Reflecting on a mission, one I feel called to...

What kind of mom's group can last for 10 years and still keep growing? The Mommies Network, that's who! I feel like its my mission field some days.

It began with just 2 mom's getting together talking, supporting each other, helping each other and grew from there, and grew and grew. Our local chapter here in the foothills of North Carolina is just a small piece of the "mommy puzzle" CentralfoothillsMommies was founded March 26th 2006 by Erin Moore, now lead by Chapter Manager Leslie Block (that's me).

CentralFoothillsMommies.com was born when two existing sites, HickoryMommies.com and StatesvilleMommies.com decided to join forces to better support the moms in their combined local area. Feeling that each site had a unique identity and wanting to bring both communities together, the management decided upon a new name to better describe their new, combined community. Thus, CentralFoothillsMommies was born!

We chat online in a private forum - discussing everything from the best photographers to the worst temper tantrums and all that lies between - and meet-up regularly at member-driven events around town. Whether it's a late night commiseration on a crying baby (there are 4 am posts to prove it) or a Mom's Night Out, CentralFoothillsMommies provides what our members need, when and how they need it.

But CentralFoothillsMommies is more than just a community of moms. It's moms in and for the community. Our members work full time, stay home full time, work part time, represent many races, are pregnant for the first time, are adoptive moms, were adopted themselves, recently moved to the area, have lived here all our lives, have twins, are happy with one, are single moms, are searching out schools and have watched their kids graduate. In other words, we are a reflection of mothers in the real world. And we help out our neighbors as much as ourselves through organized fundraisers and other charity events - specifically those focused on providing for mothers and their children.

We serve over 30,000 women in our mission to provide a safe and FREE place to find support and encouragement, advice and friendship.

Each dollar you donate allows our network to run for about 8 minutes. Your donation assists us in maintaining our chapters, expanding our network, upgrading critical technologies, and providing the very best place for moms to find what they are missing, online and in real life.

We’d love to tell you how great The Mommies Network is, but why not let our members tell you for us?

That is why as the Chapter Manager I wanted to reflect and reveal why I love TMN so much myself. Below is a great video from Charlottemommies that I love, then below that my reflections on being a member and mom within the network of TMN. A mission that I feel lead to continue for at least another 10 years I hope and pray.

 

My reflections as a Chapter Manager,TMN Advisor and member.

As the Chapter Manager and a member myself I can totally attest to the overwhelming support I have received from the awesome friends and sisters that I have found with my CFM mommies! They are my world, I am excited to share my life with them, little things that my family experiences I can't wait to get home and get online to tell my "mommy friends" , A new recipe I have tried, I love to share, A stupid moment with my husband, I have an outlet to ventilate or bounce ideas off a sister before I say something totally crazy and hurt his feelings.

I have experienced depression and PPD for many years and found others who have the same problems as I do, we have so much in common and it lets me feel like I am not alone crying at 3am, I have the support of my network right behind me.

When my father passed away from liver cancer and I had to go out of town, one of my best mommy friends came to my house to care for my pets, even washed windows for me. Again when my husbands father passed away I had support once again .

I recall a day my husband had to have back surgery and I was all alone in the waiting room of a local hospital, I was online on CFM to keep myself busy and from worrying. I got a phone call from one of our members who asked what my favorite flavor of "Starbucks coffee" was, before I knew it she was pulling up threw the breezeway of the surgical suite area, calling me to come out the door and get my "mommy coffee". She was on her way home from work and had a few minutes to spare, thought of a fellow mom in need and knew that a cup of "Starbucks white chocolate mocha" would absolutely make my day! And it did!

Another mom offered to drive 3 hours and pick up my kids when my husband was very ill and had to spend a few unexpected days in an out of town medical center. These amazing women are in every chapter of our network, even in the leadership of TMN. I think of many more instances just like these since 2007 when I joined The Mommies Network that another mom has been there and done something incredibly selfless just for me.
The founder and president of The Mommies Network "Heather Fortune" has become a wonderful friend herself to me, a shoulder to lean on, an outstanding example of servant leadership that will get right in the trenches and dig in to work with her team. I am also very proud to be a part of the Senior Advisor team of TMN, all volunteers that spend countless hours, up late hours all night sometimes just to make TMN the best place for all moms we can. I plan to spend another 10 + years helping to make TMN grow and serve our communities all across the US. into the vision that Heather has for TMN.
We need your help to continue our mission, please consider visiting the link HERE and donating even a small amount to help, it will be used to help women just like the women who help me.

