Apr 16 2009
I love this video of Corey and her daughter Zoe with some fabulous ideas for your next birthday party!
Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are a mother-daughter team and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, available at www.CelebrateGreen.net.
Apr 14 2009
Successful Mom Entrepreneurs Share Insight on How to Get Started and Stay Ahead
SAN DIEGO, CA (April 2009) - In an economic climate where many are consumed with simply protecting their status quo, now might actually be the best time to take a leap of faith and start a business. According to a recent USA Today article, some of the country’s most successful companies - Johnson & Johnson, Disney and Proctor & Gamble, just to name a few - were started in recessions and benefited by weakened business competitors and consumers with loosened brand loyalties seeking cheaper alternatives.
Of course not everyone should forego their steady income to wear the entrepreneurial hat, but some are poised to launch with little to no opportunity cost. As evidenced by the rise of the “mom entrepreneur,” mothers are in a prime position, as starting a home-based business can not only help stay-at-home moms contribute to the household during a time when dual incomes are increasingly important, but it can also provide job security and flexibility for families.
“When you own your own business, you are not at the mercy of an employer who decides not to keep you on - you put in the work, and you reap the rewards,” explains Lisa Druxman, founder and CEO of Stroller Strides®, the country’s largest and fastest-growing postnatal exercise program for moms, which offers family-friendly franchise opportunities for moms across the nation. “Absolutely nothing can replace the experience of owning your own business, as you can develop it around your schedule and the needs of your family.”
Seconds Beth Butler, Founder of Boca Beth LLC, a company that teaches Spanish and English to young children through CDs, DVDs puppets and books, “An unstable economy is one of the easiest times to outshine your competition. While many are working less because sales are down, I’m forging full-steam ahead.”
Druxman and Butler aren’t alone. Thousands of moms have turned their personal passions into financially-rewarding enterprises, without having to sacrifice family along the way.
How did they do it? From building an empire in eco-friendly cleaners to turning custom-painted pottery into a lucrative paycheck, several successful mom entrepreneurs share their insights on getting started and staying ahead:
Research, research, research. Check out potential competitors, create a business plan, consult with a business coach, seek out women’s networking groups through your local Chamber of Commerce and USE THE INTERNET, suggest the mom entrepreneurs. Sign up for free marketing sites like The Publicity Hound, get free business counseling through SCORE.org or seek out a support site, such as TheMomEntrepreneur.com. Your fellow mom entrepreneurs can be your most valuable allies; Stroller Strides Founder Druxman even makes her expertise available to colleagues on a monthly basis by hosting free Mommy-Owned Business web calls.
For more tips from successful mom entrepreneurs on starting a business or to set up an interview with the panel, please contact Jordan at On the Horizon Communications at (805) 773-1000 or email jordan@thepressroom.com.
Stroller Strides franchises are available for those interested in a home-based, family-friendly business. Stroller Strides classes are offered in over 800 locations in the United States and Canada. The hour-long classes emphasize cardiovascular activities and muscle-strengthening exercises using resistance bands and strollers, allowing moms to interact with their babies throughout their workout. Stroller Strides now also offers prenatal Fit4Baby classes at locations nationwide. To further assist mothers in all aspects of their lives, Stroller Strides partners with Pampers®, LUNA® and BOB®. For more information about Stroller Strides, including class locations, visit www.strollerstrides.com.
Apr 13 2009
It’s national library week! Celebrate your library this week, month and year to spread the joy of reading. Escape into your favorite adventure and share your love with your entire family!
Here are a few suggestions from the American Library Association (ALA):
National Library Week - Celebrate April 12-18, 2009
National Library Week is an annual celebration of the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate.
National Library Week 2009 will be celebrated with the theme, “Worlds connect @ your library.”
Events:
- April is School Library Media Month
- Saturday, April 11 - Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., president and founder, RainbowPUSH Coalition and ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels will participate in a reading event to kick off National Library Week.
- Monday, April 13 - “The State of America’s Libraries” report will be released. Visit the Public Information Office Web site for more information.
- Tuesday, April 14 - Celebrate ALA-APA’s National Library Workers Day
- Wednesday, April 15- ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom will release the “Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2008″ list. Visit the Banned Books Week Web site.
