Moms Who Inspire
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“A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.”
-Tenneva Jordan
As a mom, you wake up every day knowing the meaning of unconditional love. You also have the ability to inspire and motivate those around you. After all, being a mom is the most important job in the world!
We’d like to start a new feature where we highlight the acts of kindness you do each day…and to encourage others to do the same and share their stories here. Whether it’s dropping off your old clothes at Salvation Army, helping an elderly lady crossing the street, picking up a piece of litter, or something bigger, we want you to tell everybody about it below. Think of this as interactive conversation where you share what you do, and inspire others at the same time!
Please leave your stories/comments below. Thanks for participating!
Just gotta try this Creamy Avocado Dip recipe via Momables.com - love how you can spread it on a sandwich in lieu of Mayo! 
Comment by Julie Ross on Mar 26 2009 08:23:48:
I love this idea!!
Well, I’d be thrilled to start it off.
I haven’t done anything today, but yesterday I did donate all of my daughter’s infant clothes at a Salvation Army. I do that with my clothes and my husband’s as well…it feels great and I know I’m putting them to good use. It also teaches me not to buy as many clothes!
Comment by Dani on Mar 26 2009 08:25:01:
I volunteer when I can at the Lighthouse for the Blind
http://www.lighthouse-sf.org/help/volunteer/
Comment by Jeri on Mar 27 2009 01:08:25:
I have a cousin thats pregnant with a boy and everything my son don’t use or wear anymore I give to her
Comment by The Business Coach for Moms on Mar 27 2009 03:55:32:
My acts of kindness won’t be seen for another 10-12yrs. But I stay home to raise 5 children! 4 of them are boys! As much as I want to run out of the house and hustle to the corporate job, utilizing my college degree, I feel compelled to nuture this new generation of men. As much as I want to push them out the door and onto a big yellow schoolbus so I can have some time to myself, I feel compelled to homeschool them. I wouldn’t advise everyone to do this (as a matter of fact, somedays i want to call my worse enemy and sweetly persuade them to try it), I ONLY do it because I feel sooo compelled. So far, so good! My oldest is 15 and is phenomenial! 10 more years to go and I’ll find out if it was worth it. If not I’m going to have to kill all of them and start all over…yer…not!
Comment by Michelle on Mar 27 2009 04:41:25:
I visited a friend tonight that I grew up with. She had twins back in September and is living with her parents, because of a bad relationship with the father of her children. Being a mom of twin babies makes it hard for her to work and the father doesn’t work either, so no income to take care of the babies. She gave me several clothes to give to my sister in law for her new baby, so I gave her money and a spare exersaucer we had. The exersaucer was used for the garage when we were outside, so needless to say it was not used much. But I am also expecting in a month, so it was hard for me to give it away, knowing we are in need of several things ourselves. I figured she needed things more than I did, having 2 babies. Baby stuff is so expensive and I think its great when people get together all the stuff they dont need and give it to others. I was blessed with alot of hand me downs!!
Comment by Johnina on Mar 27 2009 04:16:38:
Today, I bagged up a huge pile of hand me downs, and took them to my hair dresser.
Also, yesterday as I was standing in line at the grocery store. (In a hurry as usually, to get to school to pick up the kids) I let a woman cut in line, because she said she was in a hurry. Even though I was in just as much as a hurry as she was. Although I didn’t tell her that! *sigh* Is that kindness or being a push over?
Comment by Pam Mohler, resident mom on Mar 27 2009 08:37:39:
We have a very large family and circle of friends, all of whom wanted to be included in my son’s first birthday party. We also live in a city, Toledo OH, that has been hit extremely hard by automotive plant closings and the trickle down of lost jobs in the marketplace. A month or so before Luke’s party, there was an article in our local paper about the increase in demand for food and the crisis of our local food bank having empty shelves. The paper reported that local agencies knew of at least 20,000 children in our county who do not have enough food to eat on a daily basis.
We asked all of our party guests to bring kid-friendly non-perishable food to the party instead of presents. People responded with such generosity that we were able to send more than 350 pounds of cereal, mac & cheese, peanut butter & jelly, rice, soup & canned fruit to the food bank.
It was perfect! Our son was surrounded by those he loved on his special day and we don’t know how many children shared in that love because of the gifts our guests brought!
Comment by Heather on Mar 28 2009 02:44:32:
I knit, crochet and sew. I volunteer as often as I can to 3 local hospitals. I make baby hats for newborns, blankets, booties, burp cloths, bibs and pillows for those that had surgery.
Knowing that the items I make are helping someone needy makes me so happy that I am blessed with the talent and creativity that I posess. I have been doing this for 3 years now and now that I have my own son it just motivates me more. Children are a true blessing!
