many women, she knows when to ask for help. Her three boys - aged 7 to 10, and twin, 20 month old girls always remind her of what is most important.
Learn more about Jan on Why Moms Matter on Blog Talk Radio, Friday at 12:30PST/2:30CST. We will be doing a special giveaway - you don’t want to miss it!
As always - if you know an ordinary mom doing extraordinary things - be sure to nominate her at Why Moms Matter.
Caring for Moms Who Suffer a Miscarriage - Why Moms Matter
It was over breakfast at Denny’s that Maureen Day and her husband shared some special news with their four children, aged 7 to 20. They were expecting a new baby. The reactions were initially mixed, but it wasn’t long before everyone was embracing the idea of a brand new addition to the family.
Around 8 weeks Maureen began spotting but didn’t think much of it – An ultrasound that allowed her to see her baby and hear that precious heartbeat convinced her everything was fine. But after spotting again at 11 weeks, she was stunned by the nurse’s words, “Well, we’re not seeing what we would normally see….” She says she will never forget the image of the black hole on the monitor as the nurse moved the wand over her belly.
Maureen was amazed by the depth of her grief. For weeks, she was consumed by tears and a feeling of numbness. Despite being surrounded by family and friend, Maureen felt alone.
It was during this tragic time that HeavenBornwas ‘born’. Maureen created it as a not-for-profit that provides a tangible source of comfort - a handmade pillow, as well as a simple booklet that offers help in handling the physical and emotional challenges a mother in this position will face.
Maureen creates the pillows by hand with the help of some generous women. It is her goal to make these pillows available to all mothers who experience this type of tragedy. Many of the HeavenBorn pillows are now being given to mothers in local hospitals at their time of loss. HeavenBorn exists solely based on donations and volunteers who donate their time to create these small tokens of love. If you would like to donate your time…or you are interested in starting a HeavenBorn chapter in your area, email Maureen at Maureen@heavenborn.com.
Join us on a SPECIAL DAY (THURSDAY) for Why Moms Matter on Blog Talk Radio to learn more about Maureen and the amazing work she does for mothers experiencing the pain of miscarriage.
If music and creativity were the markers that defined our wealth, Joy Rose would be an incredibly rich woman. As it is now - her life is rich with, at the very least, character, a giving spirit and an inherent ability to empower women.
This is a woman who is creating movements, redefining what it means to be a woman and a mother and honoring the value in motherhood with each step she takes every day.
Friend Lynn Kuechle nominated Joy as a Mom Who Matters, saying in part that music and and art had ’saved her life’.
Joy explains, “Finding our passion or ‘reason to be’ in life is really important, especially in the face of profound illness. Rediscovering creativity and music was core to who I was as a person. Abandoning those things as a mother left me incomplete. Reincorporating them made me feel whole again.”
In 2002, Joy and a few girlfriends created what is now the heart and soul of Mamapalooza, a “movement, a community and a resource which supports women by encouraging them to get creative and give something back to themselves”. The Mamapalooza events use arts, culture and education to embrace and empower women.
The first event took place on a single stage in front of roughtly 100 people. There were only 15 performers. In only 7 years Mamapalooza has expanded to 4 different countries and countless stages. The events from the Spring and Summer of 2009 boast more than 350 performers and over 50,000 people attending.
A mother to 4 children - Brody is 20, Blaze is 18, Ali is 16 and Zena is 14 - Joy believes the most important thing she does with her children is to set a positive and loving example on a daily basis, “I’m pretty simple when it comes to ‘mothering’: Feed them, Love them, Listen to them and share my philosophy when it is relevant.”
Joy is also the Executive Director of the Motherhood Foundation which is working to build an International Musuem of Motherhood - honoring the achievements of mothers through a wide range of exhibits and projects.
Joy’s key to balancing everything she currently has on her plate, “I move forward like a wall that spans a thousand miles. Slowly pushing the vast pool of energy another inch forward every day; Nudge Mamapalooza, the kids, the Museum, my friends, the radio show, my band, our home, my relationship….it goes on and on….”