- Thursday, April 16 - Celebrate YALSA’s Support Teen Literature Day
For more information, please visit the ALA’s website!
Apr 10 2009
Career and Women’s Issues
Does full-time motherhood allow for fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment in today’s culture? Does working full time give parents a sense of balance in raising their children and handling the demands of a career? The answer is NO to both.
Betty Friedan, author of “The Feminine Mystique” wrote that, after nearly two decades of women abandoning their careers to have kids and stay home, these women were more depressed, isolated and frustrated than ever, even if they have first gone to college. “Like a two-headed schizophrenic…once she wrote a paper on Graveyard poets; now she writes notes to the milkman…” The Feminine Mystique was written nearly fifty years ago but could have been written today. While more women ARE going to college and finishing their education, many accept the role of mother and wife, thereby forgoing the chance to shape and express their own identities in society.
I am one of ‘them.’ Raised mostly by a foster family and people other than my own parents, I quit my highly stressful job when I had my daughter. After countless hours of pushing her on the swing and rushing to the park in between naps, I witnessed the annihilation of my mental abilities. The biggest challenge became whether to cook chicken scaloppini or pasta for dinner. For years I felt as if I were suspended on a thread that depended on the passing of time; one day melded into another and my days were interminable. When I tried to return to work it proved disastrous, caught as I was between the guilt and the anxiety of leaving my child behind and the demands of my job. The result was that I couldn’t perform either one to my satisfaction and eventually quit trying to do both.
Friedan asserts that the unhappiness of women (and at times men) while raising a child full time is the result of the fragmented, unrecognized, and undervalued existence that women conduct. I can’t agree with her more. While it is very rewarding to be with our children, it can also wipe our sense of identity and direction.
Friedan continues her study by stating that, “with the career woman out of the way, the housewife with interests in the community becomes the devil to be exorcised…there is the discontent suburban wife who raises hell at the PTA; morbidly depressed, she …envies her husband…” I have seen with my own eyes the multitude of talented women vying for a spot in the various groups where we could express our skills and abilities. The question is: is the lack of pursuits in a woman’s life a consequence of the denial suffered by society or is motherhood a determining factor in the obliteration of other areas of interest?
Of course, one has to take into account the social class of the individual(s) in question. As a white, middle to upper class woman who has had the choice-albeit not always-to pick between homemaking and full time work, I suffered the conflict of wanting to be home with my child and yet longing to express my creativity in full. Over the years I quickly morphed into what Dr. Polly Eisendrath-Young defines as the ‘hothouse mother’ (from Women and Desire, an account of women desires and pathologies in the context of a patriarchal culture) which states that: “when a mother is “perceived simply as a resource for others’ needs rather than as a person in her own right, she becomes the Hothouse Mother”. In her estimation, the ‘hothouse’ concept is simply the result of society’s inability to respond to the needs of the parent of a young child, especially mothers. In their desire to become ‘ideal mothers’ women cut themselves from society and the ability to function amongst adults in the workplace. They become depressed, isolated and neurotic, which in turn plays against the image of what they are trying to achieve.
Friedan suggests that the solution for a society who doesn’t want to deal with women’s dissatisfaction is ‘the disappearance of the heroine altogether’ (the mythical figure from the past), which provides the answer to one of today’s dilemma also. Many women are talked into compromising their goals in the name of raising families and adjusting to the community. When a woman is seen only in terms of her sexual role, says Friedan, the barriers to the realization of her full potential-career, education and political interests-are no longer a problem. What remains is ‘the problem that has no name’ a vague wish for something more to which magazines reply by suggesting the adoption of a different outfit.
The central question remains: why is our society not capable of providing full time parents with a sense of their worth as they educate and form the individuals of tomorrow? Could it be that our capitalistic culture acknowledges and only rewards those who produce in a materialistic sense?
This is something we must strive to change. Unless we understand that caring for one another and contributing to each other’s wellbeing and education is the only guarantee for a prosperous future, we will suffer losses and produce less-than-whole members of society.
The topics around motherhood in industrialized societies, the fragmentation phenomenon and the consequences it carries, the isolation aspect-endemic of an industrialized culture-and the issue of re-entering the work force once the kids leave home are many and I will be addressing them in the blogs to come.
