Mother-2-Mother Blog

Ten Things I'm Thankful For

The holiday season is approaching. It's the time of year when families gather and thanks are given. Homes will be filled with children, laughter, conversations of days gone by and the Sports channel will be envied by every other station on TV. An abundance of food and drink will be consumed, which will be followed by a much needed nap. After nap 1, slices of pumpkin or sweet potato pie filled with scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream will push the turkey and stuffing down and another nap will follow. Lastly, arguments over who ate the last homemade roll or who drank the last of the sweet tea will surface, and that argument will be followed by an argument over who will be cleaning up the kitchen and putting away the leftovers. I love the holiday season.

It's a tradition in my family for everyone to give thanks to someone or something during the blessing of our meal each Thanksgiving. What will you be thankful for?Here's the top 10 things that I'm thankful for in no particular order:

Thank you God for allowing me to live another year
Thanks to my significant other for loving me unconditionally. I know some days it's difficult
Thanks to my grandson for making me the proudest grandmother in the world
Thank you God for giving me the insight that I need to continue being a great mother and grandmother
Thanks to my employer for a regular paycheck
Thanks to my family for always being here when I need them
Thanks for the ability to keep a roof over my head, heat in my home, and food in the frig
Thanks to God for the fresh air that I take in everyday and the beauty that surrounds me
Thanks to all my friends who put up with me even when I act a fool and get on their last nerve
Thanks to my mother and father for giving me life, butt whippings, education and sending me out into the world so I can stand on my own two feet.

I would like to thank each of my readers for the follow and I wish each of you a very Happy, Blessed and Safe Thanksgiving. Leave us a comment on 1 thing that you will be giving thanks for this holiday. We would love to know what's in your heart.

6:01 PM
Categories: blessings, holidays, Thanksgiving. Author: rmgales

Don't Air Your Laundry In This Neighborhood

I remember the day when sheets, towels, jeans and shirts would have been hanging from these clothes pins. Few people hang their laundry outside these days. I for one don't, but both of my neighbors hang their laundry out. I have often thought about purchasing a clothes line, but only for a brief moment.

Watching my neighbors hang their laundry has brought back memories of wringer washes, wash tubs, scrub boards, and spray starch. My mother had a wringer washer and clothes line for years. She starched more shirts and doilies than I care to count. I remember getting my fingers caught in that damn wringer on many occasions too. I did love the smell of my sheets when I was growing up. They always smelled so fresh. On the other hand, I also have memories of frozen jeans, stiff towels and cold fingers from being out in the cold taking the laundry down. It's those memories that make me run thankfully to my dryer where I can open it to find nice, warm, wrinkle free laundry.

Did you know there's a fight going on in America over laundry? Women want the right to air their laundry, but local ordinances are keeping laundry out of backyards. It seems that most developers place this restriction in their covenants, but 5 states have made it a law that you can hang your laundry in your yard. These state include: Florida, Utah, Maine, Vermont, Colorado, and Hawaii. Additional states are thinking about lifting the ban on airing laundry. It seems that in most states neighbors aren't interested in seeing other neighbor's sheets and/or unmentionables blowing in the wind. Many believe it trashes the neighborhood. Gone are the days of wringer washers and wash tubs on the back porch, but shouldn't a home owner have the right to hang boxers, bras and booty shorts out if they wish?

I don't find either of my neighbor's laundry embarrassing or trashy. I must admit I have glanced at the undies and wondered if my ass was big as the briefs they had hanging on their line, and vowed to hit the treadmill more often. Other than that, it's just laundry.

Laundry blowing in the wind used to be a common sight in the neighborhood when I was growing up, but we didn't live in a neighborhood of $200,00, $300,000 or $400,000 homes either. People seem to be focused more on looks rather than saving energy and having fresh smelling sheets these days. Seeing laundry in the backyards of homes of this caliber is most unusual, but Project Laundry List may end the ban on sheets blowing in the wind in the swankiest of neighborhoods. They are fighting for the rights of home owners everywhere to air their laundry.

It's doubtful that I will join in the fight to air my dainties. Although I do miss the smell of fresh sheets, I love my dryer and the delicate cycle too much. I do wish those who want to hang their laundry in their yard the best.

Will you be joining the fight? Leave us a comment and let us know if you or your neighbors hang your laundry out and your thoughts.

4:05 PM
Categories: clotheslines, laundry, neighborsh, Project Laundry List. Author: rmgales

Wordless Wednesday

Chocolate, you're the bestest Mama!

4:39 PM
Categories: Captain Georges, virginia beach, Wordless Wednesday. Author: rmgales

I Won't Leave My Child To Fight In A War

Meet Army Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, 21. Spc. Hutchinson refused deployment to Afghanistan because she didn't have anyone to care for her child. Here's her story, she initially thought her mother would be able to care for her 10 month old son during her year deployment; however, her mother changed her mind at the last minute. You see her mother is currently caring for her elderly mother, her sister and a special needs daughter. In addition to caring for 3 family members, she runs a daycare with 14 children during the day. Her mother stated that the baby would need more care than she would be able to provide with her current responsibilities, so she reneged.