Join us today at 12:30PST/2:30CST on Why Moms Matter on Blog Talk Radio to learn more about Joy’s inspirational journey of motherhood, illness and reinvention. You will be thrilled by Mamapalooza and awed by the Musuem of Motherhood.
Move it and Lose it - Why Moms Matter
A woman who takes good care of herself is a more powerful mother - at least that is the way I see it. If we are willing to settle for ‘nothing but the best FROM ourselves’, that will carry over into our parenting. A Mom Matters when she cares enough to be a good example - in word and action to her children.
Take Leah Segedie for example (many of you may know her as Bookieboo!) What you may not know is Leah’s story.
Three years ago, when Leah gave birth to her first child, a son, she weighed 253 pounds. While she was pregnant, her father was diagnosed with cancer and given only 6 months to live. Five days a week, Leah helped her mother to care for her dying father. Watching him suffer was tremendously painful and Leah found solace in food.
Like so many of us, she believed the weight would come off after she had the baby. But, also like many of us, that wasn’t the case.
When her newborn son was only 3 months old, Leah’s father lost his battle with cancer. Though she had prayed for an end to his suffering, she was devastated.
But with the devastation came a ‘moment of clarity’, as she calls it. She didn’t want to be the ‘fat mom’. She wanted to ‘model healthy behavior’ for her family. In that moment, Leah decided to make a change. So, she stood up and started walking. At first it was once a day and then twice. She joined Curves and began to practice Taebo. Five pounds at a time, Leah began to see a difference.
Working at a healthy lifestyle the traditional way, with diet and exercise, Leah lost over 100 pounds.
It is this weight loss journey, and Leah’s desire to motivate those around her that inspired her friend Kelly Loubet to nominate her for Why Moms Matter.
After losing the weight, Leah decided to create a ‘go-to place where moms could share their struggles staying or getting into shape”, and Bookieboo.com (named after her son) was born. The site has over 40 contributors, many are certified personal trainers, but all are moms.
Knowing how tough it can be to balance being a mom with taking care of yourself, Leah is reaching out - hoping to give a little extra resolve to one mom at a time. Having recently had a second son, Leah is on the ball with getting back into shape one more time - and she has the support of whole bunch of moms on Bookieboo - doing the exact same thing.
Join us on Why Moms Matter on Blog Talk Radio, Friday at 12:30PST/2:30CST to learn how Leah stays motivated to keep up with her healthy lifestyle and how she balances work with family. You’ll also learn about her new Blog Talk Radio Show - MomActive - launching on June 19th.
Do you know a Mom Who Matters? An ordinary mom doing extraordinary things? Nominate her today.
The value in friendships - Why Moms Matter
The older I get, the more I value the friends I have. True friendship as an adult, as a mom, takes time and effort. It isn’t easy because we all have so much ‘life’ spinning around us - our families, our homes, our work (either at home or away from it).
We have carpools and soccer games, dinner times and preschool graduations, doctors appointments and teacher conferences, family vacations and work obligations - to say nothing of taking care of your home, or spending quality time with your kids and significant other.
And yet, we manage. Because our friends matter. They keep us sane, help us navigate the minefield of motherhood and even guide us through pain.
It doesn’t matter how you met your ‘best friends’ - it matters only how you treat them and how they treat you.
Take Brandy Tanner and Dwan Perrin.
They met online. The entirety of their friendship has been via the Internet and phone. And yet, they are there for each other - they share a mutual respect and loyalty.
They nominated EACH OTHER as a Mom Who Matters.
Brandy on Dwan: “Dwan is extraordinary because she is a single mother of three children. No matter how hard life may be financially and emotionally for Dwan, she is still a Mom who does extraordinary things for her children. She gives all she has to them and tries her best to make money working from home.”