Thank you for your interest and your support,
Lauretta
Apr 09 2009
A one-of-a-kind “sleep over event” that the two of you will cherish forever!
This beautifully nurturing mother daughter experience is the perfect place to:
This special event is for you if you want to:
Through fun, unique and informative activities, you will experience communication and closeness at a whole new level. This all-inclusive event includes a private hotel room for each mother daughter pair, meals, unique CORE Component workshops and food/body awareness activities that you two will cherish forever.
Connect to oneself and each other. Each activity and discussion promotes and enhances Compassion, Opportunity, Responsibility an Energy - which are essential to a girl’s self esteem. This special event is a “rite of passage” for you and your daughter - as she moves into her tween and teen years and eventually, becomes an independant woman.
Through
4 PM Saturday, May 23rd
Dobson Ranch Inn
Mesa AZ
This retreat is specifically designed for those moms seeking to
create the most loving relationship with their 9 - 13 year old daughter.
(Please note: It is not intended to replace therapy, counseling or a treatment center)
Apr 08 2009
I am honored to be speaking today at Healthy Families in Waukesha, WI. It is truly Waukesha County’s best kept secret! As they celebrate their 16th year of helping families from birth to age five and I am moved by the hope and joy they spread to these families.
The goal of Healthy Families is not to judge, but to listen to help these families break the cycle of generational abuse and neglect. For a child who is about to become a parent, the unknown is uncertain but Healthy Families is packed with hope, joy and resources to help these children become parents and help these tiny babies have a safety net filled with that Healthy Families hope!
I will be presenting to a room filled with amazing community leaders who all have a story to share. I am honored to be sharing the stage with TMJ4’s Susan Kim, who has to deliver Milwaukee’s sad stories on a daily basis.
Let’s take a page out of Brian William’s Nightly News and request some good stories about amazing things you are doing to take back your communities. Tell us your story!
Apr 06 2009
This blog has been hijacked by ME, Tammy Harrison … better known as Stacey’s webmonster (or, as Stacey says, her ’secret weapon’).
Do you know Mary Byers? She’s a sweetheart, and a client who is an author. I originally designed two websites for her previous books, before she decided to merge all of her books into one website. Let’s call her a dream client - no complaints, patience on her end for me to do what she asked…and a wonderful sense of knowing where she wanted to go and being able to communicate that to me.
And then she asks me if I want to be in one of her books!
Do I look like I’d say no to that type of free publicity?!
Mary’s latest book is called Making Work @ Home Work: Successfully Growing a Business and a Family Under One Roof. Yup, that’d be ME!
Making Work at Home Work shows moms how to develop an entrepreneurial mind-set without sacrificing their families. It covers important topics such as developing a successful business philosophy, balancing time between work and family, setting realistic goals, and handling the challenges of being both “Mommy” and “CEO” while running a profitable home-based business.
In addition to including her own experiences, author Mary Byers profiles real moms with home-based businesses who offer their hard-won advice.
Go check it out, especially if you have a desire, drive and determination to work from home. It’s worked SUCCESSFULLY for ME for 14 years! And Stacey has SUCCESSFULLY worked from home for quite some time, too!
Apr 03 2009
For all those millions of families who struggle with autism on a daily basis, my heart breaks! For millions of other families who are unaware of the signs of autism, let’s go through some of the early warning signs for your baby:
In the course of talking to parents and teachers across the country, I have been blessed to hear some amazing stories of wonderful things happening with children who were told that their child would never live a “normal” life and yet many kids are beating the odds! Hats off to those families for believing that anything is possible as long as you keep trying and moving forward! As I have listened to these success stories, I am touched by the number of people that have banded together to work together to break the chains of autism to find what works for their own family! Do you have a autism success story you would like to share?
Apr 02 2009
I am PROUD to be 100% made in Wisconsin.
From my “Let’s Get Ready” series of books, the illustration and design team of Joyce Babel-Worth and Dori Schmitz are from Wisconsin … to my print production team. We are not only proud to be “Made in the USA” but also 100% made in Wisconsin!
Check out more Wisconsin made items at www.wisconsinmade.com! And check out my Wisconsin Made products at http://www.wisconsinmade.com/cedar-valley-publishing.aspx
Meet Mom & Publisher
Stacey Kannenberg
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