Spc. Hutchinson requested additional time to make arrangements for the baby, but instead of receiving additional time she was ordered to place her child in foster care and deploy as scheduled. She was unable to make other arrangements and refused to place her baby in foster care. She was arrested for not deploying as ordered. Although no criminal charges have been filed against her, she has been confined to her base in Savannah, GA. This soldier is a single mom who is no longer connected to her baby's daddy. She had no where to turn, and she made the choice that any true mother would make. She refused to leave her 10-month old baby in the care of a stranger while she entered a combat zone. I say you go momma.

Now according to an Army spokesman, the Army would not deploy a soldier who had no one to care for their child. According to Spc. Hutchinson, she was denied additional time to find someone to care for her baby. The Army has vowed to get to the bottom of it what exactly took place with this mother and her superiors. In the meantime, her mother has retrieved the infant since her daughter's arrest and is caring for him in spite of the burden that it has placed on her.

I will leave my personal views on the wars that we are currently engaged in out of this post, but I applaud this young mother for refusing to leave her child to go to war. I hope that serious actions are taken against the superior who ordered this young lady into a combat zone at the expense of her child. You have to be a pretty heartless person to give that command.

Would you have deployed or placed out your hands for the bracelet? I would have been arrested, there's no way I would have placed my child in foster care especially if I was placing my life on the line. This young mother would have had no peace of mind while she was there. How could she, she would have no idea where her child was or who was caring for him. How could she focus in a war zone not knowing? I would love to hear your opinion on this young mother and what you would have done had you been in her shoes. Please leave us a comment.

5:09 PM
Categories: Afghanistan, Army, children's drink ware, deployment, military mothers. Author: rmgales

Results of Poll - Should Disruptive Children Be Removed From Planes?

The result of our poll is in. The question - Do you agree with airlines, Disruptive Children Should Be Removed From Planes? Here's the results: 52% yes, 47% no and 1% unsure.

As a regular traveler, I voted yes. It was a tough call for me as a mother, but I am grateful that the airline will be placing my safety first, especially at 32,000 feet.

5:55 AM
Categories: blog polls, polls, survey. Author: rmgales

God Is With Me - Children's Book Give Away

I had the opportunity to review two wonderful books, God Is With Me Through The Night and God Is With Me Through The Day. These books were written by Julie Cantrell, a certified speech-language pathologist, with years of experience helping children develop communication skills. Julie currently writes for Princeton Health Care System and FNC, Inc.

I loved both of the books, they contain beautiful stock photos and the wording is simple. The books are very similar, but I really appreciated God Is With Me Through The Night. I'm partial to deer, so I was drawn to the cover. Also, because I think it is in line with the author's goal. The author wrote the book for her daughter, who was afraid of the dark and suffered from nightmares. Ms. Cantrell's intention was to not publish the book initially, but to create a story that would let her daughter know she was safe and she wasn't alone at night. Ms. Cantrell stated, "When her friends would sleep over, they all enjoyed the book and wanted me to print copies for them. Then the neighborhood kids asked for copies."

The story lines in the books are simple. She's used beautiful photos of baby animals expressing their fears and loving pictures of baby animals with their mommy assuring them they are safe at night and during the day to engage the child's attention. The books are useful in building the child's faith in God as well.

Ms. Cantrell conducted research and with data to support the design of the books, and a gut instinct that families would enjoy reading the book again and again, she decided to move forward with publishing. The books are receiving positive feed back from parents and children.

My 2 year old grandson gets excited when he sees the books. I've read them every day since I've received them. He's partial to the God Is With Me Through The Day book. I believe he finds the color of the cover stimulating and likes the puppy on the cover. I love that the author expanded her idea to include the fact that children face fears during the day as well. I believe we will get a lot of mileage out of these books. Another plus is that they have a hard back cover. I found one with little sticky finger prints. My grandson loves pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast, so guess who was the culprit. A damp cloth easily removed the breakfast remnants.

Ms. Cantrell wanted our readers to experience these beautiful book too, so we're offering a set to one of our readers. They will help guide your child through their fears and let them know they are not alone and they will be protected and loved. Here's how you could win: Leave us a comment on one of your child's fears or visit Ms. Cantrell's blog and read her tips on how to help your child with their fears. Leave a comment on how you think Ms. Cantrell's tips could help you.

You can also find activities to go along with the books on Ms. Cantrell's blog, Julie's Journal.

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This give away will end November 24 at mid-night. Give away is open to US Resident 18+ only.

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2:29 PM
Categories: blog give aways, children's books, children's fear. Author: rmgales