Breast Cancer Motivates Young Mom, Gina Andrews of Sacramento, California to Help

After being diagnosed with breast cancer just after her son Ayden was born in May 2005, Gina started her own support group in 2007 with the goal of helping breast cancer patients closer to her age group. Then her organization joined forces with Save Ourselves Breast Cancer Resource Center, which offers counseling, supplies and monthly group sessions.

Andrews now devotes most of her time to another group, Necessities Bag Sacramento. This organization provides a bag of items meant to comfort breast cancer patients. Handmade pillows

Gina was nominated to the Why Moms Matter Project and featured in this video by Sacramento News 10 in partnership with Sacramento Moms Like Me.

Link to the full story on Gina by News 10 Sacramento

The Why Moms Matter Project

The WhyMomsMatter Project was created by the founders of MomFaves to celebrate and honor the significance and beauty of motherhood. Moms are nominated by their loved ones to receive the “Why Moms Matter Award” given each week.

Download the Why Moms Matter E-book - full of stories and pictures of moms nominated by their loved ones for the positive impact they are making in the world.

Listen to Why Moms Matter on MomFaves Blog Talk Radio - Friday’s at 12:30pm (Pacific) Weekly blog radio program highlighting moms across the country who’ve beend nominated to the Why Moms Matter Project; hosted by Josh Unfried, founder of MomFaves.com and Danielle Smith of ExtraordinaryMommy.com

It isn’t often that you hear politics discussed by moms on the playground. That could be because we find ourselves too pressed for time to pay attention or because we are wary of engaging in serious debate without having done the proper research.

Now that may be on over-generalization, however, Molly Teichman is on a mission to bring politics to moms. Recognizing our value in the home, and as leaders in our families she wants mothers to be educated about politics, to have a forum to express their opinions without fear of ridicule and she wants them to be comfortable asking questions if there is something they don’t know or don’t understand.

This mother of three beautiful children created Political Mommentary - a site dedicated to factual political discussion free of “name calling, one liners or other divisive behavior”. Molly recognizes people won’t always agree; in fact, she embraces the idea. She is hoping to encourage bipartisan discussion.

She explains, “With a furrowed brow I find myself misunderstood and disappointed at the incredibly divided political landscape. Often not in line with my Republican party, nor feeling understanding from a more liberal crowd, I felt it was necessary to begin a new path toward bipartisan debate and understanding.”

And thus, Political Mommentary was born. With information presented from both sides of the political spectrum - and everywhere in between, Molly has created a political haven for moms to learn, understand and question the world around them.

Engage. Ask. Discuss. Debate.

Offer commentary.

Learn more about Molly and Political Mommentary Wednesday, August 14th on Why Moms Matter on Blog Talk Radio at 12:30PST/2:30CST. We will be happy to take your questions!

Post by Danielle Smith from ExtraordinaryMommy.com

The Why Moms Matter Project

The WhyMomsMatter Project was created by the founders of MomFaves to celebrate and honor the significance and beauty of motherhood. Moms are nominated by their loved ones to receive the “Why Moms Matter Award” by clicking “Nominate” at the top left of WhyMomsMatter.com. If you would like to nominate someone for the WhyMomsMatter project, we would love to hear from you!

Download the Why Moms Matter E-book - full of stories and pictures of moms nominated by their loved ones for the positive impact they are making in the world.

Jan Krystkowiak has a lot on her plate.  She is a mother to 5 children, a wife to an NBA Coach, a business owner and now an author.  She believes in hard work, a giving spirit and a focus on her family.

Jan started Where in the World Books in 2008 -  a line of children’s books that can be personalized with your child’s special details.  She firmly believes that personalization can increase a child’s vocabulary, comprehension and love of reading.

She recently penned her first two books, “I Don’t Want to Move” about the difficulties kids face when moving and how the whole event can be turned into a positive adventure and “The Tale of Fatty Catty” - a story of 3 boys, a fishing trip and some overactive imaginations.

Jan and her husband have always donated to multiple charities, but Jan decided to use her extra energy to ‘work to make money for charity’ - so she recently decided two of the children’s books would benefit a specific animal charity.  One book focuses on a dog and the other, on a cat.  Both can include your breed and color of animal, your pet’s name as well as your child’s.  Additionally, there is space for a dedication at the beginning of the book. Jan hopes that her ‘giving’ creates a domino effect and encourages others to do the same.

Being married to a man who shares her passion for work and family is one thing that helps Jan to stay balanced.  And, like many women, she knows when to ask for help. Her three boys - aged 7 to 10, and twin, 20 month old girls always remind her of what is most important.

Learn more about Jan on Why Moms Matter on Blog Talk Radio, Friday at 12:30PST/2:30CST. We will be doing a special giveaway - you don’t want to miss it!

As always - if you know an ordinary mom doing extraordinary things - be sure to nominate her at Why Moms Matter.

The Why Moms Matter Project

The WhyMomsMatter Project was created by the founders of MomFaves to celebrate and honor the significance and beauty of motherhood. Moms are nominated by their loved ones to receive the “Why Moms Matter Award” by clicking “Nominate” at the top left of WhyMomsMatter.com. If you would like to nominate someone for the WhyMomsMatter project, we would love to hear from you!

Download the Why Moms Matter E-book - full of stories and pictures of moms nominated by their loved ones for the positive impact they are making in the world.

If music and creativity were the markers that defined our wealth, Joy Rose would be an incredibly rich woman. As it is now - her life is rich with, at the very least, character, a giving spirit and an inherent ability to empower women.

