Starting Over Is Not Easy ... Mother Baby Child Blog
I was over 35 when I gave birth to Baby Max. My middle son was 11 years old and my older son had just turned seventeen. It wasn't easy starting over again ... Mother Baby Child is a blog to share parenting experiences, as well as what marriage is like after being a single mom for so many years. Get info on having a baby, raising children, babies, tweens, teens, homeschooling, mom blogs, work at home mom. business marketing, Christian and celebrity moms blog posts.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. ~ Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
My jaw just about hit the floor when I read that Hilary Hinton a.k.a. ZIG ZIGLAR died this morning. It is was not the shock of death itself as this man has been blessed to live a long 86 years. Although I never met Hilary, I have been reading, watching his videos and quoting Zig Ziglar for years. It felt like the loss of someone I knew. I'm sure other "students" can relate to the sentiment. Zig Ziglar was a legendary motivational sales trainer and Christian.
My heart goes out to his family and friends! May he rest in peace!
My favorite quote from Zig Ziglar:
"It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through." Zig Ziglar
I have been taking a little break from blogging, so that I can reorganize the house for the baby's new stage. I could not help popping in today because I hold all of my online moms dear to my heart and hope that you are having a wonderful day doing whatever it is that you wanted to do. If not, I send you big hugs with the following little quote. I hope makes you smile and remember how wonderful it is to be a mother and wife :)
"Motherhood is a choice you make everyday to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own ❤ to teach the hardest lessons to do the right things even when you're not sure what the right thing is ... and to forgive yourself over and over again for doing everything wrong" ~ Donna Bell
Helping Moms In Business Does Mean More Than You Think!
My mother posted the little graphic above and it's BIG message really touched my heart. I have been waiting for Wordless Wednesday, so I could share it with you. Isn't this quote so true? This quote makes me feel like emailing everyone in the world; especially CEOs of companies. They have no clue how hard it is for some mothers to establish themselves as virtual assistants, mom business owners, work at home moms, etc. These moms really do have to possess more drive, organization and commitment - than the average person - in order to become successful mom business owners or telecommuting moms - while raising children and managing a household. I know this from experience ... CEOs do not just throw opportunities into mom's laps ... these mothers have to find work they can do at home! This is why so many moms turn to direct marketing companies and / or learning how to market online. Yes, there are some moms that dream of starting a business, but there are even more moms that just need to make money working from home and do whatever they can.
If CEOs REALLY understood this, there would be more onshore telecommute jobs and less struggling moms / mom business owners!
Regardless, I am grateful for how "things" are in comparison to what the Internet was like 13 years ago ... If you did not know computer programming or have a direct marketing business offline (Mary Kay, Avon, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, etc), then your work from home options were very limited. We did not have Google Ads and Facebook networks at that time; there were only a few mommy websites to browse for opportunities and these were very basic HTML sites without Craigslist, Elance and Freelancer feeds because those resources did not exist. Thinking of this reminds me that we are fortunate to have the Internet ... Yet, there are still not enough work at home "jobs" in comparison to work at home opportunities. This is why it is important for more people to support mom business owners opposed to Amazon, Ebay and larger corporations that sell the same types of products. Unfortunately, this is something that has not changed as much as the Internet. People still prefer to shop at Walmart for pink slime meat than support their local farms; they prefer to shop at Bath & Body at the mall opposed to supporting a friend selling Avon.
This really needs to change and this is why I like that little graphic so much. It's huge message made me think towards the sky ... not just "the sky is the limit" ... I looked out the window to the beautiful sky and I prayed. I thanked God for all of the challenges and opportunities; I also prayed for his mercy and change :)
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks to the Lord of Lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that stretched out the earth above the waters:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:
The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
~ Psalms 136.1-9
No matter what our economy or personal situations, we have the love, support and grace of our Lord and he provides the discernment, strength, humbleness, knowledge and motivation to do all that we need to do. We just need to remain faithful and grateful during our life processes. Be thankful for where you are at in your business / work at home experience; also, if possible, help other moms accomplish their goals by assisting them in their work, training them in what they do not know and buying from mom business owners.
Hugs & blessings to all mom business owners, mom bloggers, mom marketers and virtual assistants that are "doing your thing" to contribute to your household ... while raising children and handling all that is involved with having a family.
This is not a radical anti-establishment / horrible Monsanto post, that will come later. Mine is a story of guilt and anger over processed foods, genetically altered, pesticide & fast foods ... How could we let them do this to us? How could I ignore the facts and God's will?