Comment by Heather on Mar 29 2009 12:16:36:
I live in Oklahoma and we are having some snow and ice. My baby sister and I were leaving our house and my ten year old sister saw it first so she should have alot of the credit, but there was a truck that had spun off the road. They lost control and spun into an electrical pole. They smashed the truck all up and the actual electrical pole was just hanging by a thread. There was also a bike in front of the truck that made it look like they had hit a person. We stopped by to see if they were ok. They couldn’t open their doors but they said they were ok and that they had someone coming. But I think they were more worried about truancy than the electrical thing hanging above their car that if it would have fallen it would have electricuted them. So we called 911 and someone got there and the teenagers were fine, but what touched me so much was how my sister reacted to the whole situation. She was so proud and for the rest of the day all she could say was that she was a “life saver”.
Comment by Melissa on Mar 29 2009 01:18:50:
Living in a condo, everyone puts their trash out the morning that the trucks come. Inevitably, squirrels and other small critters will tear open bags too eat the trash. After the trash is picked up, I give my children a small trash can and they go up and down our street picking up leftover trash. Not only does it help too keep our neighborhood looking nice, but it teaches them that being an active part of our community helps everyone!
Comment by Ashley on Mar 30 2009 01:56:04:
I got pregnant with my first child when I was 17, so teen pregnancy is a situatin that is close to my heart. I volunteer at a local pregnant teen/teen moms home in my area. These girls were brave enough to chose life and I like to be there to support and encourage them. I also help to solicite donations to help the home keep running.
Comment by kimberly on Mar 30 2009 10:59:50:
Hi, I’m a single mother of two. My oldest is my 6 yr. old daughter and my son is 16 months old. I wanna be a big part of their lives. So i’v joined the Policy council at the local headstart as a volunteer, as well as, a member of the PTO at my daughters school. My daughter is also in girl scouts. This is her first year. I just started my training to be a troop leader for girl scout daisies in the wilkes barre, pennsylvania area. I also donate as much as I have available to a local charity, called Pro life. (Which gives clothing and baby furniture to families in need.) I also donate clothing to thrift stores and over the internet on a freecycle website. And I also plan on volunteering my time soon at a farm that shelters injured farm animals that have been neglected. Volunteers Unite and make this world a better place one person at a time.
Comment by Kay on Mar 31 2009 02:50:36:
I have taught my kids how to recycle. So when something is used they always ask, “Do this go in the garbage or the recycle bin?”
Also, my husband and I give away my children clothes’ and toys and donate them to friends or family members or to Goodwill.
Comment by Julie on Mar 31 2009 04:54:24:
“Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically on their environment and especially on their children than the unlived life of the parent.” — Carl Jung
My husband and I have two boys (4 1/2 & 2 1/2) and are expecting
our third in August. I work full time (as does my husband) as a Graphic Designer, and I am the Art Director for an independent literary magazine. I am active in the local writing & arts community, especially in terms of my poetry and photography. And we are active within our church as well.
With all we have going on, I am often asked how I even have time to write or pursue my photography. The truth is, I don’t have time for it, I make time for it. Just as we make time to sit down to dinner as a family each night. My boys are my muses. They are happy, self-sufficient, responsible, polite, and generally well-behaved. They can get their own breakfast, know what we can recycle, load their dinner plates into the dishwasher (even the 2 year old!), and are both quick to comfort each other or a friend. The 4-year-old leads in grace at dinnertime, and as of this week, the 2-year-old has started going to the potty! (Oh the small victories!)
In the end, though it creates a busy schedule, I take pride in that they are seeing their parents continue to live their lives, while leading them in their own.
As a side note, I’m a lousy housekeeper. (I can’t do EVERYTHING!)
Comment by Melissa Norton on Mar 31 2009 10:46:26:
As a proud stay at home mom of a 17 month old son and wife, i found myself throwing away way too much food after each meal. i thought there were way too many people in this world right now that are hungry and here i am pitching all of this food in the garbage. while i was watching the news one night, i saw a clip of how many animals are being stranded right now because some people can’t afford to feed them. as a result, i put all of my scraps or leftovers that arent worth keeping in a seperate ziploc bag(so it doesnt smell) all day long, at the end of the night, i put all of the food by the neighborhood garbage. i know there are a few cats that wonder in and out of our community and i feel like im doing a good thing by helping them survive. maybe others will start to do the same….
Comment by Renita Brown on Apr 30 2009 06:38:06:
I have a 2 1/2 year old boy. I am also expecting in August. I learned about a parenting clinic that helps new mothers get started on collecting baby items. Well I had been holding on to my sons baby items forever; thinking that I would find someone to use them or even using them again one day. Well that didnt happen so I loaded up my car and donated it all to the parenting care clinic. Knowing that it will go to help those that need it. Instead of donating to Goodwill which they sell there items for profit, find a parenting clinic.
Comment by Ewokmama on May 06 2009 11:05:51:
For about six months, I donated my extra breastmilk (about 20oz a week) to a local mama who couldn’t produce enough for her son.
I am also a breastfeeding mentor for expecting and new moms through an online community.
Comment by marla on May 26 2009 01:57:20:
i travel all the time for work so when i see a mom alone i step up and help… this past week i gave up my seat to a woman so she could sit next to her 3 year old (traded in for a middle seat for a 3 hour flight) and then on a flight later that week set up a woman’s stroller that was just off the plan so it would waiting for her when she got off…