Something that is inspiring about the way the German’s celebrate Mother’s Day comes from a time during the 1920’s when the country was experiencing a low birth rate, mostly due to women working. There was a movement to use Mother’s Day as a way to promote the values of motherhood. Of course over the years things have changed in Germany, particularly during World War 2 where the focus was on the actual number of children women had and not the values of motherhood.

But at the end of the day, the idea of celebrating the values of motherhood is beautiful. This Mother’s Day here at MomFaves we wanted to say thank you to several mother’s that use their blogs to promote the value of motherhood.

Courtney Jane of http://blog.cjanerun.com/ has been blogging since 2005 during her struggle with infertility. Her blog is a journey through struggle, heartache, joy, and excitement! Always willing to be honest about her beliefs and always offering honest dialogue Courtney Jane is a well loved by her readers and MomFaves. A great introduction to the honest discussions of motherhood would be to read the birth story of her second child, Ever. The journey starts here http://blog.cjanerun.com/2010/04/evers-birth-story-part-one.html. We know you will be as blessed by Courtney Jane as we are!

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We would be remiss if we didn’t also mention one of our favorite blogging mothers, Ree Drummond, who blogs on http://thepioneerwoman.com. This woman is on a mission, to do everything! Several years ago when her first child sat on the school bus for over 5 hours getting to and from school she made a decision that no matter how chaotic her life may get that she would home school her children. Ree is constantly making decisions about the way she lives to better support her family. Did we mention that she is baby crazed as well?! And here’s the proof: http://thepioneerwoman.com/blog/2009/12/houston_babiesand_other_matters/. Ree may be one of the humerous mom bloggers out there, but she is serious about her role as a mother and supporting other mothers.

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This Mother’s Day we are proud to say that Mom’s Matter. And we are privileged to know some really great mom’s!! If you want to read more inspiring stories of Motherhood, Etsy did a wonderful thing by posting “Because I Said So: Wisdom From Mom”, the stories will warm your heart. http://www.etsy.com/storque/handmade-life/because-i-said-so-wisdom-from-mom-8123/

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.