I have struggled with my weight since having children (18 years ago). This is not because I didn't eat my veges or couldn't lose weight, but that the "bad foods" always took over my willpower; especially when it came to choosing which foods to buy according to our budget (I love a good deal) and portion sizes. As a result, it would take me years to lose weight after having a baby. I also fed my family professed foods, genetically altered foods, fast foods, corn syrup and pesticide infected meats and vegetables that I thought were healthy.
Sustainable Food Movement - Pesticide Free / Healthy Organic Foods Movement
This chapter of my life is titled "My Personal Struggle". It involves guilt ridden realizations that motivated me into taking responsibility for the food choices that I have made for my family and dedication to breaking the cycle.
It really broke my heart when my husband gave our baby a hotdog for the first time. I swore that I wasn't going to do "THAT" to "THIS" child, but who cold blame him? I fed the baby a chicken nugget, crackers and cookies, so many times, and gave him toddler baby formula (soy) after he weaned from breastfeeding. In fact, I put the hotdogs on the store list despite knowing that they are not good for us (even our preferred store bought beef hotdogs). Prior to this baby, my entire family and I have been feeding children and eateneating "bad foods" for generations. It was only my step mother's health obsession (as I was growing up), my grandparent's gardening and fostering my love of vegetables, my mother's "fat" prejudice and going to the farmer's market when I was young, that confirm that I am right about how I feel regardless of whether I ever read an article, food label or warning about the type of food we eat in the United States. Ironically, it was also these family members that embraced processed foods, fad dieting, chemicals, pesticides, fast food, etc, as fell as fostering larger food portions, eating everything on my plate whether I was fool or not, and sweet foods made from unhealthy flours, sugars, etc. I would never blame them because that is how life transpired as we became more industrial in this nation, but they could have done better despite the food fads (like turning off the TV and educating themselves on how to keep "things" as simple as what they had learned from family members on the farms and remembered from their radio listening childhoods. Instead of preserving the "old school" and flower child ideals, they sold out to the bigger, larger, more is better, brainwashing that our corporations and government has supported for decades!
Healthy Food & Lifestyle | Taking Responsibility & Making Changes
I heard the "rumors" about genetically altered foods; knew the benefits of exercising and eating healthy, since I was a child. I know that cigarettes cause cancer, as well as Aspartame and other chemicals in our foods. I remember reading about the first case of BSE when I was a kid (1980s) and especially the Mad Cow Disease epidemic in 1993 because that was when my son was born. It wasn't long after that my mother bought 1/2 a cow from an organic farm near our city and gave me plenty to last. My guilt is in knowing all of the basic health information and ignoring it, as well as not researching and learning more about the "rumors" ... especially since I was a biology student for so many years. I have no excuse for not feeding my children natural / organic foods except for the fact that it was easier, cheaper and, sometimes, more fun to be irresponsible about our health. I also have no excuse for all of the years of smoking, drinking and, various forms of, gluttony after having children. I was just sick with regret for all of the years that I let my children eat processed foods and fast foods, and then anger for feeding them pesticide foods that I thought were good for us once I decided to drop the other bad foods and make more healthy choices.
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Even non-Christians know this scripture quote about our body being temple, yet we ignore it as easily as we ignore God's other instructions and laws. It starts from the top of the food chain and ends in our hearts. The problem that we are having (others and my family) is that the government and corporations have made it virtually impossible to go "back to basics" in this world. I am not only referring to our food sources, but also the generations of change in products, utilities and leadership in this nation.
My husband and I have been making changes since the beginning of this year. It started with childhood and adult experience, listening to people trying to educate us on what is wrong and right according to the Bible, health, etc. I sat and watched Fresh The Movie when they made it available online and free in January 2012. I highly recommend attending a viewing or buying this movie if you can ... it is safe enough for children to watch and educational for those who are interested in a healthier way of life. The problem that I have had since watching Fresh The Movie is the extreme guilt of what I have done to my body and the health of those I love, as well as anger towards the impact of media, corporations and government for the choices they have made for us. For example, soy, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, corn, ice cream, pet food, etc. genetically engineered? Why is our infant formula, flour, syrup, oil, pet food, processed foods, etc made with non conventional ingredients? Why does a bottle of vitamin C taste like salt, plus have sodium and Yellow 6 in it? Why does Monsanto's genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rBGH) infect meats, dairy and pesticides on the vegetables needed to eat and make flour, corn meal, coffee, etc. Why does our local food get shipped to other states and out of the country ... why do we eat imported foods when the exact same foods are exported from our country?