Thank you so much for your time

Chapter Manager CentralfoothillsMommies.com

National Sr Advisor of Social Medial for The Mommies Network

 

 

Random Acts of Kindness ~ 700 Teddy Bears

Such a sweet story, I had to share it ~~


"As a parent, I couldn't help but pass along my daughter's story.
My daughter, Taylor Marie Crabtree (age seven) started a business called TayBear Company. She makes and sells hand painted hair clips at local stores. When she started her business I assumed that she wanted extra spending money, but then she told me the purpose of her business.

Taylor was going to buy teddy bears for children with cancer. She said the kids probably have a lot of sadness in their lives and she wanted them to have something special to hug and to hug them back. Taylor wanted them to know that even strangers care about them. She set her goal at 500 teddy bears. I thought her too high goal was that of a child that didn't really understand. I was the one that didn't understand.

The media picked up on Taylor's project and our community has embraced her efforts. But help has come from far beyond our little community. Taylor has received donations from strangers that live thousands of miles away, just from word of mouth. It has been rather like a chain letter from the heart. With her scribbly second grade handwriting, she wrote each person with her appreciation and an update on her project. She has also expanded her project to include over 100 other children (including special needs kids) as helpers. Taylor wanted other kids to feel that they too were capable of helping others in their own way. Along the way she also raised her goal to 700 teddy bears.

Each day after selling, Taylor and her helpers talk about the people who had touched their hearts. Maybe it was the homeless man that had donated 11 cents and was surprised when he was told that was plenty of money to buy a hair clip. He and Taylor stood together choosing just the right hair clip for his lady friend. Or maybe it was the young woman who was flying back home the next day to say goodbye for the last time to her father, who was dying from cancer. Perhaps it was the man that drove all the way to his bank and back in order to buy a hair clip for his Mom. He said that his Dad had recently died from cancer. He wanted a child to have a teddy bear in his Dad's memory. With each hair clip or donation has come so many memories and a realization that when working toward a goal from your heart, the journey too is part of the experience. Taylor once told me "how could people not see Angels, they're everywhere.
- Tricia Crabtree"

More inspiring RAK stories here http://www.peopleandpossibilities.com/33kindnessstories2.html

How To Make A Smoothie ~

                                                  Source: superskinnyme.com via Leslie on Pinterest

Tuesday Twitter Hopping with Friends!

So, link up your Twitter account, find some new tweeps and have fun!

If you've never linked up before, use this format:

http://twitter.com/twitterhandle

Like mine is http://twitter.com/BlockmomNC
and twitter.com/ERNursescare

If you'd like to help spread the word, grab the button, tweet, post to Facebook or +1 this post! Or, you can grab the linky code below and post the whole hop on your blog!

Twitter Hop with my fellow blogger Heartfelt Balance/Handmade Life

Wordless Wednesday~

Caption This__________________

My Wordless Wednesday pictures are all going to be from old family photos, they are just to precious not to share and keep remembering such good times with our children!

This classic pic is my daddy at my younger brother's wedding, notice a small red monster inside his tuxedo, Elmo that actually belonged to my son Kris 5 months then, age 18 now. 

I still have that Elmo doll, and since my daddy went to heaven in 2009 I will keep it forever now.

