So: sometime between now and Mother's Day (Sunday), write a post about the women in the blogosphere that have made some difference in your world. It doesn't have to focus on just one blogger (I don't know that I'll be able to restrict my celebratory post to just one blogger), but you absolutely must single out the objects of your celebration and give them lots of linky love. And if you want to write about how Dooce or Amalah or some other supa-stah or near-stah blogger has enriched your life, that's great, but if you do that, you are required, by the terms of this assignment, to also celebrate a lesser known blogger (extra points if you seek out someone who is not on your blogroll and write about what a great discovery they are.) By this weekend, I want to see all of our names in virtual linky lights.
I'm in! But I am going to go minimalist because honestly I could spend all night at this. There are so many good mom bloggers out there to know and love. I will restrain myself and just post about 2 very different kinds of moms.
First up is Michelle from La Vie en Rose...A Sweet Life. This beautiful young woman writes so poetically and so thoughtfully that she has given me a whole different view of motherhood. I already knew about the snot and the nights and birthday parties and all that kid stuff. People are always complaining about their kids because it is funny. I actually think it takes a kind of bravery to tell about the heartful tenderness of it.
Michelle puts a sweet, grateful light on being a mother. She digs deep and tells the truth about her fears and her hopes and dreams for her son. I love her writing.
Then on the other hand there is Madness Rivera.
Madness is that cool hip funny girl from high school that you always wanted to be friends with but you just knew you never could be because she was way too amazing and popular. Then one day in photography lab she started talking to you and you became even more amazed to learn she was nice, too and you walked around in a daze thinking "Did that just happen?" and then every time from then on in the hall that she said hi to you, it startled you because you just hadn't been able to convince yourself that she would remember who you were.
At least that is how I imagine her. Now she has grown up to be a cool, fun mom. I admire how she is raising her daughters so much. She loves them fiercely but has managed to hang onto her separate identity in a way that many moms find difficult, I imagine. The girls are smart and strong and she is honest with them in a really cool way.
One of her daughters, Maya, is also going to do martial arts at the Junior Olympics in Atlanta this summer and is selling the cutest rubber bracelets to raise money. $10 gets you 4 - one says "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams." Too cool. No, I do not know her personally and yes, I know I am shamelessly shilling.
Those are my nominees. Do you have any?
Posts
5 comments:
Hey. I haven't read either of these - so thanks for the introduction to them! And what a nice honor of Mother's Day.
Thanks for the introduction to these two new blogs. Nice to 'meet' you on your blog also!
WOW Sue, thanks so much for the great words. The funniest part is that I was a quirky tom boy in high school; though I get the analogy.
I do really appreciate all the great connections I've made in blogworld, you as a good example.
And thanks for the outstanding plug for Maya. She is working bananas hard!
I found this and wanted to let you guys know about a really cool mom who has changed my life. I'm just a mom like you - and I have found something that has totally changed our family's life! Rachel Coleman doesn’t look like a hero. If you passed her in the street without her kids you would never think twice about her. If she had her oldest daughter, you may notice them using American Sign Language. If her youngest was with her, you might feel a stab of pity for the woman whose daughter is bound to a wheelchair. When Leah was born almost ten years ago, Rachel’s world was perfect. A musician and new mother, she was living her life her own way. That perfect world came crashing down when she and her husband Aaron learned that Leah had been born deaf. The music Rachel had once held so dear now seemed trivial; she and Aaron worked to learn sign language and communicate with their daughter. A few years later they were thrilled to be expecting Lucy; then they learned that Lucy had Spina Bifida. Rachel underwent fetal surgery to save Lucy’s life; she was born prematurely and diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Doctors warned that the prognosis for Lucy’s ability to communicate was grim. Despite these challenges, Rachel took on a project suggested by her sister Emilie. They created and produced sign language video geared toward children, hoping to help the children Leah knew communicate with her. Signing Time! taught hearing families eighteen common signs using animation, video of children signing, and demonstrations of each word. Rachel returned to her music to write the theme song for the video. Friends were sharing stories of decreasing frustration, eliminating tantrums, and fostering bonding – all as a result of the video! Rachel and Emilie had a vision of helping even more families grow closer and communicate better. The sisters produced two more videos – and during the editing phase, Lucy began to sign! Rachel says Lucy was the first Signing Time! miracle. Lucy has, in her own time, began to speak and sign with her family. She has accomplished many things that the doctors did not believe were possible – and she was not the last miracle! Through these products, thousands of children have learned to communicate with their families. Rachel gets emails and personal stories from families of children with Downs Syndrome, Autism, Apraxia, and countless other diagnoses. These children have defied medical declarations and learned to communicate. She hears from families of non-disabled children whose parents have circumvented tantrums and frustration by learning to sign. She hears from families who have adopted internationally or are bilingual, who have bridged the language barrier. All of these families have been touched by the Signing Time! products and Rachel’s own story of triumph. When Rachel talks about that time in her life when the girls were small, she admits neither diagnosis was easy to accept at first. However, she realized that the girls were just playing out their lives, and that possibilities existed for both of them. Now that Lucy is nearly seven and Leah nine, Rachel will smile and tell you that since the occurrence rate for each girl’s diagnosis is one in one thousand births, her chances of getting the two children she has are literally one in a million! Her story, outlook and frank discussion of her struggles and successes have given families inspiration, hope and encouragement. Rachel Coleman is truly making the world a better place for children of all abilities. If you need any confirmation of her contribution to the community, you need only look as far as the smile on the face of a child whose needs are met – because his family understands him. Go to www.signingtime.com for more information.
Allison, I agree with you!! Rachel Coleman is an inspiration to every mom that has faced a life event that is challenging. When I started to read her story. I wanted to feel sorry for her, but as I see what she has done for others. I am inspired! She took what she was given and turned it around to help other families communicate with thier children. She even inspired my son's school to begin an after school Sign Langage Club. My oldest daughter is now studing to be an interpretor. Check out Rachel's Story at www.signingtime.com
Post a Comment