This is a woman who is creating movements, redefining what it means to be a woman and a mother and honoring the value in motherhood with each step she takes every day.

Friend Lynn Kuechle nominated Joy as a Mom Who Matters, saying in part that music and and art had ’saved her life’.

Joy explains, “Finding our passion or ‘reason to be’ in life is really important, especially in the face of profound illness.  Rediscovering creativity and music was core to who I was as a person. Abandoning those things as a mother left me incomplete. Reincorporating them made me feel whole again.”

In 2002, Joy and a few girlfriends created what is now the heart and soul of Mamapalooza, a “movement, a community and a resource which supports women by encouraging them to get creative and give something back to themselves”. The Mamapalooza events use arts, culture and education to embrace and empower women.

The first event took place on a single stage in front of roughtly 100 people.  There were only 15 performers. In only 7 years Mamapalooza has expanded to 4 different countries and countless stages. The events from the Spring and Summer of 2009 boast more than 350 performers and over 50,000 people attending.

A mother to 4 children - Brody is 20, Blaze is 18, Ali is 16 and Zena is 14 - Joy believes the most important thing she does with her children is to set a positive and loving example on a daily basis, “I’m pretty simple when it comes to ‘mothering’: Feed them, Love them, Listen to them and share my philosophy when it is relevant.”

Joy is also the Executive Director of the Motherhood Foundation which is working to build an International Musuem of Motherhood - honoring the achievements of mothers through a wide range of exhibits and projects.

Joy’s key to balancing everything she currently has on her plate, “I move forward like a wall that spans a thousand miles.  Slowly pushing the vast pool of energy another inch forward every day; Nudge Mamapalooza, the kids, the Museum, my friends, the radio show, my band, our home, my relationship….it goes on and on….”

Join us today at 12:30PST/2:30CST on Why Moms Matter on Blog Talk Radio to learn more about Joy’s inspirational journey of motherhood, illness and reinvention.  You will be thrilled by Mamapalooza and awed by the Musuem of Motherhood.

Do you know a Mom Who Matters?  An ordinary mom doing extraordinary things?  Nominate her today.

Post by Danielle Smith from ExtraordinaryMommy.com

The Why Moms Matter Project

The WhyMomsMatter Project was created by the founders of MomFaves to celebrate and honor the significance and beauty of motherhood. Moms are nominated by their loved ones to receive the “Why Moms Matter Award” by clicking “Nominate” at the top left of WhyMomsMatter.com. If you would like to nominate someone for the WhyMomsMatter project, we would love to hear from you!

Download the Why Moms Matter E-book - full of stories and pictures of moms nominated by their loved ones for the positive impact they are making in the world.

A woman who takes good care of herself is a more powerful mother - at least that is the way I see it.  If we are willing to settle for ‘nothing but the best FROM ourselves’, that will carry over into our parenting. A Mom Matters when she cares enough to be a good example - in word and action to her children.

Take Leah Segedie for example (many of you may know her as Bookieboo!)  What you may not know is Leah’s story.

Three years ago, when Leah gave birth to her first child, a son, she weighed 253 pounds.  While she was pregnant, her father was diagnosed with cancer and given only 6 months to live.  Five days a week, Leah helped her mother to care for her dying father. Watching him suffer was tremendously painful and Leah found solace in food.

Like so many of us, she believed the weight would come off after she had the baby.  But, also like many of us, that wasn’t the case.

When her newborn son was only 3 months old, Leah’s father lost his battle with cancer.  Though she had prayed for an end to his suffering, she was devastated.

But with the devastation came a ‘moment of clarity’, as she calls it.  She didn’t want to be the ‘fat mom’.  She wanted to ‘model healthy behavior’ for her family.  In that moment, Leah decided to make a change.  So, she stood up and started walking.  At first it was once a day and then twice.  She joined Curves and began to practice Taebo. Five pounds at a time, Leah began to see a difference.

Working at a healthy lifestyle the traditional way, with  diet and exercise, Leah lost over 100 pounds.
It is this weight loss journey, and Leah’s desire to motivate those around her that inspired her friend Kelly Loubet to nominate her for Why Moms Matter.

After losing the weight, Leah decided to create a ‘go-to place where moms could share their struggles staying or getting into shape”, and Bookieboo.com (named after her son) was born.  The site has over 40 contributors, many are certified personal trainers, but all are moms.

Knowing how tough it can be to balance being a mom with taking care of yourself, Leah is reaching out - hoping to give a little extra resolve to one mom at a time. Having recently had a second son, Leah is on the ball with getting back into shape one more time - and she has the support of whole bunch of moms on Bookieboo - doing the exact same thing.

Join us on Why Moms Matter on Blog Talk Radio, Friday at 12:30PST/2:30CST to learn how Leah stays motivated to keep up with her healthy lifestyle and how she balances work with family.  You’ll also learn about her new Blog Talk Radio Show - MomActive - launching on June 19th.

Do you know a Mom Who Matters?  An ordinary mom doing extraordinary things?  Nominate her today.

Post by Danielle Smith from ExtraordinaryMommy.com

The Why Moms Matter Project

The WhyMomsMatter Project was created by the founders of MomFaves to celebrate and honor the significance and beauty of motherhood. Moms are nominated by their loved ones to receive the “Why Moms Matter Award” by clicking “Nominate” at the top left of WhyMomsMatter.com. If you would like to nominate someone for the WhyMomsMatter project, we would love to hear from you!

Download the Why Moms Matter E-book - full of stories and pictures of moms nominated by their loved ones for the positive impact they are making in the world.