Dwan believes her most important job as a mom is to teach unconditional love by example. This is a philosophy she lives daily as she cares for Tapanga who is 11, 7 year old Gabby and almost 3 year old Noah.
It was while dealing with Gabby’s extensive medical problems that Dwan moved from the corporate world to working at home full time, while caring for her children. Gabby suffered a pediatric stroke in utero and has since struggled with Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. In only her 7 short years, she has had 5 major surgeries - 2 of them on her brain - one of them only a week ago on her arm and hand.
With Dwan by her side, Gabby sees 6 specialists and 5 therapists on a regular basis. This is modeling unconditional love. And she constantly supports her family on all levels, “I work from home literally around the clock, in between caring for kids, doctor appointments, running errands, maintaining the house and sleeping.”
How is it even possible to balance everything Dwan has on her plate? “I take one day at a time and just when I think I can’t handle another day, I remember my children NEED me. I am the one they count on and I know God would never hand me more than I can handle.”
And of course, she has Brandy, “We talk daily and learn on each other constantly. I’d be lost without Brandy!”
Dwan on Brandy: “Although Brandy is married, her husband works at least 6 days a week and she basically has to run the home/children on her own. Along with breastfeeding, diaper changing (she has 2 in diapers), dealing with a child with ADHD and juggling business, she makes time to be a best friend to me.”
Balancing life as a work at home mom with raising three children - a 6 year old daughter and 2 sons who are 2 years old and 10 months, Brandy’s days are full. And yet, the only thing she would change would be to have her husband around a bit more. She worries about the stress he endures working a 6 day, 50 hour week.
Though she does it all at home and manages a new business, Brandy considers having two small guys in diapers to be one of her biggest challenges, “it seems when I am changing one, the other wants mommy all to himself.”
Clearly, being a Mom is a priority for Brandy, “I hope to teach all three of my children that it is ok to make mistakes as long as you learn something from those mistakes and move forward in a positive direction.”
Helping her to constantly move in that positive direction: Dwan.
Both Moms are in the midst of managing blogs (visit Dwan and Brandy) and starting new businesses online. Brandy is an online virtual asistant and Dwan will soon be launching her new business - a definite passion for her.
Join us Friday on Why Moms Matter on Blog Talk Radio at 12:30PST/2:30CST to learn more about these amazing moms who use their friendship to keep them afloat on their best and most challenging days.
And don’t forget to keep telling us about Moms Who Matter - we have been amazed by each and every nomination.
Living, Loving and Learning with Sugar Jones - Why Moms Matter
She is a mother of 4. She home schools. She runs her own website. She co-hosts the Blog Talk Radio Show - Chicks Who Chat. And according to her co-host, Jen Hinton (and the friend who nominated her), Sugar Jones is a true blessing as a friend, blogger and mother.
Sugar Jones matters because she puts her family first - she chooses to home school because she thinks it is the best option for her children. She maters because she balances home and work while acknowledging that it is hard, and because she considers the best thing about parenting to be, “reliving your childhood through the eyes of your children - everything is new and amazing again”. She manages to put herself in her kids shoes - and EXPERIENCE.
There are 10 years between Sugar’s oldest daughters, Jasmine and Lauren and her two younger children - Hannah and Ryan. That time has given Sugar a chance to evolve as a parent, “I’m not parenting from a place of fear anymore. I’m trusting myself more and listening to others less. I never even pretend to have this parenting thing down. I love being the mom that says this is a tough job that isn’t always fun. I think it gives moms permission to do the same”.
It is, in part, that drive to ‘give’ that prompted Jen to nominate Sugar, calling her ‘REAL’ and a ‘true blessing’. Jen also points out Sugar’s willingness to promote any cause or business she believes in.
Join us on Why Moms Matter on Blog Talk Radio to learn more about Sugar, what motivates her as a Mom and what drives her to give so much of herself. The show airs today at 12:30PDT/2:30CDT.
As always - if you know a mom who Matters - nominate her!