Sweet Blogger Opportunity for Fall~

 

 Jenn's Blah Blah Blog, Diva Fabulosa and Simply Shawn & Jenn are bringing you an awesome FREE Blogger Opportunity! They will be giving away $200, in their Have it your way event! How will this work? Whatever the winner wants, the winner will get! Kindle Fire, PayPal Cash, Amazing, Wal-Mart, Target! Who cares, they get just what they want! Blogger get FREE Facebook link with the option to purchase additional links! Jenn's Blah Blah Blog had a giveaway just like this called the Sizzling Summer Giveaway that was fabulous, so were going to bring it back over and over and over again! This time Simply Shawn & Jenn has decided to join in the fun to celebrate reaching over 10K fans! About the event

• Prize: Whatever you want up to $200 (shipping included) Do you want a Kindle Fire? Maybe an iPod, hummm maybe gift card to Target, oh wait Paypal cash? We don't care we want you to have it your way! So let the games begin, and let's have some fun with this one!
• Event will run from Sept 20th until Oct 20th.
• Free Facebook
• Additional likes $2
• Daily Votes $3
• Co-host spots $10. (with this you will receive your blog mentioned all blogs posts, FREE Facebook, and FREE Twitter! If you choose this please be sure to add your links in the assigned spots on the form below)

You can sign up for this event, HERE

9/11 Lesson Plans for K-12 classes and homeschoolers

An Awesome resource for school or homeschool children, teaching them all about the attacks and the memorial/museum. https://www.911memorial.org/teach-learn

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has partnered with the New York City Department of Education and the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education to develop a robust set of 9/11 lessons for K-12 classrooms. 
Each lesson is tied to the Common Core Standards. Grounded in our collections, they are written for use throughout the school year and across subjects, including Social Studies, History, English Language Arts, and Art. The lessons are divided into the following themes:

NYC DOE lesson plans 
Historical Impact 
Community & Conflict 
Heroes & Service 
Memory & Memorialization

NJ Commission on Holocaust Education lesson plans
Making of a Memorial 
Historical Impact of 9/11 
Heroic Rescue, Recovery, and Clean-up 
The Aftermath: Humanitarian, Charitable, and Volunteer Support 
The Mourning, Memorializing, and Meaning-Making of 9/11
Individuals and 9/11 
History of the World Trade Center

Here are a few tips when using the lessons: 
• Every lesson and worksheet is downloadable. Full links to online collection objects and webpages are listed in the “Materials” section.

• The Common Core Standards are listed according to their corresponding Career and College Readiness Anchor Standards for each applicable grade level.

• Questions are typically italicized in the body of the lesson to separate them from their surrounding context.

• Each lesson includes Key Terms that are relevant and used in the lesson. We have included potentially difficult definitions within the body of these lessons.

• Some Extension Activities offer alternative assessments, if necessary. In addition, we have developed the 9/11 FAQ, a basic primer to the history of the World Trade Center, the 9/11 attacks and their perpetrators, and the rebuilding of the site. For K-2 teachers, see Fact Sheet for Early Childhood Learners.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum thanks the teachers who conceived and developed these lessons, along with all of those involved at their respective organizations for their commitment and dedication in this effort.


The Foundational Lesson Plans:

These lessons provide an educational introduction to the 9/11 attacks and the 9/11 Memorial. They are a good starting place for you to discuss the attacks and the aftermath with your students.

An Introduction to the 9/11 attacks
Use this lesson as a foundation to introduce 9/11 and its aftermath to students. As part of the lesson, students will be asked to consider what they know about 9/11 and what they would want to learn about the attacks. Suggested resources, including images, are provided. 

An Introduction to the 9/11 Memorial
This lesson introduces students to the design and symbolism of the 9/11 Memorial, while prompting them to consider how they would memorialize the attacks. Age-appropriate investigation questions accompany the lesson and 9/11 Memorial images are provided.

Meow Monday (on Tuesday) with Smokey & Lucy!

This week has been so long, and lazy and long......at least for us girls. It is so hart to be a Diva Kitty and sleep all day, eat fancy can food, all natural dry food from the posh pet store and get carried around by our people.

Our Top Ten Tuesday List~
We decided to make a list this week: 10 reasons why we like homeschooling!

1. Our people are home all day and all night just about everyday!
2. Our mommy is happy all the time
3. We like unit studies about cats
4. We get fed more
5. Our litter boxes get cleaned more often
6. Those girl people will do anything to avoid schoolwork and play with us more instead...lol
7. We get fed more
8. We sleep more (we don't go to school really)
9. They cook more at home and then drop food on the floor....heheheh
10. Homeschool is cool (shop or home ec class- they make cat toys and houses---he he)

Until next week, Meow!!

