Happy Mother’s Day

By Diane Forrest

M - O - T - H - E - R

"M" is for the million things she gave me,

"O" means only that she's growing old,

"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,

"H" is for her heart of purest gold;

"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

"R" means right, and right she'll always be,

Put them all together, they spell

"MOTHER,"

A word that means the world to me.

Howard Johnson (c. 1915)

Today is a day set aside to pay honor to our mothers.  Everyone has a mother.  They come in all shapes and sizes, young or old, sweet or mean, rich or poor, and everywhere in between.  According to Wikipedia, the modern holiday of Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in Grafton, West Virginia. She then began a campaign to make "Mother's Day" a recognized holiday in the United States. Although she was successful in 1914, she was already disappointed with its commercialization by the 1920s. Jarvis' holiday was adopted by other countries and it is now celebrated all over the world. In this tradition, each person offers a gift, card, or remembrance toward their mothers, grandmothers, and/ or maternal figure on mother's day.

This past week I went to see my son for Mother's day.   His wife had gone out of town to visit her mother, and he had to stay behind to work, and "mother" his 3 dogs.  We had a wonderful relaxed visit.  It was the first time I had seen his new home, and we went out for a wonderful Italian dinner.  Of course when we came back from dinner, I spent the rest of the night cleaning the mess he had left for his wife. I guess mom's will always pick up after their kids...or is that just me?  We met for lunch the next day near his office, then I headed back home, wanted to beat the bad weather that was rolling in.

Mother's day is not about what to buy her; I have been reading several sites that offer suggestions about what she wants, what she doesn't want and things to surprise her with.  Personally the best gift I can get is spending time with my son, some younger mothers may want to spend time away from their children..hahaha.

Today is Mother's Day, if you are able, spend some time with your mom, eat lunch or brunch or dinner or give her a call if you are too far away. If your mother is no longer around, spend the day with an aunt or other family member, or even an elderly neighbor who is spending the day alone.

We at KISBYTO would like to wish all the mothers out there a very “Happy Mother's Day”.  How do you plan to spend the day?  

(All images from Google) 

Work-at-Home Moms Week

By Terry Orr

So you wanta work at home?  I get it and do it – as are some of my family and friends.  What a relief to avoid the daily commutes to and from the office – especially in over crowed metro areas like Washington, DC.  Regardless of your gender, status and station in life – working from home either part-or-full-time is a blessing.

One of the reason’s I chose to become a blogger upon my retirement – I can do it from anywhere! Be it on the deck, patio, in a car or plane, on a cruise, at a ballgame or in my home office where I am writing the article.

Opportunities are endless from my perspective and finding those little nuggets of meaningful and worthwhile employment from home or flexible work hours and days in growing in leaps and bounds.

Disney’s Family web site offers 10 Great Ways for Moms to Make Money at Home – and I like number 4 - Work your computer. Editing, copywriting, blogging, designing websites, bookkeeping, being a virtual assistant: There are a plethora of money-making possibilities.

3 Boys and a Dog recently published an interesting article – “How to Find Legitimate Work at Home Mom Jobs!”

Another excellent article on this subject comes from – A Practical Wedding -  “Reclaiming Wife: The Work From Home Mom.” 

Working from home is clearly not for everyone – for those of us who enjoy it and can afford doing so – a true blessing indeed.

We loved to hear your thoughts and experiences.

References and Links:

http://workathomemoms.about.com

http://www.topmommyblogs.com/pages/work_at_home_mom_blogs.html

http://www.theworkathomewoman.com

http://www.workingmother.com/flexible-work/15-surprising-work-home-jobs

http://family.go.com/household/article-gobankingrates-1001215-10-great-ways-for-moms-to-make-money-at-home-t/

http://www.mommyish.com/2013/03/01/work-from-home-mom/

http://3boysandadog.com/deals/2013/how-to-find-legitimate-work-at-home-mom-jobs/

http://apracticalwedding.com/2013/05/working-from-home-with-a-baby/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+APracticalWedding+(A+Practical+Wedding)

Helping to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

By Nurse Diane

When my mother was a teen, teenage pregnancies were mostly unheard of.  If someone happened to get in the family way, the girl was usually shipped off to Aunt Clara's house, or to some other remote location before any signs of the indiscretion became apparent.

When I was a teen, it was still quite uncommon for a girl to get knocked up, however if it happened, the girl usually stayed away from school, and was whispered about around town.

These days, seeing a pregnant mother at high school is a common sight, no one even blinks twice when a pregnant girl walks down the high school halls.  The vocational schools have day cares and child caring classes, and there is even a television show glamorizing the scenes of teenage pregnancy.

Becoming a parent while you are still a child is not as fun as the media makes it seem.  Not only have you lost your childhood, unable to do activities the other kids are doing, but also you are also responsible for another life.  You have to provide food, shelter, and heath care for another person for the next 20 years or so - should you decide to keep your baby?

Today is the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.  While it may not be a popular or comfortable subject to talk about, as adults, we have the responsibility to at least make an effort to inform the younger generation about the repercussions of unprotected sex and the effects it will have on their lives.  If you know of a teen, or have one in your home, take today and start a conversation with them, find out what they know, and what they don't. 

Stayteen.org has an online quiz here, http://www.stayteen.org/quiz/.  Ask your teen to take this quiz as a starting point for your conversation. 

To find other ways to help visit: http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national/. 

There is plenty of time for young girls to become mothers.  Encourage the teens to wait until they are able to care for themselves and another human.

Mom, Dad, - time to do your research - get the facts - and determine your path forward for your children.  The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unwanted Pregnancy offer Ten Tips for Parents :  

1. Be clear about your own sexual values and attitudes.
2. Talk with your children early and often about sex, and be specific.
3. Supervise and monitor your children and adolescents.
4. Know your children's friends and their families.
5. Discourage early, frequent, and steady dating.
6. Take a strong stand against your daughter dating a boy significantly older than she is. And don't allow your son to develop an intense relationship with a girl much younger than he is.
7. Help your teenagers have options for the future that are more attractive than early pregnancy and parenthood
8. Let your kids know that you value education highly.
9. Know what your kids are watching, reading, and listening to.
10. These first nine tips for helping your children avoid teen pregnancy work best when they occur as part of strong close relationships with your children that are built from an early age.

Parents and Guardians – PLEASE take a few minute to click on this link read the entire article.

Mother's Day

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