Most importantly ... why is it so hard to find and buy organic foods; especially 100% organic local foods and at the same market value as the "bad foods" that companies and the government approves for us? Why can't I find non-GMO (GMO - Genetically Motified Food) in some cases? Why does the government let Monsanto have such control over our foods and fund industrial farming? I even have to screen every single farmer and take tours in order to buy local organic foods. In many cases, such as pork and certain vegetables, only natural is available and this upsets me.
Change is not easy! On the other hand, it should not be this difficult for those who chose to shop for natural / organic food and products. Our family is making this change despite the costs and time; including growing some of our own foods, exercise and educating our other family members. I am wondering if you have been considering or have made the change to Organic Foods and healthier life changes? Please comment below and follow at networks; I will follow back so that we can learn and share with one another.
Please make sure to register at http://www.freshthemovie.com to learn more about the sustainable food movement and how you can improve the quality of food that you are feeding your family, too!
A Brilliant Idea Turned Into A Reality | Monday Marketing Tip
One of my cousins has always had a plethora of information to share. As a child, he was the "go to guy" in his own right; he was our walking encyclopedia of interesting facts, biblical scriptures, solutions to problems and brilliant ideas. He spoke with such passion and variety that I felt like I was hanging out with my own little Albert Einstein. On the other hand, conversations sometimes became overwhelming because he tried to share everything on his mind at one time. It wasn't until recently that I realized that our family did my cousin an injustice. Although each one of us was a listening ear at one point or another, the adults should have taught him how to filter and turn those brilliant ideas into reality. If they had, he might have been a millionaire by now! The issue is that one has to recognize "genius" for what it is in order to know how to foster it. This Monday Marketing Tip will discuss how to recognize, filter and foster good ideas for yourself or clients. Think of it as an unofficial guide for turning ideas into reality :)
"Everyone is in love with their own ideas." - Carl Jung
I hadn't spoken with that cousin in a while, so his mother passed him the phone to say "hello" one day. He barely made it through 3 minutes of small talk before he jumped into a 1/2 hour conversation about an ingenious idea that he had been wanting to share with me. It truly was a brilliant idea, but I did not bite. He was just not persuasive enough to get me moving on it. He was excitedly in love with this idea (which I still would help him with after he does more research), but it did not naturally peak my interests on a professional level. On the other hand, I am very much interested in the subject on a personal level. If we had discussed it as a hobby for 1/2 hour, it might have taken just 3 minutes to make me understand why I should help with the brilliant idea. THAT is marketing! Everyone loves their own business, ideas, topics of interest ... it is your job to determine whether it is a good enough one to share with others (even if it is your own) and how you will accomplish that task.
"You can have brilliant ideas, but if you cannot get them across, your ideas will not get you anywhere." ~ Lee Iacocca
My cousin is an Einstein in his own right and has always had brilliant ideas! The problem is that he does not know how to present his idea, so that others will become as passionate as he is about the concept. He shares all of his brilliant ideas with the expectation that others will understand the potential and turn the ideas into reality. Meanwhile, they are extremely niche ideas that someone would have to be equally passionate about to deal with the complications of putting them into action. What does this mean to you? It means that you might come up with a business or idea that you think is good, but what matters is whether it will interest others. In some cases, you can create the market, though you have to weigh whether that business or idea is worth the work and time. For example, you must present a business or product for review that will interest your followers and project what your followers will respond to.
"A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go further than a great idea that inspires no one." - Mary Kay Ash
On the other hand, my cousin only presented one brilliant idea to me. He did not overwhelm me with information or take up too much time on his interest. He has learned how to filter through ideas and for the right audience. In his mind, I was the right family member to present his most recent idea to because it is relative to the type of work that I do. Although that is just one part of filtering and presenting a brilliant idea, it is an important factor especially for Mom Bloggers that represent products, services and giveaways. You have to choose the right product for the right markets. You have to decide whether it is best to select one product that is reared towards your existing blog following or 10 products that you will tweet in hopes of getting a better response.
"Ideas won't keep. Something must be done about them." - Alfred North Whitehead
Whether you are a mom blogger or marketing executive, you need to know how to narrow down the options and choose what will work well. The next step if to present this information to the correct markets in order to obtain desirable results. This takes time to perfect, but not as long as seeing a brilliant concept or business dream go nowhere ... Take time to learn how to turn ideas into reality!