Got Chickens? We have Swiss ones

Source: clemenceg.typepad.com via Leslie on Pinterest

ClémenceG.: Wrath budding artists in Switzerland, such fun and such a variety in hens done in mixed media.
Credit to http://clemenceg.typepad.com/blog/ , you need to see all the different images done by children.
Can you duplicate some of these cool chicks with your at home artists? Get together some mixed media of all kinds, paint, papers, fabrics, wooden sticks, glues, eyes, felt, feathers, Mod Podge, you name it and have some fun trying to create some fun chicken/ hen art. Dance the Funky chicken dance while you are at it.

                                                                       Source: clemenceg.typepad.com via Leslie on Pinterest

MICKEY Mouse! Halloween event!

Mickey Mouse Halloween Event is hosted by Mom Blog Society.

Prize Package Includes: 3' Inflatable Halloween Mickey Mouse, Mickey's Treat DVD & Light-Up Jack O'Lantern Mickey Mouse Trick or Treat Bucket

The event dates: 10/2 - 10/12

Free Event ~ Sign-Up Here

Recycle and Recraft our world, teach our kids now!

                                                     Source: shabbychicinspired.blogspot.com via Leslie on Pinterest

What a better thing to teach your children than to recycle and reuse the common things that we might have just thrown away in the trashcan and that might have just ended up in a landfill somewhere or outside rusting away breeding mosquitoes. Coffee cans or old metal cans are a perfect example of refuse that just gets tossed and ends up just anywhere on our Earth. 
So this week we have talked at home about what kind of things we can do to recraft, recycle and reuse those common cans. This office/craft organizer is so shabby chic and pretty that we are going to make another just like it to hold makeup and brushes. The neutral colors, the lace and the embellishments are just perfect. I found this one on Pinterest of course as Sarah and I were searching for recycled and recrafted items to pin to our board all about recycling. 
It is from this cool website Shabby Chic Inspired (love love the vintage looks here)

Off now to save and clean up our cans, we have a few left overs from dinner last night and some extras in the recycle bin now......oh boy!!


Another idea!! how many kitchen utensils do we all have anyhow? I have a gazillion!

                                                   Source: br.mulher.yahoo.com via Leslie on Pinterest

Meow Monday with Lucy & Smokey

This weeks cute photo of us, we are so cute! Pin us!

Our Mommy let us use the computer thing each Monday now to do a series called "Meow Monday with Lucy and Smokey" we want to tell other kitties out there all about our life in this crazy house with these crazy people who carry us around all the time and talk to us like we are babies. They even dress Lucy up sometimes and that little one tries to put makeup on her.
Our brother kitty Catboy (real name Tom, they called him Fat-boy and then Catboy stuck) has finally gone to the great kitty cat heaven in the sky  so we are sad today, but then again happy that he is in kitty heaven with grandpa and others that have gone on before us. 

He was about 12-13 yrs old,with Feline FIV (like HIV)in humans , diabetes and arthritis (we have tested negative for that bad stuff so far and had our shots, ekk) . Our Mommy has been running a kitty cat hospice here for about 6 months now. He has been declining fast, loosing weight and looking ruff for a while now. Mommy has been medicating him for comfort and letting him have his favorite canned kitty food every day. She even let him pee in the floor (well on the pee pee pads), we don't even get to do that, we have to go potty in that box thing.
Catboy died happy, but outside , my human brother Kris found him Sunday near his favorite sleeping spot outdoors and he was gone. They buried him in our yard so the girls can make him a proper tombstone, as they want to. We don't get to go outside, we just get to watch from the window. Mommy does not allow us to go outdoors, she says that Lucy can't behave herself outside so we have to stay in.
Here are some pictures of Catboy we found on this computer thing, and Mommy said we could share them.

We just showed some of the happy pictures, he was so funny and fat, until he started getting sicker, he lived for a long long time with our family, many great memories of our brother Catboy!

Rest In Peace dear brother!

Love your kitty sisters Lucy and Smokey!