MOMtivation

I say it all the time: I am a word-nerd and I love it. I was not at all surprised to look up the etymological meaning of  mother and find that it is ‘breast-feeder’ (the English word mother and Latin mater and many similar maternal words contain the worldwide etymon ma ‘breast’ + ter an Indo-European agent suffix).

Breastfeeding my baby girls was the most amazing bonding time. Even though I felt connected to my girls since they were in my belly, breastfeeding is when I truly when I felt like a mom.

The title mother isn’t a holy term in its own. Any woman can give birth to a child, but it takes LOVE IN ACTION to be a mother. 

Love is Perfect…while we are not. It takes the inner strength of a faithful woman to wake up with the desire to exercise motherhood, to be consistent, and to put it in action throughout the day (and night)… everyday.

“Her children arise and call her blessed;her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’”

 I love that there is a day dedicated to celebrate my motherhood. I have been anticipating the day with enthusiasm:  My daughters spent their money and their time making sure I felt special… “mami, you’re going to love your surprises”… and I do.

Happy Mother’s Day to all LOVING mothers… those of  you that wear your title as a tribute of the work you do within yourselves, for your children, your spouses, your community and the Earth.  I call you BLESSED and PRAISE you all.

Guiding YOUR Path to Success,

Mother’s Day is a day chosen for spouses, children and everyone else to remember to offer serenity and show much deserved appreciation for all the hard work we moms somehow manage to get done.

I know what you’re thinking: “Everyday SHOULD be Mother’s Day”… and it can. At least, it can feel like it is…and that will do!

On Friday, May 11 @ 8-9 pm CST (AKA TOMORROW) I am kicking off my webinar series titled “Mind Your MOM Business.” uring this first live training session, I’ll talk about a new approach to parenting that will help you:

• take charge of your SUCCESS as a parent
• STRENGTHEN your family
• and still enjoy peace, joy and SERENITY at home

PLUS, a Special BONUS Q&A section… ASK ME ANYTHING about Motherhood!

I promise that you will walk away with concrete parenting principles, strategies and tools you can implement the next day and start seeing transforming results almost immediately.

Remember, you are cordially invited to join me EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT for the “Mind Your MOM Business” free webinar series. Mark your calendar, set your alarm and see you on Friday at 8pm CST! It’s FREE!

Webinar seating will be limited so learn more and RSVP now! I’ll look forward to welcoming you! (this FRIDAY NIGHT, May 11!)

We’re going to have so much fun!!!!

Guiding YOUR Path to Success,

Last week was one of those weeks. You know, the kind in which you feel like you just want to GO HOME… Well, maybe that’s just me. With my whole family living in the Dominican Republic, both of my brothers having a birthday and my best friend’s birthday on top of that, you may understand why I was feeling  blue rather than my usual purple.

Yes, I stay positive and grateful, but my cheery personality kinda lost a shade for a bit.  Not to worry, I’m back to my sun-shiny self. Here’s the story:

Last Friday, we went to ballet, as usual. I got the girls in and went to Half Priced Books, which is downstairs. I wanted to just be alone and bury my face in a book.   God had different plans for me.  Enter: Emery.

She sat next to me and brought a Princess Book. She introduced herself and told me my name was very pretty after I said mine. Then she “made me” read her the entire book by asking: “What does it say here?” “What about here?” “And here?” “And here?” LOL   Then she asked to write in my iPad.

How could one resist that cute smile? —–>

After a while, I navigated the store with her in search of the lost babysitter, who had 2 other children to care for.

So yes, I went and got the girls and now I was determined to get “my alone time.”  Emery made me smile and I was feeling better, but not enough, I decided.

We went to a pond by the library that has a nice nature trail. I sat by nature and breathed fresh air. I felt connected to the Creator of such a magnificent setting. The turtles and ducks (which I were surprised were ducks!!!) and the chirping of the birds, and the feeling of the grass on my feet. It was perfect.  And God had other plans.  LOL   Enter: Nadia and Samara.

They were obviously sisters, looked alike: brown skin, brown eyes, brown hair and the same hairdo. Barefoot and confused.  I came down to ask them about their parents when the couple walking behind them told me they had been walking behind them for almost a mile, no parents in sight, but they would not talk to her and her husband.  They did trust the girls and I. We thought they belonged in a day care nearby, so my girls held Nadia’s and Samara’s hands and the quest began.  They did not know their parents names or where they lived or their phone number. SCARY!

The day care workers had no clue whom or whose these cute girls were. The nice couple called the police. The father ended up showing up at the same time as the cute cop. It was all resolved, but yet, my question remains: WHY oh WHY are all these cute girls UNATTENDED?!!!

Besides a lesson in child safety, what a confirmation this was that life is happy when you get out of your own way and decide to be a service to others.  Helping these lost little girls sure hit the happy spot and helped me find myself again

Guiding YOUR Path to Success,

You probably didn’t know that April 30th to May 6 is  National TV-Turnoff Week. I’m serious…really!

I don’t subscribe to cable TV or miss it the least bit. We get DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs at the library FOR FREE and we watch them happily together. Sometimes I rent a romantic comedy and treat myself after putting the girls to bed for the night.

I don’t know who came up with the TV-Turnoff Week  idea, but that person is genius!

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Statistics show that kids in the U.S.A. will most likely spend more time in front of the TV than in school this year.   YIKES!

Here are 5 reasons I think TV is pretty much useless:

1. CNN = Constant Negative News
2. Kids who don’t watch TV usually get straight A’s
3. A lot of TV time = Obesity
4. You can burn more calories staring at a wall than watching TV
5. You could be spending quality time and finding teachable moments (building a family legacy)

Unplug the TV and connect to LIFE… you’ll be saving energy, too.

Guiding YOUR Path to Success,

Thank you reading my Positive Mom post. If you LIKE it and appreciate it, please COMMENT and  SHARE it!
Copyright © Elayna Fernández 2012

As I start writing this post, I don’t know where I am really going. I may surprise you…and myself.  I have recently been attracting a lot of information about marriages that last over 50 years.  It seems like a formula and not a matter of being “soul-mates.”

I saw a cute picture in which the man asked the woman how they managed to stay together all these years and she replies: ”we were just born at a time where when things were broken, we didn’t toss them, we fixed them.”  

Perhaps “meant to be together” is a crazy myth. And soul mates, mmm, here’s Elizabeth Gilbert’s definition (on Eat, Pray, Love) :

“People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.

A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave.

A soul mates purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life…”

Being with a soul mate sound like pain-inflicting experience. I have been in a painful relationship with a fault-finding, unappreciative, controlling, excessively demanding, extremely selfish man. Yes, I learned a ton from it…but that didn’t make it fun and that won’t get my years back.  I love who I am for where I’ve been yet I recognize there is indeed a better way.

Finding a soulmate must be a conscious decision based on shared core values and a joyful experience together. Yes, we could experience and accelerate learning in an unhealthy relationship, but isn’t it better to do it at our pace while being happy with someone who simply wants to make us happy?

Guiding YOUR Path to Success,